Perhaps most American's would screw up the title of someone from England on purpose. Although we may be somewhat charmed by the 'upper' classes and their titles, we don't necessarily want to emulate their every move. Probably Edward would be the only Collins who would be super impressed by royalty and titles. Didn't Fenn-Gibbons gain access to Collinwood based on a letter of recommendation from a titled person?
That's a very interesting point. At the time of the story, Wealthy Americans had been and still were busily intermarrying with the impoverished, if titled British aristocracy. Anyone catch
The Buccaneers when PBS aired it last? That's what's happening in the late 1800s.
The regular 1897 folk would all probably be tripping overthemselves at the chance to interact with a countess, albeit an American girl with no cash (which of course they don't know).
I wonder though . . . Barnabas would have been around during the height of the anti-British sentiment in the 1700s . . .
