Yeah! Oh, Yeah!

While staying in Gascony a local grandee, with a formidable brain and chateau of great historical importance, was invited to dine. As dinner proceeded one of the two female houseguests seated next to him transmogrified herself from a kind, cosy, close and down-to-earth friend of mine, into a cross between Simone de Beauvoir, Francoise Hardy and some sort of Mata Hari. She poured (recently acquired) intellectual and musical opinions down the throat of the poor Frenchman while the other female friend, who also lives in an important house in England, was able to chat amiable and casually to this rather imposing guest. My hostess speaks perfect French and thus she too was a able to exchange Proustian pleasantries. My presence went almost entirely unnoticed. Then suddenly I saw my moment and told the story of my brother finding a carpenter's letter dated to 1617 in a secret drawer of my late aunt's important secretaire, currently on display at the V&A. The Hardy/de Beauvoir houri screeched with laughter in a cruel and patronising way to the entire table that i was lying. I retreated hurt and humiliated (even though I spied the grandee smiling affectionately and sympathetically at me). I am a grown woman and in my own modest way well read and well rounded in political and intellectual thought -how can I be more assertive in situations such as this?