P&P 200 – Darcy Learns of Lady Catherine’s Confrontation with Elizabeth Bennet
On Saturday he returned from an afternoon outing to discover his aunt’s chaise and four before his townhouse. “Mr. Darcy,” on cue, his butler approached privately, “although I told her you were not at home, your aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, insisted on being admitted. She demanded, Sir, to await your return.”
He looked beyond Thacker’s shoulder to where Lady Catherine likely held court. It was a favorite maneuver of Her Ladyship–one of which Darcy was well aware. “You were correct to admit her, Mr. Thacker. Would you have tea brought to the drawing room?” he said authoritatively.
“Yes, Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy did not like uninvited visitors; his aunt knew his distaste for such intrusions upon his privacy. He supposed something could be amiss. Could something have happened to Anne? He certainly hoped not. He strode into the drawing room expecting to find his aunt in tears. Instead, she was agitated; she was angry; she was demanding. “Lady Catherine, what brings you to London? I was unaware of your plans to travel. Please tell me my Cousin Anne has not taken ill again.”
His aunt ceased her pacing. “Darcy, you came at last; I am so distressed–such an inconvenient situation!”
No Anne. What supposed crisis could Lady Catherine have conjured for his attention this time? Irritated, Darcy said, “Aunt, I could possibly empathize with you if I knew of what you speak.”
“Then you have no knowledge of it? I suspected as not.” Her voice rose in volume with each subsequent phrase. Continue reading
The Cajun Cheesehead Chronicles
Mr. Darcy’s P&P POV (the abridged version)
Part 5
Greetings, folks. Jack Caldwell here. This is Part 5 of my little work-in-process. For Part 1, go here, Part 2, here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here.
The completed story will be eventually posted in its entirety at Austen Authors’ The Writers Block and at my own Ramblings of a Cajun in Exile. But you don’t want to wait until then, do you?
Remember, comments are required.
~~~
PART 5
Chapter 15 –
WTF? WICKHAM? Wickham is in Meryton? What the devil is he doing here?
When I rode up with Bingley to greet the Bennet party, I almost fell off my saddle at the sight of that reprobate! Looking at his snide expression, the vision of Georgiana’s devastated face came directly to my mind. Oh, how I wish I had throttled that bastard in Ramsgate! I could not stand to be in that degenerate’s presence another instant, for if I did not ride away, I should have leapt off my horse and gave that deceitful disgrace of a man a piece of my mind. No—better yet, a kick in the bullocks.
Charles, of course, berated me for my behavior in Meryton, and I was forced to put him off with an abrupt apology. He knows I dislike that weasel, but he knows nothing about of how that scoundrel damaged my family in Ramsgate. And I mean to keep it that way. Charles cannot keep a secret to save his life.
Blast it all! Did Wickham know I was here? Is he after more of my money? Blackmail—is that his scheme?
No. He knows if he even breathes a word about Georgiana, Colonel Fitzwilliam will hunt him down and skewer him with his sabre. And it will not be in a duel, either!
Well, if my father’s good-for-nothing godson knows what is best for him, he had better stay out of my sight! Continue reading
September Giveaway Winners
We at Austen Authors are proud to announce the winners of our September giveaways. If you find your name below, please send an email to Regina Jeffers to claim your prize. Be certain to include your name and mailing address in the email. Contact Regina either at contests@austenauthors.com (or) regina@rjeffers.com.
Earlier in the month, Mary Simonsen announced the winners of her launch of Darcy Goes to War. Those winners were Laura Sass for an autographed copy of the book and Audra for the eBook version. Congratulations to both.
Also, earlier in the month, Abigail Reynolds sent me the winners for her (end of August) launch of Mr. Darcy’s Refuge. I admit to having a blonde moment. I assumed Abigail made the announcement before she left for England. Evidently, she did not. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that Cherri T and Janet T won eBook copies of the book.
Now, for the September winners at large:
SuzeJA has won an autographed copy of Sally Smith O’Rourke‘s Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen.
Kelli H has won an autographed copy of Diana Birchall‘s Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma.
Rosanna K will receive an autographed copy of Marsha Altman‘s The Ballad of Grégoire Darcy.
Stephanie L will receive a Kindle eBook version of The Complete Works of Jane Austen from Nina Benneton.
Chelsea Knestrick has won an autographed copy of Heather Lynn Riguad‘s Fitzwilliam Darcy: Rock Star.
Kat will receive a copy of Amanda Grange‘s Harstairs House, which was donated by Regina Jeffers.
History Behind Darcy Goes to War by Mary Simonsen
In September, I released my latest Pride and Prejudice re-imagining, Mr. Darcy Goes to War, and the novel has received a warm reception. One of the reasons may be that many readers have heard stories of World War II from their parents or grandparents. That was certainly my inspiration for writing the novel. Another is my love of history. In Darcy Goes to War, Elizabeth Bennet is a lorry driver, and Jane works as a secretary for her magistrate father. While Kitty and Lydia work in a uniform factory, Mary is firing an ack-ack gun in Malta. I chose this particular assignment for Mary because when my husband and I were in England in 1982, we met a couple who had lived through the war years. Ironically, while the woman’s then boyfriend was serving in the military in Iceland and never fired a shot, his future wife was on Malta firing an ack-ack gun. Now their story lives on.
According to BBC History, “In the spring of 1941, every woman in Britain aged 18-60 had to be registered for war work, and their family occupations were recorded. Each was interviewed and required to choose from a range of jobs… In December 1941, the National Service Act #2 made the conscription of women legal. At first, only single women aged 20-30 were called up, but by mid-1943, almost 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were employed in essential work for the war effort. The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) was formed in 1938. Its initial plan was to recruit 25,000 female volunteers for driving, clerical and general duties. Continue reading
P&P200: Mr. Collins Shares Gossip with Lady Catherine by Mary Simonsen
Charlotte Collins scanned the walls of the reception room of Rosings Park looking for something on which to fix her attention, her finally eyes settling on a magnificent Gobelin’s tapestry of very large dogs bringing down a stag. Following hard on the heels of the mastiffs were riders with spears poised in preparation of finishing off the wounded beast. While Charlotte made a study of the grisly scene, her husband, the Reverend William Collins, studied the face of the tapestry’s owner for some clue that she wished for him to begin a conversation. When she raised her teacup to her lips and pointed her extended small finger in his direction, he saw it as a sign that he might begin. Instead, the great lady spoke:
“I noted in your garden, Mr. Collins, that your vegetables are of a middling size. If the soil is not properly prepared in the spring, you will never achieve the size or volume of the vegetables produced here at Rosings Park.”
“Yes, of course, Milady. But you may recall that my early efforts yielded exceptionally large cucumbers and radishes. If the vegetables had not gone missing, I could have shown you a cucumber as long as…”
“Mr. Collins, you need not mention the cucumber every time you visit. Because you are the only one who saw this mythical gourd, I am quite convinced it existed only in your mind.”
Anne de Bourgh, who had been sitting quietly next to her dear Mama, gave her mother a sideways glance. Mama knew very well that the cucumber was no fixation of the part of the parson. Not only had she seen it with her own eyes, but she had tasted it the very next day when, at dinner, cucumber sandwiches, garnished with sliced radishes, were served at table at Rosings Park. Continue reading
Bespelling “Jane” October Giveaways
It’s October, and we at Austen Authors have never backed away from a haunted version of one of our favorite Jane Austen novels. Therefore, we bring you a wide variety of some of the genre’s finest offerings. So, bring on the vampires, the ghosts, the mummies, the wizards, and the witches. Our readers are of sturdy stuff.
To be eligible to win one of the monthly giveaways, leave a comment on any (or ALL) of the daily posts. The more often one comments, the greater the chance to win. Additional opportunities to win are earned by connecting the posts to social media by using the Rafflecopter link on the home page: Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Colette Saucier will award one lucky winner an autographed copy of Pulse and Prejudice.
Vera Nazarian has donated an autographed copy of Mansfield Park and Mummies: Monsters, Mayhem, Matrimony, Ancient Curses, True Love, and Other Dire Delights for a reader’s delight.
Regina Jeffers will award an avid Austen reader an autographed copy of Vampire Darcy’s Desire.
While, Mary Simonsen brings an autographed copy of Mr. Darcy’s Bite to the mix.
Sharon Lathan will present a copy of Janet Mullany’s Jane and the Damned to an Austen Author reader.
While, Regina Jeffers is back with a second spooky offering: Bespelling Jane Austen, an anthology of novellas from Mary Balogh, Colleen Gleason, Susan Krinard, and Janet Mullany.
Finally, Colette Saucier returns with a DVD version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Jane fans will surely get into the spirit with all these great possibilities. ENJOY!!!
Supernatural Jane Austen Series Quiz and Giveaway!
How well do you know the Supernatural Jane Austen Series? Here’s your chance to show off your SJA mojo!
Take the fun and exciting quiz, and post your answers in the comments section below (Example: 1B, 2D, 3B, etc.), by the deadline of October 5, 2012—the person who gets the most answers correct, wins a gorgeous autographed and gold seal-embossed trade paperback copy of Pride and Platypus: Mr. Darcy’s Dreadful Secret!
(In case of multiple winners or a tie, the winner will be selected via random.org.)
But before we begin, I declare September “fun, contests, and games month,” and I want to remind everyone that you have two more chances to win my books!
After you take this quiz here at Austen Authors, be sure to visit the Dark Jane Austen Book Club blog entry Ancient Pharaoh or Sexy Regency Gentleman – He’s the Mummy! to enter the giveaway for a chance to win an autographed and gold seal embossed trade paperback copy of their September Featured Selection Mansfield Park and Mummies.
And then, drop by my blog Urban Girl Takes Vermont and enter the Hilarious Fake Regency Blurbs Contest for a chance to win another trade paperback copy of Pride and Platypus!
But hurry, these two contests end at midnight on the last day of September!
And now . . . on to our quiz! Good luck! Continue reading
A visit to the 19th century
Middlethorpe Hall at dusk
I’m travelling through England as I write this, finding inspiration and learning lots of useful information for future books. I now know how to recognize coaching inns, market towns, moors, and much more; I understand better about parsons and parsonages and why Mr. Collins’ first duty was to collect tithes. I can now put myself mentally in the correct landscape. I’ve seen fellow authors Jane Odiwe and Juliet Archer, and talked plot for hours with two as-yet-unpublished writers in the Austen-inspired novel field. I’ve managed to stay one step ahead of the floods, but have dealt with enough deluges to make me think I’m re-enacting Mr. Darcy’s Refuge. I’ve had far too many adventures to cover in one blog post, so I’m going to focus on my most recent adventure.
My friend and I have been staying in various inexpensive B&Bs around the country, but we decided to have one big splurge and spend two nights at Middlethorpe Hall, a 1699 country house in York run by the National Trust as a hotel, with all profits going to the National Trust. It’s been restored to the appearance of a 18th century manor, furnished with antiques and including extensive gardens. I was hoping to soak up some good atmosphere for my new book by spending a couple of days in surroundings where Darcy would have felt at home. Continue reading
P&P200: Mr. Bingley Proposes
Charles Bingley had never experienced such nervous anticipation in his life. Today was the day. No excuses. No delays. Today, he was going to ask Miss Jane Bennet to be his wife. He’d been looking into the mirror rehearsing what to say when James, his valet, interrupted him.
“Are you ready to dress for the day, Mr. Bingley?” the older man inquired politely as he entered the room.
Bingley’s heart did a wild dance. Was he ready?
“I would like to look my very best today,” he said nervously running a hand through his unruly hair.
James raised an eyebrow. “I do not believe, sir, that I have ever allowed you to leave your dressing room on any day looking any thing less than your very best.”
That brought a smile to Bingley’s lips and some of his nervousness vanished. “Of course, you are completely correct. I trust your good taste implicitly. Now what have you planned for me today?”
When Bingley finally stood before the mirror to examine himself, he was very pleased with what he saw. Then James held out his pocket watch, brushed the back of his coat one more time, and pronounced him ready. Just as Bingley was almost to the door, the valet rushed after him. Continue reading
Must Be the Season of the Witch
This beast would gladly undermine the earth
And swallow all creation in a yawn
from “To the Reader” Charles Baudelaire
Although I live in Southeast Louisiana, I have many friends and colleagues in the Northeast. They frequently extol the delights of the changing “seasons” and how it would not even be Christmas without snow. Indeed, the spectacular colours seen in the autumn leaves is a sight to behold; but on December 26th, 2002, when I went out in my pajamas and bare feet to get the newspaper and saw there on the front page that a Nor’easter (which has nothing to do with Easter) had dropped over twenty inches of snow on my friends the day before, I laughed and laughed and laughed. Although it isn’t white, and we have to set the A/C all the way down so we can enjoy a fire and hot spiced cider, we do have Christmas. (Not to mention, despite the purloining of a Pagan holiday, baby Jesus most assuredly was not born in winter.)
My friends up North can keep their autumn, winter, spring, and summer. In South Louisiana, we have our own seasons: football, Mardi Gras, crawfish, and hurricane. Of course, whereas I cannot bear the idea of being buried by two feet of snow, my Northern friends do not understand how I can live under the threat of hurricanes year after year (although now we know even New York City is not immune); but I grew up here and learned the ABCs with Audrey, Betsy, and Camille. Each year on June 1st we begin the routine of restocking the hurricane kit with processed foods and batteries and making sure we have plenty of sandbags, ice, and propane. My husband becomes an amateur meteorologist, fixating on each Invest that forms in the Atlantic and cyber-stalking Dr. Jeff Masters. And then we wait. On guard for an invasion, which most likely will not occur. Whereas winter can be counted on to deliver snow to the Northeast every year, just because we have a hurricane season does not mean we will have a hurricane – and usually we do not. Continue reading
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