*
OF PEMBERLEY ~
AUSTEN in AUGUST
MISS GEORGIANA DARCY OF PEMBERLEY
and Teaser Tuesday.
“Colonel Fitzwilliam! What do you do here?” I asked in an accusatory tone.
“Delightful to see you too, my dear,” he said lightly, coming round to join me on my side of the palm.
“Sorry. I only meant that I am surprised to find you here since I said you were not needed tonight.” Now I had only made things worse..."
“Very much so, although I have only recently
arrived. I am still getting the lay of the land before plunging in. Despite
what you may think, my friend, I do intend to participate in the exercise.”
We both turned back to watch the dancers.
“I am glad to hear
it,” I said presently, “For a minute, I thought you might have come only to spy
on me.”
Many thanks for this gift , Shannon! Readers, EnJoy...
In my new book, Miss Georgiana Darcy of Pemberley, I
had a lot of fun exploring what Georgiana’s first London season might have been
like, especially the part after her brother and sister-in-law left town. This
book is a variation of my earlier work, The
Darcys of Pemberley, filling in all the blanks from Georgiana’s
perspective. So whereas TDOP followed Darcy and Elizabeth back to Pemberley at
this point in the story, MGDOP stays with Georgiana in London.
~
With Charlotte Collins as her very conscientious chaperone
and Colonel Fitzwilliam serving as local guardian and watchdog, Georgiana can’t
get into too much trouble. But she begins to chafe under all that well-intended
supervision. So one night, when the colonel unexpectedly turns up at a ball,
apparently to “spy” on her, Georgiana decides to rattle her gilded cage a
little. What begins as playful banter between them quickly escalates into
Georgiana’s attempt – a rather successful one – to get under his skin.
Here is an excerpt of that scene – one of my favorites in
the book, btw. The novel is written in first person, so me and I = Georgiana
speaking/thinking of herself.:
“Colonel Fitzwilliam! What do you do here?” I asked in an accusatory
tone.
“Delightful to see you too, my dear,” he
said lightly, coming round to join me on my side of the palm.
“Sorry. I only meant that I am surprised to
find you here since I said you were not needed tonight.” Now I had only made
things worse, but thankfully the colonel seemed determined to ignore all
insults and keep the mood jovial.
“Yes, I recall you were very clear about
that. However, I had an invitation of my own, and I suppose I may go where I
have been asked, with or without your permission.”
“Of course you may. And are you enjoying the
ball so far?”
“Very much so, although I have only recently
arrived. I am still getting the lay of the land before plunging in. Despite
what you may think, my friend, I do intend to participate in the exercise.”
We both turned back to watch the dancers.
“I am glad to hear it,” I said presently,
“For a minute, I thought you might have come only to spy on me.” Though I kept
my eyes straight ahead, I made sure I was smiling when he looked round sharply
at me. Consequently, he was reassured that I was teasing, and he followed suit.
“Spy on you, eh? Well, I find it interesting
that you should think so – revealing even. It makes me wonder if there might
not be something you are hiding. Is that why you preferred me not to come
tonight?”
“Really, Colonel! You almost make me wish I
did have something scandalous for you to discover. What sort of thing did you
have in mind?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps you wished me absent
so that you could carry on more freely. Some young ladies have been known to
flirt outrageously – first with one man and then another – as soon as their
guardian’s head is turned. I have even heard that it can become quite a serious
entertainment, with bets laid down on the outcome as to who can collect the
most marriage proposals in one season.”
“Shocking! I had never heard that such a
sport existed. And besides, I am afraid I would hardly be considered
competitive with only two proposals so far… although there is always a chance
at more. The season is not over yet.” A sideways glance told me I had got his
full attention.
“Two proposals! So far?”
“Why, yes, that is correct. But as I say, I
think there is a reasonable chance of at least one more, if I am patient. Mr.
Frank Osborn has taken an interest.”
“Good god! You cannot be serious!”
Turning to him with a challenge in my voice,
I said, “Why? Do you think it so incredible that any man should want to marry
me, let alone more than one?”
“No, no, of course not. You are a very… a
very desirable young lady, and I am sure there are many… No, I was only just
taken off my guard; that is all.” His discomposure then seemed to change to
alarm. “You have not actually accepted one of these gentlemen, have you, Georgiana?”
“Not yet. I prefer to keep my options open
for the time being. One does not like to rush into such an important decision,
especially when one may not yet have considered every possibility.”
He put his hand to his forehead. “And your
brother, does he know and approve of all this?”
“Surely what I do and do not tell my brother
is my own affair. As to his approval, I fail to see where that enters in.
According to my limited experience, young men will rarely be kept from
proposing just because somebody would rather they did not, whether that be the
lady herself or her father or her brother… or even her guardian. They get
carried away by love, I suppose, and no one can stop them.”
“This is your experience, is it? Young men
forever getting carried away by love? I wonder, then, that you have been able
to hold these ardent suitors at bay.”
“They may be ardent, sir, but they are also
gentlemen,” I said very pointedly.
“Of course. Forgive me. That was uncalled
for. You must understand that this comes as quite a revelation to me, quite a
lot for me to absorb in such a short time. I may not yet be thinking clearly.”
“That is the most sensible thing you have
said on the subject.”
Georgiana may have enjoyed needling
Colonel Fitzwilliam about the two proposals she has received “so far,” but it
really isn’t a joking matter to her. Although she quickly disposed of one of
her would-be suitors, she’s losing a lot of sleep over what to do about the
other. And then, of course, there’s the one who has yet to make his intentions
known.
I have only received one proposal
of marriage in my life (which I accepted thirty-something years ago), so it’s a
little difficult for me to relate to Georgiana’s exact problem. Well, there was
that exceptional summer when I turned sixteen and was dating three guys at the
same time… Hmm. Yes. Fun, but I couldn’t carry on like that forever. Just like
Georgiana, I had some tough choices to make – keep one and throw the other two
back.
In case you’re wondering, the one
I chose turned out not to be a “keeper” either. But that was for the best in
the end. I had to wait a couple more years for the right guy to come along. We
can wish Georgiana a quicker route to her happy ending!
Thanks so Much for being with us today and sharing your love of writing Austenesque.
I'm sure there are many Jane Austen in August readers happy to discover your
~
What’s Georgiana Darcy’s story? Jane
Austen tells us so little in Pride
and Prejudice that we’re left to wonder. How did the early loss of her
parents shape Miss Darcy’s character? And what about her near-disastrous affair
with Mr. Wickham? Is that the true source of her shyness? She adores her
brother and his new wife Elizabeth, but will their guiding influence be enough
to steer Georgiana clear of new trouble as she comes of age and falls in love
again?
This work is intended as a companion of
sorts to The Darcys of Pemberley
(sequel to Pride and Prejudice), with the timelines of the two running parallel. Both novels are unique and complete in themselves, but together they supply a richer reading experience than either one alone. The earlier book focused primarily on Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship during their early married life. There was a third Darcy represented in the title, however. Now she and her courtship story take center stage in Miss Georgiana Darcy of Pemberley.
(sequel to Pride and Prejudice), with the timelines of the two running parallel. Both novels are unique and complete in themselves, but together they supply a richer reading experience than either one alone. The earlier book focused primarily on Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship during their early married life. There was a third Darcy represented in the title, however. Now she and her courtship story take center stage in Miss Georgiana Darcy of Pemberley.
I claim this Jane Austen quote (taken from Mansfield Park, chapter 48) as my motto, in that it illustrates my literary philosophy. I’m interested in books that entertain, that make you feel good, that sweep you away to another world. I can be trusted to not dwell on guilt or misery any longer than necessary, and to restore the characters I’ve come to care about to tolerable comfort by the end of the book, as Jane Austen always did.
Shannon Winslow
specializes in writing fiction for the fans of Jane Austen. Her popular debut
novel, The Darcys of Pemberley, immediately established her place in
the genre, being particularly praised for authentic
Austenesque style and faithfulness to the original characters. Since that bright beginning, the author has followed with two more Pride
and Prejudice sequels
Return to Longbourn and Miss
Georgiana Darcy of Pemberley,
a stand-alone Austen-style story For Myself Alone, and a novel starring
Jane Austen herself ,
The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. [click to read my post]
With no shortage of inspiration, Winslow promises more romance and happy endings to come.
*With no shortage of inspiration, Winslow promises more romance and happy endings to come.
Her two sons now grown, Shannon Winslow lives with her
husband in the log home they built in the countryside south of Seattle, where
she writes and paints in her studio facing Mt. Rainier.
August 4 - 25th midnight
~*~
sharing your writing and lovely Book Gifts!
TUESDAY TEASERS at Jenn's
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