Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam pulled the scarf a little tighter around his neck as howling winds battered the coach. What madness had seized the weather? Snow was unusual enough, but a storm such as this? Who would have expected it? Certainly not his cousin Darcy. Careful and meticulous as he was, he would never have set …
Not Romantic: Netherfield Ball
The Netherfield ball–how romantic! But perhaps not for everyone, especially Charlotte Lucas… November 26, 1811 The night of the Netherfield Ball, Mama pulled Charlotte aside. “Your gown looks very well indeed.” “I am glad you are pleased, Mama.” “It is a shame we must give up hopes of Mr. Bingley, but his preference for Jane …
The George Wickham Papers: Intrigue in Italy
[This frustratingly undated excerpt appears to mark a more formal approach for GW. There is no claret staining, nor any scrawled notes to his editor. It is also the first known written record of his foundling grandmother, Nunzia. Although she went by many surnames, which shall be examined in later papers, efforts to uncover her true …
Darcy on the Hudson – Thanksgiving in the Federal Era by Mary Simonsen
During the Federal Era in America, a time corresponding to the Regency Era in England, the biggest holiday of the year was Thanksgiving. At that time, more Americans lived on farms than in cities, and with the grain harvested, the fruit preserved, and the pig butchered, it was time to join with family and friends …
Netherfield in November: Modern Day Balls?
When I think Netherfield, I immediately think, balls! And dancing! (Obviously, I’m not the only one.) One of my favourite things about Austen stories are the balls, especially seeing them played out on the movie screen. There’s not a Pride & Prejudice lover out there who can’t picture Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy verbally sparring while dancing …
First Kisses and Thanksgiving Gifts
There are few moments in a new relationship so memorable as that first kiss. *sigh* When I think of the stories I enjoyed reading most, the romantic films I loved best, or the dates from my own past that still make me grin like a teenager, it’s those first kiss scenes that often spring to …
The George Wickham Papers: Back to Pemberley
[The undated papers that appear to open the official GW memoirs read in a considerably confused manner. Indeed, there is some considerable doubt over whether the following was intended for public consumption or for the attention of GW’s 19th century editor; a book proposal, if you like. Stained with claret and written in a somewhat free …
Shall We Dance? An extract from Ardently
Shall We Dance? It is nearly the party season, after all, but as we now well know, a dance between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet is never a simple matter. Whether in print or played out on the screen, they are always full of delicious tension, unspoken desires, much embarrassment and confusion. Don’t you just …
The Madcap Princess Charlotte
“Sense and Sensibility I have just finished reading; it certainly is interesting, & you feel quite one of the company. I think Maryanne & me are very like in disposition, that certainly I am not so good, the same imprudence, &c, however remain very like.” – Princess Charlotte of Wales Here’s a hint for my next book: …
Introducing the George Wickham Papers
The recent discovery of George Wickham’s papers in circumstances as dramatic as any novel should rightly have been a cause célèbre. Perhaps mindful of the appropriation of the gentleman’s name and likeness by other authors over the years, however, the Wickham estate chose not to publicise this important discovery. It has been my honour and …
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