Pride and Prejudice Novella – Page 2

Music Monday: Bring You Home (Ronan Keating)

PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY RONANKEATINGOFFICIAL ON JULY 29, 2018.

Today’s music video is not a video at all but just an audio version of this song. However, please listen to the lyrics, and if you have read So Very Unexpected, imagine Marcus singing this to Lydia. Is it not the most perfect song for them?

I think the chapter below highlights how Marcus feels about Lydia even though he has just met her and literally brought her “home” to her family. He’s not going to let her fall into a desperate situation. He will be there to help her. Of course, he (and Lydia) just think he’s being a friend, but hey, this is a romance story, so you know it’s going to develop into something more. However, that willingness to see that Lydia is well is not going to change, in fact, he will add to it a determination to see her become all that she can be, and along the way, he will become not just her friend but also her safe place and her champion.

So Very Unexpected, Chapter 4

“Lydia, do be serious,” Elizabeth chided before anyone else could say a word.

“I can replace it.” Ignoring her sister, Lydia continued with her explanation. Of course, Elizabeth would not understand. Elizabeth never did anything foolish enough to be punished by their father. In fact, he had never once called Elizabeth dull or silly. No, to their father, Elizabeth was quick and clever. “I will go without most of my pin money, and I am not without skills. I could take in some sewing.”

Lydia saw the look of disbelief on Elizabeth’s face and could not ignore the stinging of her sister’s words any longer. “Mr. Wickham is not what you think, Lizzy. If you knew what he was like, you would not wish him upon me. I was not taken in by him as you were.” She smiled inwardly at the stricken look on Elizabeth’s face. “I may look like I am not paying attention at times, but I assure you, I am listening. I have heard plenty of tales about Mr. Wickham.”

“Then why did you choose him to accompany you?” demanded Elizabeth.

Lydia sighed. “Because he knows where Derbyshire is, and he is weak enough to be led. I should think you would be able to piece that together.” She knew there was a cutting edge to her voice, but she did not care. Lizzy was Papa’s favourite. “I am not so stupid as you think.” A hand took hers.

“I do not think Lydia’s plan is completely without merit,” said Marcus, squeezing Lydia’s hand tightly. “Wickham has been bought off before. I am sure he could be once again.” He returned the small smile Lydia gave him.

This is Your Fight Song (Rachel Platten Scottish Cover) – The Piano Guys

PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY THE PIANO GUYS ON OCTOBER 29, 2015

I love, love, love this song — the piano, the cello, the drums, and even the bagpipes. (Bagpipes sound like home to me. 🙂 They are a familiar sound here in Nova Scotia.) And then, how the two songs are merged together so neatly! It’s simply wonderful.

Today, I am choosing to pair this today with a chapter from Becoming Entangled because 1) Anne is on her way to Scotland and 2) she’s on her way to Scotland because she’s taking control of her life. If you’ve ever heard the lyrics to “Fight Song” (by Rachel Platten) they include these lines:

This is my fight song,

Take back my life song,

I think that fits very well with Miss de Bourgh’s attitude in her story. Unfortunately, her plans do not go as she thinks they will.

Becoming Entangled, Chapter 4

The next day as Alistair was dozing off while reading poetry shortly after they had stopped to change horses, Clifton Conrad was approaching the village of Westerham. His horse was fresh. He had changed mounts at Bromley and was determined to make an appearance in Hunsford. With any luck, he would find out something about what he needed to know.

Last evening, after Alistair had left White’s, Conrad and his friends had set to finding out all they could about one Miss de Bourgh. It had required them to spend an extraordinary amount of time at the home of one of his friends instead of playing cards as they had intended. However, it had been well worth the effort, for they had discovered that the young lady was likely of no small fortune, being the only heir to her late father. The estate, it seemed, had not been entailed away from the females in the family, and as such, she was to come into ownership of it either when she came of age or married. In addition to her sizable fortune, she was also well connected, being the niece of Lord Matlock and cousin to Fitzwilliam Darcy, who, though not titled, was among the most respected gentlemen of the ton.

Conrad chuckled. It was amazing what information was held by some of the wags of the ton. A simple — “Pratt mentioned a Miss de Bourgh, who is friends with his mother, Lady Metcalfe. I cannot say I recall the name de Bourgh.” — had been enough to unveil all he needed to know.

According to his friend’s mother, Conrad had discovered that Miss de Bourgh was a novice when it came to social matters in town, for she had never had a proper come out. However, his friend’s mother was almost completely certain that Miss de Bourgh, who was nearly twenty, would make her debut on the arm of her cousin, Mr. Darcy, next season. After all, theirs was a long-standing arrangement, and since everyone knew that Darcy was not the sort to shirk his duty, Miss de Bourgh would soon be wed. To prove her point, she had pointed out how Darcy had been in town for several seasons and had not once singled out any lady in particular.

Conrad patted the side of his mount’s neck. “To think Pratt was going to step between Darcy and duty.” He chuckled again. “Pratt! Of all people! I should very much like to see that. He’d not have stood a chance.” He chuckled again at the thought of the much smaller Pratt being called out and handily dispatched by the larger and more capable Darcy. “Perhaps that is how I should have allowed him to find his fate,” he said as he patted his horse again. “Ah, but Pratt is no fool. He would not set himself up against such odds even if this Miss de Bourgh was Venus herself. Therefore, my four-legged friend, there must be some scheme afoot, and I intend to discover it.”

And discover it he did by happy chance as he entered Hunsford.

Music Monday: How to Impress a Woman (MozART group)

PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY MOZART GROUP ON MARCH 1, 2018.

My older sister shared this humorous video with me a couple of weeks ago, and I thought it would be a fun one to share on the Monday after Valentine’s Day. 🙂 I also thought it would be fun to pair it with a story with a very different Darcy who, having had his proposal refused and been granted a second chance, is working very diligently to unravel his pride and impress a woman. And today, I am giving you a full chapter just so you can properly meet Darcy’s grandmother and be just as delighted with his change in demeanor as she is. : )

Chapter 6 of Unravelling Mr. Darcy:

Perhaps you might. Remembering Elizabeth’s words from yesterday made Darcy smile as he accepted a cup of tea from his aunt, Lady Matlock. He shrugged in response to the questioning look Richard shot him and turned his attention to his tea.

“I hear Mrs. Anderson’s daughter has refused another suitor,” said Lady Matlock, peering over the teapot and looking at Darcy with a raised brow. “She is a pretty thing. Her taste in gowns is exquisite, and she dances very well.”

Richard guffawed. “That is the fatal shot, Mother dear. Darcy does not care if a lady can dance well, for he intends not to dance more than absolutely required. “

His mother turned to him with a smile. “But you adore dancing, and she is generously dowered.”

Darcy chuckled at the widening of Richard’s eyes and slackening of his mouth.

“I do not adore dancing,” he said stiffly. “I just tolerate it better than Darcy, and so it appears I adore it.”

Music Monday: I Be U Be, High Valley

Happy Monday! Today, I decided to share a song because, well, it has just been stuck in my head a lot lately. It is just one of those that sticks. I love this group’s music. And even though this has a more traditional country sound to it, I like it, which is not always the case for me. But then it has such fantastic lyrics which I am certain plays almost as big a part in my liking it as the rhythm and melody. Although I did not choose the song to have a connection to what I have been writing this week, I think I can make one.

Highvalleymusic. “High Valley – I Be U Be (Official Music Video).” YouTube. YouTube, 07 Apr. 2017. Web. 08 Apr. 2017.

This week, I reached what I think is the end of Not an Heiress. It still needs an epilogue and would have one by now, but I ended up with a touch of the flu and had to take a day off from writing. (That was not easily done 😉 )

In this story, the hero, Richard, and the heroine, Mary, are really opposites when you consider them separately. She is bent on propriety, and he is more willing to have some fun. However, they blend together into something unique and strong. They have a passionate love that overcomes her propriety, and they both have a desire to help those who are less fortunate. And though, they, at first, think they cannot be together, it becomes obvious that their love is not going to just fade away and be replaced by another. Thankfully, Lady Catherine guesses that they love each other and forces the issue, so the coming together of the two happens more rapidly than it would have otherwise. And it is a sweet relationship that they have! I can see Richard singing this song to Mary. It seems to echo what his thoughts of Mary are.

In addition to finishing the main portion of Not an Heiress, I also completed the line edits of Discovering Mr. Darcy. And, just now, late on Sunday evening, I have just submitted my ebook files for review to all my retailers for a short preorder. The release day for the ebook book is April 18, 2017. (Print will probably be about a week later.)

Tomorrow, it is my turn to post on Austen Authors, where I will be sharing an excerpt from Discovering Mr. Darcy and talking about short stories/novellas a bit. And there is a chance to win an ebook copy. I hope you drop by and say hi!

Before I post an excerpt of what I wrote this week, I thought I would share the cover images for Discovering Mr. Darcy and Not an Heiress.

And now for a bit of what I wrote this week. Remember, this is from the end of the book so it will contain spoilers. It is a bit shorter of an excerpt to hopefully avoid any major reveals. Read at your own risk. 🙂

EXCERPT FROM Not an Heiress: Continue reading Music Monday: I Be U Be, High Valley

Music Monday: Beautiful World, Tim Janis

Sometimes a scene or a melody, a lyric or a bit of conversation is all that is needed to spark the imagination. Other times it is just simple curiosity asking questions. And still other times, it is rest and relaxation that renew the ability to create. This week, I took some time to refresh my imagination.

Timjanisreocrds. “Peaceful Music, Relaxing Music, Instrumental Music “Beautiful World” by Tim Janis.” YouTube. YouTube, 16 Feb. 2017. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.

An exercise I like to do when I come across a lovely piece of music with such gorgeous pictures to accompany it (like the video above), is to add people to the scene. Is there a delivery boy running down that street with a knapsack on his back, late and fearful of punishment? Is there a girl similar to Miss Morland sitting in the shade of that tree as the house and windmill stand watch in the distance? Is there a child with a basket gathering flowers in the forest? Who waits inside that cottage with the lantern lit and for whom are they waiting? What stories do you see in the pictures and hear in the music as it swells and soften?

~*~*~

I freely admit that I struggle with taking time to refresh. I see goals and tasks laid out before me, and I tend to push my wants and desires down beneath the feelings of responsibility. This enables me to get a good deal of work accomplished even when I do not feel like working, but it also makes it difficult for me to take the time necessary to step back and breath before plunging into the next item on that never-ending to-do list.

However, there comes a time when the mind begins to get weary and the benefit of taking some time to refresh is greater than the need to push on and complete a project (or begin a new one). I hit that wall at the end of last week. I have just recently published a book and completed a new manuscript for a short novella. My brain was tired. It needed to rest. I fought the need for a couple of days (I’m no quitter, you see 😉 ), but eventually, I could no longer deny the need to just relax.

What did I do while relaxing? I watched some tv. I read a book. I listened to some podcasts and to Sense and Sensibility on audiobook. And as my few days of forced r&r drew to an end, I allowed myself to write a couple of short things — nothing associated with any current projects. [One of those short things, Love is Patient, has been added to my short stories collection which you can find at this link.]

It was refreshing! I am certain I could have used a few more days of rest, but those deadlines on the calendar could only be ignored for so long. I have begun work once again on the manuscript that I recently finished. It needs a second going over before I send it to my first reader to get her feedback on the story’s plot. I have also continued with my re-read of Listen to Your Heart in preparation for that second anthology of books that I want to make. I have not started any new projects — or at least, I don’t think I have. You see, one of the things I wrote this week was an idea I had about a year ago for an alternate scene in Mansfield Park. As I finished writing that scene, I realized that it might not be just a scene. It might be the beginning of a longer story. How long? I am not certain. I am not even certain that I feel fit to tackle it at present — I think it needs a bit longer to rattle around in my brain, to grow and shift and expand in form if it thinks it is going to be made into a longer work.

So, that leaves me with the question of what to share today. First, there is the link above to a short story for your reading enjoyment. And then there is this. The first chapter of Discovering Mr. Darcy as it currently looks after a second pass through. Continue reading Music Monday: Beautiful World, Tim Janis