Leenie Brown fell in love with Jane Austen's works when she first read Sense and Sensibility followed immediately by Pride and Prejudice in her early teens. As the second of five daughters and an avid reader, she has always loved to see where her imagination takes her and to play with and write about the characters she meets along the way. In 2013, these two loves collided when she stumbled upon the world of Jane Austen Fan Fiction. A year later, in 2014, she began writing her own Austen-inspired stories and began publishing them in 2015. Leenie lives in Nova Scotia, Canada with her two teenage boys and her very own Mr. Brown (a wonderful mix of all the best of Darcy, Bingley and Edmund with healthy dose of the teasing Mr. Tillney and just a dash of the scolding Mr. Knightley).
Can you believe this is the final Broadsheet of the year? Sometimes January 2025 seems like forever ago, and on other days, it feels like just a couple of months ago. But whether the year seems to have gone fast or slow, the final day is approaching and a new year is waiting to be discovered.
I love that fresh page of a planner feeling that comes with January. There are so many possibilities lying ahead. But, before we get to that new year, we must finish this one well.
(There’s a new part of this story dropping Saturday in the Broadsheet, so it’s time to give last month’s part it’s own post so it can be found more easily.)
Richard stretched and yawned. He was supposed to be at home in his own bed, not sitting guard in the little library at Lillesley house. Of course, it was his own doing. No one had given him this assignment. He had volunteered for it.
Dinner at their club had produced a couple of interesting leads where the watch was concerned. Most people had not paid attention to Lillesley’s frequent checking of the time, but two had. One was a footman, and the other was Mr. Newland, a fellow of social standing whose means had been squandered some years back but was now well on its way to being replenished, thanks to a relative of some sort who had passed away just over a year ago. Strangely, his relation’s passing had occurred close to the same time that Harriet’s older brother, Andrew, had died.
It was that bit of coincidence, paired with his obvious appreciation for the engraving on Lillesley’s watch – both of which had come to light during a card game after dinner – which had marked him as suspicious.
The fact that he seemed to be on exceptionally friendly terms with one of the footmen, named Carrick, had changed Lillesley’s opinion of the servant from being someone who admired the finer things in life, which his station did not afford him, to a possible informant and associate of Newland’s.
To the untrained eye, the two men would have appeared as jovial and amiable – the one being counted as a fabulous dinner guest, and the other as a servant who would make any household appear to be of the finest and most welcoming sort.
However, Richard’s eye was not untrained. To him, they were too agreeable. Too eager to please. Too charming. Their good nature read like a veneer applied to a damaged table to hide the scars made by some sort of accident.
Soft footfalls in the hall stopped his ruminations about the men from the club. As he sat in the silent darkness of the little library, a soft glow from a candle could be seen drawing ever closer to the library door.
He had heard no doors or windows open, so whomever this was had either entered through the kitchen or was a member of the household.
A few moments later, a vision of loveliness stood in the doorway.
“Your brother would be less than pleased to know you were here,” Richard whispered. And likely he did know since he was in his study.
“Then, it is a good thing that he is not here yet,” Harriet replied, as she walked along the bookshelves to the right of the room, stopping now and again to run a finger along the spine as if she were contemplating reading that volume. “I need something to occupy my mind,” she said softly. “Or I will spend the full night trying to piece things together. As it is, I have gone over what we know from three different viewpoints – at least twice.”
She pulled a book from the shelf and then, made her way to the chair next to his.
“It is best if you return to your room to read,” Richard said. Having her here could prove to be a distraction. It was not guaranteed that she would be, but there was the possibility. Added to that, there would be danger to be had if someone came looking for that watch.
“I will. In a minute or two.” She placed her book and candle on the table near her chair before snuffing out her light. “I would just like to sit her and hold your hand for a time. I promise not to be a distraction.”
He heard her making herself comfortable in her chair and then, felt her hand tap the arm of his chair. He obliged her by taking it, which elicited a sigh from her.
So they sat for more than a minute or two. Indeed, they sat as they were until Harriet’s hand and arm fell limp and he could hear soft, even breathing coming from where she sat. Apparently, her mind had finally found some rest and allowed her body to follow.
To be honest, having her sitting next to him, made the task of listening and watching in the dark more bearable. His thumb brushed back and forth across hers, and his mind wandered to things that had nothing to do with traitors and murderers. Instead, he imagined evenings before a fire, sitting as they were now. He pictured children on his lap and at his feet. He contemplated being the master of his own little estate.
The idea had, at one time, seemed a drudgery. Something that would hold little to entertain or excite him. So mundane. So dull.
He placed a gentle kiss on Harriet’s hand. Nothing would be dull or mundane with her as his wife. She was not the sort to simply sit, stitch, and entertain callers. That thought had just started him thinking about what she would wish for in her home and duties when the distinct sound of a window sliding open with a soft squealing complaint was heard.
Carefully, he returned Harriet’s hand to her lap, and rising, readied himself to confront the intruder directly if necessary, or after the interloper had attempted to gain what he wanted.
Richard could just make out Harriet’s sleeping form in the greyness of the room. Her plan was coming to fruition. He’d hate for her to miss it, and it would be dangerous for her to wake in the midst of whatever happened. Therefore, he decided to alert her to what was occurring. That way she would be ready to escape to safety should it become necessary.
“Harriet,” he whispered near her ear, “someone is here.”
He felt her wake.
“Stay here and remain silent for as long as you are able,” he instructed, before giving her cheek a kiss.
A whispered “I will” was her only reply.
A floorboard creaked in hall. Whomever it was, was light of foot, for he was making very little noise as he crept nearer to the study. He also seemed to know exactly where he was going. This bit of information caused a realization to crash upon Richard with some force. There was only one way for the intruder to know where to go. Someone inside Lillesley’s home was playing two sides.
Carefully, he moved to stand next to the door, where he could see just a bit of the corridor, but he, himself, would not be seen from the hall.
A second set of stealthy steps descended from above.
“She’s not there,” the one whisper to the other. “Do you have the watch?’
She’s not there? Who was the she they were speaking of?
“Not yet,” the other answered.
“Then, it might be best to leave it,” the first man said.
“We can’t and you know it,” the other answered in a soft snarl.
“But if she is not in her room, she might be sitting guard in her brother’s study.”
Richard sucked in a breath. The she they were looking for was Harriet!
“You have no idea how devious that one is,” the first man continued. “She’s the one who found the watch, you know.”
“How would she know I was coming for it?”
“I don’t know how, but I am telling you, she’s smarter than any of those military men Lillesley employs.”
“I don’t see no light coming from under that door,” the second man said. “And it’ll make our job easier if she’s there. We can get both of the things we need at the same time.”
Richard heard the door to Lillesley’s office open.
“I say, is there no one to announce you?” The question rang loud and clear from the other room and was followed by soft light illuminating the hall. Jimmy had lit a sconce further down the hall and was now standing in the way of escape at that end.
Richard sprang into action to make certain that his end of the hall was also unable to be used for escape. He drew his pistol. “Into the study,” he ordered. “Both of you.”
Good Monday to you all. This is my update on all things Book Promotions for the month of December. I’ll keep this short and to the point since I have a Saturday Broadsheet coming out this weekend, where I can share other things.
This month, I am focusing some of my marketing and promotional efforts on my Choices series. This series begins with one choice made by Mr. Bennet to force a marriage between his Lizzy and Mr. Darcy, and just tapping the first domino in a string of them set up to fall, this one choice leads to more struggles and happily ever afters down the line.
Her Father’s Choice is the first book in the series and is the free read on Patreon. This means you only have to follow me for free there to be able to read the book.
It is also one of the two downloads this month for Patreon subscribers. (Subscriptions start at $2 USD/ $3 CAD per month.) The second download for subscribers this month is Enticing Miss Darcy which is a sequel to one of last month’s downloads (Becoming Entangled).
As always, my full catalogue of books is available to be read on Patreon for subscribers, so you could read the full Choices series there this month.
Her Heart’s Choice is book four in this series and is my $0.99 book for the month of December. It is $0.99 everywhere EXCEPT Smashwords where it is FREE. This is because all my books are included in the End of Year Sale over there and reduced by 50%. Smashwords has a policy that pricing for books starts at $0.99, so any book that falls below that threshold becomes free.
There is just one more promotion that my books are involved in that I wanted to let you know about. If your library uses CloudLibrary, they are having a sale this month, and all my books are reduced 30% for the month of December. (As you can see, all my Annilee Books are also part of this sale.)
That’s it for now. I currently do not have any plans for any more sales before the year is out – unless some idea strikes me and I just “have to” do it. 🙂
I’ll be back on Saturday with my monthly broadsheet. Until then, have a great week, and happy reading!
Why is it that I feel like I’m just sort of settling into a new month – I’ll be thinking, “Okay, ready. Let’s get this month started” – and then, I look at the calendar and see that it’s nearly half over? It seems to happen every month. It’s likely because the beginning of a new month is rather busy around here for this author, and then, this month also came with a holiday on the first of the month and a return to work after vacation for my hubby.
On the first of September, I shared an update about all that is going on in my personal and writing life over on The Sigh-worthy Romance Tearoom. So, instead of just restating what I wrote there, I’ll just share THIS LINK so you can pop over there and get caught up.
Nothing much has changed since I wrote that. I’m still working on all the things I mentioned there without adding anything new just yet or completing anything so that it falls off the list. As I scan through that article, I think the only updates to it that I have are as follows:
(There’s a new part of this story dropping Saturday in the Broadsheet, so it’s time to give last month’s part it’s own post so it can be found more easily.)
Richard rubbed his chin as he read the paper he had been given, while Harriet peeked over his shoulder. Surprisingly, her brother did not even grumble about her doing so. Which likely meant that Edmund thought it would be good for her to see the report. That was also likely why it was written all in Edmund’s hand. The original document would have included identifiers to its true author. They would not be clear to any who did not know what they were, but Harriet was not the sort to not remember strange details.
She was a lot like Darcy’s Elizabeth in that regard. They would indeed make a fine pair of friends who had the potential to up-end society – at least, in familial circles.
“What would a purveyor of mostly honest goods have to do with this brothel scheme?” Harriet asked.
“Or,” Richard inserted, “what did he know that he was not supposed to know?”
“His place of business was in a bit of a mess when a man was sent round,” Edmund said.
“I see that here.”
“Was it Jimmy who was sent round? He would have been best, since he was the one who had accompanied me there when I bought the watch.” Harriet had returned to her seat to drink her tea.
Edmund shook his head. “I was not in charge of that decision, but you are correct, and I have sent a reply with that information.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he was wont to do when something was not sitting well with him. All his life – or, at least, since Richard had known him – he had done so when things were not right.
“You think this man’s demise has something to do with the watch.” It was a guess, but Richard suspected it was a good one both since Harriet had been allowed to read the report he held, and because Edmund had mentioned that her finding the watch may not have been helpful. “This makes no mention of it,” Richard continued, “but I assume whoever is overseeing things knows it had been found before this man’s body was discovered?”
Edmund’s head moved from side to side and then up and down as he nodded his unwilling agreement. “There is no way to be certain that the two are connected at this point, but that is another reason why I want Jimmy to visit that store.” He blew out a breath and then levelled a glare at his sister. “You are not to go with him. I do not care if you might notice something he won’t. This is far too dangerous.”
Ah, there was the reason why Harriet had been included in the reading of that report which had described how the shopkeeper had been found. Edmund was hoping to carry his point in demanding she not involve herself.
“He is right,” Richard agreed softly. “Neither of us would wish to have anything happen to you.” He extended his hand towards her, and she placed hers in it. “Promise me that you will not go with Jimmy.”
She cast a somewhat annoyed look at her brother and then, him.
“We will include you in the meeting when Jimmy returns before I send my report to …” Edmund smiled. “Well, to the appropriate people.”
“That is an excellent idea because Harriet may have some questions that we would not think to ask,” Richard added.
Edmund inclined his head in acceptance of the truth of the matter.
“Promise me, Harry,” Richard demanded. “I have only just begun to recover from the ordeal with Georgiana and Elizabeth. I am not sure I could withstand having you in danger.”
Harriet shot a concerned glance at her brother. “Do not say so, or he may remove his approval,” she hissed.
Richard chuckled. “Then, promise me that you will remove yourself from the dangerous bits of this assignment.”
She scowled. “I promise.”
“It is not because I do not think you are capable of dealing with unpleasant things,” Edmund assured her. “I am not sure I would be able to live with myself if anything were to happen to you because you were trying to prove yourself to me.” His lips tipped into a half-smile. “Not that there will not be an adequate number of other things about which you may persecute me to ensure that I am happy to be rid of you.” He winked, and his sister chuckled.
“That is perhaps too true,” she admitted.
He stood. “And now, I will take myself to my study so that my best man and dearest friend can present his official offer to you before he heads off to start his assignment.”
“Wait,” Harriet said. “Will I be allowed to see him after…”
“Yes. Most likely. It truly depends upon how things progress. As you saw, he and a couple other men will be staying in a rented room and doing their best to not stand out too much in the neighbourhood in which it is located. You will not be allowed to visit him there, but he cannot watch the comings and goings of the area all day and night. Therefore, there will be times when he can make his way here.”
He gave his sister a stern look. “Here. You may only see him here, Harriet. If you feel a need to see him, tell me, and I promise to relay that information to him. The lives of many – including his – depend upon your adherence to this.”
“As long as I get to see him or write to him, I can bear it. I will remind you that I did not attempt to ride to Hertfordshire even once. I am capable of not getting in the way.” She gave him an impertinent smile but then sobered. “I would not wish to be the reason anyone died.” She pulled the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth and looked down at the floor. “Am I why that man died?” she asked softly.
Edmund dropped to his knees in front of her and took the hand that Richard was not holding. “No. You could have been any lady looking for a watch as a gift. He did not know who you were. He may not have even known the source of the watch at all, or to whom it belonged. I think he was just an unfortunate casualty of an evil scheme that we have not yet entirely figured out.”
Harriet let go of Richard’s hand and grasped Edmunds with both of hers. “Are you certain?”
“Yes.” He tipped his head low to catch her eyes for she was resolutely looking at their joined hands. “If anyone is at fault it is me. If I had only just allowed Richard to offer for you sooner, you would not have had to go to the extremes you did.”
“I could have been more patient.”
“I will not deny that, but I did not help you in that regard.” He rose from his place and drew her to her feet along with him. Then, he wrapped her in a tight embrace. “I love you, Harriet. Do not ever doubt that. I would have eventually relented, for there is no other gentleman I have ever known who is truly worthy to be your husband. I think I have always known it, but this profession is dangerous, and I do not want to lose you.” He released her, and taking her hand, turned her toward Richard. “There is no one else I would rather entrust her to than you.”
Richard accepted her hand and gave Edmund a nod before he quickly left them alone.
“Will you still have me despite the fact that you know your brother approves of me?” he asked in a teasing tone which drew a small laugh from her, as it was supposed to do. “I, too, love you, Harry. You know I do.”
“I do,” her lips curved into a sweet smile as she said it. “And you know that I love you.”
“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind about that, which means there is no need to prove it.”
She huffed. “I have already promised to keep myself safely tucked at home.”
He drew her to him. “Enjoy that time here for it will not be your home forever, and my inheritance will not afford us a home as grand as this.”
“I have a fine dowry,” she replied. “But I do not need a fine home. I only need you.”
“And all I need is you. However, I would also like to house you in a way that will make you happy to be my wife.”
“Does that mean that I will be allowed to be a part of some adventures?”
Richard chuckled. “I am quite certain that I will have no choice but to include you in a few – but nothing too dangerous. For I truly do not know what I would do without you. My heart would be irreparably shattered if I lost you. Shall I inform my father that his solicitor’s services are needed to put all my affairs in order in preparation for taking a bride?”
“Yes, please do, and then take care as you begin your assignment, for my heart will never be whole without you.” And then, without waiting for any response from him or giving him the opportunity to initiate a kiss, she pressed her lips to his.
But that was his Harry. Bold, passionate, unafraid to go after what she wanted. And he was absolutely delighted to be exactly what she desired.
