Good news! I have completed my accessibility project of adding all my books (that’s 69 titles) to ElevenReader.
So today, I am starting a new audiobook sharing project.
I have shared links to full audiobooks on YouTube a couple of times here already, but I didn’t think to share them here until I had already added several books to YouTube. I want to fix that and get all the YouTube audiobook links added here on my website.
They will be located in the menu option called Audiobooks on YouTube, and there is a dropdown menu under that where you can click on specific series. The plan right now is to add one YouTube link per week until they are all here and easy to access without having to click out to any other place.
This book is available to listen to on YouTube. It is also available as a download with a paid Patreon subscription and is available in some other places as well (see the Audiobooks page on my website at this link).
If you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube channel yet, I’d love it if you would (to help me get monetized) even if you only plan on listening to these stories here.
The description of this book and how the audiobook was made are below.
Happy Listening!
<3 Leenie
About the Book:
He’s not looking for a wife, but she just might be too irresistible to let go.
It never fails. No matter where Fitzwilliam Darcy goes, there are always whispers passed from matching-making matron to hopeful debutante about who he is and what fortune he holds. And then, the prowling and scheming to snare him begins. He knows that eventually, he’ll have to marry, but, at present, after the summer he’s had, he’s just not ready.
Therefore, when his friend presses him to dance at the Meryton Assembly, Darcy is desperate to refuse as adamantly as is necessary to avoid partnering any young lady. But then, fate steps in, and Darcy’s disparagement of the dance partner his friend has suggested dies on his lips.
She’s captivating and fascinatingly unusual. In fact, she just might be enchanting enough for him to long to make her what he wasn’t looking for — his wife.
About the Audiobook:
This story is read by Christopher, an authorized voice replica made available by the voice actor, through the Elevenlabs library. While this is a digital narration, the voice actor does receive compensation whenever his voice is used. In other words, offering authorized voice replicas on Elevenlabs is one way that some voice actors have chosen to diversify their income. And I am so glad that Christopher has chosen this option because I quite enjoy listening to him read me my stories. I hope you enjoy his performance as much as I did while getting it ready to share.
Editing of the audio to produce this performance was completed by me, using the Elevenlabs program.
There’s a new part of this story that just dropped in the September Saturday Broadsheet, which means that last month’s part should have had it’s own post so it could be found more easily…BEFORE the Broadsheet went out. But no. This task got missed yesterday. So, here it is. A day late, but here.
This is the part of the story where I realized I had a timeline error. I had the first part of the story set in summer, but it was supposed to have fit with a section of Oxford Cottage that takes part in early October, so I will have to go back and edit that once I finally get around to putting it altogether into some sort of eBook format. For now, it’s staying as it is and we’re shifting to October here with this chapter.
Two days later, Samantha and Harriet, along with her husband, Julian, who had joined them just that morning, were returning from a walk in the garden when a rider approached the house.
“Who do you suppose that is?” Julian asked with a laugh, since Harriet was already nearly running toward the garden gate that would connect her to the driveway. But how could she not hurry when her colonel was nearly at her doorstep.
“I have a message for the lady of the house,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said as drew his horse to a stop near her. “It is an acceptance of your dinner invitation from Mrs. Darcy.” He swung down and withdrew a letter from his pocket. “She is anxious to meet you. Nearly as anxious as I was to see you – which is why I am playing the part of an express rider.”
He swept her into his arm and kissed her soundly before she had a chance to do anything more than say, “You are here.” No other words of welcome were allowed to be spoken. But did she care? Not one wit. Kissing was exactly how she had hoped to welcome him.
“Julian is here,” she said, once her lips were once again free to speak. “He and Samantha are in the garden sitting room.” She added this part after peeking over her shoulder to see if her sister and brother-in-law had followed her. Thankfully, they had not. “I am so glad you came.”
“You will need to thank your brother for that. He thought it would be a good show of things surrounding your returning to town a bit earlier than you normally do.” He wrapped her arm around his, and they began walking toward the gate to the garden. “Apparently, a dinner party has been arranged, since the Darcys will only be in town for a short time, before retiring to Pemberley for a few months. And I have not been granted any extended time away from my post – just a few days to see to the safety of my betrothed as she travels to join her brother. Therefore, we must not dawdle in the country but return to town as soon as is possible and proper.”
“That is a very good plan, and my brother concocted all that on his own, did he?”
Richard chuckled. “How could he have, since it was you who extended the invitation to the Darcys? The rest was all his; although, I do believe Elizabeth had a hand in part of it in an indirect fashion.”
“Mrs. Darcy inspired part of my brother’s story about your arrival and my return?”
“You would have been impressed.” He led her down a path away from the door to the garden sitting room and began to regale her with the story of the mock abduction that he had helped Elizabeth stage at the inn where he was to meet with Lillesley. “It was after this that he decided to have me come here to accompany you to London as a good faith demonstration to Elizabeth that her words about protecting those in need of protection had not fallen on dull ears.”
Harriet shook her head as she smiled broadly. “You are correct, as you often are. I am quite impressed with Mrs. Darcy.”
“She is expecting a child, but I am not to tell anyone,” Richard whispered. “Therefore, any scheming you may have in mind to do with your soon to be cousin through marriage will have to wait and likely be confined to safer pursuits that do not involve guns, knives, abductions, or criminals that are more hardened than a young child who steals a cookie or breaks a vase.”
“You do know that will not be easy, do you not?” Harriet almost teased. Her tone was teasing, but the truth that lay in the statement was just that – truth. “These past two months in the country have been rather boring, or at least they were until (name) called on us and Edmund departed for London.”
Richard had slowed his pace to nearly standing still. “What do you mean by that?” Wariness coloured his question. But who could blame him? He knew all to well the sorts of daring schemes she might take on. “What exactly have you been doing while your brother was away?”
“Oh, nothing very out of the ordinary things that women do,” she replied with an air of nonchalance. “Except, perhaps, I believe, that Samantha and I have discovered who is behind the whole operation.” Or, at least, she hoped that what she had discovered from Mrs. Cooper’s visit was the final piece of their puzzle. For she truly wished to be a married woman before Christmas.
“You will need to elaborate on that,” his tone was rather demanding and a trifle dubious.
“Truly, we did not do anything dangerous,” she assured him. “It was merely a bit of tea and all the accoutrements that accompany such a call between ladies.”
“Do you mean gossip? Are you basing your discovery on gossip?”
She shook her head. “It is based only in part on gossip. The information I have gleaned from a bit of community news, which was generously shared by Mrs. Cooper and her daughter, are details that hold a great deal in common with our current assignment. Those details are a flirtatious maid named Muriel, a family who took her to town, who had a son with a dangerously charming friend named George, whose last name likely started with a W, and the head of that family is not at his estate presently. He is, rather, in town.”
“And you discovered this over a cup of tea?” Richard asked in surprise.
“Well, not the part about Mr. (name) being in town. That information was gained at the milliner’s shop. There are two other gentlemen in the area who are not in residence as would be normal, but the one who seems the most likely to be the person in whom we are interested is Mr. (name).” She shrugged. “Edmund would not tell me the name of the gentleman in town that he wished to see.”
Richard chuckled softly. “He did mention that to me, which is another reason he gave for me to come see you.”
“He expected me to discover what he would not tell me?”
Richard nodded.
Harriet smiled. “I find I am once again impressed by my brother, for it seems he is finally realizing that I do possess some skills.”
Richard once again chuckled. “I do believe he has. Although, to be fair, he has always known you were clever.”
“Not that he ever wished to acknowledge it,” she retorted before adding, “That is not entirely true. He did used to think it was a good thing that I was inquisitive and bright, but then, he went away to war.” She snuggled into Richard’s side closer as they walked. “It changed him. And then Andrew died, and that also changed him.”
“That is understandable,” Richard murmured in agreement.
“It is, but it was not just him who was changed by those things. We were all touched by them in different ways. Not one of us was left unmarked by them. I am not certain Edmund has realized that just yet.”
They walked on for four steps in companionable stillness before Richard broke the silence by saying, “You are not just clever, my love. You are wise. And I do think your brother will come to realize that more and more as he settles into his new role. And if he stumbles along the way and it become necessary, I promise that I will help him see how wise and clever you are.”
Harriet laughed lightly. How she loved this man beside her. He knew her so well! “Is that your way of telling me that I do not need to continue to prove my cleverness and wisdom to my brother?”
“You are wise,” Richard said before kissing her fingers. “Now, I do think we should enter the house and discuss our preparations for travel.”
All the Harriet and the Colonel stories such as On the Way to a Wedding are Oxford Cottage companion stories.
When you’ve been a teacher for years and years, had kids in school, and have a husband who still works at a school, September becomes a month to mark new beginnings.
And this month, it is marking some new beginnings for me in my writing life.
If you read the latest SWR Tearoom post, you’ll know that I’ve been struggling with feeling like quitting. I’m not going to, but I am going to have to change some things in order to keep doing this writing business – which I love.
To sum it up into one compound phrase that really does not encompass all of what I said in the article but at least gives a hint as to what it’s about, I am now a part-time author and am shifting my business plan a bit.
So, during this month of new beginnings, I am attempting to work into a part-time schedule that will be productive. To aid me in this, I’ve set two daily goals for myself, neither of which I have yet accomplished every day.
Those two daily (M-F) priorities are writing/working on a story for 30 minutes and working on audiobook things for 1 hour. And everything else will have to be slotted after those two things are done.
Today (Thursday), my writing time is being used writing this newsletter and updating the about section on my Patreon page. It will take more than 30 minutes to do all that, but I took a day off from Uber Eats because it was pouring rain this morning and I had no desire to get soaked, so I have a bit more time to do it.
My audiobook time today will first be used to add a new book to the ElevenReader library, because I haven’t gotten one added there this week, and then, if there’s time, I’ll do some more production work on chapter 5 of Not an Heiress.
Last week, part of my writing time was used to write the segment of Harriet and the colonel’s story at the end of this newsletter.
And last week, I also missed sharing a chapter of Not an Heiress on YouTube because I just hadn’t had enough time to get it ready. I hope that I’ll have chapter 5 ready for next week, but we’ll see.
So now, let’s jump into all the book news, starting with…
Audiobook News
I am still working on adding my Sweet Possibilities and Extras stories to ElevenReader. This is the final series that I have to add over there, and after today, I will only have two books left to add. Today (Thursday) I am adding Pretending to Love Mary to ElevenReader. It may actually be live over there by the time you read this on Saturday.
On YouTube, as mentioned above, I have started sharing Not an Heiress as a by-the-chapter audiobook and yesterday, chapter 4 went live over there. Chapter 5 is still a work in progress so it may be there next Friday or the following one.
If you haven’t yet subscribed to my YouTube channel, I would love to have your support in reaching my first 1000 subscribers so I can apply for monetization. You can find me on YouTube @ youtube.com/@leeniebbooks.
Book News
I have begun sharing Lydia’s story on Patreon! Chapter one posted this past Thursday, and there will be a new chapter added each Thursday as long as there is one ready to go. I have several chapters already scheduled to post for the next few Thursdays as I continue to write that story.
On Wednesday evening this week, I shared a Bookish Fun post called “Names and Colours from With Quill and Ink and Arguing With Mary Crossword and Wordsearch.” You should be able to find that in the Bookish Fun section of my blog, Patreon, or Substack if you missed seeing it in your inbox.
As the name suggests, it includes both a crossword and a wordsearch based on two of my Sweet Possibilities and Extras books.
Arguing with Mary is this month’s $0.99 book.
That’s $0.99 USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, EUR, GBP, with all other currencies also reduced, and it’s marked down at all the regular eBook retailers.
As you can see, Arguing with Mary is also one of the two eBooks to Keep that Patreon members can download this month.
Moonlight, Mistletoe, and Mary is the other eBook to Keep and is also the free Patreon read this month.
If you’re a subscription reader, Patreon is just one of the subscription places where you can read my books. In addition to Patreon, my books are included in the Kobo Plus and Everand subscription programs.
And one more impromptu book promotion that wasn’t planned until recent current events took place. I mean I’ve heard enough doom and gloom tariff talk to last me for years, although I know it’s not over yet and likely won’t be for some time. So, I thought, why not have some fun with it, and let there be some good financial news.
Therefore, from now until September 29, all my box sets are marked down by 50% on Smashwords. This is a public coupon code so it should be applied automatically at check out. Just double check that it is before clicking buy. (In case you need it, the code is 7X6Y6)
In this section, Harriet and the colonel’s reunion continues.
Please remember that there are sections where previous chapters from all the Harriet and the Colonel stories can be read on whichever platform you subscribe to.
On my blog, look for Harriet and the Colonel in the menu options.
On Substack, look for the Harriet and the Colonel section on the home page.
On Patreon, look for On the Way to a Wedding in the collections tab.
Chapter 3 (Part 2)
Four hours later, the various aspects of travel had been sorted, dinner had been eaten, and a fire crackled in the hearth of the drawing room where Harriet sat snuggled into Richard’s side on a sofa, while Julian softly read a story to his wife on the opposite side of the room.
“This is lovely,” Harriet whispered. It was cozy and tranquil with a distinct domestic air. In her opinion, it was perfect and a lovely glimpse of the future. “The only piece that is missing is Edmund,” she continued, “and someone with whom he can share a quiet evening.”
“Perhaps that should be your next assignment,” Richard teased.
Harriet laughed softly. “It has crossed my mind, but I would not have liked for him to have pushed me at anyone –”
“And yet, he did attempt to do so,” Richard interrupted. “How many times did he mention this gentleman or that one to you before some soiree?”
This was true. Her brother had put in a valiant effort to find her someone to marry who was not Richard. “He mentioned and suggested, but he did not force me to dance with them or go on drives or anything like that.”
“Yes, well… I am still somewhat put out with him about his refusing to let me court you for so long. Not that I do not understand why he chose to do as he did, but I did not appreciate being kept from you.” He lifted her hand and placed a kiss in her palm. “I might still be waiting if it were not for your interference. And that is why, I think perhaps it might not be so bad a thing to offer some assistance to your brother in this – maybe not to the point of concocting schemes that put anyone or their reputation in danger, but surely, you could discover someone who might fit nicely into his life.”
“I cannot believe you are suggesting that I play at matchmaking. You have always despised such things, or at least that is what you have said in the past.”
“I have never been so happily matched as I am now, and I find that I very much wish for my dearest friend – for you brother is still that to me – to be as content as I am.” Here, he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head before punctuating his point with a contented sigh.
“I would like for him to be loved as I am and you are,” she agreed.
“I would assist you if needed,” he offered.
“And I would be happy for the help,” she said. “But first, we must marry, and that cannot happen until our current assignment is done.” Hopefully, it would be over soon. While she thoroughly enjoyed figuring out puzzles and the prospect of helping her brother and his men rid the world of horrid people, she was rather eager to be Mrs. Fitzwilliam and settled into a life with the man at her side.
He hummed his agreement while tightening his hold on her for a moment, but said no more. Harriet also did not feel a pressing need for conversation, so the two of them sat in silence, just listening to the lilt of Julian’s voice and the snapping and crackling of the fire.
Lack of conversation did not mean that all was quiet, however. In her mind, Harriet was busy going over all the pieces of the investigation as things had transpired so far. Of course, she was not certain she knew all the details. It would not surprise her to learn that Edmund had withheld some information from her. He had withheld information from Richard about Mrs. Younge’s relationship with Mr. Wickham. And if he would withhold information from his best man, he would definitely withhold it from his sister.
“Are Mrs. Darcy and her maid, as well as Miss Darcy recovering well from their ordeal?” she asked as her thoughts had brought them to mind.
Richard nodded. “They seem to be. I think being able to vent her spleen on your brother did Mrs. Darcy much good.”
“I am glad to hear it. I still cannot believe he did not tell you about Mrs. Younge.”
“He will not make that mistake again,” Richard assured her.
“I hope not,” she muttered.
“I read the letter he wrote to Darcy about his part in the ordeal,” he added. “It will not happen again. I believe any chance that it might have, was removed when Mrs. Darcy put her bit of theatre into action at that inn.” He chuckled softly. “You would have enjoyed it.”
“I am certain I would, and it makes me anxious to meet her.” With this said, the pair once again lapsed into silence as Harriet turned her mind to Mr. Wickham.
She had never met him, but she had heard about him. He was charming – dangerously so, according to Miss Cooper. Of course, Miss Cooper was speaking about the fellow’s ability to charm a lady into ruin, but Harriet knew that the danger in his charming ways extended further than that – to life itself. He had orchestrated an abduction that was quite bold and well-crafted to cause pain and financial distress to someone he had once counted as a friend.
What still boggled her mind was why was someone, who could charm his way through life and diabolically scheme his way nearly into substantial wealth, suddenly fearful? If she had to guess – and truly, that was all she could do – she would say that Mr. [name] had something to do with it. But what? And how did Mr. Wickham, who had known Mr. [name] for many years, not know that he was the one for whom they were looking until recently?
Samuels’ visit before Edmund went to town played again in her memory, and it still did not sit right. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she knew that Mr. Wickham was playing out some sort of scheme.
“What do you think Mr. Wickham’s scheme is?” she whispered to Richard.
He simply shook his head and said, “I wish I knew, but perhaps we will know more when we get to London.” She felt him draw a deep breath before he added, “Your brother would not be the first to underestimate that miscreant.”
She sucked in a quick breath as a terrible thought entered her mind.
“What is wrong?” Richard asked.
She swallowed and whispered as softly as she could for she most certainly did not want her sister to hear this. Indeed, she did not wish to hear the thought outside of her head. But if anyone needed to hear it besides herself, it was Richard. “What if Edmund is being led into a trap?”
Thank you so much for being my readers! Have a lovely weekend!
Have you read the Sweet Possibilities and Sweet Extras pair of With Quill and Ink and Arguing with Mary?
Whether you have or not, it’s time to have some bookish fun with those stories.
Below are both a crossword puzzle of words and clues from those two books and a wordsearch of the same words.
The words that answer all the clues in the crossword can also be found in the Names and Colours from With Quill and Ink and Arguing With Mary Wordsearch puzzle. So, if you need help guessing what the crossword answers are, there’s a word bank for that. 🙂
You may download and print out the puzzles to do on paper, or if you prefer, you can click the button at the bottom of the crossword (and top of the wordsearch) that says “Let’s Play” to be taken to a web page where you can play online.
It should be noted that your progress goes away when you close the tab for the puzzle unless you create a free account. If you created an account for the Touches of Austen wordsearch or crosswords, this is the same place so you can just sign in with that account. If you haven’t created an account and decide to do so, it will work for both of these puzzles, the Touches of Austen ones you can find in the bookish fun section, and any future puzzles I decide to create using this site.
My hubby is currently on holiday from his main job but has picked up some side jobs while he is off. We haven’t planned any day trips yet because he’s got those side jobs and because my car was having issues… again!
It now has two new CV joints and is driving quieter than it has in a long time. It is currently waiting for a new oil pan to come in so they can replace the one that has a leak.
The garden is growing, and we are slowly getting to enjoy some home-grown produce. We are also learning a lot and planning changes for next year. In fact, we may be rearranging the layout of our “hoop house” today. It’s on the schedule, but I am writing this on Friday, so anything could change our plans between now and then. We’d like to be able to reach both sides of the tomato plants for harvesting more easily. That’s the reason for the shuffling of things. (Again, it’s all part of the learning process.)
In my writing life, I’m still plugging away at my various projects slowly. They are creeping forward, and I am planning to start sharing my Lydia story with my Patreon subscribers as a work in progress at the beginning of September on Thursdays. You do have to be a $2 or higher subscriber to gain access to that.
And I have run into a little problem with my Harriet and the Colonel story, which I will tell you about when you get to that part of this Broadsheet.
But first, in…
AUDIOBOOK NEWS
I told you last month that I had started adding the Touches of Austen series to ElevenReader.
That series is now complete, and I am currently working on adding my final collection of books to the ElevenReader platform.
That’s my Sweet Possibilities and Sweet Extras books.
Sweet Possibilities are my Pride and Prejudice meets Hallmark-style romance stories. They are Darcy and Elizabeth variations which employ some of the tropes you might find in a Hallmark or similar movie. Such as: shared inheritance, Christmas traditions that force people together, an unwelcome suitor showing up to stir up trouble, and matchmaking friends and relations.
And each and every Sweet Possibility story has a Mary and the colonel Sweet Extra novelette sequel.
As of this week, I have two such pairs uploaded to ElevenReader and three pairs left to upload. I am still only uploading one book per week, so it will be the end of September when I finally get that project completed.
I am looking forward to finally having all my books listed at Elevenlabs as it provides greater accessibility for those who want or need their books to be read to them.
On YOUTUBE, chapter 1 of Not an Heiress posted yesterday. I have the next chapter scheduled and waiting for me to proof-listen to it to make sure no strange noises were added in the transfer from video creation software to my hard drive to YouTube. But that’s as far as I have gotten with work on that project as of this moment.
Discovering Mr. Darcy is now available as an audiobook in several places (other than YouTube) and is listed at an introductory price both on retail stores and library catalogues until the end of August.
BOOK NEWS
Book Promotions:
This month’s series highlight is my Sweet Possibilities series.
With Quill and Ink is the $0.99 book this month – which can be found at a variety of stores and is reduced in all currencies.
Matching Mr. Darcy is the Patreon follower FREE read this month and is also one of the two eBooks to Keep over there for subscribers. (With Quill and Ink is the other eBook to Keep.)
If you’re a subscription reader, Patreon is just one of the subscription places where you can read my books. In addition to Patreon, my books are included in the Kobo Plus and Everand subscription programs.
SOMETHING NEW TO READ
As I stated above, I have just found an issue with my Harriet and the Colonel story. I have been writing this new part as if it is to take place in the summer. However…
I had intended it to match with Oxford Cottage at the time when Darcy and Elizabeth meet Lord Lillesley at an inn while travelling to London from Oxford Cottage.
Um, that took place in October. Not summer. So, I will have to go back and adjust things in this story accordingly, but I’m going to write from here to the end as if it is early October and not the summer. This is just part of the story being a WIP. 🙂
I will not be changing the chapters that I have shared at any of the places below, but the corrected timeline will appear in the final product. (And no, I have not yet named the gentleman suspected of being the ring leader. He is still just Mr. (name).)
Please remember that there are sections where previous chapters from all the Harriet and the Colonel stories can be read on whichever platform you subscribe to.
On my blog, look for Harriet and the Colonel in the menu options.
On Substack, look for the Harriet and the Colonel section on the home page.
On Patreon, look for On the Way to a Wedding in the collections tab.
Chapter 3 (Part 1)
Two days later, Samantha and Harriet, along with her husband who had joined them just that morning, were returning from a walk in the garden when a rider approached the house.
“Who do you suppose that is?” Julian asked with a laugh, since Harriet was already nearly running toward the garden gate that would connect her to the driveway. But how could she not hurry when her colonel was nearly at her doorstep.
“I have a message for the lady of the house,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said as drew his horse to a stop near her. “It is an acceptance of your dinner invitation from Mrs. Darcy.” He swung down and withdrew a letter from his pocket. “She is anxious to meet you. Nearly as anxious as I was to see you – which is why I am playing the part of an express rider.”
He swept her into his arm and kissed her soundly before she had a chance to do any more than say, “You are here.” No other words of welcome were spoken. But did she care? Not one wit. Kissing was exactly how she had hoped to welcome him.
“Julian is here,” she said, once they had stopped kissing. “He and Samantha are in the garden sitting room.” She added this part after peeking over her shoulder to see if her sister and brother-in-law had followed her. Thankfully, they had not. “I am so glad you came.”
“You will need to thank your brother for that. He thought it would be a good show of things surrounding your returning to town a bit earlier than you normally do.” He wrapped her arm around his, and they began walking toward the gate to the garden. “Apparently, a dinner party has been arranged, since the Darcys will only be in town for a short time, before retiring to Pemberley for a few months. And I have not been granted any extended time away from my post – just a few days to see to the safety of my betrothed as she travels to join her brother.”
“That is a very good plan, and my brother concocted all that on his own, did he?”
Richard chuckled. “How could he have, since it was you who extended the invitation to the Darcys? The rest was all his; although, I do believe Elizabeth had a hand in part of it in an indirect fashion.”
“Mrs. Darcy inspired part of my brother’s story about your arrival and my return?”
“You would have been impressed.” He led her down a path away from the door to the garden sitting room and began to regale her with the story of the mock abduction that he had helped Elizabeth stage at the inn where he was to meet with Lillesley. “It was after this that he decided to have me come here to accompany you to London as a good faith demonstration to Elizabeth that her words about protecting those in need of protection had not fallen on dull ears.”
Harriet shook her head as she smiled broadly. “You are correct, as you often are. I am quite impressed with Mrs. Darcy.” She drew a breath.
“She is expecting a child, but I am not to tell anyone,” Richard whispered. “Therefore, any scheming you may have in mind to do with your soon to be cousin through marriage will have to wait and likely be confined to safer pursuits that do not involve guns, knives, abductions, or criminals that are more hardened than a young child who steals a cookie or breaks a vase.”
“You do know that will not be easy, do you not?” Harriet almost teased. Her tone was teasing, but the truth that lay in the statement was just that – truth. “These past two months in the country have been rather boring, or at least they were until (name) called on us and Edmund departed for London.”
Richard has slowed his pace to nearly standing still. “What do you mean by that? What have you been doing while your brother was away?”
“I believe that Samantha and I have discovered who is behind the whole operation.” Or, at least, she hoped that what she had discovered from Mrs. Cooper’s visit was the final piece of their puzzle. For she truly wished to be a married woman before Christmas.
“You will need to elaborate on that,” his tone was rather demanding.
“We did not do anything dangerous,” she assured him. “It was merely a bit of tea and all the accoutrements that accompany such a call between ladies.”
“Gossip? You are basing your discovery on gossip?”
She shook her head. “My information is just that – details that hold a great deal in common with our current assignment. A flirtatious maid named Muriel, a family who took her to town, who had a son with a dangerously charming friend named George whose last name likely started with a W, and the head of that family is not at his estate presently. He is, rather, in town.”
“And you discovered this over a cup of tea?” Richard asked in surprise.
“Well, not the part about Mr. (name) being in town. That information was gained at the milliner’s shop. There are two other gentlemen in the area who are not in residence as would be normal, but the one who seems the most likely to be the person in whom we are interested is Mr. (name).” She shrugged. “Edmund would not tell me the name of the gentleman in town that he wished to see.”
“He had mentioned that to me, which is another reason he gave for me to come see you.”
“He expected me to discover what he would not tell me?”
Richard nodded.
Harriet smiled. “I am once again impressed. It seems my brother is finally realizing that I do possess some skills.”
Richard laughed. “I do believe he has. Although, he has always known you were clever.”
“Not that he ever wished to acknowledge it.” She shook her head. “That is not entirely true. He used to think it was a good thing, and then, he went away to war.” She snuggled into his side closer as they walked. “It changed him. And then Andrew died, and that also changed him. But he was not alone in changing. We all were touched by those things in different ways.”
“You are not just clever, my love. You are wise. And I do think your brother will come to realize that more and more as he settles into his new role. I will assist him in seeing it.”
Harriet laughed lightly. “Is that your way of telling me that I do not need to continue to prove my cleverness and wisdom to him?”
“You are wise,” Richard said before kissing her fingers. “Now, I do think we should enter the house and discuss our preparations for travel.”
—
Thank you so much for being my readers! Have a lovely weekend!
