Riding Stables of Royal Pavilion, 1826 (from John Nash’s Views) Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
There is no Thursday’s 300 chapter tomorrow, so today’s visual inspiration goes along with Her Heart’s Choice, Choices (book 4). The hero, Madoch, is keeping a secret from the heroine, Anne, and this is from the scene where she discovers that secret.
“In case you were wondering, I will not marry a man with a mistress, nor will I become one.”
Blackmoore laughed. “I would not attempt to suggest such. I felt the way Madoch protected you the last time we met, and I have endured his glares all evening.” He shook his head as he continued to chuckle. “No, no, he is not someone with whom I wish to tangle. I fear I would not win.”
The comment surprised Anne. “I beg your pardon, but I do not understand your meaning. What exactly makes a man who cares for horses someone who must be feared?” Alex was not a small or retiring man, but he was not a brute either. How he could inspire such a reaction in a gentleman who was his superior in rank was beyond her comprehension.
Blackmoore laughed once again. “His connections, my dear, his connections. It is not that he cares for horses but for whose horses he cares.”
I know I mentioned this in The Saturday Broadsheet, but I wanted to get this notice posted in the promotions section. I don’t want anyone to miss this sale price because it is good. (And I love a good bargain!) The price goes back up next Sunday.
When Mr. Bennet makes a choice to help his eldest daughters find happiness, he sets off a chain of events that will affect the lives of not only all his daughters but also many of Darcy’s relatives. Enjoy these stories as a Fitzwilliam family secret unfolds, new loves are formed in the face of opposition, and an old love is rekindled.
Her Father’s Choice
Sometimes a father knows what is best for his child. At least Mr. Bennet trusts he does. Seeing the potential of a good match for his beloved Lizzy but knowing her ability to hold a grudge, he puts a plan into action that forces a marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth.
No Other Choice
Mary Bennet has never been the center of attention and rarely the object of any man’s affections, but that is about to change. Shortly after Darcy and Elizabeth’s wedding, Mary travels to London to prepare for the season, a season she is determined to finish with either a husband or a glorious tale to tell, even if it means learning to tolerate Lord Rycroft.
His Inconvenient Choice
Colonel Fitzwilliam has always known his father would try to force him into a marriage of convenience, but after Kitty Bennet captures his heart as she shivered in the cold on the streets of Meryton, he realizes his only chance at happiness lies in making an inconvenient choice. However, it is a choice that will not go unchallenged. As family secrets are revealed, it is a choice that, in creating happiness for the colonel, could destroy his family.
Her Heart’s Choice
To Anne, it had seemed simple enough. Place an advertisement in the paper, interview the gentlemen who responded, and select the best husband. But nothing is as easy as it seems. Indeed, many things are quite the opposite of how they appear. How is a lady to find a safe and secure marriage when her ideals are turned on their head ─ especially when her heart yearns for a man who is wholly unsuitable?
Today is the day that great deal on the Choices Series box set begins. (You know, the sale I scheduled for the wrong day? Well, the “wrong day” has finally arrived 😉 ) Scroll down to find a link and details.
Writing News
It was once again a pretty good week of writing, despite the fact that I actually took a day off just to relax — a full day of nothing but relaxation, which included a lot of reading. 😉 I’m not one to take full days off unless I’m going on a trip with my husband or am sick or something like that. So Wednesday was a very rare and indulgent day. (I even read more than one book, which if you’ve read a recent Broadsheet, you will know is also something I don’t normally do. However, these books were in a series so it was kind of like just reading a really long book.)
Even with that day off, I have kept almost on track. I’ll be right where I want to be if I get to do a bit of writing later tonight. Here’s the list of stories and the progress made along with a small snippet from each: His Irreplaceable Belle: I am up to chapter 11 in that story and things are most definitely looking like they are turning around for this couple. Will they stay that way? I don’t know. this is how this week’s chapter began:
The Betrothed, Charles-Louis Muller (1815–1892) [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons
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“You look lovely,” Georgiana said upon entering Kitty’s room at Darcy House. “Is this the dress you wore the first day you went driving with Mr. Langley?”
“It is. Do you think it is foolish for me to wish to wear it? I had thought it might be better to begin again in a completely new dress, but he said he remembered this one when he helped me get my ribbon back from Oliver that day.” She straightened a sleeve that did not need straightening. Her stomach was all aflutter, and her heart would not remain calm. Today, she would promise herself to a gentleman whom she loved – if he was still willing to wait for her. She turned to examine her hair in the mirror. “He said he likes green and that it was a becoming colour on me.”
Georgiana grasped Kitty’s shoulders from behind and rested her head on one of them so that she was looking into the mirror with and at Kitty. “It is not foolish,” she said with a small laugh. “I cannot believe that my friend will soon be betrothed.”
This was one of those songs that I just happened upon while doing some random listening and the dishes. The line in this song “I like you walking next to me” made me think of the scene from And Then Love that I am sharing below. At this point in the story, neither Philip or Lucy has figured out that they might more than like each other — although Darcy seems to see it. 🙂
The rain had only started to fall lightly as the parishioners began to file out of the small church in Kympton. The migration of people from pew to door was a slow one as each took a moment to comment on Mr. Dobney’s sermon and to congratulate him on his upcoming marriage.
Rather than joining the numbers that lined the aisle, Lucy remained seated near the front of the church but turned so that she might watch the man she would soon call husband. He smiled and laughed. He ruffled the hair of children and shook the hands of their fathers. He had always greeted people with such ease and welcome — as if he had always known them.
She rested an elbow on the back of the pew and her head lightly on her hand as she watched him nod his head and tap his lip with a finger before replying to Mr. Evans. She knew from the actions that he was giving some bit of advice, for he never did so without at least a moment’s thought. Even when they were children, he had been the one to whom the others had looked to for guidance, and he had provided it without ever making one of them feel as if they were lacking in any way.
She smiled as he leaned his tall frame down to speak closely into Mrs. Walcroft’s ear. Others might have raised their voice to talk to the woman, but he never did. Philip was cautious not to injure the dignity of others, no matter their age or frailties. It was something she had always admired about him; however, not all had found the trait admirable. In fact, there were those who, at one time, had thought it a weakness and had teased Philip relentlessly.
It was not the only thing about which Philip had been teased. He had been gangly as a young man. His arms and legs seemed to grow rapidly, much more rapidly than his ability to use them with grace and dignity. He had also been rather skinny until he had gone away to college. However, during those years, his body had finally righted itself. He had not added another inch to his height, and he was no longer skinny.
She ducked her head as she felt a bit of colour creeping into cheeks when she realized just how fine he now appeared to her. He was still taller than most, but his clothes no longer hung on him. She turned her mind away from admiring how his jacket now stretched across his back and wrapped snuggly around arms that were well-muscled and strong.
Lucy rested a gloved finger on her lips. She had chosen him for his admirable character, but since that kiss two days ago…
She swallowed and rose from her seat. This was not the place to be contemplating fine figures or kisses. However, she could not resist taking one more look at Philip before she ducked out the side door.
