La leçon de piano (English: The piano lesson); Collection privée Photographie by P.F. Rieder; Marcel Rieder (1862-1942) [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons
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“I have one more duty to perform before I will allow you all to eat and be merry as is required on a day such as this,” Mr. Bennet said. “My youngest, along with the assistance of Miss Darcy, has prepared some music to start us off while we eat.”
“Did you know about this? Did Georgiana tell you?” Elizabeth whispered to Darcy.
“I did know about it, but it was not Georgie who told me.”
[from Loving Lydia, book 3 in the Marrying Elizabeth Series]
Today, I am reaching into Georgiana’s Music Folder and am including both a beautiful instrumental version of this song that has a wonderful storytelling video with it and a lovely vocal version so that you can hear the lyrics.
The instrumental version has this bit of information about the song as part of the introduction. I typed it out here so that it would be easier to read. It’s a beautiful story.
“Thomas Moore, the Irish Poet, upon his return home from war, found his wife to be unwilling to let him see her. During his tour abroad, she had contracted smallpox, disfiguring enough to hide her face from him. Ever devoted to her and their love, Thomas penned a song that he sang softly to her through the bedroom door. He was hoping to woo her back into his graces and to once again see her face.”
Published to YouTube by Jenny Oaks Baker on February 9, 2015.
Published to YouTube by JamesPigBandit on November 28, 2010.
There is a story connection that goes with this song, but I am not revealing that today. I’ll let you discover it on Thursday in the last chapter of Loving Lydia. 🙂 If you’re the sentimental softy sort like I am, you might want to have a tissue handy for that last chapter, just in case your eyes get misty. 😉 At least, I hope I’m not the only one who needed a tissue as I did when writing it and then every time I have read the chapter since. But then, sentimental sweetness (I had read his story about Thomas Moore so that was in my mind) mixed with the end of a story always tugs on my heartstrings.
Because of the story about Thomas Moore which accompanies these videos today, I have chosen not to include a snippet from tomorrow’s Sweet Tuesday story, but I will include an excerpt from a previously published book below so that you are not left without a bit of an interesting tale to start the week off.
Do you judge a book by its cover? If you do, you’re likely not alone.
A partial screenshot of one of my design folders on canva.com. I use Canva for many things, including cover design.
First impressions are important, and normally, when scrolling or strolling through a bookstore, the first thing that is going to draw your attention to a book is the cover. That means a cover is a pretty important part of a book.
In this week’s episode of LLS Society Papers* Rose, Zoe, and I are discussing what goes into covering our books. Please note that this is not a how-to. This is just a conversation about our preferences and practices when getting a book’s cover ready to make that all important first impression.
The live stream will begin at 3 PM Eastern (4 PM Atlantic).
*Longbourn Literary Society (LLS) is a Facebook group founded by three friends, who share a love of writing and Jane Austen for the purpose of promoting those loves and our work.
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You can find Rose and Zoe’s websites at these links:
Sketch of the church at Allington, Kent; from Notes on the churches in the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey; Arthur Hussey [Public domain]; via Wikimedia Commons
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“You are looking handsome, as always,” Lady Matlock greeted Darcy. She motioned for him to stand in front of her so that she could straighten his jacket, though it did not need it.
“Your mother would be pleased to see you so happy.” She placed a hand on his cheek. “Your father, too, but I think a son’s wedding day is more a time for a mother to be nostalgic than it is for a father.”
[from Loving Lydia, book 3 in the Marrying Elizabeth Series]
“An assembly?” Clara questioned as if uncertain that such a thing was a good idea.
“It will be two years next month,” Mr. Watson said softly. “I think it is time.”
Clara drew and released a small breath. “You are likely correct.”
Her eyes dropped to study her hands. It was the first time since meeting her that Thomas had seen Mrs. Clara Watson look anything less than assured of herself.
[From Apple Blossoms, an original sweet Regency romance short story, and the current Sweet Tuesdays story]
Published to YouTube by Edelweiss on December 31, 2017.
Happy Victoria Day!
I just could not let this day pass without a holiday-appropriate music video, 🙂 and I think the bittersweet tone of the song goes with the above snippet from Apple Blossoms, as well as the tone of tomorrows story excerpt.
Now, I do not have an excerpt from any new story to share in today’s post because I am ‘between stories,’ but I will share a bit from a previously published story. However, that will come after I update you on my writing news.
If you saw the Friday Feature post last week, you will know that I have several books on sale from now until May 27, 2019. You can find the details about that sale here.
