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).
Hi. My other pen name (Annilee Nelson) is taking part in a 50+ book giveaway day today for Christian romances, and I found a few historicals mixed in with listing and thought some of you might like to pick up a free read.
There are also contemporary genres like suspense, small town, billionaire, cowboy, etc., as well as at least one time travel story.
You can find them all at the link below. Remember that these are Christian romances with varying degrees of faith elements in them.
One evening, as I was pushing a lawnmower around my backyard, around seven years ago when I was writing Mary: To Protect Her Heart, this song came on the radio station I was listening to as I mowed.
As I listened to its lyrics, I knew that this was the song for Mary’s story.
Why? Because life had been tough for her in some ways – the ways that would make a lady think that men weren’t to be trusted, the ways that skewed a lady’s ideas and expectations of marriage.
Because of that, she was going to need a hero that broke the mold.
At this point in my writing, I hadn’t yet conceptualized Mr. Gabriel Durward as he appears in the story, but that moment with the lawnmower and this song was the beginning of that process.
There is an element of trust that accompanies accepting love from someone and giving it in return. One individual places their trust in another that either the love will not be taken away and so it is safe to accept it, or they place their trust in the fact that the person to whom they are offering their love will not disrespect it, crush it, misuse it, or reject it.
In the excerpt below, Mary Crawford is just at the beginning of possibly trusting Gabe with her heart.
In this portion of the story, we see part of why Mary is so reluctant to trust freely, and we hear Mr. Durward tell her for a second time that he will not let her take on water, which is his way of saying he’ll never hurt her and his way of asking for her trust.
As you read, I hope you can see how the what if questions in the lyrics of the song apply to Mary and Gabe.
Enjoy!
“To get to what I wished to discuss with you. I am a man of business, and I like to know in advance to whom I should speak regarding agreements. I know that you and Miss Crawford lived with your uncle, but neither of you do any longer. Therefore, should the admiration I have for your sister flourish into something that seems to be lasting, should I call on you or the admiral — or Dr. Grant because she is residing with him.”
Mary’s eyes grew wide. She had only just met Mr. Durward, and he was thinking of marriage? She had not even had time to make her desires known to him. She smiled. He was choosing her without persuasion of any sort. It was a novel feeling.
Henry grimaced. “She was handed over to me by the admiral when we left him.”
“It was an ugly scene?” Gabe inquired.
“Nothing was ever pleasant with the admiral,” Mary answered.
Henry shook his head. “What he said was reprehensible. Even in my former iteration, I knew it to be.”
Mary lifted her chin and pushed down the hurt that rose as she remembered her uncle’s words. “He had no use for housing a lady who could not possibly repay him in any satisfactory fashion.”
“He said that?” Margaret cried. “You never told me that.”
“I could not,” Mary answered softly. It hurt her to be so easily discarded then, and the pain of such a thing had not faded in the time she had been away from him. It should not have surprised her that he cared so little for her since he was so unfeeling toward his own wife, but it did.
Gabe wore the same expression as the one Mary had seen him wear when addressing Lady St. James. He was offended, and her heart thrilled a small amount as she realized that, presently, he was not offended on his own account but on her behalf. Perhaps. Just perhaps, she had found a gentleman whom she could trust with her heart.
“I will not say what I think of such a man while in polite company.” Gabe shook his head and blew out a breath as if struggling to contain his displeasure. Then, he smiled a small, kind smile at Mary and said, “I am very sorry you had to endure that. No lady should be so treated.”
Mary ducked her head as she thanked him. If she kept looking at his earnest, concerned-filled dark eyes, she would not be able to keep her tears where they belonged.
Had she ever felt so treasured? She was positive she never had. She could easily lose her heart to Mr. Durward, but she mustn’t. Not yet. Not until she knew that she could trust him completely. She would not willingly present her heart to any gentleman, no matter how kind and charming he appeared, and allow it to be crushed.
“Then if or when the time should come, I will call on you,” Gabe said to Henry.
“I would appreciate that,” Henry replied. “However, I am certain Dr. Grant’s permission could be sought in my stead. He would not let any harm come to my sister. Of that, I am certain.” Henry shifted positions, becoming even more comfortably positioned. “Now, tell me about you. I have heard that you have only lived in England for a few years.”
Gabe nodded. “I was born in India and lived there my entire life until I set foot on that first company ship. Then, my world expanded, and I was given the opportunity to see many places, including London.”
“And of all the places you saw, you chose to live here?” Henry asked. “I would think that there would be many more interesting places in the world in which to take up residence than London.”
Gabe shook his head. “I took one look at her on that first foggy, dreary day and knew I would return. I could have chosen another colony in which to set up my business, but no other port spoke to me as this one did.” He shrugged. “I do not know why exactly. Perhaps it was because the company is here, and so I wished to position myself as one of its rivals, set to take up what, I believe, it is destined to lose at some point in the none too distant future. Perhaps it was something else – the history, the architecture, the vibrance, or the idea that the heart of the empire beats from here. It could have been a dozen reasons I suppose. I have not paused to ferret them out. I only know that by the end of the short time that I was here, I knew I would come back. This was where I was meant to be.”
“Do you always make such quick decisions?” Margaret asked.
Gabe shook his head. “Not always, but I do not attempt to take too long in deliberations either. If one is not quick to decide things, one might lose out on a very profitable venture or place his money where it cannot possibly make him a return.” He chuckled. “I sound like a rather boring old fellow. Tom tells me I need to find something other than business upon which to think. I have always thought he was wrong, but I am not so certain any longer.”
“Have you been to the theatre?” Henry asked.
“No, I have not been. Tom has managed to get me to attend various soirees, and I do enjoy touring the museum and the occasional ride through a park, but I must admit I have not attended a play – though I have read a great number of them.”
“Then, I will secure an invitation for you and Mary to join myself and some friends one night.”
Mary shook her head. He could not mean she was to attend a play with Miss Linton.
“Miss Linton is a forgiving sort of lady,” Henry assured her before she had even spoken. “Mrs. Kendrick, Mrs. Barrett, and Mr. Linton might be less so, but is it not right that you prove yourself changed to them?”
Sit in a box with people toward whom she had behaved so dreadfully? The thought was perhaps the most terrifying one Mary had ever had to ponder. Mr. Edwards had been so cutting in his remarks to her at that ball. She was not entirely sure she was up to playing such a role.
“I would be delighted to join you if Miss Crawford will join me.”
Mary knew that Mr. Durward could see the fear she felt when she looked at him in surprise, for his eyes were filled with concern.
“Please,” he said softly. “I shall not let you take on water, Miss Crawford.”
Mary sucked in a breath and expelled it. How could she do anything other than grant him his wish when he was so gallantly offering his protection while looking at her with that intense, caring expression that caused her to shiver? “Very well. I shall do my penance.”
Her agreement settled the matter, and it was decided that soon, perhaps in a day or two, they would all attend a play.
I hope yours has started off well. Mine started with car repairs, so a small auto repair bill was one of the first things I acquired this year. LOL It was the battery, so it wasn’t too bad, and it’s running again.
Actually, my car didn’t start on Christmas Eve when we went to drive to church. So, we had to take my husband’s work van. He had to be there since he was running the sound for the night. And then, with all the days that the garage was closed over the holidays, we couldn’t get it in until the new year.
Other than that, our holidays were good.
Oh! And in health news… for those who know, I’ve been struggling with long covid things for about 2.5 years now. But this past month and moving into January, I’ve noticed some great improvements. I can work and read longer now. My brain fog is much, much less than it was. My nervous system seems to respond to relaxation techniques and recovers from exertion better than it was.
And that means, I’ve started VERY slowly adding some treadmill walking back into my life. I’ve tried to add it in before and had some setbacks, but this time, my body seems to be accepting it. (Except for a few sleep disturbances on days when I walk.) That’s why I’m going so slowly as I add it back in.
Currently, I’m walking 5 minutes and 5 seconds. Like I said, I’m taking it in tiny steps. Next week, maybe I’ll make that five minutes and 10 seconds and see how that goes. When I started my breathing and stretching exercises, I did the same thing – went very slowly – and my body adapted fairly easily to each new increase in time and effort.
My goal is to be able to take some walks in the woods and down various trails by summer. (Even if they are only short walks, it will still feel like I’m getting my life back.)
That’s it for my personal stuff. I’ll now shift into the writing and book related things that are normal for my monthly newsletters. Remember that there is a new installment to the Harriet and the Colonel story at the bottom of this Broadsheet, so don’t stop scrolling before you get to that. 🙂
Enjoy!
Leenie
In writing news… I got my files for the new release turned in before the preorder window closed, and How to Marry an Accomplished Lady released without a hitch.
Thank you to all those who preordered or have purchased a copy after the launch date. And an extra thank you to all those who have read and reviewed the book, whether you were part of my review team or not.
Currently, my writing projects are my next Annilee Nelson novel and the sequel to How to Marry an Accomplished Lady. I haven’t done much planning for writing projects beyond those right now. I’ll get that planning done in the next week or two.
On YouTube Along with the launch of the new ebook, I’ve gotten a new audiobook completed and added to both YouTube and Kobo/Kobo Plus. That book is A Very Mary Christmas. That makes three audiobooks that I’ve gotten finished and published.
On Patreon And I’ve been working on making some changes to my Patreon page. Not all of them have been made or even decided upon, but for now here’s what I have
I’ve decided to make my Patreon membership into a pay what you want subscription. All the tiers will have all the same benefits for membership. That way, each reader can decide for themselves what they think the value of the membership is for them and how much they can fit into their budget.
Currently, membership benefits are as follows:
Early access to all my books (as I write them and as a download before they are available on any retailers)
Binge my backlist of published books online or in the Patreon app (This is all my non-KU books. If you watched my Wednesday video, you know that this might change some as I am considering a free downloadable book via the Bookfunnel app each month.)
Add an ebook to your digital library: Receive a digital copy of all the stories posted during your patronage to fill your digital bookshelves (again this will change if/when I start sharing a downloadable book link each month)
Audiobooks without ads (via the Bookfunnel app – currently, I’ve got a link to Finally Mrs. Dacy available. Waking to Mr. Darcy and A Very Mary Christmas will be available before the end of the month.)
Community Chat (coming in 2025 – probably next week)
I will still have a novelette or series starter available for all members (paid and unpaid) to read each month. This month’s free read is…
Henry’s story can be found in the Collections tab at Patreon, and it is also free on all retailers until the end of January.
Harriet poured a cup of tea for her sister, before filling her own cup and taking a seat at the small table in her private sitting room. The knocker had been removed from the door earlier that morning – approximately the same time that her brother had discovered her secret mission the day before. He thought he was punishing her, but truly, she was happy for it. This way, she did not have to pretend to be interested in any of the gentlemen who might come to call.
She smiled as she took a sip of her tea. “Edmund has agreed to allow the colonel to offer for me.”
“He has what?” Samantha’s features were the very personification of the word astonishment.
“He has finally seen reason.” That was how she chose to view the events of the past few days – they were merely a lesson in reasonableness for her dear brother. “And he has been restored to the position of my favourite brother.” She placed her teacup gently on its saucer. “Although, I do believe, you might be his favourite sister at present.” She chuckled softly. Edmund would eventually forgive her for her antagonism.
“Please, do tell, dear sister. In what adventures have you engaged since I last saw you?” Samantha asked eagerly. “I find that since I married, I must do all my adventuring from the safety of a sitting room through tales that the less restricted get to live.” She laughed right along with Harriet at such a melodramatic comment.
Samantha may be married, but she still found time to join Harriet in a few fun pursuits now and then. That would likely change once her child was born, but Harriet did not wish to think about that at the moment.
“Whatever you have done must be quite spectacular,” Samantha continued. “I did not expect Edmund to acquiesce so quickly. I knew it would happen, but I expected it to be closer to Christmas than Michaelmas.”
“I found Father’s watch, and I must thank you for the use of your hair comb for your ball. Please remind me to give it back to you before you leave.”
Her sister’s mouth popped open in surprise and then, closed as her brow furrowed. “Do those two things go together?”
Harriet nodded.
“And you found Father’s watch? The one that Andrew lost when he was killed?”
Again, Harriet nodded. “The design on your hair comb matches very closely the design on the watch case.” She lifted one shoulder and let it fall in a half shrug. “I used it to describe the sort of design I was looking for in a watch.”
One eyebrow arched over a pointed look. “I assume you were not shopping on Bond Street.”
Harriet shook her head. “Jimmy and I took a short tour of the area where Andrew was found. There is a small shop there that buys items from those in need and then resells them for a profit.”
“You visited a pawnbroker?”
“Shhhh. We do not need the whole house to know.”
“A pawnbroker? Harriet!” Samantha shook her head. “I am glad you at least had enough sense to take Jimmy with you.”
“It was not a pawnbroker as you might be imagining. The owner’s shop looks like any other, but I had heard whispers about special items being held in the back.”
“And so, you inquired if there was anything that matched your – my – hair comb that was not in one of the cases in the front of the store. Do I have the right of it?” Samantha asked.
“You are precisely correct. I simply could not believe my good fortune when the man presented his selection of goods and there was the very piece for which I was looking.”
“You did not look too eager to have it, did you?”
“Oh, no,” Harriet assured Samantha. “I did as mother used to do when she knew what she wanted but did not want us to know what it was that she wanted. I examined the ones I did not want before settling upon the one I truly wanted.”
Samantha sighed. “She was such a good mother. Loving. Cunning. And not without a sense of fun and adventure. I do hope I can be as good a mother as she was.”
Harriet took her sister’s hand. “You will be. I absolutely know you will be, for you were the best older sister for which a girl, such as myself, could ever ask.”
“Thank you. I admit to being quite nervous about it. It is silly I suppose to be nervous so soon. You can barely tell I am increasing, and yet, I feel so strongly that I must protect this child and do right by him or her.” Samantha waved the thought away. “But do not let my nerves keep you from telling me how finding Father’s watch led to Edmund capitulating.”
“Well, I saved it in my room until bedtime. Then, when I had heard Edmund close the door to his bedchamber, I quietly and carefully placed it on his desk for him to discover this morning, which is why the knocker was not on the door, why you had to use the servant’s entrance to see me, and why we are taking tea here and not in one of the family sitting rooms.”
“Oh, but the knocker was just being returned to the door when I arrived. It seems your punishment was not as long as supposed.” She smirked. “Or our brother has finally realized that allowing other gentlemen to call on you is greater punishment than keeping them away.”
Harriet chuckled. “Well, then, the joke is on him since no one has come to call, and things are just as they should be. But I tell you, he was as livid as I have ever seen him this morning. I actually feared he might expire from trying to rein in his temper for a few minutes when I refused to do exactly as he commanded.” She blew out a breath. “He even threatened punishment. That is why I supposed the knocker would remain off the door all day.”
Samantha’s eyes grew wide. “Edmund threatened to punish you?”
“Indeed he did, but not without proper provocation. I questioned and pushed and refused to be moved. I had to, Sam. He simply had to know that I am not the sort of lady who would compromise his best man in any fashion. You know I would not do anything to harm either Edmund’s or Richard’s business – whatever it may be.” Here she gave her sister a pointed look.
“Whatever, indeed,” Samantha said with a laugh. “What have you discovered?”
Harriet moved her chair closer to her sister and lowered her voice. “Whatever he is doing is for the crown. It is coming from somewhere high enough that he cannot be badgered or completely tricked into saying. Therefore, while it seems that it has something to do with maids and prostitution –”
“Harriet!” her sister scolded. “Such language.”
“Why dress it up when it is just the two of us?” She shook her head. “As I was saying, while it appears to be about one thing, I believe it is something far more involved.” She drew a breath. “Spying perhaps? Secrets being sold? Smuggling? As I pondered it today, I grew more and more convinced that it must be something of that nature, for why else would some high ranking official be giving directions? For a lost maid? To stop a procuress from finding new, disease-free girls to fill her brothel?”
“Really, Harry,” Samantha muttered.
“But do you not agree?”
Samantha’s head bobbed gently from side to side as she thought before slowly starting to nod. “I cannot disagree. It seems plausible.”
Harriet blew out a breath. “It is quite an exciting thought. However, I must not do anything to confirm my suspicions. I promised Edmund that I would attempt to behave since he has promised to tell Richard that he can offer for me when next he sees him.”
“Ah, see, now there is the reason the knocker was not left off the door. He knows just how hard that is going to be for you and has deemed it punishment enough.” She chuckled. “To think that giving you what you want would be a punishment. You, my dear sister, are a very strange young woman.”
“Strangely wonderful,” Harriet countered with a smile.
“Indeed, we would not have you any other way – well, Edmund might currently wish to have you be more traditional, but I know your colonel loves you just as you are.”
“Miss,” Harriet’s maid poked her head into the room. “I apologize for interrupting, but I thought you should know that we have a caller – well, not we precisely, but your brother does.”
“And I need to know who this is, do I?”
Her maid nodded but did not say a word but smiled broadly.
No, it couldn’t be. Could it?
“Colonel Fitzwilliam?” Harriet asked.
“You did not hear it from me,” she replied. “Jimmy saw him and said he looks right worn out.”
He was here. But why? That was a troubling thought that caused her to draw a deep breath as she thought it.
“He should be in Hertfordshire.” She looked at her sister. “Something must have gone wrong. I do hope another maid has not gone missing.” She rose. “Do you mind if I leave you?”
“No. Go to him. Discover what you can. I will finish my tea and see myself out the way I came in. But…” she said as Harriet turned to leave. “I want to know all tomorrow.”
“We shall have a nice discussion over tea,” Harriet assured her before slipping out of the room to go find her colonel.
“What other reason is there?” Edmund repeated as he took a seat behind his desk.
She held his gaze and tipped her head to the side, waiting purposefully for a minute before saying, “I want to know the truth.”
He shook his head as his brow furrowed. “I am afraid I do not know what you mean.”
She rolled her eyes. “I am not stupid! You know precisely what I mean, but since you will likely continue to pretend that you do not, let me elucidate for you. Our brother did not die by accident. Penny did not throw herself into the Thames. The colonel is not just visiting his relations in Hertfordshire. There are men who visit here but not at calling hours. Our cook and a few others such as Jimmy are men you worked with on the continent. I know it is all connected in some way, and I want to know what that is.”
“You cannot.” His expression was as stone-like as she had ever seen it.
She folded her arms and glared back at him. “I will find out.”
He flinched and his head shook just a bit.
“I found Andrew’s watch. It was stolen, which proves he did not just stumble and die.”
“It proves nothing of the sort,” he retorted. “Andrew could have fallen, died, and then, had his things stolen from him.”
She shook her head. “He was not in a normal location.” She uncrossed her arms so that she could count off the clues pointing to her conclusion on her fingers as she said them. “That was the first clue.” She held up a finger. “The theft of his watch and money was never mentioned.” She held up a second finger.
“That means you needed to be able to find the watch, and then, decipher who it was that had it.” She held up a third finger.
“That is not a clue,” he grumbled. “It is a supposition.”
Again, she shook her head. “It is a clue, which is why the store at which I purchased the watch is written on the paper in the bag with it. And, I am certain that is why you have already talked to Jimmy to confirm that bit of information and extracted from him what it looked like and the proprietor and all those sorts of things.”
She rested her hands in her lap. “If you have not, then, you are far less astute than I thought you were, and I will have you know that you are nearly the most intelligent gentleman of my acquaintance.” Here, she let herself smile teasingly.
He did not return her smile. “Nearly the most intelligent, you say? Those are dangerous words when you could be in severe trouble for all that you have done in the past twenty-four hours.”
He could glower all he wanted. She would not be intimidated. Her heart would beat loudly, and she would wish to fidget under his glare, but she would not show an ounce of trepidation. “Why is the colonel your best man?”
He blinked. “He is very good at what he does.”
“And he outwitted you often when we were younger.”
His head bobbed up and down very slowly. “So, you are saying that I am second to the colonel?”
“Yes.”
“Again.” He blew out a breath and shook his head. “So I am both no longer your favorite, nor am I the most intelligent fellow you know.” There was a note of sad resignation in his tone.
“It is very close,” she assured him softly. “In fact, you may be tied for most intelligent if you were to finally realize that I am capable of supporting Richard in his role as his wife rather than being some bit of feathers for brains that will always be an inconvenience and a liability.”
Edmund scrubbed his face with his hands. “Harry, there are things that you do not know, nor should you.”
“But I will know them, Edmund.” She held up a finger. “Wait. Richard is watching a maid. My maid ended up dead. Our brother was in an area where many vices can be had for a price.” She gave her brother a pointed look. “I think we both know what I mean by that without my having to elaborate.” She sighed. “Please, tell me that neither you nor Andrew have visited the females who ply their trade in that area.”
Edmund squeezed his eyes shut. “Harriet, you are treading on my last nerve.”
“These things are all related, and it has something to do with ladies of the night, shall we say?”
He shook his head as he jaw clenched. “There are things you must not know.” He pulled the blue pouch containing the watch from his desk drawer. “And it is not I who has determined that you are not to know them.”
“It is not you?” she repeated softly. “Then who?” She tapped her finger on her lip.
“I cannot tell you that, so please stop trying to figure it out.” He took the watch from the bag. “I am happy that this was found.” He held it up and turned it this way and that. “I was going to lecture you about sneaking around behind my back. I still should.”
“I know,” she admitted. “But it would do no good at all. Oh!” she said as a thought came to her. “Have all your men spent time on the continent?”
“If I promise to tell Richard that he can present an offer for you once what we are doing is done, will you cease and desist?”
“So they have,” she said triumphantly.
“Harriet, answer my question.”
“I cannot promise that curiosity will not overwhelm my good sense.”
He snorted in derision at that.
“However,” she continued, “it would remove one reason for my being so obstinate, and the crown will never need to know that I know you are working on some sort of sensitive assignment.”
His mouth popped open and then closed before his lips made that thin line expression from earlier. “I am not even going to ask,” he muttered after he had given his head a good shake. “You have convinced me. The next time I see your colonel, I will inform him that he is free to offer for you. For I would hate to have you entrusted to any other man, and frankly, at this moment, I would be more than delighted to have Richard deal with you rather than me.”
