English Garden in the Csáky Castle at Hotkóc, János Rombauer / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Alfred’s aunt, Meredith Langley, loves gardens and is always having improvements made to hers. I wonder which of these garden elements she might have in the garden at Ravencot?
~*~*~
“The garden is best enjoyed from outside.”
“I was just out there,” Alfred replied. “What brings you to this room, Aunt?”
Meredith Langley crossed to stand next to her nephew. “You.”
“Me?”
His aunt nodded. “We have not yet had a good discussion about my son and his future bride.” Mrs. Langley sat down on the window seat so that she could also look out the window. “There is a pleasant breeze today, is there not?”
[from Protecting Miss Darcy, Marrying Elizabeth book 6]
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY THE PIANO GUYS ON OCTOBER 29, 2015
I love, love, love this song — the piano, the cello, the drums, and even the bagpipes. (Bagpipes sound like home to me. 🙂 They are a familiar sound here in Nova Scotia.) And then, how the two songs are merged together so neatly! It’s simply wonderful.
Today, I am choosing to pair this today with a chapter from Becoming Entangled because 1) Anne is on her way to Scotland and 2) she’s on her way to Scotland because she’s taking control of her life. If you’ve ever heard the lyrics to “Fight Song” (by Rachel Platten) they include these lines:
This is my fight song,
Take back my life song,
I think that fits very well with Miss de Bourgh’s attitude in her story. Unfortunately, her plans do not go as she thinks they will.
Becoming Entangled, Chapter 4
The next day as Alistair was dozing off while reading poetry shortly after they had stopped to change horses, Clifton Conrad was approaching the village of Westerham. His horse was fresh. He had changed mounts at Bromley and was determined to make an appearance in Hunsford. With any luck, he would find out something about what he needed to know.
Last evening, after Alistair had left White’s, Conrad and his friends had set to finding out all they could about one Miss de Bourgh. It had required them to spend an extraordinary amount of time at the home of one of his friends instead of playing cards as they had intended. However, it had been well worth the effort, for they had discovered that the young lady was likely of no small fortune, being the only heir to her late father. The estate, it seemed, had not been entailed away from the females in the family, and as such, she was to come into ownership of it either when she came of age or married. In addition to her sizable fortune, she was also well connected, being the niece of Lord Matlock and cousin to Fitzwilliam Darcy, who, though not titled, was among the most respected gentlemen of the ton.
Conrad chuckled. It was amazing what information was held by some of the wags of the ton. A simple — “Pratt mentioned a Miss de Bourgh, who is friends with his mother, Lady Metcalfe. I cannot say I recall the name de Bourgh.” — had been enough to unveil all he needed to know.
According to his friend’s mother, Conrad had discovered that Miss de Bourgh was a novice when it came to social matters in town, for she had never had a proper come out. However, his friend’s mother was almost completely certain that Miss de Bourgh, who was nearly twenty, would make her debut on the arm of her cousin, Mr. Darcy, next season. After all, theirs was a long-standing arrangement, and since everyone knew that Darcy was not the sort to shirk his duty, Miss de Bourgh would soon be wed. To prove her point, she had pointed out how Darcy had been in town for several seasons and had not once singled out any lady in particular.
Conrad patted the side of his mount’s neck. “To think Pratt was going to step between Darcy and duty.” He chuckled again. “Pratt! Of all people! I should very much like to see that. He’d not have stood a chance.” He chuckled again at the thought of the much smaller Pratt being called out and handily dispatched by the larger and more capable Darcy. “Perhaps that is how I should have allowed him to find his fate,” he said as he patted his horse again. “Ah, but Pratt is no fool. He would not set himself up against such odds even if this Miss de Bourgh was Venus herself. Therefore, my four-legged friend, there must be some scheme afoot, and I intend to discover it.”
And discover it he did by happy chance as he entered Hunsford.
I hope you are safe and well. Below you will find information about what I got done in my writing life this week and links to a book that is on sale from now until next Wednesday (April 8). I also have news about a set of books that will be leaving other sales platforms and moving to Kindle Unlimited soon.
Writing News
Here’s an update on my writing projects with a short excerpt from a couple of them.
His Irreplaceable Belle: I wrote the final chapter (chapter 15) this week! Yes, this one is done, and now, I must begin thinking about Felicity’s story. (Or, at least, I think I’m doing hers next. However, there is a character in these final chapters who might need his story told as well.)
Matching Mr. Darcy: I just finished chapter 10 of this story a few minutes ago. It’s beginning to feel as if the story is picking up pace as it moves towards its conclusion. Here is how chapter 10 begins:
Flower Sketches purchased at DepositPhotos, collage created on Canva
~*~*~
“That is a very good likeness,” Alfred said as he took the seat next to her which Kitty had vacated.
“Thank you. Flowers are my specialty.” She smiled at him sheepishly. “To be honest, they are the only thing I can draw that comes close to looking as it should.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
[from Protecting Miss Darcy, Marrying Elizabeth book 6]
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY KATIE DOUGLAS ON DECEMBER 6, 2011.
I thought it might be time to delve once again into my Spotify “My Kinda Country” playlist. I mean, it has been at least a month since I last shared a country song with you. Emerson Drive is a Canadian group, and I like a lot of their music. A. Lot. (I know I have shared some of their music before, and I will probably share some in the future, too. 😉 )
When I was scrolling and listening in search of a song to pair with Mary: To Protect Her Heart, it was the title of this song that first grabbed my attention because Mary needs to learn to trust Gabe. (And then, the first few lyrics of this song… perfection.)
Growing up with the admiral was not pretty and has coloured Mary’s view of men. And, to be honest, her choice of friends up until now has not helped her with that view of men. However, Gabe it the complete opposite of the admiral and her friends, which Mary has come to know and appreciate.
The chapter below is the one where Mary finally realizes that she trusts Gabe, and it contains Gabe’s promise to her at the end that he’ll never let her “take on water.” (He was a privateer so taking on water is a significant thing to him.)
One more thing before you jump into this chapter, Mary: To Protect Her Heart is free until 11:59 PM PST today, Monday, March 30, 2020. So, if you don’t have this book yet, now is the time to get it. I’ve also got the first two books in this series (Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy and Charles: To Discover His Purpose) marked down to $0.99 until today as well.
Mary: To Protect Her Heart, Chapter 8
“You look lovely,” Gabe whispered as he and Mary approached the theatre’s entrance. “All will be well.”
He had been telling her that for the past two days – ever since Henry’s invitation to join him at the theatre had arrived during one of Gabe’s daily calls on Mary. The calls were not all made during regular calling hours. Gabe’s schedule did not always afford such luxuries, but Mary was happy to see him at any time of the day. Today, she had not seen him until now, and she had missed having him sit in the chair near the hearth, telling her about his day and inquiring after hers.
“Did you get the lace you needed?” he asked as they entered the building.
“No, Margaret and I were otherwise occupied today with a bit of knitting that the cat unravelled. We will get it tomorrow.”
“I will be unable to call tomorrow. There is still a matter to argue about concerning the new letter of marque, and then I am engaged with another matter after that.” He pulled her closer to his side as they reached the top of the stairs leading to the saloon where the private boxes were. “I will miss you.”
