Music Monday: Song from a Secret Garden, Hauser

Happy second Monday of 2018! How was your first week? Mine was “interesting.” 🙂 My son and I resumed homeschool classes — sort of.  A winter storm altered our plans. The wind howled and rain (not snow for us) pelted the house. Then the rain stopped and the wind calmed, only to pick back up as the storm wrapped around, and the backside of it passed through. We were very fortunate. We sustained no damage and only lost power for a few hours.  So, I am not complaining. I’m just saying it created a week I wasn’t expecting.

Hauser. “HAUSER – Song from a Secret Garden.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Nov. 2017, youtu.be/qZSJvyBag8A.

While the wind blew and the candles flickered on Thursday, I found it difficult to focus to write until I pulled out my mp3 player and turned on some music. Music plays such an important roll in my writing process. 🙂 The above song is not one I was listening to on Thursday but is one that I recently added to my Music to Write By playlist on YouTube which I have been using during my writing sessions this week (on days when there is power).

In writing news…

I have gotten One Winter’s Eve back from my first reader, made the necessary corrections, and sent it on to my second reader. I expect to have it back sometime this week so I can start final edits and get a preorder set up for January 15.  Release day is scheduled for January 25, 2018.

I have posted three chapters of Enticing Miss Darcy on Patreon and am halfway through writing chapter 4 (excerpted below). I plan to have that chapter completed and posted on Patreon by tomorrow evening.  I had hoped to get a full chapter written on Friday, but I ended up spending a good bit of time doing some research for the story.  The tentative release day for this book is March 6, 2018. (I did some planning this past week. 🙂 )

As part of my plan, I have switched up my writing schedule just slightly to fit in writing time for Confounding Caroline.  I am now doing Work In Progress writing M, T, W, and F, and giving Th over to my Thursday Three Hundred story writing.  I will say that, while the power was out on Thursday, I finally wrote the part of Confounding Caroline where we will first see Elizabeth.  Those two parts will post on the blog in the second half of February.

That, I believe, is all the writing news I have for you this week.  Now, to share a portion of what I wrote on Friday night.

AN EXCERPT FROM Enticing Miss Darcy: 

One week later, throngs of people moved from their carriages on Bow Street, up the steps, between the columns, and through the doors of the theatre while Comedy and Tragedy kept watch. Tonight, Comedy would shine from the stage while Tragedy waited his turn to play another day.  But neither moved a stony lip in protest of not being adored by this mass of people, for they knew that soon, the fickle, amusement seekers of London would give their allegiance to the other for the few hours they would spend within these great stone walls.

Just beyond where Tragedy and Comedy stood watch and through those great doors, gentlemen and ladies mingled in the vestibule, greeting one another and surveying each other – some with covert glances and other’s raised brows and lifted chins peering down their noses at nearly everyone. In the midst of this crowd, Georgiana placed her hand on the arm of a gentlemen who was not her brother or cousin for the first time ever when attending a play. 

Mr. Bernard Tibbett smiled down at her and then covering her hand with his free one, led her to the grand staircase as they followed Darcy and Elizabeth up to the landing and on into the saloon leading to the private boxes.

Georgiana’s stomach seemed to be fluttering within her.  She had spoken with gentlemen at soirees and danced with them at balls, but until this moment, she had not spent a full evening in the presence of one – just one, gentleman. However, while on a drive through the park when Mr. Tibbett had asked her to accompany him to the play this evening, she had been unable to formulate a good reason to refuse.  She enjoyed the gentleman’s company, and, while her stomach might be nervously fluttering now, it was not because he caused her to be uneasy.  He put her at ease as readily as her brother, her uncle, her cousin, Mr. Pratt, or Mr. Ralston did.  There was no nagging sense of distrust.  That last bit made her stomach do an extra tumble. While she might trust the man beside her, she was not certain she trusted her ability to chose who should or should not be trusted.  That mechanism of her mind had betrayed her once already.  So, while she was excited to be taking a seat next to Mr. Tibbett this evening and speaking with Elizabeth later of him in terms of a possible match, she was only tentatively excited.  She would not allow herself to allow her emotions full reign. She would be cautious. 

Mr. Tibbett waited for Georgiana to be seated before he took his place next to her.  “Have you ever seen As You Like It before?”

“No, but I have read it.” 

“Which character do you prefer?”  He smoothed his jacket by giving its hem a firm tug.

“Orlando,” she replied with a smile.

“Not the heroine, Rosalind?”

Georgiana shook her head. “No, I do like Rosalind, but Orlando is so noble and kind.  What he does for the old man and even his brother is endearing.” 

“Might I do well to be jealous of this fictitious gentleman?” Mr. Tibbett asked with a chuckle. 

Georgiana raised a brow and gave him a slightly imperious though playful look.  “No more so than any other gentleman, be he real or imagined.”

“Is that so?” He shifted slightly so that he was nearer her and could speak in lower tones. “Are there any particular non-fictitious chaps of whom I should be aware?” 

Georgiana blinked. She was not comfortable with such a forward question even if it was said lightly. Flirting was not what she preferred. She would rather that a gentleman just be himself and speak to her as a friend would. However, it seemed flirting was part of the game that was played during the season.  “Just my brother,” she replied with a smile, causing the gentleman next to her to straighten.  “The rest you shall have to ferret out on your own.” 

“The rest?” he said in surprise.

Georgiana merely shrugged and looked at the boxes across from them and then to the left and right as far as she could see without leaning forward.  “It is a full house tonight, is it not?”

“It seems to be,” her brother replied. “But the crush is not so oppressive when one has their own place.” 

“Indeed!” Elizabeth replied with a laugh. “If only assemblies had boxes where one could hide away from the masses.” 

Georgiana smiled as her brother lifted Elizabeth’s hand and kissed her knuckles, and she was reminded that teasing and flirting was not something that was confined to the participants of the season.  However, it was so much more delightful to watch two people so completely in love tease and flirt than it was to bare what felt like the practiced roll of a gentleman when he came to call or danced with you. 

“I see Anne has managed to get Alistair to take her to the theater,” said Elizabeth, nodding her head toward a box across and to the left of them.  “She was hoping he would allow her to attend when she called two days ago.” 

“Anne – Mrs. Pratt – is my cousin,” Georgiana explained to Mr. Tibbetts.

“Ah, I know of Pratt and his wife,” Mr. Tibbetts said. “I did not, however, recognize her Christian name.” He looked across the expanse of the theater.  “It seems Mr. Ralston has joined them.” 

“He is their particular friend,” Georgiana said, looking again at Pratt’s box.  “Oh,” she said in surprise. “Who is that with him?”  A pretty looking blonde was giggling behind her fan while Jack was no doubt sharing some delightful tale. 

~*~*~

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