Can you tell by the title of this instrumental selection which book might be today’s giveaway book? Below the video is the list of remaining book choices.
Published on YouTube, October 30, 2010, by kirelafonos.
A Very Mary Christmas
One Winter’s Eve
Two Days Before Christmas
You can find out if you have the right book by scrolling down to just before the story excerpt, but please come back and read my news and the excerpt after you take your chances at getting a copy of today’s Christmas in July giveaway book.
BOOK NEWS:
Delighting Mrs. Bennet has reached an interesting (and slightly dangerous) place in its plot. I think I can see the end coming soon, but I’m not exactly certain how long it will take to get to that ending I can see. There are still a few things to take care of. (Not the least of which is making sure that all the characters are safe. 😉 ) I will have all of October filled with scheduled Thursday posts before the week is out!
Charles: To Discover His Purpose is progressing well. I have passed the 20,000 word mark, and I have posted through chapter 7 on Patreon and should have chapter 8 posted there later today before I edit chapter 9 and then start on chapter 10. 🙂 I’m really enjoying writing this story. Charles is proving to be an interesting fellow to understand and help find his best self.
The Dash of Darcy and Companion Stories are getting a bit of a reorganization. Instead of being two separate collections, I am combining them into one and numbering them. This should make them easier for readers to find on Amazon. So, if you are looking at them over this month, you will likely see some have the new combined collection listed as the series and then a book number. These are being numbered mostly in the order they were published. The only exception to that is I am putting bundles in the line after the books which they contain rather than farther following their publication dates. All of the titles except perhaps the two Dash of Darcy Duos will be getting new covers and all of the older titles will be getting backmatter updates. The stories will stay the same. I am not redoing the books in order, so things will look odd for a while as I am working on completing this large project. I hope to be done by the end of July, but I am not certain that is a realistic goal. It might be early August before it is finished.
CHRISTMAS IN JULY GIVEAWAY:
Did you guess the right book? 😀
CLICK HERE TO CLAIM ONE OF THE 5 COPIES OF One Winter’s Eve.
The copies are available on a first come, first serve basis until all five have been claimed or the link expires on Friday, July 20, 2018.
[update: All five copies of this book have found homes. 🙂 ]
I was able to work with a couple of young boys, who helped me reveal some things about our hero in this…
EXCERPT FROM Charles: To Discover His Purpose:
Charles looked down his nose and into the mirror before him as a lad of about nine years tried once again to make one tail of the cravat, which hung around Charles’s neck, into a loop – the first half of what would be a very striking bow.
“Yes, yes. Just so,” Charles commended. “Now wrap that other tail around and poke it through, just as you do with your boots.”
“Like this, sir?” the youngster asked.
“Fluff it out. We want the ladies to see our good work.”
Charles’s words were immediately followed.
“One tail is too long,” the boy moaned.
“Not to fret, my good man. We shall just tuck it along with the other just so.” Charles tucked both ends of his cravat into the top of his waistcoat. “No one will be the wiser.”
“But it is not right, sir,” the lad protested.
“Do you wish to have another go, Arthur?” Charles asked.
Arthur’s head bobbed up and down eagerly.
“Very well,” Charles said as he untied the piece of cloth and unwound it from his neck. “I promise to sit for you too, Stephen,” he added when Arthur’s classmate sighed and propped his head on his hands. “It is a good thing to be particular in one’s work.”
My! He was beginning to sound like his father. He refrained from shuddering at the thought – but just barely. His father was a kind and loving gentleman, but he was particular – very particular. Things must be done precisely so, or they would bring a disappointed sigh and a sad “again.” If there were too many again’s, then whatever task that needed completing would be passed off to someone with more experience or taken over by Charles’s father. Charles had learned early that it only took about three or four instances of not producing perfection for him to be dismissed until a later time when his father could once again tolerate such low-quality work. Fortunately, his father was not given to excessive punishment for slowness in learning. He was a patient man and obliging. Perhaps too obliging, for he seemed either unwilling or unable to expect anything from his son that was more than just merely adequate.
“The one tail must be longer than the other,” Stephen corrected Arthur.
“Can you show him?” Charles asked.
Stephen unwound the long piece of linen from Charles’s neck, pulled one side to be a touch longer, and rewrapped it.
“Did you see that?” Stephen asked Arthur.
“Yes.”
Stephen unwrapped the cloth again, removed it completely from around Charles’s neck, and handed it to Arthur. “Then repeat it,” he demanded.
“When you are five and twenty, I shall hire you as a butler if my man has left me,” Charles said to Stephen who had returned to his seat. “You give directions very well, and you were not rude in doing so. That last bit is the most important,” he continued, peering down his nose into the mirror as Arthur wound the cloth around his neck. “There! That is it, Arthur!”
His exuberance caused the child to jump.
“My apologies. I did not mean to startle you.”
“All is well,” the sandy-hair lad said with a smile which caused his cheeks to plump even more than they did when at rest. “I was just so intent on doing well.”
“You are both to be commended for such behavior. I fear I cannot say that I had your determination when I was young. Whether I was doing well or poorly, I often was sent away to give my father peace.”
“What about at school?” Stephen asked.
“There was a line one did not fall below,” Charles replied. “As long as one appeared to be putting in some effort and did not fall below that line, one could go along quite nicely.” He grimaced as he listened to himself. What opportunities had he wasted by being lackadaisical? “It is a character flaw,” he added quickly. “It is far better to be as you both are.”
He had enjoyed his time here at Mrs. Verity’s so far, but if he were to be expected to examine his own failings by seeing the diligence of young persons such as these two young boys, he was not certain his self-respect would be left intact. Already, it was smarting.
“I did it!” Arthur cheered. “See!”
He stepped to the side so that Charles could easily see himself in the mirror. Both cravat tails hung evenly, and the bow was properly fluffed. Had the linen retained any of its stiffness, the results would be good enough to wear to any soiree Charles might attend.
“Shall we allow Stephen to have a go?” Charles asked.
Arthur’s cheeks plumped up again as a smile curved his lips.
“A valet must undress as well as dress his man,” Charles said, lifting his chin to allow the child to untie his work. “Undressing is easier,” he added with a chuckle. “Keeping the clothes in good shape after they have been worn, well, that is another thing.”
~*~*~
KOBO AMAZON NOOK IBOOKS MAILING LIST PATREON SOCIETY6
The music video was beautiful and the excerpt made me smile. Charles was so good with those boys. Oh, he will be a wonderful father. That was so touching as he reflected on his relationship with his own father and he was so kind and gentle with those boys. Yeah, I can’t wait to see what he does next. I like this Charles. I have all your books so I wish everyone good luck in the drawings. Thanks for the generous give-a-way. This is a delightful Monday.
I love that piece of music. It’s really pretty. And I’m really glad you are liking Charles. He’s a scoundrel but not one without a heart and a soft side.