Austen-Inspired – Page 12

Man Going Down – Period Dramas (P&P, N&S, S&S)

Although this video is not new to YouTube, it is new to me. I just came across it when doing a search for something to share today, and it made me think of an Austen character that I have written as a romantic hero who was no such thing in the original story. 😉

I’m talking of course of Wickham in my story Through Every Storm. He and Lydia had fun falling in love and flying too high (as the lyrics say) when they were young. However, eight years have passed between when they were forced to marry and when the storm that will either shatter or cement their marriage begins. And what Lydia needs in this story is a “man going down” — someone who can find the strength to not only weather the storm himself but help her through it as well.

*Through Every Storm* is available as a standalone title for just $0.99 or as part of the Darcy And… five book bundle that is on sale for just a couple more days.

Wedding in the Photographer’s Studio (Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret)

Une noce chez le photographe, c.1879, Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Below are the final paragraphs of Listen To Your Heart. If you don’t want to see the ending before reading the rest of the book, look away now. 😉

Anne’s stomach did a little flip as she reached the bottom of the stairs, and they faced the door to the drawing room where Mr. Collins and Richard, as well as a few assembled guests, awaited her.

“Are you well?” asked Darcy, noticing her pause.

She nodded, a smile suffusing her face. “I have never been better.” She waited while her mother slipped into the room and took her place next to Mr. Cranfield. Then it was time for her to join Richard in front of the garden doors where he stood propped on his crutches with Mr. Collins. She pulled back slightly on Darcy’s arm. He looked at her, his brows furrowed.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For helping me find my own happiness.”

“You’re welcome, but I did very little to assist you.” He looked at her face and then Richard’s. “Happiness often follows when you listen.”

“Listen?” She looked up at him in confusion. “To what?”

He smiled at her and tipped his head toward Richard. “To your heart,” he said as he began leading her into the room. “Always, listen to your heart.”

[from Listen to Your Heart]

Listen to Your Heart can be found in Darcy And… A Pride and Prejudice Variations Collection, which is on sale for the month of June.

Mozart Horn Concerto No. 4 on the Natural Horn

I have been enjoying this month of learning about various instruments that were around during the Regency period and that Georgiana might have at least heard in her fictional lifetime. 🙂 For our last installment of music lessons pulled from Georgiana’s Music Folder, we have the natural horn and a concerto from Mozart. The first video tells a bit about how the horn is played, and the second video has the concerto without interruptions for instruction.

I have never had Georgiana play the horn in a story, nor do I currently have any plans for her to play one. It just doesn’t seem like her sort of instrument. However, I could possibly see her cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam playing it. It sounds like him to me. What do you think?

Below is an excerpt from a story where Georgiana does not play a lead role, but she does play a major supporting role. The in this scene from Christmas in Gracechurch Street, Darcy is once again shopping with his sister, and she is hinting/teasing that she thinks he is more than just friends with Miss Elizabeth.

MAILING LIST PATREON

The Last Rose of Summer and The Harp-Lute

Below are two videos that highlight an instrument that was just being developed and becoming quite the “hot new” thing during the early 1800s. It is called a harp-lute.

This first video is of a lady singing “The Last Rose of Summer” while playing the harp-lute. I thought the video was such a good one to inspire the imagination of what music in the drawing room might have looked and sounded like.

And the second video is an informational video telling a bit about the history of the instrument and showing how it is played.

The story I have chosen to pair with today’s musical selection is Protecting Miss Darcy. The excerpt below is from a conversation Alfred Langley has with his aunt (Lorcan Langley’s mother, hero of Cherishing Kitty) about the prettiest flower in the garden. 🙂

That’s right, Alfred, you just keep telling yourself that Georgiana is only your friend. No one is believing that besides you and Georgiana. 😉

Find Protecting Miss Darcy, Cherishing Kitty, and the full Marrying Elizabeth series here.

MAILING LIST PATREON

Oboe Concerto in C major – 3. Rondo: Allegretto (Joseph Haydn)

I thought today, we would take a look at another instrument that might have been in Georgiana’s music room (the oboe) and some music from a composer who not only wrote music for oboes, but also for piano. I’m sure Georgiana might have had some sheets of his music in her music folder.

The first video (above) introduces you to the oboe that was in use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The second video (below) is a short piece that was composed by Haydn for the oboe. Can you imagine the delight and enjoyment that Georgiana and her brother would have gotten from going to a concert and listening to something like this?

This excerpt is from a book (Cherishing Kitty) that stars Kitty Bennet, but her dearest friend in this series is Georgiana. Therefore, Georgiana plays a role in Kitty’s journey to happily ever after.

Here they are talking about Georgiana’s upcoming season. Georgiana’s story (Protecting Miss Darcy) follows Kitty’s story and leads up to her season.

Georgiana does begin her study of character with Mr. Alfred Langley… and spoiler alert… she also ends it with him. The path from here to there, however, is not a pain-free one. 🙂

Find Cherishing Kitty, Protecting Miss Darcy, and the full Marrying Elizabeth series here.

MAILING LIST PATREON