Tonight (Tuesday), as I was looking up something of interest to share on social media, I thought “I should share these things on my blog as well.” So, I am. I can’t guarantee it will be a weekly thing, but sporadically, at least, I think I’ll share things like this on here as well as on my social media accounts. I hope you don’t mind. 🙂
Continue reading Henry Angelo, fencerTag: Becoming Entangled
The Wedding Dress (Carl Herpfer)
I have written three stories that feature Anne as a heroine (so far), and while I have enjoyed fleshing her out in each of those stories, this one just might be my all-time favourite Anne. She is niave, foolish, willful, and every inch her mother’s daughter. It makes for a deviously fun story. And then, there is Alistair who is sensible and stable and so very much in love with Anne and all that she is (even is she does drive him to distraction at times). I hope you enjoy the little bit of story I am sharing below but please be aware that this excerpt is from near the end of the book, so it might contain a spoiler or two. Therefore, if you’ve never read Becoming Entangled, read the rest of this post at your own risk. 😉
Two days later, as Anne stood before her mirror, she carefully positioned her sleeve and gloves so that her mother would not see the bruise on her arm. It was not a large bruise, but Anne knew that it was large enough to cause her mother to inquire after it. She had sworn her cousin and his friend Mr. Bingley, as well as Jack, to silence about the joust at Angelo’s, and she had been careful to keep the paper from her mother’s notice both yesterday and today. She knew that her appearance at Angelo’s would not go unmentioned, especially after the display she had put on following her defeat of Alistair. Her cheeks flushed. It was rather exhilarating to behave so brazenly, but it was not something she planned to repeat or publish any further than it had already been circulated.
“Anne Catherine de Bourgh!” Lady Catherine said as she threw open the door to her daughter’s room.
Anne cringed at the tone of her mother’s voice.
“Lady Metcalfe has just made me aware of a rather shocking story.”
Drat! She had forgotten that Alistair’s mother might see the paper and share the story with her mother.
“What were you thinking? Going to a gentleman’s club and behaving like a…” she waved the paper she held in the air as she sought for the right word, though none seemed to come to her.
As Anne stood before her mirror, a smile spread across her face. She could not remember a single time in her life when her mother had been at a loss for words until now. There was a strange feeling of satisfaction that accompanied the knowledge.
“It was inappropriate,” Anne offered. “And I shall not do it again. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a wedding to attend.”
[from Becoming Entangled]
Phaeton with Canopy (c. 1755)
I know the image above is a phaeton and the vehicle below is a curricle, but when I saw this drawing, I couldn’t help but think that it was the very sort of carriage the scheming Miss de Bourgh from Becoming Entangled would drive. 🙂
“You are Alistair’s friend, are you not?”
He nodded.
“And you do know the counties of England, do you not?”
Again, he nodded.
She stood. “Then you will be perfect.” She paused, furrowed her brows, and pursed her lips as if uncertain about something. “Unless, of course, it is not something you are brave enough to do.”
His brows flew halfway to his hairline. “Is it dangerous?”
A small smile played on her lips. “Not if we do it correctly. Now, if you would be so kind as to help me back into my curricle, I must be on my way to the parsonage. I do not wish to be late. Mrs. Collins will be waiting.”
[from Becoming Entangled]
When I Fall in Love (Andrea Bocelli and Helene Fischer)
Welcome to a brand new week and a brand new month. Shall we start it with a love song and a quote from a story?
Anne wants to marry the gentleman she loves and not the one her mother has chosen. Doing so will take some scheming but if things go well, she should find herself dancing at her wedding with Alistair and not Darcy. This quote from Becoming Entangled is from the scene where Anne presents her plan to Alistair.
Becoming Entangled is a sequel to Unravelling Mr. Darcy, and the timelines of the two books overlap. The quote above happens on the day Anne meets Elizabeth when she is walking near Rosings before she leaves for London (in chapter 4 of UMD), and it is also the day Anne sends her letter to Darcy (which Darcy reads in chapter 5 of UMD).
Fun Fact: Anne and Alistair are one of my most favourite couples. I love the way these two love each other so completely, which is why today’s song matches with their story so well.
This is Your Fight Song (Rachel Platten Scottish Cover) – The Piano Guys
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.
Continue reading This is Your Fight Song (Rachel Platten Scottish Cover) – The Piano Guys