Before the beginning of the story Hope at Dawn, Nicholas and Kathleen, the hero and heroine, were separated by her father and brother because they did not find Nicholas, a banker, to be good enough for the daughter of an earl. Now, Kathleen is returning to England from a tragic time away in Ireland.
Today’s excerpt is the beginning of a letter Nicholas gave to Kathleen before she left, begging her to wait for him. Despite having little hope, Nicholas has been waiting for her, but has he waited in vain?
From the book The Quiver of Love: A Collection of Valentines Ancient and Modern, a collection of love poems published in 1876, illustrated by Walter Crane and Kate Greenaway (source) . The illustration was created for “The Surprise”, a translation of a German poem by Heinrich Heine (source: Google Play eBook edition page 44, 45) . It reads:
THE SURPRISE I dreamt I saw you yesternight, And claspt my hands about your eyes, Nor dared to venture in your sight Until you pardoned the surprise. So take my letter, Valentine, My name and mission quickly guess — I fear to offer word or sign; I wait until you whisper “Yes.”
(Public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
“You knew she was behind me?” There was a bit of venom in Darcy’s whisper.
Fisticuff might not happen in the garden, but Bingley was not certain he was going to survive this bit of trickery without some damage to his person.
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE BY ELLA ROBERTS ON FEBRUARY 25, 2020.
“Siúil a Rún” is a traditional Irish song, sung from the point of view of a woman lamenting a lover who has embarked on a military career, and indicating her willingness to support him. The song has English language verses and an Irish language chorus, a style known as macaronic. (source: Wikipedia)
The same Wikipedia article later said that some say the lover in this song was given a choice to either choose a military career or permanent exile, and he chose exile.
No matter what the reason, this song is about separated lovers and is a beautiful (though sad) piece of music.
I have chosen to pair this song with a story that might be very familiar to you if you read my Sweet Tuesday stories or read this story as a Thursday’s Three Hundred when I first began doing those stories.
In “Hope at Dawn”, the hero (Nicholas) and heroine (Kathleen) have been separated for a year. His suit was refused by her father and brother, and she was taken to Ireland, along with the match her father hoped she would settle on, while the hero remained behind in England.
I would imagine Kathleen’s heart cry during her separation from Nicholas sounded something like this song — beautiful and sad. However, Kathleen and Nicholas’s story does not remain sad — I write happily ever afters, you know. 😉
Hope at Dawn, Ch. 1
Hope at Dawn is one of four novelettes included in my First Blooms and Second Chances anthology.
As the sun slipped below the horizon, leaving its fiery glow resting upon the gently rolling black waters, Nicholas Sidemore spotted the boat for which he had been waiting, bobbing just on the edge of the sea ─ where the water dropped away and could be seen no longer. His heart raced at the sight of her, and he swallowed the fear that rose inside him as the vessel drew closer. It would not be long now ─ a few hours or perhaps a day ─ until he knew his fate.
Using the glow of his lantern to light the way, he carefully picked his way around the rocks lining the shore. Choosing a large one with a smooth top, he sat down. From this vantage point, he could easily see the entrance to the harbour and past it to the sea beyond.
Can you believe it is already May? In some ways, time seems to be clicking along really quickly for me, and in other ways, it is dragging its feet. Personally, I am looking forward to the warmer temperatures and new life that May brings to my part of the world, and I am hopeful that soon, we will all be allowed to go out and enjoy the loveliness that is May by taking drives and visiting parks and beaches.
Writing News
There’s not much to say here this week, although I think what I have to say is pretty exciting.
I put all my writing projects on pause except for Matching Mr. Darcy because I knew I was close to the end of that story, and I wanted to get it finished. I have. Matching Mr. Darcy is complete and is now in line behind His Irreplaceable Belle, waiting to be reread and then sent on through the getting-ready-for-publication process.
Since Cherishing Kitty has been published, I plan to begin working on rereading His Irreplaceable Belle this coming week. (I’d like to have it ready to publish by the end of the month.)
Publishing News
Cherishing Kitty
is now available for purchase in ebook and print.
Thank you to those who pre-ordered and have already purchased this book.
These two books will become exclusively available on Amazon on May 11, 2020. To highlight this move, I have put these books on sale.
There are seven novelettes between the two books. Thunder, Mist, and Frost contains three Austen-inspired novelettes while First Blooms and Second Chances contains four sweet Regency novelettes.
You can find out more about these books and links for were they are available to purchase by visiting the landing page at this link.
Book Review
This review is for First Blooms and Second Chances.
Thank you, f4ewso45, for reading and reviewing both First Blooms and Second Chances and Thunder, Mist, and Frost. I’m pleased to know you enjoyed them both.
I really like that last line about the stories being engaging and using an economy of words. 🙂
Kindle Unlimited Changes in May
A Dash of Darcy and Companions Cottage Collection 2 will be leaving Kindle Unlimited on May 13, 2020. The following books will be moving to Kindle Unlimited. See my Books Currently in KU page on my blog for links to all the books currently available to read with your KU subscription.
Something Extra
I thought I would share a video with you this week. As you can see from the image below. I shared it on Tuesday on my Facebook page. There is information both about food and an interesting Georgian Era character in the video. The video is about 23 minutes long.
Have a good weekend! Be safe and well. I’ll see you on Monday.
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