Pride and Prejudice Variation Series – Page 5

Summer (Brian Crain)

I think I need a sign that says “Gone Editing” for this month. I have come to the end of the manuscript for Sketches and Secrets of Summer, and that means it is time to start editing and getting all the things done for publishing. I expect the release day for this book to be in early August. (Stay tuned for the exact date and preorder info.)

Since I will be editing and getting Sketches ready for publication this month, July’s Music Monday story excerpts will all be from that book! And since this book is set in the summer (and it is currently summer in my part of the world), the theme for our music selections this month is “Summertime.” We’re starting July’s theme this week with a song that often plays while I am writing or editing and has the perfect title to get us started on our summery theme. 🙂

Now, here is your first peek at Sketches and Secrets of Summer (Darcy Family Holidays, book 4):

And here’s a little info about the story:

Stuart Alford is the romantic hero of this story. He is a second-born son who has unexpectedly inherited his family’s estate and his older brother’s children. Aaron is Stuart’s younger brother and holds the living at Kympton, which means this story is set in Derbyshire.

While you are waiting for *Sketches* to publish, why not give the first three books in this series a read (or reread 😉 )? If you don’t already have these titles, they are on sale in this bundle for the month of July. Just click the image above to find all the stores where this book is available.

Titles in this compilation are *Two Days Before Christmas, One Winter’s Eve,* and *A Scandal in Springtime*.

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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.

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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.

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Fortepiano: Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven)

I thoroughly enjoyed last week’s video about recorders and Van Eyck, so this week, we’re going to do something similar. 🙂 I have two videos for you today. The first one is an informational video about the fortepiano, and then the second one is a musical selection that Miss Darcy might have played on her fortepiano.

And the music in the video is actually being played on the fortepiano, which means the piece of music sounds as it would have when Beethoven first composed it. Surely, I can’t be the only one who finds that cool, can I be? 🙂

I’ve paired the above musical videos with an excerpt from a book where Georgiana plays a key role in bringing her brother and Elizabeth together. This excerpt is from a scene where Georgiana and Darcy are about to have a disagreement.

Two Days Before Christmas is the first book in my Darcy Family Holidays series. Darcy has returned home from Netherfield sooner than expected, and he’s in quite the state. Georgiana thinks she knows what his trouble is and determines that she is going to give him the best Christmas present — an unbroken heart.

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Bonchurch Old Church (A. Heaton Cooper)

“Bonchurch Old Church, Near Ventor” (From the book *Isle of Wight*), painted by A. Heaton Cooper. 1908. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“Lucy, I am here to offer comfort to you, not garner your praise.” He (Philip) chuckled.

“Passing on my father’s praise gives me comfort. It makes it seem less like he is gone.”

“Then, I shall attempt to receive his compliments graciously.” He leaned back and looked toward the grave next to which she had been kneeling. “You said you were sharing news with your father. Is it anything with which I could be of assistance?”

She tilted her head and gave him a searching look. She had promised her father that she would speak to each of the men on his list. However, she had intended to do so with her Aunt Tess present, not while alone in a churchyard.

[from And Then Love]