Hugh Thomson (1860-1920), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
As I mentioned in the Saturday Broadsheet, Mr. Bingley Plans a Ball is the May free read for Followers on Ream and Patreon. So, today, for this Story Connections post, I am sharing the first chapter of that novelette with the image above. If Bingley has his way, Mr. Darcy will be with him at Netherfield. However, as you can see below, Bingley has currently returned to Hertfordshire alone to do some scheming on his friends behalf — right after he secures his own happiness, that is.
En Svinesti, Carl Bøgh, (1869) Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Do these pigs look like their listening to a delightful tale of adventure to you? They do to me, and that is why I chose to pair this painting with the excerpt below.
The Beginning of Prudence is set in the springtime at Rosings and in one fun scene near the end of this novelette, a pig and Colonel Fitzwilliam take a stroll, and that is the scene that I have chosen to share below.
Now, I wonder which pig in the painting is Betsy? I think it might be the one lying down on the left side and looks to be talking. 😉
Enjoy!
P.S. The Beginning of Prudence is free to read for followers on both Ream and Patreon this month. Of course it is also available to purchase at your favourite ebook retailer.
A Meeting by the Stile, Heywood Hardy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Isn’t this a beautiful picture. I love this artist’s painting of horses and people. I could sit and look at them, admiring the details and dreaming up stories, for quite some time. 🙂
I thought that the name of this painting made it perfect to pair with the first chapter of Two Days in November since there is a gentleman on horseback and a meeting at a stile.
Two Days in November is a story that takes place over two days in November. They are the days after Jane and Elizabeth have left Netherfield, when Collins comes to Longbourn, and when Darcy and Elizabeth meet on the street in Meryton.
But it is Darcy’s discovering Elizabeth at the stile and hearing her sister’s tragic story of a love that was lost which turns his mind in a better direction than it was set upon going. I hope you enjoy reading about how this meeting at the stile begins. (It doesn’t finish until the end of chapter 2. 🙂 )
Isn’t this a lovely book illustration? I thought it would go well with the story excerpt I want to share today…
Have you ever wondered what was going through Mr. Darcy’s head when he made his infamous slighting remark at the Meryton assembly? Have you ever wondered how things might have changed if he had been turned around and forced to say what he said while looking directly at Elizabeth while he said it?
Well, I have. 🙂 And that is exactly the questions that sparked From Tolerable to Lovely in my mind. It’s a short tale with only four chapters, and it’s free for followers to read on Ream this month. (And if I get it up there before Wednesday, on Patreon as well.)
Below is how the story begins – with Darcy’s thoughts and then his getting turned about. I’ll let you read the rest of the tale to see how he proceeds once he’s facing her. I’ve put links to both Ream and Patreon at the end of the story.
Today is the day! An Accomplished Lady (of the best sort) is now available everywhere! (Get it here)
By proving his friend wrong, he might just make everything right.
This excerpt is from chapter one. Hurst is not wrong. This Bingley will do his best to get what he wants!
For the better part of an afternoon at Netherfield, Charles Bingley has listened to his sister promote herself to his best friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. And for the same amount of time, he’s observed his friend trying not to give in to his desire to admire Miss Elizabeth Bennet. When the discussion turns to the qualifications of an accomplished lady, he listens closely and knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that marrying such a lady would only bring sorrow to his friend.
After the ladies have left the room, he attempts to address the issue in a friendly sort of manor. However, when Darcy goes a step too far in sharing his opinions of the lady Bingley loves, friendly tactics are tossed aside in favour of a more direct and calculated approach.
An Accomplished Lady (of the Best Sort) is a novelette of just over 17,000 words and is the sixth installment in Leenie Brown’s Teatime Tales Collection of Austen-inspired quick reads. If you’re looking for a romantic and entertaining escape from the everyday, then you’ll enjoy this story where a determined Bingley does what he must to secure not only his own happily ever after, but also that of his friend.
So put the kettle on, download your copy of An Accomplished Lady (of the Best Sort), and join Bingley and Hurst as they poke, prod, and arrange for Darcy to follow his heart and marry the right sort of accomplished lady.
