I was toying with the idea of exploring changes in transportation during the Regency and early part of the Georgian eras, but decided instead to offer an excerpt from the story I am currently working on. The idea came to me whilst in the throes of constructing the Duplicity and Deceit outline and, not one to look a given horse in the mouth (to quote an old and pertinent adage), I made sure to develop this outline at the same time. I was tempted to simply jot down a few notes and come back to it but, faced with the ongoing issue of my rapidly degrading memory, I dove right in and fleshed the chapters out.
This story, which is going to be a novella, picks up as Lady Catherine leaves Longbourn following her unsuccessful attempt to force Elizabeth to foreswear any interest in Mr. Darcy and promise to reject future advances on his part. I wanted to explore the family dynamic between Lady Catherine and her daughter, specifically what might happen if she were to unwillingly give permission for a young gentleman to call on Anne, with the possible intention of courting. Of course she is still determined to see Darcy and Anne married, but she has her reasons for allowing this to happen.
Before you get out the brushes and heat the tar, Lady Catherine is still the same domineering, overbearing mother portrayed in Jane Austen’s story, but I thought it might be fun to humanize her somewhat.
This excerpt begins shortly after she has given permission for Mr. Martin Forsythe to call on Anne. Lady Catherine is at breakfast, mulling over her stupid decision and some of her suspicions concerning this gentleman, as well as her doubts about the man in question. I completed this chapter late last night, so be warned that it is unedited and will undergo adjustments when I get to reviewing it before sending it to my editor.
I had hoped to publish before the end of this month, but I let silly things like Christmas, time with children and grandchildren, and scheduled visits to specialists now three hours away, interfere. I want to publish no later than the end of February, as this is now a major part of my income, so I have a lot to do before then. On the plus side, I am slightly more than halfway through the first draft so if fortune smiles and I quit wasting time, I just might make my self-imposed deadline. But don’t hold your breath, as I promised Duplicity months before it was finally published.
Enough of my blather, here is the teaser, if I may be so bold as to call it that. Please give me your honest criticism, especially the negative thoughts that occur to you. As I think I’ve said before, but can’t honestly remember, constructive criticism is looked for and always appreciated.
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Lady Catherine waited for the maid to serve the cup of tea, too lost in thought to bother criticizing the girl’s proficiency in pouring, or the way she placed the cup in front of her on the table. Not even this morning’s undercooked eggs and cold breakfast sausages had given rise to a rebuke for the cook.
The affair concerning this Martin Forsythe was a bother, and she was spending too many of her nights worrying about what she now considered a stupid decision to let the man call. This could only waste Anne’s time, distracting her when she should be preparing for her marriage to Darcy.
Looking back on that day, she regretted giving in for no other reason than to appease Anne by letting her think she had won an argument, something she had done in past disagreements when the resolution was unimportant. Remembering this conversation, however, brought a sense of surprise that she had been willing to surrender control of the discussion rather than quickly bringing the matter to a close. If she had kept her wits about her, she could have avoided the unpleasant consequences she feared were waiting in the all too near future.
What delusion had she been laboring under that could have convinced her the better path was to let Anne have her way? She tried to entertain the delusion that her momentary lack of judgement would not come back to haunt her but knew she had foolishly let that cat out of its bag. Regaining control again was probably wishful thinking.
She cursed herself for agreeing to meet the man in the first place. That, she feared, was going to be the start of many unwanted changes. The girl was going to assume she could now demand ever greater freedom, something Lady Catherine was loath to accept.
To her Anne was still a child, lacking in worldly experience. Because of this mistake on Lady Catherine’s part Anne would next be wanting to visit London, and the possibility was worrisome, to put it mildly. She had spent her life protecting the child from danger, and one poor decision was enough to render all her hard work useless.
And what about this Mr. Forsythe, a man who claimed to be the son of a gentleman and a close acquaintance of Fitzwilliam? The claims about his father’s status rang hollow to her. If the man was that well known, why had she never heard the name mentioned by anyone in her circle of friends or acquaintances? Granted, that circle was small and shrinking every year as age and infirmity claimed many of them but nevertheless, the name of someone that important should have come up in conversation.
No, on further thought there was something about the man that rang false, and she was going to do everything in her power to protect her only child from him. Anne was too innocent, and this Mr. Forsythe did not seem as fine and upstanding as he wanted people to think.
Why had Darcy not seen through his charade? He was a man with experience in exposing charlatans and men of low morals; that was evident in how he had rescued Georgiana from Mr. Wickham’s degenerate plans last year.
If he had been able to see through that execrable piece of horse dung, how was it that Mr. Forsythe could fool him so completely? Could he not see that the man’s intention was almost certainly to worm his way into Anne’s heart so he could gain control of the de Bourgh fortune and property upon Lady Catherine’s passing?
Anne’s infatuation with the man was blinding her to his faults although, Lady Catherine had to confess to herself, he hid them well. On his visits he was always polite, almost sickeningly so, as far as she was concerned. Anne lapped it up like a cat at a dish of cream, and the sight was disgusting.
Lady Catherine saw her plans slipping away, all because of the unhealthy attentions being paid by a supposed gentleman’s son, if his stories about his father’s wealth and standing were to be believed.
And what of Anne’s suitor? Since giving her reluctant permission the man seldom called, which suited her perfectly and for some reason did not appear to bother Anne. The first week he had been underfoot almost daily, and Anne had even tried convincing him to stay for supper one evening, without so much as first asking permission! It was lucky for both he declined her offer, using previous commitments as his excuse. In any case, Anne had refused to acknowledge the clear falsehood in his stated reason, as she was by then too besotted to engage in rational thought.
After that first week the frequency of his visits had changed, until now he was showing up just on Fridays, and usually alone although Colonel Fitzwilliam had come with him once. But why Friday, not Monday or any other day of the week?
When she raised the subject, his vague answer alluded to other matters requiring his attention, and he could sacrifice no more than one day per week to call at Rosings. Her attempts to have him expand on the explanation ended with Anne jumping into the conversation to defend him, vehemently if memory served, which it always did without error.
She was not about to accept an excuse so paltry that it needed Anne’s intervention to let him escape having to justify himself. There were too many things about Mr. Forsythe that bothered her, and she was not about to rest until her doubts about the man were assuaged. Anne’s future was at stake, and she had to expose him as a fraud before her daughter fell completely under his spell.
Hmmm! He doesn’t seem to be totally besotted with Anne given his reluctance to visit, but maybe that’s more to avoid Lady Catherine? I do hope Lady Cs suspicions are false as Anne does deserve some happiness in her life.
There’s a lot more to Mr. Forsythe than Lady Catherine thinks. As to Lady C, she is a complicated woman, and maybe a bit misunderstood, and I’m having a lot of fun getting to know her. My intention is to add some dimension to the woman while explaining her actions. She is a…..different type of person.
I agree that Lady Catherine MAY care for her child but she smothers her. Also, in that period of time, marrying their daughters to a wealthy and titled suitor often won out over affection for their daughter. I’d like to see Anne stand up to Lady C and find happiness. If this suitor turns out to be above board and wealthy Lady C may reluctantly accept him and grandchildren may actually soften the oldbat. It might not soften her completely and to be true to the character I don’t think anyone would want it to. She’s who she is and would continue to be a thorn in the side of anyone within her sphere.
I’m not sure if I agree that she cares for her child at all. What I see is a woman who is willing to sacrifice her daughter’s happiness for the status and wealth she expects when the families are brought together. Right now she views it as a temporary sundering because Lady Anne married Mr. Darcy, but if she can get Darcy and Anne married the family is again whole and her status as matriarch rises dramatically.
I don’t agree that she’s an old bat. I used to think of her as a battle-axe, with an extra helping of conceit and hubris to finish things off, but writing this story is helping me see her in a new light.
Interesting take on Lady Catherine, and I love that Anne is standing up to her mother to see someone besides Darcy in her life.
Anne is not as much of a wallflower as people assume. At least that is my opinion. I want to flesh her out, so to speak, and give her some depth of character.
This is a very interesting start to your book. The animosity Lady Catherine has for Mr. Forsythe is intriguing, for it makes you wonder what his story is, and how is he a friend of Fitzwilliam?? What will happen to poor Anne’s infatuation for this man?? Many questions to be answered, this makes one want to read more and find out how the story unfolds.
I love the story so far, and will read the rest when it is released.
I hope the finished story answers all your questions. I will admit that with this one, more than any in the past, I’ve had to change the plot because of how it’s unfolding as I write. Challenging canon is a dangerous endeavour, so I want to be very careful, or the tar and feathers might be literal, not figurative.
I’m glad you like what I’ve written so far.
Although Lady C is a tad too controlling, she also cares for her daughter, even if the way she goes about showing it is annoying. I think she has good instincts and should trust them. It will be interesting to see how you develop the story. As a friend once said… You can justify anything. I’ve thrown the caveat on there: at least in your own mind.
Oh, and one thought I have when people talk about the parents in P&P… Lady C probably isn’t but maybe 50, if not a little younger depending on her age when she married and had Anne, plus Anne’s age. Were people really dying off that young? Just something to ponder.
Life expectancy for the population throughout the nineteenth century was forty to forty-five years. It didn’t rise above fifty until nineteen ten. At fifty, Lady C was a senior citizen, and not expected to survive much longer. Then again, she was probably cantankerous enough to outlast her child and any grandchildren by a lot of years.
I agree with your thoughts on Lady Catherine. She does care deeply for her, and a good part of that care is probably the fact that she’s her only child.
And while I might be able to justify almost everything, the caveat I’ll throw into the mix is that from what I’ve seen there are some character arcs that are sacrosanct: Lady C is a b***h and Wickham is a bounder of the worst sort. Having said that, my most important duty as an author is to get you to suspend preconceived notions and become involved in the world I’m building. If I can accomplish that I’ve been successful. If not, the problem lies with my skill as a concocter of believable tales or possibly the reader’s inability to entertain different hypotheses.
Enjoyed the excerpt. Look forward to its release.
Thank you. I also look forward to its release, but most likely for very different reasons. I confess that I’m having fun writing this story.
Love the excerpt! P&P never tells us Anne’s age, but because she is so passive and so coddled from all directions, I have always assumed she has reached her majority by the time Jane Austen introduces her. If she were only 15 or 16, her lack of engagement with the world would be less noteworthy. I do not think she is 27 or 28, however, that would line her age up with Darcy’s age. And Lady Catherine must be considered somewhat of a liar of convenience, in my mind. I really don’t believe Anne and Darcy were in their respective cradles at the same time. So I put Anne’s age as somewhere in between.
I’m of the opinion that she’s close to Elizabeth’s age. I can’t remember Jane Austen placing them in cradles together, chronologically, although with my memory I could very well have forgotten. What I do recall is Lady Catherine claiming that as fact, and like you said, she is not above stretching the truth to have her way.
Great excerpt! Heaven forbid Anne actually make a decision about her own life. I love this insight into Lady C’s mind.
I’m of the attitude that she really does love her daughter but isn’t all that good at showing it. In this story I’ve decided Anne needs to stand up for herself or nothing will ever change.
I hope this is a good guy. If so, then this is hilarious watching Lady Catherine’s stone wall around her daughter start to crumble. Maybe he will be Anne’s knight in shining armor rescuing her from her tower. Thanks for sharing this post with us. I hope your health improves. Take a recorder with you on your three-hour trip to the specialist. That way you can capture random thoughts, plot bunnies, and other snippets that could become a story, novel, novelette, or… you know. Blessings on bringing this baby to a finished product. I’m looking forward to reading it.
He’s a product of his environment. Of course this being the Regency that could be interpreted in more than one way. I’m having some fun with this and am now approaching the point in the plot where things start to come together.
Thank you for your suggestions. I have my phone with me always and every once in a while I actually remember to get it out and record my ideas! Unfortunately what happens a lot of the time is playing it back doesn’t revive the memory, so I’m unsure of where I wanted to go when I had the thought. I just love getting old.
Going after another target! She’ll get Anne married yet!lol
Anne will be a different person by the end of the story, I promise. And Lady Catherine will even celebrate the change, although how much remains to be seen.