Just got back from Maryland where I had a wonderful time at a book fair hosted by the Jane Austen Society of North America (I'm joining, too--these folks are wonderful!). I was thrilled (not to mention intimidated) by the amazing authors who did readings from their books and there were a ton of fascinating books for sale. I had to really resist adding more than a few books to my library, which is already full to overflowing.
The author panel included: Sandy Lerner, Margaret Sullivan, Catherine Reef, Janet Mullany, Lori Smith, and Diana Peterfreund. Oh, and me. Everyone was so nice that I hope they'll make this an annual event as it is a terrific way to start the summer season.
, free for the next three days. That is, Thursday, June 14 through Saturday, June 16, 2012. Here's a bit about it and a teeny-tiny excerpt. Hope you enjoy it!
Discarded by his betrothed with
a parting sally that “being an earl does not excuse being a bore,” Hugh Castle,
the Earl of Monnow, joins his brother on a relaxing cruise, hoping to forget.
But a storm capsizes their boat, and despite Hugh’s desperate efforts, he can’t
save his brother’s life. Then, when the wreckage reveals evidence of sabotage,
he realizes he was never meant to return to dock. Someone intending to murder
the earl killed his younger brother, instead. Angered and grieving, Hugh
travels to London to enlist the aid of the Second Sons Inquiry Agency in
finding his brother’s murderer.
Helen Archer attended the Earl
of Monnow’s ball in expectation of joining the celebration for his betrothal,
but the event seems destined for disaster. She arrives late, the earl makes no
announcement, and Helen manages to lose the fabled (but cursed) Peckham
necklace her sister reluctantly loaned to her. Unwilling to admit her
carelessness to her sister, Helen rashly decides to return to the earl’s estate
and retrieve it in secret.
When his aunt threatens to send
him to the Earl of Monnow, his purportedly cruel uncle, Edward Leigh-Brown
decides he’s had enough of female interference. He’s going to join the navy and
follow in Lord Nelson’s footsteps to become a military hero. But finding his
way to London is a lot harder for a young boy than it seems, and he’s soon
lost. When he bumps into Miss Helen Archer at an inn, he’s more than happy to
accept a ride in her carriage, even if she seems determined to escort him to an
inquiry agency to hire someone to locate the family he doesn’t want located.
When the three meet in London at
Second Sons, Helen impulsively decides to accompany Hugh to the earl’s home.
They will be disguised as servants and free to pursue their secret goals. Hugh
hopes to uncover a killer, Helen hopes to find her necklace, and Edward just
hopes he can find the opportunity to escape again.
Excerpt
In this scene, Helen Archer has met up with a young boy, Edward, and has offered to convey him to London in her carriage. She little realizes what an expert Edward is at impromptu fiction, particularly when he wants to get rid of unwanted company.
Chapter
Seven
“A chief part of his duty consists in assisting in the
rough work ….” —The Complete Servant
Edward Brown-Leigh studied Mr. Stewart as Miss Archer left the
room. The man was really offensive,
another word which had recently come into his vocabulary and was already
proving useful. Edward wanted to punch him in his red nose for the way he
stared at the delicate Miss Archer.
“You were lucky, sir,” Edward said when the man turned towards
him. Despite teasing Miss Archer, Edward had rather liked her. She was pretty
and she hadn’t treated him like a sapskull, two qualities which immediately
endeared her to him. He was also tired enough after walking all day with his
heavy valise to be grateful to her for her offer to take him to London tomorrow
in her carriage.
He did not like Mr. Stewart, however. Or the way his beady little
eyes had followed Miss Archer.
After Edward’s comment, Mr. Stewart laughed, although it had a
hollow, false note.
“Lucky? I agree. It was a lovely piece of luck to find the inn so
full that I was forced to share a room with such a charming couple as you and
your fair sister.”
Edward shook his head and fixed a pious expression on his face. “Oh,
indeed. But what was lucky was that
my sister hadn’t the opportunity to
serve you anything to drink.”
“To drink?” Mr. Stewart echoed Edward’s words before giving
another, less hearty, laugh.
“You saw the blue vial she carries?” Edward shook his head
mournfully.
“Yes. What of it? Just smelling salts or some similar medicine. All
delicate ladies carry such things.”
Edward sighed. “If it was only that ….”
“Only that?”
“We’re going to London to see a doctor, you see. I only hope we
can get there without any more … incidents.”
“Incidents?”
“Yes. I probably shouldn’t tell you about our difficulties, but
it’s been preying on my mind ever since father took ill last winter and left it
up to me to see that my sister gets the care she needs. I’m only praying she
won’t end up in Bedlam, though if another man …. Well, I shouldn’t tell you our
troubles.”
“Bedlam?” Mr. Stewart’s voice squeaked. His ruddy face grew pale
although his blob of a nose remained bright cherry red.
“Yes. You see, my sister is easily annoyed by strange men. And
when she gets annoyed, she has a way of slipping a little something extra into
their drink.”
“Poison? Why in God’s
name isn’t she locked up?”
“Oh, she hasn’t actually killed
anyone.” He smiled reassuringly and widened his eyes to prove his earnestness. “Not
yet, anyway. And fortunately, she listens to me and is quite docile when I'm
present. We have every hope for a cure after we get to London. We’re going to
see a specialist.”
Lifting his hat in one hand, Mr. Stewart wiped his sleeve over
his brow. When the door behind him opened, he jerked violently, hitting the
table with his hip. Edward stared at the floor to keep from laughing at the
expression on Mr. Stewart’s face when Miss Archer entered the room, followed by
a woman Edward presumed to be her maid.
“Oh, you’re back!” Mr. Stewart exclaimed. “I’m dreadfully sorry,
but you must excuse me. Terribly sorry.” He dashed past the two women who
stared after him, open-mouthed.
Edward smiled triumphantly at Miss Archer and was rewarded with a
puzzled look that made him somewhat nervous. A slight frown pinched the skin
between her brows. If she heard what he had told Mr. Stewart, she might take it
amiss.
He shuffled his feet and gazed at the door, wondering if
discretion really was the better part of valor as The Aunts had insisted.
Perhaps they’d been mistaken about that and he should admit the
truth to Miss Archer and hope for the best.
* * * * *
For those who have more eclectic tastes in literature and a fondness for short stories, you might be interested to know that Edward Brown-Leigh is my small tribute to H. H. Munro, who wrote under the pseudonym of Saki. Munro was rather plagued by Aunts, as well (yep, that's Aunts with a capital "A") and he might feel a great deal of sympathy for poor Edward. Munro is one of my all-time favorite authors and I never tire of reading his biting, witty short stories.
And if you've read any of Munro's stories, you might say that just like Edward, romance at short notice was his specialty, too. (I hope fans of his story, "The Open Window" won't roll their eyes too much. I know, it's a groaner.)
Have a wonderful weekend!
