Hi Readers! We are so happy to be reading this Mr. Darcy’s Noble Connections together with you!
Today is a discussion of CHAPTERS 15-epilogue!
Participating in today’s discussion earns you an entry towards our Group Read Giveaway (you can earn 7 entries in all!)
Without further ado, here are some questions Team Austenesuqe would like to ask you.
You can answer any or all of them if you like, please just be sure to specify, with numbers, which question(s) you are answering in the comment section.
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Question 1: What an eventful morning our characters had! Darcy and Charles come to blows with each other! Has your heart been touched by Lord Charles? Did you feel sorry for him when he found out Lizzy was engaged to Mr. Darcy?
Question 2: What do you think about Darcy’s challenge to Lord Charles and the disclosure that he wanted to call someone out for a duel? Can you imagine Darcy fighting in a duel?
Question 3: The Dowager Marchioness returns and just like a true matriarch, she sets everything to rights! But she was caught quite off guard by Darcy’s revelation about Edward, wasn’t she? Why do you think she believed Edward was guilty of cheating?
Question 4: What did you think of Edward Carlisie? His exile? His relationship with Darcy?
Question 5: Before you learned who was Lord Bentham’s informant about Edward’s ill-fated race, did you have any suspicions of who it could be and why?
Question 6: What are your thoughts upon finishing this lovely variation from Abigail Reynolds? Did you enjoy your stay at Bentham Park?
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WE AREN’T DONE!
- Tomorrow we will be discussing some outtakes Abigail has graciously offered to share with us! Hop over HERE to read the outtakes before tomorrow! Use the password: nobleconnections
- Sunday we will be chatting live with ABIGAIL REYNOLDS HERE @ 8:00 p.m. EST!
- Monday we will have a wrap-up questionnaire!
Question 1: Hmm..it´s a tough question. My heart was touched in the epilogue, reading that Lord Charles does indeed have a weak spot for a woman, beside Lizzy. I do like the fact that he has the prospect of a happy marriage as well!
Question 2: I can imagine Darcy fighting in a duel, if his wife or sister would be in danger – but I have to say that the fighting scene between Lord Charles and Darcy wasn´t my favourite.
Question 3: I could imagine she would have imagines her grandson writing to her about the false charges. But when that letter didn´t come and with her son believing (or being forced into believing by his wife) it as well, she just went with the flow.
Question 4: One of my overall favourite scenes – a very small one, but oh so sweet – was one with Edward. When he rushes out of the room to meet his lovely Lady Mary in the hall! Oooooh!
His relationship with Darcy seems like a very long friendship and I loved seeing how eager Darcy was to get his friend back on English ground.
Question 5: I had my suspicions ;). And was right in the end. Loved, that the spaniels came back the minute Lady B was sent away :D.
Question 6: I enjoyed my stay very much! I would have liked to stay longer at Bentham Park and see the wedding and how it continues after that too. But then I would have loved to get to Pemberley as well, meet Georgiana again and see Lizzy starting her life as Mrs. Darcy – and that might be an entirely new novel for Abigail!
Lovely answers, Katrin!
Yes the spaniels are finally allowed to return!!! And I too loved the scene between Edward and Lady Mary – what a lovely surprise!
Oh, I agree, Katrin! seeing Edward rush out of the room, with no care for his injury, to meet Lady Mary…*sigh* 🙂 It was such a sweet scene!! I loved it.
I agree with you and Meredith; I chuckled when I read that the spaniels were back and one was even on Lord B’s lap!
1) Nope! Firstly, he wasn’t very likeable! I know that he was witty, amusing company but if somebody wantonly ruins reputations like Lord C then it would have taken a lot for me to like him. Secondly, he didn’t really love Lizzy at all, but perhaps she paved the way for him to become likeable in the future. I thought he had potential not to be hideous when he was chatting with Darcy late on.
2) I wasn’t that surprised that he had wanted to duel in the past. He’s hardly an easygoing fella like Bingley or somebody of that sort. On the other hand you would have thought he might be less hot-headed because of his responsibilities to Pemberley and Georgiana.
3) I am disappointed for Edward that his family believed the lies. Even Lord C, who lived mainly in London and therefore had other sources of information, seemed to think it. Even if the stories had been genuine you would have hoped that at least one of his family would have refused to believe it just based on their gut feeling. Also, if Lord B had asked his own relation, Darcy, he would have got an honest answer but he didn’t take the trouble to do any sleuthing whatsoever. Poor Edward.
4) I really liked Edward actually. And I thought he and Darcy’s relationship was nice and it was sweet to see how much D was willing to do for his friend. It annoyed me that his father had been lazy enough and had so little faith in Edward not to make any enquiries. If Lord B had been in bad health it would have been much easier to forgive as he may have been limited in what he could do himself and reliant on his wife but this was not the case. And why did he rely on his wife so much? If it had been a love match I could have understood it better, but it wasn’t.
5) I hadn’t even considered who it could be! I tend not to think ahead when I’m reading, I just let the author throw things my way. My mum can always work out murder mysteries when she’s reading a book but I never can unless it’s obvious because I don’t analyse enough 🙁
6) I really enjoyed it, although I guess because there were so many different characters it felt less Austen-y than the other variations. In fact, due to elements such as the light-hearted nature of the book, the mismatched partners, failed elopements, fisticuffs, fearsome matriarchs, selfish girl in the beta romance, noddy of a father coming round to his children’s wishes, etc, this reminded me more of a Georgette Heyer but with much hotter kissing scenes. This is still a compliment however, because I am a big fan of hers. I would have liked a bit of a longer epilogue, perhaps it needed it, perhaps I am just greedy, who knows!
I loved the proposal, by the way. You could see Lizzy and Darcy would be really happy together. Although, what happened to asking her father’s consent? In canon Mr Bennet wants to be sure that Lizzy knows what she is doing but we don’t see any of that here.
Thank you for such thoughtful responses, Ceri!
Great point about Lord Charles not investigating his brother’s duel more and how Lord B really has no excuse not to have done more. He was most negligent!
I love Georgette Heyer too! This novel was a lot of fun because it was so unique!
Ceri, I wondered about Darcy not getting Mr. B’s consent too.
He would still need Mr. Bennet’s consent. Given that they weren’t nearby, he would have written him a letter to ask his consent, but letter writing and reading scenes are pretty dull to read. Elizabeth would almost certainly have sent a letter along with his to explain things to her father.
Great responses, Ceri! I like how you mention that about all of Edward’s family believing the lie. I am surprised not one of the witnesses would have said something. But maybe that was not proper to do? Or maybe they have and Charles just disregarded it. Very interesting.
Ha! Yes, Georgette Heyer but with *much* hotter kissing scenes! 🙂
Question 1: Okay…I admit it! I felt sorry for Lord Charles – I have a thing for bad boys. I felt he was in earnest and I thought it was adorable how he was trying to win Lizzy over, he showed a lot of tender concern. But I’m glad he found his happiness in the end!
Question 2: I was surprised to see Darcy so willing to fight a duel with Lord Charles and to learn about how he wanted to challenge someone four years ago. While I always thought Darcy would fight a duel if challenged, I never thought of his being the challenger! It does make sense though since he is honorable to a fault and extremely loyal to those he cares about. The fact that the men came to blows over Lizzy was quite exciting! Some intense emotions going on there!
Question 4: I very much like Edward, I like how he grew to be a better man because of his trying experience and that he views it in such a positive light. I love that he fell in love and also didn’t want to claim his true identity. All the men deceive in this novel! LOL! I love the strong friendship between Darcy and Edward – it is very touching how Darcy has prepared to take care, provide for, and support Edward all these years – makes me love him even more!
Question 6: My thoughts are that this novel is quite different from all the other variations Abigail has written so far! Abigail is broadening her scope and expanding her creativity I think. I love the new original characters, I loved the new setting. I hope Abigail Reynolds writes more novels like this one! A return to Bentham Park might be nice one day… 🙂
Meredith, I found myself wondering just how hard Charles would have tried to woo Lizzy had he not been informed of D&E’s engagement or had D&E not yet been engaged. 🙂
I tend to enjoy it when two men come to blows over a girl. It’s kind of romantic. Having it be Darcy fighting for Elizabeth made it much better. 😉
Question 1: I was glad Lord Charles changed, or better yet understood the consequences of his behavior. No, I did not feel sorry for him. I think he fancied Lizzy, but I don’t think his heart was fully engaged with her yet.
Question 2: I was surprised that Darcy was somehow involve in the duel that Edward was banished for. But I am not surprised he would want to duel over Lizzy.
Question 3: Yes, the Dowager was caught off guard by the new’s about Edward. I think that because she was told the news originally by her son, and everyone else believed that too, she didn’t question it.
Question 5: Yes, I thought it might have been Lady Bentham, but I didn’t have all the pieces put together.
Question 6: I really enjoy the story! I thought it was quite funny! Thanks, Abigail for another great read!
I was thinking it had to have been either Charles or Lady B. But I doubt Charles would have been that malicious toward his own brother, which left Lady B., but I was not certain.
Lady Bentham is truly the evil step mother in this story!
1. By this point, it would have been impossible not to feel sorry for Lord Charles. The very idea of the rake turned good for the love of a good woman is in itself extremely appealing, and particularly so when it doesn’t seem to work out for the poor rake! I think Abigail had been dropping subtle hints throughout the story that there might be more to Lord Charles that meets the eye (starting with his heart-felt conversation with Elizabeth in the ruins) and it’s nice to have him show himself as a good boy turned bad mainly because he missed his role-model elder brother.
2. ‘Can you imagine Darcy fighting in a duel?’ Oh, yes! SO easily! Eyes that kill and pistols at dawn, especially if at the receiving end is someone who might have attempted to hurt Elizabeth or Georgiana.
3. The Marchioness is absolutely adorable – warm-hearted under a shell of sternness that doesn’t really fool those who deeply care for her. I was very surprised that she had believed Edward capable of cheating – I must have missed something, as I didn’t quite understand how come she believed that.
4. Although conspicuous through his absence, I found Edward Carlisle a very important character, no less because he served to emphasize the honourable nature of his champions, especially Darcy, who would be willing to stand by him in defiance of his detractors. Can’t help feeling sorry for Lord Huntingdon throughout the entire business, and the danger to life and limb he had endured in the army, but it’s good to see that everything is set to rights at last.
5. I think that by the time Lord Bentham found out, everybody else knew who was responsible, the reader included, (BTW, I found the toe-crushing ‘discrete’ sign particularly amusing, and also Lord Bentham’s smugness about finding out who the culprit was).
6. Had a fantastic time at Bentham Park – thanks, Abigail 🙂 – and since I didn’t manage to pop in for yesterday’s group read, I’d like to say that to me, Darcy and Elizabeth’s ride in the carriage back to Hillington was one of the loveliest moments, from the utterly delicious bit where Darcy’s mouth runs away with him and he says stuff he shouldn’t all the way to the point when his mouth runs away with him again and he does stuff he definitely should 🙂 Thanks, Abigail for yet another lovely read!
I thought drunk Lord B was so funny. Especially when he told them he was surprised they hadn’t worked it out!
I see what you mean about feeling sorry for the reformed rake who doesn’t get his love returned, but I saw Lord Charles more as a potentially reforming rake who had his interest piqued so there is much less grounds for pity 🙂
I was hoping those subtle hints Abigail was giving were an indication that there is more to Lord Charles, and that he has the potential to change. I am hoping he and Miss Holmes get HEA future together. I feel she is the one who really holds the key to his heart! 🙂
I love the way you describe D&E’s time in the carriage and how his mouth runs away with him. 🙂 I really enjoyed this scene.
I think you pinpointed exactly why I found Lord Charles appealing. I really liked the way Abigail gave him a happy conclusion. Lizzy Bennet is such a heartbreaker sometimes! Thank you for taking part in our group read, Joana!
1. I enjoyed Charles. He was funny, friendly, in his dealings with Lizzie he was a bit pushy, but in a challenging, intriguing way. My only serious problem was finding a way to rationalize his being able to threaten Georgiana just days after learning about the other girl’s death. Like Henry C, he had characteristics that made him attractive in spite of the rakish stuff. I did not feel sorry for him when E&D got engaged. He was interested but far from committed.
2. I can’t even imagine a world where duels are normal so I didn’t focus on Darcy wanting to duel. I have had some exposure to fist fights so when Charles and Darcy fought, I just shrugged and said, “Men!”
3. It is interesting to me that no one in the family showed any doubt but the steward at Paxton’s estate assured Darcy that no one believed it. It seems strange to me that once Charles moved to London he did not hear contradictory things but (idea from the out takes) maybe the family were so embarassed that they walked away from anyone who wanted to talk about Ed and were never open to hearing what friends said. The Dowager just accepted what her son told her.
4. Edward–pleasant man, made good use of his time in exile, i don’t think we learned enough about him but more about Darcy who took responsibility for a friend in need,just as we know he tended to Bingley.
5. I identified Lady B as the evil-doer early on. I thought that she was arranging the family to her benefit but I did not suspect that she had made up the story of Edward’s bad behavior. She wanted Eleanor to marry Lord Deyncourt so she could keep her lover in her control. Although we don’t get details, I think she wanted Charles gone and made him uncomfortable so he moved to London. Her plan really worked to move Edward all the way out of the country and into harm’s way.
6. I enjoyed visiting Bentham. I appreciated a break from Caroline and Lady Catherine and liked the new characters. Abigail, how about a novella about the Dowager taking Lydia and Kitty under her wing and making them toasts of the ton?
You’re right! I forgot about Charles threatening to ruin Georgiana’s reputation! That just goes to show he wasn’t all that reformed. Good call, Ruth!
Yes, Lady Bentham was a great villain, wasn’t she? Thank goodness Edward didn’t die fighting for his country; otherwise, Lady B would have gotten her way. *shudders*
Love the idea of a novella about the Dowager, Lydia, and Kitty! La! What fun!
Thanks for sharing your excellent insights, Ruth!
I am in hurry and can’t answer all the questions, but I wanted to quickly answer #6 to simply say I enjoyed visiting Bentham a great deal. This was a greatly entertaining variation. It had just the right combination of romance, action, tension and funny moments! I also really liked that fact that it was so different from other variations and had many new interesting characters I actually ended up caring about. I was really sad to see it end!
Thank you for stopping by Silvia! I liked how these new characters inspired our compassion and concern. They were very well-drawn.
Question 1: I loved how Darcy and Charles had a fight, it reminds me of Bridget Jones’ Diary with Darcy and Daniel. In the end I felt sorry for Charles because it seemed like he really had feelings for Elizabeth.
Question 4: I quite liked Edward Carlisie and am glad he and Darcy stayed friends throughout his exile. I was surprised that it wasn’t difficult for family to believe the lies. But I also think he became a better man because of it.
Question 5: When Charles told Elizabeth about his stepmother’s affair and her plans to trap Edward, I knew enough to suspect her of worse.
Question 6: I really enjoyed this variation! A new setting and new characters were intriguing. It would be interesting to hear more about Kitty and Lydia’s adventures with the Dowager! In the end another delightful story by Ms. Reynolds!
I was glad Darcy and Edward stayed friends this whole time as well, Liz. I am glad Darcy knew the truth and didn’t waver in his friendship.
I really enjoyed the new characters and setting. It was so refreshing.
Great comments, Liz!
HA! YES! Bridget Jones – I totally see it! Great comparison! Although in this case, Elizabeth knew whose side she was on. 🙂
Question 1: My heart was touched a bit by Lord Charles. Maybe I felt a little sorry for him but I felt sure he would mend rather quickly. I was glad to see him redeemed to a better man again.
Question 2: I don’t like to imagine Darcy fighting a duel but I have read about him doing so in other books!
Question 3: I am not quite sure why she believed Edward cheating other than his own father, her son, said that he did! That could be a little convincing.
Question 4: I liked Edward Carlisle and felt him honorable. I didn’t like his exile especially when it was all for the wrong reasons, should not even have taken place and was because of a woman’s scorn. I liked his relationship to Darcy and Darcy’s loyalty!
Question 5: The thought of Lord Charles did cross my mind but I also thought it might be Lady Bentham.
Question 6: I loved my stay at Bentham Park, very much, indeed. I thought the story was fantastic. Once I started it, I couldn’t stop. I had to keep reading until the end! I tried to be very careful and not give anything away in my comments! 🙂 The different setting was a nice change of pace and all the new characters were fun as well as giving us a few we loved to hate! Excellent book! Well done, Abigail Reynolds!
Lord B., and everyone else’s arguments must have been pretty convincing to make her believe Edward was in the wrong. I am so glad Edward came back! 🙂
I loved the Darcy and Edward relationship – it was very touching! LOL! Thank you for taking part, Janet! If time permitted I think I would have read it all very quickly too!
I saw that this comment was posted on the wrong post, so I thought I’d move it over here:
Here are my comments for Thursdays discussion: Jen Red
#15-epilogue Jen Red
#1 Lord Charles: I didn’t really feel sorry for him when he found out about the engagement, it was more on learning that he had taken his brother’s absence badly. That was when he went to London and began ruining his own reputation. I was happy to read that he was given his own estate and was able to enter into a courtship with Lady Holmes.
#2. Lord Charles and Darcy in a duel? Well, what I saw was a lot of pent up jealousy and frustration over Elizabeth. He was finally getting it out of his system. And considering they patched it up in the end, a “boy” fight was perfect.
#3. The Dowager: Actually I was surprised that she did not do more investigation on her own about Edward. She was a very astute woman and knew what kind of man Edward was. I think she was lax in believing what everyone had said. Perhaps she also went along with it because she was not as close to her son with the presence of his new wife.
#4. What I really liked about Edward was his own realization of what it meant to have a title and be a member of the ton. Had he not taken on the façade of a regular guy, he may never have learned that lesson and how people regarded him.
#5. Suspicions: Well, I didn’t realize that Lady Eleanor was the culprit there, but I did not trust or like her one bit. I didn’t like the way she manipulated everyone.
#6. I loved the lighthearted ending after so many trials and deceptions. I liked the lessons that everyone seemed to learn and being a “blue couch” reader, I particularly loved the epidemic of betrothals. Then finishing with Darcy and Lizzy going off to discuss it all in private was certainly my kind of ending. Thanks Abigail for another great story and best of luck with your new publication. Another thanks goes to Meredith for putting up the discussion. Because of my schedule over the next few days, I may not be able to come back for the outtakes or live chat. I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s comments. ~Jen Red~
Great point about being surprised that the Dowager didn’t do more investigation. She just seems like the type to want to know everything about a situation.
Yes, Jen, I loved the “very private” conversation Darcy & Lizzy were going to have. What a great ending! 😉
1). I did feel bad for Lord Charles and his learning of Darcy and Elizabeth’s engagement. However, even before I learned of his feelings for Miss Holmes, I figured his attachment to Lizzy was not that strong. Getting over her would happen rather quickly. I wish him and Miss Holmes all the best! 🙂
2) I believe Darcy’s honor (and the fact that it is Lord Charles he is challenging) is what makes him challenge Charles. I agree with Jen Red—it’s just a lot of pent up jealousy at the center of his fight. But like I said in another comment, I enjoy it when two men fight over our heroine. For me it tends to scream masculinity laced with jealousy, protection, devotion, and is kind of romantic!
3) I believe she believed the lies about Edward cheating because she didn’t take time to seek out the real answers, and with so many people, who might know Edward better than her, telling her he did cheat, she simply went along with it.
5) I thought it was either Lord Charles or Lady B., though I could not imagine Lord Charles being that conniving. As I learned more about Lady B and the things she did to Eleanor and the way she treated others and her affairs, it was easy to see it was her.
6) I am always amazed at the wonderful and interesting premises Abigail comes up with. I am already eager to read her next book. Abigail is so good with her words, descriptions, and plot that it is easy to become part of the story. This was such a fun story; I can see myself returning to Bentham Park many times in the future.
I didn’t have time to read the longer outtake but I did read the shorter one and I will say that I like the finished version much better. I think that there is more contrast between the characters having Edward be the older son and NOT in love with his soon to be step-mother. Also, I like having Lizzy know about why he accepted. So in my opinion, you did the right thing Abigail! Great story! Jen Red
I’m a little late to this post.
Q1 I did not feel too bad for Lord Charles. He needed to know that just because Elizabeth is worth it, doesn’t mean he is yet. But I was hopeful it meant that he was changing.
Q2 I can see Darcy fighting in a duel if the cause was important enough to him.
Q3 I don’t think Dowager Marchioness ever wanted to believe Edward was guilty. When she found out the truth, I can see her feeling a bit guilty herself.
Q4 I am not surprised by Darcy’s relationship with Edward. He always knew he was innocent and would stand by him.
Q5 I always knew that wife was not good!
Q6 As always with Abigail’s adventures, I enjoyed every minute of my time in Bentham Park. And adding this chat has been fun too!
Q1: My heart has definitely not been touched by Lord C. In the beginning I thought someone who cares for his siblings and dogs can’t be so bad a person. Apart from the Mary Lynley incident and the blackmail, he is not as bad as it seems. Lord C did take D’s and E’s engagement rather well (because he didn’t really love her) and found solace in the arms of Miss Holmes. So there is no reason to feel sorry for him.
Q2: I can imagine D fighting a duel, but only if there were no other option. I’m sure a clever man like him would always find a way out. At least he would have the skills to survive a duel.
Q3: The Dowager believed Edward was guilty of cheating, because she accepted her son’s word about it. I wonder why she did not have any doubts about it and tried to get to the truth of it. She probably didn’t, because Edward left the country. She must have seen that as a prove of his guilt.
Q4: Edward is a decent man, but must be as gullible as his father to just go into exile without questioning what was going on and trying to rescue his good name and reputation. But in the end the exile worked to his advantage. He met his future wife there and could experience what it was like not just to be valued and treated according to his wealth and status. Edward and D are more like brothers than friends. So even if D had not witnessed what happened at the race, he would still not believe Edward to be a cheat.
Q5: I suspected it to be Lady B, because who else would profit from Edward’s exile and would have the power to convince Lord B of Edward’s guilt. Lord B was described as gullible, but even he would not have believed such an accusation against his son, if it had not come from a source he would think of as reliable and trustworthy. Although I don’t understand why he trusts her, after tricking him into marriage. I can’t imagine him to be so naïve that he did not get that. (He was after all Darcy’s father’s best friend.)
Q6: I certainly enjoyed my stay at Bentham Park. I was glad that E and D did not anticipate their wedding night this time – I always hate that; but not to have a wedding night at all – what a pity. The romantic scenes were brilliantly written – as always. The longing looks, the tender touches, stolen kisses, passionate embraces and the essential suffering were all there. Yet the twists and turns of the story and the many new characters take up a lot of the time that usually E and D could have had in the familiar P&P setting. So on one hand it was refreshing to see E and D in another (very well-constructed) setting, but IMO it took too much time away from E and D.
So I fear this will not be my favorite AR novel. Though, I will surely re-read it many times to tide me over till “The Darcys of Derbyshire” is available.
BTW: Did anyone notice that Lady Mary Huggins (Edward’s future wife) was named after someone in the acknowledgements?
Question 1: I felt a *little* sorry for him only because I felt that he thought he was in love at the time when he probably only fancied her at that point. I didn’t like Lord C all that much as he came across very selfish. For most of the book he kind of reminded me of Henry Crawford so I was happy that he turned out better than that in the end.
Question 2: I would not be surprised at all that Darcy would fight a duel, especially for those he loves. On one hand it seems like a rash action but on the other he is a passionate person who puts those he loves over his own well being. He also definitely has a jealous streak!
Question 3: I suppose because her son was her informant. In general I was surprised that his entire family never seemed to question anybody else regarding the circumstances of the duel. They seemed quick to assume that he was dishonorable, which frankly was pretty awful for Edward.
Question 4: I liked Edward. He was one of the few new characters that I liked and felt deserved a happy ending. I felt for his circumstances and it was nice to see Darcy have other friendships besides Colonel Fitz and Bingley.
Question 5: I knew it had to be Lady B’s doing. She was so manipulative and considering her failed entrapment attempts with Edward it wasn’t surprising that she took advantage of an opportunity to get rid of him. As I said in Q#3 though… I am surprised that her plan was so effective and that nobody followed up with other people.
Question 6: I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the elements of Mansfield Park in it and it was refreshing to read such an imaginative variation. I can’t wait for the next book! 🙂
Shannon
Lumee23 at gmail dot com
Question 1: I could nto wait to find out what happened next! I felt I saw some changes in Charles that he is going through major character development and wish he had started to become like this earlier in novel. There had been tension between him and Darcy for so long in the novel that i have been anticipating it.
Question 2: I am having a hard time answering this question since I keep imagining Colin Firth’s version fencing scene when you see Darcy before he went back to Pemberley. 🙂
Question 3: Why would her own son lie to her? She did not raise him to be like that so it had to have been true.
Question 4: He seems to have a good relationship with Darcy and seem to know each other better. I think his exile was one of the good things that could have happened to him other wise he would not have met Lady Mary. With these two characters, once you heard the back story reminded me of movie/musical Thoroughly Modern Millie with his character not telling female true identity and under cover as someone in lower class when really they are upper class.
Question 5: I had a feeling it might have been Lady Bentham as a possibility since she seemed to be the kind of person who wants what she wants for everyone and no one else. She only thinks about herself and doesn’t care what she has to do. I at one point thought it might have been Charles but that did not make sense.
Question 6: I loved Bentham Park! I wish it was part of a series of books so I can visit the characters and place again! I love Abigail Reynolds works and this is now one of my top two favorites by her. I can not wait for her next book.
Patkf2007 (at) hotmail (dot) com