Hi friends! I’m so excited to welcome back the lovely Riana Everly to Austenesque Reviews today. As you may have seen, Riana just released her 12th Austenesque book – Death in Sensible Circumstances. Which is the 4th book in her fabulous Miss Mary Investigates series. I’m so excited to see Mary Bennet meet and interact with the characters from Sense and Sensibility. I wonder what she will make of them… 🤔

Riana is here today to share an edifying post about a most dramatic and dangerous practice – dueling. We hope you enjoy! ⚔️

Duels – A Matter of Honour

Thank you, Meredith, for welcoming me to your fabulous blog once more. It’s always a great pleasure to be here to write a bit about my research and the background to my novels. In my latest mystery, Death in Sensible Circumstances, Mr Willoughby goes one step too far in his treatment of Marianne Dashwood, and Colonel Brandon has had enough. What happens? Read on!

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“One meeting was unavoidable…we met by appointment, he to defend, I to punish his conduct.”

-Colonel Brandon, Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 31

One of the most dramatic events in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility does not appear on the page at all. Instead, it is alluded to in these few words.

A duel!

Two men facing each other, armed as much by anger and indignation as with steel or gunpowder. Colonel Brandon, having just discovered the identity of the cad who seduced and abandoned his ward has issued a challenge. Willoughby, the villain in this scene, has chosen to accept rather than being branded a coward. They would have arrived at the arranged place, likely at dawn, to settle a grievance that was more personal than legal in nature.

Both were lucky to depart unwounded.

In the famous duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton in 1804, things didn’t go so well, and Hamilton died of his injuries. It was dramatic enough to merit its own musical, in fact.

Duels, as a set means of settling grievances, emerged in France in the late Middle Ages. They were an evolution of the Trial by Combat, the idea being that God would favour the man whose claim was just. These were combats between gentleman, on matters of honour, and far from a brawl or fistfight as might be carried out by the lower classes behnd the tavern.

Basically, duels were formal, personal battles, intended to press a matter of honour outside the purview of the legal system. There were two types of early duels, judicial and extra-judicial. Judicial duels were officially sanctioned, often by the king, and these were public events. Extra-judicial duels were the private, “meet me at dawn” type, and were criminal offenses. That didn’t stop them from happening.

In fact, despite being illegal, duels become so common a means of settling differences that a code of conduct was developed to govern them. The Code Duello was drawn up and settled at the Clonmel Summer Assizes in Ireland in 1777, and quickly became the standard in Ireland and Britain, as well as in the United States of America, with some differences. If a man killed his opponent in a duel, he was technically a murderer and could be charged and convicted as such, most such men were treated extremely leniently.

At each arranged meeting, attempts were made to settle the problem without resorting to violence. Each primary party in the duel (the two combatants) had a second, a trusted representative whose main job was to try to settle the matter peacefully. They were the ones who made the arrangements and who communicated with the other side. If they were tactful and their primaries reasonable, they could negotiate a peace that kept the honour of both sides. This attempt was continued until the engagement itself began. An apology at any time could prevent bloodshed.

There were different types of duels as well, and with different weapons. By the 19^th century, most duels were with pistols, and again, the Code Duello set out exactly how matters should proceed: how far apart the opponents should be, who could fire first, how many shots were allowed, etc. A few people still opted for swords as their weapon of choice. Here, once more, there were a great many options. Would they fight to the death? To first blood? Until one party was disarmed or ceded?

Regardless of the details, the idea was to settle a matter of honour, a personal insult that was unsupportable. Even if a duel resulted in no injuries, such as the one Austen mentions in Sense and Sensibility, the fact of demanding a duel sent the very clear message that a grave offense had been given, and that there must be some accounting.

In my latest Miss Mary Investigates novel, Death in Sensible Circumstances, Colonel Brandon learns that Mr Willoughby has not stopped at dishonouring Brandon’s ward, but now is threatening Marianne Dashwood as well. Brandon has called Willoughby out once and let him walk away. He might not be so inclined this second time.

Here is an excerpt from Death in Sensible Circumstances. Smelling salts may or may not be advisable.

***

[Alexander] lay in bed for longer than he ought, dreading the morning ahead and wanting to retreat into his all-too-pleasant dreams, but then twisted himself out from under the thin blankets. His room, on the second storey of this narrow building, was still warm from the sultry summer evening, but he threw on his coat, nonetheless. Had he only been walking down the flight of stairs to his office, he might have carried it with him, but he had an appointment at this unseemly hour.

The sun’s fingers were gilding the city in their pale gold embrace when he found one of the few hacks around and climbed aboard. The driver looked at him askance when he gave the direction. That field, only a short way out of town, and at such a time as this—not even a quarter past five in the morning—could mean only one thing.

“Not you, sir?” the driver asked.

“No indeed. I am trying to stop it.”

“Very well then.” And the hack started on its way.

Colonel Brandon and Willoughby were already at the field when he arrived. Their seconds were conferring by one of the nearby carriages, their backs to Alexander, although he heard the murmur of their voices. He thanked the driver and paid his fare; he would get a ride back to London with Brandon, or the doctor if need be.

“Lyons!” Colonel Brandon called from the field. “What the devil are you doing here? You have no need to witness this. Go back to Town.” The man looked fierce, almost feral, in his sporting wear. He swung a sword about in his hand as if it were a twig and his practice feints and lunges appeared, to Alexander’s eyes, deadly.

To Willoughby’s too, if the man’s face was any indication. He strutted about at the far end of the field in an attempt at nonchalance, but his ashen skin and rapid breathing, noticeable even at this distance, suggested the truth was otherwise. His one hand dandled a sword; the other moved up to mop sweat from his forehead every few seconds. Perhaps Willoughby was an unacknowledged master of swordplay, but if Alexander were a betting man, he would place his wagers on Brandon.

“What can I do to stop this?” Alexander called out as he crossed the field towards Brandon.

“Nothing our seconds have not already tried. I want those letters, and I want this cur out of London for good. But first, I want my drop of his blood.”

Willoughby looked up at these words and turned, if possible, an even paler shade of grey.

“He is terrified, Colonel. He can hardly walk in a straight line. Are you so cruel?”

Brandon bored into him with his eyes. “The cur ought to have been less cruel when he seduced and abandoned my ward, Eliza. He ought to have been less cruel when he dallied with Marianne. He ought to have been less cruel when, after marrying for money alone, he sought to coerce sweet Marianne into an illicit tryst, against her will and against her nature. No, Lyons, I am not the one who is cruel. Willoughby made his bed. Now let him lie in it.”

There must be some way to reason with him. “You cannot wish to do this. You will be a murderer; you risk hanging, unless you flee England. What good will you be to Eliza then? How will you be of use to Marianne?”

“I shall not be swayed, Lyons. Now leave me.”

Brandon turned his back and resumed his stretching with some deep lunges in the other direction.

At this moment, the seconds and doctor emerged from where they had been conferring at the carriages. One of those men was familiar. Alexander walked over and greeted his friend with a grim handshake.

“Colonel Fitzwilliam! What are you doing, embroiled in this nonsense?”

⚔️ Ooh! Way to leave us with bated breath, Riana! What will happen with this duel? Does Marianne know it is taking place? What is Mary’s opinion about this? I cannot wait to find out the answers to these questions and more!

Thank you for sharing such an informative and enticing post, Riana!

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~ Book Description ~

A Jane Austen-inspired mystery, set in the world of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, being the fourth novel in the Miss Mary Investigates series.

When Mary Bennet befriends Elinor Dashwood, she expects to become part of the young lady’s circle and be introduced to her friends and relations. She does not expect that one of this circle should die, far too young, and in most unfortunate circumstances. Worse, Elinor is secretly in love with one of the suspects, Edward Ferrars, and he is inconveniently engaged to somebody else. When an investigator is called in to assist, Mary is more surprised still.

Alexander Lyons expects to find death and deceit in his line of work, but he does not expect to come face to face with Mary, who hasn’t replied to his letters of late. What is she doing in London? And how is she involved with this sorry business of murder? Still, despite the tension between the two, they make a good team as they seek to unravel the mystery surrounding them.

From the elegant drawing rooms of Mayfair to the reeking slums of St. Giles, the two must use every bit of wit and logic they possess to uncover a killer, all the while, trying to puzzle out the workings of their own hearts.

Join Mary Bennet, Lizzy’s often overlooked sister from Pride and Prejudice, and her intriguing and handsome friend Alexander Lyons, as they are pulled into the world of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility in this, their latest adventure.

Death in Sensible Circumstances is available now!

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~ Connect with Riana ~

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~ Author Riana ~

Riana Everly is an award-winning author of romance, both contemporary and historical, and historical mysteries.

Born in South Africa, she moved to Canada as a child, bringing with her two parents, two younger sisters, and too many books. Yes, they were mysteries. From those early days of The Secret Seven and The Famous Five, she graduated to Nancy Drew, and then to the Grande Dames of classical English whodunnits, including Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh. Others followed, and many sleepless nights ensued.

When not matching wits with Miss Marple and Adam Dalgliesh, Riana keeps busy researching those little, but so-important, details for her next fabulous novel.

Trained as a classical musician, Riana has degrees in Music History and Medieval Studies, and enjoys photography, hiking, travelling, learning obscure languages, and experimenting with new recipes. If they include chocolate, all the better.

Her Miss Mary Investigates  series has charmed both Jane Austen fans and serious mystery lovers alike, and readers are always asking when the next story will be available.

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

In conjunction with her visit, Riana is giving away an ebook copy of Death in Sensible Circumstances to 1️⃣ lucky reader!

To enter this giveaway leave a question, comment, or some love for Riana!

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Riana!
• This giveaway ends April 29th!