Hi readers! Happy Wednesday! I’m excited to welcome author K. C. Cowan to Austenesque Reviews for her first visit! As you may have seen, K. C. published her first Austenesque release – The Bennets: Providence & Perception with Meryton Press recently! ✨

And that’s not all – K. C. was recently awarded a first-place ribbon for this novel at the Chanticleer Book Awards! 🥇

K. C. is here to share a guest post about finding love and working around the strictures of the Regency time period. We hope you enjoy!

The Problems and Perils of a Regency Romance

By KC Cowan

Thank you, Meredith, for hosting me on your lovely blog. Being a first-timer, I truly appreciate it.

Regency romance was so rigid and structured that it’s a wonder couples ever found a way to get together! Doing research on courting in the early 1800’s only reinforced that belief as I began to write The Bennets: Providence & Perception. Marriage for love was not as common as marriage for alliance. But that doesn’t make for a very good romance, right? (Jane Austen knew that.)

Men could not just “ask a young lady out” as they do today. A gentleman could not even walk up to an attractive young lady and introduce himself! They must first meet under appropriate circumstances and be introduced by a mutual party. Polite conversation might follow, after which, if “sparks flew,” a gentleman might ask the lady to dance. But keeping one’s reputation spotless was imperative. Admiring glances and holding hands while dancing was about as far as a couple could go, at least until the gentleman formally asked permission to court his young lady from her family.

The rules were most strict for young women. A lady could never allow herself to be alone with a young man without putting her reputation in great peril. Before an engagement, a couple could not even be seen together in a private setting – a chaperone was mandatory. So, in order to get the two couples in my novel together, I had to “bend” the rules a bit.

When trying to figure out how to get a romance going between Mary and Mr. Yarby, (the new rector at Longbourn), I knew that the usual Regency method—a ball or assembly—was not going to work, as Mary was well known for her disdain for dancing. Therefore, I decided to appropriate something from Jane Austen’s original Pride & Prejudice. Remember when Jane begs Mr. Collins (who is walking the garden with his cousin, Elizabeth) to come help Mary understand a tricky passage in Fordyce’s Sermons? It was so that Lizzy could spend time with Wickham. I assumed Mary was also in on the game. In my novel, I decided to have Mary remember that instance and reflect that she did it not so much to help her sister, Lizzy, as to help herself, since she actually saw Mr. Collins as a good and respectable prospect for marriage. In The Bennets, Mary decides to call on Mr. Yarby for pastoral guidance and clarification on Bible passages so that he may see what a sensible and intelligent young lady she is. Nobody could object to that, right? Most likely, the door to his study would have remained open so that there could be no hint of impropriety.

Later, I had Mary long to dance with Mr. Yarby at a local assembly. Since Mary had just returned from a long visit at Pemberley, I decided that Georgiana would have taken Mary under her wing and taught her some dances during her stay. Sadly, a misunderstanding leads Mary to believe her invitation from Mr. Yarby to dance was a “pity” request and her self- esteem spirals.

The newly widowed Mr. Bennet, on the other hand, posed a different challenge. He is surprised to discover feelings for Mrs. Amelia Withers. She is a widow and comes to keep house at Longbourn parish for her brother. I did a lot of research, but could find nothing specific about how a widowed couple might court. Were there different rules for them, considering their older ages? I decided the two would become walking companions, which would have been seen as an innocent enough activity should they be observed. However, since Mr. Bennet is so recently widowed and in deep mourning, both he and Mrs. Withers would be cognizant of the risk of showing any affection in a public manner. One of my favorite scenes to write was the two of them standing beside each other at an assembly, speaking, but not even looking at each other as they softly declared their feelings.

Although their ages might give them a little more flexibility in their budding romance, I knew there could still be missteps along the way. And my characters knew it, too, which is why they kept their affections hidden. Had Mr. Bennet not been in mourning, he could have applied to Mr. Yarby for permission to court Amelia. Or she could have discussed her growing esteem for her brother’s employer with Mr. Yarby. Instead, they try to hide their growing love and it leads to a dangerous situation.

All heartaches are resolved in the end. Just as Jane Austen herself knew, readers want their Happily Ever After!

Ooh! Sounds like a dual story-line, dual romance kind of story! And its about two secondary characters! I love it! I can’t wait to see what type of clergyman Mr. Yarby is, and I love the idea of seeing Mr. Bennet fall in love! 💗

Thank you for sharing this interesting post about the challenges of courtships, K. C.! It sounds like creativity and contrivance were very necessary for couples wanting to spend some time together! 

~ Book Description ~

Either ignored or ridiculed by her family, Mary Bennet desires only happiness—

Poor Miss Bennet—with three sisters married, she will no doubt be left “on the shelf” unless she takes steps to secure her own happiness. So, with the arrival of Mr. Yarby, a handsome new rector for Longbourn chapel, Mary decides to use her Biblical knowledge to win his heart.

Meanwhile, her recently widowed father finds himself falling for the older sister of his new reverend. But Mr. Bennet is officially in mourning for his late wife—what a scandalous situation! Unfortunately, Longbourn’s heir, Mr. Collins, has the antennae for a scandal and makes blackmail threats.

Will an overheard conversation between the Yarby siblings break Mary’s heart? Or will it impel her to a desperate act that threatens everyone’s hopes for lasting love?

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~ Connect with K. C. ~

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~ About K. C. ~

KC Cowan spent her professional life working in the media as a news reporter in Portland, Oregon for KGW-TV, KPAM-AM and KXL-AM radio, and as original host and story producer for a weekly arts program on Oregon Public Television. She is co-author of the fantasy series: Journey to Wizards’ Keep, The Hunt for Winter, and Everfire. The Hunt for Winter and Everfire were both awarded First Place OZMA citations from Chanticleer International Book Awards for fantasy writing.

KC is also the author of two other books: “The Riches of a City” – the story of Portland, Oregon, and “They Ain’t Called Saints for Nothing!” in collaboration with artist Chris Haberman, a tongue-in-cheek look at saints. She is married and lives in Tucson, Arizona.

 

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Meryton Press is generously giving away 1️⃣ ebook copy of The Bennets: Providence & Perception in conjunction with K. C.’s visit today!  

…And K. C. is also giving away 1️⃣ signed paperback copy of The Bennets: Providence & Perception (US only)!

To enter this giveaway leave a comment, a question, or some love for K. C.!

• This giveaway is open worldwide (ebook ony).  Thank you, Meryton Press and K. C.!
• This giveaway ends May 17h!

Thank you to Janet Taylor, Meryton Press, and K. C. Cowan for making this visit possible!