Sally Smith O'Rourke's Special Story of a Darcy Dedication
Through the Decatur Book Festival I was blessed to begin to know a number of Austen inspired authors that I had not yet had the opportunity to know. Sally was one of those. I am very happy to have her visit with us at Darcyholic Diversions today and learn a bit more about her latest release.
Sally is offering two eBook copies of her latest release, Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen, for those who comment on the her post. Additional entries will be given for joining this site, tweeting this post, joining this site as a member via Google Friend Connect (GFC) (See the left hand column on the blog to join!), sharing this on Facebook or your blog, Friend Barbara Tiller Cole on Facebook, clicking 'like’ on Barbara Tiller Cole, Author's Facebook Page.
Some of you may be aware that my late husband, Michael, and I collaborated on The Man Who Loved Jane Austen. It was a very personal project that he called the ultimate valentine because it came out of our love for each other.
Sally is offering two eBook copies of her latest release, Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen, for those who comment on the her post. Additional entries will be given for joining this site, tweeting this post, joining this site as a member via Google Friend Connect (GFC) (See the left hand column on the blog to join!), sharing this on Facebook or your blog, Friend Barbara Tiller Cole on Facebook, clicking 'like’ on Barbara Tiller Cole, Author's Facebook Page.
Some of you may be aware that my late husband, Michael, and I collaborated on The Man Who Loved Jane Austen. It was a very personal project that he called the ultimate valentine because it came out of our love for each other.
We decided to bind the finished product and give it as gifts
to friends and family. Originally we did a dozen copies that were hand bound
with green ribbon in three volumes as Austen’s books were printed. When people
started asking for additional copies we had them professionally printed and
bound rather than trying to keep up with the demand with handmade editions.
It was fun that everyone seemed to enjoy the book, but the fun didn’t last long. I lost Michael suddenly on November 14, 2001; my world crashed. Everything went on the shelf, even my life.
It was fun that everyone seemed to enjoy the book, but the fun didn’t last long. I lost Michael suddenly on November 14, 2001; my world crashed. Everything went on the shelf, even my life.
A few months after the funeral, a close friend (the best man
at our wedding) called and told me that I needed to get out so he was taking me
to the screening of a movie. He was right of course, it would have been very
easy for me to become a hermit. As a member of BAFTA (British Academy of Film
and Television Arts) he had passes to an, as yet, unreleased British film. I
grudgingly agreed to go and just as I was leaving he called again and asked
that I bring a copy of the book. “Why?” I asked (he had gotten one of the
original hand bound editions). “I want to give it to someone.” I picked up a
copy and left.
The screening was at one of the film and television studios
in Hollywood. As it was only a short time after 9/11 the security was extreme.
There were check points to get on to the parking lot, the walk through gate,
the building entrance and the theatre itself. Very time consuming.
When we reached the stairs leading to the theatre it was
clear the theatre was not yet open as a crowd was gathering in the hall.
Apparently the film had arrived without numbers differentiating the reels so
the projectionist had no idea in which order they were to run. Until it was
cleared up they wouldn’t let anyone in the theatre (never was really sure why,
overly secure I guess). A tall, handsome young man politely made his way
through the crowd and straightened it all out and we were finally allowed to
enter the screening room.
While Roger made his rounds to visit with friends I sat down
and waited, still finding it difficult to mingle with people; particularly strangers.
After a while he came over, handed me the book and looked up the aisle, “Go
give it to him.” I looked over my shoulder, six feet away was the star of the
movie we were there to see. The tall young man who had fixed the film roll
problem. I looked back at Roger quizzically. “You dedicated the book to him,
give it to him.” “Seriously?” I asked. He pulled me to my feet, “Yes.”
We had dedicated the book to him. To him, Jennifer
Ehle and Jane Austen. I took a deep breath and looked back at Roger; he nodded
his head and sat down. Slowly I made my way up the steps and stood next to him
as he finished a conversation with someone else. He turned to me and smiled,
“Hello.” I didn’t reciprocate the greeting, I just said, “I have something for
you.”
His lovely smile turned to trepidation and I realized that
he was afraid I was a stalker. I assured him I wasn’t, told him about the book
and showed him the dedication. The smile returned and he thanked me as the
house lights dimmed and we returned to our seats.
After a much anticipated Question and Answer session with
the film’s director, producer and cast, Roger and I headed to the exit. As we
neared the door the young man stopped me. He thanked me again, saying he was
exceedingly touched and had never been given a nicer compliment. He bent down
and kissed my cheek and then was pulled away by another fan.
In the tram that took us to the car a woman’s voice asked,
“You’re the one who gave Colin the book aren’t you?” I turned around, the
question had been asked by Minnie Driver who was sitting next to Saffron
Burrows. I only had time to respond in the affirmative when we arrived at the
car.
It was an amazing evening but I didn’t really appreciate and
enjoy it as much as I might have. The wound incurred by the loss of Mike was
still raw and I was very much in a daze most of the time. Still the gracious
young man left an indelible impression and what else can you say when you’ve
been kissed by Colin Firth?
Somehow Darcyholic Diversions seemed the perfect place for
the telling of this story even though this post is supposed to be for the
launch of my newest book, Yours
Affectionately, Jane Austen (also dedicated to Jane Austen, Jennifer Ehle
and Colin Firth). It is the expansion and continuation of the story in The Man Who Loved Jane Austen. It delves
into the complex nature of Fitzwilliam Darcy, the 21st century
American horseman who slipped through a rip in the fabric of time and met Jane
Austen.
Eliza Knight, the Manhattan artist who finds the letter
proving to Darcy that he did, in fact, travel in time, has fallen in love with
the enigmatic Virginian after a long weekend at his home, Pemberley Farms. His
epic tale of love and romance in Regency England puts Eliza on the defensive.
How can she compete with the inimitable Jane Austen? And things are happening
in the small hamlet of Chawton, England that could change everything. Will Jane
Austen be the wedge that divides the modern couple or the tie that binds them?
Comments On Sally's Latest Release:
Ann Channon of Jane Austen’s House Museum (Chawton Cottage)
said:
“I have finished Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen and
really liked it. Your books are imaginative and very different. Your ideas are
new and fresh and endearing. Well, done.”
…smartly old-fashioned love story that is poignant and completely enthralling." Regina Jeffers
A Sneak Peak Excerpt From Sally's Latest Book!
PROLOGUE
Pemberley Farms, Virginia
Summer, Now
Torch flames danced in the still
summer night as liveried footmen ran ahead to light the way for the beautifully
restored, horse drawn carriages. Gravel crunched under the wheels as the
remaining guests of this year’s Rose Ball made their way to the gates of
Pemberley Farms. It was meant to look like a scene from the past and Eliza
Knight had no doubt that it did. In fact, she was sure this is how it looked in
1795 when the first Rose Ball was held. At least, she imagined this was how it
looked and sounded.
Eliza pushed herself away from the
railing on the balcony of her bedroom in Pemberley House as the grandfather
clock on the second floor landing struck the half hour. Darkness fell over the
estate as the young men doused their torches, leaving only moonlight. The
footfalls of the remaining servants faded into the distance and all was quiet.
The mournful cry of a hoot owl signaled the close of this amazing fairytale
evening.
Although the
sun was fully up in the Virginia summer sky, it was not yet hot. Fitz found
jumping exhilarating; the cool morning air caressing his face, and Lord Nelson,
so strong and graceful, took all the jumps with no effort.
Heritage Week
was over so things could get back to normal. He shrugged. Whatever normal is. He realized there was a very good chance that
his normal was about to change radically. Eliza’s letter—the one she had found
written to him from Jane—had ended his search for the truth of his Regency
encounter. But Eliza did much more than give him the letter.
He had been
merely surviving, not living, in the years since his mother’s death. He’d
thrown himself into the business of Pemberley Farms to the exclusion of almost
everything else. Eliza’s arrival had heralded an acute awareness of that fact.
It was as though a light was suddenly shining so he could see the world around
him. She made him want to live again. And she had given him the letter… Jane’s
letter.
Fitz reined
Lord Nelson to a walk as they entered the cool shade of the woods on the edge
of his property.
Jane. He had
spent more than three years seeking proof of his meeting with her and of her
feelings for him. Almost as if he’d been transported again back to Chawton in
1810, the image of Jane’s sweet face flooded his mind. He thought back to that
morning and his inauspicious entrance into Jane Austen’s life.
The combination
of his head injury and the laudanum prescribed by Mr. Hudson, the Austen family
physician, caused Darcy to slip in and out of consciousness. He tried to sit
up, the effort making him dizzy.
Jane gently
laid a hand on his chest. “Please, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Hudson wants you to remain
still.”
Through a
cotton mouth, his head spinning, Darcy asked, “Mr. Hudson?”
“The doctor,”
Jane said. “You must rest now Mr. Darcy.” The American looked at her face. Her
curiosity was palpable even in his drugged state. Unable to think clearly,
never mind responding to questions he wasn’t sure he could answer, he closed
his eyes completely and turned his head away.
Jane returned
to her vanity table where she continued to write; a single candle and the
flames in the fireplace her only light. Interrupted in her writing by a low
murmur from Darcy, she took the candle and quietly approached the bed. He was
tossing back and forth, his face flushed and contorted; he was speaking in
quiet tones, a hodgepodge of words that meant nothing to her. He spoke what she
could only suppose were the nonsensical ramblings of a sick brain; she
attributed words like television and jet to his head injury and delirium. She
placed her hand softly on his cheek and was distressed by the heat radiating
from him. Using fresh linen soaked in water from the pitcher on her wash stand,
Jane swabbed his face and neck, then laid it across his forehead. It seemed to
calm him and she went back to her writing.
Each time he
grew restless Jane stopped writing and went to the bed to refresh the linen
with cool water. After three episodes in close succession she remained on the
edge of the bed so she was at hand, and each time he started to toss and turn
she would caress his face and neck with the cool, damp linen in hopes that it
would, in time, reduce his fever.
She stayed
there until Darcy’s features turned placid and he was breathing more evenly. He
finally seemed to be sleeping comfortably. She laid her small, soft hand on his
cheek. The fever was broken. She dropped the cloth into the basin. Stiff from
sitting in one position for so long without support, she stood up and stretched.
She was not particularly tired but needed to get some rest.
Quietly she
crossed the wooden floor and slipped the small pages of writing she was working
on into the drawer of the vanity, then took a nightgown from the closet next to
the fireplace. Glancing back at the bed she stepped behind the screen.
He opened his
eyes just enough to see her slender, full-breasted figure silhouetted on the
muslin screen, back-lit by the remnants of the fire as the light fabric of her
nightgown floated down to envelope her.
Jane stopped at
the bed before making her way to Cassandra’s room for a few hours of sleep. As
she stood over him he watched surreptitiously through the veil of his
eyelashes. She leaned down and whispered, “Good night, Mr. Darcy,” almost
brushing his lips with her own. In spite of his continuing laudanum haze, he
could see that her eyes were filled with a tenderness that caused him to grab
her hand as she straightened up; he didn’t want her to go.
Without opening
his eyes or letting go of her hand he said, “Please don’t leave me.”
Unsure whether
this was further evidence of the delirium or whether he was actually requesting
her presence, she pulled her hand away. He did not move to take it again but
said, “Please, stay.”
Cognizant of
Mr. Hudson’s admonition of keeping the injured American calm and concerned her
leaving might agitate him, Jane sat once again on the edge of the bed. Darcy
smiled in the flickering flame of the dying fire. He said nothing more but
gently took her hand. He did not relinquish it again until she rose to move to
a chair by the side of the bed where she finally slept.
The movement
woke him. His mind finally clear of drugs, he scanned the room in the dim,
pre-dawn light. There were no electrical outlets or switches, no lamps, television
or telephone, and the only clock appeared to be pendulum driven. Everyone he’d
seen wore costumes similar to the ones people wore to the Rose Ball. Those
things and the medical treatment he had received led him to the inexplicable
conclusion that somehow he’d fallen into another time—a time when Jane Austen
was alive.
And there she
sat, serene in what had to be an uncomfortable position for sleep; his nurse,
his savior and much prettier than she was depicted in the only portrait of her
to survive to the twenty-first century. She was not the brazen hussy of Darcy
family lore but a sweet and loving woman who took care of him without concern
for her own safety or expecting anything in return. His mother would have said
she was a true Christian.
As he watched
her in the pale light of the dying embers his head started to throb as though a
nail was being driven through it. He closed his eyes and blessed sleep overtook
him.
Jane was an
incredibly strong, intelligent, willful and virtuous woman who followed the
propriety of the day… mostly. During the last three years he’d often wondered
what might have happened between them if he’d been forced to stay in early
nineteenth-century England. Of course with the way her brothers felt about him,
he probably wouldn’t have seen her again.
If the
circumstances had been different would he have married her? He could have been
happy with her, he supposed, but over the years he’d come to realize that the
love he felt for her was based on who she was, the awe in which he held her,
caring for him when she certainly didn’t have to, loving him. Then again, did she love him? She had never said it
and the letter Eliza had found and given him showed obvious affection but she
urged him to find his true love. Apparently she didn’t think she was it. Had
they ever loved each other or had it just been a fling across the ages?
He laughed.
What difference did any of it make? Jane Austen had been dead for almost two
hundred years. Still, the undisputed icon of witty English romance had kissed
him whether she loved him or not. He still had to pinch himself to believe it
had ever happened.
He had no such
questions about Eliza. Everything felt right when he was with her. This was no
fling. He had no idea where they were headed, but for the first time in years
he was looking forward to the rest of his life. As long as Eliza was with him
he didn’t care where they were headed.
Fitz and Lord
Nelson crossed the bridge at a leisurely gait; the ground fog was burning off
in the warm morning sun. Had it really been only two days since he and the
great stallion were galloping across the bridge before the fog had lifted and
run Eliza off the road and into a muddy drainage ditch? He hadn’t even realized
she was there until it had happened. When he did, he brought Nelson to a stop
and, without questioning who she was or why she was walking along a road on his
property, he had lifted her onto Lord Nelson’s back and then swung up behind
her. She was slightly light headed from the sudden fall, and once on the horse
she had leaned against his chest and he’d had to control a strong desire to
kiss the top of her head. He still didn’t understand how a complete stranger
could make him feel that way, but he didn’t really care. From the first moment,
being with her felt right and wonderful and that was all that mattered.
She had touched
something in him that no one else ever had, including Jane, even before he knew
her. At the Austen exhibit at the New York Public Library he had found himself
staring at her. He laughed remembering that he had thought of her as a
raven-haired beauty. Then two days ago she had come out of the fog and into his
life.
He had told her
his story about jumping through a rift in time and meeting Jane Austen. It had
been very difficult at first, but once he started it tumbled out and had been a
relief that he wasn’t carrying it around anymore. It was as though a weight had
been lifted and this slight, feisty New Yorker had done the lifting. She had
listened to him with an intensity that had made her a part of the story. She
had been kind and compassionate—he had seen real grief when she asked him about
leaving Jane—and she had given him the letter that answered his questions about
whether he’d actually met Jane Austen and how Jane felt about him.
Jane would
always hold a special place in his heart, but Eliza held his heart. Maybe it
was too early to take it all for love, but it certainly felt the way he'd
always thought love is supposed to feel.
Horse and rider
stepped out from the cool canopy of the woods and into the warm summer sun.
Spurring his favorite horse to a full gallop Fitz guided him over every fence
and stream on their way back to the barn. |
Links to Sally Smith O'Rourke's Books on the Internet:
Thank you for sharing your story, Sally. You were lucky to have met Colin Firth although you did not fully appreciate the moment due to your husband's passing. May I ask, should one read The Man Who Loved Jane Austen first before diving into Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen?
ReplyDeleteBlog about it: http://forloveofausten.blogspot.com/2012/10/austenesque-book-giveaways-from-8-14.html
GFC follower: Lúthien84
Friend Barbara on FB: Sylvia Claire Chan
Like Barbara's FB page: Sylvia Claire Chan
I don't believe that it is necessary to read TMWLJA but I won't complain if folks buy both books. :-)
DeleteYour story is so touching! I am deeply sorry for your husband's passing. I do envy that you met Colin Firth!
ReplyDeleteI love your story. I'm so glad that you found the love of your life and that you have such wonderful memories of him. That is a rare gift. To have that and a kiss from Colin? Oh, my, you have been blessed.
ReplyDeleteAll the best with this newest book.
Sally-thank you for sharing your sweet story with us. I can't wait to read your book!
ReplyDeleteSally, your post was as lovely as your excerpts. Michael would have been so proud of you! I doubt I would have had the nerve to approach Colin Firth. ;)
ReplyDeleteBecause I have been married to my best friend for 36 years, I can appreciate the depth of your loss. Because your friends care so much about you, it is certainly a testament to you as well. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete