Read Christmas With Mr Darcy Online
Authors: Victoria Connelly
Christmas With Mr Darcy (13 page)
‘All in the past, Pamsy,’ he said with a smile.
‘I was just so confused by everything and, well, you must admit that we don’t see you very often.’
He nodded. ‘I know and that’s something I was trying to make amends for.’
‘Really? That’s why you’re here?’
Benedict gave a funny little cough. ‘Well, I – erm – I had a bit of a scare recently.’
‘What sort of a scare?’ Dan asked.
‘A medical scare,’ Benedict said.
‘Oh, god! Are you all right?’ Dan said.
‘I’m absolutely fine,’ Benedict said. ‘Had a spot of cancer but it’s all fine now,’ he said, casually waving a hand, as if it might have been a common cold he’d caught. ‘Only these things make a chap think, don’t you know, and I realised I wasn’t spending enough time with the people I love most in the world.’
‘Oh, Benedict! You know you’re always welcome here, don’t you?’ Dame Pamela crossed the room and Benedict stood up to receive her hug. ‘You should have told us!’
‘I don’t like to worry anybody,’ he said.
‘But that’s a big sister’s job – to worry about her little brother.’
Dan stood up and gave Benedict a hug too. ‘You’re sure you’re okay?’
‘Never better, Danny boy. Never better.’
Dan took a deep breath. ‘Good heavens! What a day. How’s about a drink, everyone?’
‘How’s about some mulled wine?’ Dame Pamela said.
Higgins went off to fetch the mulled wine, bringing back a large silver jug and four thick glass goblets.
‘This is certainly one conference that shall go down in the history of Purley Hall,’ Dame Pamela said as she gave her ruby earrings a little tug and thanked her lucky stars that none of her jewels had seen the inside of Jackson Moore’s pockets.
‘I hope it hasn’t put you off running them,’ Robyn said, worried in case Dame Pamela was leading up to saying just that.
Dame Pamela finished her mulled wine and held her glass out to Higgins for a refill. ‘Of course it hasn’t, my dear. Jane Austen fans are made of strong stuff. In fact, I was just thinking of an Easter conference. What do you think? Perhaps we can discuss it after a little bite to eat. Higgins? I think mince pies are in order, don’t you?’
‘Certainly, madam,’ Higgins said and he left the room forthwith.
***
An Interview with Victoria Connelly
Did you always want to be a writer?
Absolutely! I used to make up my own versions of Enid Blyton’s
Famous Five
stories and I started writing my first novel when I was fourteen – bashing it out on a manual typewriter with a bottle of Tipex by my side, and giving it to my friends to read during maths lessons at school.
What inspires you to write?
Everything.
I’ve been inspired by all sorts of things like films, stories told to me by friends, my fears and my obsessions – I’ve even been inspired by junk mail. I have so many ideas for future books that it’s quite scary but also very exciting. I love that inspiration can come from all sorts of things and that it can happen at any time and anywhere.
Where do you write?
We recently moved to a cottage in rural Suffolk and I have my own study at long last! It looks out over a little garden to fields full of horses. It’s lovely and quiet and it’s lined with books and lots of photographs and paintings. I absolutely love it.
What's a typical day like as a writer?
I aim to about 1,000 words a day and, if I achieve that, I tinker around with my website, Twitter and Facebook, answer emails and read.
I also love to potter around the garden with our hens and go for lovely walks with our dog to rejuvenate the imagination.
If you weren't a writer, what would you like to do?
I’d probably like to work in conservation – taking care of animals, the countryside or old historic buildings. Or maybe something in the film industry. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to work in Jim Henson’s Creature Shop!
What sort of books do you like to read? Do you have a favourite author?
My favourite novel is HE Bates’s
The Darling Buds of May
– a lovely romantic comedy about a family who live in rural Kent. I also adore Miss Read’s Fairacre books, and anything by Sophie Kinsella, Amy Tan and Rosamunde Pilcher. But I’ll occasionally break from women’s fiction and read a thriller. I love Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope books and the novels of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
What do you think of social media? Are you a fan of it?
I have to say that I love Facebook and Twitter. You can find me on both (@VictoriaDarcy on Twitter) and I’m forever posting up photos on Facebook. This is, of course, a terrible distraction from the actual business of writing but it’s also wonderful to connect with readers and I feel like I’ve made so many friends.
What was the inspiration behind your Austen Addicts books?
I’d been visiting lots of Jane Austen locations including her home in Chawton, Hampshire and I kept thinking how beautiful these places were and how much fun it would be to write about them and the idea for the trilogy came very quickly. It would be three separate books about three sets of Austen addicts and each would be set in a different Austen location. So
A Weekend with Mr Darcy
is set in Hampshire,
The Perfect Hero
(
Dreaming of Mr Darcy
in the US) is set in Lyme Regis, and
Mr Darcy Forever
is set in Bath.
I also wanted to explore what it was like to be an Austen fan in the twenty-first century and how so many of us use Austen to escape from the stresses and strains of the modern world.
Do you have a favourite character from the trilogy?
It’s really hard to choose just one character because I love them all even the dreadfully bossy Mrs Soames! But I do have a special affection for Katherine and Warwick because it was their story that came to me first. Dan Harcourt is also a favourite of mine – he’s the hero I’d be most likely to run away with!
Which is your favourite Jane Austen novel?
It’s got to be
Pride and Prejudice
for its warmth, its wit and its love story. Not only does it have the best hero and heroine ever but there’s a cast of fantastic ‘love to hate’ characters too. Mr Collins and Lady Catherine have got to be two of literature’s greatest creations.
Do you have a favourite film or TV adaptation of an Austen novel?
I think it has to be the 1995 BBC adaptation of
Pride and Prejudice
because Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle give such wonderful performances as Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet and there are some magical moments like Mr Darcy watching Elizabeth when she is at the piano; the moment he helps her into the carriage and their hands touch; and Elizabeth’s mortification when she bumps into him at Pemberley. I also adore the 1995 adaptation of
Sense and Sensibility
and
Persuasion
staring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds.
What’s next from Victoria Connelly? Can we expect any more Austen Addicts books in the future?
Well, never say never! I am toying with the idea of another novella because, at the end of
Christmas with Mr Darcy
, there’s a marriage proposal and I would love to revisit Purley Hall for a summer wedding.
In the meantime, there’s another romantic comedy coming in 2013 called
Wish You Were Here
. I’ll also be teaching a special one-day course for budding novelists at beautiful Assington Mill in Suffolk. The course is called ‘Novel in a Day’ and I’m really excited about it.
I’ll also be publishing
Escape to Mulberry Cottage
- the first book about our move from London to rural Suffolk. And there are one or two other surprises too…
About the Author
Victoria Connelly was brought up in Norfolk and studied English literature at Worcester University before becoming a teacher in North Yorkshire. After getting married in a medieval castle in the Yorkshire Dales and living in London for eleven years, she moved to rural Suffolk where she lives with her artist husband and a mad Springer spaniel and ex-battery hens.
Her first novel,
Flights of Angels
, was published in Germany and made into a film. Victoria and her husband flew out to Berlin to see it being filmed and got to be extras in it.
Five of her novels have been Kindle bestsellers.
If you’d like to contact Victoria or sign up for her newsletter about future releases, visit
victoriaconnelly.com
. She loves hearing from her readers.
She’s also on Facebook and Twitter @VictoriaDarcy
Other Books by Victoria Connelly
A Weekend with Mr Darcy
(Austen Addicts 1)
The Perfect Hero
(Austen Addicts 2) Published in the US as Dreaming of Mr Darcy
Mr Darcy Forever
(Austen Addicts 3)
Happy Birthday Mr Darcy
(Austen Addicts 5)
It's Magic
(A compilation volume: Flights of Angels, Unmasking Elena Montella and Three Graces)
One Perfect Week and Other Stories
Postcard from Venice and other stories
Escape to Mulberry Cottage
(non-fiction)
Secret Pyramid
(children’s adventure)
An Interview with Victoria Connelly
Other Books by Victoria Connelly
Table of Contents