Paperback(Original)
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
With wit, aplomb, and delectable style, Elizabeth Aston once again re-creates the world of Jane Austen, populating her novel with captivating characters firmly rooted in Austen's traditions but distinctly her own, resulting in another delightful comedy of manners, morals, and marriage.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780743261937 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Touchstone |
| Publication date: | 03/02/2005 |
| Edition description: | Original |
| Pages: | 368 |
| Sales rank: | 1,037,841 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.00(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy
A NovelBy Elizabeth Aston
Touchstone
Copyright © 2005 Elizabeth AstonAll right reserved.
ISBN: 0743261933
Prologue
The window slid up without a sound, with not a rattle nor squeak to break the silence of early morning. Alethea hitched a leg over the sill, leant down to pick up her bundle of clothes, and swung the other leg over to perch some fifteen feet above the ground. She glanced back into the bedchamber. The motionless figure on the bed was snoring quietly, an arm flung out over the covers, his hair ruffled. The remnants of a fire crackled as a burnt log broke and fell apart in a shower of sparks.
She eased herself down from the sill on to the branch of the magnolia tree espaliered against the red bricks of the house. The huge creamy flowers showed pale in the greyness of the early morning. She shut the window by tugging on the glazing bars, dropped the bundle, and began her descent.
A gentle scrunch on gravel as her feet touched the ground. A pounding heart, a catching of breath. Fear mingled with elation as she smelt the misty morning air and tasted the scent of freedom. She didn't pause to catch her breath or to think about what she was doing. Time pressed, there was not a moment to lose. She picked up her bundle and edged round the corner of the house.
No one stirred. No dog barked, no early-wakening servant called out to ask who was there. With swift, silent steps, she crossed the sweep, on to the lawn, running now alongside the driveway, visible to anyone who looked out from behind the rows of windows of the great house. No challenge rang out, no shouted demands for her to stop broke the dawn peace. The only sound was of birdsong, and, then, in a distant farmyard, a cock crowed.
Figgins was waiting beside the gate, her face tight with anxiety.
"What's there in that bundle, Miss Alethea? I thought you wasn't bringing anything with you."
"Some clothes, and pray remember I'm no longer Miss, nor Alethea. Mr. Hawkins, if you please. Mr. Aloysius Hawkins, gentleman."
They were walking briskly along the lane, now, the huge wrought iron gates behind them, the stately line of limes hiding them from any watching eyes. Only why should there be any watching eyes? How could anyone suspect that the dutiful, obedient Mrs. Napier should abscond before dawn, leaving husband, house, and all behind her?
"I thought you didn't want to bring anything from there."
"It's best that I'm thought to have left the house as a woman. If a set of clothes are gone, a blue gown, that is what they will search for. How suspicious it would be if I had appeared to set out stark naked."
Figgins let out a snort of mirth at this fanciful notion.
"How far is it to the carriage?" Alethea went on.
"I told them to wait at the corner, where this lane runs into the bigger road."
Alethea was striding along, relishing the freedom of trousers and boots, of stretching her legs instead of taking ladylike steps. She slowed as Figgins stumbled against a large stone.
"I can't be doing with these country lanes," Figgins said. "I don't know how folk put up with living in the wilds like this. It isn't natural; people were meant to live in cities."
"This is hardly the wilds; we are a mere twenty-one miles from London."
"Might as well be on the moon, for it's a different world out here and not one I fancy. Give me cobbles and paving stones and a bit of noise and bustle. It was so quiet waiting here for you, it fair gave me the creeps. And there was something up in the tree above my head making a dreadful hooting, whooping sound."
"An owl."
"Owls is unlucky."
"Not this one."
They were at the end of the lane. There, standing in the mist rising from the warming ground, was a coach, with a postboy waiting by the two horses. As they approached, he went to the door of the carriage and let down the step.
Alethea gave him a quick good morning and then jumped in, followed by Figgins. Up went the step, the door was closed, the postboy swung himself into the saddle and clicked the horses into movement.
She had escaped.
Copyright © 2005 by A.E. Books Ltd.
Continues...
Excerpted from The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy by Elizabeth Aston Copyright © 2005 by Elizabeth Aston. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Reading Group Guide
A Touchstone Reading Group Guide
The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy
By Elizabeth Aston
Discussion Points
1. Alethea makes a hasty marriage to Mr. Napier to stop wagging tongues. Why doesn't she flee to Pemberley, her family's estate, when her marriage takes a frightening turn? Why doesn't she confide in Fanny, with whom she has a good relationship? Why does she choose to travel all the way to Italy, masquerading as a man instead? How much of a role does her desire to travel and be free play in her dangerous decision?
2. Both before and after leaving her husband, Alethea seeks the support of her sisters. Yet both Letty and Georgina refuse to believe Alethea's stories of her husband's cruelty. Why are they so adamant that Alethea must be lying or otherwise blowing things out of proportion? How does insisting Alethea return to Mr. Napier benefit the two sisters?
3. Alethea's journey to Italy forces her to become tougher and more intrepid, but she also finds the trip to be an opportunity to blossom and grow into womanhood while seeing sights that many of her generation could only read about. How does the journey affect her coming-of-age?
4. If you've read Jane Austen's novels—Pride and Prejudice in particular—do you think Elizabeth Aston has captured Austen's style and spirit?
5. Alethea and Titus seem to be well matched in many ways. Early on, we learn that they have similarly unconventional experiences with and thoughts on marriage. Titus slept with and supposedly loved a married woman for years. Alethea had premarital sex with her first love, then married Mr. Napier, whom she later ran away from. How much of a role do these atypical experiences have in Titus's decision to keep Alethea's secret when he first discovers her masquerading as Mr. Hawkins?
6. The author chooses many names with significance in this novel. For example, Titus's yacht is named the Ariadne, after the mythical daughter of King Minos, who was wronged by her lover and then rescued and married by the god Dionysus. There is also Titus (like Titan) Manningtree and Diana Gray. What other names in the novel have meaning to you?
7. Both art and music play a large role in this novel. Alethea's obsession is music—and it leads to her downfall as an abused wife. Titus becomes obsessed with a painting, which leads him into a duel and almost to his death. In fact, it isn't until Titus nearly kills a man that he finally comes to his senses about the direction his life has taken. Alethea notes, at one point, that music is not an accomplishment but an art in and of itself. How do the two disciplines relate to each other? How do they relate to these two characters?
8. There are many instances of first impressions leading characters astray in the novel. Alethea was so blinded by Penrose's charm that she mistook him for an honorable man. She similarly allowed herself to be charmed by Mr. Napier, who seemed sensitive and thoughtful before marrying her, and proving himself a brute. Titus instantly assumed that Alethea was cavorting as a man for fun, while she mistakes his later concern for nosiness and conventionalism. Can you think of other instances where characters turned out to be not what they seemed? Have you ever been misled by your first impression of someone? How did you resolve your mistake?
9. Why does Alethea agree to marry Titus in the end, when he's made it clear that he'll live with her, forever loyal, regardless? Why do you think the convention of marriage has persisted? How have the reasons to marry changed over the years?
10. In the first of Elizabeth Aston's novels, Mr. Darcy's Daughters, we were introduced to the five Darcy girls. Does The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy fulfill your expectations of the kind of adult (and wife) each girl might turn out to be? What would you like to see happen in a third novel?
Introduction
A Touchstone Reading Group Guide
By Elizabeth Aston
Discussion Points
1. Alethea makes a hasty marriage to Mr. Napier to stop wagging tongues. Why doesn't she flee to Pemberley, her family's estate, when her marriage takes a frightening turn? Why doesn't she confide in Fanny, with whom she has a good relationship? Why does she choose to travel all the way to Italy, masquerading as a man instead? How much of a role does her desire to travel and be free play in her dangerous decision?
2. Both before and after leaving her husband, Alethea seeks the support of her sisters. Yet both Letty and Georgina refuse to believe Alethea's stories of her husband's cruelty. Why are they so adamant that Alethea must be lying or otherwise blowing things out of proportion? How does insisting Alethea return to Mr. Napier benefit the two sisters?
3. Alethea's journey to Italy forces her to become tougher and more intrepid, but she also finds the trip to be an opportunity to blossom and grow into womanhood while seeing sights that many of her generation could only read about. How does the journey affect her coming-of-age?
4. If you've read Jane Austen's novels—Pride and Prejudice in particular—do you think Elizabeth Aston has captured Austen's style and spirit?
5. Alethea and Titus seem to be well matched in many ways. Early on, we learn that they have similarly unconventional experiences with and thoughts on marriage. Titus slept with and supposedly loved a married woman for years. Alethea had premarital sex with her first love, then married Mr. Napier, whom she later ranaway from. How much of a role do these atypical experiences have in Titus's decision to keep Alethea's secret when he first discovers her masquerading as Mr. Hawkins?
6. The author chooses many names with significance in this novel. For example, Titus's yacht is named the Ariadne, after the mythical daughter of King Minos, who was wronged by her lover and then rescued and married by the god Dionysus. There is also Titus (like Titan) Manningtree and Diana Gray. What other names in the novel have meaning to you?
7. Both art and music play a large role in this novel. Alethea's obsession is music—and it leads to her downfall as an abused wife. Titus becomes obsessed with a painting, which leads him into a duel and almost to his death. In fact, it isn't until Titus nearly kills a man that he finally comes to his senses about the direction his life has taken. Alethea notes, at one point, that music is not an accomplishment but an art in and of itself. How do the two disciplines relate to each other? How do they relate to these two characters?
8. There are many instances of first impressions leading characters astray in the novel. Alethea was so blinded by Penrose's charm that she mistook him for an honorable man. She similarly allowed herself to be charmed by Mr. Napier, who seemed sensitive and thoughtful before marrying her, and proving himself a brute. Titus instantly assumed that Alethea was cavorting as a man for fun, while she mistakes his later concern for nosiness and conventionalism. Can you think of other instances where characters turned out to be not what they seemed? Have you ever been misled by your first impression of someone? How did you resolve your mistake?
9. Why does Alethea agree to marry Titus in the end, when he's made it clear that he'll live with her, forever loyal, regardless? Why do you think the convention of marriage has persisted? How have the reasons to marry changed over the years?
10. In the first of Elizabeth Aston's novels, Mr. Darcy's Daughters, we were introduced to the five Darcy girls. Does The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy fulfill your expectations of the kind of adult (and wife) each girl might turn out to be? What would you like to see happen in a third novel?
Elizabeth Aston is a passionate Jane Austen fan who studied with Austen biographer Lord David Cecil at Oxford. The author of several novels, including Mr. Darcy's Daughters, she lives in England and Italy.
Visit www.elizabeth-aston.com for more information.