Dear Mr. Clemens,

Something scandalous has happened at Northanger Abbey. I do not know the particulars, but it must involve that tyrant General Tilney. His daughter Eleanor has suddenly taken it into her head to find a husband! Any husband, so long as she escapes the general as soon as possible.

Whispers hint that she will settle for any man rich enough to satisfy her father, but what no one is talking about is what poor Philip Brampton thinks. This reader knows that Mr. Brampton and Miss Tilney have been in love since they were children, but they have no hope of a happy union. Her father will never let Eleanor marry him. Philip is neither rich nor grand enough for the controlling general. I shudder to think what he would he do to Eleanor if he learnt she really wants to marry Philip.

Rumor says that Sir Charles Sudbury is looking for a wife, and he has twelve thousand a year. General Tilney will be pleased, but I heard that there is neither servant nor woman on the town who Sir Charles hasn’t had in his bed. It is likely not a practice he will give up when he marries.

What is Eleanor thinking by going to this house party—with Philip there—to find any husband the general will approve of? What happened at Northanger to make such a sensible, kind woman settle for a loveless marriage? They say that Philip is too shy to challenge the general, but he is devoted to Eleanor. He must be devastated, and he would be such a better husband to a warm heart like Eleanor’s than that cold, selfish Sir Charles.

Can anything good come of such a scenario? What will General Tilney do if he learns his daughter has secretly been in love with a poor man with no connections? What will Eleanor do if she actually marries someone other than Philip? She will be breaking both of their hearts, but what can I do to help her?

Your sincerely,

A concerned friend

About Loving Miss Tilney: She’s forbidden to wed a nobody. He’s nothing in society’s eyes. Will their desperate schemes backfire before they find a way to be together?

Northanger Abbey. Eleanor Tilney can’t bear her lonely life any longer. Distraught when her tyrannical father throws her friend out of the house because the girl lacks an inheritance, the long-suffering general’s daughter decides anything is better than a future all alone. So in a frantic bid for freedom, she puts aside her tender feelings for a man of no standing to pursue a wealthy husband.

Philip Brampton understands that fortune is against him. And he tries gallantly to bury his distress and support his lonely beloved, even after she starts pursuing an arrogant buffoon. But when he catches the fellow about to kiss her, their resulting harsh words cause a heartbreaking rift.

Stiffening her spine in a world that refuses to acknowledge her value, Eleanor attempts to navigate the impossible situation without quashing her desires. And though his shy nature abhors a scene, Philip braces himself for a confrontation with her cruel and abusive patriarch.

Do these childhood sweethearts have any hope of achieving lasting happiness?

Excerpt: “So long as he is not a fool or a rake or has a temper like my father’s, I will do what I must to marry the first eligible man I see.”

“You are in earnest? Eleanor, no!” Alice cried. “What about Mr Brampton?”

The mention of Philip’s name brought fresh to her heart the most excruciating and intolerable pang. “He is a friend, and friend enough that he would be happy to see me removed from Northanger.”

Alice gave her a disbelieving stare, and Eleanor looked away in silence, her heart beating fast.

“Mr Brampton is merely the son of your mother’s cousin, then?” Alice’s voice raised sceptically. “A childhood friend, the intimate of Mr Henry Tilney’s? That is all he is to you?”

She could hardly say that he could be everything to her if only he had the courage to speak and if her father would ever agree. If General Tilney disdained Catherine Morland, he would never consider Philip. Philip Brampton had connexions her father could value, but not near to the fortune.

Whatever our feelings are for one another, Philip has enough pride not to ask when he knows the general would never consent to our union.

Eleanor, endeavouring to collect herself and speak with firmness, went on. “Mr Brampton and I are connected by the bonds of common friend‐ ship, no more, and he knows what I suffer at Northanger. Mr Brampton would, of course, wish a happy union for me—”

“With himself!”

“With a gentleman my father approved of and whom I respected.”

“He might say that, but he won’t feel it in his heart.” Alice gave her a long look. “How can you marry a man you don’t love?”

She felt a calm resolve settle over her. “I am not interested in captivating a man’s heart. There is some man who needs a wife with a fortune, with good connexions, a wife to keep his house and tend to his children and who requires nothing more than respect and the authority due to any married woman.”

“You might be made so unhappy if you choose poorly.”

Eleanor gave her a sad smile. “How happy do you think I am now? My happiness will come from my freedom from Northanger.”

Buy link: https://mybook.to/LovingMissTilney

About the Author: Heather Moll writes romantic variations of Jane Austen’s classic novels. She is known for her historic details, unique plots, and characters true to the beloved originals. She is an avid reader of mysteries and biographies with a masters in information science. She found Jane Austen later than she should have and made up for lost time by devouring her letters and unpublished works, joining JASNA, and spending too much time researching the Regency era. She is the author of An Appearance of Goodness, An Affectionate Heart, Nine Ladies, and Loving Miss Tilney. She lives with her husband and son, and struggles to balance all the important things, like whether to clean the house or sit down and write.

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