Romance in the Snow

Dear Reader,

We have another most interesting report of a romantic liaisons to share with you.

It has come to the notice of the Teatime Tattler that a certain Miss A, a young woman—I hesitate to say ‘lady’—in her third season has at last managed to obtain a spouse, and one with a future title, at that. Or, at least, she has extracted the promise of one, as the deed is not yet done. Mr P may yet manage to extricate himself from the situation, for it appears that some subterfuge was involved by the young lady in bringing herself to his notice.

A certain Lady F informs me that the young woman was aided by the recent heavy snowfall, which incarcerated such members of the house party who had already arrived for some days longer than they expected to remain. That was not the only benefit to her schemes, however, for she managed not once, but twice, to fall in the snow when Mr P was nearby, and took advantage of his gentlemanly actions in assisting her. Surely two such falls cannot be accidental?

Will the young man escape the toils of the schemer? Time will tell, but be sure that the Teatime Tattler will report on any developments.

A Winter’s Romance: A Regency Anthology 

Jayne Davis is pleased to present her short story, Advice to Young Ladies, which will be part of an anthology including stories by Penny Hampson, Christina Dudley, Judith Hale Everett, Audrey Harrison, and GL Robinson.

Advice to Young Ladies

Ben Paynton is in no hurry to find a spouse. Neither is Kate Ardley, but she accompanies her stepmother and sister to Lady Paynton’s house party. When snow prevents most of the male guests arriving, Ben is thrown into the company of the young women his mother has invited rather more than he had planned, and begins to think that Kate might be someone he could spend the rest of his life with. Then an unexpected discovery shows Kate in a very different light.

Extract

Kate chose a vantage point from which to make her sketch. She wouldn’t have much time to draw before her fingers froze, but she relished the challenge of depicting this mostly white, snow-covered landscape. Her spot chosen, she took a step away from the cleared path and unfastened her satchel.

Absorbed in the drawing taking shape on her paper, Kate didn’t hear the quiet crunching of approaching footsteps on the path.

“Good morning, Miss Ardley.”

Startled, Kate turned to face Mr Paynton and took a step back. A step into snow that gave way beneath her foot. Her sketchbook, pencil, and the contents of the satchel all went flying as she waved her arms in an attempt to keep her balance, but to no avail. She fell, landing on her back in deep snow, seeing only sky above her. Snow found its way inside the neck of her pelisse and soaked through her stockings and boots, making her shiver. She struggled to sit up—not easy with her legs stuck in the snow.

“Are you hurt?” Mr Paynton gazed down at her.

“No.” No thanks to him. She managed to roll over and pushed herself to her feet, soaking her hands and arms in the process.

“I’m sorry I startled you. Take my hand.”

She reached up; his grip was firm, and she gasped as he hauled her effortlessly to his own level, then put a hand in the small of her back to steady her as she staggered towards the cleared path. “Thank you, sir.”

He gingerly stepped down into the hole she had made in the snow, and handed her satchel up to her. “Allow me to escort you back to the house.”

“No need, thank you, sir.” She had no wish to prolong the embarrassing encounter. Looking on the bright side of things, her undignified fall must have killed any interest he might have had in her, so she had no need to worry about that. Unfortunately, that thought did little to cheer her. 

About the Author

Jayne Davis was hooked on Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen from her teens, and always wanted to be a writer, but it was several decades and several careers before she self-published her first Regency Romance. Now she has 14 romances published, all set in the Regency or Georgian Eras, and has also co-authored Writing Regency England to help other authors with their own writing.

Author Links

Website: https://www.jaynedavisromance.co.uk/

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