Back to Austen

By Terri Lee

See for yourself why readers have fallen in love with this charming story. Can a storm change a young woman’s life forever? It certainly can if it causes an accident in time that sends her tumbling back to 1815 England. What is a girl to do when one has fallen through the rabbit hole and wakes up to find oneself on the estate of the dashing William Austen? Well the only sensible thing of course is to play along with the story one has landed in. A case of mistaken identity sends Kate Sumner into the arms of the local Sumner family, where she is welcomed with open hearts. But she soon learns that not everyone is happy about the sudden appearance of this charming American heiress. Kate must bide her time as she searches for an answer to her predicament, while tip toeing through the minefield of Nineteenth Century rules and customs. But will time buy her an opportunity to find love?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Terri Lee
• Release date: Feb 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310223914

Terri Lee

There I was, busy as a bee, enjoying my hectic happy life. But thankfully I wasn't too busy to recognize my dream when it came knocking on my door. As someone who has had a lifelong love affair with books, it's quite interesting to find myself on the other side of the page. But from the time I was a young girl, I always knew, this is exactly where I was meant to be.Through times of great joy and times of confusion, writing has always been my solace. It is the thing I return to over and over again. And it just goes to prove that it's never too late for your dream to find you.Born and raised in Northern California; that part of the country will always have a piece of my heart. My family moved to Missouri in my teenage years and when the love of my life walked through my door, that is where my heart truly found its home. As with all good things, when I least expected it.Forty years later, I am a wife, a mother and a grandmother, still married to my high school sweetheart, who has always been and continues to be my biggest cheerleader in whatever scheme I dream up. We have a Golden/Lab named Elizabeth Bennett (Lizzie) who is my muse and my steadfast writing partner. She only offers the kindest of critiques. Not to be outdone; our cat, Baby Kitty, is a card carrying terrorist, whose only mission is to thwart any goodness that comes my way. I make my home in a small rural town outside of Springfield Missouri; the sort of quiet place where the adventures reside only in my stories.

Book preview

Back to Austen

by

Terri Lee

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013 Terri Lee

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced,

distributed or transmitted

in any form or by any means or stored in a database

or retrieval system

without the prior written permission of the author.

ISBN: 1482735741

ISBN-13:978-1482735741

To

Jane Austen

who filled my head with romantic notions

and to

my darling husband, Rex

who gave them life.

Back to Austen is a complete work of fiction.

And though they will be sad to hear this,

the characters are not real.

They live only in my imagination,

and on these pages.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead

is simply a happy coincidence.

Cover design by

Nicole Spence of covershotcreations.com

Ebook formatting by

Adrian Low of www.ebooklaunch.com

Author photo courtesy R. Mueting

Special thanks to Andrew Fenske

for all your help.

Website: terrileeauthor.com

Table of Contents

1 - Kate

2 - Lost and Found

3 - Mapleton

4 - Catherine

5 - Agnes

6 - Visits

7 - France

8 - Settling In

9 - An Invitation

10 - A Ball

11 - A Question

12 - Freedom

13 - A Party

14 - A Decision

1

Kate

She caught her breath as he pulled her close. Her breasts heaved against his bare chest. Yes, she thought, this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. Her long blonde hair fell in tousled waves down her slender back as she tilted her chin up to meet his kiss. The electricity sparked between them as their lips touched. As if on cue, the Paris night sky erupted in fireworks.

Yeah, right. Fireworks, mumbled Kate. She turned the page over with an exasperated sigh.

I heard that, a voice came from the next cubicle.

Kate stood up and leaned her chin on the thinly padded office divider that served as a wall between them as she frowned at her friend.

Sorry, Jen. I’m in the middle of one of Leticia Rothchild’s latest love scenes and I think I need a break.

I hear you, Jennifer said with exaggerated sympathy. They both giggled. "Let’s go to lunch and you can tell me all about your own ‘night of passion,’" she said referring to Kate’s blind date from the night before. She then mockingly pretended to rip open her blouse.

Stop, Kate said as she shook her head. I told you, it was nothing. It was only dinner, and barely even that.

Grab your stuff and you can tell me all about, nothing.

As the girls made their way down the corridor Jennifer nodded her head towards the door marked: Ms. Morrow and said, What’s up with the Wicked Witch of the East Side today? She’s in an especially foul mood. Someone hide her broom?

Shhhh, Kate whispered as she gave Jen a little shove.

Well, Jennifer lowered her voice, I hear she was called on the carpet for missing the deadline on Elinor’s book. What gives? Somehow Jen was always in possession of the latest bit of office gossip.

I don’t know, I haven’t heard. But I have a feeling I will.

The pair made their way downstairs to the large cafeteria on the lower level which was filled with a bubbly lunchtime crowd. Business men in expensive suits, and their female counterparts in impeccably tailored smart attire tapped away on their phones and kept up appearances that they were extremely important. Only the little people had time for lunch and casual chatter. And there were plenty of them scattered about the room as well. There were small groups of office buddies laughing and complaining about workplace politics and people playing games on their smart phones as they mindlessly picked at their plates. With their little head phones on they were blissfully unaware of the world around them. There were a few cozy couples with heads together and the usual random souls sitting quietly with a tray of food, their only companion, a book; which served as a billboard loudly saying, Don’t bother me. So no one did.

An explosion of laughter would ring out from one of the tables from time to time as story telling got out of hand. It was a typical workday lunch hour, in a busy New York City café.

Kate and Jennifer found a small table and slid into their seats, happy to be part of the little people, who actually had time to chat while eating lunch. Kate looked around and sighed for the second time that morning.

Why is it always so busy and noisy in here?

Jennifer looked up from inspecting her tuna melt to ask, Are you in a foul mood too?

No. I don’t know. Maybe, Kate shrugged.

Ok, so let’s hear it.

Kate asked coyly, Hear what?

All the ugly details regarding your gentleman caller of evening last, Jennifer quipped in her best British accent. The girls often lapsed into the language of their workday world. As assistant copy editors for Centuries Publishing House, which specialized in what was fondly referred to in the business as ‘bodice rippers’, they were up to their ears every day in the proper King’s English from a bygone era.

No gentleman was he, was Kate’s reply as she stabbed at a tomato on her salad plate.

Tell me, Jen was hungry for details.

First, he was late, which you know annoys me to no end. Jennifer rolled her eyes but Kate chose to ignore her commentary. She continued, And not only didn’t he bother to open the door for me, but he practically knocked me down as he busted through the door first.

Jennifer groaned, I’m sure you’re exaggerating just a bit. Kate, the problem is that you expect too much. You’re never going to find the man you’re looking for..... because he doesn’t exist. You have to be more realistic.

Is it unrealistic to assume that a guy should spend the evening talking to his date instead of looking at his phone?

How could Rachel, their mutual friend, have picked such a clod as a blind date for Kate, Jennifer was fretting?

I don’t know - Kate was saying, don’t you find it ironic that I’m knee deep in romance every day of my life, but I have none for myself?

Romance is overrated, Jennifer shrugged. This, from the girl who had spent the entire night crying on Kate’s couch only a few short weeks ago as her own romance came to an abrupt end. There had been several practice break ups with Jake, or Jerk, as Kate often referred to him, before the final good-bye. Jennifer had spent days moaning over the demise of this latest relationship. But Kate decided now was not the time to remind her friend of her inconsistency.

Maybe I am being unrealistic, mused Kate staring into space as a lettuce leaf dangled precariously from the tip of her fork. But I’m only twenty-five and I’m not quite ready to settle. Not yet.

"Nobody said anything about settling, or giving up. I believe the word I used was, realistic," Jennifer teased.

You say realistic, I hear settle. Tomato, toe-mah-toe. Kate dismissed her friend with a wave of her fork.

I give up, Jennifer laughed and quickly changed the subject. How was your salad?

Tasteless. How was your sandwich?

Dry.

Another perfect lunch at Harry’s. Kate picked up her tray. Shall we head back upstairs?

Soon after the girls returned from lunch the office was buzzing with unusual activity. ‘The Suits’ wearing grim faces, starting filing into the glass conference room one by one. Every department was soberly represented; editing, copy editing, graphic design, marketing, publicity, even the legal department had a seat at this assembly.

At the head of the table, was the head of the food chain, the President himself. All the little soldiers neatly lined up at the long mahogany conference table, with their perfectly prepared files in front of them, ready for battle. Kate and Jennifer exchanged quizzical glances as the party gathered. The general hubbub of the outer office became more subdued as everyone felt the pall hanging in the air. It didn’t take long to find out the reason for the sense of doom.

The doors opened on the elevator as curtains on a stage. Elinor Danville paused for a moment to survey her audience, and to maximize the effect of her entrance. If there was one thing Ms. Danville knew, it was how to set the scene. Satisfied she had everyone’s attention, she stepped forth purposefully, swathed in an oversized Hounds-tooth coat with its matching oversized hat. Her sunglasses, though certainly not called for on this gray day, were part of her persona, meticulously cultivated and executed.

Mr. Landry came rushing up to greet her,

Ms. Danville, it’s good to see you. He leaned in for the obligatory hug, the kind reserved for long time business associates.

But Elinor stopped him in his tracks with a sharp look, as she pushed her glasses to the tip of her nose and peered at him over the rim. I’m not happy, Michael.

Well that’s what we’re here to discuss, Mr. Landry sighed. Everyone is ready.

Kate and Jen rolled their eyes as the cartoon character was escorted to the conference room. Today in this black and white ensemble she certainly earned her nickname; ‘Cru-Elinor Danville’. Everything about her was oversized, including her ego. The only thing that wasn’t oversized was the prerequisite little dog dangling from her arm like an expensive charm. In her mid-sixties, she was still slim and very conscious of her image. Her once blonde hair was now allowed just the tiniest bit of gray to show at the temples. Aging was not part of the story she had written for herself.

No other author would dream of storming into the offices with their list of demands, but Elinor Danville was not any other author. She was a woman who had risen to the top of her profession and had remained firmly planted there for over thirty years. She was used to having her own way, changing her mind, and then having her way again.

She was dramatic in every sense, every bit as flamboyant as the characters she immortalized on the pages of her best selling books. As a prolific writer with a loyal fan base she was the star at Centuries Publishing. She knew it, and everyone else darn well better remember it.

Elinor Danville was extremely unhappy about something, and it was her mission that everyone within earshot should hear about it. No one was beyond reach when Cru-Elinor was in the house. There were raised voices coming from the conference room. Well only one voice really, the only one that mattered, that belonging to Elinor Danville. The other voices had been gathered around the table to join in the chorus of; ‘Yes, Ms. Danville’ and ‘Of course, Ms. Danville’. Once the scene had been sufficiently played out, and everyone properly chastised, she was happy enough and left the room with a nod of her head and a swish of her coat. All the bit players were left sitting slumped in their chairs, precisely as she had intended.

Once the storm had passed, the office quickly got back to normal. The usual cacophony of people chattering, phones ringing, copy machines humming and people tapping away on their computers provided the background music to Kate’s daily routine.

But this afternoon found her at her desk staring into space instead of the pages she was supposed to be working on. Try as she might, Kate found it hard to immerse herself in Leticia Rothchild’s latest tome set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. All the words seemed to run together and made no sense. Truth be told, it wasn’t all Leticia’s fault. No doubt about it, Kate was in a funk.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Nothing had happened. Ah....but therein might lay a clue. NOTHING....had happened. All day long she read about women lost in grand adventures, brave in life and love. But here she sat in a small cubicle, adding a comma here, and crossing out a line there. Day after day it was tedious, boring work.

At the heart of the matter was the fact that Kate knew she should be working on her own stories. She had notes and plotlines she’d been scribbling on for months, tucked safely away in her book bag. She’d pull them out periodically and daydream about her book. One of the last things she promised her father was that she would pursue her writing.

He had always been her biggest fan. When she spent her entire thirteenth summer holed up on her back porch writing her first book, he was there cheering her on. He embarrassed her by bragging about each and every award her writing won through her college years. And when she’d beg; Daddy, please, he’d just smile and say, Somebody has to tell them.

It had been just the two of them since she was ten years old. It was a crushing blow to lose your mother at that age. But in the midst of his own pain, he never forgot his little girl’s. She loved him all the more for his clumsy attempts at braiding her hair and talking ‘girl talk’ with her. Now this last year without him, had left her adrift. She knew what he would say to her if he were still here; Katie, you’ve got to believe in yourself, like I believe in you.

If only he were still here. How Kate missed their easy conversations and inside jokes. If he were here she would tell him all about her story and the characters she had dreamed up and he would encourage every word.

She knew it was a good story, so what was holding her back? One word......fear. Fear of exposing her dreams to ridicule. Right now her dreams were safe, and no one had the power to destroy them. But if she dared bring them out into the light for all to see, then she lost the power to protect them. She wasn’t strong enough, yet. But one day, she told herself...one day.

Kate. Kate was roused from her daydreaming and looked around.

Kate?

This time Kate pushed the blinking intercom button. Yes, Ms. Morrow.

Can you stop in here before you leave?

Of course.

Thank you. The little light went off. Kate stared at the phone for a second then rolled her chair back to the edge of the divider just as Jennifer was doing the same thing. They looked at each other incredulously.

Kate frowned, This can’t be good.

You were just five minutes from a clean get away, Jen was sadly shaking her head. She was already shutting down her computer and gathering up her things when she offered, Do you want me to wait for you?

No, never mind. Thanks, though.

Jen turned off the little light on her desk and gave Kate a quick hug. Have a great week-end.

Yeah. We’ll see, Kate replied with a defeated slump of her shoulders. She stood up, took a deep breath and headed to Ms. Morrow’s office.

Her quiet knock on the door elicited a quick but frazzled, Come in, come in. A frustrated Rebecca Morrow was sitting behind a massive desk that was covered in stacks of papers, books and files.

Kate was always amazed at the juxtaposition between the woman and her desk. The former being perfectly coiffed, with every detail of clothing carefully thought out, and the latter looking rather like the little island of lost papers. Despite the chaotic appearance of her workspace, she was known for being a top notch editor. She had earned the highest respect in her field, sacrificing much to get there. While the majority of her friends had married and was busy raising children, she was busy climbing the proverbial corporate ladder.

Oh, here it is, Rebecca produced the large manuscript she had been hunting for. Kate please tell me you have nothing pressing planned for this week-end.

I do have something pressing planned, it’s called a nice long bubble bath and then...But Kate only muttered, No, nothing.

Oh Kate, I knew I could count on you.

Sure, count on me to not have a life or any real reason to say ‘no’, Kate continued the dialogue in her head.

Rebecca was chattering on, I’m sure you noticed the commotion we had today.

Kate lied, No, not really.

Rebecca’s look hinted that she wasn’t buying Kate’s evasive response. Well, Elinor Danville has demanded that we keep the originally planned release date of her book; even though her book is nowhere near ready. So now we will all scramble to accommodate her wishes. I’m sure you are aware this is the final installment of her trilogy. Rebecca addressed Kate from behind a large stack of folders. She continued with pursed lips. I hate to say it, but Elinor is getting a little sloppy in her work lately, which has made my job rather difficult.

Kate shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Although she was pleased that Rebecca felt confident in confiding in her she didn’t quite know how to respond to this bit of behind the scenes information.

Oh, I’m sorry, Rebecca waved her hand. I shouldn’t be burdening you with this nonsense. Kate smiled weakly as Rebecca happily handed over the manuscript. She looked down at the title; ‘Love, Abandoned’ by Elinor Danville. I knew I’d be hearing about this book, she silently fumed. Rebecca was talking a mile a minute, obviously eager to be relieved of this burden, if only temporarily.

I know you’re busy working on Leticia’s book but that will have to be back burner for now, Elinor is top priority; as always. This last bit said with just the tiniest touch of sarcasm, as she busily shuffled papers from one stack to another.

I need you to take this home and finish working on it. Have it ready to hand over to me first thing Monday morning. Rebecca stood up signaling the meeting was coming to a close and effectively silencing Kate’s objections. I know it’s a lot to ask, Kate. But I wouldn’t trust anyone else. And I won’t forget this.

Rebecca was moving towards the door so Kate followed her lead. She noticed Rebecca’s slim fitting skirt and expensive heels and grimaced over her own skinny jeans tucked into a pair of brown boots. She had always admired Rebecca’s sense of style. She somehow managed the right blend of business chic with just the slightest hint of sexuality. It worked for her.

But today, Kate sensed a little less polish and her boss just looked tired. Of course this was completely understandable considering the scene that had played out earlier. Standing next to the young woman who was only a few years older than her, Kate had to admit that even though Rebecca’s appearance wasn’t quite as crisp as usual, it was still head and shoulders above her own. Suddenly feeling shabby she was happy to make her exit. Oh well, she thought, I guess I’m just not corporate material.

Thank you Kate and I’ll see you bright and early on Monday. With that the door was closed and Kate found herself standing in the hall with the dreaded manuscript clutched to her chest.

What had just happened? And why did these things always happen to her? All thoughts of a relaxing week-end effectively went up in smoke. Back at her desk, Kate crammed the reason for her anger into her brown leather book bag and grabbed her rain coat, muttering to herself all the while. If this didn’t take the cake she fumed, while waiting for the elevator. Everyone else had happily skipped out of the office unscathed, while she had to lug this monstrosity home and spend her entire week-end buried up to her eyeballs in the minutia as she poured over every line.

I won’t forget this, Rebecca had said, but the truth was she would forget it. And Kate would let her.

Kate stepped out of her building and onto the street. She turned up the collar on her khaki trench coat as she looked up at the menacing clouds swirling overhead. The weatherman had said there was only a slight chance of a spring storm today. Wrong again. It looked unlikely now that the rain would hold off until Kate made it home.

Great, Kate sputtered as she turned off Broadway and headed towards the train station on 7th Avenue. A perfect end to a perfect day.

And with that, the sky opened up and rain began pelting her as she quickened her pace. The wind whipped at Kate’s long brown hair as she tried unsuccessfully to keep her head down as she ran towards her destination.

She noticed the sidewalk was uncommonly quiet as it seemed that everyone else had left early enough to miss the storm. But because she had been asked to stay late she would be caught in the downpour. She was still chafing over this fact when suddenly she was stopped in her tracks as a transformer on the utility pole just ahead of her was hit by a streak of lightening and with a deafening explosion showered the entire area with sparks.

Kate let out a frightened scream. As she tried to move forward it felt as if the sidewalk was buckling. The air around her felt thick and looked like a wavy piece of glass. She felt suddenly dizzy and light headed. She had never fainted before, but she felt certain she was about to. Unable to maintain her balance she stumbled and slipped on the wet pavement. Falling forward she landed with a resounding thud.

2

Lost and Found

Excuse me, Miss. Kate could feel a hand gently shaking her shoulder. Are you alright?

Ugh...., Kate could only moan softly.

Don’t worry, Miss. We are going to get help.

She could hear voices fading in and out or was it she who was fading in and out? Charlie Townsend picked her up with a pair of strong arms forged from years of manual labor. After lifting her up onto his horse and securing her for the short ride, he sent Joseph on ahead to warn those at the house that they were on their way.

His big arm wrapped around her frame holding her tightly as the horse started his slow walk. She could feel the scratchy wool of his shirt as her head rested against his shoulder. Kate had no idea what was happening, she only knew she was moving and she didn’t have the power to stop it even if she wanted to. But somehow the clean woodsy smell of this stranger left her feeling as if she were in good hands. By the time he arrived at the large front door, a small band of the curious had gathered.

Harrison, the Butler, looked a little uneasy at this turn of events, but Mrs. Cassidy had everything well in hand. Bring her in here Charlie.

Charlie did as he was directed and followed the head housekeeper to one of the bedrooms in the guest wing. As he moved through the crowd of servants, some covered their mouths with their hands at the sight of the lifeless form in his arms. Kate’s head dangled limply as he effortlessly made his way up the huge staircase and down the long hallway, keeping up with Mrs.