Catherine by Linda O’Byrne

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗲.

𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 - 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Catherine Collins, a very ordinary young woman - plain, quiet, often over-looked but possessing a reputation for having great common-sense.

Or so her distant cousin Elizabeth Darcy believes and recommends her as governess for little Matilda Courtney.

Catherine travels to Northumberland, full of good intentions to do her best and be a credit to the family.

𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 - 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙀𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢.

It’s my pleasure to be able to share an extract of the book with you today! As a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice I adore these follow on novels and can’t wait to read this series.

Elizabeth Darcy stood at a window of Pemberley, gazing out over the grounds to where the woodlands gave way to the Derbyshire hills: she never tired of this view that calmed her spirits and gave her joy.  She felt exhausted; the wedding had been the day before and everything had gone well.  The happy couple had left to spend a week in a small manor house that Mr Darcy owned just outside of Stratford upon Avon.

 “You are tired, Elizabeth. You have done too much as usual.  Why will you never learn to delegate to the staff?  Miss Reynolds is quite capable of managing all the arrangements.”  A warm hand placed on her shoulder, the voice in her ear of her beloved was all she needed to lean back, feeling his strength supporting her and all her cares drift away.

 “No, not too much. Just enough.  It is never the household concerns that are tiring, it is dealing with all the different members of our families and their various needs.”  She turned in his arms and then, realising he was wearing his riding clothes smiled and said, “I see you are escaping from the ritual ‘after the wedding discussions’, my dear.  How very wise.”

 Mr Darcy shuddered.  “I am rescuing Charles from the hell on earth of deciding whose hat was the most fetching, who danced with whom more than once and who will be the next in line to reach the altar.  Sir Robert and the rest of the Courtney relations have already sent their thanks and left; they wanted to be on the road before dawn, as you know, so Charles and I will ride up onto the hills, exercise our horses and enjoy ourselves.”  He bent and kissed her fingers.  “I will see you at dinner, but please do not seat me next to Lydia or Kitty if you value my sanity.”

 Elizabeth was still smiling at the dread in his voice as she made her way into the yellow drawing-room. She stopped in the doorway as she considered the occupants sitting on the sofas, drinking hot chocolate and eating little almond biscuits.

 This was the first time the four sisters had been together alone for years and years.  The only one missing was Mary, married to the Reverend Matthew Malliot, an elderly missionary.  She led a very different life from her sisters, preaching to the people of Africa.  Elizabeth always felt sorry for those poor people.  Listening to Mary’s diatribes all day must be very wearying.

 “La, Lizzie, do come and sit down.  The chocolate’s getting cold.”  Lydia had put her feet up on the sofa and Elizabeth could see a great deal of green stocking and the snags her shoes were making on the silk covering.

 “Yes, I’m sure you have enough servants to run this vast place without you always having to interfere.”  Kitty sounded dissatisfied.  Ever since she had married William Collins, following the death of his wife Charlotte, she had realised that her life style would never be as high as that of her two elder sisters.  She ate another biscuit:  Kitty had found that food was an enormous comfort when your husband was a pompous fool - as her daily increasing girth showed only too well.

 “Lizzie, you look tired.  I’m sure you should be - it was a wonderful occasion yesterday. Cassandra looked lovely.  You must be proud of her, Lydia.”