I hope she isn’t overly distracted by him. This talk is intended to celebrate all the hard work she’s put in. After all, the Jane Austen Centre shop sold through all the paperback books we gave to them.
Behind Sabrina, chairs scraped against the wooden floors of the smallest room in the Guildhall. The electric lights hummed. Janeites chatted amongst themselves and gushed over their favorite P-and-P-inspired stories and how much the stoic expression on Lorenzo’s face reminded them of Mr. Darcy.
“You can be cross with her later. But right now, in this room, you are the loving, supportive brother of author Nora Bennet.”
Lorenzo glanced around the room. “Surprisingly, I’m not angry. I don’t know what I should feel.”
Behind her, a Janeite with curly golden hair and large chocolate doe eyes said, “Wow, Lord Malcolm may replace Captain Wentworth as one of my all-time favorite Regency men. What a romantic finish. I’m dying for more.”
Beside the doe-eyed woman, the ever-colorful Michelle asked, “What was your take on Miss Kennington’s horrid maid?”
“She should have been sacked right from the start. I didn’t make the connection that she was stealing the family jewels until Lord Malcolm caught her in the act. The reconciliation scene with Miss Kennington was everything.”
In a low tone only she could hear, Lorenzo muttered, “All these women are speaking about a Lord Malcolm. What does Lucas have to do with her book?”
Sabrina’s eyes widened. “The protagonist in her book is named Lord Malcom, an earl who is seeking a wife to help him raise his younger sister. I didn’t think there was any connection to Lucas other than she based the physical description of Malcolm on him.”
“Lucas’s full title is Lord Lucas Malcolm, the Earl of Merrick.” Lorenzo’s lips curved up. “Wait until he hears of this.”
Clever Nora. Did you base Miss Kennington on yourself? A story about a marriage of convenience instead of an engagement of convenience?
“I just assumed she’d made all her characters up. We wrote the plot of the story together.”
“I have to leave in a minute.” Lorenzo glanced at his watch. It was five to twelve. “Do you have a copy of Leonora’s book? I’d like to read it on the airplane.”
Sabrina reached under her chair and felt inside her tote bag. Her hand touched the stiff corners of the book. “Here.” She passed the item to him. “Read it and let me know what you think.”
“I will.” They kissed.
“Travel safely, mio amore,” she said.
He stood, and as stealthy as a six-foot frame would allow, snuck out the room. On the stage, a microphone screeched. Everyone’s hands shot to their ears. Sabrina positioned her body to the front.
“Terribly sorry about that,” the moderator of the event apologized. “My name is Regina King. I’m the founder of the Hertfordshire Writer’s Guild, a website dedicated to both Regency- and Austen-inspired fan fiction. For our panel today, I’m thrilled to be able to welcome four wonderful authors who represent the wide-ranging diversity of our fandom.”
The audience clapped politely as the moderator introduced the four authors. Sabrina beamed when Nora received the loudest ovation of all.
“I’d like to give each author a few minutes to speak about their latest works, then we’ll go ahead and begin fielding questions from our audience. Does that sound acceptable to everyone?”
“Yes,” the audience shouted.
Regina King smiled. “Let’s begin with our cozy mystery writer, Kate Matthews.”
Each author was given five minutes of time to speak. When it was Nora’s turn, Sabrina could see her friend battling a bout of nerves. “Hello, everyone. My name is Nora Bennet and I write Regency romance.” Her voice quivered. “My latest work,Entering theMarriage Mart, is my first attempt at writing a Regency story outside of the Austen universe.”
Sabrina gestured for her to breathe.
The moderator gave Nora a moment to compose herself. “This is Nora Bennet’s first time on our author panel. From the reception she’s received so far, it’s clear that many of you enjoy her writing.”
Applause broke out.
Nora took a deep breath. “When I first started writing Austen fiction, there was so much to learn about the established facts of the genre. For example, Jane Austen never mentioned many of the given first names of her characters. Among writers, there is a general consensus that Mrs. Gardiner’s first name was Madeline, and Colonel Fitzwilliam’s is Richard.”
Being able to speak about her writing relaxed Nora steadily. When she finished, she sipped from a water glass as Regina said, “We’ll begin the question-and-answer segment of the panel. If there is a particular author, you’d like to pose a question to, please indicate as such.”
A woman in a crimson-red dress in the front row bolted to her feet and waved her hands wildly.
Sabrina covered her mouth in amusement.
