Several
months ago, when author Shannon Winslow was still in the research phase of her
just-released novel, she sat down with one of the principle subjects of her
story. As it turned out, the lady was less that fully cooperative.
Winslow:
Thank you
for meeting with me, Lady Catherine. As you know, I am writing a novel entitled
The Ladies of Rosings Park, and so
naturally I wanted to speak to you, among others – to get your opinions and some
background information. You understand.
LC: You are wise to come to me
first, for I can save you a great deal of time. You shall find there is no need
to speak to anybody else afterwards, because I can tell you what you need to
know. I am very well informed.
Winslow: I don’t doubt that for a
minute.
LC: Now, to begin with, I will
set you straight about your title. What do you mean by ‘the ladies’ of Rosings
Park, as if there were more than one? I
am the mistress here. Certainly your title should more correctly be The Lady of Rosings Park or perhaps Portrait of an Illustrious Lady. That
has a nice ring to it.
Winslow: I appreciate the
suggestions, your ladyship, but I intended the title to include all the ladies who reside here – your
daughter, Mrs. Jenkinson, and even Mrs. Collins at the parsonage in addition to
yourself. I thought it would give a fuller picture to hear a variety of
viewpoints.
LC: Indeed? I must say, Ms.
Winslow, that you have a very strange notion of what constitutes a lady! Anne
certainly qualifies, although I cannot imagine what she could tell you that I
could not. Mrs. Jenkinson may have been considered a lady at one time, but her
status has sunk very far since then. As for Mrs. Collins… Well, she is a very
good sort of woman, but hardly on the same plane as my daughter and myself.
Winslow: I have no wish to quibble
with you about class and titles.
LC: I should think not. After all,
you admit to being an American. How could you possible know anything about
class?
Winslow: Yes, well, shall we move on?
It now occurs to me that I might very well have needed a different title for my
book if your husband were still with us: The
Ladies and Gentleman of Rosings Park perhaps. How I would have loved to interview
Sir Lewis. Still, I plan to include him as much as possible – his relationship
with yourself and your daughter, what influence his passing had on the course
of events. That sort of thing. Can you give me any preliminary insights?
LC: The subject you propose, Ms.
Winslow, is something I never speak of, so let that be an end to it. Besides,
there is nothing worth telling there.
Winslow: I understand, your ladyship,
and you have my deepest sympathies. Obviously your loss still grieves you a
great deal. You must have loved your husband very much.
LC: My good woman, you may fish for information all you like, but I
will not bite, however clever you think you are. The subject, as I said, is
closed.
Winslow: As you wish. Perhaps Miss de
Bourgh or Mrs. Jenkinson will be more forthcoming, more comfortable talking
about Sir Lewis. I’ll see if either of them has anything to say.
LC: You will do nothing of the kind! I absolutely forbid it. Do I make
myself clear?
Winslow: Perfectly, Lady Catherine.
Let me just make a note of that. ‘No story. Nothing to tell.’ If you say so. Although
I can’t help thinking of that line – from Hamlet,
I believe. ‘Methinks the lady doth protest too much.’
LC: For your information, the
line is ‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’ You shall not use
Shakespeare against me, Ms. Winslow.
Now move on to something else or this interview is over.
Winslow:
Very well. I
stand corrected. I can see I am no match for you, Lady Catherine. But what
about Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Now there is a young lady with a sharp wit! Pretty
too. No doubt she has turned many a gentleman’s head. I know she is only just recently
arrived in the neighborhood, but have you not seen it for yourself?
LC: I can hardly be troubled to
concern myself with such trivialities. Real gentlemen – exemplary young men
such as my nephews Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam – will not be taken in by
a pretty face or clever conversation. They may be amused with a girl like Miss
Bennet for a time, but they will remember to act rationally in the end. They
owe it to themselves and to their families to marry their equals or betters. Good
breeding will win out; it always does. Mark my words.
Winslow: Good breeding and money,
perhaps. From my research, I know that is considered a winning combination. How
lucky for Miss de Bourgh that she has both. She will undoubtedly marry very
well too. ‘Born to be a duchess,’ I have heard it said.
LC: You must have been speaking
to Mr. Collins. I cannot fault him for thinking so, but we shall be satisfied
with something less in rank and superior in every other way.
Winslow: You refer to Mr. Darcy,
unless I miss my guess. I had heard that there was some kind of informal pact
made years ago between you and your sister, but you can’t really consider such
an antiquated sort of arrangement binding, can you? You are living in nineteenth century, after
all, and according to my observations, young people tend to follow their
hearts.
LC: I do not know what standards may apply where you come from, Ms. Winslow,
but here young people understand how to do their duty. They accept that their
parents know what is best for them.
Winslow: Do you believe that is
always the case – that parents always make the best decisions for their
children when it comes to matrimony?
LC: Of course! My daughter will
marry Mr. Darcy, just as her mother and his arranged long ago. I expect they
will be very happy together.
Winslow: As happy as you were with
Sir Lewis de Bourgh, perhaps. That was an arranged marriage too, wasn’t it?
LC: Yes, but that is not… Oh, never
mind. You thought I would not notice if you came sneaking in the back door, but
I am wise to your tactics, Ms. Winslow. [Lady Catherine rises from her chair.] I
warned you that any more attempts at extracting information on that subject
from me would terminate this interview, and I am a woman of my word. Good day
to you!
ABOUT THE BOOK
At
first glance, Anne de Bourgh doesn’t seem a promising heroine. But beneath that
quiet exterior, there’s a lively mind at work, imagining how one day she will
escape her poor health and her mother’s domination to find love and a life
worth living.
Now
Anne finally gets the chance to speak her mind. But Lady Catherine demands
equal time. Even Charlotte Collins and Mrs. Jenkinson get into the act. Chapter
by chapter, these ladies of Rosings Park
Complete
in itself, this work expands The Darcys
of Pemberley series laterally, beginning during the timeline of Pride and Prejudice and carrying beyond
to reveal the rest of Anne’s story.
When
a young lady is to be a heroine… something must and will happen to throw a hero
in her way. (Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey)
3 comments:
loved the interview!
denise
I totally agree with you, Denise. Brilliant!
Thank you! It was a lot of fun to write, as was the whole book, actually!
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