Mischief and Manors
Page 28
My smile felt impossibly wide as fresh tears slipped from my eyes. I nodded. “Yes,” I managed through my tight throat. Owen’s smile grew with mine. I could imagine no other option for my life now than spending every last moment with him. I couldn’t understand how I had been fully prepared to run away and never see him again. It seemed incomprehensible to me now.
The sound of giggles reached my ears and I turned my head in the direction they came. Peter and Charles ran out the door of the house, as if they had just spotted us out the library window. They ran to Owen with grins pulled to their ears.
“Annette does love you!” Charles told him, eyes wide. “So you don’t have to be sad anymore.”
Owen chuckled, throwing me a sideways glance. Then he scooped Charles up onto his shoulders, sending him into a fit of giggles. “That makes me very happy,” he said, ruffling Peter’s hair. “Do you remember the picture I showed you in the library?”
“The castle?” Charles asked from above.
Peter looked up at him, rolling his clear blue eyes. “It was called Will-a-thorn.”
I stifled a laugh, sharing a smile with Owen. “Willowbourne,” he corrected gently. “How would you like to live there?”
Peter looked confused for a moment, scowling up at Owen. “What about Aunt Ruth?” His voice was a nervous whisper.
Owen pulled Charles down from his shoulders and set him beside Peter. “You never have to see her again if you don’t wish to. Do you remember my promise? She will never hurt either of you ever again.” My brothers nodded, and Owen pulled them into his arms. The sight brought the sting of tears to my eyes. Owen reached for me, slipping his arm around my waist. “And she will never hurt you again either,” he said in a whisper.
I felt the truth of his words nestle inside me like a precious gift.
“But will Annette get to come?” Peter asked.
Owen turned his smile on me, a sight that made my heart flutter, and I knew then that it always would. “Annette definitely gets to come.”
Peter and Charles were giddy at this, jumping up and down, pulling on Owen’s hand and dragging me by my skirts across the lawn and through the door of the house. “I get to live in a castle!” Charles yelled with unexpected volume as we stepped inside. I cringed at the echo it created, surely summoning every soul in the home.
Owen laughed heartily, taking my hand in his. “It seems we will have the entire house to tell of our engagement.”
“Unless your grandmother has already spilled the news.” I smiled up at him in the new light, memorizing every detail of his face over and over again.
His eyes filled with amusement and love and mischief all at once. “Annette … ,” he raised an eyebrow in question, “did you do it again?”
“What?”
“Did you tell my entire family that I proposed to you before I actually did? I thought you learned your lesson from the first incident.” His grin was all mischief now, his arms surrounding me, pulling me closer.
I was breathless; I could not manage a gasp. Instead I rose on my toes and kissed his grinning lips. There was nothing in the universe that I wanted more than what I had here in this room, and I knew it was all I would ever need.
I took a deep breath and smiled. “You’re atrocious.”
A
Discussion Questions
Throughout the story, Annette is burdened by a promise she made to her parents, and in turn, herself, to not allow anything to distract her from her responsibility toward Peter and Charles. How might she have interpreted this promise differently? How has it affected her decisions? Have you ever felt trapped by a promise? At what point can a promise be broken?
In her society, Annette is considered unaccomplished because she doesn’t draw, sing, or play an instrument. Because of this, she is deemed inferior. When considering her character, do you find any attributing accomplishment? What abilities and characteristics do you find more important to any society?
Peter’s and Charles’s behavior improves gradually throughout the book. What circumstances influenced this change? How did Owen have a positive influence on their behavior and overall happiness? Do their roles have a large impact on the story?
Securing an advantageous match was paramount in the regency period. When you consider Miss Lyons’s deception, do you find any justification? Given her mother’s behavior, what do you assume she was raised to believe? How does our upbringing affect our moral values?
The pink rose is a continuous symbol throughout the story. What events led Annette to overcome her irrational fear of the color? How do you see this symbolism come full circle? Have you ever associated an object or sensation with an event? How did it affect you?
Owen conceals the truth about Willowbourne for most of the story. Why was this necessary? What was his intention for doing so? He had several opportunities to confide in Annette, but didn’t. What does this tell us about his character?
Near the end of the book, Owen’s grandfather tells a story. How do you interpret it? How and why is the message such a turning point for Annette? How does it apply to her views and reservations?
At the ball, Annette notes that Miss Lyons and her mother both use words as weapons. What other characters do we see acting similarly? How do the negative words from others affect Annette’s self worth throughout the story? When used as weapons, how have words affected you?
After her parents’ death, Annette adopted several different roles. How do we see each represented? How does she balance being a sister and motherly figure? What roles has Owen filled and will continue to fill in their future together?
Mr. Coburn, though a minor character, is portrayed as an antagonist. Were you surprised by his change of heart? What might have motivated him to turn against Jasper? What do we learn pertaining to revenge and regret?
Acknowledgments
This story would still be inside my head without the help and support of so many people. I thought writing a book would make me patient, so first I must thank my family, who know that that is definitely not true, but love me anyway. I am so blessed to have had their encouragement every step of the way. Thank you for putting up with my laptop hogging, my many “just one second”s, and my overall craziness.
Thank you to Anna Rasmussen, my pretend agent and childhood mischief-making comrade, for being the kind of friend I could trust with the roughest of drafts and for enduring my ramblings about my characters while jogging. Thank you to Katelynn Bolen for her much needed feedback and for squealing over my story. Don’t be surprised if you see her name on a book one of these days. Thank you, my reviewers. I love your books, your kind words, and you.
Thank you to my editors, Emma Parker, Emily Chambers, Hali Bird, and Jessica Romrell for believing in my story, answering my millions of questions, and fine-tuning this book to its best. To Priscilla Chaves, for the gorgeous cover design that I just can’t stop staring at. I never will. Ever. To the rest of the team at Cedar Fort, you are so appreciated! So many people are involved in the final product, and I am so grateful for every single one of them.
I also must acknowledge the legacy of Jane Austen (including the amazingly cheesy movie adaptations), Georgette Heyer, and the many other inspirations that set me on this writing path that I love. And most importantly, my Heavenly Father, for the wonderful people and opportunities he has placed in my life, for letting me dream, and for guiding my hand.
About the Author
Ashtyn Newbold discovered a love of writing early in high school. Inspired by regency period romance, she wrote her first novel at the age of sixteen. Because she can’t vacation in her favorite historical time periods, she writes about them instead. When not crafting handsome historical heroes, she enjoys baking, sewing, music, and spoiling her dog. She dreams of traveling to England and Ireland. Ashtyn is currently studying English and creative writing at Utah Valley University. She lives in Lehi, Utah, with her family.
Newbold, Mischief and Manors