Emily Larkin's Blog - Posts Tagged "resisting-miss-merryweather"
Introducing Merry and Sir Barnaby Part 2
Anne Merryweather (Merry), the heroine, is the daughter of a noblewoman and a dancing master. We can pretend this image is her father's dancing academy.
Merry's father taught her how to read people's body language--a skill that she uses to read the hero, Sir Barnaby Ware, when they first meet. Here, she's trying to determine his character:
They walked side by side along the riding officer’s path. Sir Barnaby made a good pretense of strolling—he commented on the wildflowers, the limestone cliffs, the seabirds—but it was obvious that most of his attention was turned inward.
If she was to gain any understanding of him, she needed to see the real Sir Barnaby, not this polite automaton walking alongside her.
“I wonder if you ever met my father, Sir Barnaby?” Merry said, watching his face closely. “He was a dancing master. Alexander Merryweather.”
She saw the blink of surprise, the slight blankness of his face as he processed the words, the dawning realization in his raised eyebrows. “You’re Alexander Merryweather’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
That had broken through his preoccupation. Sir Barnaby halted, and stared at her in astonishment. Merry stared back intently. The next few seconds would tell her about his sense of self-importance.
The change from politeness to polite condescension was sometimes overt, sometimes almost imperceptible, but Sir Barnaby displayed none of the signs. He didn’t draw away from her. His chin didn’t lift; it lowered. And it wasn’t haughtiness in his eyes, but interest.
Not a snob.
“I never met him, but I heard of him, of course. He was legendary.” And then Sir Barnaby’s manner altered again. There was genuine sympathy in his eyes, in his voice. “I heard he died last year. I’m very sorry, Miss Merryweather.”
Merry nodded acknowledgment of his sympathy. “Thank you.”
She saw an unspoken question form on Sir Barnaby’s face, and then his expression became politely disinterested. He resumed strolling.
Being astute, Merry guesses his question, and in the course of their subsequent conversation Sir Barnaby gives away a lot more information about himself than he realizes...
[Image courtesy of the British Library (Public Domain).]
Introducing Merry and Sir Barnaby Part 3
The hero (Sir Barnaby Ware) is a man who made a really big mistake several years ago, and he's been regretting that mistake ever since.
This snippet is from the first chapter. Merry and Sir Barnaby have just met. They're in a curricle, with the groom (Catton) sitting behind. To Barnaby's embarrassment it turns out that Miss Merryweather has noticed how he dances...
“I saw you once at Vauxhall,” Miss Merryweather said. “Several years ago.”
Barnaby wrenched his thoughts back to his companion. “Er . . . you did?”
“At one of the ridottos.”
Barnaby looked more closely at her—the heart-shaped face, the dimples, the full, sweet mouth. Did she expect him to recognize her? “I’m afraid I don’t recall meeting you,” he said apologetically.
“Oh, we weren’t introduced. I was there with my fiancé, and you were with Lord Cosgrove and his fiancée.”
“Oh.” His face stiffened. The familiar emotions surged through him: guilt, shame, remorse.
Barnaby looked away, and gripped the reins tightly. God, to be able to go back to the person he’d been then. To be able to relive his life and not make the same dreadful mistake.
“I noticed you most particularly. You were the best dancer there.”
It took a few seconds for the words to penetrate the fog of shame and regret. When they did, Barnaby blinked. “Me?”
“Marcus dances fairly well,” Miss Merryweather said. “He’s a natural athlete, but he’s a pugilist. He’s trained his body for strength, not grace. You, I’d hazard a guess, are a better fencer and horseman than Marcus.”
“Not by much,” Barnaby said, staring at her. What an unusual female.
“It takes a number of qualities to make a truly excellent dancer. Not merely precision and grace and stamina, but a musical ear as well, and of course one must enjoy dancing. You have all of those qualities, Sir Barnaby. You’re one of the best dancers I’ve ever seen.”
Barnaby felt himself blush. “Thank you.” He refrained from glancing back at Catton. The groom was doubtless smirking.
And to finish off this post, here's an image of a Regency gentleman dancing -- and I hasten to add that he bears no resemblance to Sir Barnaby beyond the fact that he's male and he clearly enjoys dancing!
[Image courtesy of the Rijksmuseum collection of public domain images.]
Introducing Merry and Sir Barnaby Part 1
The hero: Sir Barnaby Ware, is a man who made a dreadful mistake two and a half years ago. As in really dreadful. And because of that mistake, his closest friendship was destroyed.
The heroine: Anne Merryweather (Merry), is the daughter of a noblewoman and a dancing master. Her father taught her to observe people's body language.
In this snippet, Merry and her cousin (Charlotte) are watching Barnaby and his former best friend (Marcus) talk for the first time since Sir Barnaby made his dreadful mistake. (And yes, Charlotte and Marcus are the hero and heroine of Unmasking Miss Appleby.)
Outside, on the lawn, movement caught her eye. Marcus and Sir Barnaby came into view. Merry had seen hundreds of men walk into her father’s dancing studio, but none had looked as uncomfortable as Sir Barnaby did now. He held himself stiffly, tensely, as if trying not to hunch in on himself.
Marcus was tense, too, but his was an eager, hopeful tension. He was half-turned to Sir Barnaby, talking, gesturing towards the abbey.
Sir Barnaby listened with his head slightly lowered, slightly averted.
He can’t bring himself to meet Marcus’s eyes.
“They’re talking,” Charlotte said, a note of hope in her voice.
“Hmm,” Merry said. The difference between the man she’d seen dance at Vauxhall four years ago and the man now crossing the lawn was stark.
Her noncommittal response brought Charlotte’s head around. “What do you see?”
“I think . . . Sir Barnaby no longer believes that reconciliation is possible.”
So there you have it: a glimpse of Barnaby and Merry!
[Hero and heroine images courtesy of the Rijksmuseum collection of Public Domain images.]
Resisting Miss Merryweather
Fortunately, he's about to meet Miss Merryweather.
Resisting Miss Merryweather is the second book in the Baleful Godmother series. It's not a story I had intended to write, but after I'd finished Unmasking Miss Appleby, I felt so sorry for Sir Barnaby that I decided to give him a redemption story.
If I was going to sum up Resisting Miss Merryweather in a few words, I'd say it's about friendship, forgiveness, and falling in love. Plus, it's a Baleful Godmother book, so there's a wee bit of magic thrown in. Here's the blurb:
Sir Barnaby Ware made a mistake two and a half years ago. A massive mistake. The sort of mistake that can never be atoned for.
He knows himself to be irredeemable, but the captivating and unconventional Miss Merryweather is determined to prove him wrong.
The daughter of a dancing master and a noblewoman, Miss Merryweather had an unusual upbringing. She sees things no one else sees—and she says things no one else says.
Sir Barnaby knows he’s the villain in this piece, but Miss Merryweather thinks he’s the hero—and she is damnably hard to resist…
Happy reading!
Emily
