Author Archives: Maria Grace

A Call to the Musgroves at Christmastide

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The Musgroves came back to receive their happy boys and girls from school, bringing with them Mrs. Harville’s little children to improve the noise of Uppercross, and lessen that of Lyme. Henrietta remained with Louisa but all the rest of the family were again in their usual quarters.   The Musgroves came back to receive their happy boys and girls from school, bringing with them Mrs. Harville’s little children to improve the noise of Uppercross, and … Continue reading →

Happy Birthday Jane Austen! Celebrate with roses…

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Today is Jane Austen’s birthday. Happy birthday to our inspiring author! To celebrate, I thought I’d share a craft similar to something she herself might have done to trim her own garments or accessories–Ribbon Roses. I recently had the pleasure of doing these at a bridal shower we hosted for my future daughter-in-law. I got to teach  them all how to do them and we spent a lovely time chatting and folding our roses. Even … Continue reading →

Anne Visits Lady Russell

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After sending the Musgroves to Lyme to visit with Louisa, Anne visits Lady Russell. How different Anne has become in the months since they last met. LADY RUSSELL OPENED HER inlaid walnut teapoy. The dusty herbal fragrance of tea leaves wafted up, riding on the dust motes in the afternoon sun. How long had it been since she had last shared tea with Anne? In the absolute sense, not that long. Only a few months. … Continue reading →

To be an Accomplished Lady

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Regency women strove to become an accomplished lady, but what did that mean? During the Regency era, a proper education was crucial to a middle or upper class young lady’s future. Since a woman’s only ‘proper’ aspiration was to marriage, her education focused on making her noticeable to potential husbands. Her accomplishments enabled her to display cultural distinction and set herself apart from women who were merely ‘notable’—those who could only manage a household but … Continue reading →

A library chat and an exciting announcement!

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 The last week has been a bit of a whirlwind, trying to get back into my groove again. I ended up taking a bit of a break away from fiction writing–one because my excessively flighty muse finally decided to reveal the missing piece of my WIP “Pert Opinions and Fine Eyes’. While I’m completely thrilled that I now understand what was missing, it does mean I have to totally rewrite the first half of the … Continue reading →