The Persian flaw of The Red-Headed League
Why do I have this idiotic need to poke holes in the Canon? The Red-Headed League has to be in the top …
Jane Austen: Self Publisher
During the whole truly annoying process of publishing my book, My Particular Friend, available wherever fine books are sold, it occurred to …
What I’m Reading: Gentlemen’s Blood
Somewhat after the fact, I’m reading Barbara Holland’s Gentlemen’s Blood: A History of Dueling from Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk, …
What I’m reading: If Walls Could Talk
If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home is Lucy Worsley’s followup book to her very enjoyable four-part BBC series …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 8
Beginning with The End of the Affair: A se’ennight later saw us ready to leave for London. se’ennight: a week
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 7
Beginning with Explanations: ‘Don’t be facetious, Jane, no one could be so good a shot with a pistol, and surely Mr Jenkins …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 6
Beginning with Pistols at Dawn: ‘I believe they are ascertaining the boundaries of the duelling square.’
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 5
Beginning with The Gauntlet Is Thrown: Charlotte seemed to have dismissed the whole affair as a fait accompli.
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 4
Beginning with Miss Chivington’s Complaint: I thought of this possibility as we walked. Perhaps my romanticism had got the better of me. …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 3
Beginning with Mr Wallace Reports: ‘No, I am afraid Mr Jenkins remains adamant. Nothing I could say would deter him and if …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 2
Beginning with The Mantua Maker: I was near seventeen and not yet out, the delay attributable to my father’s poor financial health, …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Code Duello 1
We exchanged our greetings, I perhaps with less than my usual sang-froid for I was both struck by the beauty of our …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of Brotherly Love 4
Beginning with Mr Haversham Recovers: ‘There had to be a copy, Jane. It is a fact that information about the map had …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of Brotherly Love 3
Beginning with The Younger Brother: There are no footnotes in this section.
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of Brotherly Love 2
Beginning with Bradford-on-Avon: The trip from Bath to Bradford was accomplished easily in Mr Dundas’s landau, he remaining in Bath to attend …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of Brotherly Love 1
I said I was undertaking the job of committing these steps to paper so that they might prove as an aide-mémoire.
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Bride Who Wasn’t There 6
Beginning with A Visit from Edward Gascoigne: ‘It is consumption,’ Mr Wallace said, looking pointedly at the crimson stained handkerchief Mr Gascoigne …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Bride Who Wasn’t There 5
Beginning with The Story of Edward Gascoigne: ‘My Violet was a young girl of sixteen when she met Gascoigne in Dorset. He …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Bride Who Wasn’t There 4
Beginning with Mr Simms’s Confession: ‘Oh ho! The plot thickens.’
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Bride Who Wasn’t There 3
Beginning with Mr Simms’s Destination: ‘No, he did not. He made some small purchases and also stopped for food and drink. Finally …
gentleman:
During the Georgian period, to be a gentleman generally meant you did not work to make a living. Instead, you lived off …
Pulteney Bridge:
Pulteney Bridge, designed by Robert Adam, spans the River Avon in Bath and was completed in 1773. Shops line the road on …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Bride Who Wasn’t There 2
Beginning with A Meeting with the Chairmen: Bath Corporation: the legal entity that was the city of Bath. The city also licensed …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Bride Who Wasn’t There 1
Mr Simms nodded at this. ‘Yes, this morning. We were to be married at the register office. I had arranged for a …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Reluctant Bachelor 8
Beginning with A Stout Drainpipe: I am afraid that freed by the constraints of a hostess or other guests, we had treated …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Reluctant Bachelor 7
Beginning with An Almost Perfect Conclusion: There are no footnotes for this section.
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Reluctant Bachelor 6
Beginning with A Complication: ‘I must say he has hidden depths that should serve him well as a vicar. He appealed to …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Reluctant Bachelor 5
Beginning with Stirring the Pot: I stood and asked him, ‘Did Daniel lose his courage in the lion’s den? Did Shadrach, Meshach …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Reluctant Bachelor 4
Beginning with A Shooting Party: A shooting party refers to the practice of shooting birds — partridges, pheasants — generally bred on …
My Particular Friend footnotes: The Affair of the Reluctant Bachelor 3
Beginning with Deerfield Park: I stopped at the bridge at the end of the lake and looked back at the house, its …