Marianne

By Alice McVeigh

(from Marianne’s journal)

…Suddenly nervous, I began to calculate the number of minutes before I might reach the house I still thought of as Brandon’s. Twenty minutes, perhaps – perhaps a trifle more, for my shoes were so delicate, and so ill-suited to my purpose. Had only I worn my ankle-boots! – even if I would have been disdained by the ton for ever! Perhaps I had been a fool, to set off so impulsively in the very heart of London – a fool to imagine that walking alone in town – and the throbbing heart of town, at that – might be as safe as it would have been in the country!

Suddenly a limping, heavy-set fellow pushed past, jostling me. Breathing faster, and hearing more footsteps close behind, I pretended to stop, in order to check something in my pocket. A mistake – as I was then passed by a heavy sailor, reeking of drink, and his slighter acquaintance, a sardonic smile on his filthy, part-shaven face. They stopped before me, blocking my path, and obliging me either to remain or else to attempt to push past them (which must have been impossible). Panicking, I thought – impatiently – ‘Oh, why am I always so impatient? Why could I not have waited for a chair?’

The fat fellow leaned towards me, leering, ‘Eh, pretty missus! And why might you be out and about at such an hour, and in such fetching earbobs, besides?’

Obeying my first instinct, I plucked up my skirts and fled. However, I had no chance in such a gown – or in any gown. The heavy fellow had caught me up within a yard or two, and crushed me towards him, while his friend’s filthy fingers scrabbled about my ears… I screamed, thinking, ‘There are still plenty of people about! Surely someone will help me?’

Someone did. A young man on the opposite side was across the street in an instant. In a shocked melee of seconds, to my own bewilderment, I found myself released and my assailant groaning on the pavement, clutching his lower abdomen, while his accomplice slipped like an eel down a side alley. My arm was then clasped by – in the ecstasy of my relief, I was almost too distraught to recognise him – but then I cried, ‘Mr Crawford!’ He was tucking my arm within his own and turning me around while saying, in an urgent undertone, ‘Are you uninjured, Mrs Brandon?’

‘I am perfectly well – and most grateful.’ Then I spotted blood on the cuff of his olive-green tailcoat. ‘But those ruffians have hurt you!’

‘Nothing worthy of mention,’ said he, his teeth very white even in the dim light. ‘A filthy fingernail. But are you truly recovered? Your breathing is very quick!’

‘’Tis only the shock, I assure you.’

‘I am relieved to hear it.’

Listen to an excerpt from the new audiobook.

ASIN: B0FWTDKRVM

Publication: ‎ 2025-10-22

Publisher: Warleigh Hall Press

Editions: Paperback, ebook.

New release! A classy, classic historical romance. Fifth in "McVeigh's celebrated Jane Austen series" (Publishers Weekly)

When Marianne – still beautiful, still impulsive and not yet twenty-one – returns to London, she is rich, with a house in Mayfair and an estate in Dorsetshire. Despite her resolve to remain single, she finds herself besieged with admirers, including the dangerously attractive Willoughby and the charming and irreverent Crawford.

Then Marianne’s younger sister Margaret arrives. Margaret’s passion for romance leads to unexpected complications. As Marianne attempts to navigate the social whirl of Regency London, she finds her resolution tested and her feelings torn – between the pull of the past and the allure of the present.

“A deeply felt and pitch-perfect continuation that lets its title character finally come into her own.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“Marianne captures the essence of Austen. Funny, heartwarming and everything lovers of Austen’s universe could hope for.”

– Publishers Weekly

“McVeigh’s delectable Marianne is about unexpected love and redemption. Young Margaret is a particular delight. She dreams of becoming a celebrated writer (“Is not ‘perspicacious’ a divinely long word?” she reflects.) This Regency-era romance that sparkles with heart and wit.’

– Foreword Indies Clarion review

“An absolute delight: bright and lively prose, romance and satire worthy of Austen herself.”

– IndieReader editorial review

“Witty and warm… McVeigh never strikes a false note in her beautifully observed and hugely entertaining series . Marianne is a deeply touching love story, an assured comedy of Regency manners and a page-turner, wrapped up in one elegant package.”

– Jane Austen’s Regency World

“McVeigh delivers a rare kind of sequel: one that honors Austen’s world while expanding it. McVeigh is true to the spirit of the original while offering something entirely her own.”

– RECOMMENDED by the US Review of Books

“A masterpiece! Dive in!”

– Historical Fiction Company, editorial review

“Could have been penned by Austen herself – it feels both familiar and fresh. In elegant and engaging prose, McVeigh seamlessly picks up where Austen left off, presenting a Marianne who is complex, thoughtfully portrayed, and deeply relatable… An absolute must-read for Austen fans.”

– The Coffee Pot Book Club, editorial review