Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend Read Online Free PDF Page A

know that once you reach the border
between England and Scotland you can get married without asking permission of any parent or guardian? A blacksmith at Gretna Green can marry you. I thought of trying it myself so that I will have
the experience for my novels, but now if you do it, I shall go with you as a sort of chaperone and not have the bother of making up my mind whom to marry.’
    I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, sat up and told her that I didn’t think that Thomas would like that and that I couldn’t imagine him doing something like going to Gretna Green.
‘He’s more likely to fight it out with Edward-John,’ I added.
    ‘A duel!’ Jane’s eyes sparkled with excitement. ‘Pistols at dawn! Or swords! I definitely think swords. They would be much more romantic.’
    I asked her whom she would go to Gretna Green with if she were going to make a runaway marriage (partly to distract her from the idea of a duel – I didn’t want to even think about
that).
    ‘I think Newton Wallop would be the most fun,’ pronounced Jane. ‘Anyway, he is the son of an earl and I do want to make a splendid match.’ And then she added
thoughtfully, ‘The elopement might even be gossiped about at court, and what more could a girl want?’
    I got out of bed and shivering a little began to wash with the cold water in the basin on the washstand. Now that we were almost to Easter, Mrs Austen had declared that fires in the bedroom were
an extravagance so instead of picking a can of nice hot water from the hob by the fire, we had to wash in cold.
    While I was washing, Jane scribbled vigorously on a piece of paper, her quill dipping rapidly in and out of the ink pot, and she was shaking sand over the result by the time that I dried
myself.
    ‘Listen to this,’ she said. ‘You can stick it in your journal afterwards. It’s another few words for my Augusta story. I think it will be my best novel by the time I have
finished. Augusta will be a clergyman’s wife and my heroine will despise her. I think I will call my heroine “Emma”. I like that name. It seems cool and clever,
somehow.’
    I pulled on my stockings while she read it out. When she had finished she gave it to me to stick it into my journal. I must say that I think she is very clever. I don’t know how she gets
these ideas.

    It was short, but it did make me giggle. I don’t think I would ever have the courage to say something like that to the real Augusta.
    ‘A letter for you, Jenny,’ said Frank as Jane and I came into breakfast. He had already been up to Deane Gate Inn for the letters delivered there every morning by the mail coach and
was busily distributing them. He put the sealed and folded sheet of paper by my plate and then moved on to give Henry his numerous letters.
    I’m sure my face showed my thoughts when I saw the square firm handwriting on the outside of the sheet. I couldn’t believe that I had got a letter from Thomas already. He must have
written almost as soon as he arrived back at Southampton.
    ‘Jenny, my dear,’ said Mr Austen quietly. ‘Please give your letter to your aunt.’
    I stared at him. I could not believe it. He, so gentle, so slow to interfere, was actually asking me to give my beloved letter to Mrs Austen. I made no move to obey, just held my precious letter
clenched within my hand. Mrs Austen stared stonily ahead with an air that said plainly: this is nothing to do with me.
    ‘My dear,’ Mr Austen got to his feet, ‘I think you and I should just have a quick word with Jenny. Go on with your meal, the rest of you. No, Jane, you stay there.’
    His voice was unusually firm for him, and to my surprise Mrs Austen, usually the one in authority in the household, got to her feet as meekly as I did and followed him into his study at the back
of the house.
    ‘Dearest Jenny,’ he said affectionately, taking me by the hand when I had closed the door to the study. ‘Try to understand. Although we love you as we love our