Wendy Van Camp is one of Fantasy Sci-Fi Network's science fiction and fantasy writers but she is in no way limited to those genres. A lover of Jane Austen novels, her latest work 'The Curate's Brother' is a variation of Persuasion, a character study between two brothers during a summer in 1806 as they both have summer romances. Released on the 23rd of October 2014, The Curate's Brother could act as a prequel to the famed 1817 novel.
the
curate's
brother
WENDY VAN CAMP
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The Curate’s Brother is a short story about the relationship between the
two Wentworth brothers as seen through the eyes of EDWARD WENTWORTH.
It follows their romantic antics over one summer in 1806. This short
story could be seen as a prequel to Jane Austen’s famous novel
“Persuasion”.
Edward Wentworth lives a quiet, structured life as a curate in the regency era village of Monkford. He spends his days ministering to the sick and downhearted, which he considers his life’s calling. His comfortable life is shaken when his elder brother, COMMANDER FREDERICK WENTWORTH arrives on his doorstep for a visit. Frederick has returned to England after seeing action and commanding his first vessel, a prize ship won in the West Indies. He is awaiting orders and has the hope of commanding a ship of his own by the end of summer. His only goal is to pass the time with the only family he has left in England until his next assignment.
At first Edward is glad to see his brother. They have not spent time with each other for years due to his brother’s naval service. They are opposites in many ways. Frederick is bold and likes to take risks. Edward is shy and over-aware of social implications. When his brother flirts with SALLY MARSHALL, an outgoing beauty that Edward is used to viewing as “a child”, the young curate becomes aware that his viewpoint of Sally is sorely outdated. His peaceful life is full of turmoil as he observes Sally flirting with men at public assemblies and realizes that he does not like it.
Meanwhile, Frederick finds himself a celebrity in Monkford. Word from the London papers paint him as “the Hero of San Domingo”, where he won a commendation for his quick thinking in action. The men want to hear the story of his exploits, but Frederick would rather dance with the ladies. The Commander takes an interest in shy wallflower, ANNE ELLIOT. He pays no heed to Edward’s warnings that the girl is the daughter of a baronet and well above his station. Edward fears that no good will come of a union between his brother and the girl due to her family connections.
At the end of summer, a letter and a package arrive that will change everything for the two brothers. Which way will prevail, the bold action of the commander or the quiet manners of the curate?
Edward Wentworth lives a quiet, structured life as a curate in the regency era village of Monkford. He spends his days ministering to the sick and downhearted, which he considers his life’s calling. His comfortable life is shaken when his elder brother, COMMANDER FREDERICK WENTWORTH arrives on his doorstep for a visit. Frederick has returned to England after seeing action and commanding his first vessel, a prize ship won in the West Indies. He is awaiting orders and has the hope of commanding a ship of his own by the end of summer. His only goal is to pass the time with the only family he has left in England until his next assignment.
At first Edward is glad to see his brother. They have not spent time with each other for years due to his brother’s naval service. They are opposites in many ways. Frederick is bold and likes to take risks. Edward is shy and over-aware of social implications. When his brother flirts with SALLY MARSHALL, an outgoing beauty that Edward is used to viewing as “a child”, the young curate becomes aware that his viewpoint of Sally is sorely outdated. His peaceful life is full of turmoil as he observes Sally flirting with men at public assemblies and realizes that he does not like it.
Meanwhile, Frederick finds himself a celebrity in Monkford. Word from the London papers paint him as “the Hero of San Domingo”, where he won a commendation for his quick thinking in action. The men want to hear the story of his exploits, but Frederick would rather dance with the ladies. The Commander takes an interest in shy wallflower, ANNE ELLIOT. He pays no heed to Edward’s warnings that the girl is the daughter of a baronet and well above his station. Edward fears that no good will come of a union between his brother and the girl due to her family connections.
At the end of summer, a letter and a package arrive that will change everything for the two brothers. Which way will prevail, the bold action of the commander or the quiet manners of the curate?
What fans are already saying about this Austen variation...
"It has been awhile since I read any Austen, but this story made me want to immediately revisit my old favorites!" 5 Stars.
"Good short story. Nice character development but would like to know more about these characters. I would recommend this book to friends and family." 5 Stars.
An Excerpt to feed your curiosity...
Stepping
out into the soft morning sunshine the following Sunday, Edward found his
accustomed place to one side of the doorway of the Monkford church. His Vicar
took the other. A mother and father
followed by four children were the first to depart. The father stopping for a moment with the
Vicar to chat for a moment before the family set off to walk home. This was his first day at church since his
brother arrived. That Frederick wanted
to come to service and see what he did for his living, pleased Edward.
“Good
day, Mr. Wentworth.” The voice was soft, feminine and familiar.
“Thank
you for the biscuits, Miss Marshall. It
was kind of you to bring them to the cottage.”
The
girl blushed, the ringlets of her hair giving a pleasant bounce as she dipped
her head. Was this the young girls that brought biscuits to his doorstep or
help organize the contents of the poor box after services? That memory did not
fit the girl standing before him now, wearing an adult frock and a bonnet to
protect her complexion. He found the
juxtaposition of Sally the child and the adult clothing of the newly come out
Miss Marshall to be disconcerting.
Miss
Marshall’s attention shifted and her eyes grew wide. Edward noticed his brother, wearing
ill-fitting cast offs from the church in place of his naval uniform, had come
to join him. He was giving Miss Marshall
a casual grin that warred with his feral appraisal that swept over her
form. The girl’s eyelashes fluttered and
she blushed. Edward felt a wave of discomfort start in his gut and flow to his
chest.
“Would
you do the honor of introducing me to your fair companion?”
Miss
Marshall looked at Edward with expectation and a flash of excitement. He prevented himself from grimacing. “Miss
Sally Marshall, may I introduce my brother, Commander Frederick Wentworth of
his Majesty’s Royal Navy. Frederick,
this is Miss Marshall, the daughter of the village apothecary.” Sally gave a
polite curtsy to his brother’s bow and the introduction became complete.
More
families streamed through the open double doors of the church, filling the
narrow porch. Sally dimpled and said,
“Welcome to Monkford, Commander. Will
you be staying long with us?’
“As
long as the admiralty allows, Miss Marshall.
I am awaiting reassignment.”
Miss
Marshall’s smile diminished, but she rallied. “Mr. Wentworth, you simply must
bring your brother to the assembly next week.”
“You
have not mentioned an assembly, Edward.”
There was a good natured prodding in Frederick’s voice.
He
faced his brother. “I am sure that I would have in time.” Turning back to Sally, “We will both attend,
Miss Marshall, you can be certain.”
The
girl gave a clap of her gloved hands and this time her winsome smile included both
men. “What delightful news. I look forward to telling Papa.” More people
were crowding the narrow entry. The girl gave a quick curtsy to the brothers
and continued down the steps where her family was waiting.
“What
an amiable girl. You have been holding
out on me, Edward. I wonder what other
delights Monkford will hold.”
“Frederick,
Miss Marshall is a respectable girl and the daughter of a friend. If you intend to ruin this girl’s
reputation…” A hand from his seafaring
brother on his shoulder stopped him.
“I
am returning to sea soon enough. I have no intention of starting a complication
here. Come, greet your parish. Say no more.”
Edward studied his brother’s face and saw no guile there. He relaxed. One after another, the people
exited the church, pausing either with himself or with the Vicar across the
way.
There
did not seem to be a preference by the people of Monkford between the elder
Vicar and the Curate. Though Edward was
a scant two and twenty years of age, he was as respected as the Vicar. At
least, until the baronet’s family from Kellynch Hall exited the church.
Sir
Walter Elliot wore a puce frock coat and appeared well groomed, to the point
that his coiffure would be the envy of women.
His silver headed cane gleamed in the morning light. An elegant woman of
similar age followed along with two young women. The first girl had elaborate
braids, perfect skin, and a dress of the finest cut and quality. The other was pale, exhibiting fragility. She
wore the sprig muslin of an innocent.
Sir Walter never stopped to speak to Edward, a mere curate. He would only acknowledge the Vicar when he
and his family came to church.
He
heard a catch of breath behind him. “Who
is that beautiful creature, Edward?”
Edward
glanced back to learn who his brother was speaking of and realized he was
looking at the baronet’s daughters.
“Miss Elliot is the belle of Somersetshire. She is Sir Walter Elliot’s eldest daughter. Reputed to be the heiress of quite a
fortune.” There was much speculation about
whom Miss Elliot would settle on.
Perhaps a man of wealth and title would be able to tempt the golden
haired beauty. Sir Walter was in
excellent health and while Miss Elliot was quite eligible, neither father nor
daughter was in a hurry to find a match.
“No,
no, not the fancy one. The one behind
her with the brown hair, the lady’s companion? Pretty little thing she is.”
“That
is no companion. Miss Anne Elliot is Sir Walter’s second daughter.”
“She
is like a pocket spite, you could just scoop her up and put her in your…”
“Frederick,
please. There are people about.”
Across the way, Anne Elliot had noticed his
brother’s regard. Her pale face colored
a becoming pink and she looked away.
“Such
a shy one. It might be fun to draw her
out.”
“Frederick,
did you not pay heed? She is the
daughter of a baronet. Come to your senses man.” While their father had been wealthy enough to
buy Frederick’s commission in the navy and to sponsor Edward an education at
Cambridge, they were of the merchant class, no match in status for someone of
the peerage.
His
brother followed the girl’s progress down the steps as Sir Walter led his party
to the carriage that waited at the end of the lane. “Brother, you will learn that sometimes risk
has its reward.” Anne Elliot entered the carriage and a footman closed the
door. His brother turned from the girl
and gave Edward his full attention. "Why are you convinced that I have
come to cause your doom? Do you think so little of me?”
Edward
deflated. “No. I suppose I keep thinking of you as the
twelve year old scamp that insisted he was for the sea until father gave in to
your desires. I do not know the man that
has come back to England. At least, not
yet.”
“Fair
enough. We need a shakedown cruise to
clear the decks between us.” Frederick
moved behind Edward to allow more of the parishioners to exit the church. “I
hope that we both prove to each other’s satisfaction.”
Wendy Van Camp's inspiration behind the short story...
"Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors and she is the inspiration for my amazon ebook, The Curate's Brother. I love all her books, but Persuasion is my favorite. After reading every novel that Jane Austen had written, I started to read fanfiction based on Austen’s novels. Eventually, ideas for a story of my own developed. Letters from the Sea was my Nanowrimo novel in 2011, but I was never happy with it and I set it aside for two years. The only part of the book I liked was the first chapter of the book where Edward Wentworth viewed his brother’s romance from afar. This single chapter became the bud that bloomed into The Curate’s Brother. The original chapter was only around 4 thousand words long. After running it by two of my critique groups, I was given enough input to do a complete rewrite of the story. It is now around 14 thousand words in length and details summer romances by both Edward and Frederick Wentworth. It is more a character study of the young curate than a true formula romance, and can serve as a prequel to Austen's novel Persuasion.
When I write, I start with a character concept and then use a unique outline formula that I’ve developed from several writing systems as my outline of plot points. I don’t always base the events of what happens in the story on the formula; it is more to keep my character arcs on track. I write about people first. I develop their backgrounds, their connections and views. This is what creates the plot. Sometimes it feels like the characters are telling me what to write as if they are old friends directing me to write their stories. This certainly was the case with The Curate's Brother. Edward Wentworth took over the story from his brother Frederick and became the anchor of the tale. In the end, I believe that this makes the story more interesting."
About the Author...
More from Wendy Van Camp
Blog: http://nowastedink.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wvancamp
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4482501-wendy
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nowastedink
Google+: google.com/+WendyVanCamp
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00OUGNQ60
Where to purchase
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Curates-Brother-Austen-Variation-Persuasion-ebook/dp/B00OU1V45A
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