Australian (yay!) author Carolyn Miller returns with her second Daughters of Aynsley historical romance, continuing her very successful foray into Regency romance. The Daughters of Aynsley is Carolyn’s third Regency Brides series following on from Regency Brides: A Legacy of Grace and Regency Brides: The Promise of Hope, so if you are yet to read a Miller romance you have a great backlist to enjoy. I hope you enjoy getting to know the lovely Cecy and Ned from Underestimating Miss Cecelia, then be sure to read the book and discover why you should never underestimate a woman, especially the quiet ones 😉
Over to you, Carolyn!
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Cecilia (Cecy) Hatherleigh
2nd daughter of the viscount, Lord Aynsley
Physical Stats
Height: 5 ft 4 in
Hair colour & style: light chestnut curls
Eye colour: blue
Dress sense: modest, but stylish (she’s worth 50,000 pounds, after all)
Resembles…
Imogen Poots
Can’t live without…
her diary, in which she writes all her secrets. (Heaven forbid her mother reads it!)
Strengths
Kindness, compassion, she’s sweet-hearted, a peacemaker.
Vulnerabilities
Her shy ways, soft voice and humility means she’s inclined to be talked over by those more forceful – which also makes her susceptible to their manipulations.
Passions
She secretly loves the boy next door – the recently returned prodigal son whom her parents despise.
What book or movie would they recommend?
She’s a fan of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, as she can quite understand the feelings of poor Anne Elliot, who is also forever being talked over.
Your inspiration for the character
I knew that Cecy, as the middle of three daughters, would need a different personality to her forceful sisters. Her eldest sister, Caroline, has tended to a brusque propriety; her younger sister is a petite dynamo who cares little for social niceties. Cecy is in the middle, not wanting to rock the boat, but motivated by kindness. She’s the peacemaker, someone who hates confrontation, who longs to see harmony in her family.
Shy, sweet Cecilia Hatherleigh has always been in love with Edward Amherst, the boy next door. Yet he’s never seen her as anything but the quiet girl in the background as he flirts with the other vivacious women of the ton.
When a near tragedy brings Edward’s attention to his family duties, this prodigal son decides he needs to settle down with a proper wife. Cecilia hopes to convince him to choose her—but God may want her to forget the wayward nobleman and put her future in His hands alone.
These two try to find their way toward happiness, but prejudice, political riots, and the changing face of England’s societal structures begin to block them at every turn. Can their struggles turn to triumph—or will their paths permanently diverge?
Edward (Ned) Amherst
younger son of the Earl of Rovingham
Physical Stats
Height: 5 ft 11 in
Hair colour & style: fair hair that needs no curling tongs 🙂
Eye colour: green (with golden glints)
Dress sense: he dresses well, but somewhat soberly. He’s not a dandy any more.
Resembles…
Tom Mison (from Lost in Austen)
Can’t live without…
his Bible, which he tries to live by…now.
Strengths
As a lawyer, Ned has a clever mind, and his kind heart means he notices the poor and disenfranchised. His past means he is greatly sympathetic to those who have suffered prejudice.
Vulnerabilities
His past also means he’s prone to being gossiped about, the speculation is something he can’t argue against. He’s also weighed by a heavy burden of guilt for past actions, guilt that motivates him to want to help the poor, but also makes him feel he’s unworthy of happiness.
Passions
He has a passion to see justice prevail, to see those who are downtrodden receive respect and redress for the prejudice they’ve undergone.
What book or movie would they recommend?
I think he’d be a fan of The Shawshank Redemption, even though it was filmed nearly 200 years after his time!
Your inspiration for the character
I’ve often wondered what it would have been like for the prodigal son after his return. Sure, his dad was happy to see him, but his elder brother was not. Add that to a general misunderstanding about the nature of his deeds, and it could lead to a very complex character – and situation J
Background to the story
How can a man redeem his reputation, when members of his family and most of his neighbors and the general community think him guilty of things he did not do? What happened AFTER the prodigal son returned, how did he negotiate so many complicated relationships – and how could he gently deal with the neighbor’s second daughter, whose affectionate feelings towards him have not exactly gone unnoticed?
I wanted to write about a man who was involved in the legal profession, something I hadn’t done in a previous story. It was interesting to explore this at a time when the working classes were starting to protest about the unfair representation in Parliament – this was a time when large cities the size of Manchester had only one member of parliament, while a village (literally) sliding into the sea had two! As well as examining the plight of the working classes, Underestimating Miss Cecilia also touches on the challenges faced by others who bore the brunt of prejudice, including the Irish, and gypsies.
While this novel contains issues of social justice, I wanted to explore another aspect of Regency life: the country house party, which provided opportunity for all manner of games, flirting, and even some kissing! (Oohhh, scandalous!) This provided some fun moments that help add light to the tone.
Thanks Carolyn!
Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, Winning Miss Winthrop, Miss Serena’s Secret, The Making of Mrs. Hale, A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh, and Underestimating Miss Cecilia, all available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Koorong, etc
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