'It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.'
1820, and the marriage between wealthy widower Sir Edward Knatchbull and Jane Austen's handsome, dutiful niece Fanny Knight is widely praised as being the most excellent match in the county.
As Sir Edward's wife, Fanny is expected to apply herself to the raising of his five children with the same dedication she has shown towards her siblings at Godmersham Park. In particular, she pays care to young Mary Knatchbull - the only girl of the family, and the apple of her strict father's eye.
Poor Mary has hitherto been raised under a cloud of quiet misery. But as the Knight and Knatchbull families merge, she discovers something like fun. The Knight girls are so sweet and the boys .... so very handsome and charming and madly athletic - especially Ned, the eldest and therefore the heir to Godmersham Park.
As Mary approaches her seventeenth birthday, a bond forms between her and Ned Knight, an understanding that leads, on the last day of the year 1825, to Ned declaring his hand. Sir Edward's outrage is immediate; his refusal unyielding. Ned Knight is his own wife's brother! The situation is simply unseemly. And besides, he dislikes the fellow. The marriage will never take place.
There appears to be only one solution for Ned and Mary - but can it really involve elopement?
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Love for Godmersham Park ...
'So envious of anyone yet to read this. A triumph!' Nigella Lawson
'A masterly piece of storytelling.' Helena Kelly
'The great writer is brought to life in this clever, well-researched piece of fiction' The Times
'Godmersham Park has some of the same understated wit and sharp observation as Austen's novels' Sunday Times
Three women, two families, one forbidden marriage. Get ready to fall in love with the brand-new regency romance from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Godmersham Park and Miss Austen, now a major BBC TV series.
'A richly imagined family saga, love story and social comedy' Times
'Gripping and moving and also so sharp and funny. I loved it!' Sabine Durrant, bestselling author of Lie with Me
'Has all the wit and wisdom of a Jane Austen novel' Red
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1820. Mary Dorothea is living under the sole charge of her widowed father, Sir Edward, a man of strict principles and high moral values.
But when Sir Edward marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary's life is suddenly changed.
Mary's new stepmother, Fanny, comes from a large, happy and sociable family, and Fanny's brothers are amusing, handsome and completely charming.
One brother is particularly attentive and, as Mary approaches her seventeenth birthday, a bond forms between them that leads, on the last day of the year 1825, to a proposal of marriage.
Sir Edward's outrage is immediate, his refusal absolute. The union will never take place.
There appears to be only one solution . . .
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Praise for The Elopement:
'Hornby's Austen books are funny, bittersweet family sagas, impeccably researched and lavishly imagined' The Times
'Tremendous' Nigella Lawson
'Has all Austen's wit and unnerving powers of observation with an extra twenty-first century zap' Ferdinand Mount, prize-winning author of Big Ceasars and Little Caesars
'Few writers are as perspicacious or half as delightful as Hornby' Karen Joy Fowler, international bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club
'A captivating return to the world of the Austens' Woman & Home
'Combines meticulous period research with a fine feeling for the characters' inner lives, hopes and fears' Daily Mail
Readers are loving The Elopement:
'I was hooked from the first page' 5-star reader review
'I loved every minute of this novel' 5-star reader review
'One of the best books I've read this year. It's a delight - by turns refreshing, funny, romantic, poignant and touching' 5-star reader review
'Full of warmth, wit and suspense' 5-star reader review
'It is so well-written with vivid period detail that I felt immersed in the Austen world and did not want it to end' 5-star reader review
