Many years of business and scholarly writing have somewhat hampered my creative writing side, but every now and then something slips by the censors.
Cheering Up Mrs. Crofts is a JAFF (Jane Austen Fan Fiction) in which I imagine that one reason why Mrs. Crofts (from Persuasion) finds herself so dismal when the Captain is away at sea is because Miss Bates (from Emma) keeps dropping in to Cheer Her Up. I rolled on the floor laughing as I wrote this (challenging thing to do with the keyboard….).
—Knock, knock! It is just little I, popping in to say hello, dear Mrs. Crofts! No, pray do not get up—I’ll just let myself in! It is so good to see you again, my dear Mrs. Crofts; for although I spotted you at church this morning and waved—not during the sermon, of course, for that would not have been proper, but after the service, as we filed out to shake hands with dear Mr. Brown; yes, indeed, I waved my handkerchief to you several times; not this one, which I use for everyday, but my good one trimmed with lace for Sundays—but although I waved, as I said, you must not have seen me, for you appeared to be walking away to your rooms quite quickly! Read Cheering Up Mrs Crofts