An ending thus became a beginning, as Lord Darlington had so presciently predicted. And for the remainder of their days together, Lady Darlington remembered fondly her Aunt Euphoria’s advice and danced for her husband—with great regularity.
Acknowledgments
MANY THANKS TO my wonderful agent, Irene Goodman, who valiantly championed this book through its myriad revisions, and to my terrifically incisive editor, Rachel Beard Kahan, who took a chance on it and went well above and beyond her editorial duty by giving me a grad-level crash course via e-mail in the laws of primogeniture. Plaudits also to Shana Drehs for taking up the editorial baton without missing a step. Recognition is also due to William Richert, who was there the night “Amanda” was born; to Michele LaRue for being the most patient fan of this novel; to M. Z. R. for the magic bullet, and to Miriam Kriss for the graphic; to the generous, kind, and supportive members of the Beau Monde for their raft of encyclopedic knowledge; and to d.f for his continual, and enthusiastic, encouragement. A bouquet to Laurie Peterson for hiring me to play Jane Austen in The Novelist and to Raffaele A. Castaldo for making me believe I really was in Jane’s parlor in Steventon. Finally, a special nod to the magical city of Bath; every time I visit, I feel as if I’ve come home.
By a Lady
AMANDA ELYOT
A READER’S GROUP GUIDE
About This Guide
An audition for a plum role in a play about Jane Austen becomes an unexpected adventure for New York actress and unabashed Anglophile C. J. Welles. Upon exiting the stage following her final audition, C. J. finds herself inexplicably transported to Bath, England, at the turn of the nineteenth century. Alone in a strange place, at first C. J. is frightened and confused, and barely succeeds in fitting in without betraying the truth of her origin. But she grows increasingly comfortable after she meets the delightfully eccentric Lady Dalrymple, with whom she forms a special bond. A budding romance with Owen Percival, the dashing Earl of Darlington, fosters her increasing affection for the earlier era, especially when C. J. finds out that Darlington’s cousin is none other than Jane Austen—one of C. J.’s literary heroes.
But C. J. remains desperately torn between the two centuries. She longs to return to her own time but faces the difficult decision of leaving behind her new friends and the irresistible Lord Darlington. Then, in the midst of a remarkable turn of events, C. J. makes a startling discovery, uncovering a secret about her past that may explain why she wound up in Bath in the first place.
By a Lady is a marvelous fish-out-of-water historical drama, laced with comedy, romance, and mystery. This guide is designed to help direct your reading group’s discussion of Amanda Elyot’s delightful novel.
Questions for Discussion
1. Before you read By a Lady, had you read any of Jane Austen’s novels? If so, what are some themes common to Austen’s writing that appear in By a Lady? Do any of the characters in By a Lady resemble those in Austen’s works?
2. At the book’s opening, the author includes this quote from Jane Austen: “The novels which I approve are such as display human nature with grandeur—such as show her in the sublimities of intense feeling—such as exhibit the progress of strong passion from the first germ of incipient susceptibility to the utmost energies of reason half-dethroned—where we see the strong spark of women’s captivations elicit such fire in the soul of man as leads him . . . to hazard all, dare all, achieve all, to obtain her.” Do you think By a Lady lives up to the standards Austen sets forth in these words? Why or why not?
3. Do you share an affinity for another era? If so, which one and why?
4. Austen’s Pride and Prejudice opens with this line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” How does this sentiment hold true in By a Lady?
5. The author describes the acute class differences in Georgian England, as well as C. J.’s intense feelings about this disparity. In Chapter 11, Lady Dalrymple says to C. J., “I do not condone the behavior you just witnessed, nor do I agree with it, but my dear, that is the way of the upper crust.” In Chapter 15, Darlington says to C. J., “The English class system has been ingrained for centuries, Miss Welles, and everyone knows and accepts his place with alacrity. That is the way of the world.” Do you agree with the sentiment that a tradition should be upheld for no other reason than its continued existence? Where in the modern world are there similar disparities in economic and/or social classes? Why do you think this kind of inequality has endured? Do you think circumstances in these societies could someday change?
6. By a Lady is full of rich period detail—clothing, sights and smells, societal customs. What were some of the more surprising aspects of Georgian life you became familiar with through this novel?
7. “Every time C. J. thought she had gotten a handle on their mores or manners, these Georgians threw her a curve. A proper lady did not address the servants as equals, and yet she drank her tea out of the saucer!” (Chapter 9). Discuss other points in the book where such inconsistency in manners is displayed by members of Bath’s society.
8. In Chapter Three, when C. J. is brought in front of the magistrate, she learns the origin of the
