Lady Catherine Bexley is new to marriage and the marriage bed, but surely there must be more to it than this? Her husband is proper and perfunctory — treating her with careful respect but leaving her aching for more. When she witnesses a gentleman disciplining a maid at a house party, the ache explodes into ravenous desire. She finds herself no longer willing to wait for her husband’s stiff and passionless attentions — and soon develops a naughty plan to finally get what she wants.
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My Favourite Scene to Write in The Secret Diary of Lady Catherine Bexley.
My favourite scene to write in The Secret Diary of Lady Catherine Bexley is the scene in which Catherine tries (in a most lady like fashion) to understand her husband’s reticence in the bedroom, and in turn, get him to realise that she is not just a fragile, naïve woman who will break if he administers aggressively to her. My favourite scene occurs in Lady Catherine’s diary entry of Tuesday, 27th July 1813. This was such an enjoyable scene to write because Lady Catherine, despite all appearances is actually a lusty, witty, and highly sexual being.
In this scene, the reader really gets to see just how immovable and proper Lord Joseph Bexley really is. He is older (and allegedly worldlier) than his bride and wishes only to treat her well, but, as the reader also discovers, our proper little bride is curious by nature and desperate for something more.
As I watched him, the flickering candlelight outlined his broad shoulders. I wished more than anything that he would kiss me. He so rarely kissed me. I could perhaps count on one hand the number of times his lips had met mine. He was so proper. At times I imagined him an immovable mountain of propriety.
In this scene it becomes apparent that that Lord Bexley does indeed care deeply for his young wife, but is unable or unwilling to display that affection in deference to her feminine sensibilities.
‘You are a lovely bride,’ he confessed. His cheeks darkened with a blush as he spoke.
‘Thank you,’ I nodded. I wondered then if I should reply something of a similar sentiment, but he spoke before I could.
The very awkward Lord Bexley then goes on to tell his bride how he will never treat her poorly or use her in a manner she should find discomforting, except for the brief perfunctory occasions necessary to beget an heir. His attempts at gentle consideration for her well being, however, are not exactly what our young Lady wishes to hear.
It was, dear diary, the most emotion I’d ever heard him voice, and possibly the closest thing to a confession of affection a wife in a marriage like mine is likely to hear; but for all the sentiment he showed, it distressed rather than pleased me. I don’t want him to treat me like a lady. I want him to treat me as a woman.
This scene allows Lady Catherine’s sexual frustration to become palpable and the reader is able to witness just exactly how misunderstood each character is within the marriage.
I got the idea for this story years ago, after reading about young virtuous women marrying older men during Regency times. I really wanted to know how these couples would interact together on an intimate level outside and inside the bedroom. Well, particularly inside the bedroom if truth be told.
Writing these regency diaries is a challenge. Getting the language, technology, habits, manners and social mores correct and coherent for modern readers isn’t always easy – all that being said, I really did enjoy writing every scene in this story, it was a lot of fun!
Thank you for having me on your blog!
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To find out more about Viveka and her books, visit vivekaportman.blogspot.com. And for the chance to win a digital copy of The Secret Diary of Lady Catherine Bexley, just leave a comment below.
