"I have been shaped by the events of over forty years, from when I was but a maiden. The world is a nasty place full of awful persons, Mr. Wickham, and does not get any lighter through complaining or blaming. T'is only if you confront evil with resolution that you have any hopes of prevailing." The Dowager Countess of Matlock (11th)The Countess: An Enigma? A Mystery? Or a young girl all-grown-up?Kitty Bennet, the fourth daughter of the Master and Mistress of Longbourn, had spent far too long as the shadow of her younger sister. The all-knowing Meryton chinwaggers suggested that young Miss Bennet needed education-and quickly-especially after the irregular circumstances that forced the wedding of Lydia Bennet and George Wickham.How right they were...but the type of instruction Kitty Bennet received, and the where/when in which she matriculated, was far beyond their ken. For, they knew nothing of that remarkable piece of furniture that had been part of the lives of clan Bennet for over 120 years: The Bennet Wardrobe.After spending 46 years in the future, the Dowager Countess of Matlock returned to Longbourn's bookroom at that exact same moment as she left in 1811 to tend to many important pieces of Family business. However, she was now a woman of 63 years, some thirteen her father's senior. Time can deal funny cards in the Universe created by Jane Austen and the Wardrobe.Of course, the Countess is acting to set in motion forces that will shape the future of Britain-and the Five Families-throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries. In the process, Kitty Fitzwilliam will help her youngest sister find the love she craved with the unexpected hero who, as the Duke said, "saved us all."The Countess Visits Longbourn offers insights into the touching reunion between Kitty Fitzwilliam and her father, Thomas Bennet. Readers will also learn how the mysterious Founder's Letters were set in motion along with the purpose behind the Bennet Family Trust. New characters, some ancestors of those introduced in Part One of The Exile, will come onto the stage to illuminate a deeper understanding of the shaping of the character of George Wickham-the Hero of Hougoumont Woods at the Battle of Waterloo.The Exile: The Countess Visits Longbourn is the second part and conclusion of the Bennet Wardrobe Volume chronicling the life of Kitty Bennet in the Wardrobe's Universe. This novel takes readers on a journey that stretches from the early-19th into the mid-20th Centuries. Novel is over 89,000 words in length.The Bennet Wardrobe Series was named Best Series of 2017 by More Agreeably Engaged!The Bennet Wardrobe Series is best read in order. The current Volumes of the Bennet Wardrobe (in order) are: "The Keeper: Mary Bennet's Extraordinary Journey" (Volume 1) (novel)"Henry Fitzwilliam's War" (e-book novella)""The Exile: Kitty Bennet and the Belle Époque" (novel)"Lizzy Bennet Meets the Countess" (novella)"The Exile: The Countess Visits Longbourn" (novel)As Joana Starnes, author of The Falmouth Connection and many other powerful Pride and Prejudice variations, noted after reading The Countess Visits Longbourn: "Who can resist the magic of time-travel? Pages of worldwide history rustle back and forth between Regency grand salons, Napoleonic battlefields and more recent conflicts as, guided by Don Jacobson's masterful pen, the Bennet sisters grow as people and come into their own. 'The Countess Visits Longbourn' is a wonderful new installment, and we cannot fail to revel in the excellent writing and the abundance of detail as the mysteries of the Wardrobe continue to unfold. This captivating series, that brings together real and much-loved fictional characters from all walks of life, is one to savour, and I will revisit it again and again."
About the Author: Don Jacobson has written professionally for forty years. His output has ranged from news and features to advertising, television and radio. His work has been nominated for Emmys and other awards. He has previously published five books, all non-fiction. In 2016, he published the first volume of The Bennet Wardrobe Series-The Keeper: Mary Bennet's Extraordinary. The Exile (Parts 1 and 2) is the second volume of The Bennet Wardrobe Series. The series has grown to include two full novels (with three more planned) and several novellas. Other Austenesque P&P Variations include the paired books Of Fortune's Reversal and The Maid and The Footman. The story of the Bennet Wardrobe will be completed after three more novels. Jacobson holds an advanced degree in History with a specialty in American Foreign Relations. As a college instructor, Don teaches United States History, World History, the History of Western Civilization, and Research Writing. He is a member of JASNA-Puget Sound. Likewise, Don is a member of the Austen Authors collective (see the internet, Facebook and Twitter). He lives in the Seattle, WA area with his wife and co-author, Pam, a woman Miss Austen would have been hard-pressed to categorize, and their rather assertive four-and-twenty pound cat, Bear. Besides thoroughly immersing himself in the JAFF world, Don also enjoys cooking; dining out, fine wine and well-aged scotch whiskey.