A Damned Good Contest

The contest is over and the winner will be announced soon … and soon after that, there will be another contest, so watch this page for announcements!

This excerpt describes a provincial assembly where Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra–and at least one of the Damned–are in attendance. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the book.

The Question was: What did Jane and Cassandra see–or not see–in the mirror? Look here for a hint.

The Answer: It was something of a trick question. What they didn’t see in the mirror was a reflection of the lady in the nifty gown, because she was a vampire! And some of you pointed out that the Austen sisters might have seen only the gown, something that hadn’t occurred to me, but which in my vampire world wouldn’t happen (although I think it would have been quite useful for fashion-conscious vampires).

The Excerpt

“Cassandra.” She touched her sister’s arm. “Tell me I do not imagine things. The lady at the back of the room—the one with the silver fillet on her hair and the cream gown with the Greek pattern along the hem—”

“Oh, most elegant,” Cassandra said. “Surely she did not have that gown made here. It must be a London dressmaker. And the fabric—what a beautiful drape. It cannot be a cotton, surely. I suspect it is a silk, or even, do you think, a very fine wool? I think—”

“The mirror. Now look in the mirror.”

“Oh.”  Casssandra gripped Jane’s arm. “So it is true.”

The woman moved toward the two sisters, bowing her head in acknowledgment, a faint smile on her red lips. Her feet, clad in the briefest and most delicate of red leather Grecian sandals, whispered on the floorboards as she passed them and walked toward the doorway. She left in her wake a hint of a heavy, exotic perfume and the train of her gown lifted, floated, and caressed Jane’s muslin skirt as she passed by.