"Tell Mary that I make over Mr Heartley & all his Estate to her for her sole use and Benefit in future, & not only him, but all my other Admirers into the bargain wherever she can find them, even the kiss which C. Powlett wanted to give me, as I mean to confine myself in future to Mr Tom Lefroy, for whom I donot care sixpence."
letter to Cassandra
January 14, 1796 [2]
"After I had written the above, we received a visit from Mr Tom Lefroy and his cousin George. The latter is really very well-behaved now; and as for the other, he has but one fault, which time will, I trust, entirely remove--it is that his morning coat is a great deal too light. He is a very great admirer of Tom Jones, and therefore wears the same coloured clothes, I imagine, which he did when he was wounded."
letter to Cassandra
January 9, 1796 [1]
I have read Fielding's Tom Jones, but I must admit I have no recollection of the color of his clothes. Jane and Tom must have discussed Fielding -- a bit risque, perhaps.
"He is a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man, I assure you. But as to our having ever met, except at the three last balls, I cannot say much; for he is so excessively laughed at about me at Ashe, that he is ashamed of coming to Steventon, and ran away when we called on Mrs Lefroy a few days ago."
letter to Cassandra
January 9, 1796 [1]
Jane is again writing about Tom Lefroy.
The picture is of Ashe House, Jane's dear friend Anne Lefroy's home, which Jane mentions in the letter. Anne was Tom's aunt.
"Mr. H. began with Elizabeth, and afterwards danced with her again; but they do not know how to be particular. I flatter myself, however, that they will profit by the three successive lessons which I have given them."
letter to Cassandra
January 9, 1796
Jane was joking about dancing three times with Tom Lefroy at the ball the night before. I believe dancing with anyone more than twice would provoke talk.
This is Jane's first surviving letter.
Anne Hathaway will be on Good Morning America and Live with Regis and Kelly tomorrow morning to talk about Becoming Jane. As you may know, the film is based on Jane's falling in love with Tom Lefroy when she was twenty.
It looks like a lovely movie, but not exactly Jane's story. Read about Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy here in an excerpt from my upcoming book, and see more quotes here.
I have a ticket to a screening tomorrow and will be posting my thoughts soon.
"At length the Day is come on which I am to flirt my last with Tom Lefroy, & when you receive this it will be over--My tears flow as I write, at the melancholy idea."
letter to Cassandra
January 15, 1796 [2]
"I rather expect to receive an offer from my friend in the course of the evening. I shall refuse him, however, unless he promises to give away his white Coat."
Jane writing to Cassandra re: a ball the following evening, joking about expecting an offer from Tom Lefroy
January 14, 1796 [2]
" . . . I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved. Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together."
Jane to her sister Cassandra, in a letter of January 9, 1796 [1], re: flirting with Tom Lefroy at the ball the night before
