Rosamund from THE EARL'S ENGAGEMENT

In writing my stories, it seems I need a little help in "seeing" my characters before I even jot down the first word. I tend to scan the PBS/BBC film archives to find who I'm looking for. Last year in the A-Z challenge in April, I spent the whole month showing who I thought my characters would be if I met them in real life. (Scroll way down to the bottom of this page to find the archives and click on April if you want to see them.)

This is whom I chose to portray Rosamund -- Lady Rosamund Briden, the Earl of Warwickshire's daughter.

She's a sensible girl, a little high spirited, smart, loves her family, and will do anything for them.  A no nonsense kind of gal, Rosamund has a lot on her plate and digs in when the going gets tough. She's taking care of her aging parents while the manor in which they live is falling down around their ears, and the man next door wants their farm to combine with his to make an estate for his own and will do anything to get it. Forcing her hand in marriage is high on his list of priorities.

If that isn't bad enough, she's done something so nefarious and underhanded that if she's found out, there will be terrible consequences, not only for her, but her family as well. And no, sorry, I'm not telling you what it is.

Her secret is safe for the moment, but when the Earl of Bailey shows up unexpectedly on her doorstep, Rosamund is nearly hysterical, for he's the only person who could actually guess her secret. Makes for a great plot, don't you think?

This is the cover image I found for the book. They kind of look almost the same, don't you think? Okay, maybe not so much, but Thomas Lawrence's rendition of Lady Maria Conygham is just soooo pretty, I couldn't resist. Also, she's got her dog with her and I just love dogs.

I've finished the first chapter and am really excited about how it's going so far. Lots of tension mounting.

Rosamund has not been in Society, yes, she's had her come-out, but meeting men is not what this lady is all about. She'd rather cozy up with a good book in front of the fire.

So what do you think of Rosamund?