To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, we are thrilled to announce an evening with Gill Hornby, whose _Miss Austen_ [https://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/books/gill-hornby/miss-austen/9781787462830/] has just launched as a four-part BBC adaptation starring Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen. She will be discussing her newest work of historical fiction, _The Elopement_.
'IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT A SINGLE MAN IN POSSESSION OF A GOOD FORTUNE MUST BE IN WANT OF A WIFE.'
The year is 1820. Mary Dorothea Knatchbull is living under the sole charge of her widowed father, Sir Edward - a man of strict principles and high Christian values.
But when her father marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary's life is suddenly changed.
Her new stepmother comes from a large, happy and sociable family and Fanny's sisters become Mary's first friends. Her aunt, Miss Cassandra Austen of Chawton, is especially kind. Her brothers are not only amusing, but handsome and charming.
And as Mary Dorothea starts to bloom into a beautiful young woman, she forms an especial bond with one Mr Knight in particular.
Soon, they are deeply in love and determined to marry. They expect no opposition. After all, each is from a good family and has known the other for some years.
IT PROMISES TO BE THE MOST PERFECT MATCH. WHO WOULD WANT TO STAND IN THEIR WAY?
GILL HORNBY is the author of the novels _The Hive_ and _All Together Now_, as well as _The Story of Jane Austen_, a biography of Austen for young readers. Her subsequent novels, _Miss Austen_ and _Godmersham Park_, were _Sunday Times_ bestsellers, and _Miss Austen_ will be a four-part BBC adaptation starring Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen. She lives in West Berkshire with her husband and their four children.