How to write emotion

Jane Austen portrayed her famous hero as enigmatic and difficult to interpret.

Some may say that breaking into that mystery spoils the story. I prefer the view that knowing more about a character helps us understand how and why they act as they do when under pressure. So this is what I wrote in my sequel -

When some weeks earlier Georgiana had made reference to their mother’s early death, Darcy had rounded on her with unusual vehemence.

“Fortunately, you were still in the nursery and too young to remember that dreadful time. I had come home from school for the first day of the summer holidays, and our dear Mama was resting in her chair overlooking the lake that morning. But when I returned from visiting the gamekeeper several hours later, all was chaos and confusion. The physician was here, I was not allowed to see Mama, and our father was pacing up and down in the library, quite distraught at what was happening upstairs.”

Georgiana stared at his agitation as her brother related the events of that day.

“The worst part was when suddenly everything went quiet, and the physician sent for Papa to go upstairs. When he came back after about thirty minutes, he called me into the library. There were tears streaming down his face as he explained that the doctor had not been able to deliver the child - and that our dear mother was dead.”

Tears were falling down his cheeks now and she went over to him and held him close until Darcy was able to regain his composure. Then he apologised for his weakness.

“But you will know, dear Georgiana, that was one of the most unhappy days of my life, and deprived you of the attention of our dear mother when you were so very young! Papa was never the same person after that day, for theirs had been a very happy marriage. Even now, I really cannot bear thinking about it, or that anything like that could happen to Elizabeth!”