#catherine morland x henry tilney

[ten-cent-sleuth]

Now that anonymity has been lifted from the Austen Exchange, I can share my @fairytalebingo card fills! Since I, uh, ended up doing all nine in one fic…

Rating: Teen

Warnings: brief and non-graphic violence

In which Catherine Morland is one of very few people in all the land who, despite her love for the traders’ stories of sleeping beauties and pumpkin carriages in neighbouring fiefs and her eagerness for her friends’ whispers of local thieving goblins and trolls under bridges, cannot see magic.

(11k of a Northanger Abbey fairy tale AU, which was really, really fun to write)

Thank you to the moderator of this gift exchange for matching me with this prompt, to the moderator of this bingo event for a genuinely life-saving card, and to @queen-vessaraia-ashlynne for saving me from a surfeit of treacle.

[musingsofanunorgainizedmind]

I don’t have a type…

[firawren]

For ficlet friday - Henry Tilney telling Catherine ghost stories, maybe shortly after they're married would be so cute

Thanks for the ask! Great idea!

Ficlet Friday: newlywed ghost stories

"Now that you are mistress of Woodston, I can no longer hide its greatest secret from you, Catherine," Henry said in a grave tone.

Catherine moved closer to him in the bed. "Oh! What is that?"

"Did you not notice the old garden shed when I first took you about the grounds?"

"Yes."

"And yet I have never shown you inside it."

"Surely that is just because it is an ordinary shed, nothing of importance."

He shook his head against his pillow, still wearing the same grave expression. "No. It is because it is haunted."

"Haunted! Oh no, that cannot be true."

"It is quite haunted," he insisted. "The spirit of the old, murdered gardener lurks within its rotting walls."

"Oh! How frightful!" She shuddered against the sheets, and he threw an arm over her waist to draw her closer against him. "Well, and what if I was to go inside?"

"You would take a lamp with you, creeping slowly through the creaking old door, but as soon as you were inside, the door would slam itself shut"—he threw the blanket over both of their heads—"and your lamp would snuff out, as if an invisible hand had extinguished it, plunging you into complete darkness."

Catherine trembled within the dark cocoon her husband had put them in, reveling in his horrid tale.

"You would try to pry the door open, but find yourself utterly trapped—but not alone. No, the hairs on the back of your neck"—he stroked his fingertips there, making her shiver—"would rise as a cold presence made itself felt in the dank air behind you."

"Oh! Henry! This is too horrid!" She snuggled against him. "What then?"

👻

[nymphpens]

Catherine Morland:

[petratherrock]

We're obsessed with only child, middle child, eldest child aesthetics so let's list them in terms of ✨The Ships ✨

1. Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa

Youngest child - only child

2. Anthony Lockwood and Lucy Carlyle

Youngest child - youngest child

3. Darlington - Galaxy Stern

Only child - only child

4. Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson

Only child - only child-ish

(i mean it took him abt a decade before having a younger sibling so does that count? Not sure.)

5. Jude Duarte and Cardan Greenbriar

Middle child - youngest child

6. Suren "Wren" - Oak Greenbriar

Eldest child (ish?) / Only child - youngest child

Does it count when you've been separated for ages but you did kinda spend a few years with the unsister and you still care abt them a lot? Idk either

7. Henry Tilney - Catherine Morland

Middle child - middle child

8. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy

Middle child - eldest child

9. Harriet Smith and Robert Martin

Only child - eldest child

10. George Knightley - Emma Woodhouse

Eldest child - youngest child

11. Anne Elliot - Capt Frederick Wentworth

Middle child - middle child

Okay that's it for the books ships.

Interesting when you look at their dynamics from the perspective of which child they are in the family, and it also makes sense how they act

Also interesting that Miss Austen said, justice to the middle childs let them have their own stories!! Love it xD

After listing down the Austen ships I can't wait to do one with my fave dramas and shows because my brain immediately went to Edith Crawley, my favourite middle child

But ah well for me, anyway, the science of which child you are is probably as reliable as the meyers-briggs test which I'm not sure is that reliable but still fun to discuss and think abt anyway!

Edit : as the youngest child, I do acknowledge and claim these sillies

[dearausten]

has anyone drawn henry and catherine to barbie and ken yet? like just imagine them getting in trouble and catherine is FREAKING OUT while henry is just there for the ride while he calms her down and roasts the shit out of the officers

[firawren]

I will forever be sad we don't have the actual dialogue of his proposal, but still 💕

Northanger Abbey Readthrough Ch 30

Despite having ten whole children, Mrs. Morland notices that Catherine is acting oddly and is concerned about it. She waits a few days before talking to Catherine, which honestly sounds very wise, kudos to her. Then she gets it into her head that the high life at Northanger Abbey has ruined Catherine for home. She's wrong of course, but she is trying her best. How often do parents understand their kids anyway?

I think Jane Austen gets a kick out of bringing in a hero, unlooked for, mid paragraph. It happens here with Henry Tilney, who shows up during Mrs. Morland's search for an essay, it happens with Mr. Darcy turning from the stables at Pemberley, and with Captain Wentworth's arrival in Bath!

I just love this so much:

He was not ill-inclined to obey this request, for, though his heart was greatly relieved by such unlooked-for mildness, it was not just at that moment in his power to say anything to the purpose. Returning in silence to his seat, therefore, he remained for some minutes most civilly answering all Mrs. Morland’s common remarks about the weather and roads. Catherine meanwhile—the anxious, agitated, happy, feverish Catherine—said not a word; but her glowing cheek and brightened eye made her mother trust that this good-natured visit would at least set her heart at ease for a time, and gladly therefore did she lay aside the first volume of The Mirror for a future hour.

Henry can't talk, Catherine is just sitting there all heart eyes. It's so cute! It's so real! I love it so much. I can't even.

Mrs. Morland runs out of things to talk about and Henry finally lightbulb-moments his way into a walk to the Allens. Which Sarah ALMOST RUINS! Thank you, Sarah. Oblivious younger siblings remain a timeless problem. But Mrs. Morland luckily catches on and sends them on their little solitary walk. Mrs. Morland's "silencing nod" seems to be much more effective than Mrs. Bennet's winks at Kitty, by the way.

Such a short proposal description, but it's so lovely:

Some explanation on his father’s account he had to give; but his first purpose was to explain himself, and before they reached Mr. Allen’s grounds he had done it so well that Catherine did not think it could ever be repeated too often. She was assured of his affection; and that heart in return was solicited, which, perhaps, they pretty equally knew was already entirely his own

Now, a lot of people hate this:

I must confess that his affection originated in nothing better than gratitude, or, in other words, that a persuasion of her partiality for him had been the only cause of giving her a serious thought. It is a new circumstance in romance, I acknowledge, and dreadfully derogatory of an heroine’s dignity; but if it be as new in common life, the credit of a wild imagination will at least be all my own.

I have already talked about why a girl liking a boy first is bad (stupid notions of female modesty basically), but I don't understand why people dislike this so much. Yes, it wasn't love at first sight, but there is nothing wrong with liking someone because they like you first! That is literally what happened with Elizabeth Bennet! And it's not like that is the only reason Henry proposed, he realized that she is awesome! It was the regard for him that made him take notice, but that isn't why he defied his father, rode over, and proposed.

I love this, what did the Allens think of them? A very short visit to Mrs. Allen, in which Henry talked at random, without sense or connection, and Catherine, wrapt in the contemplation of her own unutterable happiness, scarcely opened her lips, dismissed them to the ecstasies of another tête-à-tête

Am I saying I love too many things? I WILL KEEP LOVING THINGS! This book is the best! I love it with my whole heart.

Here is a nice rendering of Henry's conversation with his father if you like fan fiction:

In Just Defiance

Now the crazy thing is how important John Thorpe was to the plot. His bragging about Catherine's wealth is the whole reason that Catherine was able to visit the abbey and probably secured her relationship with Henry Tilney, Thorpe's second interference has her sent home in disgrace, the catalyst for Henry's proposal. I don't even know if Henry and Catherine would have got together if it wasn't for that stupid idiot Thorpe! What a weird story!

I love John's lies though, exaggerating wealth and then poverty:

The expectations of his friend Morland, therefore, from the first overrated, had ever since his introduction to Isabella been gradually increasing; and by merely adding twice as much for the grandeur of the moment, by doubling what he chose to think the amount of Mr. Morland’s preferment, trebling his private fortune, bestowing a rich aunt, and sinking half the children, he was able to represent the whole family to the general in a most respectable light.

and then

They were, in fact, a necessitous family; numerous, too, almost beyond example; by no means respected in their own neighbourhood, as he had lately had particular opportunities of discovering; aiming at a style of life which their fortune could not warrant; seeking to better themselves by wealthy connections; a forward, bragging, scheming race. The terrified general pronounced the name of Allen with an inquiring look; and here too Thorpe had learnt his error. The Allens, he believed, had lived near them too long, and he knew the young man on whom the Fullerton estate must devolve.

"lived near them too long" is a great way to describe neighbours who have grown tired of each other.

It says that John is, "spurning a friendship which could be no longer serviceable" which makes me think that he actually ended things with James, not the other way around. Come on, James!

I love Catherine's ultimate conclusion about General Tilney, because I'm totally with her! He's the worst:

Catherine, at any rate, heard enough to feel that in suspecting General Tilney of either murdering or shutting up his wife, she had scarcely sinned against his character, or magnified his cruelty.

Oh the romance of it all, and the first time Henry defies his father:

The general, accustomed on every ordinary occasion to give the law in his family, prepared for no reluctance but of feeling, no opposing desire that should dare to clothe itself in words, could ill brook the opposition of his son, steady as the sanction of reason and the dictate of conscience could make it. But, in such a cause, his anger, though it must shock, could not intimidate Henry, who was sustained in his purpose by a conviction of its justice. He felt himself bound as much in honour as in affection to Miss Morland, and believing that heart to be his own which he had been directed to gain, no unworthy retraction of a tacit consent, no reversing decree of unjustifiable anger, could shake his fidelity, or influence the resolutions it prompted.

I do think it's a sign of Henry's growth that he finally defies his father, but I also get the feeling he's just never had any reason to go against him. It's my impression that he mostly maintained a civil relationship with his father so he could keep visiting Eleanor. Catherine is just the first thing to be important enough for him to fight back. *heart eyes*

IT'S ROMANTIC YOU HATERS!

[tales-from-the-abbey]

Your favorite Northanger Abbey or S&S OT3 isn't there ? Tell me and I'll make a poll with them later

[lavenderfables]

Thoughts on Jane Austen couples? Favorite couple? Least favorite? Most relatable? Any and all thoughts!

My favourite couple is probably Anne Eliot and Frederick Wentworth from Persuasion. I adore Anne, and she's my favourite Austen heroine, so perhaps that colours my thinking. Besides, the letter? The seven years? The longing and the bitterness? Delicious.

My least favourite is Fanny Price x Edmund Bertram from Mansfield Park. I know, I know. They're first cousins, of course they're the worst Austen couple, etc. But consider: on top of this, I also dislike Edmund. The kindness he shows Fanny is just barely above common decency and he spends most of the novel floundering and fumbling even this in favour of his own desires. I'm just not a fan and Fanny can do better. (And don't even try to bring up Henry Crawford as an alternative; I dislike him too.)

On a lighter note, I think Catherine Morland x Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey are probably the most relatable. Haven't we all crushed on someone charming and daydreamed of them casting aside all decorum choose you? Incredibly relatable.

can y'all send some asks that are like “thoughts on ______”

[mockscreens]

Please make lockscreens from Northanger Abbey <3 all the locksreens you make are lovely !

it's been a while since i haven't posted any northanger abbey lockscreens 💛

please like/reblog if you save!

more northanger abbey lockscreens here!

[firawren]

Janeuary Day 8, Cravat: “Uncovered,” a Northanger Abbey fanfic

Catherine/Henry | rated T | 391 words

Henry has to remove his cravat during a walk. This leaves him and his wife Catherine vulnerable to—gasp!—vampires!

Or, at least, that's what he tells her.

Tags: Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Blood, Vampires, Flirting, Teasing, Humor, Janeuary

👉 Read on AO3

Written for @janeuary-month 2025

[misscrawfords]

17+32, Catherine and Henry (Northanger Abbey)?

War AU + Pregnancy fic

My anon, are you sure about this? Because this sounds hella angsty and if Catherine and Henry are anything, it's not angsty!

So I'm really sorry for completely ruining your desire for angst here.

*

Catherine goes to war in maternity leave.

Not literally, don't be ridiculous. She's an English teacher; what on earth would she be doing in a war zone? (She did once fancy herself a member of the Royal Navy but she had been 13 and mostly inspired by going on a high ropes adventure course on a school trip. The craze had not lasted.)

No, maternity leave is simultaneously boring and freeing. Since she started as a teacher, she's never had so much free time to just think. Henry's around some of the time, of course, but he has sermons to write and parishoners to see and tedious parish council meetings to chair. She flits in with cups of tea (waddles, really, at this point) and homemade cake that they at least pretend to like. (Sometimes she likes to give in to all the stereotypes of a vicar's wife. It makes her feel strangely cosy.) But when she isn't baking, she's at war.

At war on the internet. With the dog over her feet and a cup of tea at her side.

It started with a fun looking show on Netflix. Henry pointed it out to her one evening. "It's aimed at people who really loved Twilight when they were teengers and now lead depressingly generic lives in suburbia. People like you," he added pointedly.

Catherine narrowed her eyes and didn't let on that she'd already seen the trailer. "You're going to make fun of it."

"I mean... yes... obviously, but also, I really want to see whether the Dawn Angel gets together with the..." He squinted at the summary on his phone. "Immortal Night Demon or with her high school ex-boyfriend turned firefighter, Jordan. Golly, tough choice there, right? It's going to be compelling drama - breathtaking fight scenes, symbolic dark and light imagery, the epic highs and lows of high school football. You name it!"

They binged the whole thing in two days. Henry's next sermon, on the possibility of redemption even for demons and the devil himself, had been written in a fever dream by both of them at 2am after staying up far too late on Saturday arguing over the fate of the Night Demon and other related topics.

Old Mrs. Evans was heard to mutter sourly to her daughter Carys after the service, "That'll put the cat among the pigeons, that will alright. Too much Milton, not enough St Paul!"

"I always find Milton very inspiring!" Catherine replied bravely and loyally, as she helped them to a cup of tea in the church hall. She smiled at Carys, whom she'd taught Paradise Lost to at A Level a couple of years earlier. "St Paul too, of course," she added quickly, quailing under the mother's righteous glare. "Very inspiring."

But without marking or admin or driving to and from the high school in the large town half an hour away and without groups of teenagers to debate books with on a daily basis, Catherine found herself bored.

So she booted up her tumblr once again, abandoned since teaching had taken over her life and spending time with her wonderful, clever, funny, loving husband had seemed more interesting than scrolling aimlessly through social media, and discovered to her gleeful pleasure that fandom had not changed much and neither had she.

Or so she thought. Nowadays, she realises, everyone is moralising. The prevailing view seems to be that teenage girls in fandom aren't capable of distinguishing fact from fiction, that if they want a fictional heroine to rule hell with a sexy demon overlord at her side that must mean that that's what they want in real life. That the only moral thing to do here would be to marry the nice but boring guy who's been there for ever.

Catherine is an English teacher married to a vicar. If anyone knows anything about morality and fiction, it's her. This is all sounding very similar to the male critical outrage at women's novels in the 18th century. It seems nothing ever changes except that this time it's girls doing it to each other. Catherine writes several essays explaining all of this. She gets sent death threats and called an abuse apologist.

"It's so strange," she muses to Henry, as they eat homemade Thai curry in front of the aga.

"What is?" he replies. (She's told him everything, of course.) "The teenagers sending you anonymous death threats on tumblr? Because-"

"Nah, that's just standard for tumblr. I mean, it's so strange that anyone would want Griselda to be with Jordan. He's just so... normal and not in a good way. Just always going on about football and how great he was in high school. He really peaked then and he's a firefighter so that should make him brave but he never seems to actually do any fire fighting. He just talks about it as if we're meant to be impressed. We all know a Jordan and nobody wants to date him."

She'd know. Her first boyfriend had been a Jordan. They'd dated for five minutes. (Literally five minutes. Then she'd realised she'd been asked out and not to do a singing gig. Thorpy had been so subtle as to be unintelligible. Then she'd run for the hills, more disappointed in not having her vocal talents finally recognised than in being asked out by such a bore.)

"So a literal demon is a better bet?" Henry asks. "Just asking for clarification. Next year's Halloween costume depend on it."

"He's interesting and sexy and treats Griselda as an equal. What more do you want?"

"Well, speaking as a clergyman...." Henry begins with faux pomposity as he often does, his expression very fond.

She leaves him to do the washing up and lecture the dog. (She frequently hears him discussing doctrinal issues with the dog from the other room. It's adorable. She wonders if he'll be like this with the baby too. She can't wait.)

Back in her study, she boots the kitten off her chair and settles down for a long evening of defending a fictional relationship against antis, maybe reading a bit of a 52 chapter fanfiction where the Night Demon owns a tattoo parlour in New York City, and continuing to work a little on her new scheme of work for Year 9 when she eventually returns to work. It has the working title of "Sexy villains through history and why we should stan them".

She might need to edit that before she pitches it to her Head of Department.

There's a wonderful smell coming from downstairs: Henry is spontaneously baking apple cake. If she glances behind her computer monitor to the window, the graveyard looms dark and comforting in the autumn night, illuminated just by one of the outside lights on the old church. On a cushion by the bookcase, the kitten is lightly snoring and twitches in her sleep. She feels the baby shift slightly within her.

Shipping wars and the thrill of being so engaged in a fandom once more might fill a current space in her life, but goodness, she knows the difference between fact and fiction! Why would she want anything other than what she already has? Life is good.

[sugarbabywenkexing]

I have broken with my father, Catherine. I may never speak to him again. What did he say to you? Let me instead tell you what I said to him.

[sapphire-reads]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Catherine Morland/Henry Tilney Characters: Henry Tilney, Catherine Morland Additional Tags: Soulmate-Identifying Marks Summary:

The name on Catherine's wrist is a common one.

[withlovemuffin]

am i currently writing a Northanger Abbey Modern AU fanfic where Henry is a novel writer and Catherine is a fan who thinks he’s an old man because he has an old fashioned name and therefore hypothetically wouldn’t be intimidating? Abso-freakin’-lutely  My AO3 username is Introcorn if yall wanna keep your eye out for it ;)

[thereadersmuse]

Foolish girl!

*Also posted on ff.net.