Thursday 15th May 1808

Dear Diary,
All the day I have had nought upon my mind other than the 'erotic' surprise I had been promised. My mind had poured over endless scenarios and possibilities and so it is no surprise that late this afternoon I drove Python hastily on to arrive at a little early at the Forcett Inn. Misses Forster and Dixon had only arrived moments before me and were just being seated in the dining room. We greeted each other warmly and were catching up on all the gossip, when I noticed Miss Dixon look past me and her smile widen.
"Mr Austen, " she announced, " may I present Alonge Donge."
I turned to find an enormous gentleman towering over me, in an ill fitting suit. He had the whitest smile I had ever seen and it was most certainly the blackest face.
"Alonge is from Africa, Mr Austen and he is our 'exotic' surprise." Miss Dixon clapped her hands gleefully and squealed with delight at the look of surprise upon my face. It was certainly not what I was expecting and I smiled whilst thinking of foul deeds to occupy Ned upon my return.
Alonge was a most charming fellow and over dinner told dreadful tales of his life as a slave before it's abolition last year. Miss Dixon was keen to hear of the african birdlife and gasped at his description of a bird bigger than a man that could not fly but ran and laid eggs the size of dinner plates.
"Have you ever stuffed a bustard?" she asked, eagerly, at one point, but we never found out for at that moment Miss Forster began to choke upon some of the fish she was eating. It was indeed a pleasant evening and I learned a few african words. As the conversation began to die Alonge said;
"Would you like to see my 'djembe'? "
The ladies looked a little startled, but I was keen.