WeWriWa and Snippet Sunday

Finally, my book, Betrothed to Mr. Darcy is available for sale, so for those of you who want more than just eight sentences, click here. 

The scene: Darcy and Bingley are discussing Mrs. Bennet. Darcy has suggested that her actions could damage their reputations.

Bingley shrugged---“What do I care about my reputation? I have money in the bank and soon I will marry the most beautiful and agreeable woman in all of England. You are the one who is overly concerned with the opinions of others, though why you care, I do not know.”

“I care,” Darcy’s firm voice emphasized his point, “because all a gentleman has is his reputation. Once he loses the good opinion of others, it is lost forever.”

“The good opinion of society can be bought and sold. The true love of a good woman, however, cannot.”

“It may not be able to be purchased, but it still comes at a hefty price,” Mr. Darcy said, then exited before Bingley could respond with more of his lovesick drivel.

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Blurb:  After a year of misunderstandings, misconceptions and missed opportunities, Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy have finally opened their hearts to each other and will soon be wed. 

However, the path to the altar is no smoother than the path to engagement. When the loquacious Mrs. Bennet causes a scene in a London dressmaker’s shop it becomes clear to Lizzy Bennet that she will never be able to rein in her family’s improper and embarrassing behavior.

Although she has learned to live with the humiliation caused by her relatives, particularly her sister Lydia’s elopement with the scurrilous Mr. Wickham, Lizzy realizes the dire consequences of inflicting them upon Mr. Darcy and his vulnerable younger sister, Georgiana.

Mr. Darcy’s words from long ago reverberate in her brain: The situation of your mother's family, though objectionable, was nothing in comparison of that total want of propriety so frequently, so almost uniformly, betrayed by herself, by your three younger sisters, and occasionally even by your father.

Will Elizabeth’s sense of duty, combined with her profound love for Mr. Darcy, force her to call off the wedding in order to spare him, and his sister, the disgrace of a lifetime association with the Bennet family? Or will love find a way to prevail?

A Snippet from Betrothed to Mr. Darcy

Sorry I've been MIA for several weeks (yikes, almost two months) but I had to actually write and edit the book. Go figure.

I've already shared a number of snippets but since it was months ago I think I'll start back at the beginning and work my way forward.

Here, Lizzy is sent to settle an argument between her father and Mr. Darcy who have disagreed over the marriage settlement.

“But, this man,” he pointed at Mr. Darcy yet again, “refuses to accept anything.” Lizzy wondered at the restraint her intended showed because a lesser man who dared to point at Mr. Darcy not once, but twice, might have found his finger snapped off at the joint.

Before she could voice her surprise, Mr. Darcy responded to the accusation. “I am simply being practical, sir; my income is more than sufficient to provide funds for the care of my future wife.” Despite his anger, a smile formed on his mouth when he said ‘wife’ and his eyes softened as they looked to the subject of his affection. “But you, sir, have a wife and two other daughters to provide for, not to mention the likelihood that your youngest will need financial assistance for the balance of her marriage and beyond.”

“Is it not shameful enough that I am obliged to you for the expense of one daughter’s marriage and the living of her husband, but you expect me to allow you the full measure of support for my most beloved daughter as well? It cannot be.”

Will these two work out their differences? Will Mrs. Bennet ever learn to keep her mouth shut? Stay tuned. 

Betrothed to Mr. Darcy will be available September 18 from Lazy Day Publishing. 

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Mr. Darcy Gets Frisky

Welcome Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday Fans. And welcome to anyone else who just happened to get here by some other means. 

One of the fun things about writing a book set in the Regency era is that everything was so restrained (or at least in Jane Austen's world). In this snippet, Mr. Darcy is getting bold. 

Seeing that all the other inhabitants of the room were happily occupied, Mr. Darcy took the opportunity to steer his fiancée toward a pair of chairs in a  quiet corner for private conversation, or as private as decorum would allow for a couple who were not yet married.

“The arrival of my sister and cousin signal that our wedding day is nearly here.”

Elizabeth blushed and looked up at him from under her lashes, but did not reply.

Darcy glanced around the room and once assured that they were unobserved slipped her hand into his and rubbed soft circles into the sensitive skin at the top of her hand with his thumb.

“As much as I am glad to see my sister and Colonel Fitzwilliam,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “I am over-joyed to think that in a few days’ time you will be my bride.” He felt his own pulse quicken when he said the word “bride”.

Although she had neither spoken nor retrieved her hand from his, Darcy could see the faint pulse in Elizabeth’s fair throat throbbing and her chest rose rapidly with shallow breathing, which indicated she was not unaffected by his words. 

This is from my current WIP Betrothed to Mr. Darcy. 

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A Chat Between Gentlemen

Welcome Back! I've decided to move away from Mrs. Bennet. This week we are listening in on a conversation between Mr. Bingley, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy during a carriage ride to Longbourn for dinner with the Bennet Family. It is fun to imagine the ribbing Mr. Darcy probably got from his two closest friends. 

“She certainly has the ability to bring out the best in others,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said. “In fact,” he gave Mr. Darcy a mocking look, “I have heard that the most stoic among us has been known to smile and even laugh aloud under her charms.”

“My heavens, yes ” Mr.  Bingley said. “He has been so much more tolerable to live with this past fortnight. He was grouchy as a bear and prickly as a porcupine, but the affections of Miss Elizabeth Bennet have changed him and I, for one, am grateful to her.”

“We all owe Miss Elizabeth Bennet a debt of gratitude,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said, barely containing a laugh at his cousin’s discomfiture. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy was not a man accustomed to being the object of ribbing, no matter how light-hearted or well-intentioned.  Before the subject of this banter could compose an appropriate retort, the carriage mercifully arrived at Longbourn. 

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Even More Mrs. Bennet

Once I got started with the Mrs. Bennet snippets, I just couldn't stop. Maybe because her outrageous statements work so well for an eight sentence sample. 

“Oh dear, Lizzy---the circles under your eyes are hideous. I certainly hope that Mr. Darcy does not see you looking such a fright. How you managed to get a man like Mr. Darcy, who has ten thousand a year, is beyond me, but it certainly cannot be due to your eyes because they are droopy and red.” 

“Why thank you for noticing, Mama. As I plan to go for a solitary walk this morning I will hope the fresh air and exercise will remedy the situation and since I shall be alone, I will not inflict my unsightly appearance on others.” Or my foul mood.

“Then be gone with you and be quiet about it. I should most certainly hate for you to wake Jane for we cannot have her beauty diminished as well.”   

Thanks for stopping by! This snippet is from Betrothed to Mr. Darcy, my current WIP. Betrothed to Mr. Darcy takes place in the weeks between the time Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy become engaged and their actual marriage. Once the two families gather in preparation for the nuptials, the improprieties of the Bennet family are on full display, causing Elizabeth to question the wisdom of inflicting her family on Mr. Darcy and his sister, Georgiana. Will they make it to the alter? 

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