Assessing Mr. Darcy – Page 2

Music Monday: Burn the Ships (For King and Country)

“Let me put a point on it for you, my dear sister. Had I not attended that last party at your persuasion and had I gone to Norfolk as I had planned, we might both be happily married. But,” he dropped her hand and held up a finger to mark his point, “you wished for me to see Mrs. Rushworth. You thought there would be great entertainment in it. Do not cast this debacle at Fanny’s feet. She was the only one in this whole sorry tale who was without guile. She refused me because she knew I was not worthy of her, and I was not — as anyone who reads a paper or sits in a drawing room with a cup of tea knows, I was not. And with that blackness attached to my name, I shall have a difficult enough go of it trying to find a lady of substance to accept me. To throw myself back into the society I kept before…” He shrugged and shook his head. “It would be foolish. Therefore, I will gladly welcome you and your friends at soirees such as this, but I will not be accepting any invitations to private parties, save for those held by Dr. and Mrs. Grant. I will call on them next week after I am truly settled in town.” He bowed to the gaping women and hastened out into the corridor.

[from Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy]

Published to YouTube by ForKingAndCountry on October 4, 2018.

Talk about cutting ties and burning the ship! Henry knew that he had to cut ties with his former life if he wished to make a lasting change. His sister Mary is going to have to do the same before she can be free to become her best self. Jane Austen tells us at the end of Mansfield Park:

…and Mary had had enough of her own friends, enough of vanity, ambition, love, and disappointment in the course of the last half-year, to be in need of the true kindness of her sister’s heart, and the rational tranquillity of her ways.

In the excerpt that follows my writing news, Mary has gotten to the point of having had enough of her friends, enough of vanity, ambition, love, and disappointment, and she is ready to move on with new friends toward a happier, more contented life.

That is why I have selected today’s music video. I think the song expresses the concept quite well.

But, before we get to that excerpt, let me give you a few updates about what’s happening in my writing life.

First, Assessing Mr. Darcy is available for pre-order. ARC copies will be sent out to my mailing list and Leenie’s Sweeties Facebook Group today, and my $2 patrons will receive their copy of the story. Assessing Mr. Darcy will go live on Friday, October 26, 2018 (a day later than I had expected but as early as I could schedule it with one of my distributors). Tomorrow, I will have an Austen Authors post with an excerpt and a giveaway for this book.

Second, I have started a new short story set during December and in the Willow Hall world. This story will feature original characters who are part of the community that surrounds Willow Hall and Kympton, and there will be at least one cameo appearance by a couple of Willow Hall characters. I am also hoping to give it just a touch of Persuasion flavour as there has been a rejection and a separation of lovers before the story begins. I still need to name the main characters (both the guy and gal) as well as the estate that the hero has inherited.

Third, Mary’s story has reached about the halfway point — I think. I will start posting this story on Patreon this week (hopefully today). I did a lot of research this last week for this story since Gabe is not just your standard landed gentleman but rather a fellow who is in trade, was born in India to a Company man, and now owns his own business and partners in backing privateers. And those are all new to me things to weave into the backstory and character of a hero.

And I think that is all the writing news I have for today. So, now we can get to that excerpt where Mary set a new course for her life by leaving her old friends behind.

AN EXCERPT FROM Mary: To Protect Her Heart: Continue reading Music Monday: Burn the Ships (For King and Country)

Assessing Mr. Darcy Pre-order

Assessing Mr. Darcy has started to appear on some vendors for pre-order. Below is the cover image. If you click it, it will show you the vendor options. This link will continue to add vendors as they become available so it should be fairly accurate over time.

I have just a couple of notes for you regarding the pre-order:

First, I had to change the release day from October 25 to October 26 since by the time I got the files all ready to upload to draft2digital, which handles the publishing of this book to several vendors including Apple and Nook, the earliest date available for release on their site was October 26.

Second, I will be sending out a limited number of advance reader copies to my mailing list next week. At the same time or just before this email is sent, I will be making the book available to all my current Patrons on Patreon.

So what is this book about? Here’s the description as it will be found on the back of the book and on the sales page at various retailers:

Will her brother’s opinion keep her from finding true love?

The Bennet ladies are all eager anticipation. Netherfield has been let at last! And joy of all joys, it has been leased to a single young gentleman of good fortune! To Elizabeth’s delight, the new neighbor has not come alone but has brought with him a handsome friend. With any luck, if this gentleman proves to be more than just handsome, it will not only be Jane who finds a husband.

Fitzwilliam Darcy has heard many times over the past weeks about the fabled beauties of Longbourn from his friend who is leasing the estate next door. However, he is not prepared for just how unexaggerated those claims are when he meets two of the ladies from Longbourn and their brother while on a ride.

While Darcy and Elizabeth would like to get to know more about each other, Elizabeth’s brother is not as favourably inclined to the match. He knows a secret, and, unless he can learn to trust that anyone could ever be worthy of his beloved sister, his censure may just be the thing that keeps them apart forever.

Assessing Mr. Darcy is the first novel-length addition to my Dash of Darcy and Companions Collection of Pride and Prejudice inspired stories.

I have shared several excerpts from this book in my Music Monday posts while I was writing it. This link will take you to a search result for Assessing Mr. Darcy on this blog. While most of these will have excerpts, you should be aware that some might just have a mention of the book.

Music Monday: When You Walk In (Home Free)

Anne looked at her aunt. “Did my mother ever love my father?”

Lady Sophia shook her head. “I do not know, my dear. I certainly never saw it. There was an admiration and concern, but nothing of the giving of one’s very soul to the other as I had with my husband.” She sighed. “That is where the issue lay — not with rank or fortune. Do you understand?”

Anne nodded.

“I do,” said Alex stepping around the hedge. “A man or woman who loves another completely would not allow harm to come to the one they love, no matter the source.”

Anne gasped, and her lips trembled as tears sprang to her eyes at the sight of him.

Lady Sophia stood and after a quick word of greeting and a whispered comment to Alex, left the two alone. Alex took the place on the bench which had just been vacated by Anne’s aunt.

“You came,” Anne whispered.

[from Her Heart’s Choice]

Published to YouTube on June 29, 2018, by Home Free.

I have two “walking in” moments for you today to go with this song. The first one, above, comes nearly at the end of the story after it seems all hope of the hero and heroine ever getting together has been lost. The second, in the story excerpt at the end of this post, comes in the second chapter of the story when the hero first meets the heroine. There were many moments of meeting from previous stories that I could have shared. It was difficult to pick just one.

Now, before I get to sharing that second moment of meeting, I have some rather exciting story news for you.

First, I finished the first draft of my second short story. This one is an alternate first meeting between Marianne Dashwood and Colonel Brandon that has Marianne being rather smitten from the beginning. It is called Morning Mist, and I hope to have it ready to release with a couple of other stories in December. I just need to write a couple more before then. 😀

Second, Assessing Mr. Darcy will be on preorder before the day is out. It’s expected release date is October 25, 2018. The story will finish posting on Patreon this week, and I hope to start posting it on darcyandlizzy.com. I have just gotten my final edits back, and as soon as I have those taken care of, I will be sending out an email to my mailing list with a limited number of advance reader copies. Things were slowed down just a little as I was sick this past week and organizing a preorder and all those sorts of activities were not as easy as just sitting still and playing with my imaginary friends (aka writing). That’s why the short story is done already. 🙂 It also means I was able to make progress with Mary Crawford’s story. So, while some parts of being ill were not great (the watery eyes, runny nose, coughing, fever, and so on), others were rather pleasant as I am really enjoying getting into Mary’s story and telling Marianne’s story was a real treat.

I think that is all the news I have for you today, which means now it is time to meet the hero of Mary’s story and allow him to meet her in…

AN EXCERPT FROM Mary: To Protect Her Heart: Continue reading Music Monday: When You Walk In (Home Free)

Music Monday: Pride and Prejudice – Apologize (OneRepublic)

Wickham wanted to run after her, to make her understand how much he had changed and how much she now meant to him, but he could not. His feet were rooted to the ground, and he could not seem to draw a full breath. He stood watching her, his heart aching a bit more with each step she took.

“Papa?” A small hand grasped his.

His knees buckled and he sank to the ground.

“Papa?” Louisa grabbed his face and looked at him.

He saw the fear in her eyes and smiled at her. “I am well. I just need a rest.”

She scrunched up her face and looked at him carefully. “You are not well. Mama is not well. And I am going to get help.” Before he could stop her, she had spun on her heels and was running.

“Louisa, come back,” he called as he pulled himself to his feet and soon overtook her. He snatched her up, crushing her to him. “Where are you going?”

“To get Aunt Kitty. She can make Mama feel better, and if Mama feels better, then you will feel better.” She thumped him on the chest. “You should have told her you loved her.” She thumped him again. “You should have told her. Why did you not tell her?”

“She would not have believed me,” he said softly as he stroked her hair.

“You still should have told her.” Her little body trembled as she gulped air between sobs.

[From Through Every Storm]

Published to YouTube by txaggie321 on May 17, 2007

Ah, now, that’s a rather melancholy song and excerpt to start our week, isn’t it? 🙂 But I had a good reason (in my opinion) for selecting both. Let me explain…

On Thursday night, I finished the first draft of Assessing Mr. Darcy! Woohoo! I’m happy to be beginning the polishing process later today.

As I was writing this past week, I found myself needing to have a box of tissues handy, and as I was reaching for a tissue during one of those touching scenes, I thought to myself: “I don’t know if I have needed the tissue box handy so much while writing a story since I wrote Through Every Storm.” Whether that is true or not, I have no way of proving. I get teary eyed often when writing. But, that is the reason I had to chose an excerpt from Through Every Storm for today’s post.

As far as the song choice goes…well, there are a couple of things in Assessing Mr. Darcy that require apologies to be given. The excerpt I will share below refers to one of those things.

Now, you should know that this might be the last excerpt I will share from that story since it is done. Hopefully, I will have something to share from a different story next Monday.

In other story news, I wrote on Mary Crawford’s story, as well as adding a few hundred words to my dictated short story. It was a very productive week which ended with a lovely visit from my in-laws on the weekend.

And I think that’s all the news there is to share about my current works in progress. I hope you have a wonderful first week of October, but before you go here’s…

AN EXCERPT FROM Assessing Mr. Darcy:

Darcy descended the grand staircase at Netherfield slowly, one painful step at a time. His ankle was improving but placing weight on it was still difficult. Limping around a room with quick steps on a sore ankle was not so bad as attempting to walk down a flight of stairs.

“Are you going somewhere?” Bingley, still dressed in his riding clothes, leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

How Darcy wished he could have gone for a ride this morning. He was so dreadfully tired of being confined to the house. He had had his fill of his room. However, to venture out of it meant being tended to by Louisa and Caroline, and Caroline seemed just as determined as ever to attempt to sway his mind in her direction.

“Home,” Darcy replied.

“To town or Pemberley?”

“Town. I should l like to see my sister.”

Bingley nodded. “Will you, at least, have tea with me before you leave?”

“Not unless you wish it.” The man had not visited him in two days, and it was obvious from his expression that he was still not happy with Darcy. There was no way Darcy was going to impose on his friend if he was not welcomed to do so.

“I do,” Bingley replied, a small smile tipping his lips, giving away the fact that he was not as put out with Darcy as he pretended. “I do not wish for you to leave.”

Darcy blew out a breath as he completed his journey to the bottom of the staircase and lowered himself onto the second step to rest his ankle before he proceeded any further.

“It still hurts?” Bingley nodded to Darcy’s foot.

Darcy nodded. “It is not as strong as I would like it to be. I think it best to have my physician look at it when I am in town. Now that swelling has receded somewhat, he may see something that was missed before.”

“You are determined to leave then?”

Again, Darcy nodded. “My remaining will only hinder any chance you have of securing Miss Bennet.” He looked up at Bingley. “I did not do you harm intentionally, and I apologize for my temper.”

Bingley extended a hand to Darcy. “Come. Have tea with me. I would like to speak with you.”

Darcy looked at Bingley warily. “You would?” He allowed Bingley to help him rise from where he was seated.

“I would.” He took Darcy by the arm. “Lean on me if you need to.”

“Thank you,” Darcy replied and did just that. He leaned his weight partially on his friend as they moved down the hall to a small withdrawing room behind the larger sitting room.

“Caroline does not like this room,” Bingley whispered. “So, I have made it my own. It has only one smallish window and is therefore too dark for her liking. I do not mind the lack of sunshine so very much. I was about to eat some breakfast in here where it is free of female complaints when I was informed that your coach was being readied for travel.” He locked the door behind him. “I want to make certain my sister does not interrupt me for I would like to eat in peace,” he explained.

Bingley seated himself at a small round table that stood with four chairs near the window at the far end of the narrow room. There was a grouping of three cushioned chairs near the hearth and a ladder-backed chair near the door next to a cabinet which held a decanter and glasses. On the wall across from the hearth was a low bookcase with glass doors. Those pieces of furniture and a few paintings were the extents of the décor in the room. It was a very pleasant room. With the lamp lit, this would be an excellent place to while away some hours with a book.

Darcy carefully took his place at the table. He was slowly learning how to sit down gracefully without causing his ankle too much discomfort. He was still a bit awkward, but not as awkward as he had been just yesterday morning.

“I saw Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth while I was riding today,” Bingley began as he poured tea for himself and Darcy.

“You did?” Darcy asked in surprise.

The left side of Bingley’s lips tipped up and his brows flicked upward and back down quickly. “I did. They were waiting for me.”

Darcy added sugar to his cup. “It was not an accidental meeting?”

Bingley shook his head. “No, Miss Elizabeth wished to speak to me and arranged it so that she could. I am not entirely certain how she knew I would be riding where I was, but she and her sister were waiting and called to me to join them.”

“Her brother must not know of this meeting,” Darcy grumbled.

“You are correct. He does not.” Bingley took a bite of his scone, following it with a bit of tea. “She asked about you.”

“Who asked about me?”

“Miss Elizabeth.”

Darcy could not help the small smile that crept onto his lips. Whether or not he had a hope of ever discovering if they would suit, he still found the information that she had inquired after him to be pleasing.

“She wanted to know if you are well enough for callers.”

Darcy held his cup suspended in the air almost to his lips. “Is she thinking of calling on me?” What sort of lady called on a gentleman? It was supposed to be the other way around.

“She wishes to apologize.”

~*~*~

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Music Monday: Colonel Brandon & Marianne (I Will Be Here)

“Are you well?” Richard wrapped one arm around Anne’s waist and pulled her back against him.

“I am.” She leaned back into him lightly.

“I’ll not break or topple, Anne,” he whispered in her ear.

“But your leg…”

“Is healing as it should. I have been a very good patient…a task which has not been easy, I assure you.”

She laughed. “I have seen you scowl. I know it has tried your patience.” She leaned back a bit more and tilted her head up to look at him. “Thank you. I know you do it for me.”

“I would do most anything for you.”

“You always have,” said Anne. “I have been thinking about this lately. Darcy would often question when I asked for assistance, but you would do whatever I asked without a moment’s hesitation. If it made me happy, it was done ─ even if it put you at risk of getting into trouble. You only ever refused if you thought it would do me harm.”

“But it is Darcy’s nature to question.”

She turned to face him. “Yes, but it is your nature as well. You always questioned him. You were not so willing to bear your father’s wrath for him.”

“But he was a boy.”

She smiled at him. “Perhaps.” Her arms wound around his neck. “Or perhaps you have always held a special place in your heart for me.”

[From Listen To Your Heart]

Published to YouTube by saved by grace on Jan 22, 2015

I cannot tell you how excited I was to find this video this past week. This song has been a longtime favourite of mine — and I love Sense and Sensibility. I think the song fits Colonel Brandon so well!

But my love of the song is not the only reason I decided to share this video with you today. I have finished my first short story in the series of short stories that I wish to do (called Nature’s Fury and Delights), and I have moved on to the second one. It has only 430 words to it at present, but it has been started!

The first story (Thunder) is a different first meeting for Darcy and Elizabeth. The second story (Morning Mist) is going to be another first meeting and for two characters and a Jane Austen book that I have never before attempted. This story will be a different sort of meeting for Colonel Brandon and Marianne…and that’s all I am going to tell you about it for now.

I hope to have at least three short stories written and edited before I start releasing them, but that plan is flexible and will be dependent on how my writing times go because I do have a deadline in mind. There is a short excerpt from Thunder in my Austen Author post tomorrow, and for now, that’s the only excerpt that I plan to share. I’m trying very hard to keep these under wraps until I have more of the series idea fleshed out and written. You have no idea how hard that is for me! LOL I just want to share it all right now. 😀 But I am going to be good and refrain.

In other writing news, poor Miss Crawford has been neglected for yet another week. 🙁 I hope to get to her story this week, but I am pushing to get Assessing Mr. Darcy finished soon, so choices have to be made and unfortunately, Miss Crawford is not the most pressing choice. I also have excerpts from each of these stories as well as Delighting Mrs. Bennet in tomorrow’s Austen Authors post.

Below is a portion of the chapter from Assessing Mr. Darcy that I will post on Patreon later today. As always, this excerpt may contain spoilers, so read at your own risk. 🙂

AN EXCERPT FROM Assessing Mr. Darcy:

Jane took her hat from the hook on the wall near the door at the rear of the house.

“Forgive me,” Elizabeth said as soon as their feet had reached the garden path. “I should not have argued.”

“No, you should not have,” Jane agreed. “When will you learn to hold your tongue?”

Elizabeth sighed. “Not soon enough, I am afraid.”

Gaining Jane’s forgiveness was only the first step in setting things to right. She also needed to speak to William, whom she had seen circling the garden from the window in the sitting room.

“Let me talk to William. There must be something we can do to fix this mess I have created. Mr. Darcy’s response to my insistence was not so very unusual. I am certain any gentleman would have been less than polite when his foot was injured. I should have considered that.”

Jane wrapped her arm around Elizabeth’s. “I cannot believe William wishes to cut ties with both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley over a few cross words.”

“I do not believe he truly will once he has had time for his anger to cool.”

“He is very protective of us,” Jane said. “He may not change his mind.”

It was a possibility that Elizabeth had considered. William could be stubborn to a fault at times, especially when it came to family and how they should be treated. While it was an endearing trait of his that he cared so much for his sisters, there were moments when it did become a hindrance – such as now.

“Even if he does not change his mind, I will find a way for you to see Mr. Bingley, even if I have to walk to Netherfield myself and apologize to Mr. Darcy.”

“You would do that for me?”

Elizabeth nodded. “I would do just about anything for you, my dear sister, even humiliating myself by begging forgiveness from a gentleman who should be seeking it from me.”

Jane laughed lightly. “You are too good.”

“I am not, and you know it. That is why our brother is stomping about the garden. Be careful of the rose bushes,” she called to William, who was swatting at the trees and bushes with his walking stick as he moved along the path.

“I would not dare harm them,” William called back. “And, I am not going to change my mind, Lizzy.” He straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. “No matter how pathetic Jane might attempt to look. Those gentlemen are not the sort who deserve my sisters.”

“Everyone spits an angry word at one time or another,” Elizabeth replied. “And I am very good at provoking such words.” She smiled at William.

He sighed and shook his head. “You are a proficient at it, but it is more than that. They are just not the sort of gentlemen with whom I would like to see my sisters.”

“What is it then?” Elizabeth asked. “You cannot just declare someone unfit to marry without reason. You know I will not just accept your decree without proof.”

William scowled at the veracity of such a statement.

“You have not liked Mr. Darcy since you heard his name,” Elizabeth continued. “You were cautious about him as if you knew something about him. Yet, Lydia has not found anything unflattering in the papers tied to his name, so what are you not saying?”

William held Elizabeth’s gaze for a long, silent, stubborn minute. “Very well,” he finally said. “I have heard that he is not as he appears, but gossip is not right.”

“Neither is sending away a perfectly amiable and handsome gentleman who I like very much for no apparent reason,” Jane said firmly. “I do not wish to die a beautiful spinster, William – at least, not without knowing why it must be so.”

William handed her his handkerchief. “There is no need for tears.”

“There is when you are three and twenty and not allowed to marry anyone!” Jane cried with a stamp of her foot – a rare display of temper for her.

William turned away from them, walking three paces forward and then returning. That he did not wish to say anything was evident in his every feature, yet he could not look at Jane dabbing her eyes with his handkerchief without shaking his head and beginning an explanation.

~*~*~

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