Introducing: Mr. Darcy's Promise by Jeanna Ellsworth Jane Austen’s classic Regency story comes alive again in a tale of pride, prejudice, and a promise. Georgiana Darcy makes her way to Netherfield Park to meet the woman her brother so admires. While at first Georgiana’s presence smooths the course of true love between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, the ghosts of her past appear to wreak havoc on all of them. Unhappily, Elizabeth finds herself placed in the care of the Darcy family at Pemberley. Assuming he knows the cause of Elizabeth’s distress, Mr. Darcy makes a promise on his gentleman’s honor. The promise, although made with good intentions, becomes nearly impossible to keep for Mr. Darcy, and somewhat vexing for Elizabeth. Some promises are made to be broken but will the ever-trustworthy gentleman let go enough to secure Elizabeth’s heart? *****
For all my fellow fans of Austenesque fiction, I'd like to alert you to an author whom I just discovered: Jeanna Ellsworth. For a limited time, her novel
Mr. Darcy's Promise
is on sale for an affordable 99¢ in ebook format on Amazon.com and Amazon.UK. Want to sample Chapter 1 right now, as well as enter to win a paperback copy (U.S. only) or the ebook edition (International)? Stop by each segment of the
Mr. Darcy's Promise blog hop for Chapter 1 excerpts and chances to win!
The Calico Critic is hosting Section #5 of 7, so if you want to start from the top, visit
Addicted to Jane Austen to begin.
*****
“Miss Darcy and Miss Bingley,” Mrs. Hill announced. Elizabeth and Jane stood and welcomed their guests into the sitting room.
Jane coughed delicately into her handkerchief. “Welcome Miss Darcy, Miss Bingley.” Jane said.
Georgiana took her seat, “Please call me Georgiana, after spending three days with the two of you I feel like we are almost sisters! I would not know though, as I have no sisters, only one brother.” Georgiana was nervous and knew she was not being the most refined guest. She was perhaps even being a little awkward.
Elizabeth smiled at her, “Well Georgiana, then you shall call me Elizabeth. And although having sisters can be wonderful, quarrels over whose bonnet looks best on whom can get tiring and I cannot always recommend it!”
Georgiana felt herself relax and laughed. “Someday I hope to have a sister, and until then I shall tell you every day how lucky you are to have them. I imagine sisters are closer than friends.”
Tea was brought in and they all discussed the weather and Elizabeth asked Georgiana if she had mastered the section she had been struggling with on the concerto she was practicing. Miss Bingley commented with faux concern on how Jane’s cough had not improved. It was during this lull in conversation that giggles and laughter could be heard from the front door.
“I am sorry, that will be my two youngest sisters. They walked to Meryton this morning.” Elizabeth knew this would be the first of many apologies she would make to Georgiana regarding her family; she seemed to be doing that a great deal with the Darcys of late. They all turned their heads as the door opened. Lydia came walking in holding tightly to the arm of a tall, lean, and handsome officer while Kitty did the same with a shorter but still-handsome officer. Giggles and squeals of laughter echoed throughout the house. Georgiana, most peculiarly, started making a ridiculous amount of noise with her tea cup.
When Elizabeth looked towards her, she was surprised to see Georgiana pale as a ghost; the tea cup rattling against the saucer in her shaking hands. Georgiana placed the distracting tea cup down and Elizabeth turned her attention back to her sisters and the officers, but she continued to wonder whatever could be the matter with Georgiana.
Lydia saw that they were not alone and put her hand up to her mouth to stifle the latest giggle. “Oh! These must be the callers you were going to have this morning! This fine officer is Mr. Wickham, and Kitty there is on the arm of Mr. Denny. Are they not so handsome in their red coats? They offered to walk us home!”
“Of course,” Elizabeth said, still concerned about Georgiana, “Allow me to introduce you to Miss Darcy of Pemberley, and Miss Bingley of Netherfield Park—”
With a bow and a tip of the hat Wickham interrupted, smiling, “I believe I am quite acquainted with Miss Darcy. We are long family friends, are we not? And how are you, Miss Georgiana? You look mighty fine this morning!”
Georgiana stood and said, “Elizabeth, Miss Bennet, it was a pleasure to see you both again. It appears that it is now time to take our leave. Good day, Mr. Wickham.” Georgiana could not move quickly enough out the door but she made it before her tears came. She didn’t even realize she left her gloves and pelisse at the door. All she cared about was getting away from Wickham. Why was he here in Meryton? And how could he speak to her as if nothing had happened between them? All her memories of his charm and deceit flooded over her and she broke down in sobs. She climbed into the carriage and hoped that Miss Bingley would soon follow.
An astonished Miss Bingley collected their things and entered the carriage. Although glad to be gone so quickly, she soon came across a tearful and sobbing Georgiana who became quite inconsolable on the way back to Netherfield. By the time of their arrival, Georgiana was in near hysterics. Miss Bingley had no idea what to make of her behavior and so decided to get Mr. Darcy. She exited the carriage alone.
Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley were just dismounting their horses when they noticed Miss Bingley step out of the carriage. They were back so soon? Odd, Darcy thought, where was Georgiana? Then Mr. Darcy heard the sobs. Georgiana! He ran all the way to the carriage and climbed in with one fluid movement. Her face was wet and pink, her eyes swollen and red. “Whatever is the matter, Georgie? Did something happen at the Bennet’s?” He knew he should not have let her go; those Bennets were insufferable! Well, his mind amended, all but the two eldest daughters.
The thought was stricken by his next realization. He had only seen her like this one other time— Ramsgate! “Please tell me, dear Georgie; it pains me to see you like this again.” Suddenly she was in worse hysterics and mumbling something incoherently. She stumbled out of the carriage in such a hurry that her pelisse caught on the handle and was pulled from her shoulders. She stripped her arms free of the confining garment and ran inside blindly.
Mr. Darcy exited the carriage and turned infuriated, to Miss Bingley. “What happened?” His voice was low and full of suppressed fury. “I have not seen her like this since . . . well, for several months. And that . . .” pointing after Georgiana, “is not how she left here this morning!”
Feeling the full baritone wrath of Mr. Darcy upon her, Miss Bingley was quick to come to her own defense. “Mr. Darcy, I can have no idea. We were having tea when the younger Bennets came in with some officers who had escorted them home. No sooner had Georgiana been introduced that she exited the room! I confess she was very nearly rude! I am sure I do not know what to think!”
“Do you mean to tell me that she is like that because of Miss Bennet’s sisters? How dare they! Bring me back my horse! I will get to the bottom of this.”
Mr. Bingley had never seen his friend quite so irate. He reached for Darcy’s arm and tried to calm him. He reminded Darcy that Georgiana needed him now and it was not right to head to Longbourn so angry. “You do not even know what happened. You could say things that could leave lasting damage . . .”
Mr. Darcy looked angrily at Bingley and said, “I do not care about you and Miss Bennet right now, Bingley. Can you not see their family is beneath you? Look what they have done to Georgiana in the space of half an hour!” Bingley continued to calm him and remind him of the necessity of caring for Georgiana. Slowly, ever so slowly, Darcy conceded. He then ran the few steps into the house to check on Georgiana.
Darcy didn’t linger to see the smile on Miss Bingley’s face or hear her say, “Thank goodness we will never have to call on them again!”
Mr. Bingley shot a quick look at his sister. “Caroline!” he said sharply, who returned his gaze with a puzzled look.
She had never seen her brother look so stern, and certainly not with the flash of anger that she now saw. Was his attachment to Miss Bennet more than she had realized? “What? What did I say?”
*****
For the full blog hop information, scheduling and more from Jeanna, visit her website:
If
Mr. Darcy's Promisehas been enjoyable for you so far, check out Jeanna's next novel,
Pride and Persistence, to be published this spring! Here's a descriptive preview:
Undaunted by a threatening storm, Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley insists he must deliver his letter to Miss Elizabeth Bennet–– then tragedy strikes. Riddled with guilt, Elizabeth comes to the aid of the comatose Mr. Darcy and stays by his side until he regains consciousness. She soon learns that although Mr. Darcy has awoken, he has not returned to himself. And with no memory of his first disastrous proposal, he has concluded that there is nothing he wants more than to propose to Miss Elizabeth.
This humorous journey of love leaves one asking, does persistence pacify prejudice? Can Elizabeth see the real gentleman behind the injury, a man who persists in professing his love to her every chance he gets? In this Regency variation of Jane Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice,
Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet both learn the value of persistence.
The complete Chapter 1 of Pride and Presistence is available here.Jeanna has also given her readers
another chance to win! Here are the details:
Enter to win signed paperback copies of Mr. Darcy's Promise
and the upcoming Pride & Persistence!Here's how to enter: Purchase an ebook copy of
Mr. Darcy's Promise. Send proof that you purchased the e-book of
Mr. Darcy’s Promise for 99¢ from Amazon or Amazon UK during February 8-14, 2014.
Here's how you offer proof of purchase: Forward your confirmation email or a screen shot or a photo of a receipt, or you can even copy/paste the confirmation email in the body of an email and send it to
jeanna.ellsworth@yahoo.com. You will be entered to win signed paperback copies of
Mr. Darcy's Promise and the upcoming
Pride & Persistence.You have until February 18 to send in the proof of purchase.
So that's lots of chances to win! To recap, here are the options:
1. Enter to win a paperback copy (U.S. only) or the ebook edition (International) here on
The Calico Critic by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.
2. Visit the other 6 stops in the
Blog Hop and enter to win the same giveaway on those sites as well.
3. Enter to win signed paperback copies of
Mr. Darcy's Promise and the upcoming
Pride & Persistence by sending in proof of purchase using the instructions above.
About the AuthorJeanna is a mother of three daughters, all of whom are well versed in all things
Pride and Prejudice. She most definitely would say they are her best friends. She shares her best and worst days with them and they share theirs with her. She also proudly states she is the eighth of thirteen children. When she isn’t scrapbooking, quilting, or cooking, she is thoroughly ignoring her house for a few hours at a time in order to read yet another fan fiction novel. Somewhere between being a mom, a sister, a cook, and a best friend, she squeezes in three 12 hour shifts a week as a Registered Nurse in a Neurological ICU. She raises chickens, helps her daughter run a rabbitry, and gardens as much as she can. In all her still-under-forty years, she has never claimed to be as happy as she is now. Out of this mindset came a surge of creativity that simply had to be written down. Since she finished her first book,
Mr. Darcy's Promise, she has stated several times that she has gained something no one can take away from her; hope for her own Mr. Darcy. More than anything, she hopes to prepare her three best friends to look for their own Mr. Darcy and to settle for nothing less.
Calico Critic Contest Guidelines- The contest period ends at 12:00am EST on Wednesday, February 19, 2014.
- Contest is open internationally for ebook, but only open to U.S. entrants for paperback.
- Make sure you leave your email address in the one required portion of the Rafflecopter form. Should you win, I will contact you on Wednesday the 19th. Please take measures to ensure that my email will make it past your spam filters, lest you miss my message. (CalicoCritic@gmail.com) You'll have 72 hours to respond before I pick another winner.
- All entries must go through the Rafflecopter form. If you leave an optional blog post comment, in order for it to count toward your contest entry, be sure to indicate that you commented through the "Leave a Blog Post Comment" button on the Rafflecopter form.
- The award distribution will be administered by Jeanna Ellsworth, author.
- Entries will be verified. If a fraudulent entry is detected for the winning name, another winner will be drawn.
Thanks for stopping by, and good luck all our contest entrants!
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