Hello readers!  Today, I have the very great welcoming author Maria Grace to Austenesque Reviews as she celebrates her new release, All the Appearance of Goodness!  If you are a reader of this blog, then you may already know that I have exceedingly enjoyed Maria’s Given Good Principle series!  I hope you take pleasure Maria’s post today as she shares with you the next chapter in this series…yep! You heard right, there IS more!

A number of people have told me that they wanted more after the end of All the Appearance of Goodness and was I going to write any more after that? Well, at first I thought I wasn’t, but then decided there was at least one more, possibly two, stories left to tell here. Both will be relatively short, but they should tie up a few loose ends. I would like to have the first one out by Christmas time as it is a Christmas story. So I thought I’d offer a little preview for your enjoyment. I hope it whets the appetite!

Twelfth Night at Pemberley-Preview

Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and looked over her writing desk. The stacks on Darcy’s desk had just grown with another delivery from Mrs. Reynolds. Too many more and he would easily be able to hide behind them.

Poor man, he hated disarray only slightly less than not having is correspondence up to date. It was not lack of diligence that had caused this, a fact that brought him little comfort as he seemed to think that any problem could be solved by simply working harder. But really, there were only so many hours in a day.

Mrs. Reynolds had not exactly protested rearranging the master’s study to accommodate a lady’s writing desk, but neither did she appear to support the notion. Today, though, the maternal housekeeper would be pleased.

Elizabeth rose and glided to her husband’s side. The soft rustling of her skirts and the scratching of his pen were the only sounds in the room. She stood behind him and waited for him to look up from his letter. If she disturbed him, he would spoil the wet ink and insist on beginning it again. Unlike Bingley, he could not abide sloppy letters.

Darcy signed with a flourish and set his pen aside. A quick dusting of sand and he turned to Elizabeth.

“Oh, my dear.” She cradled his face in her hands.

With a weary smile, he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “Did I ever tell you how brilliant you were to suggest we share an office?”

“Perhaps, once or twice.” His dimples still set her heart a flutter. Hopefully, they always would.

He kissed her briefly and leaned his cheek on top of her head.

“You work too hard.”

“You have said that before. And before you ask, yes, I am interviewing secretaries. There are one or two hopeful candidates. But the work I am doing now is not something even a secretary could help me with.”

“Mrs. Reynolds just added to your stack. A lot of those looked like social correspondence. I know they have been addressed to you, but would you like—”

“Yes.” With one arm he pressed her into his chest and leaned toward his desk. The other hand scooped up a stack of letters, lumpy with wax seals that did not sit well together. He dropped them in her lap.

“That took considerable deliberation.” She laughed and picked up the top most missives. “Are you sure all these—”

“No, but it matters little. I can think of nothing that might cross my desk that I would keep from your eyes.”

She pulled back and met his eyes, eyebrow lifted. “So there is no correspondence regarding anything you might wish to hide—”

Darcy threw his head back and laughed.

How she loved that sound, rich with warmth and tenderness. Perhaps in the next year she might present him with a child, a son whom he could teach to laugh the same way. Babyish giggles mimicking that sound tickled the back of her mind and the corners of her lips crept upwards.

He kissed her forehead. “Dear woman, I have already arranged my gifts for you for Christmastime. I have not forgotten, nor waited for the last minute. There is no further correspondence to be had on the matter.”

She pulled herself up very straight in mock offense. “If you only knew—”

“I am certain your father owes you a great deal! I hope his marital harmony does not now suffer because only your sister Kitty is left there to remind him of what he might have overlooked.”

“Oh, poor Kitty! The dear girl is nearly beside herself. Since Lydia—”

Darcy gripped her hands. “My dearest—”

“It is done and there is no remedy for it. We all thought she had learned from…her previous experiences, but having three sisters married was too much for her. At least Lt. Harris is a gentleman’s son. Besides, Papa must bear his share of responsibility for the ghastly affair.”

“True enough.” Darcy blew out a ragged breath. “But it is not fair that Kitty should be punished or so harshly judged when she had no role in the elopement.”

Elizabeth studied him. He was considering something, weighing it out and all she could do was wait. He could not be hurried through these deliberations, so she cuddled close and searched for patience.

“Georgiana will be returning from London in a week and I fear she will be lonely and bored, away from all the diversions Aunt Matlock provided. What say you we invite Kitty to visit us, perhaps even stay right through Twelfth Night at least. Kitty might help develop Georgiana’s sense of industry and the company here is unaware of Lydia and her indiscretions, so Kitty might be able to make some new friends and enjoy what society Lambton and Pemberley can offer.”

“Are you prepared to manage the energy of two young ladies amidst all the entertaining we must do for the season?” She stroked his cheek.

“I think they might be very helpful to you and Mrs. Reynolds in making all the necessary arrangements—”

She laughed. “You think you shall not have to deal much with their energies! You think all those preparations will exhaust them? I must disabuse you of the notion immediately. While they might, at times, make themselves useful, the dinners and parties will send them into fits of raptures that will only be resolved by trips to the modiste, and linen drapers, and—”

“So they will require new dresses. That insures your mother will approve the invitation.”

“You will be fortunate if my mother does not decide to come to chaperone Kitty herself.”

His eyes bulged.

She pulled his face close and kissed him. “I should not tease you so. I shall inform my mother that we anticipate a houseful of guests and will not have room—”

“While I appreciate the sentiment for certain, it is only Fitzwilliams, Bingley and—”

“Ah, but we must have rooms available for your neighbors in case the weather turns foul some evening. Mama has never seen Pemberley and the excuse will be sufficient. Remember she does not like to travel, nor does Papa.”

“You teasing woman!”

“Of course, it does you good. Now, release me from this delightful position so that I may … we may both return to less frivolous requirements. I have an entire Christmastide to plan.” She kissed him once more and gracefully rose.

He handed her the stack of letters. “Thank you.”

She took them and returned to her desk. Bingley would be here for the holidays. Was Darcy aware of the tendre’ that developed between his friend and her sister? She peeked up at him. If he was, he gave no sign of it. Besides, he abhorred matchmaking. It would be entirely unlike him to indulge in it. Kitty would be happy to see Bingley again, assuming that he had not found another young woman to admire. For all her sweetness, Kitty did have a jealous streak that could make the house party uncomfortable at best.

But then again, that possibility existed in any house party. Best not dwell on it and just get on with the plans. Besides, it would be nice to have Kitty and Georgiana become good friends.

She smoothed the sheet of foolscap in front of her and dipped her pen in the ink.

Dear Papa…

~~~

What do you think dear readers?  

A novella just in time for Christmas!  How perfect!

Giveaway Time!!!

Today, Maria Grace brings with her one copy of newly released novel, All the Appearance of Goodness, for me to giveaway to ONE lucky winner!  (Paperback if the winner is from the US, ebook if the winner is international)