Hello dear readers! I’m very excited to welcome back author Jeanna Ellsworth today to Austenesque Reviews. Jeanna is here celebrating her new release, Hope for Mr. Darcy – which is the first novel in her new Hope Series Trilogy – a trilogy I’m definitely very excited about! Thank you, Jeanna, for stopping by and sharing a enticing little excerpt from Hope for Mr. Darcy with us!
Wow! What a week! I was able to drive to Colorado for my family reunion, as well as to be there when my husband took the next step closer for us to be sealed for all eternity. Yes, us peculiar Mormons believe that marriage does not have to be “till death do us part”, but that we can truly be permanently sealed to our spouse, or in other words, have a real Happily Ever After.
As in . . . FOREVER! (. . .Wait for the Darcy connection)
I cannot express how nostalgic I was seeing all my brothers and sisters and my mom and dad and . . . MY HUSBAND, in the temple with me. For those of you who do not know, he is a convert to the LDS church, and there are certain steps or requirements before someone can go through the temple. So for the last 7 months, I have been going without him. But finally! I had the man I love, with me, in the temple.
I do understand that many of you do not really care, or at least understand, why this would be important, nor why I would blog about it on a JAFF blog!
Think of it this way, each of us strive to make our homes, a “temple”. A safe place from the world, or the stresses around us; a place we have our favorite memories posted on the walls, where we teach our children right from wrong, and how to be a positive influence in society, or at least, better people.
But we are never perfect. I, for one, get frustrated when my kids do not do what I ask the first time. Imagine that! Or when my husband deep cleaned the house, (yes, my husband does the cleaning, I’m much too busy writing! LOL :)) and the children’s backpacks seem to explode in our front room. Although I wish for my home to be a peaceful refuge for me and my family, occasionally, we find our “imperfect human” and become grouchy, or get offended, or stressed.
But, regardless of the normal fluctuations in mood and imperfect communication, I do believe that my family knows they are deeply loved, even if they do not show it or there are no outward signs that what I am doing is making a difference.
(Now enter the connecting piece to Darcy and Elizabeth) The Hope Series Trilogy is a book series that follows our three favorite characters’ love stories as they try to cope with unrequited love. They find that hope, any amount of hope, somehow provides them with just enough vision or perspective to keep trying; to not give up on the thing that matters most––love.
Hope for Mr. Darcy is the first book in the series, and begins right after Elizabeth refuses Darcy; at the moment he had no hope at all. Elizabeth becomes extremely ill, and Darcy becomes involved with her care in a way that no one expected, especially him, who had just been told he was the last man in the world . . . well, you know the story.
The point is that many of us just do not have the right perspective to see too far into the future. In fact, there may be truths about those we love that we cannot observe. For example, when I got frustrated that my daughters didn’t do it the first time, or their backpacks explode on the newly vacuumed carpet, it may be that they are trying to show me their love by being obedient in other areas, like school work. It may not actually be unrequited love. In fact, it is not.
But . . . we all have “imperfect human” sides of us too. We all do stupid things when hope is stripped from us.
Here is one of the most emotional scenes I have ever written. At this point, Darcy had just spent all his available (and proper) time in the last 24 hours with the very delusional Elizabeth at the parsonage, only to be blinded to her true affection. In short, he lost hope. He truly thought there was no Hope for Mr. Darcy. Thank goodness for family and friends who are brave enough to give it to us straight. Enjoy this excerpt.
****EXCERPT****
Poole was attempting to hide his ire. Darcy couldn’t blame him. As of two days ago, they were to leave yesterday. As of yesterday, they were staying another three days. As of ten minutes ago, they were leaving in an hour. Darcy was rarely so impulsive, but he could not help it.
Love did strange things to a man. In the last twenty-four hours, he had loved, lost love, hoped for love, embraced love, and finally lost love again.
It had been painful enough the first time. But nothing could describe how it felt to lose it again.
Hope hurt. He would never again allow himself that luxury.
Losing patience with his valet, Poole, he started packing his belongings himself. He pulled out his greatcoat, the one he had worn the morning of their discussion of French literature. She had mentioned how nice it looked on him. Shaking off the thought, he folded it quickly and put it on the bed. He knew Poole too well to try to pack it himself. Reaching into the wardrobe once again he pulled out the stained cravat that held the tea drops that he had sputtered when Elizabeth asked if he had seen Jane in London these last few months. He never even showed Poole the stains. It now was some sort of proof of his arrogance and conceit.
Would she have ever accepted him if he hadn’t separated Bingley and Jane? If she’d never met Wickham? If he hadn’t said those idiotic words at the Meryton Assembly? No, that was not a thought he had the freedom to consider. She had said no. It was over. If only they hadn’t shared those moments in her delirium. If only . . .
“Darcy!” Colonel Fitzwilliam stormed in, nearly stumbling over the kneeling Poole. “Poole, forgive me. Please give us some privacy.”
Darcy was quite sure he did not want to have this conversation. “Stay,” he instructed Poole very forcefully.
Poole looked torn. He looked from his master to Colonel Fitzwilliam and back again to Darcy. “But I must look in the Great Room for the book you were reading the other night.”
“No, Poole, stay. I insist.”
His cousin stepped around the small valet and walked right up to Darcy and gave him a fierce scowl. “Do you really want to do this in front of the servants?”
“I do not intend to do this at all. I suggest you direct your attention to the servant that is packing your trunks if you want someone to yell at, for I will have none of it today. Please exit my chambers. I will meet you at the carriage in an hour. That should give you plenty of time.” He stood as tall as he could. When his cousin did not move, he tried to push him out of the way and step around him, but his cousin quickly reciprocated a not-so-gentle push to Darcy’s shoulder.
His manners vanished. Darcy whipped his head around to Richard, gave him a shove back, and yelled, “Leave me be! I care little for your opinion! She despises me! She thinks I compromised her!”
“Deuces, Darcy! Listen to yourself! Of course she does! You must see how inappropriate it was to do and say those things without an understanding! How did you expect this would end?” Fitzwilliam snapped his head back at Poole and barked, “I said leave!”
Poole did not wait for an opposing command from his master. He dropped the breeches he was folding and left immediately, quickly closing the door behind him.
Darcy rubbed his shoulder with his left hand, and then he pulled back his right arm and swung as hard as he could, only to be blocked by Richard’s forearm. In a matter of half a second, Richard had Darcy’s arm twisted tightly behind his back. Darcy pulled and pushed and made no progress. He was no match for Richard’s military training. But this realization did not deter him. He jerked forward, forcing Richard to take a step to maintain his balance, but all that did was wrench his arm even further. They took turns pushing and pulling, grunting in exertion, but Darcy was immobilized. He could not move.
“Checkmate, Darcy,” the colonel said breathlessly. “Give up.”
“Break my arm if you must, Richard. But I will not stay here. I am leaving.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam dropped both arms and pushed him away. Darcy stumbled forward and righted himself, then turned towards his cousin. They stared at each other, catching their breaths. “You are a coward,” Fitzwilliam sneered.
“She wants me gone. She refused me!” Darcy remembered the look of repulsion in her eyes. He had seen that look before. Had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner . . . “There is no hope left for me.”
“Then fight for her!” Richard bellowed. “Make your own hope! Do not shake your head at me, Darcy. I am already sorely tempted to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours.”
They stood silently for a few moments. Then Darcy quietly returned to the wardrobe and began pulling out more clothes. “I am leaving in fifty minutes, Richard,” Darcy announced. “If you would like to join me, I suggest you start packing. This signals the end of our conversation. Kindly send Poole in.”
“You are a proud man,” Richard fumed. “A proud, cowardly man.”
“So I have heard—and from a much prettier face than yours.”
************
I hope you enjoyed this excerpt. My heart always breaks for Darcy when I read this scene. If you had just read the earlier 6 chapters of Hope for Mr. Darcy, you would understand just how painful this was for Darcy. He literally had been offered hope, and with his blinded perspective, lost it again.
So to bring it all around again, regardless of how many morsels of hope we are offered in the relationships around us, nor how many times we are stripped of it, you MUST never give up on love. Imagine if the greatest couple in all of literature, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, were to give up!!??!!?? Their love––which have given us all hope for our own happily ever afters, would have never been!
So put aside your “imperfect human” and don’t give up on love. Keep trying. Because fighting for what we cherish with unconditional love will always be the answer. Why? Because I believe that families can be forever; we can all have happily ever afters! I have great hope that soon, in December, I will be sealed––or married for longer than just till death do us part––to my husband in the temple forever. But in the mean time, I must double my efforts to make my home a temple, and set aside my imperfect human tendencies.
Thank you Meredith for hosting me on your blog! It has been a pleasure!
Oh my! That scene! Poor Darcy! He allowed himself that tiny glimmer of hope and was then crushed! I don’t blame him for wanting to leave and give up! Thank you for the lovely visit, Jeanna! I am loving Hope for Mr. Darcy so far and can’t wait to finish reading it (hopefully later today!) I love that this book is a part of a trilogy all about unrequited love and hope, and that your next book in this series, Hope for Fitzwilliam, will be available in the next few weeks!
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Connect with Jeanna
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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Today, Jeanna Ellsworth brings with her ONE copy of her new book, Hope for Mr. Darcy for me to give away to ONE lucky winner! (Paperback or Ebook for US, Ebook for International)
To enter this giveaway leave a question, comment, or some love for Jeanna!
I’ll be posting my review of Hope for Mr. Darcy on Wednesday, be sure to come check it out!
- This giveaway is open worldwide (with some shipping restrictions). Thank you, Jeanna!
- This giveaway ends August 1st!
Thank you for the excerpt. Why does Elizabeth think Mr. Darcy compromised her? I always like Colonel Fitzwilliam telling Darcy straight out what is happening. Thank you for the giveaway.
Well, if I told you, I’d have to kill you . . . I always wanted to use that line. J/K. Read the book! I don’t want to spoil it for you!
Your beautiful post resonated with me. What a wonderful feature and giveaway. This book is a treasure. Thanks.
I have read all of Jeanna Ellsworth ‘s books except this one and I love them. Hope is such a powerful theme in her writing. Looking forward to reading ‘Hope for Mr. Darcy ‘
Thank you, both of you. I can’t tell you how helpful these comments were. Everyone needs hope, no one should ever take it away from someone either. But when it comes to the series, they have the strongest Hope themes of any of my books. My heart once did not have much hope. Sometimes, I didn’t even know how to reach for it. But I have learned a few things along the way and feel internal pressure to share what helped. Love my loyal readers!
*Please leave me out of the drawing* I really enjoyed this book and look very much forward to the rest of the series. I would like to add that it’s amazing how very blind to some “plot points” in our own lives we can be when it’s our own heart/hope/pride on the line. We are so absorbed in it, we miss the fine print.
Oh Stephanie! You are so wise! It is so true! When it is our heart or pride, yes, we are blind. It takes effort to get the vision and perspective in our “book”. But we must, if we truly want a HEA. And to give you a hint, This excerpt was in the first book, about Mr. Darcy, and the Colonel does a fine job of setting him straight. But in about a week or two, HOPE FOR FITZWILLIAM will be published, and the Colonel is the one blinded! I can’t wait to share!
Oh I know it was in the first book! I know exactly what they are referring to and why Darcy believes he must run for the hills. I *loved* this book. I’ve read it twice already and that’s a feat in my current life. LOL Keeping my eyes out for the good Colonel. I’m ready for him!
LOVE this book! Cannot wait for the next in the series! Congrats on being sealed, Jeanna! I, too am a latter-day saint! I am so happy for you and your sweetheart!
Woot woot! Thanks Leah! You rock! Such praise! Wow! It humbles me to think that people have enjoyed the story and message. We are not sealed yet, he simply took out his endowments. So our sealing will be in about 5 months!
You tell him Colonel, Darcy is just too stubborn – thank you for the giveaway
Oh are we not all stubborn? Do we not all put up our protective barriers when our heart is hurt? I know I do! Thanks for commenting!
Wow, what an emotional scene! This book has been on my wish list since it was released. 🙂
Thanks for another chance to win a copy!
You bet Pam! But you only have a few weeks or less to get caught up before book 2, HOPE For FITZWILLIAM is published!
Oh poor Darcy! I feel so sorry for him here. But surely if he has compromised Elizabeth he has to marry her and should not be running away. I hope the colonel prevails. Thanks for this lovely excerpt Jeanna. I already have this on my wish list so would love to win a copy
My heart aches for him too! But, you will have to read the book if you want to know if he “has to marry her”. I think you should find an excuse to shorten your wish list! 🙂 But I’d love to see you win one too!
These stories have picked my interest. I hope to have the chance to acquire them soon, but it would be a lot better to win one, thanks for the giveaway!
You are welcome! Thanks for commenting! I will admit that I’m and “open book” and my heart is in the books I write! But anyone who has read my books can attest to that!
Sounds like an exciting series! Lovely covers too ; )
Oh thank you! The covers did turn out nice!
I know little about LES, but find it a beautiful thing to be sure of forever with your love.
Great snippet, look forward to reading your trilogy.
Thanks for the chance to win.
I think LOVE in general is a beautiful thing! And I think when we have love in our lives, there isn’t a one of us who does not want it to ever end! You will enjoy the series, I am sure of it
My husband also joined me in our faith and our son got to watch his dad being baptized. It’s a pretty cool thing!! Love the excerpt and can’t wait to read this series, as I know I will sooner or later lol
All things good in this life that make us strive to be better people is pretty cool! I hope it is sooner rather than later that you read it!
Hi, Jeanna, I really appreciate your communicating your personal details about your husband and your faith. I find that very brave. The book looks fantastic! I surely would like to win. Thanks for the opportunity, and good luck with sales! Karylee
Brave? I am a show off! LOL I felt it was kind of a brag board! I really am so proud of my husband! Not everyone shares my beliefs, and I don’t think they should nor do I want to! What a dull world that would be! We should all be aware that goodness comes in all forms, shapes and sizes
Impressive sideburns.
TeeHee Hee! I know! It wasn’t hard though! I just told him not to shave for three weeks then my stylist copied them from a picture. She did an excellent job!
I am reading the ebook and am enjoying it immensely. Thank you for a phenomenal story. i am 1/3 of the way completed. Work and exhaustion are slowing down my reading.
Oh I am so glad! Debbie, your opinion is so cherished! All of yours are but you show such enthusiasm! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this excerpt. A life without hope is a difficult life for sure! Thankful for those friends in life who, like Colonel Fitzwilliam in this story, can give us perspective when we are facing difficult times. Also, I have always found the book of Psalms to be a big source of hope for me. I am memorizing Psalm 46 this year and feel it gives me perspective in this often crazy world! I look forward to reading this series.
Maureen, perspective and vision is EXACTLY what hope provides! As soon as we commit ourselves to have hope in something we cannot see, it is then, and only then, that we gain an understanding or knowledge of what it before us or what was behind us.
And I had a great friend tell me something profound about psalm 46:10
” 10 Be still, and know that I am God . . .”
He said it because he knew I was so busy with life and running around and he reversed them and said, think of it this way sometimes too: “Know that I am God, and be still.” It was like, first work on your testimony, then watch as it changes your life into something peaceful. I won’t ever forget that. We need both versions. One, we need to be still, in order for us to recognize God’s hand in our lives, but we must also have faith that He is God, the Prince of Peace.
Yes, verse 10 is a great one. I like that insight on it. Not always easy to put into practice. I must admit I find it hard to be still, especially in the midst of trouble or worry.
thanks for the excerpt! can’t wait for the book!
You are very very welcome, Kelli, good luck! As an author, I always fear sending it out there, and occasionally there is the timid reader who isn’t sure if they want to try a new author. But, when offered a free book . . . then the hope is that they fall in love with it! Hope that happens to you!
thank you for the giveaway, loved to win the ebook.
Of course! I love them!
So, I have to ask, Patricia, where in Portugal are you? My daughter flies out there on August 2nd! She is serving a mission there for the next 17 months!
“Sealed for all eternity” makes me think of being entombed in a mausoleum (or in a sarcophagus like King Tut)! Haven’t read any of your books. I’m glad that you are offering the choice of a printed book to the winner. That’s what I’d choose since I can’t do e-books (no computer at home or other device).
Ah, um, well, that is a little darker direction. LOL
“Break my arm if you must, Richard. But I will not stay here. I am leaving.” Wow so powerful, really loved the excerpt 🙂
The man knows when he is beat, when to give in and when NOT to!
Or so he thinks! Ha ha
I’m SO glad Darcy & Elizabeth didn’t give up!
I think millions of people in the last 200 years feel the same way!
Loved the excerpt and really look forward to reading Jeanna’s new book! 🙂
Of course! I love to share them! Good luck with the giveaway! So exciting!
Poor Poole! I always love the colonel. I hope he plays a large role in this volume.
What a great excerpt! You can feel Darcy’s pain and Colonel Fitzwilliam’s frustration with his cousin… Congrats on your new release!
This sounds so interesting! But I hate that I have to wait for the others….it is just so hard to exercise patience…lol
I would like to be put in the international drawing please, I am going back home to the Dominican Republic in a couple of weeks. 🙂
Wonderful excerpt. This is another must read from Jeanna!
This story promises to be a great read! Love to see it unfold 🙂
So excited, was just ‘re-reading the first book when I got online to see that it is time to learn how Charlotte and the Colonel fare!!!! 🙂 Congrats!