Happy Friday, friends! I am excited to be welcoming back Jayne Bamber to Austenseque Reviews.  And if you feel like you remember Jayne visiting AR not too long ago, you are correct! She was here in May celebrating the release of Outmatched! She is keeping busy, isn’t she? 🙌🏼  Today, Jayne is here to share an excerpt from Madness in Meryton (I love the title!) and it sounds like such an interesting read!!! We hope you enjoy!

Hello, Janeites! It is a delight to be back at Austenesque review today to share a little about my upcoming release, Madness in Meryton. This is my sixth Austen variation, and for those of you not following the tale on Happy Assembly, it is a Groundhog Day vagary – with a twist. If you have read any of my other novels, you will know I share Elizabeth Bennet’s fondness for human folly, and there is plenty of it to be had when dear Lizzy begins to repeat the dame day over again.

The day in question is the day that Elizabeth meets George Wickham and hears his tale of woe, and I have reimagined it as Meryton’s monthly Market Day to heighten the chaos of Elizabeth’s predicament.

Of course, there is another unforeseen element in it, and the excerpt I am sharing today is a big Spoiler Alert!, the first surprise about a week into Elizabeth’s repetitions, though definitely not the craziest development the story holds….

~ Excerpt from Madness in Meryton ~

“Good morning, Lizzy,” Jane said, chipper as ever. As she always did, Jane got out of bed, drew open the curtains, and opened her armoire. As she reached for her sprigged muslin, Elizabeth turned about on her dressing stool and said, “I think there must still be mud – you should wear something dark.”

“Of course, Mamma will be wanting us in very fine looks today.” Jane blushed, then turned and peered out of the window. “At least it will not rain on us at the market. Oh! But who is that?”

Elizabeth jumped off the stool and joined her sister at the window. But of course it was Mr. Darcy. She felt her heart sink. She had been too bold when last they spoke – when she thought she might speak as she wished, with impunity. But he remembered – he had remembered the other market days as none but she had, and the more Elizabeth began to think it almost a relief, the more she resented the revelation. Would that she had held her tongue!

“I wonder why he should be coming here, at such an hour,” Jane breathed.

“Perhaps he conveys some message from Netherfield?”

Jane wrung her hands. “Oh! I hope Mr. Bingley is not in any distress!”

Elizabeth patted her sister on the back. “Surely not. Do not worry, Jane.” She felt her own panic rising.  “I had an idea – we might do something for Mary this morning – some improvement in her toilette, perhaps.”

“What a lovely idea,” Jane cried. “I am sure we need only suggest a few little things to her, and she might turn Mr. Collins’ head, which I suspect is your motive.”

“Indeed it is,” Elizabeth said, glancing back at the window; Mr. Darcy was nearly to the front gate now. “Will you not go to her, Jane? I am sure you would do much better than I could.”

“Oh. But I am not dressed – you are further along than me.”

“Yes, exactly. Take your blue muslin, go and dress with Mary. You are so much kinder than me,” Elizabeth insisted. “I should only give her some offense. Besides, I am further along, and I could go down and ascertain that all is well with Mr.  Bingley.”

“Oh, would you? Thank you, Lizzy.”

Jane embraced  her sister before collecting her things and hastening to Mary’s room. As soon as the door closed, Elizabeth went into a frenzy. She threw open her armoire and retrieved her traveling bag, hastily shoving gowns and other garments into it. As she reached into her drawer and scooped up a handful of stockings, there was a clatter on the floor, and she glanced down. There was the pretty pendant necklace she had purchased on the first market day. “But how?” She picked it up and wondered at it for a moment, but her concentration was broken by the sound of Mr. Darcy entering the house.

Elizabeth slipped the necklace over her head and hastily braided her hair, then grabbed her bag. She opened the window and peered out, determining the safest route of escape. She was not going to repeat this day anymore – not in Meryton, at least, and not with Mr. Darcy. If she was to be suspended in such repetition, she would bear it better in London, with her aunt and uncle.

Her mother was in the hall now, her footsteps and shouts of excitement growing closer; Elizabeth barely had time to turn about, tossing her traveling bag out the window and blocking the view of it with her body, when her mother burst in.

“Lizzy, my dearest girl! Oh, what a vision you are, my dear, you are practically glowing! Perhaps you are not as surprised as I am – you sly thing! To be setting your cap at Mr. Darcy all along, and never tell your Mamma! Well, whatever you were about at Netherfield has worked, for he is here, child. Mr. Darcy is here – he is here for you, Lizzy!”

Elizabeth gaped at her mother. “He is here for me,” she said flatly. Of course he was.

Mrs. Bennet, still grinning like the cat that caught the canary, narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “You are not surprised! Lizzy, you might have warned your Mamma! I thought you hated the man. Well, you had better come along and speak with him.”

“I cannot – I am not ready.”

“Not ready,” Mrs. Bennet screeched.

“My… my hair,” Elizabeth said, gesturing to her loose braid. “Give me just a few minutes – I will come presently.”

“You will come now,” Mrs. Bennet said, and grabbed her daughter by the wrist. “You look well enough, and if he can bear your constant impertinence, your hair shall hardly matter! He has asked for a private audience with you, Lizzy!”

Though she dug in her heels, Elizabeth was dragged from the room. Her mother brought her to the top of the stairs and fixed her with a firm look. “He is downstairs in the drawing room. Go.”

Elizabeth sighed and did as she was bid, and her mother remained on her heels until she had reluctantly entered the drawing room – then Mrs. Bennet closed the door behind her, leaving her alone with Mr. Darcy.

***

Darcy waited calmly in the Longbourn drawing room, peering out the window, calmer than he had felt in a week. His salvation, he was sure, was nearly at hand. He would have a companion in all this madness, and they might even find some way in overcoming their shared dilemma.

There was some noise above him, heavy footfalls and the shrill voice of Mrs. Bennet, but Darcy ignored those and stared out at the garden, imagining what a pleasure it might be to walk there with Miss Bennet, to share their uncanny secret as they could with no one else. There was movement – something flew across the garden and landed in the shrubs – it was a suitcase. Then came more shouting upstairs.

Darcy could only shake his head; he was reminded of Richard’s accusation, that he held the Bennets in high contempt. Throwing suitcases out of windows and shrieking in such a way were not dignified behaviors, but Darcy made some effort to overlook it. He had written to Richard already, and had no intention of earning such a rebuke again when his cousin arrived.

A few minutes later, Elizabeth entered, her hair hastily braided and coming loose about her face in a fetchingly tousled manner. The door slammed behind her and her eyes flashed as they did before a spell of bewitching impertinence. Darcy smiled at her in eager anticipation. “How is your head, Miss Elizabeth?”

She scowled at him, drawing closer as she hissed, “I rather wonder what is wrong with yours, coming here like this – have you any idea what my mother has assumed?”

Darcy was taken aback by her temper. “I am sorry, Elizabeth – but we both know it will not matter tomorrow.”

She stepped closer and glared at him. “For Heaven’s sake, keep your voice down. I can promise you, someone is probably listening at the door. It will not matter tomorrow, but there is still a lot of today to be gotten through – I had hoped to put it to better use.”

“And so had I,” Darcy snapped back. “I cannot account for your temper at such a time. You seemed to understand as well as I that we are a part of something, together, when you chose to reveal that fact to me two days ago.”

“Indeed, you are mistaken,” Elizabeth said softly; her voice was low, but painfully cold. “I believed it would be amusing to shock you, sir, as a means of making out your character, for you had been puzzling me exceedingly. I was not expecting to discover that – I was not expecting you to remember any of my actions that day.”

He glanced out the window at the suitcase in the bushes, and the realization dawned on him. She had tried to flee. “You do not wish to talk to me, no matter the manner of my seeking you out,” he said.

Elizabeth wavered for a moment, before finally coming to stand near him. “When you say it like that, you make me sound quite cruel, sir. It is only that I was not ready – and I was a little embarrassed of how it all came to pass. It was wrong of me to hide from you, and to try to run away, but – oh, come now, this is making me quite mad, surely you understand.”

“I do,” Darcy said softly. He reached out and tentatively grasped her hand. “You and I understand each other in a way that nobody else can just now – do we not owe it to one another to speak about it, to try to make sense of the madness?”

She withdrew her hand, but sat down beside him, letting out a long sigh. “I suppose so. I have no other objections, at present, and I have tried everything else.”

Darcy looked at her in some confusion. Bitterness swelled in his chest; he at once wanted to take her in his arms, and to flee, forgetting this mortifying conversation had ever taken place. He stood up abruptly, then stopped and looked down at her.

“Forgive me,” he said. “I can see you repent your candor, despite what it meant to me. You thought only to amuse yourself at my expense, and have no wish to share this burden with me.” He gave a slight, civil bow, and began to leave.

“Wait,” she breathed. “Stay. Forgive me, I was only – I was not prepared, but I will speak with you.”

Darcy turned back to face her, but he did not move. He heard some movement in the corridor, and chose his words carefully. “Are you quite certain? I am asking more than that, you must know. Fate has drawn us both together in this, and I had thought if we are willing to work at it together, we might form an alliance of sorts – we might unite in our efforts, and be the happier for it.”

Elizabeth chewed her lip as she considered. “I do not know if I would call it fate – it is simply madness to me,” she laughed. “I am still in shock, but I cannot be so cruel, and let you suffer alone. We shall figure it out together.”

Darcy smiled, and extended his hand for her to shake. “So, you accept?”

Elizabeth came toward him with a smile at last, and shook his hand. “Yes, I accept.”

The door burst open at once. Mrs. Bennet came through first, followed by the rest of her daughters, but the commotion was so great that it might have been a dozen people. Elizabeth instantly blanched at the misunderstanding in progress, and moved to withdraw her hand from his.

Darcy held fast to her hand. She had been laughing at him all week, and though their truce was but moments old, he could not resist some little revenge. He pulled her closer and took her in his arms. “Elizabeth, you have made me the happiest of men!”

Hah! Love it! I love when Darcy teases Elizabeth. 😆 I have some questions about what events led to this scene, and I cannot wait to find out the answers! 🙌🏼

~~~

Connect with Jayne

Facebook    ❧    Blog

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Jayne is kindly offering an ebook giveaway of Madness in Meryton, in conjunction with her blog tour!

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment for Jayne and fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Jayne!
• This giveaway will end July 31st!

Be sure to check out the rest of Jayne’s tour!