Hello friends! I’m so happy to welcome back Grace Gibson to Austenesque Reviews today! Grace was here just a few months ago celebrating her release of Silver Buckles! And now she has a new novella about Lydia Bennet that just recently released in Meryton Press’s Skirmish and Scandal series – Reckless, Headstrong Girl!
Grace is here to share an enticing excerpt from Reckless, Headstrong Girl. We hope you enjoy!
Thank you so much for having me today, Meredith. I have brought an excerpt from Lydia Bennet’s scandalous adventure on the night of her elopement with George Wickham. In this scene, we find Lydia alone on the Brighton-to-London road in the wilds of West Sussex…
Perhaps the night mail would pass, Lydia thought. She would flag it down, and the passengers and
coachman would all gather around her, and after hearing what had been done to her, they would support her as she limped aboard, make room for her to lie down on the forward facing seat, ply her with biscuits and tisanes and the like, and drive her straight to the magistrate’s house in Brighton. Yes. This became her fixed plan.
And indeed, the night mail coach did come. But it roared past her in a flash. She yelled and waved her handkerchief for nothing. She may as well have been a cricket in the ditch! She coughed for a quarter hour on the dust left behind and began to limp down the road. By the time she reached the cross post marking the intersection of the London Road with the track to Cowfold, she had walked more than two miles. She arrived at the marker—which she could only dimly make out on account of the gibbous moon making its way across the sky—with two blisters, a stone bruise, and the sole come halfway off her right slipper.
Sinking gratefully to the ground with the cross post supporting her back, Lydia felt around in her carpet bag for an extra pair of shoes. She knew she had not packed any, thinking her favorite and prettiest slippers were all she would need to be married in, but she looked anyway. The night was mild, and she did not carry a shawl, but she had suffered a shock and naturally began shivering the moment she stopped walking. There was nothing for it, she thought, but to put her second dress over the one she wore and to throw her nightgown around her shoulders for warmth; thus, dressed like the rag seller at the Hertford fair, she fell into a state between sleep and a swoon.
The sound of wheels and horse hooves on the road startled Lydia awake. She saw by the lightening of the gloom that dawn was near breaking, and she stood up, anxious to hail the means of her rescue. Oh, how her papa and her uncles would make Wickham pay for his infamy, she reflected with grim satisfaction. Indeed, the morning had broken upon Lydia Bennet in an unprecedented state of flinty-eyed determination.
But these self-same eyes began to make out an approaching dray. The driver and a man who sat next to him also began to perceive her, and something in the way they both came to attention alerted some instinct of self-preservation in Lydia. She was already standing, but now she reached down for her nearly empty bag and bolted away into the adjoining field of half-grown barley. Hampered by her nightgown flapping behind, she threw it off.
Oy!” cried the carter. “Come back ‘ere, partridge!” She heard both men calling after her with some appalling descriptions of what they would like to do when they caught her, and she stumbled pell-mell away until she was certain they no longer followed.
Defeated, she fell into the barley, thinking—like a girl of fifteen who had never had the slightest challenge in all her life—that she would be found dead in this pitiful field in a couple of hours. The carpet bag had been a casualty of her flight, as had her nightgown. And so, after catching her breath, she arranged her dresses just so and tried to tuck up her hair in her poke bonnet. Unfortunately, the wretched hat would not cooperate and, indeed, it was most uncomfortable for a lie down. And so, she placed it on her chest, crossed her arms, and hoped her face was pretty in spite of all she had suffered, so that when she was found dead, someone would remark on her looks at least.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into Lydia’s story. Hopefully, we will all be able to go out and experience our own adventures very soon!
Ooh! What an adventure (or misadventure?!) Lydia is in the middle of! Thank you so much for sharing, Grace! I sometimes dread this part in the story because Lydia creates some mischief and causes separation for Darcy and Elizabeth. But I am excited to explore a different course of events for Lydia and see them from her perspective. I wonder how this experience will shape her. 😯
~ Book Description ~
A scandalous flight, an inconsiderate couple—
how can things have gone so terribly wrong for Lydia Bennet?
In Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, Lydia Bennet runs away from Brighton with George Wickham, but this adaptation of Lydia’s adventures is not your typical story about this brash couple.
Mr. Wickham, proving he is no gentleman, does the unthinkable and casts Lydia out of a second-rate coach. Filthy, exhausted, and penniless, Lydia is just facing the beginning of her ordeal! How can a spoiled, uneducated girl of fifteen—used to having her way—survive a night in the wilds of Sussex?
As Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner vainly search for her in London, Lydia’s sisters struggle to keep her secret from their Meryton neighbors. Though they fear the worst—that Lydia’s wild life has ended in tragedy—all hope is not lost. Mr. Darcy, in the midst of reigniting his courtship with Elizabeth, is determined to recover his love’s unfortunate sibling.
Will Mr. Darcy succeed in finding Lydia and restoring her to respectability? In what shocking condition will this catastrophe render such a reckless, headstrong girl?
them apart—or, like silver buckles, are they a matched pair?
~ Connect with Grace ~
~ About Grace ~
In addition to mosaic art, which I create at Studio Luminaria, my home-based glass shop in El Paso, Texas, I enjoy writing regency romance and Pride and Prejudice< variations for pleasure.
The audiobook of Reckless, Headstrong Girl narrated by Stevie Zimmerman will be available soon!
~~~
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Meryton Press is generously giving away 1️⃣ ebook of Reckless, Headstrong Girl in conjunction with this blog tour!! Woot woot!
To enter this giveaway leave a comment, a question, or some love for Grace!
- This giveaway is open worldwide. Thank you, Meryton Press!
- This giveaway ends February 15th.
My sincere thanks to Janet Taylor, Meryton Press, and Grace Gibson for making this visit possible!
Typing on phone difficult, but what is not is this wonderful little book. I am a fan of the secondary characters. I also love the technique of forcing the characters through a stressful situation (and a brief time window) to bring about an evolution that either might take years or never happen at all. Great work!!!!
Hi Don, you type pretty well on that phone! Your insight and comments mean the world to me. Thank you so much for this and for all your support since I joined MP!
Please don’t enter me in the giveaway, I was lucky enough to win a copy in the cover reveal post and am now half way through reading it.
I’m loving it, what a revelation Lydia is!
She starts out as the usual selfish self absorbed girl but her experiences affect her greatly. I can’t wait to finish it!
Oh, I am so happy to hear you won one of the giveaway copies, Glynis! And I am glad you are enjoying Lydia’s adventure. Wishing you the very best and thank you!
Oh my! Lydia must take care of herself and folks will not bend to her will?? This sounds like a must read. Please enter me into the contest!
I hope you win! Thanks for stopping by and reading the excerpt today
I *adored* Silver Buckles, so I’m all excited for another book from Ms. Gibson. I’m not generally a big fan of Lydia, but this excerpt makes me certain that I’ll be a fan of this book! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Rachel! Wow! Thank you for your compliments! I have never liked Lydia either, but the darned girl made me change my mind about her after this story. I do hope you enjoy it.
This sounds like another story that I must read! I loved “Silver Buckles!” I am curious as to how Lydia will survive this ordeal!
I am so glad you liked Silver Buckles! I hope you find this story entertaining as well. Good luck on the giveaway!
Thank you for having me once again on this beautiful blog, Meredith. I really enjoy the many comments from your subscribers and truly appreciate the opportunity to share excerpts of my new work. Happy reading and stay safe!
Lydia got herself in a fine mess, but hopefully, she is plucky enough to make it through whatever comes her way. Thanks for sharing this entertaining excerpt, Meredith and Grace!
Plucky sounds so much better than headstrong, Kelly! Thanks so much for stopping by today!
This looks intriguing! Thanks for sharing this excerpt! I always think of Lydia as being born in the wrong time period. She certainly does some foolish things at 15, but so many of us have. The consequences in the Regency period were so much graver, weren’t they? Congrats, Grace! I’ve heard great things about your work and am looking forward to reading more of it this year.
You are so right about Lydia, Christina! Thank you and I hope if you do get a chance to read it, you get a chuckle out of Lydia’s adventure.
You can only hope that she either grows up and starts to appreciate her family, or she gets her justs desserts
I wholeheartedly agree! To see her continue on as she is for the rest of her life – without either maturing or consequences – would be so depressing! Thanks for your insights today. Best of luck on the giveaway!
Hi Grace!
This novella is the opportunity to give a try to Lydia so I’m looking forward to reading her adventures and how she becomes a more sensible young lady. I’m really curious about this change 😉
Thanks Meredith for hosting and thanks Meryton Press for the giveaway!
I appreciate that Teresa! I do hope you find this Lydia a tiny bit more sensible after she’s been tossed about for a bit. Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Sounds interesting and I wonder how Lydia changes from this experience.
Hi there! Nice of you to stop by and read the excerpt. Hmmm…. I wonder how any girl of 15 might be changed in Lydia’s situation. Let’s hope some good comes of it!
oh, what a scene! Lydia for sure.
denise
I appreciate you saying so! I always hope my renderings of Jane Austen’s characters are still somewhat recognizable even if they are chased into a barley field in the middle of the night. Thanks for stopping and good luck on the giveawy!
I almost had to laugh — in the midst of Lydia’s most wretched day, she plans to look her most attractive when her cold, dead body is found. Teenage girls can be such drama queens (I vaguely remember being one myself). I’m looking forward to reading about her (mis)adventure and hope she keeps her “spidey sense” tuned in for any other people who do not have her best interests in mind. I’ll join the chorus of people who loved “Silver Buckles” — I thought it was the best book of 2020!
Wow! Now that is a fantastic compliment!!! Thank you! I loved your comment about our favorite drama queen – and I wonder if Debbie Styne (my editor) would let me use ‘spidey sense’ in my next JAFF story…? Wouldn’t that be fun?!? I really appreciate that you stopped by and read the excerpt today.
I, too, am a big fan of Silver Buckles so I’m looking forward to reading how Lydia grows and improves under your authorship. Congratulations on your newest venture.
Thank you very much, Luisa! I am so delighted to share this story and I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by to read this excerpt.
Huge “Silver Buckles” fan here and agree with those who think it’s a top book of 2020, so I think Grace will do well in this book too. Good luck on your release, Grace, and thanks to Meredith for hosting.
You and everyone at Meryton Press have been so supportive and helpful I have had to pinch myself a few times. I am so grateful – thank you!
I hate to say it but… poor Lydia. She is receiving a reality check that no girl at her age should have to endure. I place this at her parent’s feet. This girl should still be in the schoolroom. How on earth will this turn out? Elizabeth tried to tell her father. Thanks Meredith for hosting. Thanks to our author Grace Gibson and her publisher for the generous giveaway. Good luck to all in the drawing. Everyone, stay safe, and healthy.
I completely agree! Those parents! But I suppose if Mr. Bennet was a proper father and Mrs. Bennet was a woman of sense, we would not have Pride and Prejudice… or our least favorite child – Lydia. Thanks as always for your thoughtful comments and take care.
So even contemplating imminent demise she’s focusing on her appearance! What a ninny our Lydia is!
True! Lydia does not really understand just how much trouble she is in! Thanks for stopping by!
Recently finished Silver Buckles, which I loved, so am looking forward to reading Lydia’s tale. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
I appreciate that, Stephanie! Glad you stopped by and good luck!
Thanks for the excerpt! This looks like a great book, and I’m looking forward to reading it!
You are welcome! Thanks for coming and I do hope you enjoy Lydia’s adventure!
Meredith, thank you for hosting Grace and Reckless, Headstrong Girl. I always enjoy stopping by your blog. Grace, thank you for sharing this excerpt and congratulations!
Loved the combination of sherry wine like humor and the lemony bitterness of her ordeal. I cannot wait to see what happens to her, and I hope Wickham pays for that infamous act. Thank you for sharing that except.
Joining in wholeheartedly on the praise of Silver Buckles! I’m excited for your fresh take on Lydia and wish you every success. Thanks for the excerpt and giveaway chance 🙂
Oh boy, talk about flair for the dramatic! Lydia definitely have a rude awakening! Can’t wait to read about her journey in maturing and some adventure in growing up along the way! Congrats on your release!
I feel sorry for Lydia (and these reminds of other vulnerable ladies). Though I had to smirk at the end .. typical of Lydia… to still think that she needs to look pretty when they find her dead .