Hi friends! It is a merry week for author visits – I hope you are enjoying these lovely calls as much as I am! Isn’t it wonderful to have so many new releases to celebrate? And how great that one of those new releases is a Mr. Darcy POV by Shannon Winslow! I don’t know about you, but I haven’t read a Mr. Darcy POV in quite some time. 📖

Shannon Winslow is here to share an excerpt from her new release – Fitzwilliam Darcy in His Own Words. We hope you enjoy! 😊

Thanks so much, Meredith, for inviting me to Austenesque Reviews again to share a bit about my newest novel: Fitzwilliam Darcy in His Own Words. I’m very excited about this one and hope readers will be too! It is, as the name implies, Darcy’s story told from his own flawed but honest point of view.

He starts by telling us something about his early experiences – those that worked to shape his character and expectations – and then what’s happening in his life when he meets Elizabeth. (Hint: it’s more complicated than you know!) And then it’s on through to their (eventual) happy ending together, all done by adding onto rather than changing events in P&P.

It was fascinating to spent time in Darcy’s head, reimagining my favorite story from his perspective and figuring out what belongs in the blanks in the record Jane Austen left. Mostly though, it was simply a joy to spend more time in the company of characters who seem like old friends. I know you feel the same about them, and so I hope you will enjoy this new book!

Today, I have a never-before-seen excerpt for you! And so without further ado, here’s the setup:

Mr. Darcy has two great friends – his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Bingley – and I imagine that for various reasons he might have been closer to one than the other at different points in time. In this book, it works out that Fitzwilliam is his primary confessor and confidant. Fitzwilliam is the one Darcy consults about Georgiana. He’s the one who goes with Darcy to Rosings. He’s the one to whom Darcy admits his conflicted feelings about Elizabeth.

So one of the delights for me in writing Fitzwilliam Darcy in His Own Words was exploring the title character’s friendship with the other Fitzwilliam. Here’s one of those scenes, just before the Netherfield Ball, in Darcy’s Own Words.

~ Excerpt from Fitzwilliam Darcy in His Own Words ~

“…Unfortunately, I have to drive back on Tuesday, for Bingley is giving a grand ball and cannot spare me. He is in love again, you see,” I explained wryly.

Fitzwilliam laughed. “Is he, now? Does this make the second or third time this year?”

“The third.”

“So he wishes to impress his new ladylove by throwing her a fine party. That is natural enough, I suppose, but it is no reason to make his friends miserable. You, for one, will be dreading this ball, I think.”

“Precisely. You know how ill I can abide such affairs. I shall know almost nobody… nobody except a person or two I would rather avoid.”

Amusement sparked in Fitzwilliam’s eye. “Can we possibly be speaking of the gentleman’s sister? Is Miss Bingley still hopeful of a return of her affections?”

“You have divined the problem exactly.”

“Oh, but you have said there are two you wish to avoid. Is the other also a lady in love with you? Such trouble as this, some men would scarcely complain about, you know.”

“No, your guess is off the mark in this case. The second is indeed a lady, but she does not live to please and flatter me. Quite the opposite, I assure you.”

“What? Do you mean to say her goal is to torture and insult you? That seems unlikely.”

“Nevertheless, it is true.”

He laughed. “You are not known as a charmer, it is true. But she must be a queer sort of woman to not be impressed by your wealth and consequence, if nothing else.”

“She is unusual, I grant you, and my dearest wish is that I should never be required to spend time in her disagreeable presence again.”

“I am astonished, Darcy! I would like to meet the venerable lady who has frightened you to such an extent!”

“I am not afraid of her – not in the way you mean, at least – and I offer you this proof. I am going to the ball, though she will certainly be there.”

“And shall you ask her to dance?”

“Why should I do that? I do not even like her.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps to demonstrate that what you say is true – that you are not afraid of her – that is, if you think you are up to the challenge.”

“You should come with me and ask her to dance yourself. No doubt you and the lady in question would get on famously, since you both take great delight in vexing me.”

“Ha! An excellent notion! I would be glad to take her off your hands if you think she would suit me. She must be quite pretty, you know, lively, and an heiress as well, for I have no money of my own, remember.”

“Then, no, she would not do.”

“Not pretty enough?”

“Not rich enough by half. I do not believe Miss Bennet has any fortune or connections worth speaking of. Otherwise, you might like her very well indeed, for she meets your other requirements.”

“A great pity. Still, I stand by what I said before. I should like to meet this woman and be my own judge.”

“That is unlikely to happen. You move in very different circles. I will not see her again myself after this ball is over and done.”

That thought, meant to consign the lady to her proper place in my mind, failed to placate my irritated feelings as it should have. In fact, the idea of never seeing Elizabeth Bennet again began to weigh heavily on my mind from that moment forward.

I love how Mr. Darcy is trying to deny and avoid his attraction to Lizzy – doesn’t he know how futile that is!? 😄  And I am intrigued to see this retelling delve deeper into Colonel Fitzwilliam’s relationship with Mr. Darcy. I always feel Mr. Darcy is so lucky to have him and vice-versa. Thanks so much for sharing, Shannon!

~ Book Description ~

What was Mr. Darcy’s life like before he met Elizabeth Bennet? – before he stepped onto the Pride and Prejudice stage at the Meryton assembly? More importantly, where is he and what is he doing all the time he’s absent from the page thereafter? And what is his relationship to a woman named Amelia?

With Fitzwilliam Darcy in His Own Words, the iconic literary hero finally tells his own story, from the traumas of his early life to the consummation of his love for Elizabeth and everything in between.

This is not a variation but a supplement to the original story, chronicled in Darcy’s point of view – a behind-the-scenes look at the things Jane Austen didn’t tell us. As it happens, Darcy’s journey was more tortuous than she let on, his happy ending with Elizabeth in jeopardy at every turn in his struggle between duty and his heart’s desire, between the suitable lady he has promised to marry and the woman he can’t stop thinking about.

Connect with Shannon

Blog    ❧    Twitter    ❧    Facebook    ❧    Austen Variations

~~~

What do you think friends?

Are you a fan of seeing things from Darcy’s POV?