Hi friends! I’m excited to welcome a new-to-me author to Austenesque Reviews today – Elizabeth Famous! A few months ago Elizabeth released a modern Pride and Prejudice adaptation titled Pemberley Beach! 🏝️ 🌊 👙

And if you know anything about me, you know this book sounds perfect for me, right?! 😎

But guess what, there’s more – Elizabeth is a music teacher in this story! 🎶

Elizabeth is here to share an excerpt from Pemberley Beach – we hope you enjoy! 🤗

 

~ From the Author ~

Although Elizabeth Bennet still lives in Longbourn Trailer Park, situated on the outskirts of a posh seaside resort town, she’s determined to shed her family’s reputation as scheming romantic mercenaries. Summer is here, and Elizabeth, who’s fresh from her first year teaching instrumental music, is ready to find Mr. Right. But her confidence is shaken when she encounters Will Darcy, the snobbish owner of beachfront Pemberley estate, who publicly insults her appearance and disdains her notorious family…

 

~ Excerpt from Chapter 7 ~

A little after ten, Elizabeth bounded down the boardwalk, pulled along by the lure of catchy hip hop songs, a whiff of burnt sugar, and glowing orbs hanging from tall posts.

To get to the trellised entrance tent, she had to step around spectators set up on blankets outside the roped-off party area to enjoy an overflow of entertainment. 

A large rectangular swath of beach running all the way from the grassy dunes by the boardwalk to the densely packed sand near the high tide line was laid out with tables and chairs covered in flowing white linen.

The annual Beach Ball hosted by the Derby Recreation Council featured gourmet chocolate S’mores with homemade marshmallows, a big city DJ, and watermelon martinis, and this year they added a silent auction of designer accessories and gift certificates donated by local shops. 

Elizabeth walked over to snoop at the seashell-bedecked gift baskets with sign-up sheets for bids. A month-long trial membership to the yacht club had a bid over a thousand dollars. A full season membership to Rosings Pool Club on the outskirts of Derby was almost ten thousand. Slippers donated by the designer shoe store weren’t bid on yet.

Searching the dense crowd for familiar faces, she couldn’t find Jane although she was supposed to be there with Bingley, whom she’d gone out to dinner with beforehand. 

Presumably they’d snuck off somewhere to be alone.

Bingley seemed more and more taken with Jane. They spent every free evening together and talked on the phone every night before bed. Jane no longer demurred when someone intimated that Bingley was crazy about her; she just smiled. They had the easiest love affair in history and couldn’t seem to find anything irksome about each other.

A man standing in a clump of guys holding bottles of imported beer said in a clear bass voice, “Hey, it’s the band teacher!” as Elizabeth passed by. 

She immediately recognized him as a single dad she’d seen at the concert on the last day of school. His tiny daughter, who took private lessons with a colleague from the high school, was the star of the school’s brass section. According to school gossip, her dad had full custody as his ex-wife was in rehab for prescription opioid addiction. 

“I knew I’d see you here,” he said, his hands stretching his chino pockets. “All the younger teachers are here tonight.”

“Just great,” Elizabeth said sarcastically. “I thought this was going to be a cool party.” 

He laughed too hard. “Save a dance for me?” 

Her face warmed at the idea. At parent/teacher conferences he had been affable and unassuming after mentioning he was an attorney at a law firm downtown. She knew he picked up his daughter on time every day after school. He was a good-looking guy, if a bit awkward. A catch really, although she was worried about somebody from school saying they saw her flirting with a parent. 

“Sure thing!” she replied after a pause. “Fetch me later.”

Spotting Charlotte standing by herself, Elizabeth trudge through the combed sand in her platform cork sandals all the way to the other side of the party space to a makeshift cash bar constructed out of a surfboard.

A drink garnished with a lime slice was waiting for her, along with an empty bar stool. Charlotte, conscientious as always, had already laid out a tip for the bartender.

Bobby Collins must be off talking up another partygoer and giving Charlotte a breather. She looked happily alone.

“You’re the best!” said Elizabeth, resting one hand on the bar stool as she raised the other in a toast. 

“Salud,” said Charlotte, looking spiffy in white capris.

Elizabeth took a long swig of margarita. “Either I wore the wrong shoes or I’m out of shape but walking over here was quite a workout.”

“It’s all in the plan. We need you to stay planted in one place so all these guys hovering around can get to you,” said Charlotte. 

Elizabeth laughed. “You have to promise to dance with me if I can’t handle all the attention as an unchaperoned female!”

Charlotte shook her head as if she just remembered something. “Lizzy! Did you really meet someone just walking down Beach Avenue? A guy named Wickham?”

Elizabeth laughed. “It was so strange. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.”

“Yeah, right,” said Charlotte with an annoyed curl of her lip. She wore a thick coating of liquid foundation, had blown out her hair, and, as always, made a lot of effort with her appearance, although she often complained that her efforts did not pay off. “This guy just gave you a ticket right then and there … after talking to you for half a minute?”

“I swear. I’m not making it up,” said Elizabeth.

“Did you make some joke about being sexually frustrated?”

“No, not at all!” exclaimed Elizabeth with a laugh.

“And where is he?”

“Late maybe. You would have noticed him if he were here. He’s not just run of the mill handsome; he’s beautiful.”

“I bow to you, Lizzy,” said Charlotte, her face shiny as she shook her head. 

“It was stupid luck. He liked my Vespa. Probably ogles girls on motorcycles. I’d sworn I was going to chill at home this weekend but after meeting him, resistance was futile.”

“When you disappear with him at the end of the night,” said Charlotte, “don’t worry about offending me by not saying goodbye.”

Elizabeth noticed people milling about near tented daybeds set up next to white mangrove trees, but she couldn’t make anyone out as they were in full shadow. One might be her new friend, who’d texted her an hour ago to say that he was looking forward to seeing her that evening. 

Elizabeth pointed at the six outdoor mattresses. “I wonder if any couples will have the nerve to sprawl out on those,” she said to Charlotte.

“I wouldn’t worry about anyone around here not having the nerve,” Charlotte replied with a sweep of her eyes at some young women standing nearby. “Did you know ‘upscale resort attire’ meant swimsuits?”

There was a girl wearing swim shorties with a sparkly bikini top and another in a swim dress with high slit skirt. The outfits were conservative bathing suits during daytime hours, when you only wore such a thing if you wanted to be allowed to lunch in a cafe without a cover-up, but their Lycra getups seemed yowza at a charity event. 

Charlotte suddenly froze, her eyes wide as she grabbed Elizabeth by the upper arm, pinching her.

“What is it?” said Elizabeth, hurriedly looking in the direction Charlotte was facing. 

Will Darcy was standing right behind her.

Elizabeth tried to sound casual as she whispered to Charlotte, “Silly, girl! You frightened me. I thought Bobby Collins had started breakdancing or something.” 

Turning on Darcy with a haughty expression, Elizabeth said loud enough for him to hear, “It’s only Will Darcy. And we might have expected to see him here tonight. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Good evening,” he said with a bob of his head.

“Hi, Darcy,” she replied, watching him flinch as he always did when she called him by his surname alone, over-pronouncing both of the two syllables. “You can’t avoid me.”

Will nonchalantly shook off the bartender who offered to make him a drink. “Am I trying to?”

“Yes, always,” she laughed, not knowing what she said.

His dark eyes roved the dance floor environs then turned to gaze hard at her.

She returned his look quizzically. Did he walk up to her with something particular to say, maybe a message from Jane and Bingley? 

He leaned against the bar, looking relaxed, but he said nothing.

A girl looking barely out of high school, dressed in an emerald mermaid skirt and holding a basket of long stem pink roses offered to sell him one for his lady. He gave her a slight once over, didn’t respond to her solicitation, then returned his eyes to Elizabeth. “Would you introduce me to your friend?” he asked.

Elizabeth was confused for a moment then realized he meant Charlotte, not the mermaid girl he had been checking out. “Yes, of course, this is my neighbor Charlotte Lucas. She works in the loan department at Derby Savings Bank,” said Elizabeth, not sure why she was spouting resume material instead of something fun like Charlotte’s genius at arranging impromptu scavenger hunts for the kids at Longbourn. 

“Quite of few bank officers are here tonight,” Darcy said to Charlotte. “I assume you know Ted Nietzsche.”

Charlotte opened her mouth and mumbled something unintelligible.

“She’s, uh, a junior loan officer,” said Elizabeth, covering for Charlotte’s muteness.

“Res…sidential loans,” explained Charlotte, barely raising her eyes to Darcy as she stammered.

Charlotte was so smart and funny but couldn’t get over the idea she wasn’t good looking enough to talk to very attractive people. She only spoke to Jane because they were childhood friends.

Elizabeth decided to try to make Charlotte laugh. “You didn’t follow the dress code, Darcy. I hope Bingley did. You two need to learn to follow instructions.”

Charlotte gawked. 

Will did not flush with self-consciousness. “You’ll forgive me,” he said, his eyes narrowing. 

The invite encouraged men to wear Hawaiian shirts, or at least oxfords with embroidered sea creatures, but most men at the party, including Darcy, stuck to the masculine palate of tan, brown, grey or navy blue stripes.

Elizabeth poked Charlotte with her elbow. “I see Jane and Bingley!” Looking at Darcy, she added gaily, “They look so cute together, huh?”

“I’m sure I can’t say,” he replied, sounding unenthusiastic.

“Oh, come on, if I asked you if you like my outfit — or Charlotte’s — you’d be polite enough to agree, wouldn’t you?” said Elizabeth with a little hop.

“I didn’t notice how they’re dressed. I spoke to them for only a minute.”

“Seriously? You have to admit they’re a cute couple. Jane said today is their anniversary.”

His eyebrows scrunched together. “I’m certain they’re not married.”

“You know what I mean,” Elizabeth sneered at him exaggeratedly.

“Do I?” he asked, his chin flicking upward a bit. “I know ladies sometimes make a big to-do about an acquaintance of five weeks but men are rarely so inclined.” 

She laughed loudly at his chauvinism. It suited him perfectly and hopefully would ward off any unsuspecting woman who might cross his path. “In my experience, it’s quite the opposite,” she said. “Women are reluctant to raise their expectations having been disappointed by a man more than once.”

He almost smiled, then reverted to his quintessential staid countenance. “I’d have to ask for particulars before I can gauge the legitimacy of your disappointed expectations.” 

Elizabeth laughed out loud, not worried about offending him although she thought it was ridiculous how stiff and formal his replies were.

Speaking of stiff and formal. Reverend Collins appeared, smiling at Elizabeth as if life could get no better. “Dear madams, I’m pleased to announce that my patroness, Catherine Darcy herself, is expected tonight. Of course, she has reserved a table with her niece Georgiana Darcy …” 

An up-tempo dance song sped into its hammering chorus, and Elizabeth’s ears vibrated as she tried to make out Collins’s words.

Darcy did not wait for Bobby to finish a single run-on sentence, even as Collins name dropped some of Will’s nearest relations. “Excuse me. I see someone I know nearby.”

As Darcy walked off, Charlotte gave Bobby her full attention, listening to all he said without breaking eye contact, despite Elizabeth’s attempt to jostle her.

The crowd around the bar suddenly thickened, and Reverend Collins didn’t seem to know what to do with himself without an ample allotment of personal space. 

Huffing, he repeatedly excused himself and apologized for standing in the wrong place as he turned in circles. “Is this okay? I hope this is okay. Is there room for your friend Elizabeth? Should she stand on my other side?”

Charlotte offered to find Reverend Collins a seat at a lighted plexiglass table nearby.

But he, in his shiny dress shirt and tight slacks, took the initiative and grabbed a singleton empty chair for himself and left Charlotte standing.

Scooting his chair under the white box table as far as possible, he said, “Oh, am I out of the way now? I do hope I’m out of the way.” Then he started chatting with his neighbors, apologizing for taking a seat without explicitly asking their permission.

He had effectively turned his back on Charlotte.

Elizabeth immediately motioned for her friend to follow her to the parquet dance floor. Feeling they’d escaped, she was ready to celebrate.

Charlotte smiled but kept saying something about finding a seat near Collins. 

Elizabeth set the pace for dancing with a low key boogie befitting a public school teacher.

As one song ended and the opening chords of a new one sounded, Charlotte hollered, “Oh, Lizzy! Will Darcy must like you. He never talks to anybody.”

“No, trust me. If you knew the topics of the very few conversations we’ve had, you’d never think that.”

Charlotte frowned. “Are you sure?”

Oof, you are stiff one, Will Darcy! You need Elizabeth’s playfulness in your life. 😛 

I think Charlotte will be proven right, of course, but I’m looking forward to seeing their next encounter together! 🌴

~~~

~ About Elizabeth ~

Elizabeth Famous is a bestselling author known for her poignant love stories featuring authentic, imperfect characters. She delves into the complexities often overlooked in traditional romance narratives. Famous debuted with Love and Candy, a heartfelt exploration of first love, followed by Light, Bright & Sparkling, which captivated readers with its tale of an aspiring singer/dancer.

With a deep passion for Jane Austen’s work, Famous draws inspiration from the iconic author in her latest novel, Pemberley Beach. She has made three pilgrimages to Austen country in Hampshire and Bath and has had the privilege of meeting Jane Austen’s living relatives as a lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America.

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

In conjunction with her visit, Elizabeth Famous is offering  2️⃣  ebook copy of Pemberley Beach and a set of Jane Austen hair pins as some lovely giveaway prizes!

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment, a question, or some love for Elizabeth!

• This giveaway is open worldwide (hair pins are US only).  Thank you, Elizabeth!
• This giveaway ends July 17th!