Hi friends! I am thrilled to welcome back author MJ Stratton to Austenesque Reviews today! As you may have seen – MJ released her 11th Austenesque work last week! 🎉

Her latest release – a Pride and Prejudice variation titled Thwarted – is just as intriguing as it sounds! Can you imagine rumors about Mr. Darcy being shunned by society and believed to be cursed? 😮

Mr. Darcy being cursed is apparently the theme of the week here!

MJ brings with her a tantalizing excerpt from Thwarted. We hope you enjoy! 🤗

 

~ From the Author ~

This plot bunny has actually been on a list for quite some time! I started writing Thwarted earlier this year and intended to have it be part of Crossroads, which released in the spring. We were fairly close to release when I decided to pull it. The story was only around 45 thousand words long and I decided that it didn’t do our dear couple justice. It did not take me long after Crossroads was released to return to the story. Surprisingly, the rest of it came easily. I added some intrigue and some more romance and fleshed out the characters more. I must say, I am very happy with how it turned out.

A few tidbits:

There’s a scene near the end when Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth get married. When they kiss, Mr. Bennet says something to Darcy (no spoilers) that mirrors what happened on my own wedding day! When you get to that part of the story, you’ll know. Suffice it to say, Darcy does ‘it’ right the second time, just like my husband did. 😉

This is my first book that has Darcy as the main main character. Yes, Elizabeth has her say, but the first part of the book details Darcy’s troubles before coming to Meryton.

The Darcy in this book is humbler when he gets to Meryton, which is a trope that I like. I enjoy reading about a stronger Mr. Bingley, too. I can’t say Bingley is 100% resolved in this book, but he definitely doesn’t lean entirely on Darcy. Mr. Bingley also has some pretty good ideas here, too.

~ Excerpt from Thwarted ~

Going home to Pemberley thrilled Georgiana. On Richard’s suggestion, Darcy had finally pulled her from school after her persistent letters expressing her misery had at last swayed him to do so. Secretly, he was glad for her company and did not repine the decision to forgo her formal schooling. He would begin a search for a suitable companion before they departed London, though they would not remain there long enough to fill the position. His aunt, Lady Matlock, would interview the applicants and inform him of her findings.

       It took two days to prepare for travel, and then it was the Sabbath, which further delayed their journey. By the time the carriage trundled out of London on Monday morning, Darcy was irate but finally able to breathe.

       He had deigned to visit White’s Saturday afternoon and had left in embarrassment after several of his acquaintances had moved away as he drew near or blatantly ignored him. Many of them were lower placed in society than he was, adding to the effrontery and insult. Why, even Mr. Arnold Bones, a pocket-to-let friend from university, had dodged him after the man had approached Darcy just a week ago to beg for a loan. Darcy felt dismayed and insulted and hardly knew what actions to take. Instead of confronting those who offended him, he slinked off to a corner with his drink. Richard found him alone at the table and dragged him back to Darcy House.

       “Stay out of sight, man,” he scolded. “The sooner you are gone, the sooner people will forget the ridiculous rumors.”

       Darcy complied, and now he and his sister were embarking on their journey to Derbyshire, where they anticipated spending a quiet respite for several months. Their esteemed relatives, Lord and Lady Matlock, known more familiarly to them as Aunt Tilda and Uncle Hugh, planned to join them in January, though the exact date of their arrival remained uncertain.

       Georgiana talked incessantly the entire journey, speaking of the many things she wished to do now that she was no longer at school. Darcy listened as attentively as he could, but he found it difficult to relate to the stories his much younger sister also told. He had got along well enough with the other gentlemen he had attended school with, and there had been none of the petty squabbling and teasing of which Georgiana spoke.

       After five days of travel, they arrived at their beloved home. Darcy felt an inexplicable peace wash over him, as it always did when he returned to Pemberley. This was where he belonged. This was where everything was as it should be. He would do as Richard said and hide away at his estate for however long it took for the rumors to die. Surely, it could not be so long. And then, when the warmer months arrived and the spring planting was over, he would take Georgiana to the coast. Ramsgate… or perhaps Brighton.

~

November 1810

Undisclosed location

       It was freezing, and the man stamped his feet impatiently as he waited for his patroness. Why they had to meet in the middle of nowhere when a suitable inn would do just as well was beyond his understanding. But the lady had particular preferences, and if he wished to keep her favor, he had to abide by those wishes.

       The sound of a carriage approaching caused him to turn. A barouche box trundled across the partially frozen ground, its team expertly handled by a skilled driver. It stopped in front of him, and the door swung open.

       “Get in,” came his patroness’s voice.

       He entered the barouche, grateful to be out of the wind. The inside of the coach was marginally warmer, and the man blew into his hands to warm them.

       “Do not be so vulgar,” the lady across from him snapped. She nodded once, and a lap rug landed in his lap. The man nodded to the bloke across from him; he was the man who had first approached him about this employment and seemed to be his patroness’s favorite footman.

       “I have word that Darcy is to hire a companion for his sister,” the lady said. As usual, she wasted no time stating her purpose. “I have arranged for an… acquaintance to apply for the job. It is clear she forged her references, of course, but I have hopes that will go unnoticed until we have accomplished our aims.”

       “What has this to do with me?” He buried his hands in the rug and eyed her curiously. She outlined the scheme, and Wickham grinned. “It will be as you say,” he said.

       The lady nodded, and once more, her faithful footman pushed the door open. “Out,” he barked.

       “Can you not convey me—”

       “No,” the woman snarled. “You have two legs. Walk.”

       The man removed the rug from around his legs and placed it on the bench before exiting the barouche without further protest. It would be a long, cold walk back to the inn.

Ooh! This is most intriguing! What a switch – instead of currying his favor and fawning over him – people are avoiding Mr. Darcy?! His pride will definitely take a hit from that! 🥊

And I’m curious about Mr. Wickham and his “patroness?!?” 😯

~ Book Description ~

Mr. Darcy is unmarriageable. Every time he shows any interest in a lady, be it casual or serious, the lady disappears or has disaster befall her. Soon, society spreads gossip that he is cursed, and mamas and daughters alike shun his company.

Some unknown nemesis keeps the rumors alive, and soon, he suspects he will never find happiness until he discovers who wants him ruined.

In Meryton, a humbled Mr. Darcy finds himself drawn to a local beauty. Ever cautious that the villain behind his misfortune is watching, he takes great pains to keep his courtship a secret. He disguises his intentions by showing equal attention to all the ladies and being amiable to everyone. When an old enemy arrives in Meryton unexpectedly, Darcy is instantly wary and works even harder to keep his relationship with Elizabeth from being widely known. Will he ever be free to marry and love her openly, or is his love doomed to be thwarted?

~~~

~ About MJ ~

MJ Stratton is a long-time lover of Jane Austen and her works, having been introduced to Pride and Prejudice by a much-beloved aunt at the age of sixteen. The subsequent discovery of Austenesque fiction sealed her fate. After beta reading and editing for others for nearly a decade, MJ started publishing her own work in 2022. MJ balances being a wife and mother with writing, gardening, sewing, and many other favorite pastimes. She lives with her husband and four children in the small, rural town where she grew up.

~~~

~ GIVEAWAY TIME! ~

MJ Stratton is generously giving away TWO ebooks of Thwarted in conjunction with this blog visit!!  Woot woot! 

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment below and fill out the Rafflecopter widget.
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• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, MJ Stratton!
• This giveaway ends September 29th.