Hi Friends! 

I’m excited to welcome back author Gill Mather to Austenesque Reviews today.

If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice sequels and multi-book series, you are in for a treat! 

Gill Mather recently published a fourth book in her Elizabeth Bennet series titled Georgiana Darcy’s London Season & Caroline Bingley’s Coup de Foudre. And as you might guess from the title, this sequel has to do with some secondary characters!

Gill is here today to share an excerpt from Georgiana Darcy’s London Season & Caroline Bingley’s Coup de Foudre. We hope you enjoy. 🙌🏼

~ From the Author ~

Hello Meredith and fellow Jane Austen fans. I’m excited to tell you about the recently published 4^th novel in my Elizabeth Bennet Series, Georgiana Darcy’s London Season & Caroline Bingley’s Coup de Foudre.

After Lizzy and Darcy’s crisis over Easter at Netherfield, I thought it was high time to focus on Georgiana and, to a lesser extent, Caroline Bingley. Caroline, who lives with her sister Louisa and Mr Hurst at their residence in Grosvenor Street, has offered to sponsor Georgiana’s London Season. The two of them set off for London from Netherfield full of hopes and plans. A round of parties, balls, trips to the theatre and more are promised.

Caroline arranges every diversion for Georgiana suitable for a young lady’s ‘coming out’. Georgiana is already madly in love with an Earl’s younger son, Daniel Barton, whom she met over Easter during balls at Meryton and Lucas Lodge. It seems a promising beginning. And Georgiana’s beauty and angelic qualities cannot fail to attract the attention of other young men.

Of course, Caroline is human too and, denied the society of Darcy after his marriage to Lizzy Bennet the previous year, it isn’t long before she feels the earth shake beneath her feet, the very foundations of her rigid view of things beginning to crumble.

An interesting few months follow. Naturally, as Georgiana’s guardian, Darcy becomes involved, assisted by Lizzy.

In the following extract from Chapter 1, Georgiana and Caroline discuss the coming Season during their carriage ride to London.

~ Excerpt Georgiana Darcy’s London Season and Caroline Bingley’s Coup de Foudre ~

Chapter 1

Friday 26^th April 1799

IN THE CARRIAGE recently departed, Caroline was eagerly imparting a catalogue of treats she had been planning for Georgiana. The start of the Season was imminent and, although to Caroline’s knowledge Georgiana had lived in London before in the charge of two different women employed by Darcy, she would have been too young at the time to have entered into society.

“Georgiana, we must first hold a small party for you at Grosvenor Street that you may become acquainted with good families and their daughters, and of course young gentlemen, so that when we go to Almack’s and other large balls, you will have friends, people you will recognise and who will recognise you.”

“Indeed, Caroline. I should tell you that I am already acquainted with one young gentleman who lives no distance from Grosvenor Street. His name is Daniel Barton.”

“Oh,” said Caroline, somewhat irritated. She frowned. “What is the title of his father, do you know?”

“The Earl of Dereham. Mr Barton knows you, Caroline. You have attended soirées at his family’s home in Grosvenor Square, I believe.”

Caroline considered her young charge. She seemed to know a good deal about the young man under discussion and, if Caroline was not mistaken, Georgiana’s manner suggested that she had taken a particular fancy to the Earl’s younger son, for he could not be the eldest. Society was littered with Honourables. It had been Caroline’s hope that Darcy’s sister might, as a result of her efforts, make a match with a man of some higher rank. Georgiana was the cousin of an Earl and her own mother was the daughter of an Earl. That Caroline should deliver up a mere Honourable for Georgiana would surely count as something of a failure on her part.

“Pray, how did you become acquainted with Mr Barton, Georgiana?”

“I have met him at two dances in Meryton and Longbourn. He was introduced to us by the Lucases.” Caroline’s heart sank, recalling the gaucheness of Sir William Lucas from what little contact she had had with him. “My brother likes him very well. He is related to the Fairweathers.”

Caroline’s pessimism was diverted for a few minutes as she delved into her memory at the mention of the name Fairweather.

“Was there not some scandal attaching to the Fairweathers a year or two ago?”

“You are perhaps alluding to Julius Fairweather who is still wanted for holding up coaches.” Georgiana laughed. “He is Mr Barton’s cousin.”

That Georgiana should find humour in the subject of a common highwayman being related to a young man of her apparent fancy caused Caroline’s face to blanch but she controlled her growing horror to enquire:

“Was not Lady Rose Fairweather herself an Earl’s daughter, but she married into trade? Am I thinking of the right family?”

“Yes, that is correct. Mr Fairweather is immensely wealthy but the family are gone to America. Though they still have a house in Grosvenor Square as we discovered over Easter.”

This, Caroline was tempted to conclude, was what came of making a connection with a family such as the Bennets. But she hastily struggled to correct herself. If Elizabeth Darcy was right and it was Caroline’s own hauteur and rigid attachment to her own view of what was strictly correct and acceptable which had thus far hampered her efforts to secure an offer of marriage, then she must, however reluctantly, revise her views and opinions and be more tolerant. It would not be easy, especially in the realms of potential suitors either for Georgiana or herself. Indubitably, Georgiana’s prospects of attracting suitors were far higher. She had a naturally modest demeanour and an engagingly agreeable manner. Caroline had to admit that any efforts henceforth to improve her own countenance were come far too late. But she would try, notwithstanding.

Caroline’s silence had resulted in Georgiana turning to view the passing countryside giving Caroline the opportunity to study her. She was genuinely fond of this young lady whom she had known for some eight years. She had become noticeably more vivacious since her brother’s marriage to Elizabeth, and her greater animation had elevated her already pleasant appearance to delightful, pretty. It remained to be seen whether maturity would render her actually beautiful. But this would not do.

“I believe,” she said, by way of furthering the conversation, “that I have had little to do with Daniel Barton. He has been away a good deal.”

“Oh yes? Where?” Georgiana was at once all attention.

Caroline shrugged. “Earlier on, away at school, I suppose, and then at Oxford.” She laughed. “One does not enquire closely of the young sons of one’s friends. I know his mother well, but having no children of my own, it has not been a very frequent subject of conversation.” She thought for a moment. “But I have just recollected that one of the brothers wished to join the Royal Navy and at some relatively young age, thirteen or so, attended the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth. I think it may well have been Daniel.”

Georgiana’s eyes widened. “The Navy? Daniel wanted to join the Navy?”

“I believe it was him, yes. As you know, with younger sons it is often the case that they must earn a living, and I believe Daniel has several brothers. Though why he did not join the active Navy, I do not know. I imagine it was because his family wished him to go to Oxford.”

“I must say I am astonished. Undoubtedly, to fight for one’s King and country is a noble cause, but a life in the Navy or indeed the army must be highly dangerous and uncomfortable.”

“And yet your sister Kitty is betrothed to a Lieutenant Colonel, or as near as may be.”

“She wishes he would resign his commission. Given that he has a large estate, it is not necessary for him to be a soldier. He joined the army, I think, because his parents died when he was young, and the army became as a family to him.”

“Why does he not then resign it now?”

“He seems to feel that Kitty is too young yet to marry and they have only known each other for four months. He does not wish to hurry Kitty into marriage. He is a very good man.”

“So it would seem. Hmm.” Caroline met Georgiana’s frank gaze. “But one must not disregard the fact that young men are attracted to adventure even if it involves risks and danger. The Lieutenant Colonel may be one such. You earlier mentioned Julius Fairweather and his exploits as a highwayman. And there is Daniel Barton, wishing at the age of twelve or thirteen to join the Navy. Perhaps his attending the Academy was his family’s way of keeping him off the high seas.”

Georgiana was frowning. It seemed as though the girl’s head was full of romantic notions with little thought to the future.

“Although,” Caroline therefore continued, “many families would not wish to hold a young man back. Men who prosper in the Navy and distinguish themselves, gaining in rank, make a handsome fortune if they make successive captures. And so Daniel Barton might have by now had he entered the Navy at the age of twelve. To my mind, most families would not have wanted to prevent such a very desirable outcome.”

Georgiana sighed. “But an officer in the Royal Navy would necessarily spend many months away at sea and could quite possibly also die in the attempt at such successes.”

“That is of course true. We will never know in Daniel’s case. After the Academy, he went then to Oxford. I should say that he is now too old to join the Navy. I suppose he will have to earn his living some other way. Perhaps the Church or the law. Or become a physician.”

She saw that Georgiana looked doubtful. Since it was so well established that young men who did not inherit a fortune must make a living, all of this must be no surprise to her, though it seemed that there was yet no ready acceptance on her part. Indeed, there would be gaps in her knowledge. Having no mother alive from the age of about eight or nine must have limited the girl’s grasp of the marriage market to some extent.

Such school as she had been sent to and then the guidance of two employed women, one of whom Caroline understood was still employed at Pemberley in some capacity, could not make up for the absence of a determined mother who would have closely schooled her daughter in the sport of searching for an appropriate husband and the expectations she should harbour.

But it was as well that she should labour under no illusions where young men were concerned.

“Of course, the War Office might be a possibility. The family likely has some interest in the War Office.”

She affected a cheerful laugh.

“Well, this has turned out to be a more serious conversation than I dare say either of us anticipated. Let us dwell on happier matters. I have already made a list of those I would wish to invite to your coming-out party. Let us go through it and I will describe all of these people to you. Louisa, too, is enormously excited at the prospect. We can of course add Daniel Barton’s name to the list, and his family.”

She drew a number of folded sheets of paper from her reticule and laid them out on her lap. It pleased her greatly to find that Georgiana had moved from the seat opposite to come and sit closely next to her and was leaning in to peer at the lists. It warmed her heart to have the girl whom she had at one time hoped would marry her brother and become her own sister comfortably at such a proximity to her, her fair head almost resting against Caroline’s own dark hair.

Mention of the War Office must have reassured Georgiana. For Daniel Barton to involve himself in military operations from the safety of a desk at Whitehall was both respectable and would lack the dangers of active military service. Better by half, probably, than charging around the countryside tending to the sick, or preaching from a pulpit in a remote parish or poring over the gentry’s Deeds or eating dinners at Inns of Court.

Georgiana turned her head and treated Caroline to a brilliant smile which further cheered her.

“And when you are thoroughly knowledgeable of all these people you are shortly destined to meet, we will still have much time left for you to tell me about your brother’s plans to become a paper-maker. I am much taken with the scheme.”

~ Connect with Gill ~

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~ About Gill ~

I am a retired solicitor living in rural Essex (England) with my husband and my cat, Suzie. Our sons have both left home and have successful careers in IT. One son has made us grandparents of a darling little girl and another baby is on the way as I write this.

My old job of quite a few decades involved a great deal of scrutinisation of paperwork and drawing up reports, a good preparation perhaps for the amount of research I’ve found to be necessary to write historical fiction based on Pride & Prejudice. I’ve enjoyed the writing and the research enormously and hope to continue to write more books in the series. My next novel, Lydia Wickham’s Northern Peril, which is a continuation of Georgiana Darcy’s London Season, will be published shortly.

 Single ladies banding together! This is an interesting new duo! 👯‍♀️

I wonder if Caroline’s theories about Mr. Barton and his profession are accurate, though… 🤔

Is she still up to her manipulative games and ulterior motives? 😯

Can we trust you, Caroline?? 🤨

~~~

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Gill Mather is generously giving away  3️⃣  ebook copies of Georgiana Darcy’s London Season & Caroline Bingley’s Coup de Foudre in conjunction with her visit today!  

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

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Gill!
• This giveaway ends June 30th!