Hi friends! I am so delighted to welcome back author Riana Everly to Austenesque Reviews today! 

As you may have seen, Riana released a new Pride and Prejudice variation just a few days ago – A Soldier’s Tale! 

And I will give three guesses about the soldier this book is talking about, although I think you only need one guess. 😉

Riana is here to share a little more about our favorite secondary character and enticing excerpt from A Soldier’s Tale!

We hope you enjoy! 

Pulling Back the Curtain

Thanks so much for letting me stop off here today to chat a bit about my new book, A Soldier’s Tale. I started working on this novel about seven years ago, and as it has evolved and developed over the years, I’m proud of the story it’s become.

A Soldier’s Tale is Colonel Fitzwilliam’s story. For me, as for many Austen-lovers, Darcy’s cousin is a favourite side character. For all that he has such little page-time in Austen’s brilliant novel, his charm and appeal work their way not only into Elizabeth Bennet’s good graces, but the readers’ as well. He’s friendly where Darcy is dour, convivial and gregarious where Darcy is taciturn and haughty, and really, he just seems like a lot of fun to be around.

As you might have noticed, I have not labelled A Soldier’s Tale as a Pride and Prejudice Variation, but rather, as a Pride and Prejudice Companion. What this means is that I have left the events of Jane Austen’s story as she wrote them. Darcy still makes his insulting comment at the Meryton Assembly. Elizabeth still goes to visit Charlotte at Hunsford. Lydia still runs away with Wickham. Darcy still does everything he can for the woman he loves.

But all of this is now the back story, the events happening somewhere else, behind the curtain, as it were. Imagine, somewhat like in Tom Stoppard’s play ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’, that we’re privy to what’s happening on the other side of the curtain. How does someone only tangentially connected to the events of P&P respond to them? The narrative focus has shifted, and Richard Fitzwilliam is now at centre stage. We do see the events of P&P, but through his eyes, and with some background and additional events as imagined by me, because his story is what is important here.

Don’t worry. Darcy has plenty of time to shine in this story, and Elizabeth has as much time to charm Richard as he has to charm her. But our beloved Lizzy and Darcy (and all the others from P&P) are now the side characters, and a new cast steps forward into the spotlight, because with the elements of P&P remaining as Miss Austen wrote them, our favourite colonel’s fate must lie beyond those beloved pages.

He is a soldier after all and a man with hopes and dreams subject to the same joys and frustrations as the rest of us. Crossed in love and stymied in the pursuit of his career, he sets off from England’s safe shores to where destiny awaits him.

Colonel Fitzwilliam deserves a story fit for a soldier, and I hope you will approve of the happily-ever-after that has unrolled for him.

To give you a sense of how these two stories interact, please enjoy this excerpt from A Soldier’s Tale.

~ Excerpt from A Soldier’s Tale ~

Two days later the cousins left Town for Kent.

“You still have that haunted look,” Richard remarked as Darcy’s fine carriage rattled down the streets of London on its way out of town. “You put on a fine show for the world, but I know you better than that. You pine for this young woman, do you not?”

“Nonsense!” The word carried the heft of righteous indignation, and Darcy’s expression turned cold. Opaque. He could certainly present a hostile demeanour when the mood took him, and Richard was relieved to have known Darcy all his life. He was a good man and an excellent friend to have, but Richard could not imagine trying to befriend his cousin as an adult. That stony aspect could seem as impenetrable as armour and would deter many a less intrepid soul from making the effort to get to know him. He briefly wondered how Darcy’s unnamed innamorata had reacted upon first meeting him.

Still, Darcy was not always so unsociable as to repel all new acquaintances. He had, after all, become quite close to Bingley over the past few years, and had proven, so it seemed, most solicitous and loyal. As Richard pondered his cousin’s odd temperament, a thought came to him.

“Darcy, whatever happened to Bingley and that beauty with whom he was besotted? Did I miss an announcement in the newspapers whilst I have been toiling away at the camp? We get the newspapers, and I do try to keep abreast of the social pages, but I might have missed the announcement in the flood of documents and papers I deal with every day. Has there been a wedding? I am not close to the man, but I ought to send a present.”

Darcy sniffed and turned his head to stare out the window at the passing structures that lined the streets south of the Thames. Oh… so there was a tale there!

“Nothing came of it.” The words were quiet, barely breathed. Darcy clamped his jaw tight and sat in silence as the carriage passed the last buildings in the city and rolled into the countryside.

Richard waited a few minutes, thinking about what he knew of Charles Bingley. The two had met on several occasions and Richard found Darcy’s friend to be a pleasant enough fellow, if a bit effusive for his tastes, but did not know the younger man particularly well. Their encounters had mostly been at larger social events, or at drinks after a horse race or a night at the theatre; there had been little time for intimate discussions about one’s innermost sentiments and affaires du coeur. Bingley was one to wear his heart on his sleeve, however, and Richard could not imagine the man to be one to toy with a young lady’s affections. If Bingley felt some regard for her, the whole neighbourhood would know of it, possibly before he did himself.

At last, Richard spoke up. “Was his attachment not deep, then?”

“Eh?” Darcy had also been wool-gathering, it seemed. Pining over his lady love, perhaps?

Richard bit back a smirk and spoke with his most disinterested voice.

“Bingley. Was his attachment to this young lady in Hertfordshire not so deep, that he broke it off without damage to the lady’s name? Does he remain in the neighbourhood? That must be rather awkward.”

Darcy gave another sniff. “No, he left. I do believe he will not renew his lease on the estate. He is one to make quick decisions, and I consider that had we not intervened, he would have offered for the girl’s hand. But we were successful in our endeavours, and he is gone from the neighbourhood and still single.”

“We? Who was your associate?”

“Why, his sister Caroline.”

Now it was Richard’s turn to groan. Caroline Bingley he did know, and it was not a pleasant recollection for him. Bingley’s sister—the younger of his two—had long before set her cap at Darcy and was determined to forge some sort of alliance between the families. As well as throwing herself in Darcy’s path whenever possible, she also hinted—and with precious little subtlety—that Georgiana would make a fine bride for her brother. What Darcy thought of this suggestion, Richard knew not. Georgie was still but a child after all, not quite sixteen years old. But Caroline Bingley was not a woman in whom he placed any sort of trust. He must pry further.

“It was fortunate that his affections were not much engaged.”

Now Darcy looked right at him, a strange look upon his face. He seemed to fight with himself over the choice of words, and it was several moments before he spoke.

“No, indeed that is far from true. I have never seen Bingley so enamoured with a lady. He has been known to fall in love with a new person every three months, so it seems, but this was different. He seemed quite set on having her. It took all our efforts and powers of persuasion to convince him to quit the house before entering into an engagement.” He paused for a moment. That strange look had not left his face. “All the journey back to London, I thought he might start to cry. I half expected him to call to turn the carriage around, but he held firm and once we made Town, he seemed much more settled.”

“But was it your place to intervene?”

Another sour look. “I have the best interests of my friend at heart.” He would not elaborate. Richard scowled.

“Is he now over this attachment?”

Darcy rubbed at his chin and shifted as the carriage rolled over some uneven patch in the road. “He has not regained his spirits, but I have full confidence that he will in good time. It has only been a few months, after all.”

Richard furrowed his brow. This was rather high-handed, was it not? “But what was your objection? Surely, if your friend was happy in his choice, it was not your, or Caroline’s, place to intervene. He is a full-grown man, after all, and capable of making such decisions on his own.”

“Richard, have I not explained this adequately? The lady was totally unsuitable! It would never have been supportable. We rescued him from a rather unpleasant fate. I count this one of my finest victories.” He pushed the hair back from his forehead and frowned. “Now, let us turn to matters more pleasant. I would not think of those days if I can at all help it.”

Darcy closed his eyes and turned to gaze out the window again and Richard knew the conversation was over. His cousin could be a rather stubborn sort, especially when he was uncomfortable. And this topic, for some reason, made Darcy extremely uncomfortable.

I love that this book is taking us into the scenes and conversations we didn’t see in P&P. 🤗

Of course Colonel Fitzwilliam is a little skeptical about Mr. Darcy’s assistance and interference with Mr. Darcy! I wonder what other conversations we will see… 👀

Thanks so much for sharing, Riana! 🤩

~~~

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

In conjunction with her visit, Riana is giving away an ebook copy of A Soldier’s Tale to  lucky reader!

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

• This giveaway is open worldwide.  Thank you, Riana!
• This giveaway ends March 19th!