Hi friends!
Today I am thrilled to welcome back author, J. Marie Croft, to Austenesque Reviews! 🤗
As you may have seen, Joanne just celebrated the release of her newest Pride and Prejudice variation – Affections of Candour. ✨
And we get to pack our bags for this book – we are heading to the Somerset coast! 🏖️
I think a little sunshine, walks on the beach, and sea-bathing would set us up forever… ☀️
Joanne is here to share an excerpt from Affections of Candour – we hope you enjoy! 🙌🏼
~ Book Description ~
Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.
Six months after Mr Darcy quit Hertfordshire, Elizabeth Bennet has resolved to think no more of him. When her young friend Bridget Hughes is orphaned and sent to live with unfamiliar relations on the Somerset coast, Elizabeth gladly agrees to keep her company for the summer; a season of sea air, new friendships, and distance from anything that might recall the haughty master of Pemberley will do very well for her.
Then she discovers that the wealthy gentleman who has just inherited the marine villa along the next bluff is Fitzwilliam Darcy himself.
He is not the man she remembers. Quieter in her company, warmer, attentive in ways Hertfordshire never showed her, Darcy seems determined to begin again. So does Elizabeth, almost despite herself…until she learns he is all but engaged to another.
Hannah Wright has spent six months working to become Mrs Darcy, and her family’s debts have made the match a matter of necessity as much as pride. She has no intention of being supplanted by a country girl with no dowry and relations in trade. What begins as cool civility soon hardens into something more dangerous, and Elizabeth finds herself the object of jealousy, deception, and a quiet campaign to drive her from the coast.
Far from London’s drawing rooms, on cliff-top walks above the Bristol Channel, Elizabeth and Darcy must decide whether what they once misunderstood can be made right and whether a second meeting can become the beginning neither of them dared expect.
~ Excerpt from Affections of Candour ~
Staring into space, Darcy twirled his fountain-pen. He had been replying to his steward’s report regarding the final accounting of midsummer’s quarter day and realised he had been at it for quite a while.
‘What is your definition of “quite a while”, sir?’
Thoughts of Elizabeth turned to thoughts of a wife and of how dearly he wanted to marry a woman for whom he had a great deal of affection—and she him. But there was the problem of Elizabeth’s lack of dowry. Strandsmere Park produced no income, and one could hardly afford the expense of maintaining an additional property that might be occupied only infrequently.
He had considered converting the villa to a hotel but did not see it as a sound business venture. The one
farther up the Somerset coast in Weston-super-Mare was closing its doors due to lack of custom. However, if I commit to improving the roads hereabouts, that would make Wyman’s Cove more attractive to prospective buyers and certainly safer for travellers. He would give it serious thought, but he had little desire to oversee a property so far removed from both Derbyshire and London. He already did enough travelling between those two points.
So, after seeing to the road improvements, he would put Strandsmere up for purchase and hope for the best. Mr Wright might not have been entirely wrong when he said that no one in their right mind would choose to live here, but there might be more interest in Somerset’s coastal property in years to come. If I can entice a buyer, then a bride’s lack of a dowry would be less of a concern.
As for affection, he had an abundance of it for Elizabeth and none for Miss Wright, who had not been blameless in the mishap at the pond. Nor had she ever treated Elizabeth with due respect. Were it not for Georgiana’s close friendship with Miss Althea, Darcy might have ordered the entire Wright family to pack and begone. His whole purpose in being at Strandsmere was to raise Georgiana’s spirits, and banishing her friend would undo all that had been achieved.
The room having grown increasingly warm, he removed his coat. About to resume his correspondence, he sighed when there came a knock at the door. “Come.”
One of the ladies who had been on his mind entered, but she was not the one he most desired to see. “There you are!” she cried.
“Yes, I am aware of my own whereabouts.” Rising from his chair, Darcy donned the coat he had just shed. Miss Wright dropped a curtsey and wished him a good morning. Regretting his earlier mocking tone, he smiled and offered her a seat.
With a tattered piece of paper, she fanned her face. “I trust I am not interrupting anything important.”
Sitting behind his desk, he glared at the stack of legal documents requiring his signature and that of a witness. “Not at all. What may I do for you, Miss Wright?”
“It is not about what you can do for me but rather what I am about to do for you.”
The triumphant gleam in her eyes giving him pause, Darcy took his time setting aside the pen and sanding the letter he had been writing. “And what might that be, madam?”
“A distressing piece of communication has come into my possession, and I could do naught but bring the matter to your attention.”
Miss Wright came round his desk, bringing with her an odd aroma of mint, lavender, vinegar, and other odours Darcy could not discern. Fanning herself again, the strange fusion wafted about, and his eyes watered.
“Prepare yourself, sir, for something disgraceful.”
“I am unafraid, madam.”
“Before I show you this, have you ever known Miss Bennet to be called Lizzy?”
“Yes. It is the name used by her family.”
“And what is the name of that family’s estate?”
“Longbourn.”
“And does Miss Bennet have a sister named Jane?”
“Yes.” Distressing communication. Something dreadful. Longbourn. Jane. Darcy feared the worst. “Miss Wright, kindly cease this inquisition and explain yourself.”
“This is from Elizabeth Bennet’s loving sister Jane, and it is self-explained.” Handing him the worn paper, she pointed to a paragraph, which he then silently read.
I shall not say that your beloved Mr Morse is dying, Lizzy, but I am afraid he may not be long for this world. I fear, dear sister, that your pleasurable nights will never be the same again. Return to Longbourn with utmost haste before it is too late to bestow one final tender embrace and bid your favourite a fond farewell.
Casting his eyes over preceding and succeeding paragraphs, all Darcy saw were prosaic mentions of the health of flower beds and family members. Placing the paper upon his desk, he slowly smoothed its creases.
“Salacious, is it not, sir? Surely you cannot doubt as to what that passage alludes.”
“I have a perfect comprehension of what you believe it means. However, I have some questions to ask of you. First, how did this page come to be in your possession? Second, there is no signature, so how do you know it was written by a loving sister Jane?” That question made Miss Wright’s eyes grow wild. “Third, where, pray tell, is the rest of this letter?”
“I found that page, and only that one, hidden on your punt.” Rubbing her arms, Miss Wright spoke in fits and starts. “It was tucked between the…the…um…runnel? And the thwart. I, um, only assume the identity of the sender, because Miss Bennet told me recently that she was expecting any moment a letter from her dearest sister, Jane.” Her hand shook as she reached for the incriminating paper.
Darcy slapped his palm upon it.
“May I have it back, please? Goodness, it is warm in here, is it not?” Miss Wright reached again for her makeshift fan, but his hand remained firmly in place. “Are you not disgusted by all of this? Is it not incredible?”
“Oh yes, I am disgusted and incredulous. But you have not conclusively ascertained that this Lizzy”—he tapped a finger on the page—“is anyone we know.” Notwithstanding the fact that Longbourn has only one Lizzy. Or does it? What is the given name of Mrs Bennet? Darcy rubbed his forehead in an attempt to banish that outlandish thought.
Bravo, Mr. Darcy! I love how you are not falling for this Miss Wright’s machinations… ✉️
I can’t wait to see how he will find out who Mr. Morse is and what Lizzy will make of Miss Wright’s behavior… 😮
~~~
GIVEAWAY TIME!
In conjunction with this lovely blog tour, Quills and Quartos will be giving away 3️⃣ ebook copies of Her Father’s Eyes to three lucky reader who comments on this post.
To enter this giveaway, leave a comment, question, or some love for Joanne below!
- This giveaway is open worldwide! Thank you, Quills and Quartos.
- This giveaway will end August 31st.
Interesting fresh idea. Looking forward to reading this book.