What Ought to Have Been by MJ Stratton – Excerpt & Giveaway

Good Morning everyone,

It is a pleasure to welcome author MJ Stratton back to From Pemberley to Milton today especially because she is visiting with an excerpt of What Ought to Have Been, a Sense & Sensibility variation! I don’t see a lot of Sense & Sensibility books being released and I certainly do not host many authors who have written stories based on this book, so I am thrilled to bring you something different, and I hope you enjoy reading the excerpt as much as I have 😊

And of course, don’t forget to comment and let us know if you are #teammarianne, #teamelinor or both to apply to the giveaway Ms. Stratton is hosting 🙂 I admit that even though she is incredibly different from myself I am #teamelinor all the way through.

Thank you so much for stopping by Ms. Stratton, it is always a pleasure to have you here! And best of luck with this new release 🙂

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Marianne pounded relentlessly on Sir John’s pianoforte, her battered emotions bleeding into her playing. She was, by nature, a passionate creature and not afraid to own it. Though her tears had abated, Marianne found herself still immersed in mourning for Mr. Willoughby. Despite the quietude that had settled over her sorrow, it lingered with a persistence that mirrored the ache in her heart.

He had left her with no promise of return, giving no reason for his hasty departure, nor securing Marianne’s hand before doing so. Once more, she relived that last meeting.

Marianne paced the floor of the parlor, stopping at every turn to look out the window in hopes of seeing Willoughby ride up. She had imagined this moment so often in the past weeks that she felt she knew exactly how he would propose and what he would say when he did so.

At long last, there he was! Why, he certainly had delayed for some time. Mama and her sisters would be back from the church soon. Silly, vexing, handsome man!

She watched as he dismounted and approached the house. He was not moving quickly; in fact, he seemed to linger overly long just outside, and Marianne finally lost patience and threw open the door herself.

“Willoughby,” she said enthusiastically. “Come in!”

He complied, refusing to look at her. He just stood there, nervously rotating the brim of his hat.

“Is something the matter?” she asked.

“I,” he began before falling silent. He cleared his throat and began again. “I am away to London,” he said softly.

Her smile dimmed. “When?” Marianne asked in confusion. “Why?”

“I am to depart almost immediately. Lady Allen has exercised the privilege of riches on a dependent cousin and has sent me from her house.”

“But…” Marianne trailed off. “Why? What has happened to so displease her?”

“I cannot…there is…” Willoughby growled under his breath and turned away. “I must away, Marianne. I cannot stay.”

There was an unsettling sensation rising inside her, one of dread and anxiety, and she did not like it. “When will you return?”

“I cannot tell you,” he replied. “Lady Allen rarely has me visit but once a twelvemonth. It is unlikely that I shall be in the area again for more than a year, if I am ever invited back.”

“But what of me?” Marianne asked. “Have you not your own estate? Shall we not marry and be off? We can settle ourselves far away from any who displease us, keeping company with only those we love best.”

“It is not possible at this time to pursue those happy desires,” Willoughby said woodenly. Marianne searched his face, looking for the spark, the love, the passion that had so occupied his eyes each time he gazed at her. There was nothing there. His expression was blank and his eyes empty.

“I do not understand,” she said, her voice breaking. “You will leave me?” She reached out and placed a hand on his arm.

He pulled away from her touch and began pacing. “I have not a say in the matter! I must go away to London to handle business affairs that have resulted in my expulsion from Allenham.”

“Can we not appeal to Lady Allen for some patience?” Marianne said. “Or perhaps you might wait for an invitation from Barton Park before you are forced to leave. Pray, do not depart before all is made right!”

His pacing did not slow, and he gripped the brim of his hat so tightly that it began to bend. His voice rose in volume. “I cannot stay!” 

Marianne made to plead with Willoughby again and moved to wrap her arms around him. He pushed her away, not too hard, but none too gently, either. 

Marianne’s tears began in earnest, the panicked feeling inside overtaking her completely. It was at that inopportune moment that Mama and her sisters returned from church.

Marianne scarcely heard the conversation between her mother and Willoughby, such were her tears. He did not even say goodbye before leaving and with her last vestiges of composure, she watched him ride away before fleeing to her room.

She pounded harder at the keys, willing the memories to depart. But the same questions came again to her mind. Why had he left? He had loved her, had he not? Was he coming back? Things had been left so unsettled that she hardly knew what to think. In the  first days after his departure, Marianne had repeatedly told herself that he would return for her, that when he arrived, he would tender his proposals as he had hinted. But as time dragged on and he did not appear, she had begun to lose hope. 

And then the Palmers had come to Barton Park. Mrs. Palmer was as loquacious as her mother, Mrs. Jennings; Marianne was not certain she could like the woman. And then, she had brought news from Town, announcing the gossip she had heard in London: Willoughby and Marianne were engaged, and she had let herself hope once more.

If Willoughby was telling his friends in Town that there was an engagement, and the news was circulating, he certainly meant to return to her. She knew where he resided in London and resolved to write to him immediately—it was proper if they had an understanding, was it not?

Her letter went unanswered, and she gradually became despondent. She ate, she slept, she walked, and she played the pianoforte, but she did not live. She did not speak unless spoken to directly, and she did not pursue her usual activities.

Elinor had been concerned about her for some time, Marianne knew, but she found she had very little energy to care for anyone or anything but her own heartache. Elinor’s future with Edward was surely certain; what could her sister know of heartbreak? Nothing.

She finished playing and stood from the piano bench to search the music sheets for a particularly favored selection. Glancing up at the company, Marianne saw Elinor at a small table putting together baskets for tenants. Annamaria, one of Sir John’s children, wailed at some perceived injustice in another corner of the room, making it nigh on impossible to hear anything else. 

The Misses Steele, guests at Barton Park, approached Elinor and sat to help with the baskets. Marianne watched as her sister turned, and with a swiftness that was almost comical, beckoned Margaret over to assist—Elinor did not appear to approve of the newcomers any more than Marianne did. When Margaret moved to the table and sat close to her sister, Miss Lucy no longer looked pleased. One could speculate that she did not like children.

Shrugging, she turned her attention back to the music and began playing once more. Her performance grew louder than polite, partly to drown out the noise coming from the spoiled girl in the corner. After some minutes of trying to calm her charge, the governess eventually escorted the child from the room, prompting Marianne to quiet her playing.

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Retribution belongs to God, and I am ill-equipped to carry it out in His place.

~Elinor Dashwood

Before leaving Norland forever, Elinor Dashwood forms an attachment to Edward Ferrars. Her tender regard remains constant when the four Dashwood ladies remove to Devonshire, taking up residence at Barton Cottage. Elinor’s hopes for the future are shattered when she unwillingly becomes the confidante of Lucy Steele, learning that Lucy has been betrothed to Edward for four years.

However, Lucy fails to secure Elinor’s vow of secrecy. When Marianne finds Elinor in her misery, the sisters share confidences, leading Marianne to compare Edward’s honorable conduct with that of John Willoughby. Her musings lead to some startling revelations, igniting a spark of defiance within her.

Determined to right the wrongs done to her and her beloved family, Marianne takes matters into her own hands. While Elinor may be ill-equipped to exact God’s retribution, Marianne is not. Armed with determination and resolve, Marianne Dashwood sets out to achieve her aims by any means necessary. But can she complete her journey without losing herself in the process?

Told from both Marianne and Elinor’s points of view, What Ought to Have Been is a Sense and Sensibility variation that ensures all the story’s villains receive their just desserts.

You can find What Ought to have Been at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

and on Kindle Unlimited

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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.

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MJ Stratton is giving away 1 ebook copy of What Ought to Have Been to one lucky reader who stops by at From Pemberley to Milton. To apply to the giveaway, all you have to do is comment this post and click on this link.

Good luck everyone!