When Duty Calls – Excerpt and Giveaway

Good Afternoon everyone, 

I’m very pleased to bring to you an excerpt of When Duty Calls from Belén Paccagnella today. 

I had the honor to be involved in the cover reveal of this book shortly before it was released, and by the cover alone I felt an urge to read it, now that I’ve read the excerpt I’m truly convinced this is my type of book. I hope you all enjoy 🙂

Before letting you move along to the excerpt, I would just like to thank Belén Paccagnella for visiting, and Janet Taylor for all the hard work she had in organizing this tour and creating one of the most beautiful covers I’ve seen lately 🙂 And now, without further ado, here is the excerpt 🙂

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Hi Rita! I’m delighted to be part of your blog again for the promotion of my latest novel. For this stop I selected a sweet scene between Elizabeth and Georgiana that happens the day after they first meet. They start  with the wrong foot and here we can see Elizabeth trying hard (and succeeding) to become friends with her new sister. I hope you enjoy it! 

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After the unfortunate incident of the previous night, the Darcys behaved in a more guarded manner towards each other on the following morning. Elizabeth was guilt-ridden for provoking the quarrel, and Mr. Darcy, not wishing to repeat a similar scene, was even more reserved than usual.

Elizabeth also regretted her behaviour towards Miss Darcy. Her late night musings made her realise that she had been too precipitate in her judgment and had condemned the poor girl with the same capriciousness with which she had judged her brother. Knowing her conduct from the previous day had been exceedingly lacking, Elizabeth was determined to give her new sister another chance. In this more amiable disposition, she succeeded in putting the young girl at ease. The results of her endeavour only proved to Elizabeth that she had been wrong in her assumptions. Miss Darcy was simply more shy than proud, and it had only been her intolerance and impatience that prevented them from beginning their friendship the day before.

The ladies were in the music room where Miss Darcy was showing Elizabeth the music sheets she had acquired recently. They shared a passion for music, and they were discussing their preferences while sitting together in front of the pianoforte.

“I learned to play the pianoforte when I was little,” said Miss Darcy. “I try to practice as often as I can. William always encourages me to do so.”

“My mother always told me I do not practice as much as I should; that is why I do not play well enough.”

“Oh no!” Miss Darcy said with fervour. “I think you play beautifully. You have excellent taste, and you played with great emotion last night. I wish I could be as talented as you are.”

“You flatter me!” Elizabeth laughed as her fingers caressed the dark wood of the pianoforte. “This instrument is outstanding. Longbourn’s square pianoforte cannot be compared to this one, neither in quality nor sound.”

“My father gave it to my mother for their wedding anniversary the year before she died.”

“Did that happen a long time ago? Your brother never speaks of them.”

“I was nine when she died, and my father passed away the following year.”

“I am so sorry.”

“Yes, it was quite sad,” said Miss Darcy pensively. “Poor William. He became my guardian at a very young age. He has always been so very kind towards me. He gave me a pianoforte for my sixteenth birthday. It is at Pemberley.”

“He is indeed generous. I would have liked to have a brother,” Elizabeth offered with a smile. “I have four sisters, so you can imagine I was raised in a very noisy household.”

“Mine was so quiet!” Miss Darcy laughed heartily. “William is much older than I, and there was not much we could do together. When I was of age, I was sent to school, so I am afraid my childhood was quite lonely.”

“But he pays you a good deal of attention now. He is so meticulous and caring. I have never seen a brother more considerate with his sister.” Elizabeth replied, remembering Charlotte’s complaints about her brothers. In comparison, her husband was the model of brotherly affection.

“Indeed, he is. He is most protective and very forgiving too,” Miss Darcy added with an uneasy smile. “I have not always been the good sister I should be, but that has not lessened his opinion of me.”

Elizabeth wondered why Miss Darcy would express that sentiment. Such an angelic creature could never bring trouble to anyone, especially to the brother for whom she seemed to profess blind adoration. The girl remained silent and fidgeted with the music sheets. Elizabeth preferred not to ask any more questions and rang for tea. For the rest of the afternoon, they chatted animatedly and agreed to call each other by their Christian names.

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The Netherfield ball brings about many changes for the population of Meryton, and more so for the female residents of Longbourn. Mr. Bingley’s departure leaves the eldest, Jane Bennet, heartbroken whilst Mr. Collins’s proposal induces Miss Elizabeth to make a hasty escape. During her flight, she happens upon Mr. Darcy, a gentleman she despises. A moment of solitude in the woods leads to rather improper behavior, and the couple departs with the promise they will tell no one about their minor indiscretion. When their secret is finally uncovered, marriage becomes the only solution to saving Elizabeth from social disgrace. Her other grudges against Mr. Darcy are amplified by resentment and the prospect of spending her life with a man she can never respect. Nonetheless, the marriage takes place, forcing the young couple to deal with their pride and prejudices as husband and wife.
Originally posted online almost twenty years ago, this Regency tale of redemption narrates the struggles of two people, their differences, and their rocky start. But will they succeed in overcoming lies, misunderstandings, and their own errors to finally find love?

 

 

 

 

You can find When Duty Calls at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

 

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Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Belén Paccagnella discovered the world of Jane Austen fan fiction after watching the 1995 BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice. In her teens, she lived in Brazil when her family moved to the city of Curitiba due to her father’s work. She moved back to Buenos Aires a few years later, where she studied agronomy but finally pursued a different career and started working in the development and administration of shopping centers.

In 2001, she began writing both Regency and modern stories, adapting the Pride and Prejudice storyline to different backdrops, merging drama, humor, and adventure while creating characters with unique traits. Almost two decades later, she published Obstacles, a modern variation released in 2018 by Meryton Press.

Belén still lives in the suburbs of Buenos Aires where she shares her home with her pets while spending her time working, reading, and writing.

 

 

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We are almost at the finish line, but you can still go back and check out all the other posts on the blog tour! Here is the entire schedule 🙂

March 11 Diary of an Eccentric

March 12 So Little Time…

March 13 Austenprose

March 16 Babblings of a Bookworm

March 17 More Agreeably Engaged

March 18 Savvy Verse & Wit

March 19 Interests of a Jane Austen Girl

March 20 Austenesque Reviews

March 23 From Pemberley to Milton

March 24 My Vices and Weaknesses

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Meryton Press is giving away 8 eBooks of When Duty Calls.

All you have to do to apply to this generous giveaway is click here.

Good luck everyone!