Good Afternoon everyone,
I hope you’re all well despite the devastating news to which the world woke up to today. Maybe reading our regency books will transport us to a happier place! And on that note, I would like to welcome for the first time at From Pemberley to Milton author Nan Harrison, who decided to present us with an excerpt of Any Fair Interference that will reveal who the real Mr. Hurst is. It is funny because he is a character, I am growing fonder of, and I do like to see different portrayals of his character. In this excerpt we get a glimpse of his past and that will make us understand some of his choices. He is not the main character in this book as it is a Darcy/Elizabeth story, but I hope you enjoy reading about him 🙂
Thank you for visiting Ms. Harrison, and best of luck with this new release!
Hi Rita,
Thank you so much for hosting me today. I hope you and your readers will enjoy this excerpt from Any Fair Interference.
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In his youth, Hurst had thought himself in love with a flaxen-haired girl from an adjoining estate. He and Marianne Winstone had spent sunlit days playing in the woods and meadows between the two manor houses. Their mothers would sit picnicking in the grass as they rambled around the gardens, little Arthur trying to keep up. After his mother died, kind Mrs Winstone had tried to assuage their grief, inviting to the boys to their home again and again, but in due course, the families grew apart. His father went into an alcohol-fuelled decline, frittering away the family’s assets, though the boys were unaware of any changes other than fewer servants and the increasing dilapidation of the manor house and outbuildings.
Over time, Hurst’s feelings towards his playfellow turned to young love, and he thought she loved him in return. He wrote to her from university. Eventually, her replies became less frequent, changing in tone from familiar enthusiasm to stilted politeness. Still, when he was home on holiday from Cambridge, he asked Winstone’s permission to court Marianne. His request was refused on the grounds of his lack of fortune and his family’s declining reputation.
Marianne forgot about him, and Gilbert found that drink sometimes dulled his loneliness. Hurst went back to university and redoubled his efforts, both in the classroom and in society. He attended dances and parties, and even spent a Season in the family’s now-shabby town house, hoping he might find a young lady to share his future hopes and dreams with—but the status of his fortune had preceded him to London. The young ladies he met there were civil, but not welcoming. His thin, handsome face took on a hard, cynical look, his expression sour. He almost always had a drink in his hand, never drinking to the point of intoxication, though he had dozed off on more than one elegant settee. He began to find the habit of small talk annoying and hypocritical, and so spoke little. By his twenty-fifth year, he had gained the reputation of being cross as crabs. Hurst contemplated not marrying at all, but for the sake of the estate, he needed to marry for money. Following a chain of rumours and gossip, he met the elder Mr Bingley, and a deal was struck.
After their marriage, he began to admire Louisa. She had lovely fair skin and large expressive grey eyes. She rarely smiled, but when she did, it was beautiful. She was a graceful dancer. She played the pianoforte beautifully and expressively.
Even though they had been married for almost three years, she did not reveal much of herself around him. She was an enigma. Moreover, her quiet ways intrigued him. They spent nights together when Hurst requested it, but Louisa gave him no indication of real affection. She was respectful, did her duty as a wife, but otherwise did not seek him out.
What he had not known at the time of his marriage was that his wife came with her sister, and it seemed they were inseparable. Moreover, he discovered that when Louisa was around Caroline, she seemed to disappear. Caroline dominated the conversation and Louisa concurred with her out of long habit, often while staring out the window.
Upon their marriage, Hurst had determined they would have a wedding trip; a holiday to get to know one other. Louisa was pretty and pleasant, if perhaps diffident, and he had great hopes for their marriage. New brides were often accompanied by a female relative, so he had not thought it unusual when her sister had accompanied them. He had determined not to spend any of Louisa’s dowry on a lavish trip. That money was for their estate, and their future together. He had rented a modest cottage by the sea in Blackpool, only for a week.
The first inkling of the imminent ordeal occurred shortly after they had embarked, and escalated from there. The carriage was not as comfortable as their father’s. The inns were not up to their standards. Why could they not also hire a private dining room? Blackpool was out of fashion, why were they not going to Brighton? The shops were execrable. The cottage was too small, it was damp, and why was it not directly on the esplanade? Caroline had spent the entire week complaining. Just thinking about it made Hurst pour himself another drink.
“To be a fool is one thing, to be a fool for love is something else altogether.”
Shortly after the precipitous departure of Mr Bingley and his party from Netherfield Park, disaster strikes Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s family. Not only is Mr Bennet ill, Longbourn and indeed all of Meryton is struggling through one of England’s worst winters. Elizabeth draws on every strength to care for her family, but faces the alarming prospect of losing both her father and her home. Her lonely struggles lead her to revise her opinion of a certain gentleman, and she finds unexpected solace in dreams of Mr Darcy.
Fitzwilliam Darcy believes he can escape his attraction to Elizabeth by leaving Netherfield. He soon finds himself snowbound at Pemberley, where forced isolation compels him to contemplate his duty, and contrast it with dreams of his heart’s desire. No matter how he considers it, though, he feels he cannot have Elizabeth, the one he truly loves.
To his great fortune, Darcy’s friends and family–Georgiana, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and the Hursts–feel far differently than he, and soon even the most unlikely allies have come together to help him see that happiness is the highest consideration of all. But will he and Elizabeth find the courage to follow their hearts before it is too late?
You can find Any Fair Interference at:
and Kindle Unlimited
Nan Harrison is a first-time author and happily retired librarian who spent many years in public libraries large and small, urban and rural, digital and analog. She earned degrees in anthropology and library/information science but they are so old they were carved on clay tablets. She raised a family and is thrilled that her children grew up to be people she would want to hang out with anyway. She spends as much time as possible traveling and visits libraries (also thrift shops and used bookstores) wherever she goes. She loves reading, especially any type of genre fiction, and putting a warp on her loom to see what turns out. She still thinks like an anthropologist and believes that libraries are the last bastion of civilization. She is an excellent walker.
Good luck everyone!
From Pemberley to Milton 