Good Afternoon everyone,
I’m very happy to receive Kelly Miller at From Pemberley today. She is visiting to share with you an excerpt of here recently released A Dutiful Son, and also one of my favourite features, and something I hadn’t seen here for a long while, a character interview 🙂
Don’t you love character interviews? I think they are such an innovative and fun way to let readers know more about a certain book 🙂
I hope you enjoy them, and join me in congratulating Kelly on the release of a new book!
Thank you so much for stopping by Kelly! And thank you Janet for inviting me to be part of this wonderful blog tour 🙂
Thank you so much for hosting me today, Rita! I have an excerpt from Chapter 2 of “A Dutiful Son.” In this scene, Darcy and Georgiana are riding together in Hertfordshire when a figure is seen in the distance. This is in Fitzwilliam Darcy’s point of view, and the opening dialogue is from Georgiana.
***
Georgiana followed his gaze. “Do you recognise her?”
“Not yet.” The woman strode forward at a brisk pace. Soon enough, her thick mane of black curls—uncovered and…alluring—made her identity clear: Miss Elizabeth. She held a straw bonnet in one hand. Upon entering the path in their direction, she made an abrupt halt. In a hurried motion, she smoothed the bonnet and placed it upon her head, tying the ribbons beneath her chin before she continued.
“It is a dark-haired lady.”
He glanced at Georgiana. “Yes, I believe that is Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
“Oh, then this is a fine bit of luck.” Georgiana’s voice rose in fervour. “I should be pleased to meet her.”
They stopped their horses within fifteen feet of Miss Elizabeth or, rather—in the absence of her elder sister—Miss Bennet. He bowed. “Good morning, Miss Bennet.”
She curtseyed. “Good morning, Mr. Darcy.”
He and Georgiana dismounted. Darcy held the horses’ reins in one hand and drew his sister forward with the other. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet, I should like to introduce my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy.”
Miss Elizabeth veered well away from the horses, presenting a warm smile to his sister. “Miss Darcy, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“I am pleased to meet you as well, Miss Bennet. My brother has spoken of you.”
“Oh?” Her dark eyes flitted towards him, and one eyebrow lifted. “I dare not ask what he said.”
Georgiana directed a slight frown his way. “He was most complimentary, I assure you, and it is unusual for him to speak so favourably of a lady he has just met.”
He tensed. Did Georgiana have to be so candid?
“Then your brother exercised an admirable amount of restraint.” Miss Bennet’s lips formed a crooked smile.
“Not at all.” Darcy’s sight travelled from Georgiana, who stared at him with raised brows, to Miss Bennet, whose serene expression betrayed nothing. Still, she must wonder why her name had come up. “Before you arrived, I had been telling my sister about the assembly.”
“Oh, I see. I take it you are not yet out, Miss Darcy.”
“No, I am not.” Georgiana smiled at him. “I often press my brother for details of the functions he attends. I must be a terrible nuisance at such times, but he is generous enough to indulge me.”
“You are never a nuisance,” said Darcy.
“I do not suppose our local ball bore much resemblance to the lavish affairs held in London.” Miss Bennet redirected her bewitching eyes to him.
“No, but I have attended similar functions in Derbyshire where our estate, Pemberley, is located. Country dances differ from balls at Almack’s Assembly Rooms, but I should not have preferred the latter.” Darcy sucked in a shallow breath as Miss Bennet perused his countenance.
“I admit your statement surprises me.” Miss Bennet hesitated as though choosing her words with care. “I…well…I should not have supposed you enjoyed yourself last night.”
His jaw tensed. “Why is that?”
“I do not believe you smiled for the entirety of the evening.”
Darcy pressed his lips together lest he inquire whether she had watched him for the whole of the ball. The notion of her taking a particular interest in him fomented a strange tingling sensation along his back. “Smiling is not as natural to me as it is to many others. Nevertheless, I found the assembly last evening to be a pleasant diversion.”
“Then this is a rare occasion when I am glad to be incorrect.” Miss Bennet’s beaming visage—so unaffected and engaging—inspired a desire to return her smile, but he resisted. Smiles at unmarried ladies could be misunderstood. Her gaze flitted between Georgiana and him. “Did the two of you have a destination in mind?”
“Not at all.” Darcy wrested his view from Miss Bennet to take in the surrounding countryside. “I thought to acquaint myself and my sister with the area. Do you have any recommendations?”
Miss Bennet raised a slender arm to gesture to her right. “The path I came from leads past Lucas Lodge and on to Meryton. If you continue on this path, it will reach the River Lea, a popular destination for fishing. I am bound for Oakham Mount. It is the highest point for miles around and provides a prospect of the valley below. The summit is a thirty-minute walk from here.”
His sister shifted to face him. “May we accompany Miss Bennet to Oakham Mount?”
“Yes, provided the lady does not mind.”
“You are welcome to join me.” Miss Bennet’s smile faded as Regal stepped towards her to reach a patch of grass. She took a backwards step, watching the stallion with narrowed eyes, and braced herself as though expecting an attack. He pulled Regal back.
Miss Bennet’s vision remained riveted on Regal. “The…um…trail is narrow in several places. I should not recommend you attempt it on horseback unless your mounts are calm and sure-footed.”
He brushed a hand over his jaw. Despite the recent and tenuous nature of their acquaintance, Miss Bennet’s palpable fear of horses seemed out of character. At any rate, he would not make her uncomfortable. “Our mounts are accustomed to a wide variety of rugged terrains, but since you are on foot, we shall leave them here.”
She nodded, and her smile returned. Once he had secured Regal and Pansy to a nearby tree, they set off. Georgiana and Miss Bennet walked abreast while he followed.
In a style reminiscent of her spirited exchange with him the night before, Miss Bennet drew his sister into a buoyant conversation, forming an almost instant rapport with her. Georgiana responded with a confidence and familiarity not often seen, even among family.
In my Regency Pride & Prejudice variation, “A Dutiful Son,” I have several original characters. One of them, Mr. Noah Voss, is introduced as the owner of Heather Manor, a Derbyshire estate that neighbours Pemberley. I thought readers might like to get to know him, so the two of us met well before the events in this story, and I asked him a few questions.
KM: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Mr. Voss.
NV: The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Miller. I am pleased to be featured in your upcoming new release, “A Dutiful Son.” This will be the first time I have ever participated in a work of fiction, so I am eager to find out what you have planned for me. What details can you share about the plot and how I fit into the story?
KM: Oh…um…I had expected to be the one asking the questions today, but I understand your curiosity. You will be a possible love interest for the heroine, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. You will meet her through the Darcys.
NV: Indeed? (Mr. Voss’s posture straightens) Please tell me more about Miss Bennet; is she attractive and kind?
KM: Yes, she is amiable, intelligent, and pretty. I think she is charming.
NV: (Mr. Voss grins) From your description, Miss Bennet sounds quite interesting. My mother is eager for me to find a bride. She is more than ready to step aside for a new mistress of our estate. (A gleam flickers within his blue eyes, and he tilts his head.) Hmm, I wonder if Miss Bennet could be that lady. I imagine that any friend of the Darcys must be a lady of quality.
KM: Miss Bennet has many admirable traits.
NV: How big a part shall I have in this story? Am I to be one of the major characters?
KM: You will be more of a supporting character, but you are significant to the plot, and you have one or two scenes that ought to be…memorable.
NV: I see. That sounds promising. Perhaps you will include me in a future book (he leans forward, eyebrows raised).
KM: I have no such plans at present, but anything is possible. Now then, would you please tell me a bit about yourself?
NV: I should be happy to do so. My full name is Noah Alexander Voss, and I am four and twenty years old. My estate, Heather Manor, is perhaps one-third the size of Pemberley, but our income has increased steadily for the past few years. In addition to our crops, we have cattle and sheep. And last year, I began breeding fine thoroughbred horses and a variety of hunting dogs with great success. I expect the estate to clear four thousand pounds in profits this year.
KM: That is quite impressive. How well do you know the Darcys?
NV: Mr. George Darcy and my late father were close friends, and I have often sought his advice over the years. He is known to be a generous master. (Mr. Voss rubs his chin.) In fact, if he has a fault, it is a tendency to be overly benevolent. Nevertheless, I respect him very much.
KM: I am sorry for your loss of your father.
NV: (Mr. Voss nods, his expression sombre) Thank you. He passed five years ago, and I miss him every day. As for Fitzwilliam Darcy, he and I have never been close. I should describe him as an acquaintance rather than a friend, but I believe him to be an honourable man.
KM: Why do you suppose the two of you never became friends?
NV: (His brow furrows.) Well, Darcy is several years older than me. He is also a quiet sort and not the easiest person to come to know.
KM: Have you ever met Miss Darcy?
NV: Yes, once years ago at a harvest fair. She was a child at the time.
KM: Thank you so much for answering my questions today.
NV: Well, it has been my pleasure, Mrs. Miller.
What will Fitzwilliam Darcy do when his beloved father stands between him and happiness?
Darcy has always emulated his wise and honourable father, George Darcy. But following a sinister act of betrayal by a former family friend, his father rejects his most benevolent principles.
When Georgiana forms a friendship with Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy convinces his father to allow the association to continue. However, Elizabeth soon presents a thorny problem: she entices Darcy as no other lady has before, and with his father’s current outlook, he would not approve of her as a daughter-in-law.
Still, Darcy’s problem may resolve in time: his father, after getting to know Elizabeth, is certain to recognise her many admirable qualities and change his mind. But what if he does not?
In this Pride & Prejudice Regency variation, Fitzwilliam Darcy is caught between the influences of love and duty. Which of these will wield the greatest power?
You can find A Dutiful Son at:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
and on Kindle Unlimited
Award-winning author Kelly Miller is a native Californian and Anglophile, who made her first visit to England in 2019. When not pondering a plot point or a turn of phrase, she can be found playing the piano, singing, or walking her dogs. Kelly Miller resides in Silicon Valley with her husband, daughter, and their pets.
Kelly’s blog page is found at www.kellymiller.merytonpress.com, her Twitter handle is @kellyrei007, Instagram: kelly.miller.author, TikTok: @kellymillerauthor, and she is on Facebook: www.facebook.Author.Kelly.Miller
.
There is plenty more to discover about this book, so don’t forget to check out the remaining blog tour stops 🙂
October 18 – My Jane Austen Book Club
October 19 – My Vices and Weaknesses
October 20 – From Pemberley to Milton
October 21 – Babblings of a Bookworm
October 24 – Interests of a Jane Austen Girl
Meryton Press will be giving away one eBook of A Dutiful Son to one of my readers. The giveaway is international and is open until the 28th of October. To apply to it, just leave a comment on this post and let us know your opinion of the excerpt and interview 🙂
The winner will be announced shortly after.
Good luck everyone!
From Pemberley to Milton 