Crossroads by MJ Stratton – Excerpt & Giveaway

Good Afternoon everyone,

I am thrilled to have author MJ Stratton back at From Pemberley to Milton with an excerpt of her recently released book Crossroads. This is a collection of short stories and I am very curious to read the ones based on secondary characters, namely A Change of Outcomes whose excerpt you can read below. What about you? Which is the short story that captivates you the most? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to apply to the giveaway.

Thank you so much for stopping by Ms. Stratton, it is always a pleasure to have you here 🙂

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Excerpt from A Change of Outcomes

May 1812

Longbourn

Miss Lydia Bennet heard the door close from the parlor where she was pulling apart a hideous bonnet that she had acquired some weeks ago. The drab thing had sat neglected since its purchase, but now, with the anticipation of a journey to Brighton as Mrs. Forster’s particular friend, she knew it was just the thing she needed to complete her wardrobe. She had been invited by Colonel Forster and his wife, Mrs. Harriet Forster, to stay with them for some weeks when the regiment departed Meryton to begin exercises in Brighton.

Her mother had given Lydia a generous purse to spend on gowns and fripperies before her departure, and Lydia had nearly spent it all, along with her own pin money. No matter: when it came time to depart, her mama would supplement Lydia’s funds so she would enjoy herself in Brighton.

She listened to ascertain whether anyone approached before springing up from her seat and hurrying to the window. Perfect. Her sister Elizabeth, called Lizzy by the family, was leaving for her daily walk and would be gone for at least an hour. It was time to act.

Lydia gathered her skirts and ran from the room, nearly barreling over a maid walking by with a large bucket full of who knew what. She dodged just in time, grabbing the banister and swinging herself around before running pell-mell up the stairs. Giggling to herself, she made her way to her sister’s room and pushed the door open.

Lizzy really ought to learn to lock her door if she does not wish for intruders, she thought smugly. I will have to hurry and find what I need.

Lydia moved to the dressing table and pushed a few things aside, finding nothing. She opened the jewelry box that sat on the top and poked around carefully. Nothing. She then rifled through the drawers in her sister’s dressing table, trying to locate the green ribbon she knew her sister had hidden away somewhere. Elizabeth never shared—not willingly anyway, and so she felt justified in taking the ribbon without asking. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, and all that. 

The drawers were filled with bits and bobs, but no ribbon. She searched thoroughly, too, and finally slammed the last one in frustration before moving to the wardrobe. She poked and prodded about Elizabeth’s dresses, searching for the ribbon that was sure to compliment the chosen flowers on her new bonnet to perfection.

As she moved things around, there was a rustling sound and a soft thud as something hit the bottom of the wardrobe. Lydia quickly reached for the item, ready to return it to the little shelf in the back and to one side of the wardrobe.

She picked it up and noted that it was a letter. The paper was of exceptional quality, nice and thick, and certainly nicer than anything Longbourn supplied. The missive was addressed to Elizabeth in an elegant, strong, masculine script… how intriguing. 

Ribbon forgotten, Lydia moved to her sister’s bed, letter in hand, and opened to the last page to view the signature.

“Mr. Darcy!” she shrieked before clapping her hand over her mouth. She held her breath, waiting for the sound of footsteps, or for someone to open the door.

Oh, what a good joke! All Lydia needed to do was put this letter in her father’s hands and then Elizabeth would be bound forever to a man she despised. It would serve her right, too, for trying to stop Lydia’s trip to Brighton. Elizabeth thought herself so clever and discrete, telling their father that he ought not to let her go on her holiday, but Lydia had stood outside the door listening.

Lizzy always had a way of convincing their father to do things, and Lydia had been terrified that her sister would succeed. How vexed she must have been when he refused to capitulate to her demands! 

Lizzy had called her a flirt! Ha! She was no such thing. She was lively, or so Mama said, and engaging, effervescent…whatever that meant, but she was not a flirt. She engaged in flirting, to be sure, but what lady did not?

She held the pages in her hand, debating on what to do for but a moment before going to the first page and reading. “To Miss Elizabeth Bennet,” the letter began. The first two lines ignited a fire of curiosity in her. 

“Disgusting sentiments?” Lydia murmured. “Whatever does that mean?”

She quickly scanned the rest of the letter, and when she was finished, she did so again, more carefully this time, unable to countenance what she had just read.

There were so many things that shocked her. Mr. Darcy was responsible for Jane’s heartbreak! Lydia seethed for her sister. Jane would never feel any ill will toward the man, and Lydia was pleased to do so for her dear sister. Jane never had a harsh word for anyone, and Lydia thought her sister was one of the most pleasant ladies that ever lived. How could he have done it?

But even more shocking were the allegations Mr. Darcy had against Mr. Wickham. Dear, handsome, charming George Wickham! What Mr. Darcy said certainly could not be possible. Mr. Wickham had never displayed the shocking behaviors Mr. Darcy claimed he did in the letter.

Except… he had courted and become engaged to Miss King. Everyone knew he only liked her ten thousand pounds, and not the lady herself. She was a nasty, freckled thing. Indeed, Mr. Wickham was charming with all the ladies, even the married ones. Mrs. Forster often blushed red when he spoke with her, as did many others. And had he not whispered some sweet words in Lydia’s own ears just the other night at a card party?

She reread the section about Mr. Wickham a third time, lingering on the tale of Miss Georgiana Darcy at Ramsgate. Another heiress lost to Mr. Wickham. Could it be true? If so, why would he show any interest in Lydia, as he had done so frequently of late? Lydia had no dowry. She had nothing to give. Well, almost nothing. She swallowed hard as a sneaking suspicion of just what Mr. Wickham wished from her crept into her mind.

There had been a young lady some years ago, a Miss Julia Wallis, who had been sent to live with relatives in the north after another militia regiment had decamped from the area. Mama had not thought that Lydia was listening as she spoke to Mrs. Long and Lady Lucas, for she had been only eleven at the time.

“Poor Miss Wallis,” Mrs. Long had tittered as she sipped her tea. “They say that Captain Williams would not do the honorable thing and marry her. The family has had no choice but to send her off to live with her aunt and uncle in Scotland.”

“I do not think the family plans to stay in the area much longer, either,” Lady Lucas had said crisply. “I have heard talk of removal to Bath, such is the stain on their name.”

“What will become of the babe?” Mrs. Bennet had asked softly. 

“The child will likely be sent to live with a tenant family,” Mrs. Long replied. “The poor soul. Miss Wallis ought not to have given that which is precious to an unworthy man.”

“Men often make promises they do not intend to keep,” her mother had said hotly. “And then the ladies are left to bear the consequences. I would wager Captain Williams will have no punishment for his libertine ways.”

“Such is the way,” Lady Lucas murmured, sipping from her cup of tea, and nibbling on a biscuit.

Lydia glanced down at the letter in her hand again. Mrs. Bennet had never encouraged Lydia to pursue an officer for marriage, though she had eagerly pressed her daughters to enjoy themselves. No! It was not possible that Mr. Wickham was so very bad, she told herself. How could such a man be duplicitous? It must be that Mr. Darcy was only slandering him again.

A door slammed somewhere in the house and Lydia jumped. She hastily folded the letter and shoved it back into the wardrobe, rushing from the room as quickly as she could, her search for the green ribbon completely forgotten.

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What Became of Miss Mary King

Miss Mary King was whisked away to Liverpool by her uncle, thus escaping the clutches of Mr. Wickham. What became of the heiress once removed from the fortune-hunting cad that wished to marry her?

In Liverpool, she struggles with sadness and regret, battling the memories of what occurred in Meryton and resenting the fortune that made her so gullible a target for the charming rogue that stole her heart.

This story completes Mary’s saga as she learns to trust and love again.

At First Slight

What happens when an angry fairy takes offense to Mr. Darcy’s insult of one of his favorite mortals?

Eros and his bride, Psyche, boasted many names over the eons, but their purpose has always been the same: unite mortals with the potential for love and see them off to their happy endings. Their magic draws them about to the moment possibly lovers are fated to meet. The magic guides them as they aid the couples. 

But what happens when Eros is angered by Mr. Darcy’s cruel words to Elizabeth? He takes matters into his own hands, of course, bumbling and erring the entire way. After acting impulsively, he and his bride must work to correct the course before Elizabeth and Darcy lose their chance at a happy ending forever.

A Change of Outcomes

What would happen if Lydia Bennet, while snooping in her sister’s room, discovered Lizzy’s letter from Darcy before going to Brighton? How would her perception of Mr. Wickham’s attentions change?

Lydia goes to Brighton with eyes wide open, and instead of falling for Mr. Wickham’s charm, chooses a steadier path. Her friendship with Harriet Forster takes a different turn, and she sees life and marriage in an entirely new way. But Mr. Wickham seems determined to win her good opinion, much to Lydia’s vexation. Will she get her own happy ending, or will she remain the vapid, foolish child she has always been?

You can find Crossroads 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 Crossroads 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!