Good Afternoon everyone,
Today Monica Fairview is visiting From Pemberley to Milton with an excerpt of her recently released A Longbourn Entanglement, a short story I want to read as soon as I get my hands on the paperback. I was eagerly waiting for her to release the sequel to Dangerous Magic, one of my favorite reads this year, when I realized that she had been working on another project and would be releasing this new book before the sequel. I was surprised by this news but also very happy because this means I will have more stories penned by her to read 😊 Now I just need to wait for the sequel to come out, right?
Have you read any of her books before? Which one is your favorite? I also have Steampunk Darcy on my TBR, but I never seem to control the TBR in order to have time to start it.
I hope you enjoy the excerpt of A Longbourn Entanglement Monica decided to share with us today, and if by any chance you’ve read this book already, please share with you us what you thought of it.
Thank you for visiting Monica, it is always a pleasure to have you at From Pemberley to Milton.
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It’s a pleasure to visit Rita’s blog and introduce my latest creation: A Longbourn Entanglement. Thank you for having me here, Rita.
If you’ve read the novel I published earlier in the year (Dangerous Magic), you’ll wonder what on earth I’m doing, writing a comedy at this point. If you know some of my earlier books, though, you probably know I can be quirky. Over the years, my writing has moved away from quirkiness into more serious territory. All three of my most recent novels are very earnest: Dangerous Magic, Fortune and Felicity and Mysterious Mr. Darcy. They do have a hint of humor here and there (except for Mysterious Mr. Darcy, possibly, which is as grim as any angsty novel can be), but that’s only because I can’t stop myself from cracking a joke now and then.
A Longbourn Entanglement is quite different from anything I’ve written before. It isn’t quirky, but it doesn’t take itself seriously, either. I would describe it as a light comedy of manners with a romantic core. It does have a few moments of angst, which is inevitable if Darcy and Elizabeth are going to work out their differences. Mostly, it’s a bit ridiculous and silly. Writing it was a perfect escape for me during the last year and a half.
I hope it will be a short escape for you as well, on one of those days when you want to curl up on a sofa and forget the outside world for a couple of hours.
Here’s short sample to give you a taste of what to expect.
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Darcy awoke the next morning in a state of anxiety. Elizabeth had been dismissive, but what if the apothecary was wrong? What if something had happened during the night?
He did not like sitting around twiddling his thumbs when Elizabeth could be in intense distress. Even waiting for Evans to shave him had him squirming with impatience.
When he did finally make it downstairs, he found Bingley already in the breakfast room, chewing desolately on a piece of buttered toast.
“I was thinking of riding to Longbourn,” he said, by way of greeting.
Bingley looked shocked. “We cannot call on them at eight o’clock in the morning.”
They both looked at the clock on the mantle-piece, where the time was a few minutes past eight.
The irony did not escape Darcy. That Bingley should be urging control showed how far-gone Darcy was.
“Though I must admit I have been thinking the same thing myself this past half-hour.” Bingley sighed. “If only society did not have quite so many rules!”
“Without those rules,” said Darcy blandly, “we would be little more than savages.”
Bingley sighed, his gaze flicking once again to the clock. “I suppose so.”
“It is no use staring at the clock. You know what they say. A watched kettle never boils,” said Darcy.
Bingley gave a lopsided grin. “I have never had the privilege of watching a kettle boil.”
“Neither have I,” said Darcy.
The two gentlemen fell into silence. Just for something to do, Darcy went to the side-table and helped himself. He was not in the least hungry, and he did not care what he ate.
“I thought you disliked kippers,” remarked Bingley, when Darcy came back to the table.
Darcy looked down at his plate. He had indeed served himself a pile of kippers.
“Well spotted, Bingley. Clearly I was too preoccupied.”
He pushed the kippers to the side of the plate and picked up the buttered toast. He did not know what the day would bring, and it would be good to be fortified, just in case.
The food turned to sawdust on his tongue. He tossed down the rest of the toast in disgust.
Darcy awoke the next morning in a state of anxiety. Elizabeth had been dismissive, but what if the apothecary was wrong? What if something had happened during the night?
He did not like sitting around twiddling his thumbs when Elizabeth could be in intense distress. Even waiting for Evans to shave him had him squirming with impatience.
When he did finally make it downstairs, he found Bingley already in the breakfast room, chewing desolately on a piece of buttered toast.
“I was thinking of riding to Longbourn,” he said, by way of greeting.
Bingley looked shocked. “We cannot call on them at eight o’clock in the morning.”
They both looked at the clock on the mantle-piece, where the time was a few minutes past eight.
The irony did not escape Darcy. That Bingley should be urging control showed how far-gone Darcy was.
“Though I must admit I have been thinking the same thing myself this past half-hour.” Bingley sighed. “If only society did not have quite so many rules!”
“Without those rules,” said Darcy blandly, “we would be little more than savages.”
Bingley sighed, his gaze flicking once again to the clock. “I suppose so.”
“It is no use staring at the clock. You know what they say. A watched kettle never boils,” said Darcy.
Bingley gave a lopsided grin. “I have never had the privilege of watching a kettle boil.”
“Neither have I,” said Darcy.
The two gentlemen fell into silence. Just for something to do, Darcy went to the side-table and helped himself. He was not in the least hungry, and he did not care what he ate.
“I thought you disliked kippers,” remarked Bingley, when Darcy came back to the table.
Darcy looked down at his plate. He had indeed served himself a pile of kippers.
“Well spotted, Bingley. Clearly I was too preoccupied.”
He pushed the kippers to the side of the plate and picked up the buttered toast. He did not know what the day would bring, and it would be good to be fortified, just in case.
The food turned to sawdust on his tongue. He tossed down the rest of the toast in disgust.
“I have been meaning to talk to you, Bingley. What the devil did you mean yesterday by offering to have another ball?”
Bingley looked shamefaced. “I was carried away, Darcy. I felt that it would be a good distraction, under the circumstances, something for everyone to look forward to.”
“And how do you imagine Miss Bennet will feel when you do not follow up on your promise because you have left for London?”
“It was not a promise, Darcy, just a possibility.”
Darcy shook his head, but today he was more understanding of Bingley’s impulse. Darcy would have done anything if he could help Elizabeth feel better, but he was not the kind of person that sugar-coated anything. He could never promise anything he could not fulfill, as Bingley had done. It seemed too much like a lie, and he had a horror of lies. Disguise of every sort was his abhorrence.
Still, strictly speaking, Bingley was not lying, and he meant no harm.
“Do you think Mrs. Bennet is likely to improve?”
It was a question Darcy had asked himself multiple times.
“I have no idea. I have not seen her, so I cannot make any judgement.” He could only hope that nothing worse had happened since yesterday.
The two gentlemen fell into silence, contemplating the possibilities. For several minutes, the only sound in the room was the clink of silverware against China, interspersed with the sound of coffee being sipped, and the monotonous ticking of the clock.
Darcy’s mind drifted to Elizabeth and the way she had looked when he was there. She was always so pert, so sure of herself, always with a ready answer on those bold lips. It shook him to find her so agitated and distracted. In normal circumstances, she always met his gaze directly, her fine eyes vivacious, bright with laughter or defiance. Yesterday her expression had been restrained, as if she had drawn a curtain to conceal her feelings.
The image of Elizabeth sitting anxiously at her mother’s bedside was imprinted on his mind. Darcy wished he could be there, holding her hand and consoling her, but it was not in his power to do so.
Elizabeth Bennet has a secret. If Fitzwilliam Darcy discovers it, will it spell the end of their fledgling romance?
When Mrs. Bennet falls ill after the Netherfield Ball, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley postpone their trip to London to offer their assistance.
But things are never what they seem. Before long, Darcy is entangled in a chaotic situation at Longbourn, and Elizabeth is faced with a thorny dilemma that could drive Darcy away from her forever.
Will Elizabeth and Darcy muddle their way through the mayhem, or is everything just too tangled for them to discover their feelings?
If you are looking for a warm, sweet, and short Jane Austen variation, this romantic comedy is just what you need.
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You can find A Longbourn Entanglement at:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
and on Kindle Unlimited
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Monica Fairview writes Jane Austen sequels and variations as well as Regencies. Her latest novel is a Pride and Prejudice fantasy variation, Dangerous Magic. Her biggest claim to fame is living in Elizabeth Gaskell’s house in Manchester, long before the house was restored. After studying in the USA, she taught literature, then became an acupuncturist. She now lives near London.
Monica loves anything to do with the nineteenth century, and obsessively follows every period drama she can find. Some of her favorites are ‘North and South’, ‘Bright Star’ and ‘War and Peace’, and a dozen others that she couldn’t possibly list here. Of course, she has watched Pride and Prejudice (1995 and 2005) more times than she could count on her hands and toes.
Monica enjoys reading fantasy and post-apocalyptic novels but avoids zombies like the plague. She loves to laugh, drink tea, and visit National Trust historic properties [those were the days!], and she is convinced that her two cats can understand everything she says.
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