Consequences Blog Tour ~ Excerpt and GIVEAWAY!

Hello my fellow readers! I'm excited to be part of the Consequences Blog Tour hosted by Leatherbound Reviews!

Today C.P. Odom stops by with an excerpt from his book Consequences!  Along with a question and answer from the Author's Q&A at the back of the book. As an added bonus, there is a giveaway at the bottom of this post!! 

Consequences by C.P. Odom 

Publication Date: December 17, 2013 
Publisher: Meryton Press
Pages: 278 

Book Blurb:
Consequences is a cautionary tale about the evils of hasty judgment, revisiting Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and one of those pivotal moments when Elizabeth Bennet throws away Mr. Darcy’s offer of marriage so decisively. What transpires from that point is well known to Austen’s extensive readership, but what if even one element in the chain of events in her novel turns out differently? Does Austen’s happy ending eventually come to pass, or is the outcome more bleak?

And if, in order to secure financial security for her loved ones, Elizabeth does not reject Darcy, is she married to a proud, arrogant, disdainful man who, as she feared, forces her to deny her own relatives and thus condemns her to a lifetime of misery? Or does she find herself married to a man who cares enough for her to reject the opposition of his family and chance his very standing in society in order to marry a woman he loves beyond measure?

Consequences, written by the author of A Most Civil Proposal, explores two alternate realities—both tragedy and triumph.

Set up for excerpt from Mr. Odom:

The excerpt I chose is the first half of Chapter 16, which is part of Book 2, The Sleeper Wakes.  The background is that Book 2 examines the flip side of Book 1, which dwelt on the tragic events that eventuated when Elizabeth rejects Darcy in such a fiery manner and then Darcy and Elizabeth fail to meet at Pemberley and renew their romance.  Thus, Darcy has no way of knowing of Lydia’s elopement and is thus unable to find Wickham and force him to marry Elizabeth’s sister.  Book 2 thus looks at what might happen if Elizabeth had accepted Darcy’s first offer of marriage, and this chapter focuses on the discussion between Elizabeth and Charlotte after Elizabeth failed to reject Darcy and instead asked for time to think on it.  During this discussion, Elizabeth explains her reasons for unwillingly coming to the decision to accept his offer of marriage.



Excerpt:

Chapter 16

“You must learn to face the fact, always, that you choose to do what you do, and that everything you do affects not only you but others.”

—Holly Lisle, American author

Thursday, April 9, 1812

     It was rather late before Charlotte was able to complete her duties for the next day and seek out her friend. She had not seen Elizabeth since she and her husband returned from Rosings, but she spied Mr. Darcy from the carriage on their return. His path was such that he likely was returning from the Parsonage, and she was most anxious to talk to Elizabeth. She had been unable to determine his demeanour from the quick glance she had from the carriage, but she could only hope it meant what she had surmised.
    As she approached Elizabeth’s room, she could see a faint gleam of light under the door, so she probably was not asleep. Her soft knock was quickly answered by Elizabeth’s invitation to enter.

Charlotte did not see Elizabeth at first since her sight was drawn to a lit candle on the nightstand, but Elizabeth was not in the bed. Rather, she was sitting by the open window, staring out into the night. She wore a robe, and she had taken one of the quilts from the bed for additional warmth against the cool night air. Elizabeth’s expression, as she turned away from the window toward Charlotte, was one of pensive reflection.

    As Charlotte pulled the other chair in the room over to the window, Elizabeth turned back toward the night. “You were completely right, Charlotte,” she said, staring out into the dark. “Mr. Darcy called soon after you left for tea, and he wasted no time in proposing marriage.”

     “Truly?” exclaimed Charlotte delightedly. “I saw him walking as we were returning in Lady Catherine’s carriage, and he looked to be coming from the direction of the Parsonage, but I had many tasks to complete before I could come to see you, so I hope you are not unhappy with me for delaying so.”

     “No, Charlotte,” answered Elizabeth emotionlessly, “I am not unhappy since there seems to be precious little happiness in the event, even though your insight was so much clearer than my own.”

     “No happiness? Elizabeth Bennet, it is the most brilliant match one could ever imagine! All of Hertfordshire will be mad with envy when your engagement is announced.”

     “I did not give him an answer, Charlotte. His proposal was definitely not at all romantic or even amiable. He said he had long been attracted to me, to be sure, but then he continued by relating all of the obstacles that prevented him from declaring himself. He appears to have liked me against his will, against his reason, and even against his character. He could not have been more discourteous had he set out with the clear design of offending and insulting me.”

     Elizabeth turned away from the window to face Charlotte. “Only my promise to you kept me from berating him. I longed to throw in his face that, even if he had been the most courteous and amiable suitor imaginable, nothing could have tempted me to accept a man who had ruined, perhaps forever, the happiness of my beloved sister! But I did not. I asked leave to think over his proposal and return an answer tomorrow.”

     Charlotte did not know what to think. She had been gratified to hear confirmation that her suppositions had been accurate, but she could not believe the man could not even deliver a simple proposal without causing offense. She shook her head in melancholic irony at the continued inability of Mr. Darcy to be at least as amiable with her friend as he was with other people.

     “At least where you are concerned, Eliza,” Charlotte said, shaking her head mournfully, “it appears Mr. Darcy never loses an opportunity to say the wrong thing.”

     “Do you not think his proposal offensive then, Charlotte?”

     “Oh yes, I think it highly offensive. But it appears to be typical for Mr. Darcy when he tries to speak to you. Since we now know how long he has admired you, so many things become clear: the way he listened to your conversations at my father’s gathering, his invitation to dance at the Netherfield ball, the way he came over to listen to you play at Rosings. But poor Mr. Darcy has always been at his worst when he tries to talk to you, Eliza. He has never been anything but polite and gracious to me, and he is far more tolerant with my husband than is warranted. In addition, Colonel Fitzwilliam mentioned he is regarded as being a most civil and amiable man in town.”

     Charlotte thought for a moment while Elizabeth returned to contemplating the darkness. “Poor Mr Darcy, indeed,” muttered Elizabeth.

     “It seems he is very much in love with you, but until this point, he could not even admit that to himself. Our society puts a value on marriages that bring wealth and social stature to the union and pays little attention to the wishes of the individuals involved. But you have always said you were determined not to marry except for love, and it appears Mr. Darcy is of the same opinion. Certainly, he is one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, yet he has lived to eight and twenty without being ensnared. I will warrant he himself did not know for what he was searching until he met you, and then he found himself in conflict with the imperatives of family and society. Hopefully, he will now be able to express himself more clearly with this declaration openly avowed.”

     Elizabeth said nothing in response, and Charlotte felt dejection settle around her. She had just commented that Elizabeth hoped to marry for love, and she obviously did not love this man. Elizabeth’s posture and her account of Mr. Darcy’s proposal made it clear that her opinion of her suitor was unchanged and she was still just as opposed to him as ever.

     Sighing deeply, Charlotte at last said, “Eliza, I only asked you to take the time to think things through rather than act impulsively, and you have certainly done that. But from what you have said and from your present demeanour, it is obvious you will refuse Mr. Darcy, and I will not attempt further to change your mind. Your reasons are perfectly valid and in line with your character. I do want to thank you for listening to me, for I have certainly been impertinent at times and have intruded into your private affairs. I will say good night now and will see you in the morning.”

     Elizabeth had said nothing as Charlotte sat beside her, but when Charlotte started to rise to her feet, Elizabeth broke her silence. “Actually, Charlotte, you have been successful beyond your expectations. When I finally escaped from your parlour and came up to my room, my thoughts were exactly what you have just said. I had done my duty to you and had not impulsively told Mr. Darcy what I most wanted to tell him.”

     She turned her head from the darkness and looked at Charlotte, a crooked smile of irony on her lips. “But when I started thinking of what I would tell Mr. Darcy tomorrow, several things intruded: the counsel from my good friend that a marriage to a rich man like Mr. Darcy could well save my mother and sisters from poverty and that a marriage to Mr. Darcy in particular might allow his good friend Mr. Bingley and my dear sister Jane to be in company again. And that does not even touch on the advantages my children would have with Mr. Darcy as their father. It is truly distressing to have such sensible arguments occur to me when I want to ignore them.”

     She sighed as she turned back to the night. Her voice this time was so soft that Charlotte had to strain her ears. “In addition, there was a most disconcerting image that came to me when I was sitting here, half-dreaming of how I first wanted to respond to Mr. Darcy when he made his insulting proposal. I imagined I was telling him what I truly thought of him and how I would never marry him, when a sudden dread seized me, making me think I was making a horrible mistake. It startled me so much I came fully awake, for I must have been half-asleep, but then I could find no reason for this sudden fear. I wonder—whatever could it mean, Charlotte?”

     Charlotte could make no response to this question, and Elizabeth continued in the same low voice, “In addition, I did not like the emotions I felt when I realized how Mr. Darcy had placed himself in my power. I wanted to hurt him the way he had hurt Jane and even Mr. Wickham, and I did not like the ugliness of that desire. I did not like it at all.”

     Elizabeth remained silent again for several minutes before resuming. “Then I remembered the way Mr. Darcy looked at me when I told him my headache had returned. At first, I thought he wore a look of displeasure that I had not immediately agreed to his offer. It was only when I looked closer that I realized he was concerned that I felt ill, and I wondered whether I am as good a student of character as I imagined myself to be. The thought of giving him pain no longer held any attraction. In fact, it held the opposite emotion, and I could only do so for the best of reasons.”

     She looked again at Charlotte. “And I could not find the best of reasons, Charlotte, even though I am fearful I might be dreadfully unhappy married to such an objectionable man. I am afraid that he would treat me abominably.”

     Charlotte looked at Elizabeth in frank amazement. “How can you suggest such a thing, Eliza? You just told me that he was completely frank when he commented how much he would be affronting his friends, relatives, and society by choosing you…”

     Elizabeth smiled. “Yes, in that we agree, Charlotte! He was frank, to be sure—frankly disgusting in his contempt!”

     “Elizabeth, be reasonable. If Mr. Darcy was willing to offend all those personages, no matter how inelegantly he stated it, what could possibly make you believe that he would then treat you badly?”

     “Well…” Elizabeth started but then she fell silent, for she could not refute Charlotte’s comment.

     “Do you not see?” Charlotte smiled. “It is not sound, Eliza. You know it is not sound.”

     Elizabeth winced as she remembered using those same words to Charlotte at Sir William Lucas’s gathering. “It is not pleasing, Charlotte,” she said, fixing her friend with an expression of mock sternness, “to find my own words coming back to haunt me!”

     “To be sure,” was Charlotte’s quiet response, but inwardly she smiled, for she was certain her arguments had met with some measure of success.

***

Consequences 

Author's Q&A and/or Book Club Questions

2. Question: Was Elizabeth Bennet’s rejection of Darcy’s first proposal at Hunsford justified in the context of her times?

Answer: I believe most readers today find Elizabeth’s refusal of Darcy’s inept proposal to be laudatory and consistent with her character, believing her acceptance would have been a compromise of her ideals and standards due to Darcy’s pride, arrogance, and his separation of Jane and Bingley. I believe admiration of Elizabeth’s character is one of the reasons for the enduring popularity of Pride and Prejudice, and I share it. However, at the same time, we must be aware we are reading OUR twenty-first century worldview into much different Regency England standards. Austen was certainly aware of what her society expected a gently born young lady to look for in a marriage: financial security for herself and her children. Her awareness of that fact is the basis for Elizabeth’s statement to Jane when she tells her of Darcy’s proposal. Elizabeth says, “You do not blame me for rejecting him?”

To our modern sensibilities, that statement is just accepted: “Of course, no one would blame you,” we tell ourselves, with our modern worldview, but in Regency England, most everyone would have the opposite point of view since marriage was almost universally considered from the point of improving one’s fortune and/or position in society. A young lady who turned down such an offer of marriage from Darcy, an offer that would provide for her and her children’s future as well as rescue her family from the clutches of poverty, would be judged as a very foolish young lady indeed. And if her family did suffer impoverishment as a result of an opportunity lost, society would have little sympathy for her.

So these are the reasons (most of which are implicit in the realities of Regency times) for my contention that it was truly shocking for Elizabeth to reject what would be considered a brilliant match (for her, if not for Darcy) by the rest of her society. But Austen was writing a novel, not a history, and was thus able to craft a heroine with the strength to defy society’s rules and remain true to her own wishes and hopes. And remember, Elizabeth had previously rejected a different but similar form of security for her family in the person of the foolish (and odious) Mr. Collins!

We should also be aware that the idea of marrying for love was changing during Regency times and becoming more acceptable in the upper classes, which had previously married exclusively for fortune and social standing. In fact, love was considered a dangerous emotion in what was considered a critical social contract. The best most marriages could hope for was the milder emotion of “affection,” which was considered felicitous and entirely appropriate. Undoubtedly, the changing times were another reason for the popularity of Pride and Prejudice.

Connect with C.P. Odom

website • Meryton Press • goodreads author page

Buy a copy: Amazon • B&N
Add to goodreads

~ ~ ~ GIVEAWAY ~ ~ ~

 C.P. Odom and Meryton Press are generously giving away ONE Paperback and ONE e-book of
 Consequences
 to TWO lucky people! 
To enter fill out the Rafflecopter below.

• One person will win a paperback copy.
• One person will win an e-copy.
• Open Internationally.
• Last day to enter: March 20, 2014

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more stops on this book tour head over to Leatherbound Reviews! Jakki, thanks for putting this Book Tour together. Fantastic job!

Any thoughts? Remember, to enter the giveaway you MUST fill out the Rafflecopter above.