Hey Everyone! Today, it's my pleasure to welcome Jeanna Ellsworth! She has a new book out, and she's here to share an excerpt with us!
Without further ado...
I am so excited to share a bit of Pride and Persistence with you. Thank you, Candy, for having me on your blog! An author loves to talk about her work but sometimes it is difficult to narrow down what to share. I have chosen a scene that I particularly like. At this point in the book, it has been several days since Darcy’s horse accident and Colonel Fitzwilliam saw immediately that Lady Catherine would get in the way of Darcy’s healing so he has been filtering what his aunt knows about Darcy’s condition. Unfortunately, Elizabeth is unaware that Colonel Fitzwilliam has been limiting what Lady Catherine knows. Sometimes I wonder if people were just more honest then it would cause less problems in the world . . . but then again, Elizabeth’s honesty in this scene leads to trouble. Also of note is that Elizabeth has had to endure 6 weeks of poorly made food from the parsonage. She relishes the rare time she is treated to food from Rosings . . . but the power of Rosings’ food is not lost on Lady Catherine, in fact, little is lost to Lady Catherine in this scene! It is slightly long, but I think you will see why I could not stop it early. Here is the excerpt. Happy reading!
*****
Lady Catherine sat down and then leaned back in her chair and smiled. “You know, I never told you so, but I like you. You have just enough impertinence to keep one on one’s toes. I imagine your ability to say exactly what you are thinking comes in handy while dealing with Darcy’s limitations now.”
Elizabeth wasn’t sure where she was going with this. “Thank you, I think. I am not sure if that was a compliment or a veiled barb.”
“See, that is exactly what I am talking about. No one can doubt what you are thinking because your expression shows the truth of what you say.”
“I have been told that several times. That is why I sometimes struggle to perform my designated role with Mr. Darcy.”
“And what role is that?”
“I mean in dealing with his memory problems. I find it hard to placate him and help keep his anxiety down. Often I am forced to hide the truth from him to avoid setbacks.”
Breakfast arrived and trays were set up in front of each lady. The servants brought in mountains of food. Elizabeth noticed cinnamon-and-sugar-powdered rolls, perfectly cooked eggs, at least ten slices of bacon, and some sort of steaming hot, puffy, buttery dish that was falling as it cooled. She didn’t know what to eat first. “What is that puffy dish?”
“German pancakes. It is a recipe that my French cook found on her tour last year. I try to keep my staff well-educated, so I sent her on a two-week tour of Europe to learn new methods and new foods. This is one of my favorites. Here, let me get you a piece. You dust it with powdered sugar and maple syrup. It is truly a delight.”
Elizabeth watched the butter still boiling on the top of the German pancake and was awed at the speed in which the staff must have delivered such a perfectly executed array of food. “Do you always eat this well this early in the morning?”
“Only when I have special visitors. I am an early riser, so they were prepared for me, and it did not take long for them to add to the food. I waited a few minutes before attending to you so that the food would be ready in time. You must try it.”
Lady Catherine handed Elizabeth the steaming, fluffy, buttery pancake. Elizabeth did as she was instructed and sprinkled the pancake with powdered sugar and poured a bit of syrup on it as well. Her fork could cut it easily, and she noticed that it was not bready like a pancake, but rather egg-based. She glanced up at Lady Catherine, who was waiting patiently for her to try it.
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