Victoria is also giving an eBook to one of my lucky readers! Details are at the bottom of the page.
Hi Candy! Happy New Year and thank you for having me as a visitor. I have to confess a deep dark secret, although some of my readers may already have guessed it: I like to make Mr. Darcy suffer emotionally. Of course, it’s all in the service of a happy ending with Elizabeth. But I think the ending is more poignant if he has suffered for it, enduring doubts and worries. Perhaps it’s because I like to see him prove his love for Elizabeth. Perhaps because he’s such a proud man, I like to see him sacrifice some of his pride for the sake of love. I don’t know for sure. I do know that the JAFF I like the best has a fair amount of Darcy angst. The scene below has some of the most intense Darcy suffering in Darcy and Deception. But, rest assured, there’s a happy ending!
Darcy and Deception
by Victoria Kincaid
Returning home from Kent, Elizabeth Bennet is still distressed over Mr. Darcy’s insulting marriage proposal. However, her attention is diverted by the local militia commander who asks her to observe Wickham, now suspected of being a French spy. Pretending to be besotted with Wickham, Elizabeth accompanies the regiment when they relocate to Brighton.
Darcy arrives at Longbourn with the intention of making amends to Elizabeth, only to discover that she is now at Brighton with Wickham. Desperate to save her from the scoundrel, Darcy follows her to the seaside, where he hopes to woo her away from the other man.
Deception piles on top of deception as Elizabeth attempts to carry out her mission without betraying confidences—or breaking Darcy’s heart. However, the French plot runs deeper than she knows; soon she and Darcy are plunged into the confusing and dangerous world of international espionage. Can Darcy and Elizabeth escape with their lives and their love intact?
by Victoria Kincaid
Returning home from Kent, Elizabeth Bennet is still distressed over Mr. Darcy’s insulting marriage proposal. However, her attention is diverted by the local militia commander who asks her to observe Wickham, now suspected of being a French spy. Pretending to be besotted with Wickham, Elizabeth accompanies the regiment when they relocate to Brighton.
Darcy arrives at Longbourn with the intention of making amends to Elizabeth, only to discover that she is now at Brighton with Wickham. Desperate to save her from the scoundrel, Darcy follows her to the seaside, where he hopes to woo her away from the other man.
Deception piles on top of deception as Elizabeth attempts to carry out her mission without betraying confidences—or breaking Darcy’s heart. However, the French plot runs deeper than she knows; soon she and Darcy are plunged into the confusing and dangerous world of international espionage. Can Darcy and Elizabeth escape with their lives and their love intact?
Excerpt
Colonel Forster’s lodgings were on the corner of two streets not far from the beach. It was not the most fashionable neighborhood but eminently suitable for a militia officer. As Darcy strode up a side street toward the front entrance, he happened to get a glimpse into the garden, where someone had carelessly left the rear gate open. This provided Darcy with an unobstructed view of…Elizabeth sitting with Wickham on a garden bench.
The sight had struck fear in Darcy’s heart, and he had stifled an impulse to remove Wickham bodily from Elizabeth’s vicinity. Instead, he reminded himself it was an opportunity to gather more information about Wickham’s intentions. Even while berating himself that such devious activities were beneath him, Darcy had stolen closer, peering through a hole in the fence.
What he saw nearly made him toss up his accounts on the dirt of the back alley. Elizabeth and Wickham sat side by side on a wrought iron bench before a low rose bush, facing a weeping willow tree. However, neither appeared to be appreciating the garden’s beauty. Wickham spoke with great animation, although Darcy could not discern the words. Elizabeth regarded him with rapt attention, a soft smile on her lips. Worse, she clung to one of Wickham’s hands with both of hers while he gesticulated vigorously with the other.
The sight sickened Darcy, and yet he could not tear his eyes away. In the weeks since he had seen Elizabeth, he had done his best to convince himself that his memories exaggerated her beauty. But in truth, memory had not done Elizabeth justice. Soft, dark curls fell around her face, and the faintest tinge of pink colored her cheeks. Her deep emerald gown echoed the sea green color in her eyes. Darcy would gladly have admired her all day.
However, he did not like the besotted expression on her face. Darcy would have given his entire fortune if she would direct such an expression of adoration at him. Seeing it bestowed upon such an unworthy recipient was…provoking another bout of nausea.
The low murmur of feminine voices alleviated Darcy’s anxiety that the pair was alone. Solitude would give opportunities for many kinds of mischief, but the colonel’s wife and a few women were nearby. However, Wickham behaved as if they were unchaperoned, taking Elizabeth’s hand and brushing it with his lips.
Pressing his eye to the hole in the fence, Darcy clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. More than anything he wanted to race into the garden and wipe Wickham’s cocky smile from his face with a well-placed right hook. But a violent reaction would only provoke sympathy for Wickham and confirm Elizabeth’s worst opinion about Darcy.
Even as Darcy observed, Elizabeth laughed—a high shrill sound he had never heard her make. Nor had he ever glimpsed such adoration on her face. She always spoke to Darcy with an arch and teasing manner, with glances full of cleverness and understanding.
Why was her manner so different with Wickham? How was it possible? Was Wickham the one she wanted? Had she rejected Darcy because of her infatuation with the militia officer? Perhaps she was so besotted with the man that she simply had not believed a word of Darcy’s letter.
Darcy’s stomach threatened rebellion once more, and he focused his thoughts on not disgracing himself—the better to avoid a sense of grief that threatened to engulf him and drag him to the bottom of the ocean. If Wickham were the one she wanted, if she were infatuated with the man, then it was possible she was not the person Darcy believed her to be. His heart contracted painfully. He had not thought it possible to feel worse after her rejection in Hunsford, but this sight was proving him wrong.
Additional activity in the garden drew Darcy from his musings. Wickham whispered in Elizabeth’s ear while she simpered and edged closer to him on the bench. His smile held a hint of a smirk. She was completely fooled, and he knew it; he was enjoying the charade.
I have been a fool. Well, that was not news—not since Hunsford. But now he was recognizing new depths to his foolishness. Not only had Darcy deceived himself about Elizabeth’s feelings, but he had also mistaken her character—and even her judgment.
Why was she so blind to Wickham’s lies? Surely she had burned Darcy’s letter. Damnation!
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About the Author
Victoria has a Ph.D. in English literature and has taught composition to unwilling college students. Today she teaches business writing to willing office professionals and tries to give voice to the demanding cast of characters in her head.
She lives in Virginia with an overly affectionate cat, an excessively energetic dog, two children who love to read, and a husband who fortunately is not jealous of Mr. Darcy. A lifelong Austen fan, Victoria has read more Jane Austen variations and sequels than she can count – and confesses to an extreme partiality for the Colin Firth miniseries version of Pride and Prejudice.
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* * * GIVEAWAY * * *
It's giveaway time! Victoria is graciously giving away one e-copy of Darcy and Deception to one of my lucky readers!
Thank you so much, Victoria!
- One person will win an e-copy of Darcy and Deception.
- To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below.
- Rafflecopter will randomly select the winner.
- Open Internationally!
- Last day to enter the giveaway is Jan. 25th, 2019 at 11:59 PM Pacific time.
Many thanks to Victoria for visiting with us today! It is always a pleasure to have her here! And a big THANK YOU for having a giveaway with me!
So, friends, do you like to see Darcy squirm a little before he has his happy ending with Elizabeth? Lol! Let us know what you think!
It's asking a lot of Elizabeth to flirt with Wickham, as it might ruin her reputation
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you, Vesper!
DeletePoor Mr. Darcy having to witness this interaction without knowing the truth. Congrats on the release!
ReplyDeleteHi, DarcyBennett! Oh, definitely, poor Mr. Darcy!!
DeleteThis sounds like a fun variation. Congratulations on coming up with something new and fresh.
ReplyDeletePoor Darcy - always a victim of his own jealousies and insecurities! He needs to question her character in order to make his own pain less and his own faults fewer! He still needs a lot more humbling in my opinion. thanks for the story.
ReplyDeleteI like to see him squirm a little but not TOO much!
ReplyDeletePoor Darcy, it's hard on him but it may teach him a lesson. Congratulations on the release and thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteAlways hard to read of Elizabeth looking at Wickham with "adoration", and harder to read of Darcy witnessing it! Poor Mr Darcy! Sounds like Elizabeth's playing the part well. I cant wait to read it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis would be such a fun read.
ReplyDeleteDianna
I look forward to reading how he figures it out, and his reaction to it.
ReplyDeleteLove Victoria’s books and am very intrigued by this variation.
ReplyDeleteI like to see Darcy undergoes some transformation to earn Elizabeth's love and respect. If he has to suffer, so be it as long as there is a HEA for our favourite couple. From the excerpt, Elizabeth does know how to act her part well. I wonder how she could bear to be in Wickham's company as she is straightforward and does not like to lead a man on knowing what he could be a traitor.
ReplyDeleteOoh, Luthien84, you make a great point! I think it would be hard for her!
DeleteBeautiful cover.
ReplyDelete