A JOURNEY FROM DUTY TO LOVE: MR BENNET'S DUTIFUL DAUGHTER BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY

A new great blog tour premieres today  at My Jane Austen Book Club.  Joana Starnes is here to present her latest Pride and Prejudice tale: Mr Bennet's Dutiful Daughter. Enjoy her wondeful guest post and... may I wish you good luck in the giveaway contest?  

Thank you, Maria Grazia, for your kind welcome at My Jane Austen Book Club today to launch the blog tour for my latest book, Mr Bennet’s Dutiful Daughter, with an invitation to Netherfield.

Why Netherfield, we might ask? Why would Mr and Mrs Darcy invite their guests to Netherfield Park, rather than Pemberley or the Darcy townhouse? That is because in this variation they begin their married life at Netherfield, and much sooner than in the original novel. As the title might suggest, Mr Bennet’s Dutiful Daughter is an early-marriage scenario. Elizabeth accepts Mr Darcy’s first proposal on account of her father’s condition. While she is visiting in Kent an express arrives to let her know that her father had suffered an attack. She learns of this not from the express itself, but from Mr Darcy, who was notified in irregular circumstances and rides out in great haste to find Elizabeth on her stroll through Rosings’ woods with Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Have you ever wondered if Elizabeth would have been as violently opposed to Mr Darcy had she not learned of his role in ruining her sister’s happiness? I am inclined to think that this knowledge was the deal-breaker in the Hunsford proposal and it carried far more weight than Darcy’s arrogance and Wickham’s malice. She would have still refused him, of course. Elizabeth Bennet would not accept a man who speaks of their union as a degradation in the midst of his proposal. But what if Mr Darcy came to propose before his cousin had the chance to make damaging disclosures? What if he offered marriage without offending her, at a time when she felt obliged to ensure her family’s safety, should her father pass away? What if the Hunsford proposal was something like this?

“Collins burst upon my aunt at breakfast. He read your express and hastened to come up to ask for leave of absence without even troubling himself to find and notify you first. I had no notion till this morning that Longbourn was entailed upon him, nor how devoid of Christian charity he is. This vile excuse of a man of the cloth would cast you into the hedgerows as soon as he has the chance, the unmitigated– ” The forceful rant broke off and the gentleman drew the deepest breath before resuming, just as forcefully. “I will not have it, Elizabeth! To the best of my abilities, I will not have it.”

The shock caused by the display of temper in a man of such cool and uniform reserve greatly surpassed that of the declaration and of hearing herself addressed by her Christian name. Before she could collect herself enough to request clarification, Mr Darcy spoke again, still prey to the greatest agitation.

“I know this is wretched timing, but it must be said. I would have found a way of speaking to you this evening, were it not for–… I should have spoken days, weeks ago. No matter!”

His right hand cut through the air as he abruptly put an end to his second rant – more words than she had heard him speak in hours. And then his hand found hers, as did the other, to clasp them both between their chests, brought close again with one determined step.

A new great blog tour premieres today at My Jane Austen Book Club. I'm really glad to welcome back Joana Starne as

“For all the poor timing, you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you, Elizabeth. Marry me. As soon as it can be arranged. If we are wed before–… That is, if the worst should happen…” He broke off again and released one of her hands to nervously run his fingers through his hair. “Damnation! How can this be said? I hate giving you pain in the midst of my proposal, but if we were to marry before you have to go into mourning, then you would not be left unprotected for goodness knows how long and I would have the right to keep Collins at bay. He might still stake his claims as soon as he could, the wretched scoundrel, but you would not be at the mercy of strangers before I am allowed to ensure your welfare. Can you see my meaning and not judge me for importuning you at such a trying time?” (Mr Bennet’s Dutiful Daughter – Chapter 1)

The premise of my latest Pride and Prejudice variation is that out of duty to her family, Elizabeth accepts him. And, once the ever-resourceful Mr Darcy had procured the special licence in record time, they are married in Longbourn Church. Thoughtful, considerate and very much in love despite his overbearing manner, Mr Darcy asks Mr Bingley to transfer the lease of Netherfield to him, and the newlyweds settle there at first, so that Elizabeth could be near her father while his condition is uncertain.

Pride and Prejudice 1995 - BBC photo

The wedding breakfast at the nearby Red Lion was a blur as well. Smiles. Words, too many. Words of surprise, good wishes – some genuine, others barely concealing envy. Plates of food brought to her, which she could not touch. A small glass of wine she could not touch either. And all the while, Mr Darcy’s gloved hand in the small of her back. Protectively? Possessively? She could not tell which, but it was always there.

Still there when he bade adieu to the small party gathered at the door to see them off. She weakly echoed some of his words of thanks to their well-wishers and then she was escorted to the carriage – handed in – more smiles, waves, and they were on their way. To Netherfield. To start their married life there, together. (Mr Bennet’s Dutiful Daughter – Chapter 6)

In some ways, I think this is to their advantage. Netherfield is neutral ground and in surroundings comfortably familiar to Elizabeth. She can begin to adjust to the changes in her life without the added burden of scrutiny and coldness from new acquaintances and new servants, as would have been the case at Pemberley or the Darcy townhouse. They can start to learn how to live together without hurtful or mortifying interference from his family or hers (well, not much of it anyway).

So please picture them at the Netherfield of your choice.

There is not much I can tell you about Netherfield 1995 (Edgcote Hall, near Banbury, in Oxfordshire). It is still a private home, as it was at the time of the filming. All I know is that it lies quiet and undisturbed in exquisitely peaceful countryside, far from traffic and the madding crowd..

And now, over 20 years later, only the die-hard fanatics still travel down the narrow track for a glimpse of its tranquil beauty HERE.

By comparison, Netherfield 2005 is on a far more beaten track. Known as Basildon Park in real life, Netherfield 2005 is a National Trust property that has featured in many other period dramas over the years, most recently in Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and Downton Abbey.

Sometimes the life of a house is as full of twists and turns as an angsty novel that follows a beleaguered heroine from riches to rags and back again. Basildon Park in Berkshire has such an adventurous history. An eminently Regency house, it was built in the late 1700s for Sir Francis Sykes, an East India Company nabob. It changed hands many times in the following centuries. One of its owners was another Sir Francis, a gentleman with a fondness for gambling, who fought a duel over seducing an officer’s wife, yet died not on the field of honour but of smallpox in Germany, where he had fled to escape his creditors. In late Georgian times it was purchased by a most successful businessman and Liberal MP, James Morrison, a man of excellent taste and a discerning art collector who filled Basildon with pictorial gems.

In the 20^th century its fate was not rosy at all. It was in turn purchased for development, used as an army convalescent home in WWI and then requisitioned in WWII, when British and American troops practised tank warfare in the grounds and completed training for D-Day. Afterwards it was used as a base for officers in charge of prisoners of war billeted in the huts in the woods, and then for housing the workers constructing a nuclear research facility nearby. It might have sunk into further and further decline after that, but fortunately for Basildon Park, it was purchased and rescued by Lord and Lady Iliffe, who spent many years lovingly bringing an all-but-wrecked shell back to its former beauty and glory.

To fans of Pride & Prejudice 2005, Basildon Park is Netherfield, with its warm Bath stone glowing in the sunlight, and the gravelled drive where Mr Darcy helped Lizzy into the carriage, then his fingers clenched and unclenched into that adorable ‘O – M – G, I held herhand!’ 

There is the beautiful ballroom where they danced as though alone in the world; the room where Lizzy was shown in when she came to look after her sister; the octagon room, where Miss Bingley lorded over everyone.

Pride and Prejudice 2005

In Mr Bennet’s Dutiful Daughter Miss Bingley is nowhere near Netherfield when the newlyweds come to settle there, and in their different ways both Mr and Mrs Darcy are rather pleased about it:

The sweeping stone staircase once negotiated, they walked through the door still held open by the footman, into a vast and empty entrance hall that compounded the general air of a house barely readied for habitation. Even more so when the footman promptly left them with a deep bow, his steps echoing ominously in the otherwise very silent hall. It had been very different the last time Elizabeth had set foot in there in November for the Netherfield ball. There had been bustle then, crowds of people, voices. Countless voices mingling with strains of music. And just there, on that very spot, Miss Bingley had stood in the receiving line alongside her equally supercilious sister, to welcome their brother’s guests arriving for the ball. The thought of Miss Bingley made Elizabeth burst into an ill-timed and very nervous giggle. And since she was looking at anything in the room but him, she failed to notice that her new husband’s fairly tense countenance lightened considerably at the sound.

“What amuses you so?” he quietly asked, drawing Elizabeth’s full attention.

It was probably unseemly to share her thoughts, but difficult not to, now that he had heard her giggling to herself like a mad thing, Elizabeth mused, so she daringly owned, “I was thinking of what Miss Bingley might say if she were here now.”

A smile overspread his countenance. “I am deeply relieved she is not. Thrilled that you are,” he replied slowly, deliberately. (Mr Bennet’s Dutiful Daughter – Chapter 6)

Poor Miss Bingley! Predictably, no one wants her around, least of all Mr Darcy on his honeymoon. I hope you’ll find the Darcys had a promising start. If you would like to see what happens next, please leave a comment for a chance to win a Kindle copy – the giveaway is available internationally.

Many thanks again, Maria Grazia, for having me as your guest today, it’s always such a pleasure to visit ‘My Jane Austen Book Club’!

Joana Starnes

About the Book

When Colonel Fitzwilliam’s disclosures are interrupted by the bearer of distressing news from Longbourn, Miss Elizabeth Bennet is compelled to consider an offer she would have otherwise dismissed out of hand. An offer of marriage from the all-too-proud Mr Darcy.

Yet how is she to live with a husband she hardly knows and does not love? Would she be trapped in a marriage of convenience while events conspire to divide them? Or would love grow as, day by day and hour after hour, she learns to understand the man she married, before she loses his trust and his heart?

About the Author

Joana Starnes lives in the south of England with her family. A medical graduate, in more recent years she has developed an unrelated but enduring fascination with Georgian Britain in general and the works of Jane Austen in particular, as well as with the remarkable and flamboyant set of people who have given the Regency Period its charm and sparkle.

Joana Starnes is the author of:

* 'From This Day Forward ~ The Darcys of Pemberley', a 'Pride & Prejudice' sequel
* 'The Subsequent Proposal ~ A Tale of Pride, Prejudice & Persuasion'
* 'The Second Chance', a 'Pride & Prejudice' ~ 'Sense & Sensibility' variation
* 'The Falmouth Connection', a 'Pride & Prejudice' variation where Jane Austen's beloved characters are compelled to leave their tame and reasonably peaceful lives in the south of England and travel to the far reaches of Cornwall, into a world of deceit and peril, where few - if any! - are what they seem to be...
* 'The Unthinkable Triangle', a 'Pride & Prejudice' variation that dwells on the most uncomfortable love-triangle of them all. What if Mr. Darcy's rival for Miss Bennet's hand and heart is none other than his dearest, closest friend? And how can they all find their 'happily-ever-after'?
*'Miss Darcy's Companion' - a variation that explores what might have happened if the warm-hearted Miss Elizabeth Bennet were employed instead of the scheming Mrs Younge.

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Mr Bennet's Dutiful Daughter Blog Tour continues as follows:

November 18/ Pemberley to Milton/Book Review & Giveaway

November 19/ Obsessed with Mr. Darcy/ Book Review & Giveaway

November 20/ A Covent Garden Madame Gilflurt's Guide to Life/Guest Post & Giveaway

November 21/ Margie's Must Reads/ Book Review & Giveaway

November 22/ Babblings of a Bookworm/ Book Review & Giveaway

November 23/ Diary of an Eccentric/Book Review & Giveaway

November 24/ Happy Thanksgiving

November 25/ So Little Time... So Much to Read/ Excerpt & Giveaway

November 26/ Just Jane 1813/Interview with Joana Starnes & Giveaway

November 2 / My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice/ Guest Post & Giveaway

November 28/ More Agreeably Engaged/ Vignette & Giveaway 

December 1/ My Vices and Weaknesses/ Book Review & Giveaway

December 2/ Austenesque Reviews/ Excerpt & Giveaway