A DUTIFUL SON BLOG TOUR: MESSAGE FROM AUTHOR KELLY MILLER, EXCERPT, GIVEAWAY

Thank you so much for having me today, Maria Grazia! I am excited to begin my blog tour for “A Dutiful Son,” my Regency “Pride & Prejudice” variation! This excerpt is from Chapter 1 and is in Fitzwilliam Darcy’s point of view. It takes place at the Meryton assembly, where he will have his first encounter with the Bennets. The opening words are from Mr. Bingley.

Kelly Miller

 EXCERPT

“Excuse me, Sir William.” Bingley touched the older man’s arm, his attention focused on a sight across the room. “I wonder whether we might make the acquaintance of the lady standing near the musicians with her two daughters.” 

“By all means, sir. The lady in question is Mrs. Bennet. I believe you have already met Mr. Bennet, who owns Longbourn estate.”

“Oh yes, he is a most learned gentleman.”

“That he is.” Sir William’s gaze drifted towards Darcy. “The Bennets are a leading family in the neighbourhood. Their estate borders Netherfield Park to the south. The Bennet sisters are renowned for their beauty.”

 Such statements often proved to be exaggerations. He studied the two Miss Bennets with a critical eye. The taller one stood out as a classic ethereal beauty with flaxen hair, even features, and a flawless figure. No doubt she had drawn Bingley’s notice; his friend favoured blonde ladies.

 The shorter sister could not have been more different. Her thick mane of dark curly hair defied the attempt made to contain it within a neat arrangement: tiny wisps hung loose in several places and entire locks seemed poised to escape their pins at the slightest provocation. Darcy deemed her aspect unremarkable and inferior to that of her blonde sister.

 Then they drew nearer, and her sparkling eyes flared, striking him with the notion they provided a portal to unusual intellect and rendering his first assessment as faulty. Her irises appeared green one moment and brownish-yellow the next depending upon how the flickering candlelight illuminated them. When those magnetic orbs held him in their focus, his respiration floundered.

 A ridiculous fancy bedevilled him that she possessed a view into his soul. Her inexplicable allure drew his notice in a compelling and novel way. It demanded conscious effort to redirect his gaze.

 Moments before they reached the trio, the matron made asides to her two daughters, inducing the blonde lady to blush and the dark-haired one to bow her head.

 After performing the introductions—which revealed the younger Miss Bennet’s given name as Elizabeth—Sir William left to answer the call of an acquaintance.

 “Gentlemen, you are certain to enjoy yourselves tonight.” Mrs. Bennet raised her hands to rest them on her daughters’ shoulders. “As you can see, we have no shortage of pretty ladies here.” The shrill tenor of her voice prompted Darcy to frown.

 Bingley’s smile, however, did not dim. “Yes, ma’am, I observe an abundance of beauty in the room.”

 The two Miss Bennets averted their gazes, their carriages taut.

 “My other three daughters are over there.” Mrs. Bennet pointed across the room. “My youngest, Miss Lydia and Miss Kitty—the dark-haired, pretty ones—are standing with the two gentlemen and Miss Maria Lucas.” Her mouth edged downwards. “Miss Maria is the thin, mousy one with sallow hair. And seated near them against the wall is my daughter Miss Mary.”

 The loudest voices in the room came from the two youngest Bennet sisters, who held coquettish postures and appeared to be no older than sixteen. The pair burst out in raucous laughter several times and stood closer to the gentlemen than could be called proper. Why did the girls’ father allow this? In contrast, Miss Mary, the bespectacled brown-haired sister, sat alone, sporting a grimace.

 His friend shifted towards the blonde sister. “Miss Bennet, if you are not otherwise engaged, may I have the pleasure of dancing the second set with you?”

 “Yes, sir, I am pleased to accept.” Miss Bennet’s soft-spoken response widened Bingley’s grin.

 Mrs. Bennet directed a fulsome smile his way. “Mr. Darcy, I hope you intend to dance tonight.” She took Miss Bennet’s arm, urging her towards him. “I do not believe there is a ballroom in London that can boast of a lady fairer than my Jane.”

 The blonde Miss Bennet’s bearing shrank, and Miss Elizabeth released a muted sigh.

 “Yes, I have every intention of dancing.” He regarded the raven-haired sister. “Miss Elizabeth, would you be free to dance the third set with me?” Her sight lifted towards him, and his breath hitched.

“Yes, I thank you.”

Miss Elizabeth’s dulcet voice encouraged him to smile—an urge he suppressed with some effort. With growing eagerness to create space from her in order to regain his composure, he excused himself and strode away.

Unlike those who spoke to strangers with facility, he required significant effort to converse with new acquaintances—an exercise best accomplished in short spurts. A few backward glances revealed that Bingley continued to engage Miss Bennet in conversation whilst Mrs. Bennet observed them with a smug expression. Miss Elizabeth parted from them to sit beside Miss Mary Bennet.

About the Book

What will Fitzwilliam Darcy do when his beloved father stands between him and happiness?

Darcy has always emulated his wise and honourable father, George Darcy. But following a sinister act of betrayal by a former family friend, his father rejects his most benevolent principles.

When Georgiana forms a friendship with Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy convinces his father to allow the association to continue. However, Elizabeth soon presents a thorny problem: she entices Darcy as no other lady has before, and with his father’s current outlook, he would not approve of her as a daughter-in-law.

Still, Darcy’s problem may resolve in time: his father, after getting to know Elizabeth, is certain to recognise her many admirable qualities and change his mind. But what if he does not?

In this Pride & Prejudice Regency variation, Fitzwilliam Darcy is caught between the influences of love and duty. Which of these will wield the greatest power?

About the Author

Award-winning author Kelly Miller is a native Californian and Anglophile, who made her first visit to England in 2019. When not pondering a plot point or a turn of phrase, she can be found playing the piano, singing, or walking her dogs. Kelly Miller resides in Silicon Valley with her husband, daughter, and their pets.

Kelly’s blog page is found at www.kellymiller.merytonpress.com, her Twitter handle is @kellyrei007, Instagram: kelly.miller.author, TikTok: @kellymillerauthor, and she is on Facebook: www.facebook.Author.Kelly.Miller

 Contact Info

Kelly’s blog page is found at www.kellymiller.merytonpress.com, her Twitter handle is @kellyrei007, Instagram: kelly.miller.author, TikTok: @kellymillerauthor, and she is on Facebook: www.facebook.Author.Kelly.Miller

 

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