Dear Janeites,
Prepare yourselves for a new journey into the heart of Regency England with MJ Stratton's latest release, Thwarted. If you’ve ever wondered what might happen if Mr. Darcy faced an insurmountable obstacle in his pursuit of love, this novel is sure to delight and intrigue you.
MJ Stratton, a devoted aficionado of all things Austen, brings us a fresh and imaginative tale that seamlessly intertwines the beloved world of Pride and Prejudice with a tantalizing new twist.
Introduced to Austen’s works at the age of sixteen, MJ's passion for Austenesque fiction blossomed, leading her from a decade of beta reading and editing to the publication of her own works starting in 2022. Balancing the roles of wife, mother, and writer, MJ Stratton crafts her stories from a small, picturesque town that has been her lifelong home.
About the Book: Thwarted
In this enchanting new novel, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is haunted by an unusual predicament. Each time he expresses interest in a lady, disaster strikes, leading society to label him as cursed and unmarriageable. With his reputation in tatters and no clear path to happiness, Darcy must uncover the identity of his mysterious adversary before he can hope to find true love.
Arriving in Meryton with his spirits low, Darcy’s path crosses with that of a captivating local beauty, Elizabeth Bennet. Determined to keep their burgeoning relationship a secret to protect Elizabeth from his rumored curse, Darcy takes great pains to disguise his true affections. However, when a familiar foe reappears in Meryton, Darcy’s efforts to shield his love become increasingly desperate. Will he ever be free to love Elizabeth openly, or is their romance destined to remain hidden?
Exclusive Excerpt
To whet your appetite for this thrilling narrative, we present an excerpt from Chapter 2, where Darcy’s confidant, Colonel Fitzwilliam, learns of the bizarre events surrounding Darcy's ill-fated courtships. In London, amidst a swirl of gossip and speculation, Darcy's struggle becomes poignantly clear, setting the stage for a tale rich with mystery and emotion. Happy reading!
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November
1810
London
Darcy
“Tell me, Darcy,” his cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, said, pulling up a chair. “What has you in such a dither? Your scowl could ward off Napoleon’s armies!”
“I hardly know where to begin,” Darcy
replied. “The events of today have puzzled me exceedingly.” Darcy told his
cousin everything that had occurred from the moment the butler turned him away
from the Smith’s door to the information his valet had imparted.
“I
have suspected for some time that something had occurred to cause Miss Smith to
cool her affections, so I suppose I am not overly surprised at her sudden
removal from town. More puzzling are the actions of those I encountered in the
park. I can never leave my townhouse without being inundated with greetings and
excessive bowing or scraping, but never dismissed or completely ignored. Today,
however, people treated with dismissal or completely ignored.”
The colonel’s reply was sarcastic. “You are
one to be pitied. Poor Fitzwilliam Darcy! Heaven forfend that you should not be
given what is your due.”
“That is not fair!” Darcy cried. “I am only
remarking on the very great difference in the manner of people that I
encountered today.”
“What is it you wish from me?”
“I wish to understand if I am being blamed
for Miss Smith’s disgrace. I wish to know if my honor is being called into
question.” Darcy sighed and ran a hand over his face wearily.
“Yes, the great Darcy honor,”
Richard teased. “Very well, cousin, I shall make my inquiries, and I shall do
it with the utmost discretion.”
“Consider using your Batman,” Darcy
suggested. “People may be slow to confide in you, given our relationship.”
The colonel waved his hand in
acknowledgment. “Yes, yes, I will see it done. Never fear, Cousin! Your honor
and good name are safe with me.”
Darcy thanked his cousin profusely, and
Richard promised to return on the morrow with any relevant information he
discovered. “I would suggest you remain here tonight, old chap,” he said upon
parting. “No need to stir up the hornet’s nest any more than necessary.”
Darcy agreed; he had no prior engagement,
anyway. He would spend the evening perusing a book or two or answering his
sister’s latest letter. Miss Georgiana Darcy was at a seminary here in town,
and her latest missive was certain to contain more pleadings for her brother to
remove her from the place.
~
Richard returned the next day just after
breakfast, his face grim as he imparted his findings to his cousin.
“I attended a soiree with my mother last
night, coincidentally hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Upton, whom you met in the park
yesterday. Your name was on the lips of every matron there! It would seem,
cousin, that you are cursed.”
“What
do you mean, cursed?” Darcy spluttered as his cousin finished speaking.
“The society matrons have declared you
unmarriageable and have vowed to keep their daughters away from you. Even the
lure of Pemberley and ‘ten thousand a year’ will not convince them otherwise.
They say that every lady you show even the slightest hint of favor ends up
ruined, hurt, or hurriedly married.”
Darcy sighed and ran a hand over his face.
They were not wrong. He had come to the same conclusion last night. Over a
glass of port and a good book, he realized that every time he attempted to
court a lady, it ended badly.
“Is there any truth to what they say?”
Richard pressed.
“There is some,” Darcy confirmed. “The
first was Miss Anne Tomlinson, back in 1806. I danced with her a few times and took
her for a ride in his curricle. I knew I was not the only one pursuing her
hand, but I was the wealthiest and thought I had a fair chance.”
Darcy’s eyes grew blurry with his
recollections, so fresh on his mind after his epiphany the night before.
His godmother, Lady Adelia Newton,
had recommended Miss Anne Tomlinson to his notice. Miss Tomlinson was a
handsome, tall, and thin lady with black hair and green eyes and considered the
Incomparable that season. More than one young buck was eager to win her heart
and her hand. Darcy had only just returned to town after his father’s death,
and he knew he had an advantage. Most of the other suitors had not yet
inherited, thus the attraction of a man who had already come into his
inheritance was superior.
Amidst parties, balls, and soirees, Darcy
had tried to know Miss Tomlinson and to turn her favor toward him. He thought
he was succeeding, since she responded favorably to his overtures. One
particular afternoon stood out in his mind. They had taken his curricle to Hyde
Park, and Miss Tomlinson had quietly confided that her greatest wish was to be loved
and to love in return and that she believed she had finally found what she
sought. Darcy had believed that she meant him,
but the news that came just weeks later had shattered that illusion.
“Then?”
Richard pressed.
He returned his attention to his cousin.
“Then, before I could approach her father, he whisked her away to the country
and quietly wed to a moderately wealthy squire. She had a child less than eight
months later.” That had been a blow. Darcy wondered if the squire was the
father of her child, but he doubted it. The entire affair had been far too
patched up for such to be the case.
“Tell me more,” Richard encouraged.
“In 1807, it was Miss Jane Robertson,”
Darcy continued. “Do you remember her? Daughter of a baronet with a healthy
dowry. She had dark hair and eyes and a tall and willowy figure.” Yes, Miss
Robertson had been an attractive prospect, indeed. She was her father’s heir
and brought with her an estate, along with thirty thousand pounds for her
dowry. The property was in Herefordshire and was a prosperous piece of land,
bringing in five thousand pounds a year. It would have been ideal for a younger
son.
“Yes, I recall,” Richard replied when Darcy
did not immediately continue.
He sighed. “It was a similar story. We
danced, we laughed together, and I called often. After a month of courtship,
she dismissed her other suitors, and I believed myself to be her choice. Then,
the unthinkable happened—before I could approach her father, she broke her leg
after a horse threw her. The family was so distressed by her accident that they
barred visitors from the house. I believe they feared for her life, for if she
had died, then the estate would have gone to a distant cousin, whom I
understood to be dissolute and debauched. I inquired daily, and after a few
weeks, they stopped accepting my calls, such was their anxiety for their
daughter. By the time Miss Robertson was well enough for visitors, I had
returned to Pemberley for the summer. When we met again, she was engaged to an
earl from her mother’s home shire.”
Darcy leaned back and folded his arms,
regarding Richard solemnly. “Rumors at the time claimed that someone had
purposely spooked her horse, though no one ever proved it. Apparently, when she
came to after being knocked unconscious by the fall, she said she saw a man in
the bushes throw a stone at her. I have heard that, to this day, she refuses to
ride.”
“After that, there was Miss Victoria
Simmons. We were friendly enough, and I considered courting her after we
engaged in a few stimulating conversations. Likewise, she favored my company,
and we tried to attend the same events so that we could further our
acquaintance. Tragedy struck one evening when we were at a private ball. She
favored me with the supper set and was my dinner partner that evening. I
remember trying the white soup and commenting on its flavor when I noted her
exceedingly pale complexion. Miss Simmons hurried away from the table with her
mother close on her heels. I heard from servants that she was violently ill
from something she ate that night and nearly died. They took her off to the
country to recover. Since there was no official courtship, our budding romance
fell to pieces. The last I heard, she married the owner of a neighboring
estate.”
Darcy paused for a
moment to take a drink from his glass before continuing. “After Miss Simmons, I
called on Lady Amelia Covington. You knew her, of course. The daughter of an
earl, and though older than I, she was well-regarded, refined, and eminently
suitable for the position of Mistress of Pemberley. I called on her twice and
accompanied her once to the theater. Her behavior was scrupulously proper, or
so I thought, but… she went the same way as Miss Tomlinson.”
“I remember,” Richard murmured. “My mother
was Lady Amelia’s godmother. Her family took her to Scotland to have the child.
When the earl discovered her condition and rumors circulated, the lady’s
reputation was ruined. She died in childbirth, the babe along with her. Mother
tells me the family has never returned to town. They did not implicate you as
the cause of their misery, though.”
Darcy scoffed. “I should imagine not! Our
acquaintance was not of enough duration to even be called a courtship.” He
sighed. “I tried to court a few other ladies, but by the time Lady Amelia’s
fate became known, I doubted my judgment regarding women. The families of these
ladies have all absolved me of any nefariousness, but the ton has been slow to
forget their downfall. I stopped trying to court anyone in 1808. It was only
this year that I resolved to try again. Alas, once again, I was thwarted.”
Darcy took a long drink from his glass.
“Now, to my most recent attempt. At the end of the summer, I courted Miss
Martha Smith. She is the daughter of a simple but wealthy country gentleman and
is two and twenty years of age. Miss Smith is well-read, handsome, and
well-dowered. I knew once again that I was not the only man pursuing her hand,
but she dismissed all others. We got along famously, and I called on her in
earnest after knowing her for a month. Mr. Smith was amenable to my efforts and
encouraged me to make the entire matter official. I agreed, but yesterday,
when, as I have said, I went to her house to speak with her father, their
butler informed me that the entire family had left for their estate with no
plans to return until next year.” Darcy paused, hesitating before he plowed on.
“What I have not told you is that my valet poked around a little and discovered
that Miss Smith’s maid says she is with child.”
“Not your child, surely?” Richard said
incredulously.
“No, indeed!” Darcy snapped. “I would
never.”
“The rumors about town say nothing of the
sort,” Richard mused. “The general word at present is that people believe you
must be cursed because any lady in whom you show interest meets some calamity.
They say it is because you are already bound to our cousin.”
“Anne and I are not engaged,” Darcy
insisted. “Nor do I have any intention of offering for her! If I find out that
these rumors result from Lady Catherine’s absurd ramblings, I shall never speak
to her again.”
“Lady Catherine’s hopes and wishes have not
been a secret these many years,” Richard said knowingly. “Ever since your
father passed away, she has spoken openly of the supposed cradle engagement to
all her friends.”
“Of that, I am well aware. It changes
nothing,” Darcy said firmly. “I will not marry Anne. She and I will not suit,
and I refuse to be pressed into an unwanted union.”
“I know that, and you know that,” Richard
said, “but until you are no longer available for the taking, Aunt Catherine
will persist.”
Richard regarded him solemnly. “The
question you must consider is, where will you go to find a bride? Only the most
desperate ladies of the ton and their mamas and papas will try to secure
you now, and you will not find a good wife from among them.”
“I suppose I shall have to look further
abroad,” Darcy mused. “A country gentleman’s daughter will do nicely.”
“You have already tried that,” Richard
reminded him. “Miss Smith is just such a woman. What if none will have you? I
suppose you could search for the wealthy daughter of a tradesman.”
“I am not yet so desperate,” Darcy snapped.
“Are the shades of Pemberley to be so polluted? I may not be able to wed an
heiress, but that does not preclude gentry who may not be well-dowered.”
“Careful now, Cousin, you begin to sound
like Aunt Catherine,” Richard cautioned. “May I suggest you collect Georgiana
from school and return to Pemberley until after the spring planting? Then you
could go to the seashore for a few months. Avoid the season next year, and
perhaps the rumors will cool.”
“Very well,” Darcy agreed. “I shall prepare
to travel directly, lest we find ourselves trapped and unable to make it to
Pemberley before winter sets in.”
“Unfortunately, I shall be out of the
country until next summer, or else I should join you. My regiment is to the
continent for a few months. We will not be in the path of any fighting, I am
told.”
“Thank heaven for that,” Darcy murmured.
“Godspeed, then.”
“I thank you,” Richard replied. “I shall
ask Mother to keep her ears open for any other unsavory rumors while you are
gone from town.”
“Yes, that would be wise,” Darcy agreed.
The two cousins parted ways, and Darcy
summoned his valet to begin packing.
Enter Our Exclusive Giveaway Contest
We are thrilled to offer you a chance to win a copy of Thwarted by MJ Stratton! To celebrate the release of her new Austenesque novel, MJ's hosting a special giveaway. Don’t miss the opportunity to add this delightful book to your collection. Enter now for your chance to win and follow Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth in their intriguing new adventure. Click on the link below and good luck!
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