MURDER, MISCHIEF AND MR. DARCY: JAYNE BAMBER’S CLWYD CASTLE

 

Hello dear readers,

We’re thrilled to welcome back Jayne Bamber to My Jane Austen Book Club! Jayne is well known for her clever and creative Austen-inspired stories, and this autumn she’s bringing us something delightfully different — a whodunnit with a Jane Austen twist!

Just in time for Spooky Season, Jayne introduces her upcoming release, Clwyd Castle, a mystery inspired by the cult classic film Clue. Expect wit, intrigue, and a gathering of familiar Austen faces — including Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, Henry Tilney, and even Lady Susan — all drawn into a darkly comic web of secrets and blackmail.

Let’s hear from Jayne herself and enjoy an exclusive excerpt from this thrilling new tale...

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is having a wonderful autumn so far – I am here to make Spooky Season a little spookier with my upcoming release, “Clwyd Castle.”

Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, and a horde of other Austen characters find themselves inveigled in a whodunnit inspired by the cult classic film, Clue!

A dozen guests are invited to Clwyd Castle (pronounced “clue-id”) by Henry Tilney, who uses the alias “Mr. Butler” to assemble the group of people being blackmailed by his father. But of course, his plans go awry almost immediately, as you will see in the excerpt I am sharing today…. 

JAYNE BAMBER

Excerpt

 Mr. Tilney stood and called his guests to attention. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you all must feel some trepidation in accepting my invitation, despite the inducements promised. Some of you may have heard that I expected three additional guests to arrive tomorrow - my father the general, and Princess Elizabeth and Prince Edward. I have just received word from the royals that they shall be delayed a day or two, though my father is still expected tomorrow afternoon. As you may imagine, this presents some difficulty for me in delivering what was promised to you.”

The older man Elizabeth believed was called Sir Walter ceased flirting with the young lady at his side and set his fork down heavily. “You mean that General Tilney is coming here, and the royals are not?”

“As I said, they shall be delayed. It is not ideal, but….”

“But the general will surely suspect aught amiss with your choice of guests,” the young Mrs. Rushworth cried. 

“Are we to hide in our rooms until the royals serve out justice,” the alluring woman in red scoffed. “Or have you tricked us?”

Miss Morland looked imploringly at Mr. Tilney. “Whatever can they mean?”

Elizabeth had finally had enough of all the mystery. “You might as well speak plainly, Mr. Tilney, for those of us who have no idea to what you refer.” 

Mr. Tilney nodded. “There is no trick. You have all been summoned here because my father, who has worked for many years as a spy master for the Crown, has occupied himself most deviously in collecting not only state secrets, but malicious and damning information of a more personal nature, and has exploited it for his own gain. As I wrote to you all in the letters I sent last month, I mean to expose him for his many crimes against the Crown. Now that I am no longer dependent on my father, I am at liberty to put an end to his extortion. I have always meant to do so, since learning of his abuses, which go far beyond what you may realize. Of course, it will not do for him to arrive and discover a dozen of his victims all assembled before we can expose him to the prince and princess, and be sure of his silence when he is brought to justice. I believe a great many of you have not deserved to pay the steep price of his discretion, and I am sure that my royal guests will agree, when they finally arrive.”

“And what are we to do until then,” demanded Sir Edward, and Elizabeth’s heart sank. Her uncle was being blackmailed, and she was sure that it had something to do with her presence here. 

“Lady Susan may have had a fine notion, in suggesting you keep to your rooms tomorrow,” Mr. Tilney said with a sigh. “I shall speak to him when he arrives, and get rid of him somehow. I shall send him to Northanger to retrieve my sister, perhaps; that will buy us a few days.” 

“And in the meantime? I did not leave Bath to socialize with strangers of dubious quality in some remote backwater,” Sir Walter whined. 

“You seem to be enjoying yourself as much as ever,” Lady Susan chided him. “Cannot your pursuit of a bride to give you a son wait a few days?”

The young lady who sat beside Sir Walter looked alarmed, and scooted her chair a little nearer to Miss Woodhouse, who sneered at the gentleman. 

“You just be a great coxcomb, sir, to invite us all together like this,” Mr. Rushworth cried. “General Tilney is not a man to be trifled with, and I do not like it!”

Mr. Tilney inclined his head? Looking rather crestfallen. “I am sorry to hear it. I had imagined a different outcome, as I said. I had thought the evening would prove one of celebration, in ending my father’s vicious hold over you all.”

Mrs. Rushworth wrinkled her nose with disdain. “And instead we are to dine amongst strangers who all know us to be hiding some great secret, and who all have scandalous secrets of their own. I am not in the habit of dining in such company.”

“Are you not?” Lady Susan gave a wolfish grin and waggled her brows. “I reside chiefly in London, and move amongst the first circles. All the best people are hiding something, I assure you.”

Beside her, Sir Walter leered. “And some of us are not hiding their secrets especially well; they prefer their notoriety.”

The lady grinned at him. “If only my notoriety were enough to deter the attentions of the desperate.”

“Well, I think it is mad,” Mr. Rushworth insisted. “I was raised to be mindful of the company I keep. Mother would not approve.”

“You are welcome to depart, if it makes you uneasy,” Mr. Tilney said. “Take rooms at an inn, if you like, and I can send for you when the general is gone, and the royals have arrived.”

Mrs. Rushworth gave a sideward glance at the man beside her, and shook her head. “We will remain, so long as you are good as your word, sir. You have already deceived us with your false name.”

“I must hope to make amends by granting you what I am sure you have long desired… independence from my father’s machinations,” Mr. Tilney said smoothly. “When the royals are finished with him, you need not live in fear of his blackmail any longer. In the meanwhile, you may take solace in the company of others who understand what you have endured.”

Elizabeth looked over at Mr. Darcy. He gazed about the table with an expression equal measures guilty and suspicious, and somehow this was the most ominous moment of the evening. 

What Happens Next?

Intrigued? We certainly are! Jayne’s Clwyd Castle promises sharp dialogue, atmospheric tension, and a fascinating mash-up of Austen’s beloved characters in a fresh, suspenseful setting.

Stay tuned for more from Jayne Bamber as we count down to her book’s release — and don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments below! Which Austen character would you trust at a mysterious country house party? 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy are trapped in a castle with twenty other Austen characters… and the bodies are starting to pile up….

 Elizabeth Bennet is asked to accompany Sir Edward Gardiner on a journey to Wales, though he has been vague in explaining their purpose. When she arrives at Clwyd Castle, she meets new friends and an old nemesis, as well as many new companions just as secretive as Sir Edward.

When their charming host announces his plan to free his guests from the burden of blackmail at his father’s hands, good intentions quickly lead to an increasingly grim situation - and then the murders begin.

Elizabeth must decide who to trust, and Mr. Darcy quickly proves to be amongst the few people she can rely on when the castle is locked down and the murderer strikes again. And again.

Alliances form and allegiances are tested, and Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, and those they trust are forced to take matters into their own hands, putting their lives at risk to expose the truth in the nick of time.

Check it at Amazon