Book release celebration – A Respectable Gentleman

It’s Tuesday! It’s also October 6th! Those dates have a couple of meanings. One of which is that A Respectable Gentleman is released today! I am posting one more teaser chapter for those of you who are on the fence. This is not a small book. It’s 50 chapters and 426 pages of Darcy and Elizabeth, depending upon whether you read an ebook/Kindle or a paperback. I have both for you.

Firstly, if you haven’t purchased your copy, click here!

Now, onto that last chapter! Don’t forget to comment after to win one of five ebook/Kindle copies of A Respectable Gentleman that I’m giving away!

Chapter 4

Wednesday (March 18^th)

“A tedious way to spend an evening, do you not think?” said Caroline Bingley, who stood at Fitzwilliam’s side. “Your aunt and uncle have been watching you all night, and your aunt does not appear best pleased. If you do not want to incite their ire, you will need to stand up with a lady and soon.”

“I have no desire to do so. Your brother has danced every set and has been shamelessly flirting with every lady he meets. I would not behave as he does for a king’s ransom.” He had become friends with Caroline through his marriage to Anne. Over the past couple of years, she had become the one person who knew him best.

Meanwhile, her brother, Charles Bingley, was not one he would call friend. That man had not changed one bit since they first met, always in pursuit of some lady or tradesman’s daughter—not that Bingley had any intention of marrying them. He was a rake of the first order. If Fitzwilliam had not had Caroline as a confidante, the connexion would have been severed the moment the first introduction had been made.

Caroline gave a slight laugh. “The young lady he is dancing with now does not seem happy to be partnered with him. Perhaps she has a modicum of sense; as opposed to most of the other ladies in attendance.” She sniffed with a pinched expression at a young lady as she passed. The girl had bent forward a little in his direction, a shameless attempt to flaunt her bosom and garner his attention.

He squinted to find Bingley on the dance floor, then startled at the lady now taking a turn with him. “I know her. Rather, I became acquainted with her last week. George introduced himself to her in Hyde Park, and the insufferable woman refused to tell me the contents of their conversation.”

Caroline frowned and looked at him. “Why would the subject of their discourse hold such fascination for you?”

“She said George smiled. He smiled.” He lifted his eyebrows when he repeated the statement. “When was the last time you saw him smile? I have to know if he told her something important.”

His friend sighed and fingered the gemstone pendant at the base of her throat. “I doubt he shared any matter of importance. He likely saw a pretty girl and wanted to try his hand at flirting. He is at that age.”

“Yes, I remember it well.”

Two ladies passed. One whispered to the other, and they both tittered. It was all he could do not to release a guttural exhale. This was the worst evening he had spent in a long time.

“Do you wish to dance?”

She gave a slight bark of a laugh. “God, no. We are already gossiped about more than is proper. Besides, Charles presses for me to pursue you, and since I have refused his entreaties on that matter, he would never forgive me if I do not appear to be seeking out a husband. I would rather eat shards of glass, but I cannot remain here conversing with you, even if I should prefer it over the alternative.”

“Why do you not ask him to release your fortune so you may set up a small household for yourself?”

“He would never allow it.” She pivoted to face him. “I am worried, Darcy. I have reason to believe he is using my fortune to fund his spending. What am I to do if that is true?” The last was said in an urgent whisper.

Unfortunately, her suspicions sounded just like something Bingley would do. “If he squanders everything, you know I will assist you.”

She covered her face for a moment before letting her hands drop. “Everyone will assume I am your mistress.”

He shrugged. “I wed Anne without love. If you were to wed me, at least we are friends. Our marriage would also solve my problem with my uncle. We also would not be required to be so circumspect with our conversations.” Thankfully, her maid did not tell tales and enjoyed riding, so they could ride together without people suspecting more of the situation.

She shook her head. “No, you deserve to marry a pretty young lady who loves you and whom you love in return.”

He scoffed. “You know I have no interest in love. What good did it do my parents?” His father was lost without his mother. He would never be so impractical.

“You should not be so pessimistic at eight and twenty. Not all ladies see Pemberley and excessive amounts of pin money when they look at you.”

“I doubt that.” A girl, no more than eighteen, tilted her head and gave him what could only be described as a seductive look. Good Lord! How young were mothers now pushing their daughters into marriage?

“Darcy, I must see you dance!” said Charles Bingley, Caroline’s younger brother as he neared. He wore a wide grin and rubbed his palms together.

Fitzwilliam clenched and released his hands. “I am certain you just danced with the prettiest girl in the room.” To Bingley, every young lady was the most handsome, the most amiable. The man before him was nothing if not predictable.

Bingley came to stand by his side and gestured to the far side of the room. “I danced with that lady—a Miss Elizabeth Bennet—who is rumoured to have a fortune of twenty-thousand pounds. She was agreeable, but I confess, I was confused more often than not by her conversation. It was a great deal like speaking with you.”

He frowned. “How so?”

“Well, she asked me if I had read some poetry or play, and when I told her I believed reading to be a frivolous waste of time, she spoke of some book she is reading. I tell you; I could not follow one word of it.”

Caroline glanced over to him with her eyebrows lifted.

“Oh!” said Bingley. “I am to dance the next with Lady Grace. If you will excuse me.” Without pause, he hastened off to the other side of the room.

“This Miss Bennet could be a good choice for you to stand up with,” said Caroline. “You would not have to suffer through some inane discourse with some insufferable daughter of an earl.” She shoved him by the shoulder. “Go on. Your aunt will begin choosing your partners if you do not dance soon.”

He peered behind him as his lead-weighted feet carried him to stand before Miss Bennet. He was not interested in the dance at all, but Caroline made a good point. The earl and countess would insist he partner with someone before the end of the night. Better to request a set of a lady than to have some horse-faced, hare-brained young daughter of note shoved before him.

“Miss Bennet,” he said with a slight bow. “May I request the honour of the next set?”

She startled. “You wish to dance with me?”

He shrugged one shoulder as the gentleman beside Miss Bennet turned to reveal himself as a younger version of the Mr. Bennet he had met last week. “Lizzy, do you know this man?”

“Yes, he is the brother of the young Mr. George Darcy whom you met in the park.”

Fitzwilliam glanced to his uncle, who along with his aunt seemed to be watching the entire exchange. He could not accept a refusal. “Would you introduce me?” Yes, he was late requesting an introduction, although he rarely made the effort, truth be told. These little pleasantries made him grit his teeth in the best of cases. At a ball, they became even more trying.

Miss Bennet’s lips pressed into a fine line. “Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, may I present my brother Mr. James Bennet. James, this is the elder Mr. Darcy.”

After he exchanged polite bows with her brother, Fitzwilliam clasped his hands behind his back. “If you would rather not dance—”

“No, Mr. Darcy, I shall be pleased to accept your offer.”

He held out his elbow while James Bennet watched them intently. He did not seem upset or angry. For a man, he appeared calm, almost serene.

“Did your father not accompany you this evening?”

She took her place when they reached the line and lifted her eyes to meet his. “He does not enjoy balls. He prefers the solace of an excellent library and a large glass of Port.”

“I confess I would choose his occupation over a ball any evening or day for that matter.”

When the music began, they honoured their partners, then began the first steps. Miss Bennet smiled as she turned with those around them, but when she took his hand, her countenance changed. She also did not speak.

“Mr. Bingley said you told him of some book you are reading.”

Her gaze shot to him. “Is he a friend of yours?”

He peered down to where Bingley stood on the end. “We are acquainted, but I would not call us friends.”

Her expression made an alteration he could not read. “That is interesting. At the beginning of the set, he was quite quick to inform me of his close friendship with you.”

They parted for a moment before coming back together again.

“He often claims more of a connexion than is truly there.”

With a puzzled countenance, she became quiet once more. The silence made his hackles rise, a rarity with most people. She had known of him before this evening, yet she managed to converse with Bingley so easily?

“So, will you not tell me of this book?”

“My father purchased Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage: A Romaunt by Lord Byron. He finished his second read of the volume yesterday, so he passed it to me. Have you read it, sir?” The position of her head and the fire in her eyes suggested she was challenging him.

“I purchased a copy from the first run earlier this month, and I have read it twice over like your father. I am surprised your father managed to obtain a copy since the first five hundred printed sold in three days.”

She took a turn with the gentleman to their left. When she returned, she shrugged. “My father has purchased from the same bookseller for some time. Since Papa came to town before us, he and the bookseller had spoken of Childe Harold the day before it was put out for sale, and my father requested the man hold a volume for him. He is fond of poetry. When I have finished the poem in its entirety, we are to discuss it.”

Her father encouraged her to discuss poetry with him. Ladies read, but how many of them did so for true learning? Even Caroline, who had more sense than most of her sex, read more for pleasure. She would discuss a book, but she did not relish the activity as he did.

“How is your brother this evening? He has not called in the past few days.”

As much as he wanted to restrict George from calling upon the Bennets, his usually angry brother had come home from the first call wearing a slight smile. Mr. Ashford had also said George had been applying himself more to his studies. As an elder brother, how could he refuse such a simple thing when it was obviously doing his brother good? “Mr. Ashford has kept him occupied with his schoolwork. George has oft times ignored his schooling for other diversions. His tutor wishes to make up for those lapses.”

“Perhaps a break from his obligations would be beneficial. I know I studied harder if I was given some time of my own.”

Time of his own; like a reward? George was not some small child to be praised for spelling the simplest of words. “He is not a girl who requires bribing to learn embroidery or how to plan a dinner party. The professors at Cambridge will not offer him a reprieve for learning what he should want to know—what he will need to run an estate in the future. No one can escape the obligations life puts upon them. He needs to understand that.”

She gave a huff. “But he is a younger brother. He should not live life without some entertainment—even you have come to this ball. Besides, what if he does not want to run an estate?”

At that moment, the music ended, and they both seemed to jolt back into an awareness of the room. He bowed while she curtseyed.

“What he wants is of no concern.” Fitzwilliam offered her his arm, but she did not take it. Instead, she strode in front of him to return to her brother, leaving him at the edge of the crush.

He stood for a moment as she hastened away from him. She had met his brother but a few times. Why was she so interested in his concerns? His foot stepped forward, but he pulled it back. Why bother asking? She would never tell him what George spoke of when calling on their family. Asking would be a fruitless endeavour.

~ * ~

“Of all the insufferable, pig-headed—”

“People are looking at you, Lizzy,” said James. “Lower your tone.”

Her entire body was heated after Mr. Darcy’s thorough dismissal of his younger brother. Master George was light-hearted and enjoyed teasing, much like her father and her. He enjoyed speaking of his biology lessons, and he detested mathematics; that much was evident. If his brother was forcing him into estate management, it was no wonder the young man was so unhappy.

“You argued with him again, did you not?”

She sighed. “I had not intended to. One moment, I thought we would discuss Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, but somehow, when his younger brother was mentioned, he became an overbearing troglodyte.”

“A cave dweller?” said James with a laugh.

“I cannot help it. The description fits.”

Mr. Bingley appeared at her side, giving her a start. “I beg your pardon, Miss Bennet, but it seems I am without a partner for this dance. Are you available to stand up with me?”

She had already danced with him once. It would not do to have all and sundry pairing them by morning. Something about him also set her teeth on edge. He was not what he seemed. How, she could not say, but his manner did not ring true.

“I am sorry, Mr. Bingley, but my dances this evening have all been claimed. Sir Walter is coming to fetch me now for the next.”

Thank heavens for Sir Walter’s punctuality! She shuddered. The man was twenty years her senior, and she was certain his teeth were not his own. Even so, she would welcome the reprieve if it meant separating herself from Mr. Bingley. She would not dance with him again if she could prevent it.

“What a shame. Perhaps at the next event.” The man’s gaze narrowed ever so slightly.

“Of course, sir. I would be honoured.” She would need to ensure her dances were all spoken for!

“Miss Bennet,” said Sir Walter when he joined them. “I believe the next set is mine.”

After a slight nod, she took the baronet’s arm and allowed him to lead her away. She would have to speak to James and her father. Maybe they had some thoughts on helping her avoid Mr. Bingley. That man would never be a welcome suitor!

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