Excerpt from Dangerous Magic: Love-Hate Elizabeth meets Darcy

Hello everyone. I hope you’ve all recovered from the icy weather and the blackouts by now. It seems everything has been conspiring to make our lives more difficult in the past year. Let’s hope February will be a turning point and things will start looking up. 

The theme of the month on Austen Variations is love-hate, as you know. I thought it would nice if I set up a companion piece to the excerpt that just went up on Austenprose.  It’s a brand-new scene from my novel DANGEROUS MAGIC, which is coming out on March 15th. This short episode is from Elizabeth’s perspective, and it’s her first encounter with Mr. Darcy. 

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Elizabeth did not have a chance to look around properly, but she was captivated by the beautiful tapestries and the elaborate murals on the walls and the ceilings, and the soft carpets under her feet. Lady Alice did not slow down until they reached a large room with a high gilded ceiling and large gothic windows.

Lord Matlock was waiting inside as they stepped in. His gaze quickly took in the new gown she was wearing, and he nodded as though in approval.

There were two other men in the room. One of them, a tall gentleman with broad shoulders, was standing with his back to them, his outline dark against the arched Gothic window. Unlike the mages that brought Elizabeth here, he was dressed in a tasteful navy coat and duff trousers. The small whiff of magic that she could pick up from him was turbulent, but he had it tightly under control. He had the air of someone who held a grudge against the world.

Then he turned around. He had a striking face with a strong jaw and shaded cheekbones. He was handsome, in a flawless, aristocratic way which blended good features and the elegance of the best tailors in London.

His gaze fell on her and she shivered as he examined her from top to bottom. She had no idea what colour his eyes were, only that they were dark and fathomless. She might have found him attractive, but his proud expression dampened her interest. He was as cordial as a Greek statue.

“Gentlemen, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

Lord Matlock’s informal mode of introduction worked to the advantage of the young gentlemen, who were expecting her. It left her in the dark, however. She wondered if it was intentional.

The second man in the room strode over to her, bowed, and took her hand with a smile.

She blinked. Did Mages smile? Apparently, some of them did, to judge by the man in front of her.

If he was her future husband, then it would not be as bad as she had thought. He had agreeable manners, and he made her feel welcome, even though no one had bothered to introduce him.

“I hope your journey was comfortable?”

“It was comfortable, sir. The carriage felt as if we were riding on air,” she said, returning his smile, and thankful that someone was being civil.

“That is probably because it was,” said the man, with a grin.

“This is Mr. Bingley, one of our Warders.” Lady Alice gave Mr. Bingley a tight, dismissive smile.

So this pleasant man was not her husband after all. Elizabeth hoped her disappointment was not written all over her face.

Lady Alice turned to the tall man who was still standing motionless as a sculpture, his gaze fixed on her.

“And this, Miss Bennet, is Mr. Darcy.”

Elizabeth grimaced, dismayed that this cold, disagreeable man was destined to be her husband. How was it that her fate was tied to somebody like him? How in heaven’s name was she going to connect with him?

He was the last man on earth she would have chosen to marry.

~~~

I hope you enjoyed this excerpt. Let me know in the comments what you think. Do you think they’re going to be able to make this marriage work?

If you want to see how Darcy reacts to being introduced to her, there is a longer continuation of the scene here,  as well as a chance to win a copy. 

Dangerous Magic is available to pre-order on Amazon.