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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Dangerous Magic A pride and prejudice magical variationElizabeth 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. 

16 comments

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    • Frances on February 22, 2021 at 11:56 am
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    Sounds interesting. Is the story clean? Thank you.

    1. Thank you, Frances. A couple of passionate kisses, no more.

    • Mihaela on February 22, 2021 at 2:40 pm
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    This should be a record of sort! Yet to exchange a word and all after 2 minutes of being in the same room, she already knows he was the last man in the world…. 🙂
    Definitely intriguing !
    But the potential …. always interested in FMS, can’t wait to read it!
    Thank you for the tease 😉

    1. She has her reasons, Mihaela, and very good ones 🙂 You will see…

    • J. W. Garrett on February 22, 2021 at 5:13 pm
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    Oh, Monica, I wish you much success with this fabulous story. Well done. I can’t wait to read the next one. I promise to wait patiently… I’ll even sit on my hands to keep from biting my nails. LOL! Thank you for this delightful magical story. I love it when our characters have powers. Blessings, stay safe, and healthy.

    1. Hehehe! You have the advantage of knowing what is going to happen next, Jeanne! So pleased you enjoyed it so much.
      I shall do my best to oblige to prevent irreparable damage to your nails! 😉

    • Laura on February 22, 2021 at 8:45 pm
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    Comes out on my birthday. Looking forward to reading it. Keep safe please!

    1. On your birthday? Hope it takes you on a magical journey, Laura! You keep safe, too.

    • denise on February 22, 2021 at 11:00 pm
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    enjoyed the excerpt.

    1. Thank you for saying so, Denise!

    • Glynis on February 23, 2021 at 10:13 am
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    You know? I get the feeling that Elizabeth isn’t overjoyed at the thought of Darcy as her husband? I’m probably totally wrong though! 😳
    I really look forward to seeing how her opinions improve (I’m assuming they do?)
    I’m assuming they will make a powerful couple when they accept each other!

    1. Glynis, good to see you here! She definitely isn’t happy. It’s a forced marriage scenario, and there are lots of reasons she may not be happy it.

    • Sheila L. Majczan on February 24, 2021 at 10:21 am
    • Reply

    I read and enjoyed this story – looking forward to the next one.

    1. Many thanks, Sheila! Really glad you enjoyed it!

    • Buturot on February 27, 2021 at 4:51 pm
    • Reply

    Thank you for this excerpt. I hope Lizzy’s dismay is obvious to everyone. Looking forward to reading this story.

    • Vikki Silverman on March 15, 2021 at 1:50 pm
    • Reply

    This looks like so much fun! I pre-ordered it a few weeks ago and am so excited that it is finally coming through. Looking forward to reading it soon.

  1. […] Let me know what you think of the preview, or if it isn’t live yet, excerpts are available here and here. […]

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