Faults of Understanding Excerpt and Giveaway by Jennifer Altman!

Hi, all! I’m very excited to be back on the blog today with another excerpt from my upcoming release, Faults of Understanding! But first, I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you for all of the enthusiasm and well-wishes I’ve received so far. This book was a long time in coming, so the warm reception means more than I can say. 💗

I’m also happy to announce that the Kindle edition is now available for pre-order! Paperback (and audiobook) to follow soon. Additionally, I’ll be giving away one copy of the ebook at each stop of my blog tour (including this one)! More info on that at the bottom of the post, but first, let’s get to the fun stuff! 🙂

Since I shared the prologue last week (if you missed it, you can catch up HERE), I thought I’d keep the ball rolling by posting the opening of Chapter One today. I hope you enjoy!

~About the Book~

When Fitzwilliam Darcy makes an impetuous offer of marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, he is convinced they have as good a chance as any for a harmonious life together. That is, until an overheard conversation changes everything, and Darcy realizes he is now joined in perpetuity to a woman who loathes the very sight of him.

Elizabeth Bennet’s expectations for matrimonial accord were never very high, having accepted Mr. Darcy’s proposal in a fit of pique, not love. Still, she is determined to make the best of her situation, despite having tied herself to such an arrogant, disagreeable man.

But life at Pemberley is not at all what she imagined, and Elizabeth soon finds herself with more questions than answers about the enigmatic gentleman she agreed to wed.

Trapped in a marriage founded on misunderstandings, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy struggle with deepening attraction while confronting self-doubt and old betrayals. But is love enough to heal the wounds of the past? What will it take for two people bound by duty to find their way home to one another?

Faults of Understanding

Chapter 1

26^th November 1811

Darcy bowed to his partner as the final strains of the quadrille faded into the autumn air. Across from him, Elizabeth offered a slight curtsy and an arch smile, and they parted in silence—she, walking in the direction of her friend, Miss Lucas, and Darcy drifting to a corner of Netherfield’s candle-lit ballroom, his mind churning.

How could the dance he had looked forward to all evening—nay, for a fortnight at least, if he were honest with himself—have gone so horribly wrong? That she would take Wickham’s part, and paint him as the villain! If she only knew the truth of the matter. Not that she ever would. To enlighten her would be to put his sister’s reputation on the line, and he would take no chances where Georgiana was concerned.

He and Elizabeth had not been separated for long when Darcy became aware of a tall, heavy-looking fellow dressed in an ill-fitting suit advancing upon him at a rapid pace. Narrowing his gaze, Darcy realized it was the bumbling oaf who had danced the first set with Miss Elizabeth. With an inward groan, he turned away, scanning the room for some means of escape, but seconds later the man drew to a halt before him, bending low at the waist in an exaggerated bow.

“Mr. Darcy,” he began, “if I may say so, I have made a remarkable discovery! It has just been brought to my attention that you are the nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh of Rosings Park!”

The man continued to speak, but Darcy could scarcely attend to what he was saying. Good God! Was this ridiculous person attempting his own introduction? Darcy could only stare back in total disbelief, and it was a full two minutes before the words “apology” and “Hunsford” penetrated his consciousness, and another moment before he realized that the man who stood before him must be his aunt’s new rector.

“What is your name, sir?” Darcy interrupted at the first opportunity.

“Ah! But I should have said so already. Pray forgive me. My name is Collins, sir. William Collins.”

Darcy nodded, and the man continued to speak, assuring him of Lady Catherine’s good health, and beginning to detail his recent arrival into the neighborhood.

Barely suppressing another groan, Darcy offered the clergyman a shallow bow and was on the cusp of making his excuses, when something Collins said arrested his attention.

“I beg your pardon, did you say you were a relation of the Bennets?” he asked, and even at this slight degree of interest, the parson’s face lit with obvious delight.

“Indeed, sir! Mr. Bennet is my cousin, and though I do not like to speak of such things, the Longbourn estate is, in fact, entailed upon me.”

Darcy startled slightly at this bit of intelligence, but before he could open his mouth to reply, Collins rushed on, “Oh, but I can see what you are thinking! You are worried for my young cousins. Of course you are! Such feelings do you the greatest credit, sir, although I would expect nothing less from the esteemed nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh! But it is now my privilege to inform you that I am very sensible to the hardship and uncertainty that my fair cousins have been forced to endure. Furthermore, you will be relieved to know that I have entered the neighborhood for the sole purpose of healing the breach between our two families and securing the futures of all my dear cousins through the joys of matrimony.”

Darcy could only gape back at the other man in wonder, attempting to parse any relevant information from his rambling speech.

“Are you telling me that you are betrothed to one of the Bennet daughters?” he finally asked incredulously.

Turning red about the ears, Collins began to stammer a reply. “Well, I… that is… I must own that the precise details have not yet been firmly fixed… however, I intend to make my formal addresses on the morrow, and I have every reason to expect a favorable response. Indeed, my dear cousin Elizabeth and I have but one mind and one way of thinking. We seem to have been designed for one another.”

At Collins’s words, Darcy physically recoiled, the breath seeming to leave his body as he choked out his response.

“You intend to marry Miss Elizabeth?”

Collins beamed back at him. “Am I not the most fortunate of men? My dear cousin is uniformly charming! From almost the moment of my arrival, I singled her out as the companion of my future life, and I am assured by her honored mother that my suit will be most welcome. Indeed, if you call tomorrow, I am certain you will have occasion to wish us joy!”

Darcy stiffened, his heart leaping into his throat. Elizabeth, married to this cretin? It was insupportable! Luckily, he was saved from formulating a reply as the parson was not silent for long.

“Ah! But I can see your concern, and I perfectly comprehend your feelings. You are, naturally, thinking of your aunt. Once again, I am in a position to put your mind at ease. Rest assured, Lady Catherine has sanctioned the match with the greatest degree of condescension. Twice has she given me her opinion on this subject. Indeed, it was right before I left Hunsford that she said, ‘Mr. Collins, you must marry. A clergyman like you must marry. Choose properly, choose a gentlewoman for my sake’. And when I wrote to her of my plans for my dearest cousin Elizabeth, she penned her reply with the greatest alacrity. ‘Marry the girl, Mr. Collins’, said she. ‘Bring her to Hunsford as soon as may be, and I will visit her’.”

Collins finally paused long enough to draw breath, and Darcy cut him off with the briefest of bows.

“You will excuse me.”

Turning on his heel, Darcy beat a hasty retreat, striding towards the center staircase without a backwards glace. Reaching his rooms, he stalked across the threshold, struggling to remove his too-tight jacket and tossing it unceremoniously over the back of a nearby chair. Making his way to the decanter that sat on a low table, he poured himself a generous portion of brandy before stalking to the window and staring out at the lit torches that lined the gravel drive.

It could not be true. Elizabeth Bennet—his Elizabeth!—married to such a man?

Of course, the clergyman had not yet offered for her… but clearly Collins had no doubt of receiving a positive response when he eventually made his addresses.

Was such a thing possible? Darcy could anticipate Mrs. Bennet’s endorsement of the match, but surely Elizabeth would not welcome her cousin’s attentions?

Darcy set down his glass with a bang before continuing to pace his chambers. He could not believe she would go along with such a scheme. She was too intelligent, too lively and witty and bold to ever attach herself to such an imbecile as her cousin.

Still, Darcy had every reason to believe that she was an obedient daughter. He had witnessed her loyalty firsthand when she had walked three miles to Netherfield to nurse her sister, Jane. If she would go to such lengths for a trifling cold, would she not do everything in her power to secure the future of her entire family, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness in the process?

A sick feeling settled in the pit of Darcy’s stomach. She would marry Collins. She would see it as her duty. And worse yet, she would go with him to live at Hunsford, where Darcy would be forced to witness her misery—or, heaven forbid, her felicity—each and every spring when he visited his aunt’s estate.

No! He could not leave her to such a fate. Something must be done, and soon, as Collins intended to make his offer the very next day.

Sinking into a chair, Darcy rubbed his temples. Perhaps if he spoke to Mr. Bennet… but what incentive would that gentleman have to do as Darcy asked? Why should he not wish to see his favorite daughter married to the heir to his estate? Even if Darcy could convince him that such a match would not be in Elizabeth’s best interest, understanding and agreeing were two different things. No, the only way Mr. Bennet might concede is if there were another offer on the table. A better offer. Someone who was able to provide his second daughter with far more than William Collins ever could.

Darcy’s head snapped up and he immediately sat straighter in his chair. No. It was impossible! He could never form such an attachment. It would be a degradation to the Darcy name! Her family was inferior to his own in every respect. Such an alliance went against all that he stood for.

But you want her, a small voice whispered inside his head. Though it goes against your will, against your reason, and even against your character, you want her still.

The hours that followed were some of the longest and most agonizing of Darcy’s life, but by the time the sun peeked over the horizon, he knew what must be done.

Thanks for reading! The book releases on May 27th, but you can click HERE to pre-order it today. 🙂 I’ll also be giving away one copy of the ebook to one lucky winner, so if you’d like to throw your hat in the ring, simply leave me a comment. The winner will be drawn at random on May 20th and announced on the JAV Facebook page.

The remainder of the blog tour schedule is below. I look forward to sharing some additional details about the book in the coming weeks.

~Blog Tour Schedule~

April 29^th – Austenesque Reviews: Cover Reveal, Giveaway

May 6^th – Austen Variations: Excerpt, Giveaway

May 14^th – Babblings of a Bookworm: Author Interview, Giveaway

May 20^th – From Pemberley to Milton: Excerpt, Giveaway

May 27^th – Austen Variations: Book Release, Excerpt, Giveaway

Until next time!

JA