Launch Day! Fortune and Felicity

Monica Fairview Fortune and Felicity

It’s finally here!!

It seems like it was a very long journey for this Pride and Prejudice what-if variation, which was written during difficult circumstances for me and, more recently, for the whole world. I can hardly believe the project has finally come to fruition! I’m wiping away a little tear from my eye. Fortune and Felicity has a special place in my heart, and  I hope you’ll share my joy with me.

Thank you all for being part of the journey, especially those of you who have been reading the chapters and commenting as I posted them, and who have come along to keep me company on the blog tour!

I have a short excerpt here for you to read. I hope you’ll  enjoy it.

Elizabeth  reached a stile that would allow her to get to the other side of the fence. She took hold of the bark with one hand and drew up the bottom of her dress with the other, doing everything she could to avoid the large muddy puddle at the bottom of the stile. She did not want to get her petticoats muddy. A governess could not afford to appear like a hoyden.

She had one foot on the first step and was starting to climb when the sound of hooves right behind her startled her. She turned to see who it was, and her muddied boot slipped. She dropped down hard into the puddle and mud splattered all over her.

“Oh, bother!” she exclaimed in frustration.

Her chance to walk into Lambton was gone. She could not go into the village with muddied clothes. She turned towards the rider, hoping it wasn’t Lord Barrington, who would no doubt think himself even more justified to snub her.

It was Mr. Darcy. Of course he had to be the one to witness her mortification.

“I beg your pardon for having startled you, Mrs. Heriot. I don’t usually come across anyone when I ride here.”

Despite her embarrassment at being caught in such a state, she couldn’t help admiring Mr. Darcy’s tall form on horseback – the straight back, the tall black hat against the blue sky, the strong thighs that were noticeably close. Marriage had taught her appreciation of the male form, and for the first time she recognized that Mr. Darcy was a very fine example.

Flustered, she looked away, feeling doubly self-conscious for both ogling her employer and having mud all over her. She quickly put on her bonnet and tied the ribbon haphazardly. He was, not surprisingly, immaculately dressed, she thought resentfully, but then, she had never seen him otherwise. He was looking grim as always. She hoped he would continue on his way.

He did not. With fluid grace, he slid down from his mount, skillfully avoiding the puddle. Smoothly and efficiently, he brought out a kerchief and reached out instinctively to wipe away some mud from her face. At the same instant, she put out her hand to take the white linen, and their hands touched awkwardly. He drew back swiftly, as if afraid of some contagious disease.

If she had wondered at times if he harbored any feelings for her, the gesture made it abundantly clear he did not.

“If you will give me your kerchief, Mr. Darcy, I will remove the mud myself.”

He handed her the white linen square and she dabbed at her face, then at her hem self-consciously, careful to keep her petticoat down and her ankles out of sight. Dabbing at the mud had no effect at all. If anything, it only made matters worse.

“It might be more productive to use water,” he said, dryly. “We’re not far from a brook, Mrs. Heriot. It’s over there, just behind those rocks. I’ll show you the way.”

*~~*

For those of you who are just joining me, here’s the blurb:

In this Pride & Prejudice variation, Elizabeth and Darcy have a second chance to get things right. Will they be able to come together this time, or will pride intervene yet again?

Seven years after Darcy’s disastrous proposal, Darcy is in need, not of a wife, but of a governess for his young daughter. Imagine his surprise when he discovers Elizabeth Bennet on the list of possible candidates provided by the employment agency. The question is, should he take her on as a governess, or would he be playing with fire?

Elizabeth Bennet is forced by her reduced circumstances to take on a position. However, when Mr. Darcy invites her for an interview, she is embarrassed and humiliated. How could she possibly live under the same roof as the man she had rejected so strongly seven years ago?

Whatever decision she makes, there will be a high price to pay… one way or the other.

amazon USA

amazon UK

Don’t forget the blog tour, which is still in progress, with opportunities to win a free copy of the novel along the way. My next stop on the tour is AUSTENPROSE.