Summer is Not Long Enough

I feel like this would be Elizabeth Bennet’s favorite time of year. The roads would be dry, she can keep her windows open at night to enjoy the cool breeze and the stars, and she could lie out on the grass with her favorite book. But I’m willing to entertain other notions. Let’s put it to a vote, shall we? What do you think Elizabeth’s pick would be?

A: Spring, because the flowers are fresh, the world is new, and everything feels green and alive.
B: Summer, because of what I said above.
C: Autum, because freshly sharpened pencils and pumpkin spice. (I know, that wasn’t a thing for Regency England, but work with me here)
D: Winter, because toasty fires in the library

And we can’t talk about Elizabeth’s favorite seasons without wondering about Darcy’s. Any thoughts?

A: Autumn, because Elizabeth looks quite fetching with her cheeks brightened by exercise in the cool air and her skirts six inches deep in mud.
B: Winter, because Elizabeth in the library behind closed doors… enough said.
C: Spring, because Elizabeth likes to go for private walks around the garden.
D: Summer, because Elizabeth has a great tan.

Anyone? There will be a drawing for commenters! 2 Winners, and you’ll get to pick from any ebook or audiobook in my catalog.

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It probably seems like I crawled into a hole this summer, but I assure you, there is a LOT going on over here. I have… let me count. SEVEN manuscripts in progress, under three different pen names. (And that doesn’t count the two that are currently on ice! Did someone say A.D.D.?)

My Pemberly-loving personality, Alix, is working on another Regency Romp entitled Mr. Darcy and the Governess, and I’ll be sharing details from that soon.

Alix is also working on a freebie novella–yes, I said FREE! It’s a marriage of convenience, and thinking back, I feel like this is the first time I’ve ever put Darcy and Elizabeth in this position. Other couples, yes, but not them specifically. When this one is finished, it will be sent out to my newsletter subscribers as an exclusive gift, but you’ll get a sneak peek today.

But you all knew me as Nicole first, right? Nicole has been busy, too. Bess and the Highwayman is FINALLY in the last stages, and I’ve updated the release date to August 29! (You can check out a preview here.) But what’s one story without a sequel? So, writing on Bess slowed down just a bit this summer to make sure the sequel is set up to be just as delicious as the first in the series. I will be sharing more on both these beauties, later this month.

And I did say THREE pen names, right? I’m still writing my Cowboys, and Book 4 came out this summer with Book 5 scheduled for this autumn. They’re a sweet brain break for me from writing historicals, but not to worry. Darcy and Elizabeth are my first love, and I will always come back to them.

And speaking of Darcy and Elizabeth, here’s a fun little “meet cute” from the novella! Enjoy. <3

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Background: Darcy is seeking a quick marriage into a family he can trust, because he is young, having just lost his father, and a meddling earl is trying to blackmail and control him through both business and marriage. Darcy wants none of either, and his conversations with his new friend, Mr. Gardiner, have led him to believe there might be an alternative.

The “pride” in this story is of a somewhat different nature. This is Darcy’s second time meeting Elizabeth–the first being when she pretended to be Mr. Gardiner’s maid. 😆

 

From Chapter 5:

I shot my cuffs and cleared my throat, then lifted my hand to the knocker. “Mr. Darcy to see Mr. Gardiner, please,” I said to the footman who opened the door.

“Yes, sir, he is in the drawing room. I will announce you.”

I drew a breath and tugged at my cravat as I followed the man. There was still time to back out of this. I just had to turn on my heel and be quick about it. Gardiner might not even realize I was here before…

“Mr. Darcy, sir.” The footman opened the drawing-room door and stepped back, inviting me to enter. My jaw clenched as I rounded the open doorway, and I dipped into a crisp bow before I even saw the room’s occupants. What fate awaited me when I straightened?

When I finally looked about the room, they were friendly faces that greeted me. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner were familiar by now, and seated between them was a caramel-haired beauty with the same hazel eyes I recalled from the portrait miniature. She was too abashed to hold my gaze, but she had a pleasant look about her. Well… it could be worse.

“Good morning, Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Gardiner greeted me. “May I present my niece, Miss Jane Bennet?”

I bowed again. “You may, indeed. Fitzwilliam Darcy at your service, Miss Bennet.”

She hardly looked up, but I was used to ladies not looking directly at me. However, I would have hoped she would be curious enough to study my face as I was studying hers. Mrs. Gardiner offered me the seat nearest the young lady, and the tea was served. I had a quarter of an hour to make up my mind.

***

“Well, Mr. Darcy, what do you think?”

I sat straight and stiff in the chair opposite Mr. Gardiner’s desk and stared at my hands. “She is a lovely young lady, Mr. Gardiner.”

“And not a deceitful or quarrelsome bone in her body. I am not trying to sell you on something that will not suit—heaven knows, I want what is best for Jane, as well. But do you think you two might get on?” He could scarcely conceal the hope in his voice.

Unfortunately, I had little hope myself. “I grant you that she is a very beautiful girl. She appears to be sweet and kind, and that is a deal more than can be said for many young ladies of my acquaintance.”

“But?”

I spread my hands. “I cannot say, sir. Perhaps my rational brain is rebelling against the notion of offering marriage to a girl I have just met.”

Mr. Gardiner nodded. “I quite understand. It is one of the biggest decisions a man can make. And I do not wish to overlook Jane’s feelings in all this. I am sure she finds the idea daunting. Well, we cannot say we did not try, can we?”

I sighed. Miss Jane Bennet would do, if I truly had no alternatives, but I had really expected to feel something more. I could not say why—it was not like I was often hit by waves of desire when meeting a lady. But I had been before, and in this very house. Perhaps it was mere fancy that made me think lightning could strike twice.

“No, you cannot say that,” I agreed. “But…” What if I asked him about that “maid” I had met before? It could not be possible that she might be an eligible match, could it? But I dismissed the idea at once. If Gardiner had more than one marriageable female under his roof, he surely would have said as much.

“Yes, Mr. Darcy?”

I shook my head. “Well… perhaps I could sit with Miss Bennet for a few moments alone, if she is amenable. If I could speak to her privately, we might be able to reconcile ourselves to the idea?”

Gardiner got up from his desk. “I will ask her to wait for you in the drawing room.”

While he was away, I gulped several deep breaths to clear my head and flexed my hands. My palms ached with nervous tension, and the muscles of my shoulders would follow next, if I did not find some way to relax. It was not as if Miss Bennet was a monster. Hardly! Most men would be elated at the prospect of courting such a lovely girl. But I wasn’t considering a courtship, was I? It was marriage tomorrow, or nothing.

“She is waiting for you, Mr. Darcy,” Gardiner said when he returned. “Sir… are you certain? You needn’t feel obliged. I would not hold it against your honor if you did not choose to—”

I held up a hand. “I ask only ten minutes. I will have an answer for you after that.”

He nodded. “Ten minutes, then.”

I opened the door to the drawing room for myself, and turned to close it behind me before addressing the lady. But when I turned back again to face her, I found that it was not Miss Jane Bennet seated on that couch, wringing her hands and looking at me as if I might eat her alive.

It was her.

She was standing by the fireplace mantel, wearing a simple gown of soft green muslin. Her unruly dark curls had been carefully pinned up into a becoming, if not sophisticated, twist of satin, and those expressive eyes drank me in with the very first glance.

I drew back. “I fear there has been some mistake, Miss…”

She lifted her chin and stepped boldly toward me. “Elizabeth Bennet, sir. And you are Fitzwilliam Darcy, is that right?”

I blinked. “Bennet? So you are…”

“A fearful bother, I’m afraid. My uncle asked my sister Jane to wait on you, but the idea terrified her so much that she began to sob and quake like you cannot imagine. So, I begged her to go upstairs, and I slipped in here, instead.”

“Why? Are you so eager to snare a husband?”

“For myself? No. For my family?” She hesitated. “It would be a greater blessing than you can know, for at least one of us to be settled.”

“So, you have mercenary motives?”

Her eyes flashed in offended dignity. “No. I had determined that nothing but the deepest love would induce me to matrimony, but… well, I suppose you could say that I bear that deep love for my sister, and she could not abide the idea of marrying a man who did not love her. It would kill her, I truly believe it would.”

“But it does not trouble you?”

She wetted her lips and lifted her shoulders. “I can bear it better. My constitution is such that I can find sources of pleasure in almost anything, so I thought, why not speak to you myself? I apologize for the deception, for it is not my intention to entrap or defraud anyone.”

I swept my gaze over her. If either of these sisters were capable of “entrapping” me, it would be this one. The gauzy layers of her gown were meant for figures such as hers, clinging to her form almost as if they were damp. She was petite and shapely, where her sister had been long and willowy, and I could not say but that I found her curves far more appealing to my senses. I had to swallow a knot in my throat before I could speak. “Where is your apron today, Miss Elizabeth?”

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth until she could restrain it no longer, and she glanced down with a chuckle. “That was a bit of a joke. I fear I embarrassed my poor uncle, but Sarah truly did sprain her ankle and can still barely walk on it. There was no one else to serve my uncle and his guest, so I was only trying to be helpful.”

“That much was obvious. What I want to know is why Mr. Gardiner did not inform me that he had two Bennet nieces to ply me with. Why was I only introduced to your sister? Are you engaged elsewhere? Are you in some disgrace?”

She made a wry face. “My aunt and uncle think I am too young to marry.”

“And just how old are you, Miss Elizabeth?”

“What an impertinent question! How old are you, Mr. Darcy?”

“Twenty-three.”

“Why, you must be still wet behind the ears.”

I drew a little nearer to her, and I could not help a smile. “That is a rather singular observation, coming from one who can be only… eighteen?”

One of her slim eyebrows quirked, and her mouth puckered. “Ah… you see… not precisely.”

“Seventeen?”

She caught her upper lip between her teeth and her fingers laced together nervously. “Well… almost.”

“Good heavens. You are but sixteen?”

Miss Elizabeth drew her shoulders back. “My birthday is next Tuesday, and my mother was six months married with a babe on the way by my age.”

“Insupportable. I will not take a mere child to wife!”

“You were willing to take a stranger. Is that not shocking enough? Marriage is for life. What are twelve months on the calendar?”

“It is a matter of form! I could not possibly…” I gestured from her head to her toes. “Well. It is not thinkable.”

She glanced down at herself. “Do I look like a child?”

I swallowed. “To my everlasting damnation, you do not.”

“And are you in a rush to produce an heir?”

My cravat was choking me, and beads of sweat popped on my brow. “No, but eventually… I do not propose a marriage in name only, Miss Elizabeth.”

“Thank heavens. I was starting to fear I would be frightfully bored.”

I stepped a little closer, my brow furrowed. “You are truly not daunted by the idea of marrying someone you never met before?”

“Of course I am. And you are, too. I can see your pulse drumming at your throat. Do you require something to ease your nerves, Mr. Darcy? Some wine—shall I send for some?”

I laughed. “You are a curious creature, Miss Elizabeth. You are not at all like any lady I ever met.”

“That is precisely what my Papa always said. But I suppose it is too late to try to act like a lady now.”

“I did not mean that you are unladylike… are you?”

She got a saucy look and let her eyebrows arch playfully. “I suppose that is for you to find out.”

Something in the way she said it made my mouth fill with saliva, and I verily shuddered. Good. God. That was something I could happily apply myself to discovering. But she was so young!

I cleared my throat and tried to compose my voice. “Well… Let us say for a moment that I could entertain the idea of marrying you tomorrow. What are your expectations?”

She frowned. “Have I had time to form any? Let me see. I should like a foot massage every evening.”

“A… a what?”

“A foot massage. There truly is nothing like it. With a bit of lavender oil and—”

“I know what it is. That is a rather bold request, madam.”

“Well, you asked. And I think I should like you to play chess with me on occasion. Do you know how to play, Mr. Darcy?”

The side of my mouth turned up. “A little. What else?”

“Well, this might seem silly… perhaps it is asking too much.” She caught the fingertips of one hand in the other and winced. “I don’t suppose you have a library by any chance?”

“I have two.”

She glanced up swiftly, those chocolate eyes round in awe. “Two?”

“My smaller library in London boasts over five hundred books.”

She coughed. “Do you read any of them?”

“Constantly.”

Her eye twitched, and her pretty mouth fell open, ever so softly. “And… are you the sort of man who would share his library, or would you guard all your books like a dragon his hoard?”

“On the contrary. It was always one of my fondest wishes that one day I might find a woman who delighted in reading as much as I do. There is a comfortable hearth for the winter, and tall, scenic windows for the summer. I fancy I could spend many a happy hour there, with the right woman.”

Her features warmed hesitantly, and her left hand worked its way up to her opposite elbow, hugging across her chest as if she had yet to fully make up her mind. I had the laughable notion that it was she inspecting me for a potential mate, rather than the reverse.

Well… perhaps it was, by this point.

“Is there something else, Miss Elizabeth?”

“Yes. One thing, but I do not know quite how to put it.”

I crossed my arms. “You have already asked for a foot massage. How much more shocking can it be?”

She lifted her shoulders and pushed her plump lower lip out in a thoughtful frown “Perhaps it is more than you would countenance. But very well, I may as well come out with it.” Her eyes held and locked with mine. “I do not intend to share my husband.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Do you have a mistress, sir?”

My heart almost seized. “Egad, Miss Elizabeth! I thought you were a gentleman’s daughter. How do you dare even to speak of such things?”

“I am a gentleman’s daughter, and that means I am familiar with how many ‘gentlemen’ conduct themselves. Do you presently, or do you intend in the future, to keep a woman for your personal pleasures?”

I was dizzy, reeling, and seeing stars, but I shook my head to clear my brain. If I wanted a woman of courage and mettle, I had surely found her. Her age was immaterial. I could keep my distance until she was older, but her words kept echoing in my head. “Marriage is for life.”

I considered for but an instant, testing whether my mind and heart were settled on the same object. And I knew—beyond a doubt, I knew. This was the woman I would hold for the rest of my life.

I stepped up to offer her my hand. She glanced down once, then cautiously rested her fingers across my palm and waited for me to speak. “Miss Elizabeth, you have asked me a frank question, and it deserves an answer in kind. No, I have never kept a mistress, and I do not intend to start now. I cannot say what the future might hold, if you were to become my wife, but this much I can promise you: I take my vows seriously. My family is my first concern, and my honor is my second. My wife will be accorded every dignity.”

Her fingers were trembling, and her eyes had grown larger, if that were possible. “And what of affection? I can endure many things, and I do not expect the sort of romance they write books about, but I would like to think you liked me, at least a little.”

I smiled and let my eyes roam over her face. Then, boldly, I reached to brush her cheek. “Do you like me, at least a little?” I asked softly.

She pursed her lips and tilted her head. “You are tolerable, I suppose.”

“I am tempted. That is what I am.”

Her brow creased. “Then…?”

I had not time to answer before there was a knock at the door. Seconds later, Mr. Gardiner entered, but his hopeful smile faded when he saw which niece was standing beside me.

“Elizabeth! Where is Jane?”

“Upstairs,” was her simple response.

Mr. Gardiner glanced helplessly at me. “But… Mr. Darcy, I hope you will forgive my niece. She is…” He shot Elizabeth an exasperated glare. “…Impertinent.”

“She is very forthright, I will grant you,” I agreed.

“And stubborn! Elizabeth, I already told you—”

“Is her age your chief objection?” I interrupted.

Mr. Gardiner caught his breath. “Well… yes and no.” His eyes darted to his niece. “In many ways, Elizabeth is more mature and equipped for marriage than Jane. But she is headstrong and impudent when the mood strikes her. I cannot imagine she would suit you, sir.”

I looked back at Elizabeth and tightened my hand around hers. “Mr. Gardiner, if it’s all the same to you, I would like to ask you for this one.”

 

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Well, there you have it! A fun little story about Darcy and Elizabeth and young love. I’ll be sending updates on this one out to my personal newsletter soon.

Meanwhile, enjoy the rest of your summer! I’ll leave you with a shot of what I’ve been doing with my spare time this season. My little Hula girl is all grown up and living her best life!