The Truth About Family Release Day!

The Truth About Family is now available in e-book and via Kindle Unlimited, as well as in paperback! To celebrate, today, I have another excerpt to share with you. In the last excerpt, which you can find here , Lady Anne forced Elizabeth to go to Rosings. (The cover reveal and bonus material can be found here.) Things happen, and Elizabeth ends up at Longbourn. It is the first time in fifteen years that she has been “home”.

The following scene comes from Chapter 6. I drew some inspiration for Elizabeth’s experiences with the Bennets from The Watsons, one of Jane Austen’s incomplete stories. I tried to imagine what it would be like for Elizabeth to go back after so long—and what it would be like for them to have her return.

Longbourn looked much smaller than Elizabeth remembered. It did not disturb her, but that she immediately compared it to Romsley Hall did. Sternly, she reprimanded herself. She must not think of what she left behind but of the opportunity to know her true home and family again.

They went into what was evidently a family sitting room. The dimensions were good, but there was so much furniture in it, including two tables littered with all manner of items, that it felt far too small for the five people awaiting their arrival.

Jane announced, “Well, here she is.”

Jane went to stand with Mr Bennet, leaving Elizabeth alone to face the staring eyes of her relations. She smiled, hoping her expression did not show how uneasy she felt. As her eyes took in each young lady, she tried to determined who was who. The one she thought was Mary had brown hair, while the other two were fair, like Jane. The prettier of the two whispered something to the other, and both giggled.

“It is very good to be here.” Elizabeth curtseyed, not sure how to behave or what to say.

One of the girls embraced her, saying, “I am happy to meet you. I am Kitty.” As she stepped away from Elizabeth, she flushed bright pink.

“I am very glad to see you at last, Kitty. And Mary?” She looked towards the dark-haired young lady who nodded. “Which means you are Lydia.”

Lydia pinched Kitty’s arm causing her to flinch. “It is very strange to have you here. None of us thought we would ever see you.”

“Lydia!” Jane hissed.

Mr Bennet, who had been studying Elizabeth with an intense curiosity, turned to his wife. “My dear, shall we invite Elizabeth to sit?”

Elizabeth had been reluctant to look at Mrs Bennet, but she promised herself not to think of the past. After all, Mrs Bennet had likely long ago forgotten her antipathy for her second daughter. Her eyes flickered to Mrs Bennet while also taking in the rest of the family and her setting. The room’s disorder made her fingers itch to straighten the books or rearrange the cushions on the sofa.

Lydia pulled Kitty to the table they appeared to be using to trim bonnets, while Elizabeth took the brown armchair Mrs Bennet indicated. Mrs Bennet, Jane, and Mary sat on the sofa, and Mr Bennet went to a chair slightly apart from the rest of them, took a newspaper from the side table, and placed it on his lap as though prepared to open it at a moment’s notice. His interest in her appeared at an end, for the present at least.

“What a fine lady you have become.” Mrs Bennet dabbed at her nose with a lace handkerchief as she scrutinised Elizabeth’s person. “Tell me, why are you come after all this time?”

Mr Bennet spoke before she could reply. “Now, now, my dear. Elizabeth will think you are not happy to see her.” He looked ready to laugh, with one eyebrow quirked and the corners of his mouth twitching.

Mrs Bennet adjusted her shawl. “There is nothing curious about her being here, just that she has come.”

Elizabeth attempted to make sense of Mrs Bennet’s words but gave up and said, “I longed to see all of you.”

Mrs Bennet shrugged. “Well, I dare say you will find our way of life very different from those people you were with. If you look to find us running off to town whenever we are bored, or getting up to intrigues as the ton does, you will be disappointed.”

“Of-of course not.”

“We prefer to seek our amusement by making sport of our neighbours,” Mr Bennet explained.

“You will meet some of them in a few days,” Jane said. “We are having an evening party.”

“And we go to dinner at the Gouldings on Wednesday,” Kitty added.

Before Elizabeth could make any response, Mrs Bennet announced it was time to prepare for dinner. Mary showed her to her room, and Elizabeth was relieved to have a few minutes to herself.

That’s it for today! Thanks for reading. The Truth About Family is available via Amazon . The audiobook should be available soon. Look for an announcement on social media, and I’ll post about it here, too, as soon as possible. 🙂