To Conquer Pride One Year Anniversary Celebration!

“It is above eight months. We have not met since the 26^th of November, when we were all dancing together at Netherfield.”  – Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 44.

Yes, that’s right – it’s November 26th, the anniversary of the Netherfield Ball! However, on a more personal note, I am also celebrating a milestone of my own: My debut novel To Conquer Pride was published one year ago today!

It’s still hard for me to believe it’s been a whole year! The past twelve months have been a whirlwind (in the best possible way) and I am exceedingly grateful to everyone who has purchased, borrowed, read, and reviewed the book so far. And what better way to celebrate than with a book sale AND a giveaway! 🙂

Not only is To Conquer Pride currently available in Kindle Unlimited, but for the next 48 hours, the ebook is also on sale for just $.99! If you’re interested in scooping up a copy, you can purchase it here.

But wait… there’s more! For those of you who would prefer the print edition or audiobook (narrated by the fabulous Stevie Zimmerman), I am also giving away TWO signed paperbacks (U.S. residents) and FIVE audiobooks!

More information on the giveaway is at the bottom of the post, but in the meantime, here’s a little excerpt to whet your appetite. I hope you enjoy!

Elizabeth trudged through the driving snow, the sharp wind biting at her neck and cheeks. They had been walking for less than a quarter of an hour, but her boots were already soaked through and she could no longer feel her feet. Every now and then she glanced up at Mr. Darcy, but his eyes remained tightly shut, his expression wooden. She was about to ask the footman how much farther they had to go, when she spotted a squat cottage nestled amongst the trees. Her gaze lifted to the thatched roof. No smoke rose from the stone chimney.

The party drew to a halt and Darcy opened his eyes. The footman approached the door, rapping loudly on the rough wood. Elizabeth stepped up to the front window, but the glass was shuttered from the inside.

From behind her, Mr. Darcy barked out instructions.

“Thomas, go around the back. If the door is locked, break a window.”

Elizabeth shivered, for once not put off by Mr. Darcy’s domineering manners. Surely whoever owned the cottage would understand their need to take shelter. The sound of breaking glass cut through the gloomy silence and moments later the latch was lifted and the door pulled open.

***

Darcy shifted on the horse’s back, turning to face the entrance to the modest dwelling.

“It appears to be unoccupied, sir.”  

“That is not surprising. Given where it is situated, this is most likely a hunting retreat.”

The footman moved to help Darcy dismount, half carrying him across the threshold and settling him into one of the wing-backed chairs facing the hearth.

Pulling in a shallow breath, Darcy allowed his head to collapse against the back of his seat. Staggering pain assaulted him from all directions. It took every ounce of strength to keep from calling out. Lifting his gaze, he turned his attention to where Elizabeth stood, just inside the door. In the low light, her narrow shoulders trembled, and her breath made soft white puffs in the icy air.

Darcy’s jaw tightened as he moved to face his footman. “Thomas, see if there is any dry wood. We need to get a fire going at once.” Looking back at Elizabeth he added, “Miss Bennet, you must remove that wet cloak. You will become ill.”

His voice seemed to snap Elizabeth out of her lethargy and she moved farther into the room.

“I thank you, sir, but I will assist with the fire first.”

“There is no need. Thomas is more than capable.”

“I have no doubt of that, Mr. Darcy, but with two of us working, we can accomplish the task that much faster.”

Darcy released a slow breath, wincing at the pain that seared his ribs. “Very well. But let my man handle the fire. Perhaps you might attempt to locate some candles? It is already growing dark.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again. Nodding her acceptance, she quit the room, returning a short time later with two long tapers. Setting them upon the mantle, Darcy watched as she shrugged out of her wet pelisse.

“Miss Bennet, come and warm yourself,” he said, indicating the small blaze that Thomas had just started in the stone hearth. “You must be frozen.”

Elizabeth approached the fire and the footman turned to face his employer.

“Sir, if I may, I think it would be best for me to ride to Bromley. You require a physician, and if I leave now, I believe I can still make it by nightfall.”

Darcy tensed. He had already lost one man under his protection today. He would not risk another. “No. I will not have you out in this weather. We will all wait here until morning.”

Thomas was silent, but his lips turned down at the corners.

From her seat by the hearth, Elizabeth cleared her voice. “Thomas, would you be so good as to start a fire in the kitchen? I saw a tea caddy when I went in search of the candles. I believe we could all use some refreshment.”

The footman readily agreed, withdrawing from the room, and Elizabeth slid to the edge of her chair. “Mr. Darcy, forgive me, but you do not look well. Now that we have taken shelter, I believe we should examine your injuries.” Pulling up a footstool, she inclined her head in the direction of his injured leg. “May I?”

Photo: BBC

Darcy startled but after a moment nodded his agreement and Elizabeth carefully lifted his ankle. White-hot fire shot up his leg, and Darcy’s grip tightened on the arms of his chair.

“Where is the pain?”

“Just above the ankle,” he hissed, and Elizabeth nodded, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

“I believe we must remove the boot, but I do not wish to pull on it.”

Steeling himself against the pain he knew would follow, Darcy reached inside his coat, removing a small penknife. Elizabeth accepted it, opening the blade. Their eyes met before she turned her attention to his black Hessians. Darcy remained silent while Elizabeth worked, but after a few moments he was unable to prevent the muted groan that slipped from his throat.

Elizabeth looked up. “Forgive me, Mr. Darcy. I know this must hurt, but I can see the leg is already swelling. We must get the boot off while we still can.”

Not trusting himself to speak, Darcy gave a short nod, and Elizabeth returned to her task. Eventually she had made a rough slit in the soft leather. Setting aside the knife, she cautiously tugged at his heel.

The resulting gasp caused her to jerk back in alarm, looking away as Darcy swore under his breath.

Snatching up the flask, Darcy removed the stopper, taking several rapid swallows. When the pain finally receded enough for him to speak, he glanced in Elizabeth’s direction. “Forgive me, Miss Bennet. I am afraid I will not be able to remain silent. It would be best if you removed the boot as quickly as possible.”

Elizabeth nodded. Once again, she lifted his foot, yanking backwards with such force she soon found herself on the hearth rug, the boot still clasped tightly in her hands.

Darcy let out an anguished cry, and seconds later Thomas arrived at a run from the other room.

Elizabeth scrambled to her feet as Darcy turned to face his man, assuring him through clenched teeth that all was well. The footman surveyed the scene before offering a bow and retreating to the corridor.

Setting aside the boot, Elizabeth placed her hands on Darcy’s leg, gingerly exploring the firm muscles of his calf through his fine wool trousers. “I do not feel anything, and there is no blood. But I believe it would be best to view the injury to be certain.” As soon as she said the words, Elizabeth’s cheeks flushed scarlet and she quickly stood. “I will fetch Thomas. I am certain you would feel more comfortable with your manservant attending you from this point forward.” She turned to go, but Darcy captured her hand, surprising them both.

“Miss Bennet, I am not opposed to you continuing, if it does not make you too uneasy?”

Elizabeth swallowed. “No, not at all.” Taking a breath, she knelt once again beside the footstool, pulling the fabric of Darcy’s expertly-tailored trousers away from his ankle and retrieving the penknife. It took only a few moments to open the seam up to his knee.

Peeling back the fabric, Elizabeth’s eyes skimmed the exposed flesh, and Darcy wondered if she would now give up and fetch his footman. But a moment later he felt the gentle press of her fingers against his bare skin, and a moan rumbled in his throat.

Elizabeth’s eyes lifted. “Forgive me, Mr. Darcy. The leg is almost certainly broken, but the bone is not protruding—which is good. But I would agree that the sooner it can be set by a physician, the better.”

Photo: BBC

Darcy nodded numbly, grateful that Elizabeth had misinterpreted his reaction. In truth, while his leg burned like the very devil, Elizabeth’s delicate fingers caressing his skin had given rise to an entirely different sensation. He forced his attention away from such thoughts.

From the doorway, Thomas coughed into his fist, causing both Darcy and Elizabeth to jump. Neither of them had noticed his return.

“Sir, I think it would be best if I went for assistance. If I can make it to the inn tonight, I can have a physician here at first light. Besides, there is nowhere to shelter the horse, and I do not like the idea of leaving him outside in this weather.”

“Mr. Darcy, I would have to agree. You need medical attention as soon as possible. It would not be wise to delay.” Elizabeth’s eyes moved to the window, and Darcy followed her gaze. Thomas had opened the shutters and even through the frosted glass, it was clear that the snowstorm had not abated. If anything, it looked worse than before.

Darcy frowned. After what they had already endured, he had serious qualms about sending his footman out in such treacherous conditions—not to mention the chance Elizabeth would be taking with her reputation if she remained alone with him overnight. He looked at her now, but if she had any misgivings, they were not apparent in her expression. His fingers moved to rub his brow. The unrelenting pain in his leg and ribcage were making coherent thought increasingly difficult.

“Miss Bennet, are you certain this is agreeable to you? I will understand if you would prefer for Thomas to remain.”

“I am perfectly agreeable, Mr. Darcy. After all, if Thomas leaves now, we shall be rescued that much sooner.”

Darcy’s spine stiffened. Of course. She could not wait to be free of him, regardless of the method employed to achieve that end. He felt the muscles inside his neck tighten and he briefly looked away. God, what a fool he was. Rhapsodizing over the feel of her fingers against his skin, when she was only doing her duty. In truth, she wanted nothing more than to escape this nightmare as soon as humanly possible.

“As you wish, Miss Bennet.”

Thomas shifted his attention from Darcy to Elizabeth and back again.

Tension hung heavy in the air and Elizabeth stood, moving in the direction of the corridor. “I am certain the two of you have matters to discuss. If you will excuse me, I will…have a look around.” And then, like the worst sort of coward, she hastily quit the room.

 

The course of true love never did run smooth…

When Fitzwilliam Darcy departs Hunsford after his disastrous proposal to Elizabeth Bennet, he does not expect their paths to cross again. Indeed, knowing the lady’s true feelings for him, he makes every effort to see that they do not. But when a chance encounter leaves him stranded in an abandoned cottage with the one woman he can never have, Darcy quickly realizes there is more at risk than just Elizabeth’s reputation.

Elizabeth Bennet knows Mr. Darcy is the last man in the world whom she could ever be prevailed on to marry. Until the morning he hands her a letter, his countenance as dark and forbidding as the windswept sky. Now, trapped in a snowstorm with the one person she was certain she despised, Elizabeth is startled to discover that her feelings are not at all what she expected.

But is one night alone together enough to alter the course of their future?

Can any man as proud as Mr. Darcy be expected to offer for the same woman a second time?

In this tale of serendipity and second chances, literature’s unlikeliest couple must conquer pride, prejudice, and faulty first impressions in the elusive quest for their own happily ever after.

***

Thanks for reading! To enter the giveaway for a signed paperback or a free audiobook code, simply leave a comment below. (I will be doing two separate random drawings, so please let me know whether you would like to enter the giveaway for the paperback, the audiobook, or both). This giveaway will end December 1st at midnight EST and winners will be announced on December 5th.

Until next time!

UPDATE:  The winners of the audiobook drawing are: Leeza, Aimee, Pamela Hunter, Laurie A. McClain, and @_eHope! The winners of the signed paperback drawing are: Carol Hoyt and Talia Sommer! To claim your prize, please contact me on FB messenger, or email me at: Jennifer.Altman.Author(at)gmail(dot)com. Thank you to everyone who entered for your kind words and well wishes.  –JA