WIP Sneak Peek and a Special Giveaway! By Jennifer Altman

Hello, friends! First, I want to thank everyone who offered such supportive, encouraging comments on my previous post. Knowing I have so many wonderful readers cheering me on has really helped motivate me to get this next book out into the world as soon as possible (which, for those of you who have been asking, will hopefully be early next year).🤞

But the good news is that today, I am here with another excerpt for your reading pleasure! 🎉 (If you missed the first excerpt and would like to read, you can find it HERE).

However, before I get to that, I have a little announcement to make. 🙂 Some of you may have seen me post about this in the JAV Facebook group, but I am in the process of writing an “Ask Me Anything” for a future blog post, and I would love to get your questions. To that end, I have decided to sweeten the pot by pairing my call for questions with a giveaway for my next book! 🎊 📚

If you’re interested in entering the drawing, all you have to do is comment below with a question for me. Questions can be about my current WIP, one of my previous books, JAFF in general, the writing process, tropes, reviews… really, anything goes! I will try to answer as many questions as possible, but anyone who asks something WILL be entered in the giveaway. 🙂 More details to follow at the bottom of this post, but in the meantime, let’s move on to the main event!

***

What if Mr. Bingley met Elizabeth Bennet in London before he was introduced to Jane? And what if Mrs. Bennet saw Mr. Darcy and not Mr. Bingley as the perfect match for her eldest daughter? 🤔

The following scenes occur fairly early in the story and offer a slightly different take on the Meryton Assembly. 🙂 For reference, after meeting Elizabeth Bennet in London, Mr. Bingley is pursuaded to take the lease on Netherfield Park. At the time of the assembley, he has only just arrived in the neighborhood, along with his sister Caroline, Mr. Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Mr. Walsh, who is Darcy’s man of business.

I hope you enjoy.

(Note: This is a work-in-progress, and as such, has yet to go through final revisions and editing. It is possible that the published version may differ slightly from the excerpt posted below).

Excerpt

As the principal matron in the area, Mrs. Bennet had always felt it incumbent upon herself to be amongst the first to arrive at local gatherings, so by the time the Netherfield party entered the Meryton assembly rooms, she was already happy in the knowledge that Mr. Bingley—along with his eligible friends—must be considered the rightful property of one or another of her daughters.

Armed with this intelligence, she wasted no time in seeking out her two eldest, who had gravitated to a quiet location at the edge of the dance floor.

“Lizzy! Jane!” Mrs. Bennet called out, making her way towards them with her middle daughter, Mary, in tow, “have you seen that the party from Netherfield has arrived at last? Oh, but why are you hiding away in this corner when— Well, never mind, for now I can tell you all that I have learned,” she added in a rush, pausing only long enough to draw breath before continuing eagerly, “I have just been speaking with Mrs. Long, who heard Sir William telling Lady Lucas that Mr. Darcy, the tall, distinguished looking gentleman, has a clear ten thousand a year, and one of the largest estates in Derbyshire! He is also the grandson of the Earl of Matlock. But that is not all! His cousin, the one in uniform, is the earl’s second son! Can you imagine two more eligible gentlemen? Now Jane, you must waste no time in securing a dance with one of them.”

Jane flushed a soft pink but was saved the trouble of forming a reply by the approach of their friend and neighbor, Charlotte Lucas, who was greeted warmly by the entire party.

“Ah, Charlotte,” Mrs. Bennet began, “you are looking very well this evening, very well indeed.”

Charlotte murmured her thanks before turning to Elizabeth and saying with a lifted brow, “I understand that you are no stranger to the Netherfield party, Lizzy. Papa visited Mr. Bingley on Tuesday, only to find out that he and the other gentlemen had paid a call at Longbourn the previous morning.”

This time it was Elizabeth’s turn to blush, but it was Jane who answered easily, “Lizzy and Mr. Bingley met when she was lately in Town, visiting my aunt and uncle. It was on her recommendation that Mr. Bingley came to view Netherfield.”

“Well then, I suppose we have you to thank for everyone’s good spirits,” Charlotte replied, turning a broad smile on her friend. “I do not recall so much excitement at an assembly since William Goulding’s pigs got loose and drank all the punch.”

The Bennet sisters chuckled at this, but Mrs. Bennet, who had gone back to scrutinizing the newcomers, said, “I daresay that must be Mr. Bingley’s sister. Oh! Just look at her gown! Have you ever in your life seen anything more elegant? Why, the lace alone—”

“Charlotte,” Elizabeth interrupted, “do you know who the other gentleman is? The one in the blue coat? He is not known to me, and he was not of the party when the gentlemen called at Longbourn.”

Charlotte tilted her head to get a better look through the milling crowd before answering, “I believe he is an acquaintance of Mr. Darcy’s, but I do not know his name. Though they appear to be speaking with papa, so I am certain we shall all be made aware of his identity soon enough.”

Elizabeth returned Charlotte’s wry smile as Mrs. Bennet leaned towards Elizabeth and Jane and cried impatiently, “Oh, I do wish your father had agreed to come this evening! He takes such delight in vexing me. If I could but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, and all the others equally well married, I should have nothing to wish for!”

“Mama,” Elizabeth hissed in abject mortification upon seeing that Mr. Bingley and his party were now advancing at a rapid pace.

But Mrs. Bennet had already turned her attention to her eldest daughter, adjusting the neckline of her gown and prodding her forward before saying in a shrill whisper, “Remember Jane, ten thousand a year!” just as the gentlemen drew to a halt before them.

***

“Miss Elizabeth, how good it is to see you again,” Bingley announced with his usual good cheer upon reaching the ladies. “I hope you will do me the honor of introducing me to your acquaintances?”

Coming to stand beside his friend, Darcy offered Elizabeth a formal bow, gratified by the soft flush that suffused her countenance before her eyes darted back to Bingley as she formulated her reply.

“Certainly, sir. Mama, this is Mr. Bingley, the gentleman who has let Netherfield Park. Mr. Bingley, may I present my mother, Mrs. Thomas Bennet?”

Bingley bowed formally in response, and Elizabeth then turned to the remainder of her party. “Of course, you are already acquainted with my sister, Mary. And this is my eldest sister, Miss Jane Bennet, and my good friend, Miss Charlotte Lucas.”

“A pleasure,” Bingley replied, greeting the entire party with a ready smile, though Darcy could not help but notice that his gaze remained fixed on the eldest Miss Bennet for far longer than was appropriate. It was only when Colonel Fitzwilliam pointedly cleared his throat that Bingley remembered his duty and performed his own set of introductions.

Once greetings were exchanged, Mrs. Bennet quickly seized hold of the conversation, turning to Bingley and saying stridently, “It is very good of you to join us so soon after arriving in the neighborhood, sir! I do hope that you and your friends have come prepared to dance?”

“Why yes, of course!” Bingley answered in an instant. “As a matter of fact, I have already secured Miss Elizabeth’s hand for the first set, but it would be my pleasure to partner Miss Jane Bennet for the next, if she is not otherwise engaged?” He then turned back to the eldest Miss Bennet with a besotted stare that caused that lady to flush with obvious embarrassment while her mother preened.

“No, sir, I am not engaged,” Miss Bennet murmured, and Bingley’s grin widened in response.

Several seconds went by before he once again remembered himself, tearing his gaze away from the eldest Miss Bennet to address Elizabeth’s mother.

“And is Mr. Bennet present as well?” he eagerly remarked, turning to survey the throng, as if Mr. Bennet might suddenly appear before him. “I should very much like to make his acquaintance.”

“Ah! Well, you see,” the matron began to stammer, “that is…”

“My father does not enjoy assemblies, sir,” Jane Bennet finished for her, which prompted a short burst of laughter from her younger sister.

“But that is not at all the case, Jane,” Elizabeth said sweetly, before turning to Mr. Bingley. “In truth, I would say that my father looks forward to our local assemblies more than anyone in the neighborhood, for they are the one occasion where he may be assured of an empty house.”

Beside her Mrs. Bennet frowned, but was saved from having to reply by Colonel Fitzwilliam, who asked whether the other Miss Bennets were also in attendance.

“Oh, goodness, yes!” Mrs. Bennet hastened to reply. “My two youngest are just there, conversing with some of our neighbors,” she remarked, waving her handkerchief in the general vicinity of the dais, where the musicians had just begun to gather.

Darcy shifted his gaze in the direction she indicated to see a stout, well-grown girl release a raucous cry before snatching the dance card from one of her companions and racing off into the crowd. Next to him, Miss Bingley sucked in a breath, her lips twisting into something very like a sneer before she addressed Mrs. Bennet in a scathing tone.

“Goodness, five daughters out at once! Why, the youngest hardly appears old enough to have left the schoolroom!”

Mrs. Bennet beamed, clearly insensible to Miss Bingley’s rebuff, saying heartily, “How clever of you to notice! Indeed, my Lydia is not yet sixteen. But really, I think it would be very hard upon my two youngest not to have their share of society just because their elder sisters have yet to marry. Lydia especially, for she is the liveliest of all my girls, and a great favorite of the gentlemen in the neighborhood. Though her beauty may not be equal to Jane’s, I would not be at all surprised if she were the first to marry. A man could be persuaded to do a great many things for a figure such as hers,” she concluded with a suggestive lift of her brows.

Beside him, Caroline Bingley audibly gasped, and Darcy could only grimace at such flagrant vulgarity. A furtive glance at the eldest Miss Bennets showed that they were, as he would have surmised, deeply mortified, but he could not know whether it was by their sisters’ behavior or their mother’s indecorous comments.

An awkward silence momentarily ensued, but fortuitously, the musicians had finally finished tuning their instruments, and the room was soon filled with the beginning strains of a country reel.

“Well,” Colonel Fitzwilliam heartily exclaimed, breaking the tension, “I for one look forward to enjoying tonight’s amusements. Miss Bingley, would you do me the honor of joining me for this set?”

Caroline acceded with alacrity, and Darcy sent a grateful look in his cousin’s direction—both for his precipitous interjection, as well as for his generosity in asking Miss Bingley to stand up with him so that Darcy would not be forced to do so himself.

To his surprise, Walsh then turned to Miss Lucas to request her hand for the opening dances—an invitation which was accepted with obvious pleasure.

“And what about you, Mr. Darcy?” Mrs. Bennet called loudly in his direction. “I hope you enjoy dancing as much as your friends. Certainly you cannot refuse the amusement when so much beauty is before you?” This last was followed by a not-so-subtle nod towards her eldest daughter who turned an even deeper shade of scarlet before casting her eyes to the thread-bare carpet.

Turning to regard the matron, Darcy’s jaw tightened, and he answered in clipped tones, “Forgive me, madam, but I have not the least intention of dancing.”

And then, with a cursory bow to the eldest Miss Bennet, and a crisp, “If you will excuse me,” he stalked off in the direction of the refreshments.

***

The Bennet ladies returned from the assembly to find Mr. Bennet still awake and sitting in Longbourn’s front parlor, a glass of port in his hand, and a book open upon his lap.

“Oh! My dear Mr. Bennet,” cried his wife upon entering the room, “we have had a most delightful evening! I wish you had been there. All our girls were so admired; and Mr. Bingley is the most charming gentleman! He danced the first set with Lizzy, and then the two next with Jane. Then the two third with Charlotte Lucas and the two fourth with Mary. And after that—”

“Mrs. Bennet, pray desist!” her husband cried, setting his book aside. “For God’s sake, say no more of Mr. Bingley’s partners, I beg you!”

Mrs. Bennet huffed, but gratified her husband by replying, “Well, in any case, I am quite delighted with him. Oh! And Mr. Darcy! He is so exceedingly handsome! And his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam! I never saw such happy manners. So much ease, with such perfect good breeding. He danced every dance, as did Mr. Bingley.”

“And Mr. Darcy danced none,” Lydia added with a throaty giggle. “Not even Jane was handsome enough to tempt him.”

Beside her, Mary nodded primly. “I thought his behavior was most uncivil. He acted as if it would be a punishment to stand up with any of us.”

“Hush, child! What would you know of such things?” said Mrs. Bennet with a wave of her hand. “Great men like Mr. Darcy are always a little whimsical in their civilities; it is of no significance if he was not disposed to dance.”

“I thought him very proud,” said Kitty causing her mother to glower in her direction.

“And what if he is? Is it any wonder that such a fine young man with family, fortune, everything in his favor should think well of himself? He has the right to be proud! Goodness, a gentleman such as Mr. Darcy must be invited to the most exclusive balls in Town!”

“Well then he ought to know how to behave at one,” said Lydia with a snort.

Mrs. Bennet frowned, but forbore to chastise her youngest daughter, who had always been her favorite.

“Never you mind about that. In any case, I could tell he admired Jane, for who could not? She was easily the most beautiful woman in the room.”

“I thought he spent far more time gazing at Lizzy than at Jane,” Kitty remarked.

“And Mr. Walsh seemed quite taken with Charlotte Lucas,” Lydia added. “He danced with her twice.”

“Charlotte was in especially good looks tonight,” Mrs. Bennet conceded. “I suppose I give Mr. Walsh leave to like her, for he is only Mr. Darcy’s man of business and no match for any of the other gentlemen in the party.”

“I thought Mr. Walsh was very kind,” Jane put in softly, briefly catching Elizabeth’s eye. “And he spoke highly of Mr. Darcy. He said they were at university together.”

“There, you see!” Mrs. Bennet trilled. “With friends such as that, and a cousin as charming as Colonel Fitzwilliam, I am sure Mr. Darcy cannot be so very bad.”

Mr. Bennet, who had been listening to all of this in silence, at last turned to his second eldest, who had the distinction of being his own particular favorite.

“You are very quiet, Lizzy. What have you to say about the gentleman?”

Elizabeth briefly looked away, carefully avoiding her older sister’s gaze, before turning to address her father with cool indifference.

“I assure you, I have nothing whatsoever to say about Mr. Darcy. As Mr. Bingley is the object of my affection, his friend’s likes and dislikes are of no concern to me. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to bed.”

Thanks so much for reading! If you’d like to participate in the “Ask Me Anything” giveaway, please comment with a question for me below. (You will need to actually ask me a question to be entered into the drawing). 🙂 I’ll announce the winners in my next post.

Until next time!

JA