A Matter of Honor by Abigail Reynolds - Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

As long time visitors to the blog may know, I am a huge fan of Abigail Reynold's books and she's visited the blog many times. Therefore I am thrilled, and consider it a matter of honour ;)  to be hosting her on launch day for her newest book, A Matter of Honor. It looks fantastic and I can't wait to read it! Abigail joins us today with a guest post, excerpt and giveaway. Let's look at the blurb first.

Book Description for A Matter of Honor

Pride & Prejudice goes to Scotland!

When Fitzwilliam Darcy, still smarting from Elizabeth Bennet’s rejection, discovers she was forced to flee her home in disgrace owing to his actions, his course is clear. He must marry her. It is a matter of honor. All he has to do is find her and propose. Surely that will be simple enough.

But Elizabeth does not want to be found, especially not by Darcy. From the moment he entered her life, he has caused disaster after disaster. Now he has followed her all the way to Scotland, foolishly certain it’s within his power to fix all her problems. But far more is at stake than Darcy knows.

Darcy’s quest takes him from backstage at Edinburgh’s Theatre Royal to the wilds of the Scottish Highlands, where mysterious Highlanders prove both friend and enemy. And now his search risks exposing long-hidden secrets that threaten his happiness and her future.

On the run and in danger, Elizabeth is forced to make impossible choices to protect those whom she loves – including Darcy. Her growing attraction to him is at war with her need for caution, and the stakes are impossibly high. Can she trust him to continue to fight for her protection when he knows the whole truth? And if he does, will it be for love… or will it be merely a matter of honor?

Guest Post from Abigail Reynolds

I’m so excited to be launching A Matter of Honor! Giving Darcy and Elizabeth to a new country to explore has been challenge and a delight. After all, what could be more fun than digging into Scottish history and being forced – forced! – to spend hours staring at pictures of the Highlands. It’s a sacrifice, I tell you. 😉 It’s been particularly interesting because of the amazing online records, especially the digital collections of the National Library of Scotland. I found everything from records of the weather for any given day to the original playbills for the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh. Period maps, gazetteers, and travel guides gave me an amazing virtual tour of Scotland in 1812.

All but the first two chapters of A Matter of Honor takes place in Scotland, starting with several chapters in Edinburgh. Those playbills came in very handy as the Edinburgh Theatre Royal became a focus of activity for many of the characters. As an old theatre techie, I’ve always wanted to write backstage scenes, but English Regency theatres attracted pretty disreputable characters, and the people likely to show up backstage wouldn’t be the sort I could put in my books. Imagine my delight when I discovered the theatre in Scotland was forced into a sort of respectability lest the Church of Scotland force them to close!

But as Darcy becomes a little too close to Elizabeth’s secrets, she flees from Edinburgh into the Highlands. I’m embarrassed by how much time I spent choosing the perfect Highland hide-out for Elizabeth. There were so many wonderful possibilities! In the end, I put her in the midst of the Trossachs, on the shores of Loch Ard, not far from Loch Lomond. I didn’t want her too far from Edinburgh in the days when travel on Highland roads was painfully slow, and it put our dear couple right in Sir Walter Scott country, just as his The Lady of the Lake was taking society by storm. And that turned into a plot twist by itself!

I hope you’ll enjoy visiting Scotland with Lizzy and Darcy in A Matter of Honor. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Excerpt from A Matter of Honor

Mrs. Graham excused herself for a few moments after an informal dinner in the drawing room, leaving Darcy alone with Elizabeth for the first time that day. Elizabeth had been particularly attentive to him at dinner, perhaps trying to distract him from the pain in his leg, which was nothing to the ache in his heart. But the laudanum-laced wine had relaxed him enough that he could drink in the lively expressions that crossed Elizabeth’s face and the way her hair shone in the candlelight without too much thought of the future, as if intimate dinners with her were something that could be a natural part of his life.

Now Elizabeth walked past him toward the bookcase, the slight sway of her hips almost hidden by her woolen dress, the curve of her neck outlined by the moonlight from the window. A surge of desire nearly overset Darcy, the longing to run his hand along that silver-lit skin so strong that he had to fight to keep himself on his chaise longue, broken leg be damned. In that moment, being lame forever seemed a small price to pay for being able to touch Elizabeth, to feel the silk of her skin, the little shiver she would give at his touch.

Then she turned and met his gaze, and he knew he was not alone in his desire. She wanted him, too. There was hunger and yearning in her fine eyes, and, as they stared at one another in silence, a hint of despair.

She bit her lip and shook herself, as if waking from a reverie, and looked away. She picked a book from the shelf at random, clutched it tightly, and hurried back to her seat by the fire, never looking his way.

The ache in his chest was like a burning coal he could not ignore. “Elizabeth,” he said softly.

She hesitated before raising her head. “Yes?” Her voice was weighted with resignation.

“You cannot deny what is between us. Surely there must be some way we can work together to overcome whatever stands in our way.” He did not know why she might answer differently this time, but he could not remain silent.

Her hands tightened into fists. “Do you think I have not tried to find a way? But there is no answer. And trying to pretend otherwise only makes it worse.” Her voice caught. “Perhaps you have never before been denied something you wanted desperately, but there are very few in this world who have that privilege.”

His face burned at her reproof. “I have been fortunate, but I have faced adversity. It is not stubbornness but the strength of my sentiments which will not be denied.” Even as the words left his mouth, he knew it was the wrong approach.

As she looked at him, her pain evident in the lines of her face, she opened her mouth to say something, but apparently changed her mind. Instead, she rose to her feet and hurried from the room, her skirts swishing around her.

“Elizabeth!” he called after her, but there was no response, just the sound of her feet on the steps.

Devil take it! He could not follow her, could not do anything but wait for her to return. If she did return. He pounded his fist on the arm of the chaise longue, wincing at the pain as the movement jostled his leg. Damn it! Why could she not have stayed and talked to him?

He heard someone outside the door, but it was Mrs. Graham’s quick footsteps, not the soft sound of Elizabeth’s slippers. The older woman hesitated in the doorway, looking back in the direction Elizabeth had gone, and then turned to Darcy with an exasperated expression. “I canna leave the two of ye alone for even a few minutes!”

“It is nothing,” he said automatically. Another reproof was the last thing he needed.

“From what I saw of Lizzy’s face, it did not look like nothing,” she said tartly. “I will give ye one piece of advice, whether ye like it or not. When a lass says nae, ye must take her at her word. Show her that much respect.”

“I have the greatest of respect for her,” he said stiffly. But he had not shown it. She had begged him not to press her, and he had not listened. What a fool he had been!

Author Bio

Abigail Reynolds may be a nationally bestselling author and a physician, but she can't follow a straight line with a ruler. Originally from upstate New York, she studied Russian and theater at Bryn Mawr College and marine biology at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. After a stint in performing arts administration, she decided to attend medical school, and took up writing as a way to retain her sanity during her years as a physician in private practice.

A life-long lover of Jane Austen's novels, Abigail began writing variations on Pride & Prejudice in 2001, then expanded her repertoire to include a series of novels set on her beloved Cape Cod. Her most recent releases are Mr. Darcy’s Enchantment, Conceit & Concealment, Mr. Darcy’s Journey, and Alone with Mr. Darcy. Her books have been translated into six languages. A lifetime member of JASNA, she lives on Cape Cod with her husband, her son and a menagerie of animals. Her hobbies do not include sleeping or cleaning her house.

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Buy Links

A Matter of Honor is available to buy now - in paperback, kindle and Kindle Unlimited Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon Canada / Goodreads

Giveaway Time!

Abigail Reynolds is kindly offering a giveaway. Two lucky commenters on this blog post will be selected to win an ebook of A Matter of Honor. To enter, just leave a comment on this blogpost by the end of the day worldwide on Thursday 12 September. Please ensure that you leave your name. You can gain an extra entry to the giveaway by tweeting about this post, but please make sure you tag me @Frawli1978 to make sure I see it.

Note about comments: I love to read your comments, but a few blog visitors have reported difficulties in commenting while using the Safari browser. If you are unable to comment, please try using another web browser, such as Google Chrome, or please contact me and I will add your comment for you :)

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