Mr Darcy's Perfect Match by Kelly Miller - Blog Tour - Vignette, Excerpt and Giveaway

Today I'm welcoming Kelly Miller back to the blog with a post about her new book, Mr Darcy's Perfect Match. First, we will look at the blurb and then I'll hand over to Kelly for an excerpt from her book and a vignette, which is a deleted scene. In this case, they are a really well-matched pair, showing what could have happened and what actually did happen! Meryton Press is also offering a giveaway :) Read on for more details!

Book Description

When secrets are revealed and a family agenda works against him, can Fitzwilliam Darcy recover his damaged spirits and find happiness?

Following his disastrous proposal to Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy returns to London from Kent broken-hearted and dejected. One bright spot penetrates his sea of despair: his sister, Georgiana, has finally recovered her spirits from the grievous events at Ramsgate the previous summer. She has forged a new friendship with Miss Hester Drake, a lady who appears to be an ideal friend. In fact, Lady Matlock believes Miss Drake is Darcy’s perfect match.

Upon Elizabeth Bennet’s arrival at the Gardiners’ home from Kent, she finds that her sister Jane remains despondent over her abandonment by Mr. Bingley. But Elizabeth has information that might bring them together. She convinces her Uncle Gardiner to write a letter to Mr. Bingley providing key facts supplied to her by Mr. Darcy.

When Mr. Bingley discovers that his friend and sisters colluded to keep Jane’s presence in London from him, how will he respond? Given the chance, will Darcy and Elizabeth overcome their past misunderstandings? What will Darcy do when his beloved sister becomes a hindrance towards winning the lady he loves?

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Vignette - Deleted Scene from Mr Darcy's Perfect Match

This deleted scene from Mr. Darcy’s Perfect Match takes place at Rosings Park on the day after Mr. Darcy’s disastrous marriage proposal to Elizabeth Bennet. Earlier on this day, Darcy had a heated argument with his cousin Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam.

It might have been a blessing for Darcy to have been spared from polite conversation with his cousin during dinner had his aunt not raised the subject of his future marriage to Anne. His decision to delay his planned departure twice must have led Lady Catherine to imagine her own explanation for his actions. With the conviction that nothing could make him feel any worse, Darcy formed a resolution: he would end his aunt’s misconception once and for all. However, first he would warn Anne of what was to come.

After their return to the drawing room, Darcy took advantage of a pause in Lady Catherine’s speech to approach Anne. “It is a pleasant evening. Would you take a walk with me in the garden?”

Anne’s usual pale complexion turned ashen at his unprecedented request. “Well, I…I should like that. Yes.” As Darcy took Anne’s hand to aid her in standing, his peripheral vision revealed Lady Catherine grinning and lifting her chin. Employing a tone of urgency, his aunt dispatched a maid to fetch Anne’s wrap, bonnet, and gloves.

Adjacent to them, Richard fidgeted in his seat, but Darcy avoided his cousin’s gaze.

The maid rushed back with Anne’s things. Anne took Darcy’s proffered arm and they exited the double-glazed doors to the garden.

Once they were well away from the house, Darcy spoke in a rushed cadence. “I must apologize to you. I ought to have settled this subject between us years ago. Despite the wishes of your mother, I do not believe we are well matched for marriage. I have regard and respect for you as my cousin, but not the sentiment one should have for their spouse.” Had he said enough? Too much? He fixed his sight away from Anne lest her countenance revealed evidence of disappointment.

The weighty silence was broken with Anne’s audible release of breath. “I am relieved. When you asked me to accompany you here, I was afraid—well—I am glad we are in agreement that we are meant to be cousins and nothing more. I have no desire to marry. The responsibilities and duties associated with being mistress to an estate the size of Pemberley would overwhelm me. My mother ought to know this better than anyone else. However, she will be disappointed to say the least.” Her brows quirked and lifted. “Do you intend to make my mother aware of your intentions, or lack thereof?”

“Yes, it is high time I did so.”

Her lips edged upwards in a rare smile. “I wish you luck.”

Upon their return to the house, the conspicuous stares of Richard and his aunt made for a weighty atmosphere. Darcy approached his aunt. “Lady Catherine, may I speak with you alone?”

Richard’s forehead creased; he leaned towards them and opened his mouth to speak, but Darcy’s intent look and the slight shake of his head stopped him. Anne sat beside Richard and initiated a quiet conversation while Darcy and his aunt left the room. Lady Catherine led him to a sitting room.

Without conferring with him, Lady Catherine poured a cup of brandy and handed it to Darcy with a smug smile. “I must say, it is well past time you stepped forward to do your duty. I had grown rather perturbed with you.”

He took a large sip of brandy, crinkling his nose as he gulped it. The inexpensive liquor his aunt purchased was harsh and bitter, burning his throat as it went down—a stark contrast to the Cognac he kept on hand. “Lady Catherine, you are correct in that I am tardy in making my intentions clear. I shall not now nor in the future propose marriage to Anne. She and I spoke on the subject, and we are in agreement that we are better off as cousins and nothing more. I am sorry for any disappointment this assertion may give you.”

His aunt turned an alarming shade of purple as her mouth twisted into a grimace. Her jaw lowered several times, and a choking sound escaped her mouth before she gained the power of speech. 

“Perhaps you have forgotten that it is not solely my desire that Anne should unite with a cousin so perfect for her. It was your mother’s design as well. Many times she and I spoke of the day when our children would join in marriage. It was my dear sister Anne’s favourite wish!”

Darcy set his shoulders back. That deuced claim again! Why did his aunt persist in repeating that implausible statement? “My mother never shared that wish with me. In any case, I have made my decision. I apologize for not making this clear to you before now.”

“How can you so blithely break my daughter’s heart this way? It is too cruel!”

“Anne has no wish to marry me. She told me so.”

“If she did, it was only to conceal her own pain at your betrayal. Becoming your wife is all Anne has ever wanted!”

He shook his head. When it came to this fantasy of him marrying Anne, his aunt could not see reason. “I shall say again that I am sorry, but my decision is final.”

Lady Catherine’s contorted her features into an ominous expression. As she rose to her feet, his aunt scraped her walking stick across the wood floor-boards, creating a harsh dissonance. Her white knuckles clasped her walking stick, waving it back and forth as she spoke. “You cannot abandon my daughter now. What of Anne’s reputation? What will others say when they learn she has been jilted by you?”

“No one was jilted. We were never engaged. No one will consider Anne to have been abandoned by me. Anyway, Anne told me she does not wish to marry at all.”

“Another lie of Anne’s! She was forsaken by you, and yet she sought to spare your feelings!”

His aunt continued her angry diatribe for another twenty minutes before Darcy finally took his leave of her. Lady Catherine continued to disparage him with utterances made under her breath as he left the room. It was apparent that Lady Catherine was apt to remain in high dudgeon for some time.

*

The following morning, as a certain sign of her lingering wrath, Lady Catherine did not appear to bid them farewell. Anne, though, made up for her mother’s lapse and showed herself to be in high spirits as she cheerfully sent Darcy and Richard on their way. At least Darcy had brought comfort to his Cousin Anne, the second lady in as many days who had made clear her wish not to marry him.

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Excerpt from Mr Darcy's Perfect Match

This excerpt begins at Rosings Park. Darcy and Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam are soon to take their leave.

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Darcy had suffered through another sleepless night. This time, instead of spending it fretting over the composition of a letter, his mind had tormented him in a continuous repeat of Miss Elizabeth’s invective for him. He had long been in the habit of paying peculiar attention to her utterances so it was no surprise that her refusal, and the subsequent excruciating sentences of explanation that he had seen fit to extract from her, were clear and exact in his remembrance.

Lady Catherine bade them farewell with uncommon warmth, stating more than once how sorry she was to see them leave, and her certainty that they would meet again soon. She went so far as to give Darcy a farewell kiss upon the cheek—an unexpected gesture that left him speechless. His cousin Anne was as silent as ever; she responded to his adieu with naught but a nod. It was not until Darcy entered his carriage that the likely reason for his aunt’s unprecedented sentimentality occurred to him: due to his unwillingness to leave Miss Elizabeth, Darcy had twice delayed his departure from Rosings Park. Lady Catherine must have settled upon another own reason for his extended stay: a reluctance to relinquish the company of herself and Anne.

He and Richard had still not spoken other than to communicate matters having to do with their travel, and the first thirty minutes of the trip elapsed in silence. This situation, though most unusual for them, suited Darcy’s purposes well as he continued his rumination of his faults, real and imagined, as seen through the eyes of Miss Elizabeth. Thus, it was an unwelcome interruption when Richard at last spoke.

“Although I was unable to speak to Miss Bennet, I did my best to do as you requested yesterday. It seems to me the least you owe me is a full explanation for why you revealed such potentially damaging information to a mere acquaintance.”

Darcy braced himself against the soft, morocco squabs of his coach. He and Richard were like brothers, but he was not ready to speak of her, not even with him; his emotions were still too raw, his mind a flux of disturbing thoughts. “I thank you for remaining at the parsonage and making yourself available for Miss Bennet. However, I have nothing further to say in connection to the lady. As far as I am concerned, it is a closed subject.”

With a forced exhale, Richard said, “Fine, Darcy, have it your way. You always do.” It was the second time in as many days his cousin had spoken to him in a tone reeking of derision.
Despite his prior acknowledged desire to be left in peace, his cousin’s words appeared to hint at a long held sentiment of resentment that he could not bring himself to disregard. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Richard slid closer to the window of the coach, evincing a sudden interest in the passing scenery. “As far as I am concerned, it is a closed subject.”

So ended all discourse between the two until their cold and distant farewells as Richard alighted from the coach some five hours later. Darcy expelled a loud sigh as his driver pulled away from Richard’s military officers’ lodging, located within the Cavalry Barracks in West London. After Richard’s peevish response to his refusal to speak of Elizabeth Bennet, the atmosphere in the carriage remained frosty and acrimonious. Never before had the two of them shared a confined space for so long with this amount of animosity. It was all the more significant given the usual gregarious nature of his cousin.

Ever since Darcy’s coach departed from his cousin’s abode, a growing reservoir of regret churned his stomach. Perhaps one day he would tell his cousin everything—a day when he was no longer weighed down with unrelenting despair. Thus left alone with his thoughts, they rained upon Darcy like a torrent, leading him into an ever darkening mood.

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Author Bio

Kelly Miller is a native Californian and Anglophile, who made her first visit to England in 2019. When not pondering a plot point or a turn of phrase, she can be found playing the piano (although like Elizabeth Bennet, she is errant when it comes to practicing), singing, and walking her dogs. Kelly Miller resides in Silicon Valley with her husband, daughter, and their many pets.

Mr. Darcy’s Perfect Match is her second novel published by Meryton Press. Her first was the Regency novel Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley, a Pride and Prejudice romantic sequel with a touch of fantasy. Her third novel, Accusing Mr. Darcy, will be released later in 2020.

Amazon Author Page / Goodreads Author Page / Facebook / Twitter / Blog

Buy Links

Mr Darcy's Perfect Match is available to buy now, in both ebook and paperback.

Amazon UK / Amazon US / Amazon CA / Goodreads

Giveaway Time

Meryton Press is giving away 8 ebooks of Mr Darcy's Perfect Match! To enter, please use the Rafflecopter linked below:

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Mr. Darcy’s Perfect Match Blog Schedule

January 27 Austenesque Reviews

January 28 My Jane Austen Book Club

January 29 Austenprose

January 30 So Little Time…

January 31 Babblings of a Bookworm

February 3 More Agreeably Engaged

February 4 Savvy Verse & Wit

February 6 Donadee’s Corner

February 7 Diary of an Eccentric

February 10 From Pemberley to Milton

February 11 My Vices and Weaknesses

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