Abducted and facing ruin, can Elizabeth's wits save her from a dastardly plot? And will Mr. Darcy find her in time?
When a false friend tricks Elizabeth, she is abducted by carriage from Meryton and carried hours away to a bawdy house. If Mr. Darcy does not rescue and pay her ransom, she will be sold to the highest bidder.
Elizabeth must depend on her wits to survive. But the clock is ticking. Will Mr. Darcy choose to risk his life for the woman he secretly loves but who despises him? And if so, can he rescue her before it's too late?
This
40,000 word steamy Pride and Prejudice variation features kidnapping, compromise,
forced marriage, rescue by Mr. Darcy, double wedding, Christmas holiday ball
and a happily ever after.
Excerpt from Kidnapped and Compromised, Introduced by Bella Breen
Hello Dear Readers, it is a pleasure to be here to share more details about my new release, Kidnapped and Compromised. This is a steamy novella and a work of Austenesque fiction, available on Kindle on December 26th.
The book opens near the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, with the militia present in Meryton and Elizabeth Bennet’s opinion of Mr. Darcy set, no matter his opinion of her fine eyes.
***
Mr. Darcy pulled the reins, bringing
his horse to a standstill from cantering, and looked around the Hertfordshire
countryside. He thought he had heard yelling. But all he saw was an open field,
crops in rows, with no one in sight. Fox pranced forward skittishly, no doubt
unnerved by his rider’s stillness.
“Miss Elizabeth?”
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet?”
He had definitely heard it this
time, over the sound of the horse’s hooves churning the damp earth underfoot.
He had not imagined the voices calling for the desirable yet impertinent
Elizabeth Bennet. Though she had believed Wickham’s stories about him, and
questioned him at the Netherfield ball, he still admired her intelligence and
beauty. But he could not have what he wanted. Her social connections and her family’s
impropriety would never allow him to be with her in society or even to call on
her in Hertfordshire.
He fingered the smooth leather reins
as he decided whether to give in to his desire to find the cause of the
servants yelling for the Bennet girl or to avoid temptation. The more he was
close to her, the harder it was to not speak to her, to make her notice him, to
have her admire him.
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet?”
Mr. Darcy nudged his chestnut
stallion Fox with his heels and headed towards the figures near the forest. Any
gentleman would offer assistance in this situation. And Miss Bingley was not
here to tease him for paying too much attention to Elizabeth’s fine eyes.
“You there!” He spied a servant
walking at the edge of the woodland. “What is the matter?”
The man pulled at his forelock.
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet has not returned from her walk.”
Mr. Darcy had heard of her odd habit
of lengthy, daily walks and had seen it for himself when she had hiked three
miles to Netherfield to care for her sister. “Surely she cannot be lost? Has
she not walked all over this countryside?”
The older man nodded. “Yes sir, but
she—”
“How long has she been missing? What
is being done to find her?” Mr. Darcy’s horse shook his head and pawed at the
ground, eager to return to cantering.
“Miss Elizabeth has been gone since
right after the noon meal, sir. Mr. Bennet has all the servants out looking for
her.”
Mr. Darcy frowned. That was nearly
five hours ago. Even a country girl with a fondness for countryside rambles
would have returned by now. His chest clenched at the thought of her injured on
the ground, somewhere at the mercy of the local wildlife. “How many are
searching for Miss Bennet? Is anyone on horseback? What is her usual walking
path?”
The servant looked back towards
Longbourn, the home of the Bennet family. “I do not know, sir. Mr. Bennet is at
Longbourn and would answer your questions.”
Mr. Darcy spun his horse and kicked
him into a canter. He searched the ground for a beautiful young woman lying
injured as he rode. She must have twisted her ankle and was too far away to be
heard yelling for help.
It was unconscionable that the Bennet
girl was allowed to walk without a maid. Never would he have permitted his
sister Georgiana to do the same. Perhaps Mr. Bennet would be more circumspect
after this. However, Mr. Darcy doubted it. Control over his family was not one
of Mr. Bennet’s strong suits, not with the way his younger daughters behaved at
the assemblies or in town, flirting with the officers.
Mr. Darcy guided his horse down the
short driveway of Longbourn.
Mr. Bennet looked up at the sound of
Fox’s hooves clattering on the gravel path. The family’s patriarch stood in
front of the house, directing searchers in his greatcoat and hat. Mr. Bennet
turned in Mr. Darcy’s direction.
“Mr. Bennet, I came across one of
your servants looking for Miss Elizabeth. May I offer my assistance?”
Mr. Bennet grimaced. “It would be
much appreciated Mr. Darcy. However, I am sure my dear Lizzy has just lost
track of the time. I have tried to curtail her long walks, but she will not
listen to me.”
He chuckled, most likely expecting
Mr. Darcy to join in. But Mr. Darcy’s thoughts were far from amused as his
opinion of the Bennet patriarch dropped lower. “Men on horseback could cover a
greater distance. I am certain Mr. Bingley would provide his servants to help
with the search.”
Mr. Bennet widened his stance as he
looked up at the younger man who outranked him in every manner. “I thank you
for your offer; nonetheless I am sure we will find her quite soon. There is no
need to cause alarm among our friends and neighbors.”
Mr. Darcy gathered the reins, biting
back the desire to tell Mr. Bennet that a proper search had not been done. He
turned, giving his horse the signal to move away from the man and his doddering
ways. The eldest two Bennet girls deserved all the credit for their characters.
It was a shame they came from such a family.
A young maid darted out from behind
the hedgerows lining the lane. Fox reared back in surprise, but Mr. Darcy
quickly brought him under control. He turned to the girl, ready to lecture her
on not startling horses.
“Oh, Mr. Darcy! I have a note for
you. I was going to give it to Mr. Bennet, but since you are here…” She held
the stationary up to him.
He plucked it out of her hand with a
scowl. It could not be a message from Netherfield. Mr. Bingley would not have
sent a young maid alone to find him. “Who is this from?”
“A man in Meryton asked me to give
this to you.” The girl gripped her waist, breathing heavily.
He unfolded and read the note, his
heart stopping. Mr. Darcy pinned the servant girl with his stare. “How long ago
did you receive this? Did you recognize the man that gave it to you?”
“No, sir, but he had a red coat on.
He must be one of the militia.”
Mr. Darcy turned his head away to
think. The maid curtsied and started towards the house.
“Wait!”
She stopped and looked back,
clutching her apron.
“Do not tell anyone. Miss
Elizabeth’s reputation is at stake.”
The servant assured him of her
silence and continued down the driveway to Longbourn. Mr. Darcy lifted the
reins, intending to race to Netherfield and round up his friend Mr. Bingley and
servants, but stopped. It was his fault entirely that the honor of Elizabeth
Bennet was at risk. The fewer people that knew of this situation, the better.
He needed to move quickly. Mr. Wickham had abducted Elizabeth Bennet.
I hope I
have piqued your interest, The
book is available for pre-order here: https://geni.us/kidnapped
Author Bio
Bestselling author of sensual Pride and Prejudice variation books, Demi Monde's books feature Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. She first fell in love with Pride and Prejudice in highschool. Mr. Darcy has forever ruined any other man for her. Today she brings her fantasies to life for every fan of Mr. Darcy.
She was born in Missouri, then moved to Iowa in grade school and finally settled in South Dakota which reminds her of the English countryside, if you squint and ignore the harsh winters and humid summers. Her favorite animals are cats, corgis and horses. When she's not writing you can find her walking in nature, cross stitching, reading, antique hunting and practicing calligraphy.
Kidnapped and Compromised is available to buy now in Paperback, and pre-order in Kindle.
• Amazon US • Amazon UK • Amazon CA •
Giveaway Time
Enter to win a copy of Kidnapped and Compromised! Five winners will be drawn on December 27th. Click the link to enter the giveaway:
https://geni.us/kidnappedgiveaway
Note about comments: If you would like to comment and you have any problems adding your comment please contact me and I will add your comment for you :)
Oh, that SBRB {scum-bag-rat-bastard]. Darcy will kill him for sure now. I wonder who hired him? Let's round up the usual suspects, Lady Catherine or Miss Caroline Bingley. Then again you may have thrown a wrench in the works and introduce someone completely different. I can't wait to read this. It sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ceri for hosting and thanks to Demi Monde for the excerpt. Blessings in the launch of this new work. I wish you both a Happy New Year.