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.
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!
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.
Buy Links
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