Excerpt
"You must allow me to tell you how nice you look this evening." Those magnificent, warm, brown eyes finally look into mine, and I stifle a gasp. There it is — that devilish, bewitching twinkle I so adore. A frisson of excitement tingles my spine and other regions of my body. Beware, Darcy. Here, there be mischief."Very well, Mr. Darcy, you have my permission and may proceed."
What? Proceed? "I beg your pardon?"
"I give you permission to remark on how nice I look this evening. You may do so at any time now."
Nice? Did I truly just say she looks nice? By God, I am a ninny-hammer. For clarity's sake, why not just reiterate that ghastly utterance about being tolerable but not handsome enough for temptation? Oh, how I wish to say something flattering, sensible, and provocative, but I know not what or how. Care must be taken since there is, apparently, no viable connection between my brain and my unruly tongue whenever I deign to speak in her presence.
What would be Elizabeth's reaction, though, if I spoke aloud the unutterable truth? Good God, woman, you look luscious enough to devour, and I am absolutely ravenous. Come with me, and let me sample the delicious feel of you in my arms and the sultry succulence of those luscious lips. Let me taste your flawless skin as I lick my way up and down your —
"...and, Mr. Darcy, any friend of Mr. Bingley's will always be welcome at Longbourn, to be sure."
Her mother's voice, like a bucket of ice water poured over my head, douses all wayward thoughts.
Book Blurb
"We take the turning which places us on Meryton's main road, and — oh, gad! There it is — the base-court building which passes for an assembly hall in this godforsaken place. For me, the venue shall be either a heaven or a hell tonight. My palms grow clammy, my gut churns, and I regret that second helping of onion-laden vegetable pie forced on me before we left."
Accompany Darcy as he, intent on reversing the disastrous first impression he made there, braves another Meryton assembly and seeks to win his heart's desire.
Author Bio
J. Marie Croft is a self-proclaimed word nerd and adherent of Jane Austen's quote "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery". Her light-hearted novel, Love at First Slight (Meryton Press, 2013), her humourous short story, Spyglasses and Sunburns, in the Sun-Kissed: effusions of summer anthology (Meryton Press, 2015) and her novella, A Little Whimsical in His Civilities (Meryton Press, 2016) bear witness to Joanne's fondness for Pride and Prejudice, wordplay and laughter.
Thank you, Lúthien84, for participating in the Whimsical blog tour and for posting my excerpt.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Joanne
Poor guy! He does struggle with his words. :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the excerpt!
Mother-in-laws - there to remove any ardour
ReplyDeleteI thought this a fun novella full of vim and vigor!
ReplyDeletePoor man has got it really bad hasn't he. Brain and mouth seem to be totally disconnected!
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving comments, Sophia Rose, Vesper, Christina, and Anji.
ReplyDeleteIf you're wondering why Luthien84 hasn't been around here much lately, it's because she is scheduled for surgery on Thursday, February 18. She probably won't be online again until home and fully recovered.
Please spread the word within the JAFF community. She has indicated it's okay to do so. Get-well wishes, prayers, long-distance hugs, and pink ribbons may not cure cancer, but they might make her feel a bit better.
Get well soon! I thought maybe she had given up the blog. Glad to hear she will be returning! This is my favorite Jane Austen blog.
ReplyDelete