As the blog tour for Jayne Bamber's Unexpected Friends & Relations is winding down, it is my pleasure to welcome the author for a visit on My Love for Jane Austen. This is Ms Bamber's penultimate stop in a one-month virtual tour for the second book in her Friends & Relations series. Don't forget to participate in the giveaway below as this week is your last chance to enter. Now let's read excerpt which is taken from the prologue of Unexpected Friends & Relations. Spoilers ahead if you have not read the first novel, Happier In Her Friends Than Relations.
She pounded again. "Charles, let me in. I know you can hear me! Charles, Charles!" She pounded with all of her strength on the door until her hand began to ache. "Charles, I will not be back again tomorrow. I am leaving Scotland!" Caroline pounded one final time on the door before turning to leave with a heavy sigh, just as she had done every day for the last fortnight. As she stepped away, she heard the heavy wooden door open; she looked back over her shoulder and saw her brother peering at her from inside. "Charles?"
He opened the door and gestured for her to come in, but did not meet her eyes. She followed him inside, eager to get in out of the bitter cold, and he led her into a small breakfast room. He was only half dressed, in trousers and a thick woolen shirt, and it looked as though he had gone unshaven since she had seen him last. He threw himself down into a chair, his posture apathetic, and poured himself a drink from one of several bottles of whiskey on the table.
Caroline sat down across from her brother and waited for him to ring for tea, but he merely slid her an empty glass, wordlessly gesturing at the bottle.
"No, thank you," she said, wrinkling her nose at the notion of swilling spirits like a tavern wench. "I could take something to eat, if you would call for refreshments."
"I sent all the servants away a week ago," Charles said dispassionately.
"Whatever for?"
"I am going to leave this place, Caroline."
This was the first normal impulse her brother had exhibited in quite some time; Caroline let out a sigh of relief. "I am glad to hear it. I mean to leave tomorrow for London — I came to tell you. Come with me, Charles. We can start over."
He shook his head, staring into his glass of whiskey. "There is no starting over for me, Caroline. I am going to die, too. The sickness, and this infernal cold!"
"You might at least light a fire."
"I see no point," he muttered.
Caroline stared at her brother, hardly recognising the broken man in front of her. There were blisters beginning to form on his face, he was thin and gaunt, his eyes absolutely lifeless. "You might take the cure, Charles."
"I do not want the cure. I do not want anything. I hate this wretched estate; I never wanted to be a landowner. It is what Father wished for me; all I wanted was to find the right woman and have a happy life. Now look at me. I do not belong here, nor in London either. I do not know if I belong anywhere, Caroline. I suppose it matters not, I am for the grave soon enough."
Caroline didn't know what to say to her brother. He had turned her away, holed up inside his dilapidated castle, every day since Jane had passed. There had been no funeral, no observance of any kind. She was not even sure if Charles had written to his wife's family. Apparently, he had spent the entire fortnight drinking and wallowing in his own misery, while Caroline had been fighting a battle of her own. It was difficult to be angry with him at such a time, but a part of her was.
"If you do not belong anywhere, then where will you go when you leave this place?"
"I've no idea. Italy, perhaps. Someplace warm. I never want to be cold again, for what's left of my life"
"Charles, please do not speak like that. It may not take you as quickly as it did Jane."
He finished his drink and poured another, taking a long swig before he set down his glass and looked at her. "She was with child, you know. That is probably why it took her so quick. Therefore, in some way, it was my fault. I have regretted her, but I did not wish to cause her death."
"Charles, you did not do this. Jane contracted the disease before you married her."
Charles scoffed. "Fool that I was."
"We have both been fools," Caroline murmured.
He looked away, gazing into his whiskey glass as he swirled the amber liquid around a few times before taking another sip. "We have both gotten what we deserve, have we not? After that nasty business in September...."
Caroline sighed. It felt like a lifetime ago. How could one evening, one mistake, lead to such a terrible course of events? "We should never have gone to that ball."
"We both know we wanted to see them so much happier than ourselves, and hate them for it. You, I suspect, had other plans...."
"And look where it has gotten me. Seymour... Seymour has fallen ill... with the same illness that took Jane."
Charles slumped forward over the table, his expression inscrutable as he poured himself another drink, and one for her as well.
Caroline peered hesitantly into her glass for a moment before taking a sip. The taste was unpleasant to her, but what did it matter, when everything was terrible anyhow? "You do not seem surprised, Brother."
"I suspected that he — that they — I did not know for sure. I had it from Seymour himself that you would not take him to your bed; it must have been only a matter of time before he found someone who would. I would have preferred it not to have been my wife."
"Had I known it would lead him to her...."
"You would have spurned him anyway."
Caroline scowled at her brother — did he truly think so ill of her? "I could have at least found him some wench from the village!"
"Well, why did you not?"
"Do not blame this on me. I warned you before we went to that ball, not to look twice at any of the Bennet girls, and what did you do? You absconded with one of them, and she has been your downfall!"
"I know," Charles burst, pounding his fist on the table. "She deceived me!"
"I always knew you would be taken in by a pretty face, and ruin us all," Caroline snapped. "I never imagined you would sink us this low, but I did try to warn you."
"Well, and I suppose I ought to have warned you not to attempt to compromise a bloody viscount!"
Caroline sighed again, turning her body away from her brother. After a moment of angry silence she replied, "As it happens, I regret that very much. I should not have done it."
"Good." Charles finished his drink and gestured with irritation for Caroline to do the same; she took another tentative sip and grimaced at her brother. "So," he continued, "what will you do in London, married to a man dying of syphilis?"
"I will do what I must. In fact, I have taken care of Seymour."
"Caroline! You didn't...."
"No! I have installed him in a facility — an establishment that caters to gentlemen in his situation."
"And he consented to this?"
Caroline hesitated. "You truly do not know? No, I suppose you would not, hidden away up here. There was an incident, on Tuesday. These last two weeks, Seymour has been increasingly... agitated. Mad. I did not know what to do, and you would not see me. There were instances of him speaking to people that were not there, acting strangely to servants. He struck me once. He struck the butler, thinking it was his father, and beat the man very badly. Our housekeeper called the magistrate. Dr. Mercer was there, attending Seymour; he and the magistrate discussed my husband's condition, and saw fit to remove him to an asylum, where he will be properly looked after. My dowry could easily afford the fee, though I daresay I shall not have to pay it for long."
"And so you mean to return to London and wait until you are a wealthy widow?"
"That is my plan, yes. Being a widow has a certain degree of respectability to it, and independence. I need no longer be dependent upon your protection, as it seems I shall not have it."
Charles shook his head sadly. "I cannot do it, Caroline. I cannot go back to London. It would only remind me of my mistakes there."
"I wish you had never met her."
"She was the wrong sister," Charles sighed. "My first mistake was in letting you persuade me to abandon her when we left London for Bath last year. She told me, when she refused me, that she knew you had a hand in it, that your treatment of her made her fear a life with me. I have you to thank for her rejection, but now you have paid for it, for you have driven her away from me, into the arms of the man you wanted yourself."
Charles regarded her with a smug smile that did not reach his eyes, and Caroline leaned forward across the table, resting her face in her hands. "It is true. Take satisfaction in that, if you will. I have learned from my own folly, believe me."
"All the better for you, I suppose, for you shall be the only one to walk away from this vile country with the rest of your life to look forward to. I am resigned to my fate. I shall wander, see as much of the world as I can, while I can. And you will go to London and set yourself up in the kind of establishment you have always fancied for yourself, so I suppose you will be happy."
"I cannot believe you are going to leave England. Charles, I know I am... difficult, but I love you, Brother. Truly, I will miss you."
Charles' eyes were suddenly filled with sadness. "This place has changed us."
Caroline nodded, her eyes misting with tears. "It certainly has. It feels as though the world has turned its back on us, but I will not give up without a fight. I fear that is what you mean to do."
Charles made a strangled sound that nearly resembled a laugh. "I suppose I merely do not want the same kind of life that you do."
"And I shall have to learn to respect that. Say you will come visit, at least, in the summer perhaps, when it is not cold. I do not wish to never see you again."
Charles sighed shakily. "We shall see. It is good of you, to say all that. I am leaving everything to you and Louisa, you know. I think I may perhaps give you your share in advance, as Seymour's gambling has no doubt put a significant dent into your dowry. I am sure such a windfall will open many doors for you in London. I shall not need much to live on in my travels, and Louisa shall have whatever is left when I am dead."
Caroline took a deep breath. Adding half of Charles' fortune to what was left of her own would make her exceedingly wealthy, and once she was a widow, she would be one of the most eligible prospects in London. She could have anyone she wanted, or no one at all. She would never want for friends. She would never want for anything. "I do not know what to say, Brother."
"Say you accept and have done with it. You have always cared for money more than I, and there is no shame in it. Such is the world we live in, only you will be in this world far longer than me. Take my money and be happy. I do not want it. I never cared for it, and it has never bought me anything good. May it do better for you."
Caroline nodded. "When will you leave?" Charles only shrugged, his emotion seeming now spent. "You could sail from London. Come down to Town with me, let us have a few more weeks together, for I do not really believe you will ever come back."
"I thought to sail from Edinburgh."
"It will be cold."
"It will be cold if I sail from London. It will be cold until I reach the Mediterranean."
Caroline sighed and rolled her eyes. "You are terribly vexing. Just come to London with me. Say you will."
"Very well, I will do as you say. You are really leaving tomorrow, then?"
"Yes. I have packed my things already. Charles," Caroline hesitated, and placed her hand on his. "There is one other thing.... Have you informed the Bennets of Jane's passing?"
"Which of them should I write? The one who married my best friend? The one who married the viscount's brother? The shrieking mother?"
"The Gardiners, then. You have always been friends with them."
"Perhaps. I've not had any communication with Edward since I ran off with his niece, which I am sure did not best please him. Jane made great claims of his horrible mistreatment of her, but I suppose that was all lies. Edward must think the worst of me now."
"They have a right to know, Charles. But you are leaving England, remember? What does it matter what he thinks of you, when you are unlikely to ever see him again?"
"He shall still be alive in the world, and thinking ill of me, though I suppose he likely does already. Very well, you are right. Well, I suppose I must make ready to depart. I shall not stay long in London with you, you understand. I will leave as soon as I can find a vessel sailing for Naples, or Greece perhaps. You should take a companion," he mused. "That would keep you occupied."
Caroline smiled at the idea. She had not thought too far into the future, beyond her desire to get out of Scotland forever. A companion was a fine idea. There was, of course, one other plan she had in mind for when she returned to London....
Book 2 of the Friends & Relations series....
Following their marriage and a cozy Christmas at Pemberley, Elizabeth & Fitzwilliam Darcy return to London with their family. As new dilemmas arise, the story shifts its focus to three of Austen's beloved secondary characters, one of her less exalted heroines, a familiar villainess and the fan-favourite original character Lady Rebecca.
Georgiana Darcy continues to suffer the consequences of her folly at Ramsgate, as well as the peril of following some well-intended but ill-advised counsel that jeopardises her chance at true love.
Caroline Bingley, now unhappily married and desperate to salvage her position in society, takes on the arduous task of reforming her wild and willful young ward, though it's anybody's guess which of the two of them is in greater need of transformation.
Lady Rebecca Fitzwilliam travels to Surrey on a mission of mercy, but she and her cousin Emma embroil one another, and many familiar faces in the area, in a web of romantic entanglements from which not everyone will escape unscathed.
Mary Bennet struggles with matters of morality and self-discovery, attempting to find good in the world, as well as her own place in it, but must do so on her own terms, always tip-toeing around the dramas and difficulties of those she loves.
Amidst the complex maneuverings of a diverse and demanding family, an unexpected heiress emerges, and with her rise in station come all the glittering delights of the fashionable world, as well as the challenge of navigating the uncharted territories of high society, extended family and even her own heart.
After attaining a Happily Ever After, the Darcys retreat into the background as their friends and relations pursue destinies of their own. Equal measures of mishap and miracle result in several alternately paired couples, while some stories are left to be resolved in Book Three, and a wide array of Austen characters will make an appearance in this tale of six unlikely heroines.
Jayne Bamber is a life-long Austen fan and a total sucker for costume dramas. Jayne read her first Austen variation as a teenager and has spent more than a decade devouring as many of them as she can. This of course has led her to the ultimate conclusion of her addiction, writing one herself.
Jayne's favourite Austen work is Sense and Sensibility, though Sanditon is a strong second. Despite her love for Pride and Prejudice, Jayne realises that she is no Lizzy Bennet, and is in fact growing up to be Mrs. Bennet more and more each day.
After years of dating Wickhams, Collinses and the occasional Tilney-that-got-away, Jayne married her very own Darcy (tinged with just the right amount of Mr. Palmer) and the two live together in Texas with a pair of badly behaved rat terriers, and a desire to expand their menagerie of fur babies.
Jayne is kindly sponsoring an e-book of Unexpected Friends & Relations to accompany the tour. You only have several days left so quickly fill in the Rafflecopter form below.
Excerpt
Caroline pounded on the doors of Downfell Hall, the small, bleary castle Charles and Jane had rented near the Suttons' Scottish estate. It was a cold, imposing place, austere and ancient, and Caroline despised it. She despised the wintry landscape, the stark grey sky, the snowy battlements, the crumbling stone. She despised the man locked inside.She pounded again. "Charles, let me in. I know you can hear me! Charles, Charles!" She pounded with all of her strength on the door until her hand began to ache. "Charles, I will not be back again tomorrow. I am leaving Scotland!" Caroline pounded one final time on the door before turning to leave with a heavy sigh, just as she had done every day for the last fortnight. As she stepped away, she heard the heavy wooden door open; she looked back over her shoulder and saw her brother peering at her from inside. "Charles?"
He opened the door and gestured for her to come in, but did not meet her eyes. She followed him inside, eager to get in out of the bitter cold, and he led her into a small breakfast room. He was only half dressed, in trousers and a thick woolen shirt, and it looked as though he had gone unshaven since she had seen him last. He threw himself down into a chair, his posture apathetic, and poured himself a drink from one of several bottles of whiskey on the table.
Caroline sat down across from her brother and waited for him to ring for tea, but he merely slid her an empty glass, wordlessly gesturing at the bottle.
"No, thank you," she said, wrinkling her nose at the notion of swilling spirits like a tavern wench. "I could take something to eat, if you would call for refreshments."
"I sent all the servants away a week ago," Charles said dispassionately.
"Whatever for?"
"I am going to leave this place, Caroline."
This was the first normal impulse her brother had exhibited in quite some time; Caroline let out a sigh of relief. "I am glad to hear it. I mean to leave tomorrow for London — I came to tell you. Come with me, Charles. We can start over."
He shook his head, staring into his glass of whiskey. "There is no starting over for me, Caroline. I am going to die, too. The sickness, and this infernal cold!"
"You might at least light a fire."
"I see no point," he muttered.
Caroline stared at her brother, hardly recognising the broken man in front of her. There were blisters beginning to form on his face, he was thin and gaunt, his eyes absolutely lifeless. "You might take the cure, Charles."
"I do not want the cure. I do not want anything. I hate this wretched estate; I never wanted to be a landowner. It is what Father wished for me; all I wanted was to find the right woman and have a happy life. Now look at me. I do not belong here, nor in London either. I do not know if I belong anywhere, Caroline. I suppose it matters not, I am for the grave soon enough."
Caroline didn't know what to say to her brother. He had turned her away, holed up inside his dilapidated castle, every day since Jane had passed. There had been no funeral, no observance of any kind. She was not even sure if Charles had written to his wife's family. Apparently, he had spent the entire fortnight drinking and wallowing in his own misery, while Caroline had been fighting a battle of her own. It was difficult to be angry with him at such a time, but a part of her was.
"If you do not belong anywhere, then where will you go when you leave this place?"
"I've no idea. Italy, perhaps. Someplace warm. I never want to be cold again, for what's left of my life"
"Charles, please do not speak like that. It may not take you as quickly as it did Jane."
He finished his drink and poured another, taking a long swig before he set down his glass and looked at her. "She was with child, you know. That is probably why it took her so quick. Therefore, in some way, it was my fault. I have regretted her, but I did not wish to cause her death."
"Charles, you did not do this. Jane contracted the disease before you married her."
Charles scoffed. "Fool that I was."
"We have both been fools," Caroline murmured.
He looked away, gazing into his whiskey glass as he swirled the amber liquid around a few times before taking another sip. "We have both gotten what we deserve, have we not? After that nasty business in September...."
Caroline sighed. It felt like a lifetime ago. How could one evening, one mistake, lead to such a terrible course of events? "We should never have gone to that ball."
"We both know we wanted to see them so much happier than ourselves, and hate them for it. You, I suspect, had other plans...."
"And look where it has gotten me. Seymour... Seymour has fallen ill... with the same illness that took Jane."
Charles slumped forward over the table, his expression inscrutable as he poured himself another drink, and one for her as well.
Caroline peered hesitantly into her glass for a moment before taking a sip. The taste was unpleasant to her, but what did it matter, when everything was terrible anyhow? "You do not seem surprised, Brother."
"I suspected that he — that they — I did not know for sure. I had it from Seymour himself that you would not take him to your bed; it must have been only a matter of time before he found someone who would. I would have preferred it not to have been my wife."
"Had I known it would lead him to her...."
"You would have spurned him anyway."
Caroline scowled at her brother — did he truly think so ill of her? "I could have at least found him some wench from the village!"
"Well, why did you not?"
"Do not blame this on me. I warned you before we went to that ball, not to look twice at any of the Bennet girls, and what did you do? You absconded with one of them, and she has been your downfall!"
"I know," Charles burst, pounding his fist on the table. "She deceived me!"
"I always knew you would be taken in by a pretty face, and ruin us all," Caroline snapped. "I never imagined you would sink us this low, but I did try to warn you."
"Well, and I suppose I ought to have warned you not to attempt to compromise a bloody viscount!"
Caroline sighed again, turning her body away from her brother. After a moment of angry silence she replied, "As it happens, I regret that very much. I should not have done it."
"Good." Charles finished his drink and gestured with irritation for Caroline to do the same; she took another tentative sip and grimaced at her brother. "So," he continued, "what will you do in London, married to a man dying of syphilis?"
"I will do what I must. In fact, I have taken care of Seymour."
"Caroline! You didn't...."
"No! I have installed him in a facility — an establishment that caters to gentlemen in his situation."
"And he consented to this?"
Caroline hesitated. "You truly do not know? No, I suppose you would not, hidden away up here. There was an incident, on Tuesday. These last two weeks, Seymour has been increasingly... agitated. Mad. I did not know what to do, and you would not see me. There were instances of him speaking to people that were not there, acting strangely to servants. He struck me once. He struck the butler, thinking it was his father, and beat the man very badly. Our housekeeper called the magistrate. Dr. Mercer was there, attending Seymour; he and the magistrate discussed my husband's condition, and saw fit to remove him to an asylum, where he will be properly looked after. My dowry could easily afford the fee, though I daresay I shall not have to pay it for long."
"And so you mean to return to London and wait until you are a wealthy widow?"
"That is my plan, yes. Being a widow has a certain degree of respectability to it, and independence. I need no longer be dependent upon your protection, as it seems I shall not have it."
Charles shook his head sadly. "I cannot do it, Caroline. I cannot go back to London. It would only remind me of my mistakes there."
"I wish you had never met her."
"She was the wrong sister," Charles sighed. "My first mistake was in letting you persuade me to abandon her when we left London for Bath last year. She told me, when she refused me, that she knew you had a hand in it, that your treatment of her made her fear a life with me. I have you to thank for her rejection, but now you have paid for it, for you have driven her away from me, into the arms of the man you wanted yourself."
Charles regarded her with a smug smile that did not reach his eyes, and Caroline leaned forward across the table, resting her face in her hands. "It is true. Take satisfaction in that, if you will. I have learned from my own folly, believe me."
"All the better for you, I suppose, for you shall be the only one to walk away from this vile country with the rest of your life to look forward to. I am resigned to my fate. I shall wander, see as much of the world as I can, while I can. And you will go to London and set yourself up in the kind of establishment you have always fancied for yourself, so I suppose you will be happy."
"I cannot believe you are going to leave England. Charles, I know I am... difficult, but I love you, Brother. Truly, I will miss you."
Charles' eyes were suddenly filled with sadness. "This place has changed us."
Caroline nodded, her eyes misting with tears. "It certainly has. It feels as though the world has turned its back on us, but I will not give up without a fight. I fear that is what you mean to do."
Charles made a strangled sound that nearly resembled a laugh. "I suppose I merely do not want the same kind of life that you do."
"And I shall have to learn to respect that. Say you will come visit, at least, in the summer perhaps, when it is not cold. I do not wish to never see you again."
Charles sighed shakily. "We shall see. It is good of you, to say all that. I am leaving everything to you and Louisa, you know. I think I may perhaps give you your share in advance, as Seymour's gambling has no doubt put a significant dent into your dowry. I am sure such a windfall will open many doors for you in London. I shall not need much to live on in my travels, and Louisa shall have whatever is left when I am dead."
Caroline took a deep breath. Adding half of Charles' fortune to what was left of her own would make her exceedingly wealthy, and once she was a widow, she would be one of the most eligible prospects in London. She could have anyone she wanted, or no one at all. She would never want for friends. She would never want for anything. "I do not know what to say, Brother."
"Say you accept and have done with it. You have always cared for money more than I, and there is no shame in it. Such is the world we live in, only you will be in this world far longer than me. Take my money and be happy. I do not want it. I never cared for it, and it has never bought me anything good. May it do better for you."
Caroline nodded. "When will you leave?" Charles only shrugged, his emotion seeming now spent. "You could sail from London. Come down to Town with me, let us have a few more weeks together, for I do not really believe you will ever come back."
"I thought to sail from Edinburgh."
"It will be cold."
"It will be cold if I sail from London. It will be cold until I reach the Mediterranean."
Caroline sighed and rolled her eyes. "You are terribly vexing. Just come to London with me. Say you will."
"Very well, I will do as you say. You are really leaving tomorrow, then?"
"Yes. I have packed my things already. Charles," Caroline hesitated, and placed her hand on his. "There is one other thing.... Have you informed the Bennets of Jane's passing?"
"Which of them should I write? The one who married my best friend? The one who married the viscount's brother? The shrieking mother?"
"The Gardiners, then. You have always been friends with them."
"Perhaps. I've not had any communication with Edward since I ran off with his niece, which I am sure did not best please him. Jane made great claims of his horrible mistreatment of her, but I suppose that was all lies. Edward must think the worst of me now."
"They have a right to know, Charles. But you are leaving England, remember? What does it matter what he thinks of you, when you are unlikely to ever see him again?"
"He shall still be alive in the world, and thinking ill of me, though I suppose he likely does already. Very well, you are right. Well, I suppose I must make ready to depart. I shall not stay long in London with you, you understand. I will leave as soon as I can find a vessel sailing for Naples, or Greece perhaps. You should take a companion," he mused. "That would keep you occupied."
Caroline smiled at the idea. She had not thought too far into the future, beyond her desire to get out of Scotland forever. A companion was a fine idea. There was, of course, one other plan she had in mind for when she returned to London....
Book Blurb
Following their marriage and a cozy Christmas at Pemberley, Elizabeth & Fitzwilliam Darcy return to London with their family. As new dilemmas arise, the story shifts its focus to three of Austen's beloved secondary characters, one of her less exalted heroines, a familiar villainess and the fan-favourite original character Lady Rebecca.
Georgiana Darcy continues to suffer the consequences of her folly at Ramsgate, as well as the peril of following some well-intended but ill-advised counsel that jeopardises her chance at true love.
Caroline Bingley, now unhappily married and desperate to salvage her position in society, takes on the arduous task of reforming her wild and willful young ward, though it's anybody's guess which of the two of them is in greater need of transformation.
Lady Rebecca Fitzwilliam travels to Surrey on a mission of mercy, but she and her cousin Emma embroil one another, and many familiar faces in the area, in a web of romantic entanglements from which not everyone will escape unscathed.
Mary Bennet struggles with matters of morality and self-discovery, attempting to find good in the world, as well as her own place in it, but must do so on her own terms, always tip-toeing around the dramas and difficulties of those she loves.
Amidst the complex maneuverings of a diverse and demanding family, an unexpected heiress emerges, and with her rise in station come all the glittering delights of the fashionable world, as well as the challenge of navigating the uncharted territories of high society, extended family and even her own heart.
After attaining a Happily Ever After, the Darcys retreat into the background as their friends and relations pursue destinies of their own. Equal measures of mishap and miracle result in several alternately paired couples, while some stories are left to be resolved in Book Three, and a wide array of Austen characters will make an appearance in this tale of six unlikely heroines.
Author Bio
Jayne's favourite Austen work is Sense and Sensibility, though Sanditon is a strong second. Despite her love for Pride and Prejudice, Jayne realises that she is no Lizzy Bennet, and is in fact growing up to be Mrs. Bennet more and more each day.
After years of dating Wickhams, Collinses and the occasional Tilney-that-got-away, Jayne married her very own Darcy (tinged with just the right amount of Mr. Palmer) and the two live together in Texas with a pair of badly behaved rat terriers, and a desire to expand their menagerie of fur babies.
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Giveaway
Wow, Jayne. That was a great introduction to the novel. I didn't expect Charles Bingley to elope with Jane Bennet and that his wife would be unfaithful to him. Kudos to you for writing something very original and out of the ordinary. And thank you for inviting me to be part of your blog tour. Wish you all the best in continuing to pen more books in the Friends & Relations series.Jayne is kindly sponsoring an e-book of Unexpected Friends & Relations to accompany the tour. You only have several days left so quickly fill in the Rafflecopter form below.
I do enjoy stories about the secondary characters of P&P rather than Darcy and Elizabeth. Enjoyed the first part so look forward to reading this
ReplyDeleteI will have to read the first one first. This is so interesting. Thank you for the give away.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the release of your second book. Looking forward to reading it
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. Looking forward to book 2
ReplyDeleteI think you should have the first print of Book 2 for your personal library. I hope you have a chance for some rest now.
ReplyDeleteGrandma Christa