P. O. Dixon...Lady Elizabeth

When I first started my blog almost two years ago, (February 2013), P.O. Dixon was my second guest. She visited in March with her newest release at the time, Love Will Grow. It was so exciting to have Ms. Dixon visit as I had read most of her books and liked them very much. I'm happy to tell you that she is visiting again -  too long between visits, isn't it - but so happy to have her here today. We have an excerpt from Chapter 1 of the newest release, Lady Elizabeth. Enjoy! Thank you, P. O. Dixon for the teaser and for the excellent giveaway.

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We all remember Darcy’s initial marriage proposal in Jane Austen’s timeless classic, Pride and Prejudice. Here are snippets of my favorite parts of the speech.

“In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed.”

Struggle indeed. The following excerpt is priceless:

He spoke well; but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed; and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority--of its being a degradation--of the family obstacles which had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.

No such struggles as these exist for Darcy in Lady Elizabeth: Everything Will Change Book One—at least not in the beginning. Elizabeth is, after all, the granddaughter of the Duke of Dunsmore. In fact, by the end of Chapter Sixteen, Darcy and Elizabeth have agreed there will be no more misunderstandings between them.

But all is not as it seems. During his stay at Netherfield Park in Hertfordshire, Darcy learns of a tragedy that befell the Bennets, a family from a neighboring estate, over a decade prior. One of the Bennet daughters vanished in broad daylight from the streets of Lambton.

Will Darcy unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the second-born Bennet daughter? What if it means losing the one woman who has captured his heart?

I hope you’ll enjoy the following excerpt from Lady Elizabeth:

Chapter 1 ~ Desperate Measures

Dunsmore, 1796

The brown-eyed little girl sprang to the window. Peering outside, she spoke barely above a whisper. “Where am I?” She spun around and faced the elderly man who found her what must have been days ago. “You said you were bringing me home.” Tears threatened to burst from her weary eyes. “This isn’t my home. I want to go home.”

A tall, proud man, with a noble mien, the Duke of Dunsmore looked down at the elegant woman standing next to him and responded to her questioning stare with the utmost compassion. “My dear,” he began, “the child is a bit overwhelmed. We must give her time to grow accustomed to her new circumstances.”

Now sobbing feverishly, the little girl tumbled to her knees. She wailed in protest of this unfamiliar place, these unfamiliar people.

“Your Grace, she is more than a little overwhelmed. She’s frightened,” said the beautiful lady with rich golden hair. Crossing the room, she lowered herself to the child’s eye level. She pulled a dainty handkerchief from her sleeve and gently dabbed the little girl’s tears. “There, there, my child. Do not be afraid.”

“Where’s my papa? Where’s my mama?” She tore her eyes from the kind woman’s eyes and threw a glance about the room. “Where’s Jane?”

“Oh, my precious child, it pains me to see you so saddened. Pray, what is your name?”

The forlorn child’s spiritless gaze fell to the floor. “My name is Lizzy.”

“Lizzy—what a beautiful name you have. I suppose it is short for Elizabeth. My own mother’s name was Elizabeth. Lady Elizabeth. As I am to be your mother, thanks to the kindheartedness of my excellent father, I think I shall use your given name. I believe that we shall call you, Lady Elizabeth—Lady Elizabeth Montlake.”

The child shook her head furiously. “No! I have a mother, and a father, and a beautiful sister Jane. She looks just like an angel! And we have a little baby … Mary!”

Her countenance riddled with concern, the elegant lady looked at the tall man. He shrugged. “The poor child does not yet realize what has befallen the family who cared for her. We must give her time.”

Another woman came into the room. “There you are, Miss Pruitt. Please take the child—young Elizabeth—up to her room.”

Her desire to comfort and protect the sweet innocent child evident, the elegant lady held out her hand. “I will come too, Miss Pruitt.”

A highly esteemed man, whose greatest purpose in life was protecting his family, the duke said, “No, my dear, I would have a word with you.”

Lady Sophia Montlake, the widow of the duke’s recently deceased son, objected. “Your Grace, I ask if that will wait. You must certainly see that little Elizabeth is upset. My presence is what I think she needs.”

“Very well, but do return to see me soon, for I have a matter of grave importance to discuss with you concerning the particulars of young Elizabeth’s coming to be here. There are certain arrangements that must be made.”

Lady Sophia took young Elizabeth’s hand and silently signaled her readiness to part to the young maid.

It was just as well that his daughter-in-law had left with the child. This gave her time to start forming an attachment with her new daughter. More importantly, it gave him extra time to rehearse the speech he had planned for her ladyship, as well as the rest of the world in general. His repeated questioning of the child had yielded quite a few findings. Included among those details that the duke was at liberty to share were her age and her birthdate. At least there was that bit of truth that would serve as the basis for her new life.

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I like this new twist in the story so many of us love and want more and more of it. I am thankful to authors like you, P. O. Dixon, for continually giving us more. Thank you for visiting. It is an honor to have you stop by again and I wish you much success with this latest release. 

I want to add a bit here of my personal experience with the audio books by P.O. Dixon. I have several and have enjoyed immensely listening to them . When I am drawing, I love to listen to a good book. It is a wonderful way to 'read' a book, so to speak, while busy working. If you haven't tried one of her audio books yet, I strongly suggest that you give one a try. They are available at Audible.

Pam is having a giveaway and I know you will all be excited to hear about it. She is giving away one eBook edition of Lady Elizabeth, international, and one paperback edition, US mailing address required. Please leave a comment below to be entered in the giveaway. Also please let me know if you will be entering for the eBook or the paperback. Thank you for commenting and don't forget to include your email address for contact purposes should you be the winner. Giveaway ends at midnight February 1, 2015.