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Happy Holidays to all of you. I hope you are enjoying the season with all the hustle and bustle of this joyous time of year. I love all the lights, the decorations and the Christmas music. It all makes for such a festive atmosphere. I haven't decorated my house yet - don't even have my tree up, but that is about to change!
I also love reading Christmas stories and especially those involving Darcy and Elizabeth. My guest today has such a book and is sharing the blurb and an excerpt with us. She is also giving away one book! Please welcome Victoria Kincaid with the excerpt from her book, A Very Darcy Christmas! You are going to laugh as you read about this dinner!
*****
Blurb:
Elizabeth and Darcy are preparing for their first Christmas
at Pemberley when they are suddenly deluged by a flood of uninvited
guests. Mrs. Bennet is seeking refuge
from the French invasion she believes to be imminent. Lady Catherine brings two suitors for
Georgiana’s hand, who cause a bit of mayhem themselves. Lydia’s presence causes bickering—and a
couple of small fires—while Wickham has more nefarious plans in mind….The
abundance of guests soon puts a strain on her marriage as Elizabeth tries to manage
the chaos while ensuring a happy Christmas for all.
Meanwhile, Georgiana is finding her suitors—and the prospect
of coming out—to be very unappealing. Colonel
Fitzwilliam seems to be the only person who understands her fondness for riding
astride and shooting pistols. Georgiana
realizes she’s beginning to have more than cousinly feelings for him, but does
he return them? And what kind of secrets
is he hiding?
Romance and merriment abound as everyone gathers to
celebrate a Very Darcy Christmas.
*****
Exerpt:
William had issued dinner invitations to Mr. Peters, the
local curate, and his wife, Lord and Lady Pippinworth, and the dowager
viscountess Lady Agatha, Lord Robert’s mother.
Perhaps he had believed that the presence of strangers would encourage
family members to be on their best behavior.
If so, Elizabeth thought, he was sadly mistaken.
Lady Catherine complained loudly to Lady Agatha about the
shades of Pemberley being polluted. Mr.
Worthy completely occupied Georgiana’s attention with a discussion of manure
output, apparently under the mistaken impression that such a subject was a part
of traditional courtship rituals.
Meanwhile, the viscount glared at Mr. Worthy but was too well-bred to
interrupt. Lydia consumed everything on
her plate, belched loudly, and then brashly asked for more. Whenever her wineglass was in danger of
running dry, she demanded that the footmen refill it. Elizabeth’s mother was having a quiet
conversation with Mrs. Peters, but Elizabeth could hardly hope such civility
would last.
Lady Catherine examined her wine glass. “There is a spot on my glass,” she announced
loudly during a pause in the conversation.
“I require another one.” A
footman rushed to take it from her. She
addressed Elizabeth despite having more than half a table between them. “Your staff has overcooked the roast. I will need to speak with them about it.”
“I thought it was delicious,” Richard said stoutly.
“How kind of you to take an interest,” Elizabeth said to her
mother without glancing up from the meat she was cutting.
Mrs. Bennet’s vivid portrayals of a French invasion were,
unfortunately, beginning to whip Mrs. Peters into a frenzy. After a particularly lurid portrayal of
streets running with blood, the poor woman grabbed her husband’s arm. “Did you hear, John? Perhaps we should remove to my parents’ house
in Newcastle.” She turned quickly to
Mrs. Bennet. “Do you suppose we will be
safe there?” Elizabeth’s mother blinked,
not sufficiently versed in English geography to offer an opinion.
“Mrs. Peters,” William intoned, “I do not believe there is
any cause for alarm.”
“But would it not be prudent to ensure our safety?” She addressed William, but her eyes implored
her husband.
Mr. Peters gently disengaged his wife’s hand from his
arm. “I cannot flee to Newcastle,
darling. I must remain here and tend to
my flock.”
“But I cannot leave you here!” she cried, drawing the eyes
of everyone at the table. “I could not
bear the thought of you spitted at the end of a French bayonet—or blown into
pieces by a cannonball.”
Suddenly not quite so hungry, Elizabeth set down her
fork.
Elizabeth’s mother patted Mrs. Peters’ hand. “There, there, my dear. He is a clergyman. Certainly the French would not kill
him.” The woman’s shoulders sagged with
relief as Mrs. Bennet continued. “At
most they would put him in a lice- and rat-infested prison.” Mrs. Peters’ face took on a greenish tinge.
Both William and Georgiana also laid down their forks. Lady Pippinworth took a hasty sip of
wine. At this rate no one would finish
their meal except Elizabeth’s mother…and Lydia.
“Mrs. Bennet,” William said.
“I hardly—”
“This beef is tremendous!” Lydia declared to no one in
particular. “I would like some
more.” All the eyes at the table turned
toward her.
“It is ham,” her father, seated next her, whispered loudly.
Lydia frowned and peered at her plate where only a few
shreds of meat remained. “Hmm…I thought
the taste of the beef was a bit off.”
She turned around in her seat, presenting the rest of the table with her
back, and addressed the footman behind her.
“Are you certain it is ham?”
The man did his best not to laugh. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, I would like some more.” Lydia turned back toward the other diners,
producing a little giggle for no discernible reason. In the middle of the table, Lord and Lady
Pippinworth talked to each other in hushed tones; Elizabeth could only imagine
what they were saying.
“And when fed the right kind of hay, each cow can produce up
to sixty-five pounds of high-quality manure a day!” Mr. Worthy’s voice broke through the sudden
silence. “Can you imagine? Sixty-five pounds!”
Mr. Peters and Mr. Bennet set down their forks almost
simultaneously. Georgiana, to whom this
remark was addressed, covered her mouth with her napkin, but the crinkles
around her eyes suggested that she was suppressing a smile.
At the end of the table, William took a very deep breath and
closed his eyes. He opened his eyes and
continued in a deliberate, reasonable tone.
“Perhaps we could—”
His words were eclipsed by his aunt’s voice. “In its acute phase, Anne’s illness requires
that she be bled at least one or two times a day,” she explained to Lady
Agatha. “The doctor prefers to use
leeches. He is rather old-fashioned.”
The footman had offered the platter of ham to an
enthusiastic Lydia and then Elizabeth’s mother, but all of the other diners
appeared faintly nauseous. Georgiana’s
complexion was quite pale while William’s face had turned red. Mrs. Peters’ hand covered her mouth. Lord Pippinworth eyed the clock as if
wondering when he could politely depart.
*****
Isn't this delightful! I could envision all the looks on the faces of the guests. Poor Darcy. I think he was a little frustrated but then, I would have been too. Thank you, Ms. Kincaid, for sharing such a fun teaser with us. The story sounds like it will be an enjoyable read and your cover is lovely! Thank you for being my guest and for having such a generous giveaway. Yes, dear readers, it is that time. Victoria Kincaid is giving away one copy of an eBook or a paperback of A Very Darcy Christmas, winner's choice, and the giveaway is international! Please leave a comment to be entered. Don't forget your contact info to be sure you can be reached. This giveaway will end at 11:59 PM on the 23rd of December, a little earlier than normal. Depending on the choice, the winner just might get the book for Christmas! :) Good luck to all. In your comment, let us know something that you love about the holidays!
