It is my pleasure to welcome Julie Cooper to Diary of an Eccentric today to celebrate the release of her new novel, The Perfect Gentleman, a Pride and Prejudice variation. Julie is here with an excerpt, which I hope you all enjoy as much as I did! Please give her a warm welcome.
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In my story, The Perfect Gentleman, the intrepid Elizabeth Bennet, daughter of a woman of ill repute, is in a race to discover Fitzwilliam Darcy’s missing sister before scandal can hit. Of course, she has no real idea why Georgiana has run off, or where. In the following excerpt, Lizzy applies some Regency ‘Sherlock Holmes’ techniques in her search for clues:
Lizzy appeared thoughtful. “I wish you would tell me more about your sister, beyond her description. I feel if I understood her better, I might be able to understand this situation.”
She peered carefully at him as she spoke. While his face expressed anger and annoyance easily enough, anything else was stifled behind his mask of bland impassivity. But now, after a few hours in his company, she was beginning to see signs there might be more than arrogance and grumpiness to his character—though of course, grumpy arrogance was obviously quite a habit with him. Still, a slight quirk of the lips might be full-blown laughter in other men. A twist of the brow was a thoughtful question; a blink, an expression of astonishment. How remarkably self-contained this gentleman!
Darcy scratched his chin contemplatively. “Georgiana is…delicate,” he said at last.
“She does not enjoy good health?” Lizzy asked.
“No, she is healthy enough. But fragile. She is tall for a girl, and slender, so perhaps that is part of it—one feels as though she might be breakable. Quiet, and perhaps a bit restrained. Fosters a protective instinct, naturally.”
“Oh, naturally.”
He frowned. “Sarcasm, Miss Bennet?”
“Not at all. But you’d think I had asked you to describe your finest china, not your sister.”
His mask was back in place, but his offence was plain.
“Fifteen years is a difficult age for a young lady,” she said, rather more gently. “Too young to be taken seriously by most adults, and too old to be distracted by more childish pastimes. By the same token, persons of the opposite sex become incredibly…interesting.”
He sat up straighter in his seat, his posture so stiff, she knew his affront had swelled to anger.
“My sister is not the same kind of female with whom you are accustomed,” he said tautly.
Lizzy laughed. “Ah. You are one of those sorts of men,” she said frankly.
“What sort?”
“The kind who thinks there are only two sorts of females—good ones and bad ones. The good ones sit like your fine china on a shelf. You dust them off for parties and their duty is to impress, and then retire quietly to the shelf once more, at least until they produce a place setting or two. They aren’t allowed feelings like love and passion. You expect them to barely tolerate lovemaking, and then only when you say ’tis time to set the table.”
“You are bold,” he said, shocked.
“Bold. Another word for ‘bad,’” she nodded.
Darcy was obviously taken aback by that statement. “You misunderstand me,” he said quietly.
Lizzy waved this off. “Nevertheless. My point is this—your sister is a person and a lady. It is natural she should struggle with a number of new feelings at this age. Feelings that all females possess, to one degree or another.” She stared straight at him. “Harlots and heiresses, both.”
This is only the beginning of Elizabeth Bennet’s journey with Fitzwilliam Darcy in The Perfect Gentleman; plainly, they are from different worlds. Helping them both to grow together was both a challenge and a pleasure!
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About The Perfect Gentleman
’Tis no secret that Lizzy Bennet has dreams. The uniquely talented daughter of a woman with a dubious reputation, Lizzy knows she must make her own way in a world that shuns her.
Fitzwilliam Darcy carries the stains of his family’s disgrace upon his soul and only by holding himself to the strictest standards has he reclaimed his place in society.
Now Georgiana Darcy has gone missing. If his fifteen-year-old sister cannot be found quickly, the scandal could destroy Darcy’s years of perfect behaviour.
Lizzy Bennet know just what to do to find Georgiana. She is willing to join the pursuit to get what she wants but will Darcy be willing to trust her with his secrets? And what will they do when the search for Georgiana reveals what neither expected to find?
The Perfect Gentleman is a romantic adventure so big it needs two volumes in one book. Follow the adventure in A Not-So-Merry Chase and discover the surprises and temptations that await at Pemberley in Love Wisely But Well.
Buy on Amazon
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About the Author
Julie Cooper
Julie Cooper, a California native, lives with her Mr Darcy (without the arrogance or the Pemberley) of nearly forty years, two dogs (one intelligent, one goofball), and Kevin the Cat (smarter than all of them.) They have four children and three grandchildren, all of whom are brilliant and adorable, with the pictures to prove it. She works as an executive at a gift basket company and her tombstone will read, “Have your Christmas gifts delivered at least four days before the 25th.” Her hobbies are reading, giving other people good advice, and wondering why no one follows it.
Connect with Julie Cooper via Facebook
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Giveaway
You can win a $50 Amazon gift card from Quills & Quartos Publishing! The contest ends on November 13. To be eligible, just comment on any of the blog tour stops and Quills & Quartos will select a random winner from the comments. You need not visit all the stops (one point per stop and comment), however, it does increase your chances of winning by earning more entries. Please check the Quills & Quartos Facebook page to find out about winners. Good luck!
Thank you, Julie, for being my guest today, and congratulations on your new release!
Diary of an Eccentric 