Hello everyone! Let's welcome author Amanda Kai to our online Jane Austen Book Club and let's congratulate her on the publication of her latest book, Not in Want of a Wife. Scroll down and enjoy reading. MG
AUTHOR'S GUEST POST
Thank you, Maria Grazia, I’m so excited to be here today at My Jane Austen Book Club.
My latest book, Not In Want of a Wife, was born from the thought “what if Darcy and Elizabeth decided to fake a courtship?” The fake courtship/fake dating trope is such a fun one, because you just know that the couple who is pretending to like each other are going to fall in love! I absolutely love fake dating/fake courtship tropes, so it was really fun to put Darcy and Lizzy into this situation. Instead of getting off on the wrong foot at the Meryton Assembly, Darcy and Elizabeth strike up a secret partnership to make it look like they are courting one another.
In my story, neither Darcy nor Elizabeth have any desire to get married. They both have a jaded view of love and marriage—Elizabeth, after seeing her sister’s heart get broken seven years prior, and Darcy, after spending years dodging fortune hunters in the marriage mart and after his sister’s near-elopement to Wickham. Because of this, their fake courtship arrangement is purely one of convenience to help Darcy avoid being ensnared by a fortune hunter and to keep Mrs. Bennet off of Elizabeth’s back for finding a suitor. But as we all know, things never go quiteaccording to plan where fake courtships are concerned. 😉There are plenty of unintended consequences, twists and turns, and heartaches before Darcy and Elizabeth are able toset aside their pride and prejudice. But, as Jane Austen would say, “My characters shall have, after a little trouble, all that they desire.”
Amanda Kai
EXCERPT
Darcy seized the chance to ask her the question that had been burning in his mind all evening. “I noticed you have not danced at all this whole evening.”
“An astute observation.” Elizabeth cocked her head to one side.
“And you have positioned yourself so as to be unapproachable by any young men who might be inclined to ask you to dance.”
She nodded. “Also correct.”
“If it is not too bold, might I ask why? On a night like this, why would a young lady such as yourself not want to dance?”
Elizabeth glanced up at him. “I am doing the very same thing you are doing, Mr. Darcy.” The amusement on her lips drove him to distraction.
“And what is that, pray tell?”
“Trying to avoid being maneuvered into the matchmaking frenzy by an overzealous mother.”
The surprise on Darcy’s face made her laugh, so she continued. “I have watched you, this evening. You are not eager to be set upon by any of the eligible ladies here. And I, as you might have seen,” she gestured to Mrs. Bennet on the other side of the room, who was chatting up Mr. Bingley with a blushing Jane standing beside her, “I have an overzealous mama who will do anything to make a good match for her daughters. It has been some time since any wealthy men passed through Meryton. My mother has behaved like a starved vulture from the moment she learned that Mr. Bingley was to lease Netherfield Park. You were not in the room for five minutes before it became known that your fortune is double that of your friend’s. I have no doubt that my mother is only biding her time before she throws me at you.”
“Yes, I am sure my ten-thousand a year holds no draw for you,” Darcy said with a wry laugh.
“Were I the mercenary sort, I am certain it would!” Elizabeth joined his laugh. “Do not mistake me, Mr. Darcy. I am sure you are a good sort of person who will make your wife very happy one day. But I would never marry a rich man whom I didn’t love, and I shall not make a fool of myself by allowing my mother to push me into such a match for her sake. Only the deepest love could persuade me into matrimony. Which is why I shall probably end up an old maid.” There was a twinkle in her eyes as she said this.
“Surely you don't mean that,” Darcy let out a small chuckle.
“Oh, I do.”
“I mean, there will come a time when someone or other will capture your heart.”
“Well, best of luck to any man who wishes to try!” Elizabeth smiled, raising a small cheer with her tea cup. “But what of you, Mr. Darcy? Have you no wish to settle down and find a suitable wife to make mistress of your grand estate?”
Darcy shook his head. “So far, the only women I have met are interested in nothing more than my sizable estate. Until I can find a woman who loves me for me, and not my wealth, I would rather remain a carefree bachelor. So, I suppose you and I are alike in some ways, Miss Bennet.”
“Indeed, we are.”
Darcy found Miss Elizabeth to be singular. Certainly, she differed from the women who usually associated with him, who all made it clear they desired his money more than getting to know who he was as a person. Caroline was a model in that respect, a prime example of the sort of woman who looked at Darcy and saw a fortune, a prestigious family line, and a vast estate, rather than a man.
An idea flew into Darcy’s brain. A crazy thought, if he ever had one. And why not? What had he to lose?
“I have a proposition for you, Miss Elizabeth.”
“A proposition? How shocking!” she teased, her eyes dancing with mirth.
Darcy felt his cheeks pink. “Nothing of that sort, I assure you. Everything will be entirely proper. What I am suggesting is, you and I be each other’s cover. A way to throw off all the matchmaking mamas, including your own.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrow went up and a grin spread across her pink lips. “I am intrigued.”
“We shall pretend to court,” Darcy said. “If I am paying exclusive attention to you, then all the other mothers in the village and thereabouts will have no choice but to desist in throwing their daughters at me.”
“And my own mama will be satisfied with the notion that I have captured a rich man!” Elizabeth laughed in glee.
Blurb:
Mr. Darcy is not in want of a wife. At least, not one that only loves him for his money. Ever since he came of age, Darcy’s been an object of prey to fortune hunters– greedy ladies and their scheming mamas who would do anything to get their hands on his ten-thousand a year and his luxurious estate. Tired of being the most eligible man in any room he walks into, Darcy decides the only way to stave off the fortune hunters is to make himself unavailable to them.
Elizabeth Bennet is convinced that only the deepest love could persuade her into matrimony, and since that has yet to appear, she would do anything rather than marry without affection. Unfortunately, all her mother's thoughts are bent on finding rich husbands for her and her sisters. With the arrival of Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy causing a stir among all the mothers of Meryton, Elizabeth knows it is only a matter of time before her own mother pushes her to try to capture one of these rich gentlemen for herself at all costs.
Seeing themselves in virtually the same predicament, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth come up with a convenient arrangement: they will pretend to court while Mr. Darcy is staying at Netherfield. Mr. Darcy will get a reprieve from the relentless husband hunters, and Elizabeth can satisfy her mother with the notion that she has landed a suitor.
But when the time comes for their partnership to end, the feelings that were merely an act have started to become a reality. Will Darcy and Elizabeth find a way to express the feelings that are in their hearts, or will they part ways for good?
Not In Want of a Wife is now available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Kai’s love of period dramas and classic literature inspires her historical romances and other romances.She is the author of several stories inspired by Jane Austen, including Not In Want of a Wife, Elizabeth’s Secret Admirer, and Marriage and Ministry.Prior to becoming an author, Amanda enjoyed a successful career as a professional harpist, and danced ballet for twenty years. When she’s not diving into the realm of her imagination, Amanda lives out her own happily ever after in Texas with her husband and three children.
Visit Amanda Kai's official website