Sunday, August 19, 2012

CLOSED Excerpt & Giveaway: Darcy's Decision by Maria Grace

  ~ from Darcy's Decision by Maria Grace...
Early spring, 1812

They are gone …
The first fiery rays of daybreak blazed behind the marble cherubim guarding the graves. Despair contorted Fitzwilliam Darcy’s face, threatening to defeat his last fragile threads of control. He gulped in the morning mist, fists balled, arms shaking. Ragged gasps tore from his chest; he opened his eyes and blinked the burning moisture away.
Backlit against the dawn, two headstones filled his view. The one on the right listed slightly, its inscriptions half-covered by a creeping vine that, come summer, would erupt in delicate white flowers. The other gravestone still stood solidly upright. The neat soil mounding before it bore no new growth though, if one looked closely, the barest signs of green were just becoming visible.
From a window of the nearby stone church, John Bradley contemplated the familiar vigil. He shrugged on his coat, fingers pausing over the threadbare patch at the elbow, and reached for his wide-brimmed hat. Cane in hand, he shuffled toward the heavy door. The chill wind buffeted him as he stepped into the morning.
They stood together silently, taking in the sunrise.
“Someday I must take my place here beside them.” Shadows masked the inscriptions: George Darcy … departed this life anno domini 1811 … Lady Anne Da— vines obscured the rest.
“I would prefer a situation in the shade. Over there, I think.” Bradley pointed to a grassy spot near the church wall. “You cannot rid yourself of me, you know. I held you in my arms to baptize you into the church, and I will keep watch over you even from there.”
Darcy chuckled, but his shoulders slumped, and he stared into his empty palms. “I miss him, Mr. Bradley. Father always knew what to do. Everyone trusted him.” He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing out the emptiness that churned within. “I trusted him.”
A cold gust blew through the graveyard. The iron gate clanged, the sound echoing against the stones.
“How can I take his place as master?” His guts twisted, the words burning his throat.
“Your father doubted himself, too.”
“He did?”
“Many evenings, over tea, we talked of his misgivings.” The corners of Bradley’s mouth lifted and his eyes twinkled. “He had an excessive fondness for my cook’s shortbread.”
“He went to you to find wisdom. Father valued your advice and insight above all others.”
Bradley dipped his head, blinking.
“I am not like him.” Darcy grimaced and swallowed hard against the rising bile. “I lack his wisdom, his discernment.”
“But you were given good principles, the ones your father stood on.”
The wind whipped his coattails and scoured his face. “Are they enough?”
“He found them so.” Bradley clapped his shoulder.
They locked in a penetrating gaze. Finally, Darcy released a deep breath. A slow smile spread but did not quite reach his eyes. “Join me for breakfast this morning? I must mediate a tenant quarrel today and need my father's wisdom.”
“I would be honored.”
They strolled to the manor, the gate jangling behind them.


Intrigued? Maria Grace has offered up 2 copies of Darcy's Decision for 2 lucky Austen in August readers!
Deets:

  • 1 paperback and 1 ebook will be given away
  • Paperback copy is  continental US only; the ebook is open to international readers!
  • Ends September 5th
  • Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter

a Rafflecopter giveaway


ABOUT THE BOOK:
Darcy's Decision (Given Good Principles #1) by Maria Grace
Amazon | Goodreads
154 pages
Six months after his father's passing, Fitzwilliam Darcy still finds solace in his morning reflections at his parents' graves. Only in the quiet solitude of the churchyard does he indulge his grief. None but his unlikely mentor recognize the heartache and insecurity plaguing him as he shoulders the enormous burden of being Master of Pemberley.
Not all are pleased with his choice of adviser. Lady Catherine complains Darcy allows him too much influence. Lord Matlock argues, "Who is he to question the God-appointed social order?" But the compassionate wisdom Darcy finds in his counselor keeps him returning for guidance even though it causes him to doubt everything he has been taught.
In the midst of his struggles to reinvent himself, his school chum, Charles Bingley, arrives. Darcy hopes the visit will offer some respite from the uproar in his life. Instead of relief, Darcy discovers his father's darkest secret staring him in the face. Pushed to his limits, Darcy must overcome the issues that ruined his father and, with his friends and mentor at his side, restore his tarnished birthright.


Click here to be taken to the Austen in August Main Page! Fab button artwork c/o Antique Fashionista!

17 comments:

  1. I quite fancy this one, looks intriguing.

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  2. enjoyed being present at this scene and new perspective on Darcy's personality.. well done, Maria Grace!
    TY for sharing...

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  3. Haha... I entered everything on the Rafflecopter and then was like wait this sounds goodly familiar. I checked my google docs and I read this one! It was very good so good luck winning everyone you will enjoy it! :)

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  4. Excellent excerpt. Can't wait to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

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  5. I so want to read this one!!!!

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  6. Darcy??? i'm SOOO in!!!
    thank you for the giveaway!!

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  7. I love excerpts because I get a glimpse of a book and can decide if I want to buy it or not. But I also hate them when it is good and you can’t read the rest of it immediately. :-)

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  8. I love books that focus on Darcy.
    Thanks for the giveaeay

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  9. Mr. Darcy is quite talkative! This sounds very interesting. Thank you for the giveaway.

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  10. Looking forward to meeting you in Decatur!

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  11. I love this setting. Poor Darcy so insecure and anguished. I like the insight into his personality. Great giveaway.
    If I were a winner I'd love the U.S. paperback version.
    schafsue at gmail dot com

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  12. I love Darcy and I love giveaways! This book really caught my interest!

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  13. I LOVE just about anything that has to do with Mr. Darcy!! Enjoyed the preview - and thank you for the giveaway :)

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  14. More Darcy and Lizzy? Sign me up! Thanks for the giveaway.

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  15. I can't wait to read this one!
    I always love to read about Mr. Darcy and this is definitely no exception. I was completely fascinated by the description. It sounds like a psychologically and emotionally intense novel and I'm curious to see what's going to happen to Mr. Darcy.

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