Joy King: Guest Post - with giveaway!

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming the lovely Joy King to my blog. Joy has recently had her first story, A Father's Sins, published and she is going to tell us a bit more about the story, particularly how the love-to-hate character Miss Bingley plays a part in the story!

Joy has also provided me with a VERY generous giveaway (details to follow at the end) - you really don't want to miss this one!

Throughout the post you will notice a variety of pictures which Joy tells me she used as inspiration when writing - some are just the various Caroline's from adaptations, but some, as you will see, are not!

 

"How do Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet overcome the consequences of poor decisions made by their fathers when Darcy and Elizabeth were young?

In A Father's Sins, Mr. George Darcy, father of an illegitimate child raised by his steward, Mr. Wickham, agreed with his wife, Anne, that the firstborn son of their marriage would be heir to Pemberley. However, Mr. Darcy loved his eldest son, George Wickham, and indulged him by bringing him to Pemberley to live after the death of his wife. His heir, Fitzwilliam Darcy, paid a heavy price for this decision.

Mr. Thomas Bennet, an educated gentleman and father of five daughters, favored his second born, Elizabeth. Unexpectedly, his wife gave birth to a son and heir. Mr. Bennet, at the persistent urging of his wife, chose not to have his youngest children vaccinated for smallpox. When the plague hit Longbourn it devastated their family. Elizabeth paid the heaviest price for this decision of her father.

What happens when Darcy and Elizabeth meet? Will they be able to overcome the consequences of the choices their fathers made? When George Wickham, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. William Collins, and the Fitzwilliam family arrive in Meryton, how will that impact their growing attraction? How does the same decision by Mr. Bennet influence the relationship between Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley? Will love have a chance?"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sophie, thank you so much for your invitation to your blog. When I am stressed, harried, overworked, under pressure, I love to browse your blog, Laughing With Lizzie. The photos make me chuckle, sigh, and swoon. Definitely a mood changer!

You are most welcome, Joy. I am very glad to hear my blog can help brighten your day! First, are you Joy or Dawn or J. Dawn?

I am just Joy. If my Mom is angry with me, though, I am Joy Dawn (spoken very quickly and with much force).

I would like your opinion on a matter of global interest. Why do you think we love to scorn Miss Caroline Bingley?

The importance of a bad woman in a good book is first found in the Bible. Eve must have been temptation incarnate to have Adam do something to displease his God over a piece of fruit. Since then, it appears that, whatever the medium, readers and viewers love to have someone to scorn or blame. This is typically a character that stands in stark contrast to the hero or heroine. In Pride and Prejudice we have George Wickham and Caroline Bingley. They are both a delight to develop and I thoroughly enjoy the many different variations of their characters in the many adaptations of the novel.

So tell me about Miss Caroline Bingley in ‘A Father’s Sins’, please.

In my book, Caroline Bingley is ambitiously seeking to attach herself to the Darcys to elevate her own standing in society. She comes off as comical in her efforts to achieve her goal. In fact, here is an excerpt from my book where she decides to compromise Mr. Darcy so that he is forced to offer her marriage. They are at Netherfield Park. The next day, all occupants of the estate are planning to permanently remove themselves for their homes in London. Please enjoy the following:

“My, my, cousins, but this room is busy at this hour of the night.” It did not surprise the Colonel that Darcy could not sleep. Too much was riding on the events that would unfold in the morning. He was, however, surprised to see Georgiana. “Poppet, what are you doing awake at this hour?”

“Apparently, like you, I was unable to sleep and it is just as well. We are about to partake in a real life drama. William is the intended victim and you and I shall be the witnesses to the crime.”

“What is this you are speaking of?” The Colonel was puzzled.

Before Darcy could enter the conversation, Georgiana spoke again. “Richard, tonight Miss Caroline Bingley is going to try to trap William into marriage. We need to have a plan of action, a strategy. Something like you would use in the military.” Darcy could tell that his young sister was getting some sinister delight in these circumstances.

“Into battle we shall go!” The Colonel could not hide his pleasure at watching his usually composed cousin facing down a hungry predator.

“Richard! You shall wake the house.” Darcy reprimanded him.

“Hush, please, both of you. Your voices are deep and loud and we do not want to discourage Miss Bingley from coming into the library. This is just too, too fun.”

“Georgie!” Both men exclaimed at the same time.

“Oh, come on you two. This is better than what the gothic novels, that I am not supposed to read, contain. Now, hush!” she whispered. Like a general on a campaign, she positioned them where she felt best; her and the Colonel sitting in the high-backed chairs with their backs to the library door, where they would be invisible to anyone entering, and Darcy standing at the fireplace. The three cousins had just gotten into position when the door handle moved for the third time since Darcy had entered the room. The door slowly opened and the flicker of a candle  approached.

Spying Darcy, Miss Bingley assumed they were alone. “Mr. Darcy, were you unable to sleep? Is there anything that I could do to see to your comfort? Might I, perhaps, get you something warm to drink from the kitchen?”

“I thank you, Miss Bingley, however, it is inappropriate for us to be in the room together so late at night. I shall retire immediately to my room.” He started to move past her to the door.

“No!” Caroline Bingley was not going to allow her last opportunity to pass without accomplishing her goal. Quickly, she placed the candle on a table and undid the belt on her robe, pulling the front open and sliding it off onto the floor. Darcy quickly turned his back to her when he realized her intentions.

“Miss Bingley!” He was horrified and amused at the same time. Realizing how affronted she would be if she only was aware of his feelings, he steeled himself not to chuckle. This was not working out well for Miss Caroline Bingley. There were two witnesses that she was unaware of being in the room, and her own housekeeper had kindly and effectively warned him in advance. “Please, dress yourself. As much as I would dislike seeing you in such a state, I am confident that my cousin and sister would dislike it even more. Now, dress yourself.” He repeated when he heard no sound of movement, nor any rustling of fabric.

“Mr. Darcy, what have your cousin or sister to do with us? You are a reasonable man. Surely, you know how deep my love is for you and how I long to be your wife. Our marriage would unite our families and you, then, could call your best friend brother. There are so many advantages for us to wed. Please, Mr. Darcy,…” she paused before she could say another word as the noise of the turning of the library door handle sounded once again. This time, it was not a hesitant turning, but one of force. Mrs. Hurst charged into the room.

“Ah, ha!” she exclaimed. “Mr. Darcy, you have compromised my sister and will have to wed.” The only thing in her vision was Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley, both standing with their backs to her. She could clearly see her sister’s form, silhouetted in the firelight. Had Mr. Darcy but turned around, he could have seen the same.

Suddenly, from the chairs to the right of Mr. Darcy, came laughter. At this, Caroline Bingley was moved to action and she quickly recovered her robe and wrapped it around herself, not even taking time to put her arms in the sleeves. Colonel Fitzwilliam and Georgiana rose from their chairs and faced the Bingley sisters at the same time that Darcy turned to confront them.

“Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, what is the meaning of this?” Darcy asked, though he knew the answer. He had to admire Miss Bingley for her attempts at an explanation as her own sister spit and sputtered at seeing Georgiana and the Colonel.

“Oh, Mr. Darcy, I was unaware you were here. I had been dreaming of reading a book from this very library and must have walked in my sleep. However did I end up here?” She blinked her eyes rapidly as if she were just awakening from a deep sleep.

At this, the Colonel and Georgiana only laughed louder. Georgiana was overcome by such a fit of mirth that tears poured from her eyes and she ended up tipping over onto her cousin, Richard. It was obvious that Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst completely missed the comic aspect of this spectacle. Realizing that he would get no help from his relatives, Darcy walked around Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst to open the library door and yell for a footman. When the man responded, he asked him to retrieve Mr. Bingley and Mr. Hurst directly and escort them to the library. Bingley would have to deal with his sister as Mr. Hurst would have to deal with his wife.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

What a most amusing except! Thank you for posting that. Caroline really did make a fool of herself! Now I really cannot wait to read A Father's Sins! (I will be reading it very soon so watch for my review!) 

 

 

**GIVEAWAY - ends Friday, 4th July **

Joy has provided me with a very, very generous giveaway!  One lucky winner will receive a £50 gift card for the Jane Austen Gift Shop  ! Yes - £50! This giveaway is open internationally. 

To enter, leave a comment below and the winner will be picked randomly.

Please leave your email address. If you are the lucky winner, I will pass on your email to Joy who will be in touch.

Good luck!


Thank you again to Joy for this great post and for the most generous giveaway! I wish you all the best with this story as well as any future ones!


Your affectionate friend,