Darcy has no interest in the metaphysical but he is more desperate than at any other time in his life.Miss Elizabeth Bennet immediately responds to the urgency of Mr. Darcy’s request for aid. Where could Miss Darcy be? She sets off with him in a mad dash across the country, and the sea, in an anxious search for a most beloved sister.Miss Bennet’s guidance and compassion comforts Darcy, sustaining his confidence in their success. The touch of her hand sooths his uneasy spirit.Mr. Darcy’s deep affection for his sister reveals to Elizabeth an unguarded side to his forbidding person. As each passing mile draws them closer to Georgiana, their attraction to each other increases in depth.

    Darcy is proud and prejudiced because he is a wealthy landowner who believes himself above his company and that Elizabeth Bennet can afford to be proud and prejudiced because she believes she has the freedom to make choices for herself. But what if Mr. Darcy is the second son, sent to sea at a young age? What if Elizabeth is trapped by circumstances with an ill father on one side and an understandably desperate mother on the other? Meet Captain Darcy of the Royal Navy, a successful frigate captain with ample prize money and a sister for whom he needs to provide while he is at sea. Meet also Elizabeth Bennet, who needs a husband and is trying to resign herself to Mr. Collins, the worst “least worst alternative” in the history of literature.

    . . ? We often speak those words when we finish a novel and the characters remain with us, tempting us to complete the story in our own view. The historical romance Dearest Friends retells Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as a sensual adventure that will delight a modern audience. Fitzwilliam Darcy left Hertfordshire following a friend’s betrayal, but his heart remained with Elizabeth Bennet, the impertinent beauty who captured his attention in ways no woman ever had before. When he encounters her unexpectedly in London, he realizes he can no longer live without her and begins his pursuit for her hand. When he finds that Elizabeth is not free to marry, will he again walk away or will he fight for the lady he loves?While Darcy and Elizabeth pursue their own happiness, around them friendships progress to love and infatuation leads to disappointment. Join a group of unlikely friends as they support our dear couple on their journey, each treading unique paths along the way.**Contains Mature Content

    Darcy had lived his life free of the vices that often ruled the hearts and minds of his contemporaries, enjoying the benefits of pride in the strength of his own virtue. He knew that if anyone had reason for confidence, he had more: his lineage was impeccable, a Cambridge graduate, a gentleman; as to integrity, blameless. Under his rule, his country estate had prospered beyond any point in its long history; every decision he made had affected hundreds of livelihoods for the good. He was a most conscientious brother, sacrificing so much for his sister’s benefit. And then he took the most honourable route and gave up his plans for marriage to save a family utterly unconnected to himself. And yet, Darcy cannot find peace. His world begins to unravel before his eyes as he desperately tries to regain control. Upon connecting himself to Elizabeth Bennet, his faults are laid bare before him as he fails time and again. At first he lays blame on the woman who, he is certain, contrived his destiny, but will he ever be able to see how his own pride endeavours to destroy his happiness? And will he ever discover the unmerited freedom that has eluded him throughout his life?

    Ever since she harshly rejected his proposal of marriage months earlier, she has dreaded seeing him again. How could she have been so wrong about him? How could she ever look him in the face, knowing how badly she misjudged him?
Elizabeth and the Gardiners are not the only ones taking advantage of the master's absence. While travelling through the woods, their carriage is held up by three highwaymen who have been terrorising the countryside. In the scuffle, her uncle is injured, and Elizabeth is almost taken with them before they are saved by the last person she expected to see.

Fitzwilliam Darcy has struggled to overcome his feelings for Elizabeth Bennet. Ever since she rejected his proposal of marriage and made it clear how much she disliked him, he sought to put her from his mind. His only comfort is if he ever did see her again, he might prove himself a better man than the one she believed him to be.
Needing to return home to Pemberley earlier than anticipated, he takes a shortcut through the woods at night only to come across a carriage being held up by a gang of highwaymen. He intercepts and chases the thieves away. On his return, he is startled to find the woman he never thought to see again.

Darcy and Elizabeth put aside their emotions at seeing one another and agree that Elizabeth's uncle should be taken to Pemberley to receive care. Forced to live under the same roof, Darcy and Elizabeth finally have a chance to face their true feelings for one another and see if the wrongs of the past can be overcome. Can Darcy prove to her that he has changed from the man she thought him to be? And is Elizabeth still dear enough to him that he can overcome his hurt pride at her rejection?

Their growing closeness is disrupted when one of the highwaymen is captured and reveals information that forces Darcy and Elizabeth to make a decision about their relationship. And an old enemy from the past threatens to ruin everything that has been growing between them.