The men in my life would consider it amusing but naïve to afford the same semantics of conversation for wholly different circumstances such as these, or they would should one of them choose to read it.This vagary proposes an alternate telling of the original Pride and Prejudice and considers what may have happened should the characters have been afforded a slightly altered set of circumstances. What if Mr. Darcy had accepted quite early that he was falling in love with Elizabeth? What if Elizabeth was the least stubborn of her sisters? What if Mrs. Bennet was allowed to settle in mind and spirit? What if Mr. Bennet exerted himself on behalf of his daughters? What if Mr. Collins was in some way welcomed as the next owner of the estate? Those are only some of the twists within this tale, and while not canon, I hope I gave your favorite character a moment unto themselves that will make you smile.CAUTION: I want to specifically state that this vagary is not for all Pride and Prejudice genre readers. If one reads to find fault in what is not canon, I’ve been most forthcoming about the fact that it is a vagary, so you should already be on your guard and perhaps pass it by. For those of you who are strict authoress-guidelines conscious, I will argue that in all time periods people spoke with the use of contractions. To that end, I was true to life rather than follow her pointed non-use of them. Outside conversation, however, you will not find them, and I hope that soothes any feathers which may be ruffled at such a bold defiance.CAUTION: My editor also requested that I issue a point of clarification on her behalf. I confess that as an author em-dashes drive me nanabas, so in conflict with her excellent advice, I did not include many of them where she said they should be. Despise me for it if you must, but no novel, story, prose, or verse ever hinged on one’s use. The lacking or use of a comma, however, has cost millions. I promise that for those, I let her fully guide me.NOTE: My personal pleasure in writing this book was the intent to make any who read it find themselves staying up at night; not because ODCs are near death, have been forced to do that which they despise, or are off chasing Lydia again, but because I believe I am not the only one of us who dearly loves to laugh.

    

    Her rebellion does not go ignored when her uncle forces her to marry a man she doesn’t love to save her home.Framed for fornication and with his dignity stolen, Jonathan Hargreaves, Duke of Blighton, has spent years fighting for a fresh start. When he meets an enchanting masked singer, it suddenly becomes hard to maintain control.But where love flourishes, pain is never far behind. The glint of a blade is all Emily manages to see before darkness engulfs her and Jonathan is left to face the most unlikely enemy: a letter that promises to kill and take...

    Mr. Darcy wants to gain command of his wayward heart. But Miss Bingley wants to be acting. Thrown together in the cause of entertainment, our reluctant pair learn to see each other with fresh eyes. But the course of true love never does run smooth. And neither does the course of amateur theatricals. To achieve the stuff that dreams are made of they and their friends must navigate a sea of troubles and dodge the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

    More than one wealthy or noble family of seemingly sterling reputation is torn apart and sometimes all but exterminated by savage intra-family feuds.That situation unexpectedly confronts Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Skirmish and Scandal when Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth as a future mistress of Pemberley becomes known to Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her noble Matlock relations. Determined to prevent an affront to the reputation of their aristocratic clan, the most prominent members of the family gather with Lady Catherine to confront Darcy and force him to choose a more suitable wife. Th e resulting conflict and its aftermath involve furious arguments, abduction, pursuit, and personal clashes that narrowly avert meetings on the field of honour.How can such emotionally intense and seemingly insurmountable personal conflicts between thecouple result in an amorouos resolution?

    Will they be able to come together this time, or will pride intervene yet again?Seven years after Darcy’s disastrous proposal, Darcy is in need, not of a wife, but of a governess for his young daughter. Imagine his surprise when he discovers Elizabeth Bennet on the list of possible candidates provided by the employment agency. The question is, should he take her on as a governess, or would he be playing with fire?Elizabeth Bennet is forced by her reduced circumstances to take on a position. However, when Mr. Darcy invites her for an interview, she is embarrassed and humiliated. How could she possibly live under the same roof as the man she had rejected so strongly seven years ago? Whatever decision she makes, there will be a high price to pay… one way or the other.

    This story is as much about Elizabeth and Darcy's torturous road to love, as it is about Colonel Fitzwilliam's parallel, purgative journey. It is a tale about falling in love, falling out of love, and just falling. Intended for ages 17 to 117, due to some implicit but more mature themes.

    

    Unable to stand her loneliness anymore, she hesitantly attends a ball where she meets the most charming Earl she could ever dream of. However, her stepmother is not happy with Mariah’s unexpected acquaintance, as she has always envied and viewed her as her own daughter’s competitor. To make matters worse, Mariah’s illness gets in the way of spending time with her charming admirer and threatens to bring her blossoming dreams crashing down. Will Mariah let down her defences and find the way to be with the man that has started to fill her with joy and love? Or will her bossy stepmother and sudden illness destroy it all?John Blackmore, Earl of Winchester, did not intend to spend his whole summer in Cheltenham. However, after losing a bet at a card game, he is compelled to keep his word. Little did he know that his dull summer would soon turn into a fascinating one, due to him being immediately mesmerised by the gracious lady he meets on a special night. When John sees that this ethereal existence has been haunted by a mysterious illness, he is determined to move heaven and earth to help her recover. However, time is running short, as the beautiful woman’s health mysteriously deteriorates with each passing day. Will John manage to find the cause of Mariah’s illness and the cure for both her disease and his own heart? Or will he fail to rescue the only woman who has managed to occupy his every thought?While Mariah and John discover the depth of their shared feelings, wicked powers threaten the blooming love between them. When John discovers hidden truths that might irreversibly change Mariah's life forever, her overbearing stepmother will make any effort to keep her confined to the house. Will Mariah and John break down the walls that jeopardize their only chance at a happy life? Could fate have something better in store for them both?

    Her coachman, grooms and horses are gone, along with the lady’s jewels. The lady in question happens to be Lady Castlereagh, arbiter of Almacks, wife of the much-maligned foreign secretary and owner of such things as a kangaroo and a bad-tempered tiger. The lady’s injuries dictate that she must not travel for at least a month and she will stay at Longbourn for the foreseeable future. Determined to discover what has happened to her, Lady Castlereagh summons her dear friends Darcy and Bingley, and Bow Street man Horatio Quinn to Hertfordshire. Longbourn’s drawing room is given over to Mr. Quinn as he directs all involved in their efforts to solve the mystery. Who stole the jewels? What has happened to the coachman and grooms? Was it the coachman who executed the scheme? Could it have been highwaymen? Perhaps it was the lady’s errant maid and the butler she ran off with? Or maybe the mysterious Mr. Cratchet? As the party follows clues, Elizabeth and Darcy circle each other warily. She thinks he’s handsome and has a certain wit when he is not so serious. He thinks she’s uncommonly pretty and happily devoid of the coldness of a London lady. But he is too reserved and judgmental for her and she is too carefree and flouting convention for him. They are not at all suited. And yet… Hertfordshire is a hive of activity as proposals are made, proposals are rejected, theories are floated, red herrings are chased, a clergyman bumbles, a stern lady miscalculates, a devious miss is the architect of her own undoing and one Bennet daughter pays the piper.

    Yet will this reasoning cause Darcy to lose the only woman he has ever wanted? Darcy has scorned Elizabeth’s ability to attract men of consequence due to her lack of fortune and lowly connections. However, when Elizabeth joins the newly wedded Charles and Jane Bingley in London for a season, what will the company of two men of consequence mean for Elizabeth’s prospects? Meanwhile, Darcy is confronted with his past and actions that could challenge his place in the world and destroy his opportunity with the woman he loves. Will Darcy unravel the mystery and avoid a scandal before Elizabeth accepts another? And along the way will Darcy discover what truly make men, Men of Consequence.

    They are deeply in love and about to consummate their marriage vows – only they are abruptly interrupted by news of the most terrible kind.Georgiana has been kidnapped under the cover of darkness from Darcy’s carriage – and no one knows where she might be now, nor what harm might have befallen her. But who could be behind her kidnapping and what do they want?And how can Darcy and Elizabeth’s fledgling marriage survive through such terrible strain?‘Having no time to lose and feeling desperate to be off, Darcy quickly turned to Elizabeth then and briefly took her hand within his own to press a swift kiss on her knuckles. “Goodbye, Elizabeth,” he murmured quietly; “I’m so sorry to have to leave you like this. I’ll send word if I can.” And with these words, he abruptly departed, swiftly remounting his stallion before riding off into the night as if he were being pursued by the devil himself.’This story is a long read, at approximately 100,000 words long, and it contains scenes of a sexual nature and references to violence.

    As she recovers, Darcy finds himself attracted to his guest, but her low social status silences his desires. Soon Darcy discovers the wreck was no accident, but the work of his old nemesis George Wickham, drawing him into the official investigation. While Darcy gathers evidence of the crime, his friend Charles Bingley falls in love with Elizabeth’s sister Jane. Bingley leases an estate near her home in Hertfordshire, bringing Darcy once more into contact with Elizabeth. After Wickham is captured by an intrepid Bow Street investigator, the monstrous motive for his crime is revealed, and he is arrested for murder. Meanwhile, Bingley secures Jane’s hand, forcing his friend to confront his reservations about Elizabeth. Feeling he is free of Wickham’s shadow, Darcy follows his heart and proposes to Elizabeth, and the double wedding of the two sisters goes forward. But then, unforeseen problems arise. A vitriolic attack by Bingley’s sister Caroline, long obsessed with Darcy, shocks Elizabeth. Georgiana has a distressing secret she is afraid to share with her brother. And Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine deBourgh, exhibits bizarre symptoms that force her brother, Lord Matlock, to intervene before a major scandal damages the entire family, threatening Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s future. Now, as the newlyweds settle at Pemberley, Wickham goes on trial, and Darcy must testify against his one-time friend, sealing Wickham’s fate. With Wickham sentenced to die, honor, treachery and one last act of evil force a crisis no one could have imagined, and bring Darcy face to face with death..

    Worse still, she is left alone with him for a significant amount of time. Her reputation at risk, she is forced to make a decision about her future. Now her life will never be the same again.Can Elizabeth ever be happy? Or will she always loathe Mr Darcy?

    Sarah yearns for so much more, secretly lusting for an enthralling adventure... When she attends a masquerade ball, she is allured by the raven-haired seductive stranger, who whispers shockingly tempting things into her ear, without revealing his identity. She knows all this is far from how a lady should behave, but she finds this game of seduction simply irresistible. After all, what hope can a respectable young lady have in finding any kind of tantalizing excitement? While trying to unveil this captivating masquerader's identity, will she indulge in an adventure of inappropriate promises and lustful desire?Arthur Colton, the Viscount Nordarken, is a bored gentleman, ready to risk it all for the sake of pleasure. While visiting his father in the district, he is on the hunt for a rousing distraction. Sadly, not even one of the eligible young ladies sparks his interest after the whirlwind of excitement that London was. Little did he know that everything was about to change with the announcement of a masquerade ball and the appearance of an enticing dark-eyed beauty into his dangerous path. Being used to always getting what he wants, he comes up with a wicked plan, to make her succumb to his sinful passion. How far is he willing to go in order to conquer her fiery heart?Against all odds, their lives and their feelings get tangled and challenge everything they have ever known. That is when a game of false identities and flaming desire begins... A game that must end soon, or it could otherwise lead to their destruction. For Sarah it is being in the midst of a scandal and losing her gracious place in society. For Arthur it is being targeted and risking turning into a social pariah. Will an arising old scandal threaten their affair to its very core? Will their untamed passion for one another be enough to thrive, in spite of all the hardships or will they drift apart after all?