Renata McMann and Summer Hanford present "Poor Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Novella," in which they examine how that single alteration changes the way Elizabeth's and Darcy's story unfolds, a tale that hinges on Mr. Darcy's performance as a poor Mr. Darcy. This “Pride and Prejudice” variation novella is approximately 44,000 words in length.

    Now on the hunt to find them both, the gossip beginning to swirl in London forces him to abdicate the search to his cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, while he plays the wayward gentleman in Hertfordshire with his friend Charles Bingley. After a collision with his future, Darcy struggles to satisfy his attraction to a pair of fine eyes and keep his family's scandal hidden.Elizabeth Bennet dreams of nothing more than remaining close to her sister, Jane. When the rich gentleman, Charles Bingley, enters the neighborhood, it seems certain that Jane will make a match with him. After all, Jane Bennet is the sweetest and most beautiful woman in the county! But Elizabeth's efforts to find her own local match go awry and she feels abandoned by the first man to cause stirrings in her heart. Her parents attempt to marry Elizabeth off to her cousin, William Collins, who is set to inherit the estate. But when she refuses, she soon finds herself In London with relatives, forced to find her own happiness.By Consequence of Marriage is a sweet, romantic novel starring our favorite dear couple from Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, wondering how the story might have changed if Georgiana was lost. It's a great storyline for Jane Austen Book Clubs wanting to compare and contrast how our favorite characters might have changed fundamentally if Mr. Darcy never attended the Meryton Assembly.

    Collins in Kent to be a pleasant and uneventful time spent with her dear friend, engaged in nothing of more import than laughing about Charlotte's ineffectual husband and walking the woods of his patroness's estate.But a sudden tragedy leaves Elizabeth directly in Lady Catherine de Bourgh's sights, and though Elizabeth is reluctant, she accedes to the lady's demands.It is not long, however, before the peace of the estate is shattered, for a woman long-oppressed has begun to spread her wings. What comes after is a whirlwind of events, in which Elizabeth discovers that her carefully held opinions are not infallible. Furthermore, a certain gentleman of her acquaintance might be the key to Elizabeth's happiness.

     When ELIZABETH BENNET appears on his doorstep some ten months after her refusal of his hand in marriage, FITZWILLIAM DARCY uses the opportunity to "bargain" for her acceptance of a renewal of his proposal in exchange for his assistance in bringing Mr. George Wickham to justice. In Darcy's absence from Hertfordshire, Wickham has executed a scam to defraud the citizens of Meryton, including her father, of their hard-earned funds. All have invested in Wickham's Ten Percent Annuity scheme. Her family and friends are in dire circumstances, and more importantly, Mr. Bennet's heart has taken an ill turn. Elizabeth will risk everything to bring her father to health again and to save her friends from destitution; yet, is she willing to risk her heart? She places her trust in Darcy's ability to thwart Wickham's manipulations, but she is not aware that Darcy wishes more than her acquiescence. He desires her love. Neither considers what will happen if he does not succeed in bringing Mr. Wickham before a magistrate. Will his failure bring an end to their “bargain”? Or will true love prevail?

    She also makes a new friend in Hyde Park, the young and innocent Miss Georgiana Darcy, who is waiting for her brother, Mr Darcy to join her in London. But Elizabeth soon suspects Wickham is not all he seems, and while seeking to engage her affections, also has designs on her wealthy and naive young friend. When her fears are realised, she knows she must protect Miss Darcy from an elopement with a man who cares nothing for her. The only way she can do so is by reaching out to Mr Darcy, Georgiana's proud and arrogant older brother, who is currently in Bristol, searching for a suitable wife. Elizabeth is forced to put aside her own dislike for the man and persuade him that his sister is in danger. But as she gets to know him better, it soon becomes clear that she has been just as deceived by Mr Darcy's true character as she was by Wickham's. Is it possible she has judged him too hastily? And as for Mr Darcy, could it be that the pert, yet bewitching Miss Bennet is exactly the woman he has been searching for? A Pride and Prejudice variation from the author of An Encounter at Pemberley.

    “I need to gain control of her inheritance before she reaches her next birthday. It need not be a long marriage, but marry her you must.”Alone in the world, Elizabeth Bennet had to rely upon herself. She knew escape was the only way to ensure her safety. With the help of Longbourn’s faithful servants, Elizabeth disappeared from her home and the odious heir. She was determined to find a way to support herself and remain hidden until after her birthday.Fortune smiled on Elizabeth when a series of events offered her the position of companion to Georgiana Darcy. In spite of her position, Elizabeth found herself attracted to her new employer. Could he ever see her as more than his sister’s companion? Sometimes Elizabeth thought Mr. Darcy might care for her, too, but would his attraction—if that is what is was—survive when he learned the truth about her?Hidden away at Pemberley, would Elizabeth be able to remain safely concealed until coming of age? What surprises did the future hold for her?

    Darcy to make a more Persuasion-esque proposal?Author Note: Readers considering this work should be aware that, unlike the Constant Love series, this novella is written in third-person present tense, so if they routinely read only past-tense writing, they may wish to peruse the sample before purchasing.They should also be aware that it uses lines from Jane Austen's Persuasion as well as Pride and Prejudice. Readers who have not read Persuasion are encouraged to read that novel first, less because of spoilers than because it is absolutely wonderful.

    They are both questioning what they desire from a marriage partner, and debating not marrying at all. Though they are taken with each other, they do not know the other's true identity. Each begins to search for the other in their own way, but are unable to see the person behind the mask when they finally come together. This book includes mature content and sexual themes.

    Instead, he meets a young woman who challenges his ideas and pulls his sister out of her melancholy. He soon realizes Elizabeth Bennet is the only woman in the world with whom he could spend the rest of his life. Elizabeth, clever and self-assured, refuses to change for the sake of gaining a husband, a prospect she finds impossible regardless. With wit and independence rather than fortune, she is entirely convinced no sensible man would have her, and she cannot respect a fool. Can Darcy prove to be this impossible man? Or is a figure from his past an insurmountable obstacle to a future with The Gentleman’s Impertinent Daughter? This was previously posted on various forums in a draft as St. Michael's Little Summer.

    So when her aunt and uncle suggest they take a tour of Pemberley, Mr Darcy's ancestral home, only the reassurance that he is away convinces her to agree. Needing some time alone, she takes advantage of her aunt and uncle's absence to explore the countryside around Lampton, when a storm obliges her to take shelter in the woods near Pemberley. As the storm worsens, Elizabeth is injured and is trapped in the woods with no way of returning to the inn where her aunt and uncle are staying. Mr Darcy thought to take advantage of the fine weather to return to Pemberley a day early, to attend to some business with his steward. But the sudden outbreak of a storm obliges him to take a shortcut through the woods. There, he encounters the unconscious form of the lady he thought never to see again. Being too far from Pemberley, he is obliged to take her to a nearby cabin, where he must tend to her injuries. There, they spend the night alone together. The pair agree that they should pretend Elizabeth was alone in the cabin, and Mr Darcy stayed elsewhere, to save Elizabeth's reputation and prevent her being forced into a marriage with a man she does not love. But once at Pemberley, Miss Caroline Bingley grows suspicious that Elizabeth was not so alone after all. Determined to smear her rival's reputation, she returns to the cabin and discovers proof that Elizabeth spent the night with a man. To her horror, Mr Darcy is forced to reveal himself as the man in question, and vows to marry Miss Bennet to save her reputation. Can Mr Darcy prove that he has changed and is now worthy of Elizabeth's love? And can Elizabeth overcome her prejudice and see the man he is now? The arrival of Elizabeth's sister Jane offers Mr Darcy the chance to put right one of his most regretful mistakes. And Elizabeth is forced to consider that there is nothing standing between her and happiness with the man she has grown to love than her own pride.

    The reader later discovers the truth of this situation; that Mr Wickham was keen to avoid Mr Darcy that night – for it was entirely possible that he could have faced (entirely justifiable) retribution from Mr Darcy if he had attended. The reader – and Elizabeth – are unaware at that point in the novel of Mr Wickham’s true, deceitful nature – and, of course, no one in wider society is aware of Mr Wickham’s scandalous behaviour concerning Mr Darcy’s younger sister. However, in this alternative narrative, the reader is shown how events could have varied in Pride and Prejudice if Mr Wickham had thrown caution to the wind and had instead attended the ball on that fateful evening. In this re-telling of the famous story, events start on the evening of the much anticipated Netherfield ball, and Elizabeth quietly frets to herself over the potential for her family to create a public scene. She knows very well that Mr Bingley’s conceited sisters hold her family in contempt, just as she is very aware of Mr Darcy’s obvious disapproval. She dreads the prospect of enduring her promised dances with Mr Collins, and is appalled at her mothers’ blatant matchmaking efforts. However, with the one pivotal change – of Mr Wickham being unexpectedly present at the ball – Elizabeth’s night, and her prospects for an enjoyable evening, change completely. And as a consequence of his attendance at the ball, the events of the novel begin to differ from there onwards as well. The neighbourhood of Meryton is entirely scandalised when Elizabeth takes a dance with the gallant Mr Wickham – and Mr Darcy is beside himself with rage to see the woman he secretly admires dancing so merrily with his arch enemy. ‘Elizabeth looked up at Mr Wickham’s face as he spoke, and realised, as she followed the direction of his pointed gaze, that he had locked eyes with Mr Darcy across the space of the crowded ballroom. She had not noticed before that Mr Darcy was observing them; though it was clear that Mr Wickham had known exactly where Mr Darcy was within the room – as well as having been entirely aware that Mr Darcy had been watching the two of them. The air seemed to spark between the two men, and Elizabeth could not fail to notice the palpable tension which flowed in waves between them. She saw the scornful sneer that Mr Wickham shot towards his enemy – and Mr Darcy bristling in return.’ In fact, Mr Darcy is so unsettled by the sight of Elizabeth dancing with his enemy, and so jealous, that he acts immediately to separate them. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, this is only the first of a series of humiliating experiences that she is to face that evening – and the consequences of Mr Darcy’s actions are to cause a scandal which will unavoidably change her future.

    Maybe there, she can escape her mother’s embarrassing determination to match one of her daughters to their mysterious new neighbour, Mr Bingley, and be free to find love in her own way. But in the shallow, gossipy society of Bath, can she find a husband she can truly love and respect? Mr Darcy of Pemberley has always disliked Bath. But when his young sister Georgiana begs him to take her there, he cannot refuse her. Besides, at eight and twenty, it is high time he find himself a wife, and Bath is as good a place to find one as any other. But will he manage to overcome his natural reserve? And can he find a lady he can truly love, or will he bow to society’s expectations that he marry for wealth and position? When Elizabeth forms a close friendship with Georgiana, Darcy’s shy little sister, Darcy is immediately attracted to the lively, pretty girl who has brought his sister out of her shell. Elizabeth is also powerfully attracted to her new friend’s aloof older brother. Their feelings grow as they are drawn together, despite the reservations and better judgements of both. But Georgiana shares a secret with Elizabeth that could ruin her life and Darcy's, unless Elizabeth persuade her away from the dangerous path she is taking. And an unwelcome figure from Darcy’s past arrives in Bath unexpectedly, and threatens to destroy everything Darcy loves.

    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.

    This is a Pride and Prejudice variation by the author of Mr. Darcy's Persistent Pursuit and Love's Fool: The Taming of Lydia Bennet.

     A much better summer for Darcy prevents the worst of the misunderstandings in Hertfordshire. This results in a fast, strong friendship between Elizabeth and Darcy. While in Kent, Darcy abruptly discovers that despite, considering Elizabeth only a friend, she has fallen in love with him.