They decide to keep the marriage a secret until they can have a proper English wedding, so their sister’s marriage prospects are not tainted by scandal. Sometimes keeping a secret can get hard. (Warning: British spelling variants used.)This is a racy Pride and Prejudice comedy. If you do not like farce, this may not be the book for you. Then again, maybe you will enjoy all the improbable situations our odd couple find themselves. Experience the trials and tribulations of trying to keep a secret marriage a secret while wanting nothing more than to be alone so you can…I apologize in advance for any mistakes; please forgive me. I had an editor lined up to help me out, but unfortunately, it fell through like much of last year. So I was forced to slog through it on my own, along with the program Grammarly. It tells me I have done a decent job, but I find some of the suggestions it tells me to make suspect. Therefore I am suspicious of its accuracy in finding problems. Also, if you think it is a typo it could be the British variant spelling of the word.As a struggling author in these difficult times, I did not have the time to find another editor. I hope the reader will understand. As many times as I have read through the story, I always find something wrong. Or something I want to change. At a certain point, one must move forward or be forever stuck in the same spot in anything one does in life.

    No matter where Fitzwilliam Darcy goes, there are always whispers passed from matching-making matron to hopeful debutante about who he is and what fortune he holds. And then, the prowling and scheming to snare him begins. He knows that eventually, he’ll have to marry, but, at present, after the summer he’s had, he’s just not ready.Therefore, when his friend presses him to dance at the Meryton Assembly, Darcy is desperate to refuse as adamantly as is necessary to avoid partnering any young lady. But then, fate steps in, and Darcy’s disparagement of the dance partner his friend has suggested dies on his lips.She’s captivating and fascinatingly unusual. In fact, she just might be enchanting enough for him to long to make her what he wasn’t looking for — his wife.From Tolerable to Lovely is a novelette of just over 11,000 words and is the first installment in Leenie Brown’s Teatime Tales Collection of Austen-inspired quick reads. If you’re looking for a sweet romantic escape from the everyday, where love comes calling when it’s least expected, then you’ll love this story about how love can turn a tolerably good life into one that is simply lovely.So put the kettle on, download your copy of From Tolerable to Lovely, and steal away with Darcy and Elizabeth for a few moments of sweet indulgence.---[This story was previously published in a MUCH shorter form as part of a Teatime Tales short story anthology. That original short story is now part of the first chapter of this novelette.]

     Let us explore the deception abounding in Pride and Prejudice. Mrs. Bennets’ boastfulness. Caroline’s false flattery. Collins’s sycophantic praises. Lady Catherine’s claims of an infant betrothal. Wickham! How would Elizabeth’s ‘gift’ change the story? This sweet, clean Pride and Prejudice variation begins on the night of the Meryton assembly.

    A forced marriage. Can love bloom? Miss Elizabeth Bennet's secret beau is in London when the epidemic strikes, a rare and deadly form of smallpox. Now, due to a new law, all unmarried men and women of age must wed by the end of the year. Elizabeth, in secret mourning, now must find a husband, but can any gentleman find a place in her broken heart? When Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy joins his friend at Netherfield to find a wife, but her family is beneath him, so he sets his sights on another. But returning to Netherfield after attending his aunt, he finds his careful plans ruined. And then the drama starts... Can Mr. Darcy make amends for his insulting Elizabeth at the Meryton assembly? Will Elizabeth recover from an unexpected and heartbreaking surprise? Dare Mr. Darcy offer for the woman he desires? This novel features the handsome and genial Col. Fitzwilliam visiting Meryton, an overly officious Mr. Collins, a strong-willed Lady Catherine de Bourgh asserting her opinions and a slow burn love story between Mr. Da
rcy and Elizabeth Bennet.

    But Elizabeth begins to think she may not find her true love in the small country town she calls home, and Darcy despairs of ever being sought after for more than his wealth and connections. What if they first become acquainted not at the assembly ball in Meryton but while acting as chaperones for Elizabeth's sister Jane and Darcy's friend Bingley? Will they decide that a marriage based on friendship is enough? And will a terrible tragedy and desperate rescue reveal that there is more to their friendship than they realized? Read along as Jane Austen's beloved characters seek their "happily ever after".

    It tells the old beloved story of Elizabeth and Darcy with new, original, unexpected twists. It speaks about the depth of feelings versus shallow infatuation, about appearances and truth, about regrets and redemption.The story focuses on Elizabeth and Darcy's interactions, the development of their characters and their slowly building affection that grows into a deep, everlasting love. Alongside them, there are Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley, with their own tale that appears similar and yet proves to be quite different.The book starts in London, in April 1812. Elizabeth has returned from Kent after Darcy’s disastrous proposal and stays in London, at the Gardiners, together with Jane. Both sisters try to overcome the distress caused by the gentlemen that had once lived at Netherfield.The plot pushes Elizabeth and Darcy into each other's path, inducing them to struggle with pride, prejudice, flaws and misunderstandings, along their journey towards the point of equal affection.Among well-known classic characters, a new one claims her share of conversation: Mrs. Welford, Mrs. Gardiner's aunt, a lady who spent her youth in Lambton and her adulthood living an adventurous life.Married and widowed three times, Mrs. Edwina Welford possesses a large fortune, manners on the edge of decorum, a passion for life, and genuine affection for her relatives. She interferes in the story bringing mockery, fighting, tears and laughter, spicing up the tale and adding more surprising turns of events between the main characters."Equal Affection" is the author's second JAFF book. It comes after the readers' wonderful reactions that turned the first one - "Locked in the Netherfield Library" into a bestselling novella.

    - Johannes KeplerWhen she arrives at Hunsford Cottage for a visit with her long-time friend Charlotte Collins, Elizabeth Bennet does not expect the melodrama awaiting her at Rosings Park.Mrs. Anne Darcy, nee de Bourgh, has passed, and Rosings Park is, by law, the property of the woman’s husband, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy; yet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is not ready to abandon the mansion over which she has served as mistress for thirty years. Elizabeth holds sympathy for her ladyship’s situation. After all, Elizabeth’s mother will eventually be banished from Longbourn when Mr. Bennet passes without male issue. She inherently understands Lady Catherine’s “hysterics,” while not necessarily condoning them, for her ladyship will have the luxury of the right to the estate’s dower house, and, moreover, it is obvious Rosings Park requires the hand of a more knowledgeable overseer. Therefore, Elizabeth takes on the task of easing Lady Catherine’s transition to dowager baronetess, but doing so places Elizabeth often in the company of the “odious” Mr. Darcy, a man Lady Catherine claims poisoned her daughter Anne in order to claim Rosings Park as his own.

    Bingley takes up residence at Netherfield Park, Elizabeth travels into Derbyshire with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. On a day when her relations are visiting with some of Mrs. Gardiner's childhood friends, Elizabeth decides to explore the small village instead. Without realizing it, she strays further and further from the village, unconsciously walking in the direction of Pemberley, the estate they visited two days prior. Lost in her thoughts and the beauty of the Derbyshire countryside, Elizabeth wanders further than she realizes and fails to notice the storm clouds building above her. With the first flash of lightning and peel of thunder, she seeks somewhere to shelter from the storm. Rushing for a dense tree line where she might stay dry from the impending rain, Elizabeth Bennet meets with a dreadful accident. Returning from business in London, Fitzwilliam Darcy races across the grounds of Pemberley trying to outrun the storm. Coming across a beautiful young woman who is injured, he takes her home so his staff can care for her. Darcy hopes her presence will help lift his mother's melancholy. When Elizabeth regains consciousness, she has no memory of her name or her past. During the many weeks of her recovery, Elizabeth grows close to Mr. Darcy and his mother, Lady Anne. When Elizabeth recovers enough to leave the estate, the Darcys decided she needs an identity that will protect her from gossip. And so, Miss Elizabeth Chamberlayne, a long-lost Darcy cousin is born. After receiving two requests, Darcy accepts an invitation to stay with his friend, Mr. Bingley, at Netherfield Park and the ladies will join him. What will happen when Elizabeth comes face to face with her family? Will she remember them, or will her memory still be a blank? All of the original characters of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice make an appearance. How will Elizabeth's lack of memory affect her interactions with them?

    Bingley after a whirlwind courtship which began the night of the Meryton Assembly. But when her cousin Mr. Collins arrives from Kent, he informs the Bennet family that he seeks a wife from amongst the Bennet sisters to soften the existence of an entail that hangs over Longbourn. 
Knowing her family has no need of such an alliance with Jane’s future secure, Elizabeth is surprised when Mr. Bennet approves of the parson’s plan. Surely her father will not allow the man to ask for her hand?
When Mr. Collins sees that Mr. Darcy, the nephew of his distinguished patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh, has designs on his cousin he knows he must propose to Elizabeth though his heart has been won by her sister Mary. To allow Mr. Darcy to propose to Elizabeth would bring down the wrath of Lady Catherine de Bourgh and destroy his living at Hunsford.

    Ever since she rejected his proposal of marriage, she cannot think of him without embarrassment and regret. She had judged him harshly and allowed the lies of others to poison her opinion of him, only to discover she had misjudged him when it was too late. Taking comfort from the knowledge that Darcy is not at home, Elizabeth goes for a walk through Pemberley Woods. But when a storm strikes, Elizabeth cannot find her way back to Lambton. While trying to find her bearings, she is struck down by an accident that leaves her unconscious as the storm clashes overhead. Returning to Pemberley early, Darcy is shocked to find a young lady lying injured and unconscious in his woods during the height of the storm. He is even more horrified to discover the lady is none other than Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the woman who broke his heart all those weeks ago. Knowing he will compromise the reputation of the one woman who does not want him, Darcy has no choice but to take her to a nearby shelter for the night where he can care for Elizabeth and where they can wait out the storm. When Elizabeth awakens, she has no recollection of who or where she is. Neither does she recognise the kind, handsome man who is so concerned for her wellbeing. When Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle stay at Pemberley to help her recover, Elizabeth starts to fall in love with this sweet, generous man who goes out of his way to make them welcome. But why is Darcy so evasive about their previous relationship? And why does she hear such mixed accounts of her earlier feelings for him? Darcy’s affections and wishes for Elizabeth are unchanged, and only grow stronger as he spends more time with her. He can hardly believe she is under his roof where he once hoped she would live as his bride. But how can he marry her when she has no memory of how much she really dislikes him? When she has no idea she once told him he was the last man in the world she could ever marry? Darcy's one hope is that Elizabeth will learn to love him as the man he is now. But can she ever really love a man she cannot remember? Trouble comes when rumours spread of Darcy and Elizabeth’s night in the woods and of Elizabeth’s memory loss. Word soon reaches Brighton, where George Wickham has been having little luck in his goal of marrying an heiress. When he hears of the interesting situation between his old enemy and the woman who was once Wickham’s favourite, Wickham sees an opportunity to solve his financial problems once and for all. He travels to Pemberley, and there, he makes a shocking announcement that leaves Darcy and Elizabeth devastated and in despair that they can ever be together.

    Darcy’s Kiss, Darcy blatantly ignores all rules of propriety when he boldly kisses Elizabeth Bennet despite her adamant refusal of his initial proposal. Believing she will never see Darcy again, Elizabeth does her best to forget his lips on hers, but a chance encounter in Hyde Park only weeks later brings forth feelings that Elizabeth never knew she had, and is not sure she appreciates. Will the unlikely couple find happiness despite the misdeeds and misunderstandings of the past or is their relationship predestined to end in heartbreak and misery?

    “Mr. Darcy, who are you to dictate? My sister is twenty-one years old: therefore an adult. I will guarantee nothing on her behalf! Of course, you may treat Mr. Bingley as a child if you choose. It would be quite in keeping with the rest of your arrogant behavior. And now, I bid you a very good day, sir.” Angry tears pricked behind her eyelids and she turned to walk away. But Darcy reached out and placed a heavy hand on her arm. “Not so fast, Miss Elizabeth…” he began to say, when a shrill voice called out behind them. __________________________________________________________________________________ A QUEST FOR A LIFE OF MEANING. Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman possessed of a keen intellect and sharp wit has spent most of her young life in forced seclusion in the small rural village of Meryton. But with the arrival of two wealthy young gentlemen, things look set to change for the Bennet family, especially when Elizabeth encounters and clashes with the arrogant and controlling Fitzwilliam Darcy, never dreaming that he will come to admire her or that the social barriers between them can ever be surmounted. Darcy, despite being born to power and privilege, has always been discontented with his lot – not least because family obligations make marriage to his sickly cousin, Anne, unavoidable. Until he visits the small town of Meryton his attitude is characteristically contemptuous and bitter and it is only when he has to contend with Elizabeth Bennet and her disturbing ability to pinpoint his faults while mocking him at every turn that he is compelled to examine his own behaviour more closely. Slowly, Darcy travels the path to self-knowledge and in the process over comes his cynicism and begins to yearn for a life of purpose, passion and real fulfilment. BUT CAN DARCY HONOUR HIS OBLIGATIONS TO HIS FAMILY AND RESIST HIS DESIRE FOR ELIZABETH AND THE PROMISE SHE HOLDS FOR ENDING HIS LIFE OF LONELINESS? AND CAN ELIZABETH OVERCOME A FAMILY SCANDAL AND HER ABSORPTION IN THE WORLD OF IDEAS, TO SEE PAST DARCY’S ARROGANT EXTERIOR TO THE MAN WHO IS ON A QUEST FOR THE MOST PROFOUND FORM OF LOVE?

    Having met the Bennets on her previous visit to the estate, Lady Felton decides that taking an interest in Mr. Bennets older daughters will help give her some purpose and distraction from her personal grief. Arriving with her guest, Anne de Bourgh and her godson, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, the Duchess soon fills up her guest rooms with the Bingleys, the Hursts and Mr. Darcy and his ward and younger sibling Georgiana. Her guests, the Bennets and Mr. Collins and the newly arrived militia all combine for matchmaking, madness and matrimony in this Pride and Prejudice variation.

     Finding Elizabeth Abducted from her home just before her third birthday, Elizabeth is taken in by the Bennets. It is only with the arrival of a new tenant at Netherfield that her true identity is discovered. According to Mr Bennet, Elizabeth was found wandering in the gardens of Longbourn but will the truth of the matter ever be known? Her Grandmother’s Wisdom Elizabeth and Mary Bennet on holiday with their Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in Derbyshire. It is there that they first meet Fitzwilliam Darcy a year after his father’s passing. Four years later, Darcy is pleased to discover the young lady he had thought of often resides on the neighbouring estate to the one his friend Bingley has recently leased. Miss Bennet’s Adventure Following the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy, Mary is invited to join her sister and new brother at Pemberley. There she meets again a certain colonel in His Majesty’s Army. Sequel to Her Grandmother’s Wisdom. Hurst Knows All What if Hurst was more aware of what was going on around him at Netherfield and shared his wife’s and sister’s liking for gossip. Storms over Hunsford The morning after the ill-fated proposal at Hunsford, Elizabeth is walking aimlessly in the grounds of Rosings Park as she reads Darcy’s letter. So caught up in reading and re-reading the missive, while chastising herself, she does not notice the approaching storm until it is too late.

    Darcy!” she cried. “You don’t have the right!”He stood and stepped up to her, and stared down at her with an equally determined expression. “I am your husband and he is my son—I have the only right.”****In this new Austenesque tale, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are Elizabeth’s parents and she grows up happy and carefree in Lambton. At sixteen, Lizzy meets and falls in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy, future Master of Pemberley. The couple decides to elope but they are torn apart by their closest relatives, and when reunited must determine whether the pain of the years that have passed can be overcome to regain the love that was lost.