Her sister Elizabeth emerges as her fiercest champion and unstinting protector. When further tragedy befalls Longbourn, Aunt and Uncle Gardiner embrace their orphaned nieces into their London household. Mary and Elizabeth must face the disapprobation of London society as they endure a Season of intense scrutiny. Will Mary’s own dearest wish— just to hear ‘I love you’ —ever come to be, or will her deafness forever consign her to life apart? The sisters must face their past and Mary’s worst critic when another family’s tragedy lands directly on their doorstep. Will they both have the strength to return love from unexpected suitors?

    She now faces the daunting task of assuming her place within the vast and prestigious family estate of Pemberley. A few ill-disposed individuals would delight to see her fail so there is little room for error as she learns to lead her new household.Darcy is at her side, of course, but he cannot shelter her entirely as gossiping tongues follow her every move. She must navigate the isolation she feels as a stranger in this new setting and learn how to honour her new responsibilities while the lingering presence of her late mother in law, Lady Anne, to whom she is always compared, hangs over her.Thankfully, Elizabeth is resourceful. One day, she will triumph over even her harshest critics and prove herself worthy as mistress of Pemberley.

    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.

    After rejecting him, she is required to follow him into the woods to return the hat he left behind, before it is discovered that he had visited her. She is shocked to see he is in far greater pain at her refusal than she realised and when she seeks to comfort him, he forgets himself and kisses her. Unfortunately, Mr Collins, Elizabeth's cousin, witnesses it and not recognising Mr Darcy, is pleased to inform Mr Darcy's aunt, the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh of Rosings Park, that the pert Miss Bennet's reputation has been compromised. It seems a fitting revenge for a woman who had rejected his own offer of marriage not so long ago. But when Mr Darcy reveals himself as the man who compromised Miss Bennet, and is therefore the man who is required to marry her and save her reputation, Elizabeth is far from grateful. She, who always wanted to marry for love, is now obligated to marry a man she despises for his selfish disdain for others, and who has ruined the happiness of her most beloved sister. Can Mr Darcy persuade her to give him a chance to prove himself worthy of her? And in Elizabeth's pretence to her family of being a happily engaged woman, is it possible she is being fooled by her own charade into feeling more than she does? Or are these growing feelings for Mr Darcy something more than that? At Longbourn, a scandal involving her sister, Lydia, threatens the match and Elizabeth is suddenly confronted with the possibility that maybe she does not know Mr Darcy as well as she believed. And that just maybe, he is the man for her after all.