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.

    She hates him. The puppy loves them both. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet get off to a rocky start. Can three-month-old Scottish sheepdog, Henry, herd two stubborn individuals together long enough to realize they are the perfect partners for a lifetime? Join in the frustration and fun when Mr. Darcy is forced to retrieve his errant puppy daily as Henry scampers from Netherfield Park to Elizabeth’s home of Longbourn. Told from her point of view, when she repeatedly spies haughty Mr. Darcy humbly showing affection to the puppy, Elizabeth is forced to acknowledge that first impressions might not always be accurate. Danger lurks, causing them to work together until Henry is safe. Is Mr. Darcy’s bark worse than his bite? Will Elizabeth remain as stubborn as a dog with a bone? This 20,000-word novella is a blend of cranky personalities, blooming affection, and wagging puppy tails. Enjoy this Regency variation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice—where it truly is a dog’s life.

    Deciding Georgie was unprepared for such circumstances due to their society's preference to keep young ladies innocent and unknowing of the ways of the world, he chose to enlighten her. He began discussing things with her and educating her on matters that others may feel were not for the eyes or ears of a lady. He wanted her to be prepared when she came out in society and not be susceptible to the fortune hunters. What he did not realize was that she would use her new found knowledge upon him.

    During a chance encounter, she gains a new friend but will she also find the love of her life? This sweet, clean Regency novella begins months before the start of Pride and Prejudice.

    When he attempts to find some solitude, he meets Elizabeth Bennet in the most unlikely of places.Elizabeth Bennet decides the best way to avoid her persistent cousin is to go into hiding, at least for a few minutes. She is surprised when her hiding place is almost immediately invaded, but relieved when the intruder is not her cousin.This lighthearted variation on Pride and Prejudice explores the possibilities that could have resulted from a very different first encounter between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.

     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?

    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.

    He soon begins to favour this pretty and lively young lady. Circumstances have kept Jane Bennet and Mr. Darcy from the neighbourhood, thereby changing the events that Jane Austen penned in "Pride and Prejudice." When Mr. Darcy finally arrives, will he be able to keep from interfering when he meets this young lady his friend so greatly admires? When Jane returns from touring the Lake District with her aunt and uncle, will the young gentleman who returns with her prove to be better suited for her than Mr. Bingley ever was? In this "Pride and Prejudice" variation, chance and circumstance greatly affect the way several of Jane Austen's characters arrive at their happily ever after, but not necessarily the way you think.

    What if Darcy and Elizabeth had come to understanding in very different circumstances and a bit later than in the novel? --------------------------------- Elizabeth walked back to the desk. Mr Darcy was writing busily, a frown of concentration gracing his forehead. “Yes, Miss Bennet?” he asked, interrupting his work to look up at her. “Have you changed your mind about keeping my company?” “The door is closed.” “Closed,” he repeated. She nodded. “Yes. I cannot open it.” “It must have gotten stuck.” “Well, I have no strength to push it open.” Darcy stood up, walked around the desk and straight to the door. After a moment it turned out that he was as unsuccessful at opening the solid oak door as she was. “What is the meaning of this?” Elizabeth asked. “It appears that someone must have locked the door from the outside.” Her eyes widened. “Locked it?” “Yes, I cannot explain it otherwise.” “Why would someone do such a thing?” “Yes, why would someone do such a thing…why indeed?” Darcy asked, his expression both bewildered and dazed. “What shall we do now?” she wanted to know, expecting him to find a solution to their dilemma. “We should wait,” he answered quickly. “Wait?” “If someone locked it by accident, this person must open it in due time,” Darcy stated. Elizabeth was not convinced with his reasoning. “Perhaps,” she said, the tone of her voice doubtful. She stepped to the door and pulled at the handle. She did not know why she did it. The door was closed, after all. “Should we not cry for help?” she suggested. “Or look for the key? Mr Bingley might keep a spare key in one of the drawers of the desk.” “Are you in any danger, Miss Bennet?” he asked. “Do you not trust me?” “No, of course not. I mean, I do trust you, sir. Nevertheless, it is all rather strange, will you not agree with me?” “I am confident that it is nothing more than a simple misunderstanding. As for the key, I have never seen one.” “Could it be a servant? The person who locked the door?” “Quite possibly.” Elizabeth felt that her confusion was growing. “I do not understand,” she whispered.

    Compromise! can bring down a virtuous maiden, like Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and her entire family along with her.When Elizabeth finds Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy outside Netherfield, alone and at his most vulnerable, she must make a quick decision to bend the rules of propriety to help him or turn her back on someone in need. Her tender heart reaches out to him and his wounded one grabs hold of her well-intentioned support. Discovery changes the course of their lives as Elizabeth is forced to accept a reluctant proposal of marriage from this man whom she has just barely begun to respect. Can Jane Austen’s most beloved couple reach a compromise that might turn a tenuous friendship into a loving marriage? Will it survive as desperate, unscrupulous, and foolish people alike set compromising machinations into motion for their own greedy ends?Follow Elizabeth and Darcy in this novella-length Regency romance as J. Dawn King takes them through a sweet variation of Pride and Prejudice where compromises abound and outcomes will surprise you.By the author of Amazon bestsellers A Father’s Sins and One Love, Two Hearts, Three Stories.BONUS PREVIEW INCLUDED: The Trouble With Horses by Elizabeth Ann West

    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.

    Collins. As Darcy feels the pangs of buried infatuation begin to resurface, he realizes that Miss Bennet detests him. At first, Darcy is relieved by his seeming escape, realizing that had he not discovered her true feelings, then he might have done the unthinkable and actually proposed. It is not long, however, before he is bewitched by her all over again, and he resolves to change her opinion of him and win her at all costs. Elizabeth Bennet wishes nothing more than to spend time with her friend and determine the true state of Mrs. Collins's happiness without the interference of any of the proud residents of Rosings Park. But she is soon made uncomfortable by the presence of Mr. Darcy, who appears before her at random times, seemingly by coincidence. As they become better acquainted, they learn more not only about each other, but also about themselves. Unfortunately, the path to happiness is not without its trials, and they both must change if they want their ultimate happiness to come to pass.

    However, after greeting him and seeing that he is more morose than when he left, she becomes concerned.  Convinced that she knows the reason behind Darcy's despondency, Georgiana sets out to remedy the problem and present her brother with the best Christmas gift ever -- an unbroken heart. Netherfield sits empty.  Mr. Collins has been refused, and Elizabeth Bennet's mother is suffering from a serious case of nerves.  There is only one thing to be done. Elizabeth and her sister must be sent to town in the hopes that one or both might secure a husband. Tossed into each other's paths, Darcy and Elizabeth renew their acquaintance and must decide how to proceed.  Will Darcy continue to flee from the lady who has stolen his heart? Will Elizabeth be able to decipher Darcy's true character? Or will both be left lonely and broken-hearted this Christmas? Two Days Before Christmas is just one of Leenie Brown's numerous Pride and Prejudice inspired stories. If you like well-written, sweet romance with surprising twists, open-minded heroines, and tender heroes then you'll love this story where gifts from the heart and love take center stage. So, put the kettle on, grab your copy of Two Days Before Christmas, and get wrapped up in this sweet Christmas romance today.

    How can our beloved couple find their way to each other when Darcy doesn't know what she holds against him?

    Time leads these beloved characters down roads of self-discovery, courage, and heartbreak. And sometimes the journey takes them to surprising places. The stories are -1 - Mistress of Longbourn2 - Life After Darcy3 - First Attachments4 - To Do Her Duty: 5 - To Fool A Fool6 - He Had It Coming