Darcy’s cutting remark at the Meryton assembly, Miss Elizabeth Bennet replies with a comment of her own about the sign of a true gentleman. When Darcy hears the statement, he is instantly stricken with remorse. He seeks a quiet place to compose himself and prepare an apology. As Miss Elizabeth moves through the crowd to share the incident with her friend, Charlotte Lucas, she hears an anguished voice from the darkened balcony. Stepping forward to offer assistance, she is surprised at what else she hears. This event and the turn it makes in the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth is the premise of this delightful new story. How will an earlier understanding between our dear couple change their interactions with those around them—particularly Miss Bingley, Mr. Wickham, and Mr. Collins?

    Fortunately for Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth has walked away and does not overhear his insult, thus snagging the thread that would have sealed her prejudice against the prideful stranger. Unexpectedly, circumstances thrust Elizabeth into the same household as Mr. Darcy, and her proximity unwittingly proves tempting, as her tantalizing wit and playfulness evoke desires that threaten to unravel his resolve against her. In this delightful re-imagining of Jane Austen's beloved classic, Pride and Prejudice, the players are the same, but the rules have changed as the dance between Darcy and Lizzy unfolds.

    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.

    How two adults react in those next few desperate moments sets the plot in motion in this “Pride & Prejudice” alternative focusing on twenty-one year old Kitty Bennet.“Of Fortune’s Reversal” is a novella-length tale based upon an inversion of Mrs. Bennet's exclamation that with one good marriage, the other girls will be thrown in front of rich men. For more than two centuries, the Jane/Bingley: Lizzy/Darcy tetrarchy has been portrayed as the solution to Mary and Kitty's marriage difficulties, not to mention Mrs. Bennet’s housing requirements. But, what if that was not the case?What if Mr. Bennet dies just as Jane is receiving the Bingley sisters' invitation to dinner?No rainy day horseback ride. No cold for Jane. No Elizabeth coming to Netherfield to nurse her elder sister...so no links forged in any way with Bingley (beyond what he felt for Miss Bennet at the Assembly) and Darcy (no fine eyes, no walk around the library, etc).No Netherfield Ball.No proposal from Collins because he was already wed to a shrew who convinced him to evict the Bennet women. So no trip to Hunsford cottage for Lizzy because Charlotte remains a spinster at Lucas Lodge.Rather, the Bennet women are forced out of Longbourn—the older girls to Gracechurch Street and ultimately taking up employment away from the city. The two younger girls remain in Meryton with their mother, to be sent away to seminary for some much-needed formal education. But, the death of Thomas Bennet has changed more than the family’s financial fortunes. It has also bent the arc of the P&P universe.

    A gentleman of honour, he decides he will go to his end having done his best to discharge the duty of providing an heir for Pemberley. A gentleman of passion, he decides it will be with a bride who suits his own fancy. Going immediately to Hertfordshire, he meets with Miss Elizabeth Bennet and asks her, a second time, to marry him, with the knowledge that the marriage will be short and that she will be soon left a wealthy widow.Elizabeth agrees to be Darcy's bride feeling all the compassion of a woman granting a man's dying wish. However, soon she suspects the truth, that Darcy is not, in fact, dying. She begins to question what exactly happened between the time that Darcy proposed to her the first time and when he was given his dreadful diagnosis--and if, in fact, any of it is indeed true.This Pride & Prejudice variation is a darkly humorous novella based on the characters of Jane Austen.

    love never fails. After her father dies, Elizabeth Bennet refuses to marry the heir of her family’s estate, leaving her, her mother, and her sisters without means and without a home— and it is all Elizabeth’s fault. What are five single women with no prospects to do? A string of emotional decisions lead her from her beloved Hertfordshire to London, where she becomes a lady’s companion to a scheming woman with too much time and money and too few scruples. Fitzwilliam Darcy is full of remorse. Humbled from his arrogance, he sets out to prove that he is a man of honor by earning the respect of the one most affected by his indifference— Miss Elizabeth Bennet. From the offering of a handkerchief to a hot air balloon ride, he will do what he must to become the man she believes him to be. However, even the best intentions often go awry… especially when Charles Bingley’s aunt, Lady Lavinia Rutledge, is involved. Can Darcy and Elizabeth see past their guilt and regret to recognize the love they long for? *This is a sweet romance based on Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice.

    How did Darcy and Elizabeth manage these travails, and each other?Longbourn to London is not a Pride and Prejudice “what if,” nor is it a sequel. Rather, it is an expansion of the betrothal of Jane Austen’s favorite couple. We follow Lizzy’s journey from spirited maiden scampering about the fields of Hertfordshire to nervous, blushing bride in Mayfair, where she learns the unexpected joys of marriage to a man as willing to be teased as she is to tease him.Join us as IPPY award-winning author Linda Beutler (2013 Silver Medal, Independent Publishers Awards, for The Red Chrysanthemum) imagines the betrothal and early honeymoon of Jane Austen’s greatest couple.Includes mature content.

    Darcy is proud and prejudiced because he is a wealthy landowner who believes himself above his company and that Elizabeth Bennet can afford to be proud and prejudiced because she believes she has the freedom to make choices for herself. But what if Mr. Darcy is the second son, sent to sea at a young age? What if Elizabeth is trapped by circumstances with an ill father on one side and an understandably desperate mother on the other? Meet Captain Darcy of the Royal Navy, a successful frigate captain with ample prize money and a sister for whom he needs to provide while he is at sea. Meet also Elizabeth Bennet, who needs a husband and is trying to resign herself to Mr. Collins, the worst “least worst alternative” in the history of literature.

    That is what every matchmaker thought about Alistair, even before he became the Duke of Denton. He spent years avoiding compromising situations and unwanted marriages, often with the help of his identical twin brother Robert. Then he met Charlotte Lucas, best friend of his newly married cousin, Lady Elizabeth Darcy. Charlotte Lucas is a reluctant spinster. But is she reluctant to be a spinster or is she reluctant to be a duchess? There is only one way to find out… Sequel to 'Don't flatter yourself' - A Pride & Prejudice Variation

    Darcy finally decides to propose to the enticing Miss Elizabeth Bennet, she is summoned to Falmouth, to meet a relation she never knew she had.Thus, the ill-starred Hunsford proposal is avoided – but before he could even begin to understand his luck, adverse circumstances hasten to conspire against him, and Fitzwilliam Darcy is compelled to follow the woman he loves to the far reaches of Cornwall, into a world of deceit and peril where few – if any – are what they seem to be…

    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.

    While his friend is now happily married, Darcy regrets not having the courage to pursue Elizabeth in the autumn. As 1812 draws to a close, Darcy rallies his spirits to spend the Christmas holiday with Lady Catherine.Elizabeth Bennet wanted to show Darcy that her feelings for him had changed, but he never returned to Hertfordshire and she fears Darcy could never tolerate being brother-in-law to Wickham. For a change of scene and with the hope of lifting her spirits, Elizabeth accepts an invitation to visit Charlotte Collins and her new baby at Christmas.Lady Catherine’s New Year’s Eve masquerade ball is the social event of the season and, amid the festivities and mistletoe, both Darcy and Elizabeth hope for a reason to make their affections known. But will her ladyship’s interference, the sudden appearance of her scheming nephew, and Elizabeth and Darcy’s insecurities prevent them from finding happiness during the holiday season?This is a 31,000 word Pride and Prejudice variation.

    The honorable man whose proposal she refused years before.... Elizabeth had become a governess following Mr. Bennet's death. And now she thought she had killed her employer, the Earl of Lachglass, while defending herself from his vile advances. When Elizabeth is reunited with Mr. Darcy, their love blossoms. Darcy's old passion for her quickly wakes again, and Elizabeth can clearly see Mr. Darcy's character and his kindness and goodness. But the Earl of Lachglass survived, and he wants revenge. It shall take all of Elizabeth's and Darcy's strength, and the help of Darcy's cousin General Fitzwilliam, for her to escape. Warning: This story has a scene of attempted sexual violence, though Elizabeth successfully defends herself.

    But Darcy's mother died in childbirth and he worries that he could lose it all. An Heir for Pemberley is a Pride and Prejudice Variation Short Story, 4000 words long and takes about fifteen minutes to read. It is a quick escape to Pemberley.

    Mr. Darcy receives a visit at his isolated manor in Cornwall. It is Charles Bingley, and he is there to ask for a favor... He needs help with his new estate, Netherfield. As for Miss Elizabeth Bennet, there is nothing she likes more than a laugh – except for a mystery. From the moment she first encounters Mr. Darcy, she senses he is hiding something. But the more she tries to find out about who he is, the more evasive he becomes. However, Elizabeth soon turns her attention to someone else. As Mrs. Bennet points out, Mr. Darcy is a nobody, and Elizabeth needs to marry someone who can provide for her and her sisters. Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy doesn’t want anyone to know about the scandal that haunts him from the past. He certainly doesn’t need someone like Miss Bennet, who asks him questions and tries to slip him up. Fortunately, he is more than equal to the task of putting her off. What he doesn’t expect is that before he knows it, he finds himself longing to tell her the truth. Are Elizabeth and Darcy meant to come together in this variation, or is Elizabeth destined for somebody else? Note: Mysterious Mr. Darcy is not a mystery. It is a ‘what-if’ in which Mr. Darcy has to deal with the consequences of his past, a past that will change the shape of his future.