Seventeen years old, beautiful, popular, and well-connected, she is viewed by all as a paragon of youth, freedom, and fashion. No one suspects the lonesomeness and uncertainty of her life--emotions she has slowly learned to bury. When her step-mother banishes her and her elder sister, Jane, to London for the summer holidays, Elizabeth meets a man who seems her total opposite. He is serious while she laughs, structured while she is spontaneous, and independent while she has almost nothing. Yet the unlikely pair find an unexpected kinship amid their mutual sorrows, and before long, Elizabeth realizes she is falling in love with Mr. Darcy. But he is not the only man who has noticed Elizabeth this summer, nor the most eligible. When Elizabeth's noble step-cousin develops designs for her, she finds herself tangled in the unfair expectations of her family, misunderstandings among her friends, and an ultimate decision that may purchase her true freedom. But will it cost her her heart?

    The second daughter of a country gentleman is now many different things, to different people. Beloved wife. Mistress of a dauntingly great estate. Reluctant socialite. Daughter. Sister. Cousin. Friend. And as the days of her married life go by, bringing both joy and turmoil, the man that stands beside her is her shelter and comfort in the face of family opposition, peril and heartbreak. Three very different Christmas seasons come to serve as landmarks to their lives and there are blissful days and times of sorrow at the old English country house. And before too long, a time would come when Darcy must decide if he is prepared to risk everything for the sake of a full life together - or succumb to the collection of his fears.

    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.

    But fate, with assistance from Darcy’s scheming cousins, contrives to keep them together.When Miss Darcy is summoned to Kent, the couple has a chance to begin anew, and their budding friendship carries them to London and Hertfordshire. Their feelings deepen but before their new understanding is made known, Elizabeth is sent to Brighton as chaperone to her youngest sister. Her stay there ends in ruin when Darcy’s past comes to call.Upon discovering the situation is worse than he feared, Darcy determines he must be the one to make things right. His departure leaves Elizabeth in doubt and their future in question. Was their love too new to withstand a scandal?A series of missed chances, misdirected letters, and miscommunications keeps the couple apart; it make require the intervention of their nearest relations to bring them back together.

    Because of a death bed promise, he will only marry a lady who will unconditionally love the infant and whom he can love. However, in his past searches, Darcy found most society ladies saw only his wealth, connections, and property. How is he to find a lady who sees past what he has and loves who he is?Elizabeth Bennet wants to marry only for love, and of one thing she is absolutely sure, she loves Mr. Darcy’s infant ward. The question is, can she love the man as well. If she does choose to marry, she does not want her mother planning a lavish, overly embellished wedding, so how can she thwart her mother’s plans — through a secret arrangement.Besides the issue of love, what other problems could occur? A mother who will take control of the engagement and wedding arrangements, another lady's jealousy, and a grandmother who wants her infant granddaughter to disappear.Will Elizabeth and Darcy find love and happiness?

    . .” William CongreveA month after her wedding, Elizabeth Bennet Darcy had taught herself to be silent, watchful, careful. She moved through the house with eyes downcast, avoiding contact, speaking only when spoken to. She walked through the garden in much the same way, her face hidden from the sun—and from the direct gaze of any servant she might encounter—by the deep brims of the fashionable bonnets she wore.Just four short weeks after their marriage, the deep love between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy is on the verge of collapsing forever. They must join forces to overcome whatever—or whoever—threatens to destroy their home, their love and their very lives.

    He would have met her again at Pemberley, had he returned a day early instead of a day late. He has seen her once or twice at a distance. But they have never met face-to-face.Deprived of his help at a crucial time, the Bennets are disgraced and ruined. After desperately searching for Lydia in London Mr Bennet fell sick; he died soon after. Longbourn was lost to Collins, Elizabeth compelled to work as child minder and lady’s companion. After hearing of her marriage to a clergyman, Darcy saw no alternative to getting married in his turn. But the union proved barren. He is now a widower with no heir.The year is 1837, start of the Victorian era. Travelling from Pemberley to London, Darcy tries a new railway line for the final stretch to Euston. At a station along the way, he spots a woman hurrying towards the cheaper carriages …Could it be Elizabeth? Might she now accept his friendship? After so many years of regret, has fortune granted him a chance of redemption?

    Darcy to think her the one ruined by Mr. Wickham? What if love is not enough to bring two souls together? FITZWILLIAM DARCY's pride makes the natural leap to ELIZABETH BENNET's ruination when the lady appears, without notice, upon Pemberley's threshold to plead for Darcy's assistance in locating his long-time enemy, George Wickham. Initially, Darcy cannot look beyond the pain of lost hopes, but when Charles Bingley demands that Darcy act with honor, Darcy assumes the task. Even so, the idea of delivering Miss Elizabeth into the hand of Mr. Wickham leaves Darcy raw with anguish. Yet, Darcy loves Elizabeth Bennet too much to see her brought low. He sets his heartbreak aside to save the woman he loves, but it is not long before Darcy realizes Elizabeth practices a deception, one Darcy permits so he might remain at her side long enough to convince the lady only in each other can they find happiness. Their adventure takes more twists and turns than does the original "Pride and Prejudice," but the reader will enjoy the devotion displayed by Darcy and Elizabeth as they bring Wickham to the line in Lydia Bennnet's defense, as well as their working their way through multiple misconstructions and vulnerabilities. Darcy's final wooing of Elizabeth brings two very private individuals to a very public declaration of their love.

    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 tragedy breeds years of sorrow and misunderstanding as well as prosperity and even romance in an emotional coming of age tale not only for Elizabeth Bennet, but for her sisters, and even the adults who let them down. For nearly two decades, Edward Gardiner is haunted by the difficult decisions he has made. Lady Anne Darcy must bear all the guilt and delight of being granted her heart’s desire... at a price. The Fitzwilliam family has motives and misgivings of their own as the Earl of Matlock tries to keep them all together, right the wrongs of the past, and pave the way for the next generation. Fitzwilliam Darcy realizes too late what it means to be a brother, and is faced with a parts of his past he regrets, just as his desire to protect the family he loves leads him back to the woman he was destined to love the most… a woman who despises him. Elizabeth Bennet struggles through the turbulence of adolescence, her judgement clouded by past trauma and the complicated dynamics of her extended family. Secrets are revealed and re-examined as she is forced to come to terms with the truth of her past and the promise of her future, in a family bound together by heartbreak. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is based on a deviation from canon 18 years prior to the opening of Pride & Prejudice. Several canon characters are omitted entirely, and aside from Darcy and Elizabeth, the story will focus on several minor canon characters. Some of these characters have developed differently from canon due to the events of the story as they unfold. New characters have also been introduced: the Earl and Countess of Matlock and their children: the Viscount and Lady Charlotte, as well as the Dowager Countess of Matlock, lady Olivia Gardiner and Rose Gardiner, Sir Lewis de Bourgh and Elliot de Bourgh. This story may be unsuitable for anyone triggered by the loss of a spouse, parent or child. Elizabeth Bennet struggles through the turbulence of adolescence, her judgement clouded by past trauma and the complicated dynamics of her extended family. Secrets are revealed and re-examined as she is forced to come to terms with the truth of her past and the promise of her future, in a family bound together by heartbreak.

    With Mr. Bennet’s full blessing, Fitzwilliam Darcy informs Elizabeth they are to be married. Furious that they have decided her future for her, Elizabeth sets out to change Darcy’s mind. However, the untimely interference of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and Darcy’s subsequent actions makes it impossible for Elizabeth to break their engagement. The events that follow lead to betrayal, a renewal of affection, and even death. Yet, in the midst of all this chaos, love blossoms, and in the most unlikely manner... To Love Mr Darcy, is an exciting alternative to the original Pride & Prejudice novel by Jane Austen. UK English, spellings, grammar and terminology are used throughout this book.

     How Mr Darcy is going to win Elizabeth's heart? *** This is an edited version of the story "Five Questions" published online several years ago. ***

    Darcy's first proposal. The lady is astonished by the gentleman's words but cannot be prevailed upon to accept him. Mr. Darcy reveals his defeat to his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, in the library at Rosings and is overheard by one Miss Anne de Bourgh. When the young mistress of Rosings instructs the groom to ready her gig and drives with abandon to the parsonage to intervene on Mr. Darcy's behalf, an accident brings the opportunity for several beloved characters to become properly humbled. In this sweet, completely romantic tale, three couples find their happily ever after in spite of Lady Catherine's interference.

    When tragedy strikes, he is called to fulfil his role as the “spare,” struggling to meet the demands placed upon him, overcoming the distrust of those who wish him to fail, and devoting himself to the good of Pemberley’s dependants. Disgusted with Society, and scorned by the sister he loves, Darcy visits his friend in Hertfordshire, where he meets the Bennets of Longbourn. He discovers in their second daughter, Elizabeth, a new source of hope and purpose for his life. When his family questions the lady’s fitness to be Mistress of Pemberley and demands he fulfil his responsibilities to his family and the legacy of the Darcy name, Fitzwilliam is left torn between duty and his heart… Duty has taken his dreams once, is Pemberley to take Elizabeth from him as well? Second Son is a full length novel and a variation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, using British and historical spellings. Both the Darcy and Bennet families differ somewhat from canon.