“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?

    Collins or watch him destroy her entire family.Given a choice, Elizabeth would never dream of marrying the pompous, ridiculous Mr. Collins. But when she refuses his offer, he threatens to reveal a shocking secret that could ruin the Bennets.Fitzwilliam Darcy has no intention of giving in to his unsettling attraction to Elizabeth Bennet. Still, before he flees to London, he cannot resist seeing her one last time and discovers, to his dismay, that she is now betrothed to her odious cousin. She did everything in her power to evade Mr. Collins at the Netherfield ball, and the woman he sees before him now is not merely unhappy, but afraid. Elizabeth is in trouble, and Darcy cannot bear to abandon her in her distress.As the wedding day looms, Darcy and Elizabeth become desperate to break the engagement without scandal. It is only when a stranger arrives—a stranger Mr. Collins seems to fear—that Darcy and Elizabeth have any hope of extricating her from this frightening predicament.As Mr. Collins’s plan begins to unravel, it is clear that Elizabeth may not be the only one in danger. Will she and Darcy be too late to stop Mr. Collins’s vile plans?The Olive Branch is a clean, full-length Pride and Prejudice variation of about 90,000 words.

    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.]

    Collins has taken possession of the Longbourn estate. Although Collins and his wife Charlotte have allowed the Bennet sisters and their mother to continue living at Longbourn, the situation is difficult. Viewing Elizabeth and her sisters as little more than unpaid servants, Collins also mistreats the tenants, spends the estate’s money with abandon, and rejects any suggestions about improving or modernizing Longbourn. After one particularly egregious incident, Elizabeth decides she must organize a covert resistance among her sisters and the tenants, secretly using more modern agricultural methods to help the estate thrive. Her scheme is just getting underway when Mr. Darcy appears in Meryton. Upon returning from a long international voyage, Darcy is forced to admit he cannot forget his love for Elizabeth. When he learns of the Bennet family’s plight, he hurries to Hertfordshire, hoping he can provide assistance. Sinking into poverty, Elizabeth is further out of Darcy’s reach than ever; still, he cannot help falling even more deeply in love. But what will he do when he discovers her covert rebellion against Longbourn’s rightful owner? Falling in love with Mr. Darcy was not part of Elizabeth’s plan, but it cannot be denied. Darcy struggles to separate his love for her from his abhorrence for deception. Will their feelings for each other help or hinder the Rebellion at Longbourn?

    Now is his chance to be the hero and get the girl by helping his friend to his own romantic happily-ever-after. Or is it? Darcy soon learns that showing up is only the first step in the battle when his true enemy is his own pride and arrogance. Now he must change his own ways and undo the harm he has unwittingly done. Only then can he hope to win the hand and heart of the woman he loves. As he overcomes the flaws in his own nature and the opposition of a prideful aunt, he is helped along by family and friends in ways he would never have expected. Will his smoky dreams of sorrow and guilt turn to a living dream of happiness? Read on and find out...

    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.

    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?

    All the novellas in the Darcy and Elizabeth What If? series are separate, standalone stories. They can be read in any order. What if Lady Catherine's companion had overheard Mr Darcy proposing to Elizabeth at Rosings? When Lady Catherine fears her nephew is to marry Miss Elizabeth Bennet, she allows her daughter, Anne, to marry Colonel Fitzwilliam. Anne feels indebted to Elizabeth, and in an effort to thank her she persuades Mr Bingley to return to Netherfield. Mr Darcy joins his friend, and Elizabeth is brought face to face with Mr Darcy at a second Netherfield ball.

    Darcy’s life like before he met Elizabeth Bennet? – before he stepped onto the Pride and Prejudice stage at the Meryton assembly? More importantly, where is he and what is he doing all the time he’s absent from the page thereafter? And what is his relationship to a woman named Amelia?With "Fitzwilliam Darcy, in His Own Words," the iconic literary hero finally tells his own story, from the traumas of his early life to the consummation of his love for Elizabeth and everything in between.This is not a variation but a supplement to the original story, chronicled in Darcy’s point of view – a behind-the-scenes look at the things Jane Austen didn’t tell us. As it happens, Darcy’s journey was more tortuous than she let on, his happy ending with Elizabeth in jeopardy at every turn in his struggle between duty and his heart’s desire, between the suitable lady he has promised to marry and the woman he can't stop thinking about.

    Another Pride and Prejudice variation from the author of Words Spoken in Anger, follow Elizabeth on her journey to the altar as she tries to decipher the character of the stranger she has to marry.

    Elizabeth refers to her helper as her guardian angel, and Darcy calls his mother. Elizabeth is invited by her uncle and aunt Gardiner to travel to Ramsgate with them during the summer. While there, Elizabeth befriends young Georgianna Darcy, and this friendship leads to many changes in both Georgianna and Elizabeth's lives. This friendship also leads to changes in the life of Fitzwilliam Darcy as well.

    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?

    How would the parents have been different and what kind of life would the family have? In many Pride and Prejudice variations the Bennet parents are portrayed as borderline neglectful with Mr. Bennet caring only about making fun of others, reading and drinking his port while shutting himself away in his study. Mrs. Bennet is often shown as flighty, unintelligent and a character to laugh at. In this book, some of those traits are present, but we see what a different set of circumstances, namely the birth of sons does to the parents and the family as a whole. Most of the characters from cannon are here along with some new characters to help broaden the story. The normal villains are present and I trust that you, my dear reader, will like the way that they are 'rewarded' in my story. We find a much stronger and more resolute Bingley. Jane Bennet is serene, but not without a steely resolve. I feel that both need to be portrayed with more strength of character for the purposes of this book.

    Aunt Gardiner, who after all hailed from Lambton, was well acquainted with the Darcy family, and knew of Wickham's misdemeanours? How would the story have been different? This tale begins with an exchange of letters between Elizabeth Bennet and her favourite aunt, discussing the happenings in Hertfordshire as the Bennet family become acquainted with their new neighbours, the Bingleys and their house guest Mr Darcy.

    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.