Darcy, now happily married to Elizabeth, is honored to be the patron of Mr. William Collins, formerly an idiotic and self-serving flatterer to Darcy's autocratic aunt, now an eccentric genius. Despite such remarkable abilities and far-ranging pursuits, he works to positively affect the lives and loves of those in his orbit.Lydia Bennet, who had been devoted to self-indulgence and chasing officers, discovers in Mr. Collins a caring teacher who stokes in her a new passion for scientific endeavors and introduces her to a fascinating and handsome young scientist. Her sister, Kitty, struggles with a sense of worthlessness. With poor prospects for marriage, she worries she will be the only unmarried Bennet sister. Georgiana Darcy longs to pursue her passionate love for music, but a marriage of convenience threatens to dash her dreams. Love fills the pages as problems both big and small are solved by the enigmatic Mr. Collins.

    Darcy – and also makes the acquaintance of his charming cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. But the surprises do not stop there, as another group of guests arrive most unexpectedly, disturbing the peace and good order of Rosings Park and of Lady Catherine’s life. Could Rosings Park have more than one owner?Fitzwilliam Darcy was prepared for nothing more than his annual visit to his Aunt Catherine but instead finds himself forced to again face the very woman from whom he wished to escape when he left Netherfield. Soon enough he realises that he has been struggling in vain, so he decides to propose marriage to the only woman in the world he has ever loved. Unfortunately what he receives in return is not what he expects, so he has nothing else to do but to try to forget his addresses and his confession. Or so he believes in the heat of anger…Busy dealing with his aunt’s business and mediating the conflict within his family, Darcy could hardly have noticed that Elizabeth’s opinion of him was slowly improving and her feelings for him were growing more tender.On her side, Elizabeth is filled with remorse for her hasty misjudgement of Darcy’s character and intrigued to discover secrets that Lady Catherine is struggling to conceal. Furthermore, she is astonished to discover her growing attachment to Darcy and her desire to bond her future happiness to his.But what can she do to make Darcy aware of the change in her sentiments? Is there anything to be done, especially when news of a most unexpected wedding at Rosings triggers her feelings of jealousy, disappointment and remorse?Where, when and how will Elizabeth and Darcy find their well-deserved ‘happily ever after’?And how will the favourite nephew ever reconcile with his aunt?The answers to all these questions are in this lovely, romantic variation, waiting to be discovered.

    Collins was a fool, yes, but not a fool who deserved to die.Torn between anger with her cousin and remorse on his behalf, Miss Elizabeth Bennet must navigate the changes Mr. Collins’ demise brings to her family and sort out her feelings for both the charming Mr. Wickham and not-so-charming Mr. Darcy. In addition, she must discover the reasons behind a rash of anger directed her way. But most of all, she needs to learn what, if any, impact will befall her because of Mr. Collins’ Will.Fitzwilliam Darcy knows he, his family, and his friends are all too good for the likes of the Bennets. Or are they? Decades old secrets and impulsive, and not so impulsive, proposals start reordering Darcy’s view of the world. Will he come to terms with what truly defines a person’s worth in time to claim the woman he loves, or lose her to a charming man seeking a fortune?

    Collins’s proposal, Elizabeth leaves Longbourn for a walk, furious at the parson for proposing and her mother for pressing her to accept, eager to put some distance between herself and those who would persecute her. While walking, she meets a most unexpected acquaintance.Fitzwilliam Darcy is dealing with frustrations of his own. Caroline Bingley, fearful that her brother means to propose to what she considers an unsuitable woman, has demanded that Darcy support her determination to prevent him from making a drastic mistake. While Darcy might have agreed with her view, what she suggests strikes him as deceitful.Their meeting on the path proves fortuitous, for it allows them a chance to work past their first impressions. As they meet every day the following week, they understand more of each other, their regard growing, barriers between them falling. While misunderstandings drove them apart, on the paths of Longbourn estate they have the chance to set all right between them and attain happiness together that neither thought possible.

    If Darcy discovers it, will it spell the end of their fledgling romance?When Mrs. Bennet falls ill after the Netherfield Ball, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley postpone their trip to London to offer their assistance. But things are never what they seem. Before long, Darcy is entangled in a chaotic situation at Longbourn, and Elizabeth is faced with a thorny dilemma that could drive Darcy away from her forever.Will Elizabeth and Darcy muddle their way through the mayhem, or is everything just too tangled for them to find love?If you are looking for a sweet, frolicsome Jane Austen short read, this romantic comedy is just what you need.

    His eyes are opened to different possibilities, changing his story and the stories of those around him. As influenza spreads through the neighborhood, Darcy must decide how involved should be in the lives of his neighbors and what kind of man his choices make him. Opportunities still abound for misunderstandings, interference by family members and arrogant declarations at inopportune moments. As Darcy seeks his happily ever after, he learns to look at the people and events around him from another point of view.

    In the original P&P Mr Darcy had an issue with the behaviour of Mrs Bennet and Elizabeth's younger sisters, as well as their social standing.What if Mr Bennet married a second time and his new wife is a Lady with impeccable manners, whose daughter, from her first marriage to the Earl Fellmar, is Lady Elizabeth.Will Mr Darcy’s pride still be an issue?Or will Lady Elizabeth’s prejudice be a problem?Or both?What will it take for two proud people to find their happily ever after?------------------------------------------------------When I came up with the concept for ‘Don’t flatter yourself’, I had two options.One, in which Mrs Francine Bennet played down the fact of her background, which made Darcy think Elizabeth was beneath him.Two, in which Lady Francine and Lady Elizabeth were open about their status (although maybe not about the extent of Elizabeth’s dowry) and Darcy has no hesitation about wanting to court Elizabeth.I decided to write version one, but the second version wouldn’t leave me in peace and wanted to be written as well.So here it is.

    The inheritor of her husband’s estate, Netherfield Park, Elizabeth is now a wealthy young widow, independent and self-reliant. With an eye always on improving her four sisters’ woefully small dowries and providing for her mother, who will be homeless when her father dies, Elizabeth is pleased to lease out Netherfield to the Bingley family, making her home in the dower house in Meryton and vowing that she will never remarry.Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire is rich and well connected, but reserved in company with anybody outside the very few he counts as friends. Towards those friends, he is loyal and steadfast, the staunchest of supporters. So when a young man comes to him with a tale of the clandestine marriage and mysterious death of Darcy’s old schoolfriend, James Grayson, and begs Darcy’s help to investigate the widow’s role, Darcy agrees. Visiting Charles Bingley, the new tenant of Netherfield, Darcy is very soon torn between his loyalty to his dead friend, and his burgeoning attraction to the widow.Throw two unprincipled rogues and an elopement into the confines of Meryton, and how will Darcy’s dilemma over Elizabeth ever be resolved? And is she willing to put aside her misgivings, and trust again?(British English spelling and grammar used throughout).

    Bennet insists that her next eldest daughter remain in the parlour as a chaperone. Eventually begging her father for relief, Mr. Bennet directs Elizabeth to turn her hand to writing a story to pass the days during the winter while Jane’s suitor sits with her. The suitor eventually loses interest, but Lizzy’s writing grows into an interesting novel that Mr. Bennet’s publisher in London purchases to print and sell. Over the next four years, Elizabeth continues to write one novel that involves a murder each winter.Unfortunately, the setting of two of Elizabeth’s novels is the town where her aunt grew up in Derbyshire. The success of the novel brings unwanted attention to the great house nearby. The master of this house, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is displeased for visitors to ask to view the parlour where ‘the murder’ occurred. After the second novel set in Derbyshire is published, Mr. Darcy visits the publisher about contacting the author, but the man refuses to disclose the information.On his own, he decides that the author lives in Hertfordshire, the setting of two other novels, and visits with his friend Charles Bingley, who has taken an estate there for a time. Darcy is determined to discover the incorrigible author and prevent the man from writing another novel set in Derbyshire. Shortly after arriving, Mr. Darcy is convinced that Mr. Thomas Bennet is the elusive author and tries to find out more information by talking with the man’s daughter, Elizabeth.

    Mortified and angry, she reveals her presence. Darcy is deeply ashamed of his words, but Elizabeth refuses to listen to his apology. She is more convinced than ever that he is the most arrogant, unfeeling man who ever lived. Darcy is troubled by Elizabeth’s stay at Netherfield Park where she is caring for her sister, Jane. He is utterly bewitched by her, and in an effort to convince himself of the unsuitability of a union between them, he reminds himself aloud of her family’s low connections, not realising Elizabeth can hear everything. But the more time he spends with her, the more he can feel his resolve crumble. After the ball at Netherfield Park, he leaves Meryton for London in an attempt to forget her. After refusing the proposal of her cousin, Mr Collins, Elizabeth is banished to stay with her aunt and uncle in London. Her mother is sure that her banishment from Longbourn will be sufficient punishment for Elizabeth’s defiance in turning down an offer of marriage. The only part Elizabeth considers a punishment is that her father orders her to take her youngest, most troublesome sister Lydia with her to keep her away from the militia, whose presence in Meryton has wreaked havoc among the young ladies. When Elizabeth and Darcy encounter one another again in London, Darcy is dismayed to find he is more in love with her than ever. But this is a woman he has criticised twice within her hearing. How can he convince her he is not the odious, unfeeling man she thinks he is? And will she be willing to give him a chance to prove himself worthy of her? When Lydia’s encounter with a man from their past threatens to ruin her and her entire family, Elizabeth has no other choice but to turn to Darcy for help. And she realises that maybe she has been wrong about everything she thought she knew.

    Her autumn was full of vexing men, and with her sister Jane recently married to Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth is at loose ends at home. Of course, she knows that Mr. Darcy lives in Derbyshire, but surely the county is large enough that their paths won’t cross, right?Fitzwilliam Darcy cannot get the impertinent Miss Elizabeth out of his mind, even after a strategic retreat to Derbyshire. When he meets her again at a Twelfth Night assembly, he realizes that fighting his feelings is futile. Before he can act on his intentions, however, the weather gets in the way. And it seems that not all was right in the world when the snowflakes began to fall.

    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.

    But Elizabeth begins to think she may not find her true love in the small country town she calls home, and Darcy despairs of ever being sought after for more than his wealth and connections. What if they first become acquainted not at the assembly ball in Meryton but while acting as chaperones for Elizabeth's sister Jane and Darcy's friend Bingley? Will they decide that a marriage based on friendship is enough? And will a terrible tragedy and desperate rescue reveal that there is more to their friendship than they realized? Read along as Jane Austen's beloved characters seek their "happily ever after".

    The roads are closed and the residents of Meryton are required to go into lockdown. While out for a morning stroll in Longbourn’s grove, Elizabeth Bennet encounters Mr Darcy. Is he as insufferable as she imagined?Although Fitzwilliam Darcy cannot return to London as he planned, nothing can prevent him from escaping Netherfield and the encroaching Caroline Bingley. While riding through the neighbouring fields, he is startled to find Miss Elizabeth unaccompanied. How can he cast her out of his mind when she insists on being unforgettable?The influenza epidemics mentioned in this story are purely fictional; however, this sweet story may have some coincidental resemblance to recent events.

    Finding herself pregnant with Mr. Darcy’s baby, she is forced to make decisions that will have an impact on the rest of not only her life but her family’s.Mr. Darcy, who cannot remember the night in question and therefore does not believe he is the father of Elizabeth’s child, soldiers on in his pride and arrogance until he's forced to admit - he is the father.His realization comes too late. She is now married and not only is she unattainable, but so is his son.**Warning** There is a hint of what some might feel is sexual violence in the first chapter. It is not graphic, but some readers who are sensitive to this type of scenario should read with caution.