A Year Without Summer: A Variation on Pride and Prejudice


Martin Hunnicutt - 2020
    The Bennet family recognizes that the winter is very cold but nothing prepares them for the ‘year without a summer’ that follows. Frost and cool temperatures every month of the growing season reduce harvests of important grains, vegetables, and fruits. Their England is dependent upon locally grown foodstuffs and the people are unable to bring in food stuffs from other parts of the world–in fact other parts of the world would not have had surpluses of food to send. Horse and oxen-drawn wagons could only move produce so far in any single day.With some good luck, Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennet separate after the Ball at Netherfield on excellent terms. Through happenstance, the couple meet at Hunsford at Easter during the cold spring, fall in love and become engaged. However, as the families and tenants struggle to harvest diminished harvests of grains and hay, the Bennet and Darcy families struggle to remain hopeful. The poor harvests do not prevent the marriage of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam, and they travel from London to Pemberley for the lean winter that affects the inhabitants of manor houses and farmhouses.In Hertfordshire, Charles Bingley must deal with Caroline and his aunt from Scarborough, and Jane must rally her family as they discover how much they miss Elizabeth’s humour and wit. But in spring 1817, the weather makes all of England a green and bountiful land once again, and Jane and Charles find their way toward the happily-ever-after they deserve.

More to Love (My Beloved, My Friend, #1)


Robin M. Helm - 2019
    Darcy’s rude dismissal of her shocks and mortifies Elizabeth Bennet to the core. She is living her worst fear, and it galvanizes her into action. Soon, the gentleman cannot keep his eyes from her, but can she forgive his thoughtless judgment of her appearance and character? Especially since he faces a worthy competitor for her attention?Who will win the lady's hand, along with the right to love her through thick or thin?

Spirited Away: A Pride and Prejudice Novella


Alix James - 2020
    Darcy - and it has nothing to do with the fact that he is irresistibly handsome and intelligent. Almost nothing, anyway. People around town are disappearing, and no one seems to know why. And who was that woman Mr. Darcy was hiding at the Meryton Inn? Elizabeth has questions, and Mr. Darcy refuses to answer them.Fitzwilliam Darcy hates deception and disguise, but to protect his cousin, that is precisely what he must do. It troubled his conscience to keep certain matters from his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, even temporarily. Lying to Elizabeth Bennet, however, is robbing him of his sanity. Of all the women in Hertfordshire who might challenge him over missing persons, why did it have to be the one who had captured his heart and mind?In the absence of good information, dark suggestions soon populate the town’s imagination. And when another young lady goes missing, will the town turn on Darcy, or will the truth come out - no matter who it exposes?Spirited Away is a clean Regency variation of approximately 35,000 words.

Courage Rises: A Pride and Prejudice Continuation


Melanie Rachel - 2016
    In her husband's absence, Elizabeth is faced with an influenza outbreak at Pemberley, and she must make a dangerous decision to keep everyone alive.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, Earl of Matlock: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Cressida Lane - 2017
    With a title between them, how can Mr. Darcy marry her now?What readers are saying about this Pride & Prejudice retelling:"If you are looking for suspense, intrigue and romance, you've come to the right place.""...both thrilling and captivating""...an entertaining, well-written story"

Where There's a FitzWILLiam Darcy: There's a Way


Regina Jeffers - 2018
     ELIZABETH BENNET’s world has turned upon its head. Not only is her family about to be banished from their beloved Longbourn after her father’s sudden death, but Mr. Darcy has appeared upon her threshold, not to renew his proposal, as she first feared, but, rather, to serve as Mr. Collins’s agent in taking an accounting of the estate’s “treasures” before her father’s cousin steals away all her memories of the place. FITZWILLIAM DARCY certainly has no desire to encounter Elizabeth Bennet again so soon after her mordant refusal of his hand in marriage, but when his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, strikes a bargain in which her ladyship agrees to provide his Cousin Anne a London Season if Darcy will become Mr. Collins’s agent in Hertfordshire, Darcy accepts in hopes he can convince Miss Elizabeth to think better of him than she, obviously, does. Yet, how can he persuade the woman to recognize his inherent sense of honor, when his inventory of Longbourn’s entailed land and real properties announces the date she and her family will be homeless?

In Netherfield Woods: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Ava Adams - 2020
    Her stay at Netherfield Park while her sister, Jane, recovers from her illness, has been long and tedious, especially when the proud and unsociable Mr Darcy insists on sitting in the same room as her for hours at a time without speaking. When the rain briefly relents, she hurries outside to enjoy the fresh air before the weather worsens. Mr Darcy wishes he could stay away from Elizabeth. Her low connections mean marriage to her is out of the question, yet he is drawn to her like a man bewitched. But when she fails to return from her walk before dark, he rushes out to find her, knowing where her habits will draw her. Forced to find shelter for the night, Elizabeth and Darcy struggle to keep warm despite the potential scandal of being alone together. But the bitter cold compels them to stay close and leads to a response neither of them expected. And when they are found together, Elizabeth accepts she has no choice but to marry the man she has despised up until now. But there are people close to them who are even more unhappy about the forced marriage than Elizabeth is. And when Elizabeth is offered an alternative to marrying Darcy, are her growing feelings for him strong enough to overcome the pressure of those trying to separate them? One Night at Netherfield Park is a Pride and Prejudice variation novella of approximately 30,000 words

Truly Madly Darcy (A Pride and Prejudice Variation)


Kate Bedlow - 2017
    Charles Bingley, is instantly drawn to Elizabeth Bennet’s sister Lydia. More than twice, he asks the youngest Bennet daughter to stand up with him, and soon all the neighborhood is speculating on when Mr. Bingley will make an offer to their dearest girl. Elizabeth cannot understand the attraction. In her heart, she believes a match between Mr. Bingley and Lydia would end in tears all round, while Jane and Charles seemed made for each other. While Mrs. Bennet is giddy over Mr. Bingley’s attentions to Lydia, Elizabeth devises ways to divert them to Jane, but her every stratagem is thwarted by his friend—the arrogant Mr. Darcy. The man is maddening—truly! Excerpt: "Oh, Jane!" Elizabeth cried before she could stop herself. "How... how dramatic." "You're adorable, both of you." Aunt Gardiner was dressed as Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. She beamed at her nieces, apparently of the opinion that their costumes were a great success.Jane was dressed as the goddess of love and beauty, every bit as shocking as Elizabeth's Eve. Mrs. Swan had crafted a costume so provocative, so inviting to the male eye, that Elizabeth feared her sister would be too mortified enter Beaufellmont, let alone the dance floor. The pale pink chiton-style gown was cinched around the waist by a pale blue girdle of Hephaestus, embroidered with tiny silver and gold seashells. The girdle alone emphasized Jane's figure, and two large satin seashells covered her breasts. Her arms were bare from the shoulders, in the Greek fashion, and she wore short pink lace gloves that stopped at her wrists. Her hair was hidden under a pale pink satin turban, which had a golden apple affixed at the top. "You make a wonderful Aphrodite, Miss Bennet," Sally said. "So beautiful. It's a shame you'll be wearing a mask." Jane self-consciously touched the turban's ornament, the golden apple given to Aphrodite according to the judgment of Paris. Her face was red as a berry. No, Elizabeth thought. It is a very good thing we will be wearing masks. "The finer the lady, the more risqué the costume," Mrs. Swan said with full authority on the matter. "I certainly come up to the mark on that account." Elizabeth frowned at the serpent's head at rest on her breast. "Or should I say down to it?" "It is fancy dress, my dears." Aunt Gardiner laughed. "Do not spoil the fun by being unnecessarily overmodest. Lord Beaufellsey's affairs are notorious for their notoriety." "I like that," Elizabeth said drolly. "Let your imaginations take flight. For one night, we shall be outrageous! The three most dangerous females in history: Aphrodite, Cleopatra, and Eve." Elizabeth sat down at her dressing table to allow the second assistant to sweep her hair up and hide it under a turban of pale green satin. "I suppose I won't mind a little outrageousness. Especially as we shall be safely incognito behind our masks." She had always enjoyed her aunt's youthful vigor, but never so much as at this moment. Why not be daring? Especially when so little risk was involved. Even if their masks were to slip, it would not signify.

The Longbourn Will: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Carolyn Whyte - 2015
    This variation looks at what might have happened, had those events gone differently, and, as the title suggests, what the reason behind some of the changes might have been. Could Jane turn down Mr Collins? What if Wickham had proposed to Elizabeth before she knew his character? And could anyone resist Colonel Fitzwilliam, had he been in possession of a good fortune? This story follows the original, more or less, and does not contain any material of an explicit adult nature.

Proof of Love - A Pemberley Tale


Brenda J. Webb - 2018
    Not a simple retelling, it is an intriguing new story that does not follow canon. During his second year at Cambridge, a young Fitzwilliam Darcy accompanies a classmate to Lucas Lodge in Meryton for the holidays. Whilst there, he encounters a girl of sixteen who instantly captures his attention and soon after, his heart. Yet, because Elizabeth Bennet could never meet his relations’ expectations and he cannot abide her distasteful family, he returns to the university vowing to forget her. Two years later, they are thrown into each other’s company and forced to spend several days together unchaperoned. Once they are discovered, Darcy suppresses his reservations about marriage to Elizabeth and does his duty in order to save her from ruin. Will a young, headstrong and prejudiced Elizabeth realize how mistaken she has been about her husband’s character? Likewise, will a prideful, intractable but highly principled Fitzwilliam Darcy acknowledge his faults before their marriage is destroyed?

A Night with Mr. Darcy to Remember


P.O. Dixon - 2018
    Because now and then, a short and steamy romantic escape with our dear couple is what you’re searching for. Long after the Netherfield household has retired, a servant shows Mr. Darcy to an apartment thought to be unoccupied. The gentleman is more than capable of attending himself for the night, and thus the servant is dismissed. What is Darcy to do when he discovers someone else in his bed? Feeling as though she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, with no one to help see her through, Elizabeth awakens from a restless slumber to find a stranger in the room. Utterly disappointed in her life, she is poised to embark on a path destined to cause her misery of the acutest kind mainly for the sake of her family. Will Elizabeth put her own needs above everything else - if only for one night? Does Elizabeth dare spend her life forever regretting what might have been, or does she choose a night with Mr. Darcy to remember? A Night with Mr. Darcy to Remember is just that—one night and quite a steamy one at that. At under 10,000 words, this story is best termed a novelette. It is short. It is provocative. A tale of two strangers in the night, it is also enticing. A fan of short and steamy romantic escapes with Darcy and Elizabeth? If yes, look no further. Intended to be the first of a number of episodic encounters, this novelette presents but the first of many obstacles for Darcy and Elizabeth on their journey to happily ever after—obstacles they must face together and against all odds.

Something New to Observe A Pride and Prejudice Vagary


Kimbelle Pease - 2021
    The men in my life would consider it amusing but naïve to afford the same semantics of conversation for wholly different circumstances such as these, or they would should one of them choose to read it.This vagary proposes an alternate telling of the original Pride and Prejudice and considers what may have happened should the characters have been afforded a slightly altered set of circumstances. What if Mr. Darcy had accepted quite early that he was falling in love with Elizabeth? What if Elizabeth was the least stubborn of her sisters? What if Mrs. Bennet was allowed to settle in mind and spirit? What if Mr. Bennet exerted himself on behalf of his daughters? What if Mr. Collins was in some way welcomed as the next owner of the estate? Those are only some of the twists within this tale, and while not canon, I hope I gave your favorite character a moment unto themselves that will make you smile.CAUTION: I want to specifically state that this vagary is not for all Pride and Prejudice genre readers. If one reads to find fault in what is not canon, I’ve been most forthcoming about the fact that it is a vagary, so you should already be on your guard and perhaps pass it by. For those of you who are strict authoress-guidelines conscious, I will argue that in all time periods people spoke with the use of contractions. To that end, I was true to life rather than follow her pointed non-use of them. Outside conversation, however, you will not find them, and I hope that soothes any feathers which may be ruffled at such a bold defiance.CAUTION: My editor also requested that I issue a point of clarification on her behalf. I confess that as an author em-dashes drive me nanabas, so in conflict with her excellent advice, I did not include many of them where she said they should be. Despise me for it if you must, but no novel, story, prose, or verse ever hinged on one’s use. The lacking or use of a comma, however, has cost millions. I promise that for those, I let her fully guide me.NOTE: My personal pleasure in writing this book was the intent to make any who read it find themselves staying up at night; not because ODCs are near death, have been forced to do that which they despise, or are off chasing Lydia again, but because I believe I am not the only one of us who dearly loves to laugh.

To Teach the Admiring Multitude: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Continued


Eleanor Wilton - 2019
    Fitzwilliam Darcy has married Miss Elizabeth Bennet, a young lady with neither fortune nor connections. Will Mr. Darcy regret his choice? Can the new Mrs. Darcy prove her worth to an incredulous and envious society?In this elegant, romantic and faithful continuation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Eleanor Wilton explores how Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy might have lived the early months of their marriage, telling their journey in a manner that seeks not to alter the essence of what made their story so unforgettable and beloved to begin with, but to enrich it. It is a story about the bonds of matrimony, a love story about two people entirely different in disposition, experience and background, striving to create a sustainable happiness against the backdrop of friends and relations who either do not understand or do not approve their union.True to the tone and tenor of the original novel, To Teach the Admiring Multitude is a captivating homage to Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice. An uplifting exploration of marriage, intimacy, family and forgiveness, admirers of Jane Austen’s novels will be delighted with this carefully crafted continuation of her most famous story.

Pride Under Good Regulation : A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Eselle Teays - 2020
    Both the grandfather and father of the master, Mr. Thomas Bennet, married blue-stocking wives from the Continent. These circumstances had a profound effect on Mrs. Bennet and her five daughters. Because of this broader worldview, the Bennet family was more aware of, and affected by some historical events of the period far outside the twenty-four families around Meryton than what one would expect of minor gentry in the backwater.Elizabeth Bennet had a superior mind and the self-assurance of a modern young woman; Mr. Darcy, the too proud master of Pemberley, Derbyshire was properly humbled by Mrs. Bennet during their first meeting. How would the courtship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy go under these different scenarios? How would Mr. Darcy behave when his pride was under good regulation?If you stripped away the changed circumstances, the characters would behave fairly similarly as in canon. If you are looking for extra angst or extra thrills, you will be disappointed. Pride and Prejudice has been classified as a comedy of manners. It is of course a huge challenge for even a seasoned writer to have anywhere close to the genius of Jane Austen to dissect and depict Regency manners with such a sharp insight. The ‘manners’ part of the Regency era was particularly difficult for a twenty-first century first-time fiction writer to emulate. In fact, the reader may detect some modern sensibilities in the Elizabeth in this story: self-assurance, resourcefulness, independence, etc. Hopefully, this story offers some amusing bits to make it a fun read.All verifiable historical characters, buildings and events appearing in this story are borrowed purely as vehicles in a work of fiction, but as much respect as possible is paid to the historical accuracy (as obtained through brief internet searches and well-researched references) in the description of these entities. Chapter notes are provided where appropriate for those who are interested.As of May/June 2021, the whole story has been revised - errors largely corrected, the length slightly shortened to improve the flow of the story, and a few extra chapter notes added.

As a Proper Lady Would: A Pride & Prejudice Variation (Defying Propriety Book 1)


Bronwen Chisholm - 2021
    The well-known characters, as well as a few new ones, grow from childhood to a marriageable age; some reveal different facets of their personalities, while others are doomed to follow the same paths.