Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature's Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart


Laurel Ann NattressSyrie James - 2011
    Sullivan • and Brenna Aubrey, the winner of a story contest hosted by the Republic of Pemberley “My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” If you just heaved a contented sigh at Mr. Darcy’s heartfelt words, then you, dear reader, are in good company. Here is a delightful collection of never-before-published stories inspired by Jane Austen—her novels, her life, her wit, her world. In Lauren Willig’s “A Night at Northanger,” a young woman who doesn’t believe in ghosts meets a familiar specter at the infamous abbey; Jane Odiwe’s “Waiting” captures the exquisite uncertainty of Persuasion’s Wentworth and Anne as they await her family’s approval of their betrothal; Adriana Trigiani’s “Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane” imagines a modern-day Austen giving her niece advice upon her engagement; in Diana Birchall’s “Jane Austen’s Cat,” our beloved Jane tells her nieces “cat tales” based on her novels; Laurie Viera Rigler’s “Intolerable Stupidity” finds Mr. Darcy bringing charges against all the writers of Pride and Prejudice sequels, spin-offs, and retellings; in Janet Mullany’s “Jane Austen, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!” a teacher at an all-girls school invokes the Beatles to help her students understand Sense and Sensibility; and in Jo Beverley’s “Jane and the Mistletoe Kiss,” a widow doesn’t believe she’ll have a second chance at love . . . until a Miss Austen suggests otherwise.Regency or contemporary, romantic or fantastical, each of these marvelous stories reaffirms the incomparable influence of one of history’s most cherished authors.Look for special features inside.Join the Circle for author chats and more.RandomHouseReadersCircle.com

Jane Fairfax


Joan Aiken - 1990
    In the mid-1990s it became a favorite movie for millions of new admirers.A key reason for Emma's success is that the story has two heroines-Emma Woodhouse and Jane Fairfax. In Austen's novel, Jane's backgound is left obscure, and the turmoil underlying her current reduced circumstances in mysterious.At last we learn her whole story in Joan Aiken's superb retelling of Emma-this time from Jane Fairfax's point of view. When Jane Fairfax was published in hardcover, Aiken's wit, style, and skill prompted Booklist to say, "Brilliant...extraordinarily will done and highly recommended."This worthy companion to the great original is for the first time now available in paperback.

Deception: A Tale of Pride and Prejudice


Ola Wegner - 2010
    After the ball at Netherfield Fitzwilliam Darcy left Hertfordshire scared of his rapidly developing feelings for Elizabeth Bennet. What if another man had appeared in her life, both wealthy and attractive, certain of his affection for her and wishing to marry her? What if in Kent Darcy had met Elizabeth who was practically engaged to another man? How would he have dealt with an unexpected rival and would he face the challenge?

Mistaken


Jessie Lewis - 2017
    Miss Elizabeth Bennet, headstrong and usually self-assured, returns home to Longbourn chastened and confused after a surprising marriage proposal from Mr Darcy—a man she thought she despised. When Mr Bingley arrives soon afterwards, sent by his friend Darcy to resume his romantic attentions to Elizabeth’s beloved sister Jane, Elizabeth begins to feel something like regret for the man she so cruelly spurned.The once proud Fitzwilliam Darcy, thoroughly humbled by the rejection of his suit and resolved to become a man worthy of the woman he loves, sets about righting all the wrongs of which Elizabeth has accused him. But when terrible news reaches him from Hertfordshire, it becomes apparent that encouraging the capricious Charles Bingley to return to Meryton might just be the worst decision the master of Pemberley has ever made.Having assumed their own actions have ruined all hope of reconciliation, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy soon learn they have greater troubles to overcome when betrayal of the worst sort threatens to forever ruin their chances of happiness.Mistaken is a novel-length Pride and Prejudice variation set in Regency England.

To Conquer Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Jennifer Altman - 2018
    Indeed, knowing the lady's true feelings for him, he makes every effort to see that they do not. But when a chance encounter leaves him stranded in an abandoned cottage with the one woman he can never have, Darcy quickly realizes there is more at risk than just Elizabeth's reputation.Elizabeth Bennet knows Mr. Darcy is the last man in the world whom she could ever be prevailed on to marry. Until the morning he hands her a letter, his countenance as dark and forbidding as the windswept sky. Now, trapped in a snowstorm with the one person she was certain she despised, Elizabeth is startled to discover that her feelings are not at all what she expected.But is one night alone together enough to alter the course of their future?Can any man as proud as Mr. Darcy be expected to offer for the same woman a second time?In this tale of serendipity and second chances, the world's unlikeliest couple must conquer pride, prejudice, and faulty first impressions in the elusive quest for their own happily ever after.

The Companion


Jann Rowland - 2017
    Collins in Kent to be a pleasant and uneventful time spent with her dear friend, engaged in nothing of more import than laughing about Charlotte's ineffectual husband and walking the woods of his patroness's estate.But a sudden tragedy leaves Elizabeth directly in Lady Catherine de Bourgh's sights, and though Elizabeth is reluctant, she accedes to the lady's demands.It is not long, however, before the peace of the estate is shattered, for a woman long-oppressed has begun to spread her wings. What comes after is a whirlwind of events, in which Elizabeth discovers that her carefully held opinions are not infallible. Furthermore, a certain gentleman of her acquaintance might be the key to Elizabeth's happiness.

Attempting Elizabeth


Jessica Grey - 2013
    She makes no secret of her love for TV, movies, and, most especially, books. After a bad breakup, she retreats into her favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, wishing she had some of the wit and spirit of Elizabeth Bennett.One night at a party Kelsey meets handsome Australian bartender Mark Barnes. From then on, she always seems to run into him when she least expects it. No matter how Kelsey tries, she always seems to say the wrong thing.After a particularly gaffe-filled evening around Mark, Kelsey is in desperate need of inspiration from Jane Austen. She falls asleep reading Darcy’s letter to Lizzy and awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar place that looks and sounds suspiciously like her favorite book. Has she somehow been transported into Pride and Prejudice, or is it just a dream?As Kelsey tries to discover what’s happening to her, she must also discover her own heart. Is Mark Barnes destined to be her Mr. Darcy? In the end, she must decide whether attempting to become Elizabeth is worth the risk or if being Kelsey Edmundson is enough.

Disruption at Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Emily Russell - 2018
    Ever since she harshly rejected his proposal of marriage months earlier, she has dreaded seeing him again. How could she have been so wrong about him? How could she ever look him in the face, knowing how badly she misjudged him?
Elizabeth and the Gardiners are not the only ones taking advantage of the master's absence. While travelling through the woods, their carriage is held up by three highwaymen who have been terrorising the countryside. In the scuffle, her uncle is injured, and Elizabeth is almost taken with them before they are saved by the last person she expected to see.

Fitzwilliam Darcy has struggled to overcome his feelings for Elizabeth Bennet. Ever since she rejected his proposal of marriage and made it clear how much she disliked him, he sought to put her from his mind. His only comfort is if he ever did see her again, he might prove himself a better man than the one she believed him to be.
Needing to return home to Pemberley earlier than anticipated, he takes a shortcut through the woods at night only to come across a carriage being held up by a gang of highwaymen. He intercepts and chases the thieves away. On his return, he is startled to find the woman he never thought to see again.

Darcy and Elizabeth put aside their emotions at seeing one another and agree that Elizabeth's uncle should be taken to Pemberley to receive care. Forced to live under the same roof, Darcy and Elizabeth finally have a chance to face their true feelings for one another and see if the wrongs of the past can be overcome. Can Darcy prove to her that he has changed from the man she thought him to be? And is Elizabeth still dear enough to him that he can overcome his hurt pride at her rejection?

Their growing closeness is disrupted when one of the highwaymen is captured and reveals information that forces Darcy and Elizabeth to make a decision about their relationship. And an old enemy from the past threatens to ruin everything that has been growing between them.

A Lady's Reputation


Amy D'Orazio - 2019
    Darcy, I am eager to hear your explanation for the fact that quite a few people believe we are engaged.” It starts with a bit of well-meant advice. Colonel Fitzwilliam suggests to his cousin Darcy that, before he proposes to Elizabeth Bennet in Kent, perhaps he ought to discuss his plans with their families first. What neither man could have predicted however was that Lord Matlock would write the news to his sister, or that Viscount Saye would overhear and tell his friends, or that his friends might slip a little and let their friends know as well. The news spreads just as quickly through Hertfordshire once Mrs Bennet opens the express Mr Bennet receives from Mr Darcy, and in a matter of days, it seems like everyone knows that Mr Darcy has proposed marriage to Elizabeth Bennet. Everyone, that is, except Elizabeth herself. Her refusal is quick and definite—until matters of reputation, hers as well as Jane’s, are considered. Then Mr Darcy makes another offer: summer at Pemberley so that Jane can be reunited with Mr Bingley and so that he can prove to Elizabeth he is not what she thinks of him. Falling in love with him is naturally impossible…but once she knows the man he truly is, will she be able to help herself?

A Lie Universally Hidden


Anngela Schroeder - 2017
    From their infancy, they have been intended for each other. It was the favorite wish of his mother… —Pride and Prejudice, Jane AustenFitzwilliam Darcy was raised to never stray from the path set before him: ensure the continued prosperity of his estate, Pemberley, protect and educate his sister to become an accomplished woman, and marry the woman his mother chose for him—his cousin Anne de Bourgh. With a letter bearing his late mother’s signature, Darcy presumes his fate is sealed and prepares to wed one he does not love. However, his destiny begins to unravel when he glimpses a pair of fine eyes on a quiet, country road.Elizabeth Bennet is the second daughter of a respectable though insignificant gentleman. She is flattered to have captured the attention of a local squire, a childhood friend, and everyone believes her path is secure—until a handsome, rich gentleman arrives at a neighboring estate. Happenstance begets the unlikely pair together, bridging a forbidden love long past a mere friendship.In A Lie Universally Hidden, two of literature’s most beloved romance characters are destined to marry for fortune and obligation rather than love. How will Darcy and Elizabeth fulfill their true destiny under such circumstances? Shall honor, decorum, prudence—nay, a signed letter from the grave—forbid it?A Lie Universally Hidden is a Regency Romance suitable for most audiences, teen and up.

The Many Lives of Fitzwilliam Darcy


Beau North - 2016
    In that moment, he was but a man. A man filled with more frustration than most souls could bear. A man torn asunder by his desperation, his fruitless dreams and desires.”After Elizabeth Bennet rejects his marriage proposal, Fitzwilliam Darcy finds himself in the most unusual of circumstances. At first believing the extraordinary turn of events has granted him an inexplicable boon, he is eager to put the humiliating proposal behind him. He soon discovers that he is trapped in the same waking dream with no end in sight and no possible escape. All that he holds dear—his name, his home, his love—remains ever out of reach. How will he find his way back to his normal life? Will one mistake haunt the rest of his days? It will take all of his fortitude to weather the storms of his strange new fate, and all of his courage to grasp the promise of his future.

All That This Entails


Noell Chesney - 2020
    In the blink of an eye, the Bennets' lives are transformed— Elizabeth and her four sisters are wealthy, titled, and the talk of the ton. AT PEMBERLEY, FITZWILLIAM DARCY is still stinging from Elizabeth Bennet’s rejection of him at Hunsford when he learns the extraordinary news. Elizabeth Bennet—now Lady Elizabeth—has been elevated in an extraordinary fashion and is soon to become the most sought-after lady of the season. But Darcy’s heart still belongs to her, as much as it ever did, and he sets off for London determined to win her hand. But can he prove to her that he has changed, particularly when her entire life has just altered? This Pride & Prejudice variation is a novel-length tale using the characters of Jane Austen in a story of the author's imagining.

Words Spoken in Anger: A Pride and Prejudice variation


Margaret Gale - 2017
    Enjoy a what-if journey with Elizabeth and Darcy, Jane and Bingley and more of Jane Austen's beloved characters as their lives are changed by a bit of plain speaking.

Mr. Darcy's Promise


Jeanna Ellsworth - 2013
    Georgiana Darcy makes her way to Netherfield Park to meet the woman her brother so admires. While at first Georgiana’s presence smooths the course of true love between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, the ghosts of her past appear to wreak havoc on all of them. Unhappily, Elizabeth finds herself placed in the care of the Darcy family at Pemberley. Assuming he knows the cause of Elizabeth’s distress, Mr. Darcy makes a promise on his gentleman’s honor. The promise, although made with good intentions, becomes nearly impossible to keep for Mr. Darcy, and somewhat vexing for Elizabeth. Some promises are made to be broken but will the ever-trustworthy gentleman let go enough to secure Elizabeth’s heart?

The Clergyman's Wife: A Pride & Prejudice Novel


Molly Greeley - 2019
    Intelligent, pragmatic, and anxious to escape the shame of spinsterhood, Charlotte chose this life, an inevitable one so socially acceptable that its quietness threatens to overwhelm her. Then she makes the acquaintance of Mr. Travis, a local farmer and tenant of Lady Catherine…In Mr. Travis’ company, Charlotte feels appreciated, heard, and seen. For the first time in her life, Charlotte begins to understand emotional intimacy and its effect on the heart—and how breakable that heart can be. With her sensible nature confronted, and her own future about to take a turn, Charlotte must now question the role of love and passion in a woman’s life, and whether they truly matter for a clergyman’s wife.