In the Spirit Intended: Variations on a Jane Austen Christmas


Jan Ashton - 2021
    The wisest and the best action I have ever done, is give you mine. A YEAR AFTER THEY LAST MET, Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are reunited for Christmas at the Bingleys’ London townhouse. Neither has passed the time easily—he has travelled, while she has refused a third offer of marriage and helped her sister settle into married life. NOW THEIR PASTS COLLIDE as they gather with family, including two unexpected visitors, to celebrate the holidays and unwrap old wounds. Darcy fears Elizabeth is unhappily constrained living with the newlyweds, while she assumes his ease comes from joy in the choice he made to eschew her.AFTER A YEAR OF YEARNING and self-recrimination, it takes a little Christmas spirit and some meaningful conversation to finally bind their hearts together.

The Pink Daffodil: Variations on a Jane Austen Christmas


Elizabeth Rasche - 2021
    He does not kiss her for any good purpose. What a fool I have been!CHRISTMAS MAY MEAN FESTIVITY and fun for some, but for Mary Bennet it is an opportunity to collect donations for her Meryton Widows and Orphans Society. Mary is eager to display her piety and charity to everyone around her in the small town of Meryton, but finds herself distracted by the arrival of Mr Arthur at Netherfield Park. A friend of Mr Bingley, he is an awkward gentleman in shabby attire who cheerfully disregards etiquette to an alarming degree—and yet Mary finds him endearing nevertheless. WITH THE YULETIDE FROLICS come the opportunity for both diversion and discovery—discovery that Mr Arthur is not what or who he seems to be, and the understanding for Mary that sometimes pious is not the only thing she wants to be.

Call It Hope: Variations on a Jane Austen Christmas


Susan Adriani - 2021
    JANE IS NOW MRS BINGLEY, and in her desire to be away from Longbourn and its long-settled guests, the Wickhams, Elizabeth has travelled to Kent to spend the Yuletide holiday with her friend Charlotte Collins. Yet not only have odd circumstances--and a snowstorm--fated her to spend the Yuletide holiday at Rosings Park, she must do so with the elusive Mr Darcy and all his Fitzwilliam relations. Neither of their hearts has healed from their mutual disappointment, and now they each must navigate his family’s ridiculous antics and their own apprehensions to reach a new beginning. While each is eager, neither is certain of the power they may hold over the other’s affections.ONCE DARCY AND ELIZABETH get past mishaps and misunderstandings--and at least one mortifying moment--they each may receive the only Christmas gift they truly wish for: the other’s love.

Christmas at Blackthorn Manor: Variations on a Jane Austen Christmas


Lucy Marin - 2021
    There with her sister Jane—now Mrs Ridley—she is further surprised to see romantic tensions flaring between her sister and her former beau, Mr Bingley, who has arrived with Mr Darcy.INTENT ON KEEPING Mr Bingley and Mrs Ridley from making a mistake, Darcy and Elizabeth are distracted from their own romantic inclinations—a welcome diversion as both are convinced that their love must be unrequited. Elizabeth believes that Darcy cannot accept being brother to Wickham, and Darcy is certain Elizabeth can never forgive him for failing to return Mr Bingley to her sister Jane or protect ladies, including Lydia Bennet, from Wickham. BUT EVERYTHING IS NOT as it seems. As the party approaches its end, will they learn the truth about what has really kept them apart or will they go their separate ways once again?

Stranded at Pemberley: Variations on a Jane Austen Christmas


Jenetta James - 2021
    A man appeared, tall and frowning. He spoke and every person, including me, turned to him. “What is this?”A DREADFUL ACCIDENT BEFALLS THE GARDINER FAMILY while travelling in Derbyshire with their niece Elizabeth Bennet just before Christmas in 1810. With her beloved aunt gravely injured, Elizabeth is forced to seek help from the inhabitants of the grand Pemberley estate.THE FORMERLY HAPPY PARTY finds itself stranded at Pemberley, a hauntingly beautiful albeit empty, joyless, and sometimes frightening estate. Its master is taciturn and unwelcoming, and it is the very last place in the world that Elizabeth wanted or expected to spend Christmas.ELIZABETH’S NATURAL SPIRITS cannot be repressed however, and amid trying to create Christmas joy for the Gardiner children and tend to her aunt, she begins to ask questions. Who is the nameless soldier who comes and goes? And who is the feminine figure she glimpses time and again? Who is the real master of Pemberley--the handsome and inscrutable Mr Darcy, or the unexpectedly kind gentleman who seems to wish to spend time with her?WHAT IS THE REASON for the strange dark sadness that hangs over the place--despite the season—and can Elizabeth, with the magic of Christmas, be the one to break it?

Heart Enough: Variations on a Jane Austen Christmas


Amy D'Orazio - 2021
    Robbing him of all hope towards her, he impulsively proposes to his cousin Anne, finding out just weeks later that Elizabeth did, in fact, have tender regard for him. DISTRESSED BY THE KNOWLEDGE that misunderstandings have once again thwarted them, Elizabeth flees to the Continent to forget him. Returning two years later, she is more confident, more worldly, and alas, every bit as in love with him as she ever was. She resolves to offer him her friendship, believing him married, perhaps with children.BUT CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE CHANGED for Mr Darcy. Will they have heart enough to learn the truth from one another or will misunderstandings defeat them once more?

Misgivings & Mistletoe


KaraLynne Mackrory - 2021
    After Wickham dashed his chances with Elizabeth Bennet, a few weeks at his home hiding from disappointed hopes and nursing heartsore dreams was essential if he was to gain back his equilibrium. But a wintery blast of snow prevents his escape and a detour to his newly married friend’s home at Netherfield is forced upon him.My heart was still lodged unknowingly in Mr Darcy’s pocket where it leapt out of my chest the moment my eyes connected with his.AS THE SNOW LAZILY BUILDS DEEPER, Elizabeth Bennet vows to herself to find her happiness however she can, even if the hope of that happiness including Fitzwilliam Darcy could no longer be. When the object of her heart blows into Netherfield as if carried by the snow itself, she recognises her only hope for the gift she really desires this Christmas has arrived.My heart stilled. My soul surged.BUT THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE never did run smooth, and with a rival, an abundance of mistletoe, and the well-meaning help of some friends, will Darcy and Elizabeth be able to clear up the misgivings of their spotted history and find the gift of love this Christmastide?

Welcome Home: Variations on a Jane Austen Christmas


Mary Smythe - 2021
    Darcy heard the shout of his coachman just as the carriage jerked hard, sending him sliding across the slick leather seat beneath him. His gloves lost their grip and…HAVING LEFT ELIZABETH BENNET behind in Hertfordshire, Fitzwilliam Darcy is amazed to arrive at Pemberley and find her residing there as his wife, the mistress of both his home and his heart. Crushed to find that it was a fever dream resulting from his carriage accident, Darcy decides that it must have been a Christmas miracle, sent to show him the happiness he might have if only he could put his reservations about her aside. SO RESOLVED, HE RETURNS to Hertfordshire, wishing to show her the man he is and the life they might have together but the spite of old rivals remains there, determined to keep them apart. Will their love prevail at last within the joys of Christmas?

A Good Memory is Unpardonable


Alix James - 2021
    They will each turn to their private journals, then compile their love story to share with the world.What Fitzwilliam Darcy presumes for a simple recitation of history becomes something completely different when he opens the box of his treasured feelings. Peek over his shoulder as he explores his deepest secrets: from the first day he met his future, as she was marrying another man, to the moment when he finally won her heart.Strangely enough, however, Elizabeth remembers their story... a little differently. Clever, light-hearted, and saucy as ever, she sets the facts straight and keeps her love on his toes as she tells how she fell for the proud gentleman from Derbyshire. Who is telling the story as it really happened? Probably neither one, but there is one thing they both agree on: Think on the past only as it gives you pleasure. Unpardonable  is a sweet Regency variation of approximately 24,000 words. Based on Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, it is appropriate for all audiences.

A Hopeful Holiday: A Pride and Prejudice Novella


Heather Moll - 2021
    While his friend is now happily married, Darcy regrets not having the courage to pursue Elizabeth in the autumn. As 1812 draws to a close, Darcy rallies his spirits to spend the Christmas holiday with Lady Catherine.Elizabeth Bennet wanted to show Darcy that her feelings for him had changed, but he never returned to Hertfordshire and she fears Darcy could never tolerate being brother-in-law to Wickham. For a change of scene and with the hope of lifting her spirits, Elizabeth accepts an invitation to visit Charlotte Collins and her new baby at Christmas.Lady Catherine’s New Year’s Eve masquerade ball is the social event of the season and, amid the festivities and mistletoe, both Darcy and Elizabeth hope for a reason to make their affections known. But will her ladyship’s interference, the sudden appearance of her scheming nephew, and Elizabeth and Darcy’s insecurities prevent them from finding happiness during the holiday season?This is a 31,000 word Pride and Prejudice variation.

Pemberley by Moonlight


Stephen Ord - 2021
    There seems to be a large gap in the world where you should be.”WHAT HAS HAPPENED to Fitzwilliam Darcy? IT HAS BEEN NEARLY A YEAR since the master of Pemberley disappeared, leaving behind his distraught young sister and a family in turmoil. But clues to his whereabouts are scarce and it soon seems there will be nothing to do but see Georgiana married and have him declared legally dead. ELIZABETH BENNET, ON HOLIDAY with her aunt and uncle, visits Pemberley and soon finds herself drawn into the mystery of the missing gentleman. But what secrets are hidden within the gardens of Pemberley? And what is the strange attraction she feels towards the statue of the man she has never met? Powerful forces want to keep them apart, but true love will overcome even the most fearsome evil.

A Life Worth Choosing: A Jane Austen "Pride and Prejudice" Variation


Anngela Schroeder - 2021
    He cannot forgive her harsh words; her assertion Mr. Wickham would have made a better son has cut him to the core.Suffering an accident while delivering the fated letter, he wakes to a world he does not know—and to those who do not recognize him. With a new life, a different name, and a fresh chance at winning the woman he loves, Darcy must decide which is “A Life Worth Choosing”––the past he remembers or a future he has created for himself.This Regency variation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by bestselling author Anngela Schroeder, is appropriate for all who wish to lose themselves on another path towards Darcy and Elizabeth’s happily ever after.

The Painting: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Lory Lilian - 2021
    The disastrous proposal at Hunsford has left both Darcy and Elizabeth in great turmoil. Back at Longbourn, Elizabeth tries to overcome her guilt and remorse for believing Wickham so readily and accusing Darcy so unfairly, whilst eagerly anticipating her journey to the North with her aunt and uncle Gardiner. When their travel plans are delayed, Mrs. Gardiner invites the rest of the Bennet girls—since Lydia has already been invited by Mrs. Forster—to spend a fortnight in Brighton with her and her children, as they wait for Mr. Gardiner to complete his business. At Pemberley, Darcy struggles to overcome his heartbreak and to forgive himself for his ungentlemanlike behaviour towards Elizabeth. Properly humbled and devastated by the loss of the only woman he has ever loved, his suffering intensifies with the anniversary of his beloved mother’s death. His heart—still bleeding after Elizabeth’s rejection—is broken into pieces when he uncovers a secret hidden behind an old painting. The discovery leads Darcy to Brighton, searching for clues to his mother’s past, accompanied by his loyal friend, Charles Bingley. There, only a few houses away, they find the women who have never been far from their thoughts. By the sea, tormented by old and new memories and trying to understand the power of their feelings, Elizabeth and Darcy cross paths again and slowly become re-acquainted with each other and with themselves, until their love finds its long-deserved fulfilment. The reconciliation of Bingley and Jane, as well as Lydia and Wickham’s situation, also slowly unfolds together with the discovery of Lady Anne’s past, intricately woven around the love story of Darcy and Elizabeth.

When He Comes Back: A Pride & Prejudice Variation


Anniina Sjöblom - 2020
    And you will love me.”4 June, 1940. The last day of the Dunkirk evacuation. On one side of the English Channel, Elizabeth Bennet looks to the horizon, counting the boats returning from France, wondering if it is possible to learn to love a man in his absence. Across the narrow stretch of sea, two exhausted men stand, shoulder-deep in the water, waiting for one more boat to come and take them home.On the eve of the Second World War, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy meet in Kent, in a small coastal town called Meryton. He thinks she is tolerable at best, she thinks he is a pompous ass. Will the terror sweeping across Europe tear them apart or pull them closer together? Can Darcy keep the promise he made her before he left?

A More Gentlemanlike Manner


Harriet Knowles - 2021
    The end of Darcy’s hopes and dreams.He decides to give her the letter and escape the humiliation.But he cannot do it.No matter the cost, he will do anything — anything — to be worthy of her acceptance.Elizabeth Bennet must decide which of the two characters is the real Mr. Darcy, before she can choose which path in life will make her happiest.Should she follow her heart, or her head?