But fate, with assistance from Darcy’s scheming cousins, contrives to keep them together.When Miss Darcy is summoned to Kent, the couple has a chance to begin anew, and their budding friendship carries them to London and Hertfordshire. Their feelings deepen but before their new understanding is made known, Elizabeth is sent to Brighton as chaperone to her youngest sister. Her stay there ends in ruin when Darcy’s past comes to call.Upon discovering the situation is worse than he feared, Darcy determines he must be the one to make things right. His departure leaves Elizabeth in doubt and their future in question. Was their love too new to withstand a scandal?A series of missed chances, misdirected letters, and miscommunications keeps the couple apart; it make require the intervention of their nearest relations to bring them back together.

    She is reunited with her sister Jane, who is still in the Gardiners’ home.As both sisters are in low spirits, Mrs. Gardiner attempts to cheer them and arranges for them to attend several parties, balls and plays.These occasions lead Elizabeth and Darcy to be caught in some awkward encounters, both filled with regret for their past behaviour.Furthermore, the beautiful Jane Bennet appears to have gained the interest of a wealthy earl, who has begun courting her. She is still very much in love with Mr. Bingley – who, however, has not appeared again.Darcy has more knowledge about the earl’s true character and does not consider him a suitable match for the kind Miss Bennet. Feeling guilty for his intervention that separated Jane and Bingley, and willing to show Elizabeth that he has taken her reproaches to heart, he intervenes to remedy a situation caused by his arrogant presumptions.When Bingley returns in town, Darcy reveals the whole truth to him. Unlike in canon, Bingley’s reaction is very strong, against Darcy, against his sisters, even against the earl who seems unworthy of Jane.Fighting for his love, Bingley is badly injured, in danger of losing his life.Darcy intervenes again, protecting his friend, helping him to heal in body and spirit and to reunite with the woman he loves.Amidst these endeavours, Darcy and Elizabeth finally put their pride and prejudice aside, and unite their efforts in a fight for love and happiness.

    Darcy is proud and prejudiced because he is a wealthy landowner who believes himself above his company and that Elizabeth Bennet can afford to be proud and prejudiced because she believes she has the freedom to make choices for herself. But what if Mr. Darcy is the second son, sent to sea at a young age? What if Elizabeth is trapped by circumstances with an ill father on one side and an understandably desperate mother on the other? Meet Captain Darcy of the Royal Navy, a successful frigate captain with ample prize money and a sister for whom he needs to provide while he is at sea. Meet also Elizabeth Bennet, who needs a husband and is trying to resign herself to Mr. Collins, the worst “least worst alternative” in the history of literature.

    I will not thank you for providing us with a home, nor will I even breathe a word of gratitude for your provision of such funds as will feed us each quarter. I will not even write such platitudes as ‘You are very good,’ given that you have also provided us with respectability in the form of Mrs. Ingles. There. I am quite done now with not expressing my gratitude – I should not at all wish to prove tiresome.” From the author of Tact, Dear Nameless Stranger is a heartwarming tale inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Jean Webster’s Daddy Long Legs. Tragedy has struck the Bennet sisters but they are greatly relieved when the anonymous kindness of a stranger means that they can remain together. In exchange for such charity, a monthly letter is required from each sister. It is a fortunate thing that Miss Elizabeth Bennet rather likes letter-writing, for she relishes the opportunity to relate to this unknown gentleman all her impressions and opinions regarding her changed circumstances.With each passing month Elizabeth confides more in the nameless stranger, and by the time Netherfield Park is once again occupied by the amiable Mr. Bingley and his friend Mr. Darcy, she is quite frank in writing of her dismay.

    Because of a death bed promise, he will only marry a lady who will unconditionally love the infant and whom he can love. However, in his past searches, Darcy found most society ladies saw only his wealth, connections, and property. How is he to find a lady who sees past what he has and loves who he is?Elizabeth Bennet wants to marry only for love, and of one thing she is absolutely sure, she loves Mr. Darcy’s infant ward. The question is, can she love the man as well. If she does choose to marry, she does not want her mother planning a lavish, overly embellished wedding, so how can she thwart her mother’s plans — through a secret arrangement.Besides the issue of love, what other problems could occur? A mother who will take control of the engagement and wedding arrangements, another lady's jealousy, and a grandmother who wants her infant granddaughter to disappear.Will Elizabeth and Darcy find love and happiness?

    When her uncle’s work prevents him from travelling so far north, she suggests a visit to Brighton instead. If she cannot enjoy the Lakes, she can at least keep an eye on her flirtatious sister, Lydia, who travelled with the militia and Mr Wickham to spend the summer there. However, options for suitable places to stay are limited so late in the season.Fitzwilliam Darcy cannot bear the thought of returning to Pemberley for the summer when he had thought he would bring Elizabeth Bennet there with him as his wife. When Mr Bingley suggests a visit to the seaside instead, Darcy agrees. Brighton might not be his favourite place, but if it will distract him from thinking about Elizabeth, he is willing to try anything. However, making a decision to go so late in the season means even a wealthy gentleman does not easily find suitable accommodation.Shocked to find they are staying so close to one another, Elizabeth and Darcy increasingly take pleasure in one another's company as they let their guards down and their feelings deepen. But Wickham has never forgiven Darcy for keeping him from the wealth he believes his due. And when he sees a chance to interfere in the blossoming relationship between his former friend and the woman he once desired for himself, Wickham takes a drastic step that might separate the two forever.An Encounter at Brighton is a Pride and Prejudice novel of over 87,000 words, and uses British spelling.

    Darcy’s introduction. What if Elizabeth visited Pemberley before meeting Darcy, and was prepared to think the best of him, rather than the worst? What if Georgiana Darcy stayed home from Ramsgate, and Wickham’s dastardly schemes had not yet been revealed? The answer: An ardent, inevitable love story that unfolds quite differently… but is, in essentials, very much what it ever was. Elizabeth and Darcy: Ardently Yours is a sweet, chaste Regency romance of approximately 60,000 words. A note: This story was originally posted several years ago on Jane Austen fan sites, under the title “In Essentials: Much as It Ever Was”. It has been lightly edited, but is otherwise unchanged. — Evangeline (“Vangie”) Wright.

    Darcy overhears some less than flattering opinions of himself. Is fate trying to tell him something? Approximately 13,000 words.

    I cannot stop it, I cannot indulge it, so I must put distance between us and hope that time will heal this fever I have.”ABANDONED BY HER MOTHER and ignored by her father, it is hardly any wonder young Elizabeth Bennet’s curiosity soon brings about trouble and marriage to a man she does not love. Colonel Fitzwilliam’s family—save for his cousin Mr Darcy—despises her, and life is not what she dreamed of. As she matures and grows from an impetuous girl into a woman, Elizabeth’s most reliable source of friendship and comfort becomes Mr Darcy. When tragedy strikes leaving her a widow, she is free to find out [discover?] who has been in her heart all along. DARCY HAS ALWAYS BEEN INTRIGUED by the girl his beloved cousin married, and finds himself drawn into helping her after her husband’s death. Over time, admiration turns to love. Admitting his feelings to her – or even himself – could lead to ruin, but denying his passion could shatter him.

    While her sister Jane’s budding romance with Mr Bingley gives her joy, she has had enough of the proud Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley’s catty sisters. While waiting for her father to send the carriage to fetch them home, she decides to go for a walk in the woods around Netherfield Park to escape their company. A storm strikes earlier than expected, catching her unawares. In her rush to return to Netherfield, Elizabeth twists her ankle. Soaked through and in pain, she is mortified when she is found by Mr Darcy, the man she cannot stand. With the roads flooded and Elizabeth unable to walk without aid, the Bennet girls have no choice but to spend another week at Netherfield Park Darcy has been troubled by his attraction for the lively but unsuitable Elizabeth Bennet. After a week in her presence when she has bewitched him beyond his comfort, he is relieved that she is to go home. But when the storm strikes and Elizabeth doesn’t return from her walk, he leaves at once to search for her. Now, he must spend another week under the same roof as this fascinating woman and he is uncertain whether he can continue to resist his powerful feelings for her. As Elizabeth and Darcy spend more time together, they slowly let their guards down as they discover new things to admire about one another. Elizabeth wonders if she has misjudged Darcy while he finds he cares less and less about what the world might think if he was to choose Elizabeth as his bride. But Miss Bingley is determined to have Mr Darcy for her husband. Forced to play hostess to the girl who is winning the heart of the man she desires, her jealousy gets the better of her and she is willing to do all she can to come between them. Confusion and misunderstandings increase with the arrival of another unexpected visitor and Elizabeth and Darcy must decide if their feelings for one another are strong enough to conquer their own pride as well as the interference of others.

    Her mother would be furious with her for missing dinner with Mr Bingley, but at least Elizabeth would not have to tolerate his friend, the rude and proud Mr Darcy. Until she finds her way to the cabin to discover she is not the only one seeking shelter from the storm.Fitzwilliam Darcy is shocked but not displeased to discover he must pass the night with the woman who, despite her inferior connections, has bewitched him like no other. And if they are discovered together, it will give him the perfect excuse to finally give in to his desires and offer Elizabeth Bennet his hand in marriage. Until, to his shock and dismay, he discovers this is the last thing in the world Elizabeth wants. But as the storm rages on and the hours' pass, the confined space of the cabin tests both their willpower.In the small society of Meryton, rumours spread that Darcy and Elizabeth were together that stormy night. They are determined to dismiss it as gossip until Darcy’s old enemy, George Wickham, hears the rumours and finds the proof he needs to force his old friend into what he believes will be a degrading marriage. But when he discovers he has enabled Darcy to marry the woman he is passionately in love with, he must change tactics and do all he can to come between them and persuade Elizabeth she cannot trust her future husband. As Elizabeth and Darcy resign themselves to the idea of marriage to a spouse they fear can never love them, Wickham’s deceit and lies threaten to come between them and destroy their growing love for one another. And if Elizabeth cannot put her fears to one side, she might lose the man she has come to love to a charmer who can bring her nothing but pain.

    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 since he insulted her at a village dance several months before. But an unexpected conversation and a startling turn of phrase suddenly causes her to reassess everything she thought she knew about the infuriating and humourless gentleman. Elizabeth knows something of people who think differently. Her young cousin in London has always been different from his siblings and peers, and Lizzy sees something of this boy’s unusual traits in the stern gentleman from Derbyshire whose presence has plagued her for so long. She approaches him in friendship and the two begin a tentative association. But is Lizzy's new understanding of Mr. Darcy accurate? Or was she right the first time? And will the unwelcome appearance of a nemesis from the past destroy any hopes they might have of happiness? Warning: This variation of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice depicts our hero as having a neurological difference. If you need your hero to be perfect, this might not be the book for you. But if you like adorable children, annoying birds, and wonderful dogs, and are open to a character who struggles to make his way in a world he does not quite comprehend, with a heroine who can see the man behind his challenges, and who celebrates his strengths while supporting his weaknesses, then read on! You, too, can learn what wonders can be found when we see the familiar through a different lens. This is a full-length novel of about 100,000 words. British spellings are used throughout.

    Unfortunately, that man is Mr Bennet of Longbourn: a world-weary gentleman who prefers his books to ballrooms.What follows is a heartwarming tale full of wry humour and wisdom, set against the backdrop of the first half of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.Join Mr Bennet as he and his friends in the Meryton Natural History Society attempt to help John, a task that forces our father of five daughters to confront his own romantic past."Life must be mastered with pragmatism and sense, which explains why so few people succeed at it."Cake and Courtship is a standalone story, but also the first part of Mr Bennet's Memoirs.

    He even admits to collaborating with Napoleon’s troops. And Elizabeth Bennet despises all traitors. But she can’t make sense of Darcy. He doesn’t act like a traitor. He risks his own safety to save young women from the French. And how can she despise a man who loves puppies? Something about him doesn’t add up – and she finds him far too attractive. Then Darcy’s carefully constructed world crumbles, and he must entrust his closest-held secret to Elizabeth. To protect that secret, Elizabeth must disappear entirely, leaving her family and Darcy behind, to plunge herself into the dizzying world of fashionable London and the dangers of the Loyalist Resistance. Nothing will ever be the same again. Darcy is determined to find Elizabeth. Now that she knows the truth about him, there’s nothing to keep them apart – nothing, that is, until the day Darcy is forced to choose between his country and the life of the woman he loves…