Passages – A Pemberley Tale is a Pride and Prejudice variation written in 2008 and posted online at that time. I am publishing it at the request of my readers.
Not a simple retelling, it is an intriguing new story that does not follow canon. Years after her ruin at the hands of George Wickham, Georgiana Darcy is a virtual prisoner at Pemberley as a result of her brother’s good intentions. … brother’s good intentions. Drastic changes have taken their toll, leaving brother and sister adrift from polite society.
Faithful to his vow to prevent further harm to his sister, Fitzwilliam Darcy has retreated from the few friends and acquaintances who still acknowledge him. Lonelier than ever, Darcy’s life is swallowed up by darkness until the day a young woman is discovered close to death on the estate grounds.
Unaware of her identity, Elizabeth Bennet finds herself the recipient of Fitzwilliam Darcy’s benevolence whilst she recovers from her own encounter with Wickham. Elizabeth’s presence breathes life back into Pemberley and its occupants, until Wickham returns with a nefarious plan to regain control of both Elizabeth and Georgiana.
Will Elizabeth fulfil her destiny and rescue Darcy from a desolate life or will the mystery of her parentage take her in another direction, leaving him alone once more?
“You must learn some of my philosophy.” Jane Austen 4.5-stars
“Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.” Pride and Prejudice
This Pride and Prejudice was very different. Our story was not a canon story; however, it was a story of enduring love, loss, redemption and forgiveness.
A tragic accident had left Darcy’s life a shadow of what it was. There are secrets at Pemberley that will surprise and shock. This was not a happy Pemberley, as it was shrouded in sadness, grief, regret, guilt and despair over events that happen on a faithful summer several years prior.
Darcy, riding alone at night, came upon the body of a female in a ditch. She was alive, but was badly beaten, battered and had several broken bones.
Note: Kudos to the author for explaining how Darcy got back on his horse carrying the body of an unconscious female. Most JAFF do a poor job of just how the hero accomplishes this feat.
Darcy took the woman back to Pemberley and sent for the physician and constable. And so, began her slow agonizing recovery to restored health and memory.
The tone reminded me so much of Beauty and the Beast. The house in shadows, with a reduced number of servants, a wing of the house no one was allowed to enter, and a brooding tortured male character that sits and plays somber tunes on the pianoforte. As he played, I expected a Phantom like man with a disfigured face, but that was not the case. Instead, he was a man with a battered and disfigured soul.
Villains we have galore: two French ex-military escapees from a French prison, and one that we know all too well. To even say his name leaves a foul taste in one’s mouth. In this story, there was no redemptive qualities within him. He would sell his own child for a farthing. Wait… no, I will not spoil it.
Wickham, a name synonymous with evil in the annals of P&P, was the epitome of all that looked good on the outside, but was rotten to the core. And, along with him, Mrs. Younge… and her brother. All, were involved with crimes so egregious that it was a hanging offense if they were caught. The danger was real as women all over England, Wales, and Scotland were disappearing, never to return. Elizabeth and several others were taken right out of Pemberley. The drama to restore them was fast and furious. It was fraught with danger and grief as the death toll rose.
Although we do not have Caroline Bingley in the first part of this episode [she appears later], her haughty persona was mirrored by Georgiana’s companion, Miss March, who likewise had her eyes set on the Master of Pemberley. She was of the same ilk and stamp as Caroline Bingley. Will they never learn?
Slowly, patches of memory began to return to Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn, Meryton, in Hertfordshire. Only her restored memory did not sooth her. Her life had not been a comfortable one with a Mrs. Bennet that hated her with a grievous passion that Elizabeth had endured her entire life. The reveal on the source of this hate was a big surprise and I have never seen it used before. The family dynamics in the Bennet family was very different in this variation.
And then the story shifted. BAM! We then had a whole other country… em… story line. The danger from one source had been neutralized and Elizabeth [memory fully restored] now had to face another danger. From here on out, the love story was of a different tone completely. Due to Elizabeth’s circumstances, she had decisions to make and opportunities to consider. Her future was up for grabs and Darcy returned to Pemberley to brood. The story at this point began to drag and I grew tired of Darcy hitting the bottle every time something didn’t go his way. The despondency, the fear of losing her was bordering obsessive and it was making me a bit uncomfortable. If they were out of each other’s sight, they became despondent. I didn’t care for that part.
Then there were the tender loving moments between our dear couple. Oh, those were nice. I love how our author painted scenes with the use of low light, reflecting off the face of a loved one as they turned aside. Their reflection in the window, and other descriptive scenes were memorable and would photograph well.
The ending seemed a bit long and drawn out. It took a long time to wrap up. I suppose the author wanted to have a suitable ending for each of the major characters and what happened to them. It felt like reading half-a-dozen epilogues that covered the next few years and then there was an actual epilogue of many years in the future. I will admit they were interesting.
As some reviews stated, there are scenes where you will need tissues. And then there are scenes, like the Netherfield Ball, where you will want to stand up and cheer. Oh Caroline, what have you done? She surrounded Elizabeth, with her little posse, that she had invited from London, and attempted to intimidate her. Wrong move Caroline, and especially within the hearing of Mr. Darcy. I loved this part…OMG!! I loved this part. And then it was Mrs. Bennet’s turn…. Oh, how I loved this part. NEVER mess with a Darcy.
Rating: there were mature themes discussed, scenes of a sexual nature between a married couple, sensual scenes, somewhat descriptive but not explicit or graphic sex.