Two strangers with no one to turn to but each other… Fitzwilliam Darcy is in a difficult situation. His father is pressing him to propose marriage to the last woman in the world he would wish to take as his wife. With a fortnight to announce his betrothal, he makes the acquaintance of Elizabeth Bennet, who is in a predicament of her own. Could Darcy be willing to consider Elizabeth as a … solution to his problem and to hers? And can Elizabeth ascertain enough of Darcy’s character to trust him upon nothing but a first impression? Contains scenes with adult content
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“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” Richard Bach
Poor Elizabeth has survived a carriage accident that claimed the lives of all her family. The elder Mr. Collins immediately took over Longbourn as Elizabeth was unconscious and recovering at another location. She was later moved to her Aunt and Uncle Philips residence in Meryton.
Fast forward in time and we have Fitzwilliam Darcy going toe-to-toe with his father over his marrying his cousin Anne. George Darcy gives him an ultimatum… he has a fortnight to go to Rosings and do his duty and propose to Anne. If he does not, George Darcy will travel to London and make the announcement himself.
As Darcy was traveling to London, he made a stop in Meryton and overheard Gardiner and Philips discussing their niece. Gardiner had made a bad business connection with an unsavory partner and needed a cash flow to offset his debts. He was considering using his niece and her dowry as payment toward that debt. Philips was against the deal but Gardiner was adamant. Darcy spoke to Philips about giving the niece a ride to London. After meeting her, he decided to marry her, thus solving both of their problems.
Once in London, Darcy took Lizzy to his grandmother’s, the Dowager Countess Lady Matlock. She was a character featured in The Earl’s Conquest. I absolutely loved her. She is adorable and likes Lizzy immediately and takes her under her wing.
This story was off-off canon and I adore these characters. They are a bit OOC [out of character], but we have to remember they are different people. They have experienced a life totally different from canon and therefore, their responses are different. ‘We are who we are because of, or in spite of past experiences.’ I love this D&E. They have a hard time preparing for a quick wedding as they have to stay two steps ahead of Lady Catherine and George Darcy.
Villains and Villainess: Caroline Bingley and her sister Mrs. Hurst… we have their cutting snide remarks, which are overheard by D&E. Darcy reacts immediately and that was most excellent. We have Lady Catherine and her tirade. Wickham was ever present with Mrs. Younge. George Darcy still favored him over his son and even Georgiana. He simply would not believe any tales against the son of his good friend, the elder Mr. Wickham. Man, does he ever have an eye-opening experience. Uncle Edward Gardiner… I have never so disliked a person in my life. Miss Margaret, the love of his life, died before they married. He never recovered from her loss, never married and his life fell apart and we see what he had become. There were other villains and I was worried what they would do.
This was a story about family. Whether they were of blood or not. I loved how the Fitzwilliam family rallied around Elizabeth and helped her and Darcy create their wonderful life. It was so cute. The Epilogue was most excellent.
There will be laughter, gasps of horror, worry over the grief and angst galore. I nearly cried several times and I loved the Dowager Matlock.
Rating: MA: Mature Audience: explicit sex scene with a married couple. Yeah, they go into the bedroom. However, it was tastefully done, and very steamy.
I would recommend the book, although it is quite different from the true Jane Austen tale. Some of the writing is somewhat choppy, but I still enjoyed the overall story line.