● Ranked #1 in Classic Short Stories
● Ranked #1 in Historical Fiction Short Stories
❝A Darcy and Elizabeth Short Story which fashions many of Jane Austen’s own timeless words into another engaging path to happily ever after!❞
In this diverting Pride and Prejudice short story, what if Darcy had not wounded Elizabeth’s pride by insulting her at the Meryton assembly and had danced with her … danced with her instead? What if Elizabeth had refused to hear a negative word formed against Darcy by his former friend, George Wickham? What if Elizabeth had been so agreeably engaged with thoughts of the master of Pemberley that by the time his visit to Kent was drawing nearer to its end, she was indeed expecting his proposal?
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This was a free Kindle Edition offer and I have given an honest review. This is not canon so don’t get your knickers in a wad. Know going in that it has a different bent. It is a ‘what if’…that means… if this changes, then how does that affect the rest of the story?
This is a novella or short story that starts with Elizabeth and Darcy meeting again in Kent. This is after their acquaintance at the Meryton Assembly where… Darcy actually dances with her… and at Lucas Lodge… and at the Netherfield ball. During this time, they discover they like each other.
Because Elizabeth was not prejudiced against Darcy, when the militia came to town, Wickham was not able to poison her with his stories. She was able to hear him with a clear and open mind and felt his stories did not match up with what she knew of Mr. Darcy. Plus, he kept changing parts of his story and as she questioned him, caught him in several lies.
At Kent they spend time together and Darcy finally finds the courage to propose. Elizabeth accepts and they decide to wait to announce their engagement until they can approach her father for his consent. Mr. Collins overhears them talking and rats them out to Lady Catherine. Things go downhill from there. Lady C goes off and demands Collins toss her out. Cousin Anne goes off due to destroyed hopes and threatens to write Georgiana and tell her what a horrible person Elizabeth is.
Then things really get bad when Elizabeth has that conversation with the Colonel regarding Darcy taking such care of Bingley [separating him from an imprudent marriage]. She now has second thoughts about marrying a man who has destroyed the hopes of her beloved sister and holds her family in such distain. She now wonders if she really knows him. How can she marry him? She bolts and runs to London to the Gardiner’s home where Jane is staying.
This was a whirlwind of a story. It crashes and burns and yet is pulled out of the fire at the last minute. I held my breath the whole time. It does end quickly and I actually read it twice since it was such a quick read. I kept thinking I missed something so I reread it again.
Several elements were darker in this version… Lady Catherine was pure evil and I was surprised with Anne’s response. In most JAFF she doesn’t want to marry Darcy. In this version… she was so brainwashed by her mother’s expectations that she really didn’t know what she wanted. I really felt for her.
I was pleased to see Charlotte stand up to Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine when Lady C demanded they toss Elizabeth out of the Parsonage.
You really have to wait for the HEA, and I felt there were several threads that were left hanging. There were minimal errors, nothing major, minor editing and word replacements. All in all, I enjoyed it.