This stand alone what-if variation is book three in the Austen Inspired Romance Series. What if a tragic event involving a beloved sister shatters Elizabeth Bennet’s confidence in her ability to accurately judge a person’s character? When she leaves Longbourn for Kent, Elizabeth’s heart is full of worry for those she left behind. She carries a secret that would ruin her family if exposed and she … exposed and she must deceive the ones closest to her to conceal the truth.
She unexpectedly encounters Mr. Darcy on her journey and his gentlemanly behavior confuses, yet comforts her. Their daily encounters in the woods surrounding Rosings soothes Elizabeth’s weathered conscience and she soon falls in love. Her doubts, along with the well-placed words of another, threaten to destroy the peace she finds in Darcy’s company and she wonders if she has again failed to correctly sketch his character.
When the truth behind her deception is uncovered, will Darcy shun her as Elizabeth fears, or will his actions prove that he is the very best of men?
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After listening to Dearest Friends, I realized that I had missed one of the author’s backlist books and it was already on my shelf. Of course I had to slip right back into her writing with another engaging cast of characters and plot surrounding the Pride and Prejudice world.
Sketching Character tackles a sad and slightly darker subject than the original Austen story because it answers ‘what if’ Wickham had debauched Lydia before he left Meryton and also asks ‘what if’ Colonel Fitzwilliam wasn’t the honorable friend to Darcy, but jealous of what he had? There are more alternations to the original so that this felt more distant from the original though still strongly P&P flavored.
Elizabeth must prove her own strength to sustain her sister through this difficult crisis and hold the secrets so the family reputation is protected. She must also face her own faulty judgment of character that had her just as deceived as Lydia though luckier because she was not seduced. It forces to admit that she wanted to see Darcy as the villain because he didn’t compliment her looks. Darcy must fight his arrogance that sees him and his family above others especially when he knows his extended family proves they are not honorable and not better than Elizabeth or her relations. Time spent on walks and talking privately teach the pair to appreciate and cultivate the blooming romance between them, but of course, insidious words from a surprising source might destroy it all.
Around the Elizabeth and Darcy romance are the story of others like Jane who realizes before Lizzy that while Bingley was influenced, it was his own choice not to return to her, Georgiana who moves past her mistake, Anne who is far stronger and determined than anyone guessed, and oh yes, Lydia herself who has a rough journey into womanhood having to change so much. So many wonderful plot threads going on.
I was particularly touched by the times when the Bennet sisters were together or showing each other the support and understanding they couldn’t get from their parents. This was especially striking when it was Elizabeth and Lydia who shared a deeper relationship through the trial. Darcy was also closer with his sister and a couple cousins. There was one unusual villain in this one that is generally not the bad guy, but I was glad to see how that was handled in the end.
There was a heartwarming, swoony epilogue after all the major conflict was dealt with and things were settled. This was moderately angsty and had a riveting bundle of plot threads that had me flying through the story. Those who like a slightly spicy, but strongly altered Pride and Prejudice variation would probably enjoy this one.
“…Families are Forever, and wondered if the slogan was meant as a promise or a threat.” –Brady Udall, The Lonely Polygamist
Rating: MA: mature audience: crude descriptions of sexual behavior and language, vague descriptions of sexual assault
I have tried to write this review a half-dozen times. I took so long that I had to reread parts of the story in order to refresh my memory. I was so caught up in the story [again] that I couldn’t put it down. I am still not certain how to review this. I loved the story although it was a bit dark.
“Unfortunately, some family members are so psychotic that no matter how hard you try to forge a healthy relationship, nothing will help. Now that you’re an adult, take refuge in the fact that some things are beyond your control. You owe it to yourself to steer clear of people who are harmful to your health.” –Andrea Lavinthal
Darcy’s Fitzwilliam relations were not very nice. We often read of a nasty Lord Matlock but this guy was beyond description. I was constantly thinking… he did not just do that… but he did. Matlock was a second son that inherited the earldom when his elder brother died. He also married his brother’s intended. Bless her heart. She certainly didn’t get the better brother. Matlock was crude and devious and only cared for what he wanted. He invited Darcy to dinner with a scheme that Darcy felt was insulting and beneath him. When the scheme was revealed, Darcy was shocked by his uncle’s machinations and walked out of Matlock House completely disgusted. He was not the only one horrified as his cousin the Viscount also walked out with intentions to break with his father.
“If a man’s character is to be abused, say what you will, there’s nobody like a relative to do the business.” –William Makepeace Thackery, Vanity Fair
Lord Matlock was also in cahoots with his sister, Lady Catherine. Both insisted that Darcy’s honor required him to marry Anne, as was his duty to the family. Their plan was to combine the estates of Rosings and Pemberley, thus giving them access to the wealth and prestige of the Darcy name and the Darcy coffers. They failed to consider that it was never Anne’s intention to marry and certainly not to her cousin Darcy. He needed a wife that could help him run Pemberley and could give him an heir. Anne wanted no part of her mother’s plans. In fact, when she came of age, things took a dramatic turn at Rosings. Let’s just say that Lady Catherine was seriously displeased.
“A man’s true character comes out when he’s drunk.” –Charlie Chaplin
Charles Bingley was absolutely spineless to the core. He allowed his sister Caroline to lead him around by the nose and she completely dominated his life. One thing he did do that was honorable… he prevented Darcy from falling into a trap [set by another] while he was too drunk to prevent it. Oh, what a mess. It still made the papers but at least Darcy and Bingley knew the truth of what happened that night.
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” –John Wooden
Colonel Fitzwilliam: how do I describe this man? He was not the dear Colonel that we normally love and adore. I can’t even call him an evil-scumbag-rat-bastard. I reserve that moniker for another in this story. Him, you know all too well. In our Colonel’s case, his motives and behaviors were questionable at best, while his actions at times were despicable. I’m sorry; I could not like him and yet, I felt deeply for him. This was not the brother/cousin relationship that we are so accustomed to. His blatant disregard and jealousy over his cousin simply broke my heart. What Darcy had spent his life building and protecting… his honor and his character… were nearly torn down in one night. The Colonel’s betrayal of Darcy’s trust hurt him deeply and it would be a long time before Darcy could forgive his actions, if ever. “My good opinion.…” The author did such a good job at portraying a tortured man dealing with the ramifications of his actions. This simply broke my heart.
“If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do matters very much.” Jackie Kennedy
Bennet: indolent and disconnected from his family. When the worst happened with a daughter, Mr. Bennet refused to consider his part in the disgrace. It then fell to Lizzy to make the arrangements. Keeping the secret from Mrs. Bennet was near on impossible but it had to be done as she could not be trusted. This was heartbreaking as a daughter realized the reality of her situation and the need to grow up all too quickly. It would forge a relationship with a sister never before felt. I wanted to rage against the injustice of it.
I loved Darcy in this story. He was large and in charge. It was so romantic in places that I nearly swooned. Yeah, that is our guy. Georgiana was so sweet and grew a lot in this story. She was amazing.
I wondered what happened to several of our characters. When they left the story, we didn’t hear any more about them. I would have liked to know what happened to them.