Three best-selling Pride and Prejudice ‘what-if’ stories in a Limited Edition Collection!§ Expecting His ProposalIn 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 instead? What if Elizabeth had refused to hear a negative word formed against Darcy by his former friend, George Wickham? … 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?
§ As Good as a Lord
Elizabeth had intended to tell no one about Mr. Darcy’s proposal. At length, she confided in her dearest sister, Jane. It was meant to be their secret, but secrets have a way of getting found out.
What happens when Mrs. Bennet learns that her headstrong daughter has refused the hand of a second respectable man in less than six months?
Darcy is determined to put his disastrous proposal to Miss Elizabeth Bennet behind him by filling the empty space in his life that can only be occupied by a wife. A chance meeting with Elizabeth at Pemberley gives him pause. Elizabeth may be the only woman in his heart, but she is not the only woman in his life.
Will Darcy adhere to his original plan to find another, or will he follow his heart?
§ Love Will Grow
Miss Elizabeth Bennet befriends Miss Anne de Bourgh, a wealthy heiress. Elizabeth has no fortune, no connections—nothing to recommend her except her wit and charm and her good nature. She agrees to aid Anne in her quest to secure a marriage proposal from her haughty, aristocratic cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley and Derbyshire. How could Elizabeth know the gentleman has his heart set upon another?
Darcy barely acknowledges his cousin’s existence. He knows what his family expects of him, but he never suspected that Anne harbored those foolish hopes. He only has eyes for Elizabeth, the charming and witty young woman he mistakenly believes is expecting an offer of marriage. Truth be told, Elizabeth does not even like the proud man—at least, not in the beginning.
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“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Three story collection:
1) Expecting His Proposal: ends at 19%
“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” William Blake
I read this one a year ago, and had given it 4-stars. It was a free offering from the author with no expectation of a review.
This was a novella or short story that started with Elizabeth and Darcy meeting again in Kent. This was after their acquaintance at the Meryton Assembly where… Darcy actually danced with her… and at Lucas Lodge… and at the Netherfield ball. During this time, they discovered that they liked 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 when she questioned him, she caught him in several lies.
At Kent, they spent time together and Darcy finally found the courage to propose. Elizabeth accepted and they decided to wait to announce their engagement until they could approach her father for his consent. Mr. Collins over heard them talking and, being the toad that he was, 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 was.
Then things really got bad when Elizabeth had that conversation with the Colonel regarding Darcy taking such care of Bingley [separating him from an imprudent marriage]. She now had second thoughts about marrying a man who had destroyed the hopes of her beloved sister and obviously holds her family in such disdain. She now wondered if she really knew him at all. How could she marry him now? She bolted and ran to London to the Gardiner’s home where Jane was staying.
This was a whirlwind of a story. It crashed and burned and yet was pulled out of the fire at the last minute. I held my breath the whole time. It did end quickly. Last year, I read it twice because it was such a quick read. I kept thinking I missed something so I read 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.
2) As Good as a Lord: ends at 47%
“To catch a husband is an art; to hold him is a job.” Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex
OMG! Late one night, Mrs. Bennet overheard Elizabeth telling Jane that she had refused a proposal from Mr. Darcy. Well, Mrs. Bennet was never one to let an opportunity get by her. She invited herself along on that trip to the north with Lizzy and the Gardiners. Poor Lizzy, and Mr. Bennet didn’t do anything to stop his wife. I’m sure his thoughts were of how quiet the house would be without Lydia [who was already in Brighton] and his wife.
That trip north also involved the stop at Pemberley where Mrs. Bennet slipped and fell into the lake and had to be put up for a while as she recovered from catching a cold. This was also timed during Mr. Darcy’s house party with Lord and Lady Davenport and their two daughters, Lacy Althea and Lady Bethany. These two girls fought over Darcy like dogs over a bone. Poor Darcy was so smitten with Elizabeth and she with him and yet he had to fight the ‘Caroline Bingley’ actions of two women who were each determined to be mistress of Pemberley. Plus, you had Lord Davenport [a personal friend of the elder Mr. Darcy] who wanted Darcy to make up his mind and chose one of his girls.
And then the letter arrived regarding Lydia’s shame. They didn’t dare tell Mrs. Bennet until they got her back to Longbourn, because they couldn’t trust her response. The rest of the story followed canon in the restoration of Lydia’s reputation. There were lots of surprises that I didn’t see coming. I thought it was creative and cute.
3) Love Will Grow: ends at 96%
“Suspense is worse than disappointment.” Robert Burns
This was a tough read in that it involved Anne de Bourgh’s feelings and emotions. There are only a few JAFF variations where Anne anticipates the engagement to her cousin Darcy. In most stories, she and Darcy had decided they didn’t want to marry each other. In this story, Anne looked forward to the time when Darcy would declare himself and make her his bride.
When Elizabeth arrived at Hunsford, Anne enlisted her help in bringing Darcy into agreement with the family expectations of the union of the two cousins. Oh, that hurt. I really felt for Elizabeth because she found out about Darcy’s feelings for her as she was trying to present Anne’s case. She now found herself right in the middle of a love triangle and didn’t know how to remove herself as her feelings for Mr. Darcy became stronger. I felt so sorry for her.
It was a good story, although, I didn’t like Darcy’s letter to Anne, that was a bit harsh. The story ended at 96% and we were presented with an excerpt from ‘Impertinent Strangers.’