Duplicity and Deceit: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
An enjoyable holiday becomes a terrifying ordeal when Elizabeth Bennet, her sister Jane, and their Aunt Gardiner are stopped by highwaymen, who help themselves to a valuable Bennet family heirloom before leaving the devastated women to continue their journey to Lambton.
News of the incident is brought to the attention of the county’s wealthiest resident, Mr. Darcy, who promises he will do everything in his power to bring the criminal to justice and restore Derbyshire’s reputation.
Elizabeth’s return to Longbourn seems to coincide with a similar spate of robberies in Hertfordshire. When Mr. Darcy and his friend, Mr. Bingley, arrive in the county at almost the same time as the thieves, rumors arise regarding the criminals’ identity.
With events spiraling out of control suspicion falls on Mr. Darcy as the culprit, while gossip and accusations abound. His arrest as the highwayman and subsequent admission of guilt shocks Elizabeth, who is convinced a tragic mistake is being made, and Mr. Darcy is confessing to crimes he could not have committed.
Her determination to prove his innocence becomes the source of rare conflict with Mr. Bennet, who will not listen when she insists that someone other than Mr. Darcy must be the criminal terrorizing Hertfordshire’s citizens. It is with a broken heart that she learns he has been transported to London, and a date with the gallows at the Old Bailey, London’s notorious prison and potentially Mr. Darcy’s final stop on this earth.
Disgraceful Conduct: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
A suitor’s betrayal convinces Elizabeth Bennet to accept an invitation from relatives in Derbyshire, who she met only once as a toddler. Mrs. Bannerman, her father’s sister, has invited Elizabeth to spend a few months at their estate of Kingsdown, assisting her in preparing Elizabeth’s cousin, Louisa, for her introduction to society.
Louisa’s father, initially resistant to the idea, sees his daughter blossom under Elizabeth’s tutelage into a beautiful young girl, confident in herself and her place in the stratified society that is Regency England. When Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy, the Bannerman’s neighbor and Derbyshire’s wealthiest resident, she is impressed with his considerate nature. He seems ready to help whenever needed, without reservation. His sister Georgiana, however, is not as accepting, although she hides it well.
Despite best intentions and hesitation on the part of both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, their friendship evolves into emotions more intense for both, leading him to hope that she might be the partner he has been seeking all his life.
A vicious attack on Georgiana upends his plans and forces Elizabeth to leave Derbyshire under a cloud of suspicion, her reputation in tatters.
The truth, when revealed, causes a massive shift in Mr. Darcy’s world, forcing him to re-evaluate his views and unfounded misconceptions. The fight to reclaim his lost love sends him to Longbourn, determined to prove himself again and overcome his love’s reticence to put her trust in him anew.
Prisoner of Longbourn: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
On a lonely path on the estate of Longbourn, Fitzwilliam Darcy suffers an accident, being thrown to the ground when a woman runs in front of his horse. When Darcy wakes, he finds himself at Longbourn, injured and confined until his body can heal.
The Bennets, he thinks, are an eclectic mix of characters, and at times he finds them difficult to endure. The unresolved question of who caused his accident festers in the back of his mind, leading him to suspect his hosts of deceit.
As his time at Longbourn lengthens, however, Darcy finds himself becoming more accustomed to them. Esteem begins to overtake him as he considers their unstinting hospitality and care for him, a man no more than a stranger to them. In particular, Darcy is intrigued by the second daughter, Miss Elizabeth, a woman unlike any other, and one for whom he quickly develops a liking.
Eventually his forced confinement wears on Darcy, and the coming of a relation he finds difficult to endure, along with the reappearance an old enemy, wreak havoc on his equilibrium. When events happen which demand his action, he cannot allow the family who succored him to suffer from the ignominious behavior of one of their number.
Hidden Desires: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
When Mr. Charles Bingley is injured on a hunting excursion, Mr. Bennet feels responsible for the mishap. To assuage his guilt, he volunteers his assistance to Mr. Bingley in managing and improving Netherfield.
The recovering Mr. Bingley, uncomfortable in accepting such aid from his neighbor, instead writes to his closest friend for help. Mr. Darcy soon arrives in answer to the summons, bringing his sister, Georgiana, with him. As she has recently suffered mistreatment at the hands of a former acquaintance of Mr. Darcy’s, Georgiana is eager to stay at her brother’s side. A burgeoning friendship with the clever and kind Elizabeth Bennet can only assist Georgiana’s confidence.
Unfortunately, a trip to Meryton becomes a return to terror when Georgiana sees Mary Bennet, one of Elizabeth’s sisters, talking to the man who had treated her poorly.
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy come together in a desire for retribution and the urgent need to rescue a Bennet daughter from the hands of an unrepentant Lothario. The events of the night will either feed their growing attraction or drive them apart forever.
The Parson's Rescue: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
The arrival of Mr. Bennet’s estranged cousin, Mr. Collins, causes turmoil in the Bennet household. While the announced reason for his visit is the settlement of a long-standing feud, there is another, unwelcome motive behind his stay, that of choosing a wife from among the Bennet daughters.
Elizabeth Bennet, initially the focus of Mr. Collins’s attention, does all she can to persuade him to look elsewhere for his future bride. To further complicate matters, Elizabeth has also attracted the attentions of Mr. Darcy, a man she considers prideful and conceited. His irascible nature results in friction and cross words between them whenever they are in close proximity to each other.
An incident in Meryton, concluded by an intervention wholly unexpected, forces Elizabeth to reconsider her thoughts regarding both men. Elizabeth must decide between allowing herself to succumb to feelings she has kept repressed, or spurning the possibility of lasting love.
Mistletoe and Mischief: A Pride and Prejudice Christmas Anthology
For those who want to curl up by the fire at Christmastime with short stories inspired by Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice, authors Jann Rowland, Lelia Eye, and Colin Rowland bring you this anthology of eleven stories. Dive right in and enjoy, among several others, the following:
A SPRIG OF MISTLETOE
When Fitzwilliam Darcy joins Mr. Bingley before Christmas with his sister in tow, he discovers they have been invited to a Christmas party at Longbourn. Though it is an amusement Darcy dreads, he discovers love through the interference of a beloved sister and a parasitic plant.
MR. COLLINS’S SPIRITED ENCOUNTER
Elizabeth agrees to marry Mr. Collins out of the desire to save her family. However, visits to Mr. Collins from well-meaning spirits on Christmas Eve could very well transform her feelings of despair on Christmas morning into joy.
THE YULE LOG
Elizabeth receives Mr. Darcy’s reluctant permission to decorate Pemberley manor for the Christmas holiday. It is her observance of a most cherished holiday tradition that threatens their love.
