Colonel Edmund Fitzwilliam, second son of the Earl of Andover, has pursued accomplishment his whole life. His first real opportunity to achieve the recognition he desires unfortunately comes just as he meets the woman who captures his heart, Miss Emiss Emily Chelwood. Separated by months of danger and distance, even his safe return does not reward them with the happiness they deserve; peril, death, and intrigue follow him home, throwing their future into the winds of chance.
Aided by his friend, the adventurer Lord Estéban de Esparza, and his relations Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the Colonel must overcome a French spy, a London blackguard, and his own powerful sense of duty, as he struggles with the forces of love and war in his attempt to secure happiness for himself and his beloved.
It is well known that in the story of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Colonel Fitzwilliam admired Elizabeth Bennet when he met her at Rosings Park. However, his relative poverty prevented him from doing anything to advance their acquaintance into anything more than a casual friendship, and instead it was his cousin, Mr Darcy, who proposed that Easter time.
But what if Colonel Fitzwilliam had proposed to Elizabeth Bennet first, before his cousin got the opportunity? And what if she had accepted him, short as their acquaintance had been?
‘An Imprudent Engagement’ tells the story of this ‘what if’ scenario; of what could have happened if Colonel Fitzwilliam had thrown caution to the wind, and declared his admiration to Elizabeth. As a consequence, Mr Darcy is obliged to remain silent about his own feelings, and instead is forced to face the unwelcome truth that the woman he loves actually thinks very poorly of him.
‘I knew I’d said the wrong thing even as soon as my answer had slipped out between my lips. But his question had caught me off my guard, and he had looked so hopeful and so sincere, and so utterly boyish in his enthusiasm that somehow, quite foolishly, I felt I couldn’t disappoint him. Before I knew what I was really doing, I had gasped out a stunned ‘yes’ to his plea, and it was only in the following seconds that I suddenly realised what I had done – and my stomach lurched in abrupt panic.’
Despite Elizabeth’s unthinking acceptance of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s suit, it is not long before she is overcome with doubts over her choice. Although the match is a good one when viewed from every possible light, Elizabeth is still weighed down by her reservations. She knows she does not love the Colonel, and above all else, she wants to marry for love.
And just as quickly, the newly-engaged couple is beset by opposition from the Colonel’s family. Strangely, it is Mr Darcy, and not her fiancé, who comes to Elizabeth’s defense time and time again – and over the following months, she is forced to recognize that she has woefully misjudged his character.
All too late, Elizabeth finally understands all the mistakes that she has made – just as she finally understands her true desires. But after giving her promise to marry the Colonel, how can she possibly break his heart and admit how she feels about his cousin?
E. Bradshaw is a British writer, based in Derbyshire, England. Therefore, this book is written with English spellings. This book is a long read, of a length of approximately 192,000 words.
Fitzwilliam Darcy's cousin, the Colonel is bound for war on the Peninsula. Is there love in his future while war is waged across Europe? Witnessing his cousin marry for love and not money, as he felt destined to do, Colonel Fitzwilliam refused to refused to himself to be jealous. He did not expect his acquaintance with the Bennet Clan to change that.
Catherine Bennet, often called Kitty, had not given a great deal of thought to how her life might change with her sisters Elizabeth and Jane becoming wed to rich and connected men. Certainly meeting Darcy's handsome cousin, a Colonel, did not affect her.
But one had to admit that the connections of the Bingleys and Darcys were quite advantageous. All sorts of men desired introductions now that she had such wealthy new brothers.
Kitty knew that Lydia may have thought herself fortunate when she had married Wickham, the first Bennet daughter to wed. Kitty, though, knew that true fortune had come to her. She just wasn't sure how best to apply herself.
*Please note that Regency Assembly Press sells ebooks in 3 formats. A Taste are the first few chapters of the book, Last Bites, are the remaining chapters after those. Then RAP also sells the entire book as Complete. Books from Regency Assembly Press are also often available in Trade Paperback.
A sweet romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam is a hopeful romantic who cannot afford to marry for love. When he is offered a new assignment with the promise of a promotion, he eagerly accepts— only to find himself immersed in a world of intrigue and lies. Adélaïde Mauvier is a successful dressmaker on the verge of attaining everything she thought she wanted. When she is thrown into Colonel Fitzwilliam’s company, she begins to think there might be more to life than her ambitions. As the colonel gets closer to the truth, he finds out that people are not always what you believe them to be. Will he fall in love while catching a traitor? Or worse… will he fall in love with a spy?
Darcy's attachment wasn't the only one smouldering beneath the surface that Easter at Hunsford...On the verge of proposing to his cousin Anne, the gritty Colonel Fitzwilliam discovers his beloved childhood friend Charlotte living less than half a mil living less than half a mile away, married to the odious Mr. Collins.
A harrowing battle escape a year later leaves the colonel with a life-threatening injury that plunges him into despondency. But three words from his doctor lead to a profound spiritual encounter and launch him on a journey to become more than just the second son of an earl.
Suddenly finding himself responsible for Rosings estate, he is forced to wrestle with his affection for Charlotte while struggling to learn lessons of trust and forgiveness--lessons which have far reaching implications for family and friends.
Just when he thinks Charlotte may be within his grasp, a summons to Waterloo changes everything.
In this compelling companion to Pride & Prejudice, follow the forging of a man's character through waiting, war, a woman, and three simple words.
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What readers are saying:
"Every chapter gets better." "...brilliant story." "Beautifully written."
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~Suitable for older teens and adults due to innuendo and mild language befitting a soldier. Romance is clean.
