Col. Fitzwilliam – Pride and Prejudice Variations

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.