• Pride and Prejudice was only half the story • If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she’d most likely be a sight more careful with them. In this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prethis irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice, the servants take center stage. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the Bennet household. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a mysterious new footman arrives, the orderly realm of the servants’ hall threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended.
Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Jane Austen’s classic—into the often overlooked domain of the stern housekeeper and the starry-eyed kitchen maid, into the gritty daily particulars faced by the lower classes in Regency England during the Napoleonic Wars—and, in doing so, creates a vivid, fascinating, fully realized world that is wholly her own.
This ebook edition includes a Reading Group Guide.
After the loss of his eldest child and only son, Mr. Bennet swears that no Darcy will ever darken the doorstep of Longbourn again...Elizabeth Bennet is only a child when she meets Fitzwilliam Darcy under the most inauspicious of circumstances. Outsidrcumstances. Outside the constraints of adult society, they form a fast friendship that is severed almost immediately by Mr. Bennet and his anger at the death of his son, John Bennet.
Thirteen years later, it is love-at-second-sight, at a masquerade in Meryton...
No longer a girl, but a young woman out in society, Elizabeth attends a masquerade in Meryton, only to dance two sets with a gentleman that she does not recognize but feels uncommonly drawn to. There are newcomers to Hertfordshire, letting out Netherfield Park, and this quiet, tall gentleman with an aristocratic mien must be one of them, for she does not know his voice and his face is hidden by his mask, but his eyes...
Elizabeth Bennet, who has sworn off of love for herself so that she may never feel the touch of grief again, falls deeply and irrevocably in love with those dark eyes that follow her across the assembly hall each time she looks up.
The last time he saw her, she was but a wisp of a thing, in need of a kind word and a friend...
Elizabeth Bennet has grown into the kind of beauty that would break hearts were she to stay any length of time in London, with a cleverness and wit that catches Mr. Darcy by surprise. He had not wanted to attend the masquerade, and now he both deeply regrets and rejoices all at once at his decision to go. But the woman who has caught his eye, and his heart, is the daughter of a man who cursed him and barred the Darcys from the Longbourn estate and forbade any kinship with the Bennets, forever.
Darcy regrets ever coming back to Hertfordshire, for he knows that after one dance with Elizabeth Bennet, his heart is forsworn to her, and after two dances, his mind is set: he will marry her, or live the rest of his life alone. But he cannot court her as himself; no Darcy would ever be permitted to marry a Bennet, never-mind how desperate the situations at Longbourn might be. And so Mr. Darcy must become someone else, in order to be with the woman of his dreams, and hope that his deception will not be discovered.
But with a familial patriarch barring the way, and skeletons amongst the ton waiting to descend with outstretched claws, will Mr. Darcy finally find his happiness? And if Elizabeth Bennet discovers his secret, will she still accept him?
This is a sweet, clean romance suitable for all lovers of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Darcy and Elizabeth – A Most Unlikely Couple is a Pride and Prejudice variation. Not a simple retelling, it is an intriguing new story that does not follow canon. It is rated for mature audiences. With his persuasive tongue, Andrew Darcy is a very chis a very charismatic scoundrel. Having dealt for years with the scandals created by this wayward cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy has grown weary. Thus, when yet another gentleman confronts Darcy about Andrew’s blatant betrayal of his daughter, Darcy decides he has had enough.
He sets out for Meryton to find Andrew, but no sooner has Andrew left for Manchester to offer for the unfortunate lady, than Meryton is abuzz with a new scandal involving Andrew and a local woman.
Feeling obligated to offer his assistance to the father, Darcy has no idea that accompanying Bingley to Longbourn will change his life forever. For the lady whose reputation is now at stake, Elizabeth Bennet, is the very reason he fled Meryton only weeks before.
"Bitterness of Spirit" tells the same beloved story—with new twists, new characters, and new situations—of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, two powerful characters struggling against pride and prejudice to reach their happily ever after.On theOn the path towards happiness, they overcome well-known obstacles, as well as new ones, face opponents in classic battles, and defeat others in unique ways.
Even more, an original character—seemingly lost to the world for nearly a lifetime—emerges from an obscure past to connect their lives and families in a way no one could imagine.
Will Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship disintegrate or evolve under such challenging circumstances?
"Bitterness of Spirit" is recommended for a general audience except for the last chapter, which is intended for mature readers. It may be omitted based on the reader’s preference.
"History, romance, and even a little mystery all combined in one wonderful book." -Best Sellers World, Five Star ReviewMaggie went in search of a love story, but she never expected to find her own...Desperate to escape her life in a small Pennsylvanipe her life in a small Pennsylvania mining town, Maggie Joyce accepts a job in post-World War II London, hoping to find adventure. While touring Derbyshire, she stumbles upon the stately Montclair, rumored by locals to be the inspiration for Pemberley, the centerpiece of Jane Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice.
Determined to discover the truth behind the rumors, Maggie embarks on a journey through the letters and journals of Montclair's former owners, the Lacey family, searching for signs of Darcy and Elizabeth.
But when the search introduces her to both a dashing American pilot and a handsome descendant of the "Darcy" line, Maggie must decide how her own love story will end.
Perfect for fans of Death Comes to Pemberley.
Praise for Searching for Pemberley:
"A shining addition to the world of historical fiction."- Curled Up With A Good Book
"A resounding success on all levels."- Roundtable Reviews
"A precious jewel of a novel with a strong love story and page-turning mystery. Absorbing, amusing, and very cleverly written."- The Searcher
Hilarious and action-packed, this installment brings the Darcy and Bingley families to the year 1812 and the intrigues of the Napoleonic Wars. Darcy and Dr. Maddox go in search of Darcy's missing half-brother and land in a medieval prison cell.
Much to his dismay, Charles Bingley is left to hold the fort at Pemberley while his sister Caroline, Elizabeth, and Col. Fitzwilliam traverse Europe on a daring rescue. Meanwhile, Lady Catherine de Bourgh kicks up a truly shocking scandal.
One never knows what might happen next between the estates of Rosings and Pemberley.