The Intriguing Mr Darcy

When the Bennet sisters are invited to the Bingleys’ house party – on an estate that is rumoured to be haunted – Lizzy is worried Mr. Darcy will also be a guest. And he is. But to her surprise, suddenly he does not seem as stuffy and disagreeable as she first thought. Mysterious footsteps roam the hall at night – is it the ghost, or something more tangible? Lizzy and Darcy decide to investigate. Her close proximity to Darcy makes her question her first, unfortunate impression of him. Suddenly, he intrigues her – and Lizzy desires to learn more about him. Will she have time before the house party ends? Will they discover what – or who – is behind the mysterious footsteps in the middle of the night? And what will Lizzy do when she discovers that she has fallen in love with Mr. Darcy? This is a sweet Pride and Prejudice variation novella of approximately 32,000 words.

A very different Darcy… Fitz Darcy is a second son, and his elder brother has inherited Pemberley and all the responsibilities that entails. So, Fitz has turned elsewhere to support himself financially. He owns an infamous gambling hell in London, partnering with his best friend George Wickham. He’s also infamous for other reasons, namely that is he widely considered the worst rake in all of England. Fitz has rules, though. Widows and other men’s wives are all fair game, but he doesn’t debauch innocent virgins. But then, at a trip to his aunt Lady Catherine’s country house, he first sets eyes on Miss Elizabeth Bennet, whose sharp tongue so readily handles his harridan of an aunt he can’t help but be intrigued by her. No, not intrigued, obsessed. Scruples be damned, he has to have her. He’ll stop at nothing to make it happen. The longer he pursues her, the more he begins to change in ways he can’t quite understand. What is it about this Bennet girl, and can his desire for her reform this wretched rake? Oh, this is not even remotely clean, dear reader. Also, quite obviously, both Darcy and Wickham are wildly out of character. I hope you enjoy this trip into an alternate imagining of the characters and situations we all know and love.

Wealthy philanthropist Fitzwilliam Darcy, a handsome and brooding bachelor who yearns for love but doubts any woman could handle his obsessive tendencies, meets Dr. Elizabeth Bennet in the emergency room after Darcy's best friend, Charles Bingley, gets into an accident. She assumes they are a couple. As Darcy and Elizabeth unravel their misconceptions about each other, they have to decide just how far they're willing to go to accept each other's quirky ways.

After Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s father is swindled in an investment opportunity, the family finds themselves in dire straits, and the eldest Bennet sisters must seek positions as governesses. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy needs a replacement for the disastrous Miss Younge, who brought his younger sister to near ruin at the hands of the late Mr. Wickham, so he hires Elizabeth. Wickham was killed in a flurry of violence. He threatened Miss Darcy with a knife; Mr. Darcy rushed to defend his sister; the end result was not entirely purposeful. Now, however, both Mr. Darcy and his sister are altered, and Elizabeth knows nothing of what befell them both. So, she arrives to an imposing and grim estate, a secretive and brooding employer, and a haughty and troubled charge. I’m afraid this is another of my out-of-character Mr. Darcy variations. I know not entirely what happened, but a bit of Mr. Rochester seemed to creep into him by degrees as I wrote, and I fear he is a bit darker than our own Fitzwilliam, though hopefully circumstances explain his behavior. I also failed at keeping it clean. Again. I seem to always fail at that, don’t I? Heavens.

Have you heard? Mr. Darcy is back ... After a long and mysterious absence, Mr. Darcy has returned to Pemberley from the Far East. He is but a shell of the man who disappeared into the night after the death of his beloved Elizabeth three years ago. The cloud of grief and self-pity that hovers over him cannot even be dispelled by his own young daughter Eliza, the last heir to his and Elizabeth's union, whom he left in the care of his sister that terrible night. The rumors in town go unanswered as the pale and withdrawn Darcy hides away, resisting all attempts to reintegrate him into society. His sister, however, is not so easily swayed and is determined to find him a wife (and Eliza a mother) of good repute ... and she has just the woman in mind. Set about four years after the events of Pride and Prejudice, Anja Bligh's Mr. Darcy's Second Chance is a warm, fascinating account of a love found for one of the most beloved characters of Victorian romance.

Praise for The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy: "Another superior Jane Austen homage...will entertain those who already know their Austen and Georgette Heyer by heart, as well as fans of old-fashioned romance." -Publishers Weekly A GENTLEMAN should always render an APOLOGY When Mr. Darcy realizes he insulted Miss Elizabeth Bennet at the Meryton Assembly, he feels duty bound to seek her out and apologize... When he has INSULTED a LADY But instead of meekly accepting his apology, Elizabeth stands up to him, and Darcy realizes with a shock that she is a very different type of lady than he is used to... Darcy is more intrigued than he's ever been by any young lady, but he's already entangled in a courtship. It's a brutal predicament for a man of honor who only longs to follow his heart...

‘Kerfol’ is one of Wharton’s more unusual ghost stories, in that the ghosts of the piece aren’t human. Chilling and tragic, this tale tells of Anne de Cornault, who is considering buying an estate in France. We discover that the estate, ‘Kerfol,’ (which translates from the Breton as ‘house of madness’) was once the scene of a murder. An atmospheric read, ‘Kerfol’ is an exploration of an unhappy marriage and revenge from beyond the grave. A perfect spine-tingler from the pen of a master storyteller. Edith Wharton (1862 – 1937) was an American designer and novelist. Born in an era when the highest ambition a woman could aspire to was a good marriage, Wharton went on to become one of America’s most celebrated authors. During her career, she wrote over 40 books, using her wealthy upbringing to bring authenticity and detail to stories about the upper classes. She moved to France in 1923, where she continued to write until her death.

Ever wondered what Mr Darcy was really thinking? His secrets are revealed in this utterly convincing and captivating novel of love and pride, passion and prejudice. Perfect for fans of BRIDGERTON 'As moving and enjoyable as could be wished ... Mr Darcy fans everywhere will welcome his Diary to the canon' Wendy Holden, DAILY MAIL 'Mr Darcy's Diary boldly goes where Jane Austen never does' FINANCIAL TIMES This intimate diary tells us of his entanglements with women, his dangerous friendship with Byron, his daily life in Georgian London, his mercurial mood swings calmed only by fisticuffs at Jackson's - and, most importantly, his vain struggles to conquer his longing for Elizabeth. For the first time we discover what really happened between his sister and the dastardly Wickham. How did he distract his friend Bingley from pining for his beloved Jane? Why did he propose to another young woman? Only to his diary does he tell the full story. At last we see Darcy as he really is: and, beneath his polite facade, we find a sensitive, private and passionate man.