To Conquer Mr. Darcy

From Chapter 1:

It was nearing noon on a hot June day when Colonel Fitzwilliam stepped out of the stuffy coach into the raucous noise of London. Since it was only a short distance to Darcy’s house, he decided to take the opportunity to stretch his legs after the long ride rather than hire a carriage. Paying a boy to cart his luggage for him, he set off at a quick pace.

He sincerely hoped that his cousin would prove to be in town. He could not be certain, since Darcy had been such a poor—in fact non-existent—correspon­dent since their trip to Rosings. Georgiana’s last letter had not indicated any planned travels, so presumably she at least would be there. He would prefer to see Darcy, though, so that he could at least attempt to resolve whatever it was he had said or done that had offended his cousin.

Darcy had clearly been angry and upset when they left Rosings, but had been unwilling to discuss his concerns. At the time, knowing that Lady Catherine had called Darcy in for a private conference just before their departure, Colonel Fitzwilliam had assumed that his mood was related to that event, and that she must have finally overstepped the boundaries regarding Darcy’s supposed engagement to her daughter. But now, after nearly two months of uncharacteristic silence from Darcy, and despite several letters sent to him, he could only conclude that Darcy’s anger must have been directed toward him. Try as he might, he could not recollect anything more offensive in his behavior than the usual teasing he engaged in with his cousin. Well, he would just have to jolly Darcy out of his sulk and find out what was on his mind.

He rapped sharply on the front door and was admitted by a servant who knew him well enough not to comment on his unexpected arrival. He was informed that Darcy was out, but Miss Georgiana was at home and would receive him in her sitting room. Disregarding the offer to show him in, Colonel Fitzwilliam strode down the hall and walked in.

“Cousin Richard!” Georgiana said delightedly. “What a lovely surprise! I thought you were still in Newcastle!”

He kissed her cheek in greeting. “Sorry to disap­point you, sweetheart. His Lordship decided that Major General Bradford needs to discuss certain matters with me immediately, so there I was, sent off post-haste to London with nary a chance even to tell you I was coming. Can you put up your poor wandering cousin for a few nights while I suffer the slings and arrows of the Major General?”
Georgiana smiled. “Oh, Richard, of course. Why else would we keep your room available?”

He bowed slightly. “Let me excuse myself then to make myself presentable for the company of a lady, which, after roasting for two days in the most uncom­fortable coach in England, I assure you that I am not.”

“Of course. I will be here when you are ready. And, Richard,” she added, her voice becoming serious, “I am glad you are here. I need to talk to you about William.”

“So something is up in that quarter. I suspected as much. I shall be interested to hear all about it.”

In his room he was grateful to shrug out of his sweaty uniform while one of the menservants vainly tried to unwrinkle the garments he had packed hurriedly in Newcastle. “Well, they will just have to do for today,” Colonel Fitzwilliam told him. “Perhaps you could spruce up the rest for tomorrow.”

A knock came at the door as he was buttoning his waistcoat. Philips, Darcy’s long-time butler, was on the other side. Colonel Fitzwilliam waved him in.

“Welcome to London, Colonel.” Philips looked unwontedly nervous. “I know you have just arrived, but I wondered if I might be so bold as to beg a moment of your time.”

“Of course,” he said amiably. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, sir, I hope you will not think this excessively forward of me, but when I heard you were here, I thought perhaps… I should take the opportunity to speak with you about a concern that I have, that is to say that the staff in general have, but we have been at a loss as to whom to approach about it.”

“Well, I’ll be happy to hear you out, but surely if this is a staff concern, would Darcy not be the one to address?”

“Yes, sir, of course, but you see, the concern is, well, about Mr. Darcy, sir. He just hasn’t been himself of late.”

The colonel held his chin up as the valet began tying his cravat. He was quite surprised that the loyal and reticent Philips would approach him about Darcy at all, much less with a concern. “Not himself? What do you mean?”

“He seems very, well, withdrawn, I would say, for lack of a better word. He spends most of his time alone in his study, and we, the staff that is, have noticed that he often seems to be, well, in some distress. He goes out most evenings, although he doesn’t seem to look forward to it, but then when his friends come calling, he isn’t at home to them, not even Mr. Bingley. Mr. Darcy has never been what I would call a man of many words, sir, but now, well, we don’t hear much of anything out of him beyond requests and thank yous, even his valet. And, well, there are other things, but I’m sure you see the problem.”

“What other things, Philips?” Now he was truly concerned.

“Well, sir, he’s been short with Miss Georgiana a few times. And he has taken to staying up half the night, sometimes reading, but sometimes pacing or just staring off into space. And, well, begging your pardon, sir, but as you know Mr. Darcy has never been one for excessive imbibing, as it were, but there have been several occasions when he has, well, gone through more than a bottle on his own, though Cook says it is a challenge to tempt him to eat much of anything. I don’t mean to complain, sir, he has been no trouble to us, but, well, we are worried. I don’t know what he would say if he knew I was talking to you about him like this, sir.”

“You were quite right to bring this to me, Philips, and you may be certain that I will keep this conversa­tion to myself.”

“Thank you, sir. If there is anything I can do to help, anything at all, please say the word.” He bowed and left the room.

The colonel turned to the valet. “What do you have to say about all this? Do you agree with Philips?”

The young man snorted. “He’s not telling you the half of it, sir, and that’s all I’ll say about that. I value my position here.”

A few minutes later Georgiana was warming to the same theme. “He has not been the same since the two of you came back from Kent. He is abstracted, and sometimes I find that he is paying no attention to what I say. But the worst is when I come upon him when he is not expecting to see me, and he looks so bleak. I have tried talking to him, asking him if something is wrong, but he says that everything is fine, and it is so obviously not fine that I have no idea what to say. All I can think is that it must be something to do with me. It’s been rather frightening. I haven’t known who to turn to.”

Colonel Fitzwilliam shook his head. “Do you have any idea what this may be about?”

She hesitated. “I know of nothing that can have caused such a change. I cannot think of anything that I would expect to bother him this much, anything new, that is, only the old things. There is no trouble with his  friends; in fact, he is being rather unusually sociable, though he hardly seems to enjoy it. And I assume that there is not any financial trouble, because you would know about that, would you not? The kitchen talk is that there is a woman involved, but I cannot see what would upset him so much about that either.” She paused, then added in a softer voice, “I have wondered if it has anything to do with last summer.”

“I am quite sure it has nothing to do with that,” he said reassuringly. “Not to worry, sweetheart; I will worm it out of him somehow. We shall get to the bottom of this.”

To Conquer Mr. Darcy is the latest release in Abigail Reynolds’ series of Pemberley Variations, which take a “what if?” approach to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This time, Reynolds aims to answer the question, “What if Mr. Darcy had set out to win Elizabeth’s heart?” The novel opens with Mr. Darcy all moody and depressed about Elizabeth Bennet rejecting his rude and arrogant marriage proposal. But rather than give up and move on, Darcy’s cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, convinces him to prove to Elizabeth that he is a man worthy of her affections.

And that’s exactly what Darcy does. In fact, this book should have been titled To Conquer Elizabeth Bennet or something along those lines because upon Darcy’s return to Netherfield with Mr. Bingley, he spends much of his time sweet talking and putting the moves on Elizabeth — in the respectable Darcy fashion, of course. But once Elizabeth realizes her feelings for Darcy, propriety is thrown out the window. Their relationship moves faster than Elizabeth would like, but there’s a passion between her and Darcy that cannot be denied or cooled. With their penchant for misunderstanding one another, there are a lot of obstacles for the two to overcome.

I really enjoy Reynolds’ variations of Pride and Prejudice (read my reviews of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World and Pemberley by the Sea) because it’s obvious she knows Austen’s work and characters inside and out and isn’t afraid to put her own spin on events. Although I found that the beginning of To Conquer Mr. Darcy moved a bit slow, once the period of wooing was over, the book definitely warmed up — meaning that you best be prepared for some steamy sex scenes. Reynolds does a good job integrating them into the story.

But what I most enjoyed about To Conquer Mr. Darcy was the way the events of Lydia’s elopement with the scoundrel Wickham unfolded and Elizabeth’s role in saving her sister and her family. Reynolds stays true to Austen’s beloved novel, simply taking a different route to the same outcome. She also includes more of the lesser characters in Pride and Prejudice, like Georgiana Darcy and Pemberley’s housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, which was a treat.

I’ve wondered whether I eventually will tire of these Austen sequels and re-tellings, but so far, they remain my guilty pleasure. Reynolds does a wonderful job turning a story that could be considered by some to be mere fan fiction into an enjoyable novel.


I have been wanting to read this book for some time, not just because I like all sorts of Jane Austen sequels and variations, but because I like the what if question. Also this book is more the To conquer Miss Bennet kind of book. Darcy is a force to be reckoned with.


This book takes another route, after Lizzy has returned from that awful proposal Mr Darcy shows up with Mr Bingley. This time he will not take no for an answer and decided to court her, gain her friendship and all of her. And that he sure gets too.


I am weird when it comes to HR sometimes, and I end up thinking "no one buys the cow if the milk is free". Here it worked, because in the end, who wouldn’t be seduced by Mr Darcy. Stolen kisses, embraces and I am seduced by it all too. But I guess the point here is that he wants her, and he is not going to tire of her just because something happened. Mr Darcy is the true gentleman. if I wasn’t already in love with him I would fall for him in this book. He makes an effort to be a better man, a man she deserves, he pursues her, makes her laugh, makes her want him. And all while I am delighted and grinning. Jane Austen would be shocked for sure.


The romance is lovely to watch, she melts, and like I already wrote, Mr Darcy is worth reading this book for. I have never seen him like this, and I am loving it. We also meet Bingley and Jane of course and they get their HEA, and do not forgot Lydia’s mistake. The book follows the general storyline and that is here too.


But I did miss one thing, and it had to to with Lady de Burgh, but then again who needs her.



To Conquer Mr. Darcy by Abigail Reynolds is another of the author’s variation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice novel. In this rendition, Reynolds begins with the premise that Mr. Darcy will not give up after Miss Bennet’s refusal of his marriage proposal and continues to pursue her relentlessly. However, it does take some convincing by his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Reynolds stays true to Austen’s characters for the most part, and the inner struggle facing Elizabeth is well depicted as she begins to change her mind about Mr. Darcy and his merits as a man and suitor. Using more modern language and sensibilities, Reynolds updates the classic and will appeal to most modern readers. However, readers should be warned that there are a number of intimate moments between the couple that are very detailed, which could weigh on certain sensibilities.

Reynolds has successfully created an alternate scenario to Austen’s novel, with the expected cast of characters — the Gardiners, Jane Bennet, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Wickham, and Georgiana. What readers will enjoy most about this Elizabeth is that she does not cower from her responsibilities as a potential Mistress of Pemberley as she has done in other re-imaginings. With all the convincing Darcy must do to win Lizzy, readers may think a more apt title for this novel would be To Conquer Miss Bennet. Overall, To Conquer Mr. Darcy is a delightful look at how things could have been different between Lizzy and Darcy and good summer read.



1. Title of book: To Conquer Mr. Darcy by Abigail Reynolds
* title on my copy is Conquering Mr. Darcy

2. Words to describe the book: a what if book that explores the idea of Mr. Darcy ardently pursuing Elizabeth and she reciprocates. This book is also romantic, lusty, fun, and for me very satisfying

3. Location or characters you met:
Elizabeth Bennett: For those familiar with Pride and Prejudice, we all know Elizabeth and most of us love her character. There were a few times where her pride interfered with my ability to enjoy this story, but I guess the author had to make her stubborn up to a point. For the most part, I really liked how she gave in to her feelings for Darcy and enjoyed the physical aspect of their relationship.

Mr. Darcy : this is the man I want pursuing me!! Holy moly....he really went out of his way to show Elizabeth how much he loves her and would do anything for her to be his wife. I liked him immensely!

Pemberley: The reader gets to know Mr. Darcy’s world a bit better in this story and to see how he and Georgia’s extreme shyness could be taken in the wrong context. Pemberley is a place that I would love to visit and to walk the lawns with Mr. Darcy of course!

4. Things you liked/disliked:
The romantic storyline....I fell into this one hook, line, and sinker
The lusty sex scenes...enjoyed every single one. Put a stupid smile on my face!
I didn’t care for Darcy continuing to call Elizabeth, "my love, my dear, etc....that was a bit overboard and more than just myself has made notice of this. Author could’ve cut out about half of those endearments and the book would still be great.
I’m upset because my even after reading some parts out loud to my husband he still won’t wear a Mr. Darcy t-shirt!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5. Rating: 4/5


For anyone who loves, Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice, this book is a must have. The Pemberley Variations series, takes up the question of What if? If we could change the circumstances just a little, we could see what might have happened if... In To Conquer Mr. Darcy, Abigail Reynolds answers the question What if, Mr. Darcy didn’t leave after his failed proposal to Elizabeth? What if he decided to win her heart instead of his pride being injured?

This book is full of romance and love with all of our favorite characters. The head strong and vibrant, Elizabeth Bennett and the honorable, loyal Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth’s character is much like she was in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, but in this book we see how things may have been different if she just let go of all of her idea’s of propriety and let herself love Mr. Darcy unconditionally. We see Elizabeth as a woman with deep passions which are stirred to life by an irresistible force, in Mr. Darcy. Reynolds makes Elizabeth less proper and easier to identify with. She is still the same headstrong girl but she is helpless against the power of love.

Mr. Darcy is still the same stoic, honorable man, but he is less hampered by his idea’s of the aristocracy. He finds himself in love and unable to just idly cast it aside. His love for Elizabeth is so strong that he has to throw out his normal way of doing things and pursue her with great ardor. As in the Pride and Prejudice, he loves Elizabeth but Reynolds allows his to show that love in deeper and more meaningful way. To Conquer Mr. Darcy takes these two characters to a new level of love and passion that will make a true romance fan, swoon!

To Conquer Mr. Darcy is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I am giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!


To Conquer Mr. Darcy, originally published as Impulse and Initiative in 2008, is another brilliant and impassioned novel in Abigail Reynold’s stellar Pemberley Variations series. The Pemberley Variations series is a collection of Pride and Prejudice re-tellings that asks the question “what if?” In these variations we see how one small change in the plot can alter the course of Pride and Prejudice.


To Conquer Mr. Darcy opens with Colonel Fitzwilliam visiting his cousin, Mr. Darcy, who has been in a withdrawn and black mood ever since he left Rosings. When Colonel Fitzwilliam conceives that Darcy’s taciturn temperament and low spirits are the results of Elizabeth Bennet rejecting his marriage proposal, he scolds him for giving up so easily and urges him to do what ever it takes to win Elizabeth’s heart! Darcy soon receives the opportunity to pursue Elizabeth again when Charles Bingley, newly acquainted with the truth about Jane Bennet, decides to return to Netherfield Park. Surprised that Bingley still wants to remain friends with him after what he has done, Darcy accepts the invitation and brings with him his sister, Georgiana.


Meanwhile, Elizabeth Bennet finds herself perplexed about her feelings regarding Mr. Darcy. Sometimes she loathes him, sometimes she loathes herself. At times she feels compassion towards his disappointed hopes, while at other times she feels no regret for refusing him. Nonetheless, on one thing Elizabeth is certain... she will most likely never see him again. (Think again, Elizabeth!)

As an avid reader and admirer of Ms. Reynolds’s novels there are a few things I have come to expect when I crack open a novel of hers: First and foremost is that she will deliver a plausible, well-thought, and synchronized variation of Pride and Prejudice; Ms. Reynolds has proven again and again that she knows and loves her Pride and Prejudice! Secondly, I can always expect a lot of tension, emotion, and angst to be infused into her plot. Thirdly, Ms. Reynolds is very adroit in giving great dimension and depth to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Whether she depicts them as playful and passionate or insecure and obstinate, the Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy Ms. Reynolds illustrates are always well-drawn! Lastly, I know to be prepared for a few romantic and passionate scenes. Some readers may be deterred by such scenes appearing in an Austenesque novel, but I have always found them to be more sensual than explicit and not overly abundant.

One of my favorite aspects of this novel was the emotional journey I took with Elizabeth and Darcy. I love being privy to all their thoughts and reactions. Ms. Reynolds always provides plenty of detail and spends an equal amount showing Elizabeth’s perspective as well as Mr. Darcy’s. In To Conquer Mr. Darcy, I took great pleasure in witnessing Darcy strive to improve Elizabeth’s perception of him, while she inadvertently kept jumping to the wrong conclusion. Moreover, I loved observing Elizabeth’s battle between her heart and her mind. Even though she is learning to understand Mr. Darcy’s character, Elizabeth just can’t let go of her former prejudices!

**SPOILER ALERT**
The reason I am giving this book 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because of Darcy and Elizabeth anticipating their marriage and having premarital relations with each other. While some may feel this incident is very uncharacteristic of these characters in their time period, my main issue with it is that I felt it brought about the climax of the story too early. Having Darcy and Elizabeth marry so early in the story released a lot of the tension that was built up a little too soon.

Regardless, To Conquer Mr. Darcy (Impulse and Initiative) remains one of my favorite variations of Pride and Prejudice and will be one I reread countless times!



To Conquer Mr. Darcy is the latest in Abigail Reynolds’s series of Pride and Prejudice sequels that ask "What if?" In this case, what if, after Elizabeth Bennet refuses his badly bungled marriage proposal, Mr. Darcy returns to Merryton and courts her?





The story opens as a despondent Darcy comes to his senses and determines to win Elizabeth. In a subtle campaign of tolerance of her family, more sociability towards those he formerly considered his inferiors, and tender escalating attentions toward Elizabeth, he overcomes her doubts.






Since she read his letter explaining the situation with Wickham, Elizabeth’s low opinion of Darcy has undergone a radical change. Her feelings toward him, while still unsure, have softened. While she tells herself and him that they can only be friends, his efforts lead to much more than friendship.





Ms. Reynolds does a stunning job of chronicling their growing emotional attachment as their passions flare higher and higher. Suffice it to say that in this version, they marry much sooner than in Pride and Prejudice.




I love Ms. Reynolds’s portrayal of the always-certain-of-herself Elizabeth confused and unsure, as logic tells her to maintain her distance from Darcy, while her feelings draw her nearer.





But the best part of the book is Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen created a hero for the ages in Mr. Darcy, but Abigail Reynolds has made him even better. He’s breathtaking in his emotional journey to win Elizabeth’s love—determined, tender, vulnerable, willing to change and madly in love. May we all find a hero like him.






To Conquer Mr. Darcy, by Abigail Reynolds, is truly a “What If” novel. The critical question is what if Mr. Darcy didn’t give up on Elizabeth after his first disastrous proposal and Elizabeth’s unequivocal refusal? What if instead of meeting her again purely by chance at Pemberley, he returned with Bingley to Netherfield and made a concerted effort to win Elizabeth’s love and respect.

The book begins with Colonel Fitzwilliam stopping at Darcy’s townhouse in London. Georgiana has been worried about Darcy. Ever since the visit to Rosings, Darcy has spent his time alone, in the dark, drinking himself into a stupor and refusing to see anyone. This is totally out of character for him to be so depressed but he stubbornly resists all efforts to find out what is bothering him. Fitzwilliam luckily is a soldier and he barrels in where Georgiana and Bingley fear to tread and drags the story out of him. His advice is to go after Elizabeth if she means that much to him and win her. For to do otherwise is evidence that he really doesn’t care. Darcy is angry but he pulls himself together and sets out determined to win Elizabeth.

At this point, we’ve diverged from the original story of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, and Reynolds has to weave her story between the incidents of the original story with a few changes. Darcy supports Bingley in his desire to marry Jane Bennet. Thus Darcy is with Bingley when he visits Jane and can pursue Elizabeth’s good opinion.

You can imagine that things are awkward at first as she’s refused his offer of marriage and while his explanation of his dealings with Mr. Wickham have somewhat changed her opinion of him, she doesn’t care to be more than acquaintances. Darcy on the other hand, really makes an effort to be civil and courteous to Elizabeth’s family members. He makes sure that he meets Elizabeth when she goes for walks and rambles and essentially treats her as you would a wild animal — kindly, slowly taming her — getting her used to the idea of him being around.

Reynolds uses much of the original dialogue and manages to incorporate Elizabeth’s trip with the Gardiners and Lydia’s pseudo-elopement with Wickham. Of course, the changing relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy, changes the way these events play out.

And for purists, I have to mention that his book is a romance — there’s several very steamy scenes along with some that are more conventional for the time period such as holding hands, kisses. But, the real non-cannon event is Elizabeth and Darcy having sex prior to their marriage. Reynolds builds up to this slowly over the books so that when it occurs it seems a logical extension of their relationship within context of this book. By the way, this doesn’t give anything away as it’s on the blurb on the back of the book and in the Amazon description. So, purists are warned.

In summation, I felt that it was a well done. Reynolds took her “what ifs” and wove them into the plot points of the original books so seamlessly that you might have to refer back to the original to scope out the magnitude and number of changes those what ifs cause. At heart To Conquer Mr. Darcy is a romance — now it’s just a bit more racy romance than we’re used to between these two well-loved characters.

[Note: Edited 10 Aug 2010 to change book title to match the actual published title as it change since I read the review copy.]


Rating: 4 Cups

Elizabeth Bennet is beautiful and witty, but lives in a rather provincial town with an overbearing mother and four other sisters. She is her father’s favorite and has more commonsense than the rest of her family, but she can be judgmental, opinionated, and is prone to jump to conclusions.

Fitzwilliam Darcy is a very wealthy and handsome young man, but he overcomes his shyness and unease in company with a snobbish and prideful attitude. His sense of humor is well hidden to most, and he is not an easy man to know. His good friends are very loyal.

In this reworking of Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy is a much more passionate man who is determined to sweep Elizabeth Bennet off of her feet. He wages a fierce campaign to win her heart.

This is an entertaining and spicier take on the classic Austen romance. Elizabeth and Darcy are definitely more passionate in their romance than in the original, but the basics are still there. The plot is interesting and will hold the interest of even non-fans of Jane Austen, and is a step above the current crop of rewrites of the original. I still wonder why so many want to improve upon a classic but enjoyed this story nonetheless.


Where do I begin? First let me say that I believe that if Jane Austen were alive today this is the book she’d have written. I absolutely loved this book! It is one of those books that requires you to savour every delicious word and role it around on your tongue as though you are tasting it for the first time. Abigail Reynolds has captured the essence of Jane Austen’s writing so completely that it is easy to forget that you are not reading Pride and Prejudice. Warning, this book will cause you to float away on a cloud of delight.

I originally purchased this book in 2009 after reading a rave review of Impulse and Initiative. As I love Jane Austen rewrites and sequels I had to buy the book immediately, however, as is often the case I put in on my TBR pile to promptly forget about it. Then earlier this year I was offered the new version above, which I declined as I already had a copy of an earlier version. But I did decide that I would add it to my reading list and read it to coincide with the release of To Conquer Mr Darcy. I’m so glad this book didn’t sit on my bookshelf for another moment.

This story picks up when Mr Darcy returns to London after his first failed marriage proposal to Elizabeth. A dark cloud descends upon him from which he is unable to escape. He becomes withdrawn and sullen and has no desire to communicate with anyone. Colonel Fitzwilliam steps in to convince Darcy of the errors of his ways and to try again to woe Elizabeth. Thus the story truly begins (big sigh). It was romantic, funny, captivating and completely engrossing. I have to say how much I loved the language and tone of the book, it is just so true to Jane Austen’s style.

If you’ve never read Pride and Prejudice then have no fear, you will love this book. Is it wrong of me to say that I loved it even more than Pride and Prejudice? I know that many would think that is such an abhorrent thing to say but I really did love it more than P & P. So I urge you to rush and preorder this wonderful, fantastic, amazing book. Yes I’m gushing because I haven’t been this excited about a book for a while.

I am truly fascinated by this whole new trend of “what if” books. My first encounter with this type of book is a new romance entitled ‘To Conquer Mr. Darcy’ by Abigail Reynolds. The story is based on everybody’s favorite romance Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It begins a short time after Darcy proposes to Elizabeth Bennet. He returns to London shocked by her refusal. He is in a bad state drinking to much port and sulking around town. He refuses to see his friends and everyone is worried about him, especially his sister Georgiana. Colonel Fitzwilliam returns to London, planning to visit Darcy and Georgiana and he arrives just in time to find everyone in a panic about what to do for poor Darcy. No one suspects that the real reason for Darcy’s depression – the rejection of Miss Bennett – but Fitzwilliam is determined to get it out of him. And, when he finally finds out, Fitzwilliam cannot believe he has just given up on his love and he spurs Darcy into doing something about it. Thus begins this wonderful “what if” novel.

The author has done an impressive embellishment of the story of Pride and Prejudice that we all know so well. With this new novel by Abigail Reynolds, you get a chance to experience exactly what might have happened. Her writing style is true to form and as you are reading, you might actually begin to believe you are reading some new material by Jane Austen herself. This is one of the most attractive features of this novel. What is even more interesting is that this “what if” novel has opened up a whole new line of reading which I plan to fully enjoy in the future.


Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy seems to be a social klutz. After an unsuccessful attempt at a marriage proposal to Miss Elizabeth Bennet several months prior, he is found suffering the doldrums as this novel opens. His sister and entire household of servants are very concerned about him. They confide in a visiting cousin who speaks directly to William and finds out he is berating himself for his blunder of a proposal and learns how much he really wants to make things work with Miss Bennet. His cousin encourages him to go back and see her again and begin the courtship all over.

Mr. Darcy does just that. He accompanies a good friend to Netherfield, who just happens to also be pursuing Elizabeth’s sister. This proves to be the perfect springboard for seeing Elizabeth again. William is not met with hostility, yet finds her neither encouraging nor discouraging. Throughout their new courtship, they discuss their misunderstandings, their misinterpretations of each other’s intentions, and each one apologizes for jumping to conclusions. He agrees to go slowly, but she is determined to hold the cards on whether things move along at all.

This story is a battle of wills of two very strong-minded people. Abigail Reynolds writes a new ending to Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE in this historical romance. Will Mr. Darcy get his precious Elizabeth? Will she still be able to make decisions for herself as she wants, or will she have to let him make them for her? You’ll enjoy this novel’s happy ending.

Format: Paperback

Dimensions
Length: 6.875 in
Width: 4.1875 in
Weight: 7.12 oz
Page Count: 416 pages