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Pride & Property
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‘Pride and Property’ is a variation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which tells the story of the Bennet sisters after their lives are thrown into sudden turmoil when they tragically lose both their parents. In particular, it tells the story of what happened next between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy after she rejects his proposal of marriage.
Women in the Regency-era were not given many choices for their futures, and Elizabeth Bennet has a great deal less options open to her when she considers how she and her sisters might survive now that their parents are gone and they are about to be evicted from their beloved home.
But then Mr Darcy makes an unexpected offer which could save them all – though after their heated confrontation at Easter time, Elizabeth is more disgusted by his presumption and arrogance, rather than grateful for his intervention.
Yet, as her uncle makes clear, with her family facing ruin and with no other options left open to her, Elizabeth is not about to be given much choice in the matter. Can she bring herself to accept such an uncertain future… a future which – despite what she feels about the matter – is set to involve the very stern and intimidating Mr Darcy?
“I don’t understand why Mr Darcy concerns himself in our affairs in the first place!” she cried angrily. “What does he want in return?”
“He wants you, Lizzy,” answered Mr Gardiner bluntly. “He has made an offer for your hand.”
“How dare he?” exploded Elizabeth in a sudden outburst of rage – and too angry to remain still, she abruptly jumped to her feet and began to pace around the room. “I already rejected him! He knows this; I made it abundantly clear!”
This story is approximately 92,000 words long.
Reviews
Loved it!
Although in this variation of P&P, Lizzy is a lot more pigheaded and stubborn, due to the news of her parents’ death interrupting her reading of Darcy’s letter. So while I wanted to slap some sense into her, it is understandable and makes for a delightful read.
- Judi Dionne
Love Deferred.
In this P&P alternative the unthinkable has happened, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are dead. The story begins after Elizabeth has rejected Mr. Darcy at Hunsford. Her uncle Gardner now has guardianship of his five nieces. Mr. Collins almost immediately want to evict his cousins from their childhood home. You get the gist. Enter Mr. Darcy with a renewal of his proposal knowing that he could help the Bennet girls through marriage to Elizabeth. This is that story of how they achieved their HEA, through a time of discovery, sadness, renewal of faith, respect and finally love. Oh by the way Jane and Bingley also have their HEA in case you were wondering!
- Kindle Customer
4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars
I found that I liked this book much better than some other JAFF books. The storyline centers on the evolving relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth with the other characters having less prominent roles. While Mr. Gardiner’s viewpoint represents that of the time, I didn’t particularly like his character compared to that from the original P&P and some other JAFF books.
- DrCatMom
Truly Lovely
A forced marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth. But not the usual way. This time Darcy approaches Elizabeth’s uncle after the death of her parents. Just a few weeks after the disastrous proposal in Kent. Really enjoyed it.
- Fabulous Mrs B
Mr Darcy wants to saves the Bennet ladies from the hedgerows
Post-Hunsford. Back story - Darcy proposed and was refused. Heightened by the emotion of Elizabeth's refusal and not in full control of himself, he pulls the object of his desire into his arms and kisses her with aggressive passion. The lady reacts with affront and anger at being manhandled. The next day, he delivers the letter and leaves. Still upset with the man, Elizabeth has barely begun to understand what his letter reveals when she receives a letter of a different sort. This one turns her world upside down - her parents have died. Darcy learns of the tragedy several weeks later and decides to save Elizabeth and sisters from being evicted from Longbourn by the eager Mr. Collins. The only honorable solution Darcy can devise is to marry into the Bennet family and so he seeks out Mr. Gardiner to make an offer. We all know his choice and she wants none of it. But the love of and loyalty to her sisters leave her no options. I liked the pace of the story as Elizabeth comes to know the man who makes an offer she cannot refuse. She is so set against him, it will take time and familiarity to reverse her understanding of Darcy's character. The author does a really good job of getting inside D&E's heads. Their inner thoughts are prevalent throughout the book. There could be a bit more editing to polish the story but overall I really enjoyed reading this one and will look forward to future offerings from E. Bradshaw.
- KR H