Love at First Slight
It may not be universally acknowledged, but the unvarnished truth is that a young widow in possession of a good fortune is not necessarily in want of another husband.
In this humorous, topsy-turvy Pride & Prejudice variation, all major gender roles are reversed. It is Mr. Bennet’s greatest wish to see his five sons advantageously married. When the haughty Miss Elizabeth Darcy comes to Netherfield with the Widow Devonport (nee Bingley), speculation — and prejudice — runs rampant.
William Bennet, a reluctant and irreverent reverend, catches Miss Darcy’s eye, even though he is beneath her station. His opinion of her is fixed when she slights him at the Meryton assembly. As her ardour grows, so does his disdain. When she fully expects to receive an offer of marriage, he gives her something else entirely . . .
Spyglasses & Sunburns
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(short story in the Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer anthology)
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At the seaside, some of the Miss Bennets chance upon handsome acquaintances.
A Little Whimsical in His Civilities
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Told entirely from Fitzwilliam Darcy’s point of view, J. Marie Croft’s humorous novella, A Little Whimsical in His Civilities spans one moonlit, autumnal night upon the gentleman’s return to Hertfordshire in pursuit of Elizabeth Bennet.
“We take the turning which places us on Meryton’s main road, and—oh, gad! There it is—the base-court building which passes for an assembly hall in this godforsaken place. For me, the venue shall be either a heaven or a hell tonight. My palms grow clammy, my gut churns, and I regret that second helping of onion-laden vegetable pie forced on me before we left.”
Accompany Darcy as he, intent on reversing the disastrous first impression he made there, braves another Meryton assembly and seeks to win his heart’s desire.
From the Ashes
(short story in
The Darcy Monologues anthology)
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The Art of Sinking
(short story in the Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen's Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues anthology)
The Simple Things
(my short story in the Rational Creatures anthology)
Homespun for the Holidays
(short story in the Yuletide anthology)
All proceeds from the KINDLE E-BOOK and PAPERBACK ONLY to benefit Chawton Great House in Hampshire, former manor of Jane Austen’s brother Edward Austen Knight and now the Centre for the Study of Early Women’s Writing, 1600-1830.
The Age of Nescience
(anthology short story in
Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl)
Play with Fire
Madness! It was nothing but madness from beginning to end, and Darcy was caught up in it.
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What do occupants of Netherfield Park do on a dreary Saturday while the Bennet sisters are still in residence and they have nothing at all to do? They take a page from Mansfield Park, of course, and decide on a theatrical.
In the process of planning and performing the play, certain participants get more than a little carried away, especially Fitzwilliam Darcy where Elizabeth Bennet is concerned. There might even be a kiss...and a skirmish...leading to a duel.
No one involved in the play had set out with the intention of creating a scandal. None preforming in the theatrical began with the aim of ending with blushing faces, or bruised bodies, or blemishes on their reputations.
Blame it on The Mésalliance.
I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest. ~ William Shakespeare
Enduring Connexions
WHEN FITZWILLIAM DARCY IS BETRAYED by love at the age of twenty-three, he vows that never again will he allow a woman to own his heart. Never again will he be made a fool. Never again will he trust. His heart and pride will be spared from another crippling blow, no matter what.
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FOUR YEARS LATER, his resolve is put to the test. Elizabeth Bennet is vivacious and beautiful, but she has family connexions which make her unsuitable for him. Her immediate family is vulgar, and her relations are involved in trade. Worst of all, she has an elder sister, Jane, who is nearly a twin of the woman who broke his heart and shattered his trust. Yet, despite his reservations, Darcy’s growing affection for Elizabeth is impossible to deny or resist.
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ALAS, JUST AS DARCY BEGINS TO ALLOW the walls around his heart to crumble, a dark secret from someone else’s past comes to light and threatens the stability of the Bennet family’s very foundations. A connexion Darcy could never have imagined will have a potentially devastating impact on the Bennets and on his and Elizabeth’s burgeoning love. If Darcy wants Elizabeth in his life, he and the Bennets must learn to forgive and accept that which cannot be changed.
Release date: February 19, 2024
A Golden Opportunity
He would change for the better because it was the honourable thing to do and just perhaps the woman he loved would grow to think better of him.
Fitzwilliam Darcy longs to escape Rosings Park following his failed proposal of marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Alas it cannot be; both he and Elizabeth having been required to remain for an additional ten days for a private ball in celebration of the birthday of Miss Anne de Bourgh.
As the days progress, Darcy finds himself increasingly alarmed by the strange happenings that he sees, and that Lady Catherine reports, in Kent. His cousin, Miss Anne de Bourgh has thrown off the meekness and ennui of her earlier years. Displaying unprecedented liveliness and rebellion, she has been visiting the master gardener’s cottage, claiming she merely seeks his advice about her herbarium, but both Lady Catherine and Darcy suspect something more scandalous is afoot. To add to this, there seems to be some sort of thievery or vandalism occurring in the house, with precious items being pilfered or damaged. Darcy’s days are further complicated when he realizes that he may have a rival for Elizabeth’s affection, a young gentleman who is the owner of an estate near to Rosings.
There seems to be a potential scandal or heartache everywhere Darcy turns, but somewhere in midst of it all springs some hope. Can he and Elizabeth untangle all their misunderstandings or will some sort of disaster be their unravelling?
A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY is a novella length variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.