A Lady

Darcy and Elizabeth are about to learn how "necessity" never makes a fair bargain. When ELIZABETH BENNET appears on his doorstep some ten months after her refusal of his hand in marriage, FITZWILLIAM DARCY uses the opportunity to "bargain" for her acceptance of a renewal of his proposal in exchange for his assistance in bringing Mr. George Wickham to justice. In Darcy's absence from Hertfordshire, Wickham has executed a scam to defraud the citizens of Meryton, including her father, of their hard-earned funds. All have invested in Wickham's Ten Percent Annuity scheme. Her family and friends are in dire circumstances, and more importantly, Mr. Bennet's heart has taken an ill turn. Elizabeth will risk everything to bring her father to health again and to save her friends from destitution; yet, is she willing to risk her heart? She places her trust in Darcy's ability to thwart Wickham's manipulations, but she is not aware that Darcy wishes more than her acquiescence. He desires her love. Neither considers what will happen if he does not succeed in bringing Mr. Wickham before

Lizzie Bennet has lost her father, her social standing, and is now leaving her family behind to become a governess for Mr. Darcy. Despite her change in circumstances, she finds joy and meaning in her new role, as Charles, Mr. Darcy's young son, begins to blossom under her tutelage. However, her employer is arrogant, rude, and disdainful. He opens a window to the world she left behind, but humiliates her for her change in social status as well as her encroaching spinsterhood. Determined not to allow him to treat her so scornfully, Lizzie finds herself unable to hide her forthright nature as she stands up for herself and for Charles. When disaster strikes, Lizzie and Darcy need to come together to save Georgiana, Mr. Darcy's sister, from societal ruin. But how close can they really become when he is a proud and wealthy gentleman and she a humble governess?

When tragedy strikes her family, leaving no males to handle business affairs, Elizabeth Bennet decides to become "man of the family". Cutting her hair and dressing in her uncle's clothing, Elizabeth becomes Elijah Bennet. She must keep her secret, though when she meets Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, the nephew of Elijah Bennet's best customer, her heart is torn. Should she be honest about being a lady, or protect her family secret?

Elizabeth Bennet's acceptance of his hand in marriage presents FITZWILLIAM DARCY a hope of the world being different. Elizabeth offers warmth and naturalness and a bit of defiance; but there is vulnerability also. With characteristic daring, she boldly withstood Caroline Bingley's barbs, while displaying undying devotion to her sister Jane. More unpredictably, she verbally fenced with the paragon of crudeness, his aunt, Lady Catherine, and walked away relatively unscathed. One often finds his betrothed self-mockingly entertaining her sisters and friends, and despite Darcy's best efforts, the woman makes him laugh. She brings lightness to his spirit after so many years of grief. Unfortunately for ELIZABETH BENNET, what begins gloriously turns to concern for their future. She recognizes her burgeoning fears as unreasonable; yet, she cannot displace them. She refuses to speculate on what Mr. Darcy will say when he learns she is not the brilliant choice he proclaims her to be. Moreover, she does not think she can submit to the gentleman's staid lifestyle. Not even for love can Elizabeth accept capitulation. Will Elizabeth set her qualms aside to claim 'home' in the form of the man she truly affects or will her courage fail her? Enjoy a bit of mayhem that we commonly call "Happily Ever After," along with three alternate turning points to this tale of love and loss and love again from Austen-inspired author, Regina Jeffers.

The Last Man in the World She Wishes to Marry is the One Man Who Owns Her Heart ELIZABETH BENNET adamantly refused Fitzwilliam Darcy's proposal, but when Maria Lucas discovers the letter Darcy offers Elizabeth in explanation of his actions, Elizabeth must swallow her objections in order to save her reputation. She follows Darcy to London and pleads for the gentleman to renew his proposal. Yet, even as she does so, Elizabeth knows not what she fears most: being Mr. Darcy's wife or the revenge he might consider for her earlier rebuke. FITZWILLIAM DARCY would prefer that Elizabeth Bennet held him in affection, but he reasons that even if she does not, having Elizabeth at his side is far better than claiming another to wife. However, when a case of mistaken identity causes Darcy not to show at his wedding ceremony, he finds himself in a desperate search for his wayward bride-to-be. Elizabeth, realizing Society will label her as "undesirable" after being abandoned at the altar, sets out on an adventure to mark her future days as the spinster aunt to her sisters' children. However, Darcy means to locate her and to convince Elizabeth that his affections are true, and a second chance will prove him the "song that sets her heart strumming." "Jeffers' books are like a fine banquet in a tasteful location, warmly detailed ambiance, several courses, freshly prepared and appealingly presented, each taste to be savored; each course, complimented, an experience to remember purely for its contents, relished even as, perhaps more as, a single diner." - BCM

Is a Happily Ever After really possible, when you number the Wickhams as part of the family? Every family has its dirty dishes, but with the Wickhams around, not only are the dirty plates on display, but the scones and the silverware are mysteriously disappearing... When Wickham and Lydia show up at the Darcy London townhome, asking for five thousand pounds to invest, their timing couldn't be worse. Not only is Georgiana in residence, but Darcy and Elizabeth expect a large party of guests to arrive at any moment, including Col. Fitzwilliam, Cousin Anne--and Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Despite all efforts to pack the Wickhams out the door, like all dreadful in-laws, they do not understand hints. As tempers flare and sparks fly, are fisticuffs imminent? "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery," Jane Austen wrote, and in that spirit, this novella of 14,000 words, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice, is offered.