Jan Ashton

None of us like Mr Darcy, but I must determine the truth about him if we are to know the real character of Mr Wickham. WHEN JANE BENNET RETURNS from a holiday at Ramsgate engaged to a handsome and charming young man, Elizabeth Bennet is astonished to find herself the only person at Longbourn questioning their attachment. Just who is the elusive George Wickham? What is it that has drawn him to her handsome elder sister who has no fortune, no family connexions to offer him? WEEKS AFTER SEPARATING HIS SISTER Miss Georgiana Darcy from the attentions of the nefarious George Wickham, Fitzwilliam Darcy arrives in Hertfordshire to visit his friend Charles Bingley at Netherfield Park. There, he discovers that Wickham has impugned his character and is now betrothed to a lady whose enchanting younger sister has both decided opinions and strikingly beautiful eyes. MR DARCY'S DOUBTS AND ELIZABETHS CONCERN over the misalliance lead them to set aside their mutual distrust and determine the truth about Wickham's true intentions, but the more they discover, the deeper they find their own hearts entangled.

'Tis the Season is a collection of stories inspired by the beloved characters of Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice. HEART ENOUGH by Amy D'OrazioWHEN ELIZABETH BENNET REASSURES Lady Catherine de Bourgh that she is not trying to ensnare her nephew, Darcy loses all hope of romance with her, and proposes to his cousin. Two years later, they meet again, both unmarried and both still cherishing tender feelings for one another, but will they have heart enough to love this time? A YULETIDE DREAM by Julie CooperFOLLOWING THE UNTIMELY DEATH of his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Fitzwilliam Darcy decides that his interests in Rosings Park should be inducement enough to marry his cousin Anne. However, his resolution is challenged by a series of Yuletide apparitions who will open his eyes and change his determination to undoing his past wrongs with a certain lady in Hertfordshire. IN THE SPIRIT INTENDED by Jan AshtonA YEAR AFTER THEY LAST MET, Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are reunited for Christmas at the Bingleys' London home. In that year, he has travelled, while she has refused another offer of marriage, but as they gather with family, including two unexpected visitors, they will celebrate the holiday and unwrap old wounds. STRANDED AT PEMBERLEY by Jenetta JamesAFTER A DEVASTATING CARRIAGE ACCIDENT IN DERBYSHIRE, at in Christmas 1810, Elizabeth Bennet and the Gardiners are stranded at Pemberley while Mrs Gardiner recovers. She soon finds that the halls of the great house are filled with secret and sorrows but Christmas cheer will prevail, and perhaps romance along with it. CHRISTMAS AT BLACKTHORN MANOR by Lucy MarinELIZABETH AND MR DARCY FIND THEMSELVES brought together at a house party at Blackthorn Manor following a sixteen month separation. Will they learn the truth about what has kept them apart before the festive celebrations end, or will they go their separate ways once again? CALL IT HOPE by Susan AdrianiCHRISTMAS APPROACHES AND DARCY is doomed to spend it under lock and key at Rosings Park. Will his relations and their antics drive him to Bedlam, or will he be rewarded with the one gift he always hoped to receive, but doubted he would ever attain? WELCOME HOME by Mary SmytheDARCY IS AMAZED when he discovers Elizabeth Bennet at Pemberley, living contentedly as his wife and mistress of the house. He will be forced to consider what is real and what is not, and what this Christmas miracle means for his life thereafter. THE PINK DAFFODIL by Elizabeth RascheCHRISTMAS MIGHT MEAN FESTIVITY AND FUN for some, but for Mary Bennet it is just another occasion for displaying her piety and promoting her new charity, the Meryton Widows and Orphans Society. Then she finds herself drawn to a new gentleman who has arrived to stay at Netherfield Park, and soon finds his attractions threaten to mar more than just her Christmas charity. MISGIVINGS & MISTLETOE by KaraLynne MackroryFORCED TOGETHER BY SNOW and the well intentions of their friends and family, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet must hide agonizing lost hopes. Even with mistletoe abounding around them, the two must find their way through misgivings and snow storms to rediscover love.

"It is the way of the world, Elizabeth. Men hold power over women, but I am not a man who wants to wield such power. I would prefer a woman who has some power over me." Fitzwilliam Darcy already has one arranged marriage in his past. The last thing he envisions for himself is another, yet he has somehow become entrapped in a promise to a dying man. Not only must Darcy overcome his resentment in order to live up to his sense of honour, but when he realises how deeply his heart may be engaged, he must convince Elizabeth Bennet of his true feelings. Elizabeth never expected the imperious Mr Darcy to become a good friend of an idle gentleman like her father. And she certainly never anticipated they would form a secret pact compelling her marriage to a man she dislikes. She must set aside grief and resentment, as well as her suspicions: Is Darcy using her to avoid another bride pushed onto him by his family, or to gain riches Elizabeth never knew she had? Or is it possible he loves her?

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a gossip in possession of misheard tales and desiring both a good wife and an eager audience need only descend upon the sitting rooms of a small country town in order to find satisfaction. And with a push from Lady Catherine, Mr Collins sets alight a series of misunderstandings, rumours, and lies that create obstacles to a romance between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. This slightly unhinged romantic comedy follows Darcy as he sets off to find himself a wife and is pulled into the mire of his aunt's machinations and his own fascination with Elizabeth, whom he believes betrothed to another. With Meryton judging him the grieving groom of Anne de Bourgh and a caddish dallier with the hearts of others, Darcy must ferret out the truth behind his cousin's disappearance, protect his sister from the fretful fate of all Fitzwilliam females, and, most importantly, win Elizabeth's heart.