Joana Starnes

A chance encounter in the wilds of the North brings more joy to Elizabeth and Mr Darcy than either of them dared hope for. But her world is rocked by blow after blow - and the truth would only cause him pain. 'I must be cruel only to be kind' is Elizabeth's guiding precept, and she chooses her path. Yet time, circumstances, and new acquaintances teach her she had made a terrible mistake. How can she regain what she had lost and rebuild a future with the only man she will ever love, but for whom disguise of every sort is his abhorrence? (New cover. Content unchanged)

Pemberley's ancient halls harbour many secrets. Which one will affect Fitzwilliam Darcy and the love of his life? How is Mr Bennet to enjoy the comforts of a well-stocked library, when his wife's premature demise had left him with the task of finding suitable matches for their daughters? And what of a misleading encounter on a muddy lane in Hertfordshire, that renders a country-town assembly rather more tolerable than some might have thought? Shades of mystery, meddlesome relations - not least a drenched Adonis - raillery, old errors and a very recent union make for a challenging courtship when Fitzwilliam Darcy is not on his own ground. Yet when love is the reward, challenges make it more worth the earning. "A fraught courtship? So, let it be fraught," Colonel Fitzwilliam said with a nonchalant flourish of his hand. "A good challenge never hurt anyone." (New cover. Content unchanged).

"One has all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it." --Jane Austen Jane Austen's masterpieces are littered with unsuitable gentlemen--Willoughby, Wickham, Churchill, Crawford, Tilney, Elliot, et al.--adding color and depth to her plots but often barely sketched. Have you never wondered about the pasts of her rakes, rattles, and gentlemen rogues? Surely, there's more than one side to their stories. It is a universal truth, we are captivated by smoldering looks, daring charms ... a happy-go-lucky, cool confidence. All the while, our loyal confidants are shouting on deaf ears: "He is a cad--a brute--all wrong " But is that not how tender hearts are broken...by loving the undeserving? How did they become the men Jane Austen created? In this romance anthology, eleven Austenesque authors expose the histories of Austen's anti-heroes. Dangerous to Know: Jane Austen's Rakes & Gentlemen Rogues is a titillating collection of Georgian era short stories--a backstory or parallel tale off-stage of canon--whilst remaining steadfast to the characters we recognize in Austen's great works. What say you? Everyone may be attracted to a bad boy...even temporarily...but heaven help us if we marry one.

"You must allow me to tell you..." For over two hundred years, Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy has captivated readers' imaginations as the ultimate catch. Rich. Powerful. Noble. Handsome. And yet, as Miss Austen's Pride and Prejudice is established through Elizabeth Bennet's fine eyes, how are we to know his mind? How does Darcy progress from "She is tolerable: but not handsome enough to tempt me" to "I thought only of you"? In this romance anthology, fifteen Austenesque authors assemble to sketch Darcy's character through a series of re-imaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times--from faithful narratives to the fanciful. Herein The Darcy Monologues, the man himself reveals his intimate thoughts, his passionate dreams, and his journey to love--all told with a previously concealed wit and enduring charm." It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy."

When Colonel Fitzwilliam's disclosures are interrupted by the bearer of distressing news from Longbourn, Miss Elizabeth Bennet is compelled to accept an offer she would have otherwise dismissed out of hand. An offer of marriage from the all-too-proud Mr Darcy. Yet how is she to live with a husband she hardly knows and does not love? Will she continue to feel trapped in a marriage of convenience while events conspire to divide them? Or would love grow as, day by day and hour after hour, she learns to understand the man she married, before she loses his trust and his heart? Given the 'early marriage' premise, the issue of growing affection and intimacy is central to the story. The relevant scenes are not graphic, but the novel does address mature themes. Excerpt from 'Mr Bennet's Dutiful Daughter' - a journey from duty into love. His hand came up to cup her cheek, his fingertips stroked her hair and he smiled again. A heartbreakingly warm smile." There is so much I do not know of you. What joy it will be to discover.""And I of you. It was quite a surprise to hear you were contemplating kissing me as far back as November.""I should have. What a foolish waste of five months of happiness.""I am very glad I make you happy," she said quietly, and found with some surprise that she was in earnest." You know you do. More than I ever thought possible," Mr Darcy whispered hoarsely and reached to lift her off the sofa and bring her close, ensconced in a tight embrace. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, abandoning herself to his kisses, only to find guilt welling afresh when his lips left her skin just for long enough to whisper, "My love, you are everything."'Do not say it, oh, do not say it ' she felt the strongest urge to caution him. 'Do not give me so much power over you.'How unspeakably odd it felt to hear him openly avow it, after his reserve of full six months' standing. It was as if everything he had held in check was now offered without hesitation, unstoppably coming out in one rush after another, now that all reason for concealment was removed. It was overwhelming to discover that all this wealth of feeling had been there for so long, and she had noticed nothing. Her heart twisted in sudden compassion - the last sentiment she had imagined Mr Darcy would inspire in her, and for the least expected reason. Did he not see it was dreadfully unwise to reveal quite so much of himself to her? That it would make him vulnerable in the extreme and put him in the greatest danger, were she so heartless as to use it against him? Surely he did not think her equally in love, to trust her so implicitly with every formerly hidden feeling What blow must it be to him, were the truth of her deep-held reservations ever to come to light. What burden of responsibility on her, to carefully conceal it from so astute a man. Unspeakably odd too that she should fret so much over sparing Mr Darcy's feelings, after spending months with the firm conviction he had none. Not for her, nor for the world in general. How aptly he had put it, all that time ago, when he had remarked that her greatest fault was her propensity to wilfully misunderstand...

Miss Georgiana Darcy is in need of a companion, and she would much rather not have Mrs Younge. The recently bereaved Miss Elizabeth Bennet is in need of a position. When she accepts the one Mr Darcy offers, she finds herself in his near-constant company and gets to know him at his best. Not as he would present himself to strangers in some remote corner of Hertfordshire, but as his nearest and dearest know him. An excellent brother, landlord, master. A wonderful man, noble, kind - and impossibly handsome. So who falls in love first? What of Mr Wickham and his dastardly ploys? And how is a lady's companion ever to have a future with one who could marry into the best houses in the land?

All is fair in love and war - or is it? What if Mr Darcy's rival for Elizabeth Bennet's hand and heart is not some inconsequential stranger, but his dearest, closest friend? How is he to reconcile the claims of loyalty and kinship with the urge to pursue his heart's desire? (New Cover. Content unchanged)"Eyes tightly shut against the horrifying future, Darcy dug his fingers in his hair. Lost to him forever. Not merely lost, but promised to his cousin - firmly in his life, but never his How in God's name was he to bear it and not become unhinged? How was he to have her at his table as Richard's affianced, and not betray himself? How was he to see her, time and again, and give no sign that he wanted her more than he had ever wanted any woman? How was he to keep up the pretence, day after excruciating day?""This cannot be Today's events have tampered with your judgement.""Elizabeth, pray let my judgement be my concern alone. From the very first days of our acquaintance, I sat in judgement instead of courting you, and I paid a terrible price for it. After a year such as I had, there is nothing - nothing, do you hear? - that I would not do to be with you." He kissed her with a passion bordering on desperation, then burst out, more fiercely than ever: "You must leave me room to hope Or, as God is my witness, by this time tomorrow I will have carried you off to Gretna Green and damn the consequences "

Just as Mr Darcy finally decides to propose to the enticing Miss Elizabeth Bennet, she is summoned to Falmouth, to meet a relation she never knew she had. Thus, the ill-starred Hunsford proposal is avoided - but before he could even begin to understand his luck, adverse circumstances hasten to conspire against him, and Fitzwilliam Darcy is compelled to follow the woman he loves to the far reaches of Cornwall, into a world of deceit and peril, where few - if any - are what they seem to be...(New cover. Content unchanged)

Soon after the Netherfield ball, a troubled Mr. Darcy decides to walk away from a most unsuitable fascination. But heartache is in store for them all, and his misguided attempts to ensure the comfort of the woman he loves backfire in ways he had not expected... Why is it that the worth of a true blessing is never felt as keenly as when it seems to have become quite out of reach? In this tale of 'Pride & Prejudice meets Sense & Sensibility', Mr. Darcy is compelled to reflect on this very question, as he struggles to come to terms with the effects of his wrong choices, and fervently hope for a second chance at finding happiness." Well, Sir, what shall it be? The joy of music or of the printed word?" she asked, in a manner so highly reminiscent of their past interactions as to make him almost giddy with renewed hope. "The joy of you. My greatest folly was to ever walk away from it " (New cover. Content Unchanged)

A number of broken-hearted characters from Jane Austen's best novels are thrown together by the vagaries of fate, and all manner of unwise decisions are taken at this vulnerable time. But then their past creeps up upon them - and what is there to do but face it, and hope that their convoluted paths will finally lead them to their proper place?" Elizabeth... " he murmured against her lips, her skin, her hair, and then her lips again. "I cannot forsake you. I cannot I cannot lose you. I cannot bear to think of a life without you - 'tis not worth living, 'tis but a slow death. I cannot lose you. I beg you, do not send me away again. I love you. Elizabeth, I love you " Friends, rivals, foes, wrong choices and a duel - Fitzwilliam Darcy's life is never dull 'The Subsequent Proposal' - a story that is primarily about him - follows Mr Darcy in his struggles to decipher the troubling enigma of Elizabeth Bennet's feelings - and to correct the worst misjudgement of his life...

A sequel to Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice', 'From This Day Forward' explores life at Pemberley after Elizabeth Bennet's marriage to Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the turns their fates might have taken. On a crisp winter morning in a small country church, Miss Elizabeth Bennet married Mr Darcy - and her quiet, tame existence abruptly changed. The second daughter of a country gentleman is now many different things, to different people. Beloved wife. Mistress of a dauntingly great estate. Reluctant socialite. Daughter. Sister. Cousin. Friend. Her world is very different too, touched by a series of events that the creator of 'Pride & Prejudice' would have recognised. As the days of her married life go by, bringing both joy and turmoil, the man that stands beside her is her shelter and comfort in the face of family opposition, peril and heartbreak. Three very different Christmas seasons come to serve as landmarks to their lives and there are blissful days and times of sorrow at the old English country house. And before too long, a time would come when Darcy must decide if he is prepared to risk everything for the sake of a full life together - or succumb to the collection of his fears. "Quiet footsteps, eerily quiet, drew him from his trance. He looked up - and followed. The ghostly sound faded as he reached the eastern staircase and he took the steps two at a time, down to the very bottom. A madman's quest for he knew not what pushed him to the gallery. In the light of the moon, from her portrait, his grandfather's first wife looked down upon him with the deepest compassion. He dug his fingers into his hair. A long, dry sob racked his chest as he pounded the frame of the unfortunate woman's likeness, and broken gilt plaster fell to the floor. He covered his mouth with his fist, stifling the groan. And ran out of the deathly silent room, chased by his demons."