I am writing like the wind on this story and we are ready for a direct preorder! I know, it’s been literally years since this series got a new episode, but well I can safely say it has simmered well and the series will be all the better for it.
Like If Mr. Darcy Dared, I am offering a preorder that will release 1 week before the other vendors and give a $2 discount off the retail price.
XOXOXO Elizabeth Ann West
Chapter 2 - A Spring Society, a Pride and Prejudice Novella Variation
The library at Pemberley was so immense, taking up the southern wing of the home, that as Mr. Darcy stormed in to confront his uncles, he took no notice of the two persons sitting at the table in the back corner, perpendicular to the doorway. Still, the sudden noise of the two double wooden doors opening caused both Kitty and Robert Fitzwilliam to freeze, though the master of the house stalked right past them.
They waited until Mr. Darcy was clear of the large atlas reference tables in the middle of the room and nearly to the comfortable seating area over by the fire before Kitty dared to giggle.
She dipped her quill in the ink as she felt Robert looking over her shoulder and thought carefully before adding a line.
And to what end should I consider your patronage, my Lord?
“Oh, what I wouldn’t give to see this performed! You truly have a talent Miss Catherine.”
Kitty blushed as her shoulders tensed. Three times now in the last hour, a compliment of her writing had passed the Viscount Ashbourne’s lips. And as the fourth daughter of five, though now the youngest with the loss her youngest sister, Lydia, the previous summer, she was not accustomed to attention, let alone compliments.
“I suppose the best actors of the work will have to live in our minds,” she said, sincerely.
Loud outbursts from the other side of the library attracted their attentions, and they both blushed in embarrassment.
“HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE MY FAMILY AGAIN OF ABUSING YOUR KINDNESS!” The Earl of Matlock could be heard from across the room as he stood and faced his nephew, who pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
After a moment, the men’s voices quieted at the other end of the room, and Kitty hurriedly returned her focus back to her writing.
“What do you suppose they’re arguing over?” Kitty asked simply, not wishing to upset her friend the Viscount, but allowing him an opportunity to vent if he so needed. She ignored the itchiness of the wig on her head, a condition of being out and about in polite company until her hair grew back.
“Money. Tis always about money,” Robert scoffed as he picked up earlier pages she had completed of a different folly, one telling the story of a bee who only pollinated the prettiest flowers in a garden, even though the less attractive flowers tried to warn him. But when the bee wouldn’t listen along came a spider and snagged the bee in his web, and the flowers were unable to save him.
“As vulgar as it is said to be, I must say it appears to have great use,” Kitty sighed as she considered for a moment if she was able to use her dowry as she wished, she’d pay to publish her works. But that was an unlikely outcome given that both her sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, Mr. Darcy, wished for Kitty to enjoy one season in London before committing to a career in writing. Kitty had bought herself a delay with her theatrics at Christmas, but not a reprieve.
“Oh yes, great use, and great responsibility and great nuisance, if you ask me.”
Kitty disliked this side to the Viscount. He was an intelligent man, a delight to discuss poetry and the intricacies of story, but he was also spoiled. He’d never had to live on economy until very recently and thought it always to be the result of deficiency in character, not circumstance.
“Well, I did not.”
“Did not what?” he asked in response.
Kitty lifted her quill to set it in the velvet box and capped her inkwell. “I did not ask you about your opinion on money.” She stood and began to gather her papers, careful to leave the one she most recently penned on top to dry so it would not smear.
Robert reached out to grab her wrist.
“I’ve upset you, I did not mean to. Please do not go, you’ll force me to go sit with them.” His eyes flitted across the room as they both spied Mr. Darcy now walking towards them, a curious expression on his face.
Chapter 2 (cont'd) - A Spring Society, a Pride and Prejudice Novella Variation
Kitty wrested her hand free as the Viscount released his grip, and she still collected her things. She had been better performing in their rather large family group day-by-day since she was the last to learn of her favorite sister’s demise. But Elizabeth had urged her to retreat to her very generous and gorgeous suite when her emotions began to churn with unpleasantness.
Mr. Darcy came upon them formally and bowed his head.
“Kitty, may I help you with your things?” Mr. Darcy asked and his sister by marriage smiled in gratitude.
“Darcy, I was just telling Miss Catherine, we ought to perform some of her follies, after dinner one night!” Robert allowed his enthusiasm for diversion to lift his tone as though this were nothing but an elegant house party and not a family in shambles.
“Would that please you?” Mr. Darcy asked intently of his wife’s sister.
Kitty bit her lower lip and with a shy smile, nodded.
Mr. Darcy returned her expression with an amused laugh, showing more tenderness to the youngest of the Bennet lot in his home since her painful winter. He had come to admire Kitty’s writing himself.
“Then I shall speak with Mrs. Darcy and have it arranged. Would you like to be in charge of selecting the actors?”
Kitty hesitated and Robert spoke up.
“I’ll assist her and we can even ask some of the household staff! It shall be great fun!”
Darcy frowned.
“Let me speak to my wife, first, if you please. And Mrs. Reynolds for good measure.”
As Mr. Darcy escorted his sister out of the library as he too was on his way upstairs to report to his wife on a number of matters, Robert Fitzwilliam groaned. If he liked horses more, he’d be like his brother Richard and head to the stables. But he never did take to liking the soreness after a long ride. And his preferred diversions of cards and parties, and particularly opium, were not available to him here. He supposed he could select a new book to read, but no doubt his father would call him over.
No, instead the unambitious viscount waiting around to inherit took inspiration from the home’s grand hostess herself. He decided to take a walk in the gardens.
****
NEW RELEASE
For the Love of a Bennet
What if Elizabeth Bennet traveled with Lydia to Brighton?
A reimagining of Jane Austen’s most beloved tale, Pride & Prejudice, join author Elizabeth Ann West as she writes the romantic adventure story she always wanted! When Lizzy and Lydia arrive in Brighton, it’s very clear that the younger Bennet sister came with very serious plans towards Mr. Wickham. Thankfully, an old ally is also in town, with problems of his own to solve. After Mr. Darcy, himself, is summoned to Brighton to hopefully solve two dilemmas with one wealthy member of the gentry, the whole militia is thrown into an uproar by Wickham’s most dastardly deed, yet. Together, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have to save Lydia from her own undoing, or it will mean more than just mere reputations are ruined.
For the Love of a Bennet is a novel length story, currently being posted chapter by chapter on Elizabeth’s author site. This story was originally conceptualized in 2019 as a part of the All Go to Brighton challenge.
Chapter 2 (cont'd) - A Spring Society, a Pride and Prejudice Novella Variation
In a remarkable feat, the grand estate of Pemberley felt smaller and smaller by the passing day for Fitzwilliam Darcy. His dining room, his library, and even his study, provided no refuge from the foibles of his relatives both by marriage and blood. But one sanctuary he and his wife had managed to maintain was his bedroom suite, while the mistress suite of Mrs. Darcy was often frequented by her mother, sisters, and his aunt. His rooms, however, remained private to only Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, and their personal servants, which was the closest attainment of privacy the expecting couple could manage.
It was not remarkable then for him to find his wife, many months gone in bearing his child, slumbering peacefully in his bed after he escorted Kitty to her room closer to the stairs in the family wing. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Darcy struggled as quietly as he could to divest himself of his boots and slip in next to his wife. Unfortunately, his efforts disturbed the well-strung mattress, and Elizabeth Darcy’s eyes fluttered open.
“Mmmmm, Fitzwilliam. Is it time to dress for dinner?” she asked.
Mr. Darcy leaned back and twisted his torso to kiss his wife’s forehead. “No, it’s still early. Though I have news from Mrs. Reynolds that I’m afraid the menu has required a slight change.”
Elizabeth grunted as she struggled to push herself up from laying down. Rolling side to side to get a bit of momentum she finally managed a strong enough position to prop up on her elbows and slide her form closer to the headboard. She patted the bed beside her and Darcy kicked off his stubborn right boot to join her.
For a moment, the two merely sat next to one another and Mr. Darcy’s hand reached out to rest across her midsection. The growing babe did not disappoint as Elizabeth awakening and moving had disturbed the child and Mr. Darcy felt an odd sensation as a large round part of the fetus moved under his hand.
“Do you suppose that’s the head?” he asked, questioning his wife for what sacred knowledge she might possess, being the one to carry the child.
But Elizabeth laughed. “If it makes you happy, then sure, but I think it might be another part altogether.” Her hands reached down to gently press on the other side of her swollen belly, finding what she thought to be the babe’s head. She dragged Fitzwilliam’s hand over to the same side so he might feel the other rounded area, then she brought his hand to the original side where they were both rewarded with a swift kick!
“Still so strong!” he exclaimed as Elizabeth winced, her breathing becoming hitched.
“Yes, Very strong, and uncomfortable,” she grumbled, as she expertly applied pressure on one side to encourage the baby into a position that didn’t kick into her lungs. “Tell me more about the change to dinner?”
Fitzwilliam’s eyes widened as he watched Elizabeth manage her distress, and she had to ask the question again before he responded.
“A minor change. The oysters.”
“Your uncles,” she said, and he nodded to affirm. “Fitzwilliam–“
“Before you fuss, dearest, I spoke to them both. I made it absolutely clear this household had but one mistress and the staff was now instructed to not give into their whims against your wishes.” Fitzwilliam hastily explained how he had handled the situation, feeling quite proud of himself, until he looked up to spy Elizabeth still frowning.
Instead of a restful afternoon with his wife, Fitzwilliam soon found himself alone in his bed as Elizabeth rolled away from him and gingerly pushed herself out of bed.
“Have I made another misstep?” The last months had been not just a trial of family members, but also learning the moods of his wife in a family way. Much of what he said or did resulted in Elizabeth’s displeasure, and he almost anticipated the birth of this child if only to get back the cheerful woman he married.
“Did you speak about when we might expect either of them to leave our household?” she asked, in a breathless tone as she looked around for her slippers that she knew she wore into his bedroom. But they were gone from the place under the bed where she usually left them.
“When they might leave? Most certainly.”
“And?”
“And…” Fitzwilliam groaned as he left his bed too soon for his tastes from when he joined it, helping his wife look for her slippers. “Uncle Alistair gave me the justification that he’d like to go up to Starvet House.”
Elizabeth gasped. “But Jane!”
Darcy moved his wife’s robe from the puddle it lay at the foot of the bed. She had likely removed it before resting as being so far along in her condition made her very sensitive to heat. Almost every fire in the house was too warm for her. Underneath the forgotten robe were the missing slippers.
As Mrs. Darcy’s eyes followed her husband’s down to the very items she had looked for, she waddled forward and slipped them on with a huff, taking her robe from his as well for good measure.
“He cannot go bother Jane and little Robin. If he learns of the child…”
“We agree heartily on the subject, my dear, but this means to protect the child, we jeopardize your mother.”
Elizabeth frowned and pressed her forehead against the tall bed post. Her husband’s hands expertly began to knead the knots and pains in her lower back and Elizabeth moaned her thanks.
“The child is innocent, my mother is . . .”
“A widow,” Darcy finished. His wife turned around and scrunched up her face in a manner he had found endearing since their engagement.
“Is it wrong to sacrifice one family member for another?” she asked.
Darcy shook his head.
“Not at all. Given that the child will have enough challenges to face as he grows up, I believe we are acting prudently.”
Elizabeth sighed and nodded. Then she closed her eyes and touched her fingertips to her forehead. “And the Matlocks leave in a month with Georgiana and their son? Before Easter?”
“Y-yes. . . ” Darcy answered hesitantly, causing his wife’s eyes to fly open.
“You promised . . . before the babe . . .”
He held up his hands in defense. “I did. I do. But you realize this also means sending away my sister.”
Elizabeth bit her lower lip and gazed down the elegant Persian rug that covered the floor of her husband’s suite. It was not so much that she wanted Georgiana away, but that she wished her home to be simpler, easier to manage once she gave birth.
“If we keep her here . . .” Elizabeth began but her husband shook his head.
“I believe we have all learned the folly of trying to make our sisters bend to our will.” His defeated tone made Elizabeth smirk, and then she began to chuckle which drew he husband near to her as he dearly loved to hear her laugh. One kiss led to another, and they took comfort in each other’s company.
“I am sorry to sound cross and make you feel as though I wish to send your family away,” Elizabeth confessed as she rested her head against her husband’s shoulder and her stroked her lower back.
“Not at all. I wish to send them away! Remember, I’m the one who kept Alistair in India!” Mr. Darcy exclaimed, making his wife laugh even more.
“Perhaps WE should go to India,” she said, and he pulled back.
“Absolutely not! You can barely handle the heat here in early spring, do you know the temperatures in Calcutta?”
Elizabeth shook her head, but reminder of her discomfort made her take a step away from Fitzwilliam and the heat his body produced.
“I’m merely restless . . . I wish this baby would come and then I also wish to keep him safe, forever.” Her hands protectively cradled the swollen expanse of her mid-section.
Fitzwilliam offered her a look a concern, that made her startle with a laugh. “Oh dear, and now I’ve gone and worried you.”
For his part of the conversation, Mr. Darcy stood speechless. He struggled to swallow as any mention of his wife’s time to labor and deliver brought back so many difficult memories from his childhood with his mother. He closed his eyes and remembered his wife’s words the first time they spoke of his fears, that he must remember that he and his sister were safely delivered.
“I do wish you’d allow me to call my physician from London.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “We are in the business of reducing visitors in the household, Fitzwilliam. Not increase them!”
And Mr. Darcy realized it was a lost cause. He would not overrule Mrs. Darcy without consequences he didn’t wish to pay.
You’ve been reading A Spring Society.
Book 6 of The Seasons of Serendipity, continues to tell the fate of the Bennet family after the death of their patriarch, Mr. Bennet, in Book 1, A Winter Wrong.
After a winter of wonders, from a Darcy babe making his growth known to the arrival of Darcy’s uncle, Alistair Darcy, the Bennet, Darcy, and Fitzwilliams families became further entwined with the engagement of Mary Bennet to Colonel Fitzwilliam. Spring 1813 continues to delight the Darcys as they come up on their first year anniversary and welcome a new addition to the family.
The Seasons of Serendipity are novella length episodes to be read and enjoyed like our favorite hour-long BBC dramas. The series has 5 novellas in the main storyline, and a bonus novella that follows Jane Bennet’s adventures in Scotland with the handsome, reluctant Lord Graham Hamilton in A January for Jane.
A Spring Society Book 6 of the Seasons of Serendipity.
a Pride and Prejudice novella variation series
Release Date: August 3, 2018 (direct preorder), August 10, 2018 other vendors
~ 175 pages in print
+ 23 additional Pride & Prejudice variations are available at these fine retailers . . .
A Jane-of-all-trades, mistress to none! Elizabeth Ann West is the author of 8 novels and 11 novellas, 18 of which are story variations of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.
Awesome story Elizabeth, I am hoping that Kitty gets her chance to write and also to find love. I’m not sure if I like Robert or not, he is so spoiled, but love can do amazing things.
You have captured the ‘feel’ of the series once again. Darcy’s fear of pregnancy — why not mention Lydia since that is so new experience. Well, love a Mr. Darcy who only fears Lizzy? Now chapter 3 needs Mary-Richard time.