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The cruelty of an all-consuming grudge is enough to drive a nine-year-old Elizabeth Bennet from her family home to spend the rest of her childhood with the Gardiners. When she is nineteen, her family calls her home, and she heeds the summons with her head held high, only to discover that the prejudice against her has not abated with time. She meets a variety of people previously unknown to her, including the pleasant Mr. Darcy and the odious Mr. Collins, and she is allowed to feel as if love is within her grasp. But first she must defeat the machinations of her father, who has her future planned out for her . . . .
After leaving his friend Charles Bingley in Hertfordshire, Fitzwilliam Darcy intends to see to business in London while gaining some much-needed distance from the enchanting Elizabeth Bennet. Little does he know that his peace will soon be disturbed. To his surprise, his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, descends upon him in a fury, demanding that he agree to marry her daughter. She neglects to tell him, however, that she has just parted ways with Elizabeth in Hertfordshire, the "unsatisfactory" result of the meeting being Elizabeth's refusal to promise never to marry him. Amid what he fears is a whirlwind of rumors, Darcy is forced to move forward in his quest to secure Elizabeth's hand with ...
Lost as a young child, Elizabeth is found by the Darcys and becomes a valued member of the family. In fact, she becomes so close that Lady Anne Darcy considers her to be a second daughter. Elizabeth grows and learns with the Darcys, experiencing all that society has to offer, including the delights of the season, the benefits of fortune and society, and the love of a family. Along with those things, she experiences the sorrow of loss and the machinations of a man without scruple. When Charles Bingley, a good friend of her adopted family, invites the Darcys to his newly leased estate, little does Elizabeth know that she soon will be confronted by her past.
Elizabeth intended her stay with Mrs. Collins in Kent to be a pleasant and uneventful time spent with her dear friend, engaged in nothing of more import than laughing about Charlotte's ineffectual husband and walking the woods of his patroness's estate. But a sudden tragedy leaves Elizabeth directly in Lady Catherine de Bourgh's sights, and though Elizabeth is reluctant, she accedes to the lady's demands. It is not long, however, before the peace of the estate is shattered, for a woman long-oppressed has begun to spread her wings. What comes after is a whirlwind of events, in which Elizabeth discovers that her carefully held opinions are not infallible. Furthermore, a certain gentleman of her acquaintance might be the key to Elizabeth's happiness.
Rejected by a sister who has allowed her new status as wife to Mr. Bingley to make her proud, Elizabeth Bennet goes to her uncle's estate in Derbyshire, ostensibly to assist her cousin in her introduction to society. In reality, Elizabeth feels there is nothing left for her in the neighborhood of her birth. Her uncle's estate is small, and Elizabeth must work while there, and though she finds her tasks easy to bear. She quickly becomes close to her young cousin and uncle, though her aunt is a hard, demanding woman, who seems to hold a grudge against Elizabeth. But she also meets many friends, including the daughter of an earl, and the handsome friend of her sister Jane's new husband, a Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. As Elizabeth is slowly pulled from her melancholy, new vistas open up to her, and she realizes that she can still have everything she has ever wished to have. But the jealousy of a woman who is no friend of her courtship with a wealthy man threatens her newfound happiness, and the coming of a sister who rejected her has the potential to once again disrupt Elizabeth's life and destroy her future.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a young woman of character and fortitude, one undaunted by the challenges life has presented to her. As the youngest daughter of a country gentleman, she has always been secure, never concerned for the future or her place in it. When her father suddenly passes away, Elizabeth is left adrift in a house with her mother, her eldest sister, and her father's senseless heir. Though the situation is not comfortable, Elizabeth meets it with fortitude and good humor. As Elizabeth becomes old enough to join society, her sister Jane marries Mr. Bingley, and Elizabeth follows them to London to partake of the season. Elizabeth soon puts her troubles behind her, enjoying herself and meeting new people, including the enigmatic Mr. Darcy and his charming sister. Love starts to bloom between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, but not all of Elizabeth's troubles are behind her. For there are those opposed to her connection to the gentleman, and moreover, Mr. Darcy has demons of his own to overcome before he can find happiness and pursue love.
On a lonely path on the estate of Longbourn, Fitzwilliam Darcy suffers an accident, being thrown to the ground when a woman runs in front of his horse. When Darcy wakes, he finds himself at Longbourn, injured and confined until his body can heal. The Bennets, he thinks, are an eclectic mix of characters, and at times he finds them difficult to endure. The unresolved question of who caused his accident festers in the back of his mind, leading him to suspect his hosts of deceit. As his time at Longbourn lengthens, however, Darcy finds himself becoming more accustomed to them. Esteem begins to overtake him as he considers their unstinting hospitality and care for him, a man no more than a stranger to them. In particular, Darcy is intrigued by the second daughter, Miss Elizabeth, a woman unlike any other, and one for whom he quickly develops a liking. Eventually his forced confinement wears on Darcy, and the coming of a relation he finds difficult to endure, along with the reappearance an old enemy, wreak havoc on his equilibrium. When events happen which demand his action, he cannot allow the family who succored him to suffer from the ignominious behavior of one of their number.
Elizabeth Bennet does not know what to think of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Having heard her new brother, Charles Bingley praise him to the skies, Invited to accompany her brother and beloved, Jane, to stay at the man's estate, Elizabeth wonders how he can possibly be as good as Charles claims. At Pemberley, Elizabeth learns that Mr. Darcy is a diligent man, one sober and upright, a man engaged in the welfare of his estate. His sister, Elizabeth also learns, is a wonderful girl, a girl, unlike her own sisters who are often wild and uncouth. Settling in at Pemberley for a visit, Elizabeth grows to love the estate, and her esteem for the master and his sister grow apace. But while Elizabeth is happy there, she cannot forget the events of the past year, which continue to plague her peace of mind Then an old enemy of the Darcy family arrives to wreak havoc on the Darcys, pulling Elizabeth's own family into his schemes. The question, in Elizabeth’s mind, is whether Mr. Darcy’s newfound appreciation for her can withstand the machinations of a libertine and the silliness of a reprehensible sister.
Having lost her mother at a young age, Elizabeth Bennet desires the presence of a mother in her life. When a young widow arrives in the neighborhood, Elizabeth knows she has found a woman well suited to joining her family, recommending her to her father as a desirable wife. Fortunately for Elizabeth, his father needs little encouragement, and soon after proposes. Fitzwilliam Darcy comes to Hertfordshire with his friend Charles Bingley, he anticipates meeting the Bennets, for their new mother is none other than his aunt, Lady Catherine Bennet. The introduction goes poorly, however, as Darcy unwittingly insults her second stepdaughter, angering her ladyship and creating a question of his chara...
New hope arrives for the Bennet family when Mr. Bennet discovers a way by which he can end the dreaded entail, leaving him free to leave Longbourn where he wishes. Mr. Bennet seizes the opportunity, ensuring his family's support and providing for their future. When the militia arrives in Meryton, they find a Bennet family much changed from what it had been in the past, for the youngest Bennets are better behaved and not out, and the eldest must deal with new and unwanted attention. For Jane Bennet, the difference is striking, for her position as heir to Longbourn ensures interest from quarters she has no desire to receive. And what of the Netherfield party? Business in London delays their arrival in Hertfordshire, and when they do arrive, Mr. Darcy discovers the presence of a hated enemy and finds a woman he can admire. When enemies collide, dangerous situations erupt which have the potential to leave them all changed. Against this backdrop, Mr. Darcy must not only woo the woman he loves, but also protect her against the machinations of an unscrupulous scoundrel.