Elizabeth Accepts Darcy’s First Proposal in Hunsford
These Pride & Prejudice variations show what would happen if Elizabeth had accepted Darcy in Hunsford at his first proposal.
Have you every wondered what would have happened had Elizabeth Bennet been more prudent in Hunsford and accepted Darcy’s first proposal?
One of the central pivoting moments in Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice is when Elizabeth forcefully refuses Darcy’s first proposal in the parsonage at Hunsford.
While we all celebrate her integrity and desire to marry for love, in all reality, this scenario isn’t the most likely for that time period.
Darcy made 10,000 pounds per year, which basically would make him a millionaire in our day. And in a time where a woman was entirely dependent on her husband, to refuse a man with such an income was laughable.
Especially since none of Elizabeth’s sisters had married yet, and their estate was entailed away to Mr. Collins. Upon her father’s death, Elizabeth, her mother, and her sisters would all basically be homeless and on the mercy of their relations.
As Elizabeth said herself in the 1995 movie version, “One of us must marry well.”
So what if Elizabeth made the logical decision and accepted Darcy’s proposal, in spite of her misgivings?
These variations are some of my favorite that answer that question!
Apprehension and Desire by Ola Wegner
What if Elizabeth Bennet had agreed to Darcy’s marriage proposal offered to her at Hunsford parsonage in Apprehension and Desire by Ola Wegner, sincerely thinking it was the best thing she could have done in her situation?
As his fiancée and later wife, can she fall in love with Fitzwiliam Darcy who is still very much arrogant, rude, and not reformed man? Will she be able to look over her own prejudice and apprehension, and see a worthy man who loves, and desires her?
Consequences: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by C.P. Odom
What if, in order to secure financial security for her loved ones, Elizabeth does not reject Darcy. That’s what happens in Consequences: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by C.P. Odom.
Is she married to a proud, arrogant, disdainful man who, as she feared, forces her to deny her own relatives and thus condemns her to a lifetime of misery?
Or does she find herself married to a man who cares enough for her to reject the opposition of his family and chance his very standing in society in order to marry a woman he loves beyond measure?
Her Voice of Reason by Ola Wegner
Faced with her father’s sudden illness in Her Voice of Reason by Ola Wegner, Elizabeth Bennet needs to revaluate her decision to reject Fitzwilliam Darcy’s marriage proposal.
Will she accept the man whom she professes to hate in order to rescue her family from destitution?
Will she be able to see another side to disagreeable and proud Mr. Darcy?
Missteps & Misfortunes by Sophia Rae
Moments before Mr. Darcy asks for her hand in Missteps & Misfortunes by Sophia Rae, Elizabeth reads a letter that alters her decision to his proposal but not her heart toward the man.
Obstacles from within and without hedge up their way as the two learn how to move forward on this untried path. Will the unforeseen misfortunes and constant missteps be enough to end their journey before it has truly began? How do broken hearts and injured souls heal on a rough and beaten road?
Mr Bennet’s Dutiful Daughter: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Joana Starnes
When Colonel Fitzwilliam’s disclosures are interrupted by the bearer of distressing news from Longbourn in Mr Bennet’s Dutiful Daughter: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Joana Starnes, 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 scenes are not graphic, but the novel does address mature themes.
No Cause to Repine: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Rose Fairbanks
Forced to wed and deceived by their family, will their struggle for contentment lead to undying love in No Cause to Repine: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Rose Fairbanks?
For months, duty to his station and family legacy have convinced Fitzwilliam Darcy his infatuation with Elizabeth Bennet must end. Meeting her again at his aunt’s estate creates a temptation he cannot deny. Then, a misinterpreted accident forces him to offer her marriage and his heart thrills at the new possibilities.
Her reputation in tatters, Elizabeth has no choice but to accept the last man in the world she would ever wish to marry. Pretending indifference, she attempts to mask her hatred for her pompous betrothed. Revealing it could destroy any hope of a peaceful union.
Exposing a plot years in the making makes them allies but does it create the bonds of love?
Wow…great books
Thank you!