The Formation of Just Such a Plan: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary

By: Kimbelle Pease

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

One warning, two cautions, and two notes:

WARNING: Portions of this book focus on some of George Wickham’s worst crimes against young ladies. While the revenge taken is not fully or graphically detailed, it is extreme.

“He had certainly formed such a plan, and without meaning that it should effect his endeavour to separate him from Miss Bennet, it is probable that it might add something to his lively concern for the welfare of his friend.” Pride & Prejudice, chapter 45

This vagary proposes an alternate path for the characters of Pride and Prejudice. Some character aspects are embellished, and longstanding plans change, fail, or are realized and perhaps regretted in this fanciful twist.

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy’s plan to avoid being compromised by Miss Caroline Bingley leads to an unexpected friendship with Miss Elizabeth Bennet. In this tale, the two of them work together on one plan to help his sister, and another, which, with the aid of his friend Mr. Charles Bingley and her elder sister Jane, will assist her family in correcting some of their most embarrassing behaviors. The plan, if brilliant in its execution, has results which are beyond any they could have imagined. After Mr. Darcy dashes her plans to become the next mistress of Pemberley, Miss Bingley chooses to leave Netherfield, take her mother’s maiden name of Northwood and control of her dowry, and returns to town. What machinations will she resort to in order to force Mr. Darcy to marry her? Miss Mary Bennet, at her sisters’ encouragement, devises a plan of her own to win the future she wants for herself. Sent by his mother to Meryton in order to assist his cousin, to what lengths will Colonel Fitzwilliam go in order to persuade Miss Charlotte Lucas that she is exactly the woman he has been searching for? And which plans of that scoundrel George Wickham's can be thwarted using the infamous gossip chain of Meryton, and to what measures will he resort if they succeed?

CAUTION: This vagary does have some uses of profanity. In defense of Mrs. Bennet, however, sometimes an indolent husband needs to be told to get off his arse.

CAUTION: For those who are on Team Richard, I do hope you enjoy him in this tale as much as I have. For those of you who prefer to look at Darcy as the man above all men, I preemptively apologize. While an almost perfectly proper gentleman who makes a decision or acts on a plan only after considering all angles, a situation sometimes requires a man whose strengths include quick, strategic action.

NOTE from the author: The whole of the book takes place between Jane and Elizabeth’s sojourn at Netherfield and the ball. I confess that I find the journey to the courtship or altar, whichever comes first, the most exciting part of a variation/vagary/retelling. The original novel, and the movies derived from it, end quite quickly after all pertinent parties have chosen their partner for their HEA. So, too, do I hope that when this tale ends, there is no doubt that they will ever after be happy.

Slow

This has elements that could have made it a very good book, but it was too slow and too confusing. I had a very hard time keeping up with what was going on. The virtual voice performance was much better than most of the VV books I have listened to.

The colonel is a hero in more ways than one.

Loved the story. The colonel was the hero.
The voice did not have an English accent which surprised me as the story took place in England.

Rather boring

The story starts in a promising manner with Elizabeth discovering Mr Darcy in her sitting room at Netherfield. It is night and he is hiding from Miss Bingley's marked attentions. They talk at length although, if discovered, they might be forced to marry. In spite of the promising beginning, the rest of the story is pretty boring. Everybody is amazing: Jane is beautiful and very strong, Lizzy is beautiful and wise, Mary is as beautiful as Jane, Charlotte is beautiful and very passionate, Mrs Bennet is brave and wise, etc. The same goes for the men. Only Miss Bingley and Wickham are horrid but they get their comeuppance. With so many great and amazing individuals in the cast of characters it is hard to find a center of interest.