Showing results by narrator "Stevie Zimmerman" in All Categories

'Tis the Season is a collection of stories inspired by the beloved characters of Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice.

Lady Sophia Rowlandson has spent years perfecting the art of quiet composure—broken only once, at a country picnic when she was fifteen. Branded a lackwit by an insensitive neighbor, she was rescued by the unexpected gallantry of his visiting friend. Mr. Harwood’s defense lingered in her memory, and not even a separation of four years succeeded in dimming her admiration.

When old friends from his university days visit Longbourn, Mr. Bennet is forced to confront the consequences of years spent in idle amusement and neglect of his family. Determined to do better by his wife and daughters, he takes a more active role in their upbringing, their education, and their futures. By the time Mr. Bingley leases Netherfield five years later, the Bennet family is very different. The daughters are accomplished, poised, and sensible—and the household is one that garners admiration rather than ridicule.

Fitzwilliam Darcy is immune to smallpox, but finds himself all too susceptible to the charms of Elizabeth Bennet. First drawn to her as merely a friend, his feelings deepen as he witnesses her care for her family and neighbors as they face death, sorrow, and the ravages of the disease.

Set before Mr. Bingley takes up residence at Netherfield Park, Elizabeth travels into Derbyshire with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. On a day when her relations are visiting with some of Mrs. Gardiner's childhood friends, Elizabeth decides to explore the small village instead. Without realizing it, she strays further and further from the village, unconsciously walking in the direction of Pemberley, the estate they visited two days prior.

Lady Isla needs a rogue. Lucian Night, the dangerously charming Lord of the London Underworld, is the only one who can help find her long-lost friend. Their deal? A pact that plunges Isla into a world of secrets and intrigue…and an unexpected romance. But when the sweetly courteous Lord Linwood begins pursuing her with roses and poetry, Isla finds herself torn between two very different men. One offers respectability and gentle affection. The other promises danger, passion, and answers to questions that have haunted her for years.

Mr. Darcy is not in want of a wife. Determined to avoid a loveless marriage, he devises a clever plan to protect his heart from fortune-hunters and relentless matchmakers. Elizabeth Bennet heartily agrees to join him in feigning a courtship, believing it will allow her to escape her mother’s matchmaking schemes. As their deception spirals into a whirlwind of unexpected complications, both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy begin to discover a deep connection neither of them anticipated.

Margaret Darrington is no stranger to genteel poverty herself, since the death of her father has left her in charge of her two younger siblings and feather-brained aunt. But Margaret has a plan: To salvage the family's finances, she has only to put her beautiful younger sister, Amanda, in the way of marrying a wealthy man - perhaps the new Duke of Montford, who is expected to arrive any day.

After Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy departs Hertfordshire unexpectedly just before Mr Bingley’s ball at Netherfield Park, there is no further impediment to prevent Jane Bennet’s romance with her handsome neighbour. Unfortunately, Mr Darcy returns to Netherfield on the Bingleys’ wedding day, just in time to launch disaster into the proceedings. Elizabeth Bennet’s attempt to put the wedding-wrecker in his place only worsens matters when her private conversation with Mr Darcy becomes a misunderstood marriage proposal. Mr Darcy is willing to put everything right—for a shocking price.

Taken from her home as a young child, Elizabeth Bennet’s sense of self is shaken when the mystery behind her true identity is unraveled. Discovering her place as the daughter of a duke, she confronts reclaimed memories of her brutal abduction, while making her way in the alien world of Regency England’s high society. Facing the ton is the least of her concerns, as her kidnappers remain determined to keep her from Fitzwilliam Darcy - the man who first professed his love by proposing she become his mistress.

When tragedy leaves Fitzwilliam Darcy clinging to life, Elizabeth Bennet sacrifices her dreams to repay the debt owed to her family's damaged savior. But can her compassion penetrate his bitter heart and spark hope again?

There was no money, the family was scattered, and Lucille, who had mothered them all since she was 16, was going to be married. So the house must be sold; Lucille knew that was the only sensible things to do, but the family had other ideas. Home they came by whatever way they could, penniless and bedraggled but with certain newfound friends who were to help them to upset Lucille's plans - all her plans for a calm, settled, and sensible life.

Lady Marianne has been a wallflower since her disastrous debut, but because since she always had a friend, Claudia, along the wall, she never minded much. But when Claudia dies and leaves her a beautiful jewelry box, and a hidden list of things her friend wanted to do in her life, everything is turned on its head. Marianne begins to question what she knows about herself, her dreams and what could be possible for her future. It all inspires her to try to complete her dear friend’s bucket list. If only she could find someone more experienced to help her…

Nicholas Cranleigh suspects his meddlesome sister is up to something when she invites him to stay at Cothill Manor at the same time as Miss Dresden. He’s on his guard, but it’s hard to resist a woman with luminous eyes who’s in need of a savior.

The Viscount's Christmas Temptation: Certain individuals might consider Lady Amelia Pembroke a managing sort of female, but truly, most people would be lost without her help. Why, the latest on-dit is that rakish Viscount Sheffield is canceling the fête of the year because he hasn't time for silly soirees. He doesn't need time - he needs her!

Orphaned and alone in the world, Elizabeth Bennet has found reasonable contentment as a companion to the dowager countess of Matlock, the affairs of 1811 and Fitzwilliam Darcy long forgotten. But the past intrudes upon her again, and Mr. Darcy returns to her, handsome, wealthy, and widowed, and hiding many secrets beneath his solemn exterior. But if time had altered their circumstances, one thing remains: Mr. Darcy still wishes to marry her, and this time, Elizabeth consents.

Saved from an unwanted marriage, Darcy finds himself in Hertfordshire with his sister and former fiancée. In repayment for a debt of honor, Mr. Darcy assists Bingley in finding a wife who truly loves him by testing his potential brides. Although helpful in some ways, it ends up causing substantial confusion, especially for Elizabeth, who is upset by his peculiar behavior.

Fitzwilliam Darcy will lie and break the law to keep his sister's newborn safe. When the only way to protect her is to have an heir of his own, his search for a trustworthy wife begins....

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?

The Netherfield ball brings about many changes for the population of Meryton, and more so for the female residents of Longbourn. Mr. Bingley’s departure leaves the eldest Jane Bennet heartbroken, whilst Mr. Collins’s proposal induces Miss Elizabeth to make a hasty escape. During her flight, she happens upon Mr. Darcy, a gentleman she despises.