From the Hedgerows to Windsor: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Eselle Teays

“This Work Is, By His Royal Highness’s Permission, Most Respectfully Dedicated, By His Royal Highness’s Dutiful And Obedient Humble Servant, The Author.”
Underneath the dedication was a line written by the Royal Librarian during the Regency, Mr. Stanier ‘A The Honorable Miss Elizabeth Bennet.’
What is the story behind this novel, which was distinguished enough that the Prince Regent, later George IV, requested a dedication to himself? Was the author from the peerage, or did she earn the title?
—Prologue, From the Hedgerows to Windsor
After Hunsford, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy miss each other at Pemberley. Then tragedies befall the family—Lydia Bennet’s elopement and the subsequent death of Mr. Bennet because of a weak heart. His widow and defenseless daughters are forced to move to a cottage not even shielded by hedgerows. Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy has become philosophical about his views on love after witnessing the carnage of war on the Continent while searching for the severely wounded Colonel Fitzwilliam. How can Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth find their happily ever after when the chasm between them has become impossible to cross? Elizabeth’s literary brilliance, born out of anguish and desperation, will lead not only to the Prince Regent’s approbation but also to the means of uniting them. Obstacles abound until the very end—within the impenetrable walls of Windsor Castle, home to the mad King George III.
In this third novel, Eselle Teays has once again taken the beloved cast of characters from ‘Pride and Prejudice’ out of the unvaried environs around Longbourn and Meryton to the wide, wide world of Regency England. Along the way, they will encounter a myriad of historical persons and events, from Royals (alive and dead) to famous generals to a bluestocking heiress and a celebrated author, all of whom have the potential to change their lives. You will love to accompany Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy on this journey from the Hedgerows to Windsor.

Genres: Romance

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 15, 2023

Reviews

[James S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meryton is left behind, thank goodness

Mr. Bennet passes away and his book collection is worth enough to keep the hedgerows at bay. Better yet, the buyer is a new connection who turns out to be a great friend.

What if Lizzie had written Pride and Prejudice? Great story, very interesting all the way to the last paragraph.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

This book has a creative plot wherein Elizabeth Bennet, reeling from Mr. Bennet's steady decline and death after Lydia disappeared with Mr. Wickham, is saddled with the responsibility of leading her mother and remaining sisters into a new life away from Longbourn.

Staying by her father's deathbed with nothing to do except watch and pray, Elizabeth imagines what might have happened had she encountered Mr. Darcy at Pemberley when she visited the estate with her aunt and uncle. She begins writing a story about it to lighten her spirits. Over time, it becomes a novelization of her life with happier outcomes than her reality.

At the time the Gardiners and Elizabeth were in Derbyshire, Mr. Darcy was frantically speeding to the Continent to find Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was seriously wounded. It's several months before he returns with his cousin, and his experiences close to the battlefield have a decided effect on his priorities.

The idea of Elizabeth Bennet being the author of "First Impressions" might sound ridiculous, but Ms. Teays pulls it off convincingly enough. And although it takes a while for Darcy and Elizabeth to get together here, she makes their eventual reunion worth the wait.

The storyline includes some historical figures as well as details about the Napoleonic Wars and the British Royal household. I'm no history expert, but it appears that the author did her research.

There is one obvious plot blunder: Mrs. Bennet, who has absolutely no idea that Elizabeth is writing a book (Elizabeth has not even committed to having it published), expresses her fury that her daughter isn't sharing the book's profits with her.

There are too many places where the story meanders off point, particularly in the later chapters. Although grammatically correct and without egregious spelling errors, the writing generally lacks polish.

This book contains no graphic content. However, sexual liaisons between unmarried couples are mentioned.

[J. W. Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hedgerows! Mrs. Bennet’s worst nightmare was staring her in the face.

SPOILER ALERT: This review may contain *** SPOILERS ***

>>Rating: M: mature due to descriptions and a near assault, adult themes, and actions described that may be unsettling to a gentle reader
>>Angst Level: It was a bit anxious at times. Lydia did her thing. Mr. Bennet suffered. And Mrs. Bennet suffered and blamed Lizzy for everything. Yeah, it was a bit stressful at times.
>>Tissue Alert: Have a tissue handy due to the death of a major character. The blurb gave it away so this is not a spoiler.
>>Source: Borrowed KU 1-9-24: I volunteered to leave a review stating my thoughts and opinions. The errors and inaccuracies are strictly my own. I followed this as a WIP when it was posted on the forums.
>>Religious Element: Not overt; however, it was present as they lived near a religious sect that was rather strict. A character experienced a spiritual crisis as a child and it would be years before their faith was restored.
>>Trope: and [1] A Bennet dies [2] a different pairing for Jane, the girls, and… can’t say.
>>Timeline: Lambton: Lizzy’s tour of Pemberley: Prologue + 35 chapters + Epilogue

Summertime: Lizzy was in Derbyshire touring Pemberley with her aunt and uncle Gardiner. She discovered that Mr. Darcy was traveling to the continent and was no longer on English soil. His cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam had been injured in Portugal. He would not be on hand when she received the devastating letter from Jane regarding Lydia’s elopement with the SBRB Wickham. Everything changed after that day.

“Mr. Darcy and Pemberley no longer mattered because they could not exist in her new reality.” Quote from the book.

The story felt like it was in several sections. Life before Lydia’s elopement, life after, and Lizzy’s story. Bennet had always tried to remain calm. The men in his family had a weak heart and died young. The stress of searching for Lydia was too much for him. Not a spoiler as it was stated in the blurb. The Bennet ladies left Longbourn before Collins could throw out his disgraced relatives.

Bennet had stipulated in his Will that his books [many rare and first editions] be sold to provide his family a small cottage near London. Bennet only regretted not being able to see Collins’ face when he realized all the books were gone. Bennet instructed Mr. Gardiner to manage the funds to protect it from his wife’s overspending. It wasn’t Longbourn; however, Mrs. Bennet did not have to face the hedgerows of her nightmare. This changed the trajectory of the story again when Lizzy met the Lady who wished to purchase the entire Bennet collection. They would become life-long friends. Each of the remaining daughters now lived in a completely new environment.

“I think without great trials, there cannot be great happiness.” Jane to Elizabeth: Quote from the book

Through her new friendship, Lizzy was suddenly thrust into a higher circle than she ever realized. It brought her to the notice of the Queen. This was a sad time for the monarchy and Lizzy would become a pawn in the machinations of the Royal family. Her time with the Royals, and being at Windsor, would be a sad time. However, Lizzy’s courage always rose when she was intimidated. The love story between Darcy and Elizabeth held a different arc than usually found in JAFF. It was a unique twist and I enjoyed it. Recommend.

[Sheila Majczan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I liked the unique idea of Elizabeth using her own life's experiences to write a story...changing the names to protect many...some of whom immediately recognize themselves in the story. One of these is Darcy, whose Hunsford letter to Elizabeth is quoted verbatim...with the names changed as I mentioned.

We have Elizabeth and the Gardiners visiting Lambton but as Darcy has gone to the Continent to bring home his wounded cousin, they don't meet him there. Nor does he learn of Lydia's elopement with Wickham at that time. (He does learn of that event but it is much later after he has returned to England and after he has read the book Elizabeth wrote.) Bennet's search for Lydia leads to his death due to the stress on his heart.

Rumor has Elizabeth's friend as the author. The ladies have met only because the lady desires to purchase the entirety of Mr. Bennet's book valuable book collection. (Bennet directed that his books be sold and the money used to keep his family out of the hedgerows.)

There are many interesting threads in this story yet the language did not flow smoothly for me.

I have not touched on much that happens in this novel. It is not just Darcy's and Elizabeth's story. All the sisters have their part. Plus there is an epilogue. Wickham's appearance at the end was a satisfying part for me.

I did find this story interesting. It does bring in Windsor with its royals and how Elizabeth found herself there.

[Madenna U · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about Elizabeth Bennet writing a book and the resulting consequences. If we imagine the beginning to Hunsford is true and then she made up the rest of it. The plot contains why she did it, who it impacted, and a “real” happily ever after for the characters.

[Michelle David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very unusual

From a dark beginning they manage to find their ways into the light in this variation inspired by Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Eselle Teays.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the premise. Elizabeth and Darcy never met at Pemberley and Lydia's elopement leads to a less happy outcome for the Bennet family. But Elizabeth imagined they did meet and that Darcy was able to deal with Wickham based on his knowledge of the man. She wrote a happy ending to the ordeal and the book was published anonymously. Although Darcy recognizes his own words there.

Darcy and Elizabeth don't actually meet until page 217 so most of this is their separate journeys. Occasionally this turns into a bit of a telenovela as we get introduced to minor characters and their colorful backstories. The Bennet ladies have to find a place out of Longbourn and Darcy travels to the war zone to look for his injured cousin. Both Elizabeth and Colonel Fitzwilliam get drafted in service with the royal family so there is some court intrigue going on. There's a millionaire heiress, a man who is or is not married, somebody who was rescued from castrators.... people with interesting but mostly irrrelevant history.

This was readable in a whatever-will-happen-next manner, but most likely not a story that I will return to as it was more plot than feels.

[Barbara K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Pride and Prejudice variation has a unique premise. In the Prologue, it's 1993 (or "Present Day"), and a literary historian has come across a novel hand-signed by The Honorable Miss Elizabeth Bennet in a dedication to the Prince Regent. The title of the book is First Impressions, which readers may know was the original title of Pride and Prejudice, and the author is given as "A Scribbler".

Chapter 1 begins a variation on the original story in which the Darcys are not at home when Elizabeth Bennet travels to Derbyshire with her aunt and uncle, so she never comes upon Mr. Darcy on the grounds of his estate, and he knows nothing of the bad news she receives while in Lambton, of her youngest sister's elopement with George Wickham. Instead, Darcy has traveled to the Penninsula to find and bring home an injured Colonel Fitzwilliam from the war. Mr. Bennet, suffering from a heart ailment, is so upset by Lydia's elopement and his inability to find her that he collapses, and is believed to be dying. During this dreadful time, Elizabeth imagines a different outcome of her trip to Derbyshire, and pens a story for her own distraction from her troubles, in which she did meet Darcy at Pemberley, and he helped rescue Lydia.

Thus begins a refreshing variation on the story, which held my interest throughout and pulled me into a whole new path toward its resolution.

[Gratia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth becoming Jane

An interesting story that takes the idea of Jane Austen’s ‘First Impressions’ being the fictional and somewhat autobiographical account of Elizabeth Bennet. This book takes place after the Hunsford proposal and rejection. The turning point from canon is that Darcy is from home during the Gardiners’ and Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley. Consequently, there is no one with the knowledge to find Wickham. After a series of unfortunate events, Elizabeth decides to publish her novel in order to fund a search for Lydia after their father’s death. Well-written and incorporating historical events, the story goes quickly. The add-on court intrigue plot was’t really necessary, but I found it interesting to read as historical fiction.

[Faustine]

Clever plot. Interesting story. Intelligent inclusion of details and facts of that era. Unfortunately too wordy for me.

[lori huff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise

The story begins during Elizabeth's visit to Pemberly with the Gardiners in summer of 1812. There is no second chance surprise meeting with Mr Darcy, so when the bad news about Lydia's scandalous elopement reaches the Gardiners and Elizabeth, Mr Bennett and uncle Gardiner are the only ones searching for Lydia, and they're unsuccessful. Mr Bennett has a weak heart, and it's made worse by the strain of his search. He soon dies, but before he does, he discovers that Elizabeth has been writing a novel based on her acquaintance with Darcy, and her secret wishes to be reunited with him. Mr Bennett encourages Elizabeth to publish, and she soon meets influential people who can help her.

Meanwhile, Darcy is absent because he must try to extract a seriously injured Colonel Fitzwilliam from the war in Spain and Portugal. During his time on the battlefields, Darcy is profoundly affected by what he sees and experiences, and he returns to England a changed man. His sense of social standing and rank seems irrelevant and silly in the face of such bravery and carnage. He believes that he's conquered his infatuation with Elizabeth. But when he discovers Georgiana reading a novel about his life and conversations with Elizabeth, he must find out if Elizabeth wrote it.

In other words, the premise is that Elizabeth wrote P&P, but under a different title, and anonymously. The novel is wildly popular, and leads to many changes in circumstances. It's a fun thought, and it's well done. I was disappointed with the lack of romance between Elizabeth and Darcy, and with all of the other couples involved as well. The romance seemed not to be that important in this story. Also, I found Elizabeth's experiences at Windsor castle to be too creepy and strange, and it put a damper on the whole thing for me.

However, the book is well written and well edited. I recommend it for an imaginative idea, and a pleasant way to pass some time.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if Darcy didn't show up at Pemberley?

The premise of the story is what may have happened is Darcy hadn't been at Pemberley when Elizabeth visited. Who would rescue Lydia, would Darcy ever know she loved him, what would happen to her family? These are all questions addressed in the story. Without Lydia's rescue, Mr. Bennet passes from a weak heart and the women are forced out of Longbourn. However things are not as bad as they seem as Mr. Bennet found a way to leave them some money and Elizabeth has a plan to earn more. With the help of a benefactress and grieves Elizabeth eventually comes to the attention of the royal family - all before she sees Darcy again. When they finally reunite it is clear they still love each other but other obstacles are now in the way.
Overall a really good story. Colonel Fitzwilliam plays a prominent role which he doesn't get much. I liked the Elizabeth in this story and Darcy grows on you.

[Kim Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling saga

From the title, I thought this novel might tend to unrealistic optimism and purple prose.
Instead I found an engaging story with only one somewhat far-fetched plot point. The characters are true to canon although the plot varies widely. There are a host of new characters: some like Mr Lytle a trifle undercooked, but still believable and grounded.
The novel is well written, with few, if any, typos. It is a generous length, with new sup-plots that are interesting in and of themselves.
I do my best to avoid spoilers, so I’ll just say that I’m not sure what the Windsor component added to the novel. Indeed, some other authors might have made that the focus of a single novel. But it is interesting because of the light it throws on the Court and the workings of the Royal Household. Recommended.

[Emily Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clean and lovely

At first I had my doubts as to whether I would enjoy this book, because I love Mr Bennett. But the author handled the death well and dwells on it with just the right amount of drama but not enough to overwhelm even a sensitive reader. Unless someone's just lost a father then of course this would be difficult to read. Although Elizabeth and Darcy don't have a lot of interactions the romance actually works very well. It's clean and well written and not afraid to address faith without beating somebody over the head with a Bible. I've never read any of Teays works before and I'm impressed I'll have to keep a look out for this authors books. I definitely recommend it.

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if everything was worse but also better?

Excellent as always from this author, I will say that other than indulging an odd fascination with George IIIs many children and the bizarre goings on of court life at the time the Royal section added very little to the story. But I thoroughly enjoying the fleshed out characters that Teays creates and how they change with the circumstances they end up in. And shout out to successfully writing an interesting and likeable OC that I completely rooted for as a love interest.

[CEK · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice variation

The sale of Mr. Bennet's book collection adds enough capital so the women can relocate to a decent cottage, which in turn, gives them different futures. Darcy is gone to the continent and does not save Lydia, so the relocation is very important for their reputations. The book sale creates more relationships with non-canon characters and Lizzy publishes a semi-biographical novel leading to wonderful things for everyone. Good story!

[Camille Fiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!!

The Bennet family never really landed in the hedgerows, but after Mr Bennet's death, it did seem to be a possibility. Thankfully, Elizabeth had a plan and worked it through while trying to not renege on her promise to her dying father.

Very interesting premise and also well edited.

[Alena (Ally) Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique perspective

Entertaining variation with a unique storyline starting with the Lydia scandal and moving forward with unexpected characters and unexpected personalities and circumstances. Darcy and Elizabeth do find their HEA in the end.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Well written novel with several interesting twists. My only quibble is the practically magical way everything turned around for the Bennets - I prefer a bit more realism.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

First impressions

Wow what a great story. It has the struggles of life, it has the heroes, it has truth in the fact that a lot of couples wherever you live has first disliked the man you ultimately marry!

[Krisdach · Rating 2 out of 5]

superficial

Unfortunately it was impossible to care much about the characters. It started strong and then just seemed to go in as many impossible directions as possible with only a passing nod to character development and detail.

[Linda K Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth saves the family

Did I say I wanted a different take on our dear couple and family. This gives us some adventure, sadness, heroes, struggles, King, Queen and princesses. Stir in love, God and stories.
Kept me interested.

[Helen Homer · Rating 3 out of 5]

With p&p variations i am in it wholly for the Lizzy Darcy interaction - the witty banter, the conversational misunderstanding and the romance. Unfortunately more than half this book passed by without the two once sharing the same space let alone a conversation, so not really for me.

[Chris Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely different angle

A few new characters. The villains remain but not a major presence. Definitely the cause of strife but in the background. Not a high angst tale but new ideas with a unique twist. Most enjoyable.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot is highly original and extremely interesting. Lizzie’s transformation into an authoress is a lovely touch, and the alternative outcomes for her sisters and the Colonel were very satisfying.

[Elizabeth Hoover · Rating 3 out of 5]

An "okay" read

Had some good points and some not so good parts. Glad I read it through KU. I would have disappointed if I had paid to read it.

[Zhora · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

~3.5

[Charlene S. Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!

What a delightful tale! I thoroughly enjoyed every page. Yes it is 4 AM and I just finished it!

Queen Charlotte has a lot to account for!

[Graham H · Rating 4 out of 5]

brilliantly written

A totally different approach, refreshingly so. Wish I had not read the epilogue. Now to read you other books! Thank you
Eselle 😊