A Pair of Fine Eyes

Darcy and Elizabeth What If? #3

by Jennifer Lang

What if Mr Darcy had proposed to Jane Bennet before meeting Elizabeth?

For years, Mr Darcy has been haunted by the fine eyes of a woman he glimpsed in a carriage. Unable to find her, he has at last proposed marriage to the sweet, gentle Jane Bennet so that his sister will have an affectionate friend and he himself will have a beautiful and biddable wife. But on finally meeting Jane’s sister, he is stunned to find she is the woman of his dreams. Unable to go back on his word, he is tormented by his feelings, the more so because he suspects that Elizabeth is falling in love with him. Their path to happiness lies through tangled circumstances and it is not until the unwitting intervention of Lydia that a solution can be seen.

Novella length. All the novellas in the Darcy and Elizabeth What If? series are separate, standalone stories. They can be read in any order. This novella uses English spellings.

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 17, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short novella with more than a few historical inaccuracies and typos.

No underwear in Regency, google it

No telegrams!

Trip between Pemberley and Longbourn too fast, with no over night stops.

Lots of typos also.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the first 2 novellas by Jennifer Lang, it was a good build up, but resolved to D&E HEA ending fast in a short period of time. It is an easy read.

[Nicole Barton Sasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Madenna U · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this Pride and Predjudice variation, Darcy asks Jane to marry him as she is a beautiful steady girl and he needs to settle down. Before proposing, he confesses to his cousin his memory of a fine pair of eyes he saw in town. Since he could not find the girl, he would marry Jane. Imagine his surprise to find that when he finally meets his fiance's favorite sister, Elizabeth, that the fine eyes should be staring back at him. The introduction of Bingley and Collins and the usual cast of characters leads everyone on a splendid path to find their happily ever afters.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this Pride and Prejudice variation, several years prior to the start of the story Darcy had glimpsed a pair of fine eyes and had become entranced.
With the visit of the Mr Collins to the Bennets, one a day trip with the Bennet parents an accident occurs which kills all three..
Darcy was asked via Lady Catherine to find the heir and at Longbourn he meets Jane and decides that she would be the perfect wife and that he will propose to her in the future.
On that day after she says yes he meets Elizabeth of the fine eyes.
What a tangled web to be solved.
I would have like more story about the minor characters and felt that this could have been a longer tale.

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun and witty P& P what if - stand alone. In this version of the P&P universe Mr. Darcy is courting Jane Bennet. The road to that courtship is a twist of the tale itself Mr. & Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins are killed in a carriage accident and Lady Catherine sends Darcy to help settle the estate . But he is haunted by the vision of a young lady with a pair of fine eyes who he has only seen in a passing carriage.

This is a cute; twist of a tale novella.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darcy is engaged to Jane, but haunted by a pair of fine eyes he saw years ago. I didn't feel that his engagement to Jae was plausible, for many reasons. First, Jane has no personality. I would think that Darcy could have seen at the outset that she would not be able to be a good hostess for Pemberley. He was marrying beneath his station. I don't believe he would have done that unless he was in love, nothing else would have satisfied his pride.

[Gladys Olmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light & Enjoyable reading

Pride & Prejudice has always been one of my favorite books and I liked Elizabeth & Darcy. I still like these characters in this book and I enjoyed the storyline.

[Teresita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

It takes a while for things to get right, but the road is worth it. You really get value for your money.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story where Darcy is sent by lady Catherine to handle the affairs of longbourn when Mr Collins die in a carriage accident with the Bennet parents. He gets to know all except Elizabeth who is away with her aunt and uncle. He decides to offer for Jane not out of love but as a result of her kind nature hoping that she will be a good sister to Georgiana and a better wife than Anne. But he is bewitched by a pair of fine eyes he saw 2 years previously in London but has been unable to find again only to be shocked when he meets Elizabeth that this is the woman of his dreams. Now he is resolved to stay true to Jane. Elizabeth is determined to get to know Darcy to determine of he is worthy of her sister. She slowly starts having feelings for him. Then Bingley is introduced into the picture and how will Jane react? Lovely story of how 2 true loves will find each other.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is just too far fetched.

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing but not spectacular.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an excellent retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and I think I will want to read more of Jennifer Lang's stories.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting variation, wish it was longer. The ending seemed rushed but in all, a good read.