Darcy Makes a Deal: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Elaine Burkett

As Darcy fights his growing attraction to Miss Elizabeth Bennet while at the Netherfield ball, he happens to overhear Mr. Bennet telling Sir William that he will have to force Miss Elizabeth to accept the proposals of her cousin, Mr. Collins.

With jealousy burning in his chest, he sets out the next day to convince Mr. Bennet to refuse consent rather than forcing the issue. Though he is met with some initial resistance, the two men eventually come to an agreement, after which Darcy has one month to convince the lovely and entrancing Miss Elizabeth to marry him.

After the Bingleys leave the neighborhood for London, Darcy settles into Netherfield with his sister, his cousin, and his friend and commences his campaign to improve his character and win her respect and, hopefully, her love.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2025

About the author

Elaine Burkett lives in Utah with her husband, while her four adult children all live nearby. Her favorite hobby is writing, of course, followed closely by reading, playing video games, and cooking. When writing, Elaine finds inspiration by thinking about what kind of book she would want to read. Her works tend to be fairly low angst and relatively short, perfect for reading after a stressful day.

Reviews

[Wendy Sahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

high hopes

I had high hopes for this, based on the plot…but in the end the language was modern and it was very superficial. There was a decent plot twist, but overall it just lacked depth.

[Terri Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

Really interesting premise. I like this Darcy. Charlett gets a better deal too.
Jane also wakkes up a bit .
So all in all a very good book.

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a slow start, and the premise is a stretch. Once you get past that though, the Darcy/Elizabeth courtship is sweet. I also liked Georgiana’s friendship with Lydia and Kitty. Jane and Charlotte’s plots were interesting concepts but less compelling than D/E. Some of the dialogue is great, but there’s also tons of exposition that feels unnecessary (almost like the reader isn’t familiar with P&P).

[Ashvini · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is good but the i feel there should have been a good editor for some of the mistakes in plot that happen

So Darcy sets to woo E within 1 month and Mr. Bennet agrees to refuse Collins. If Darcy is unsuccessful, he will pay 10K to Mr. B which he has to invest and keep aside for his wife and daughters upkeep after his death

Bingley abandons Jane. he is confused that Jane doesn't love him but further in plot we get to know Jane has actually shown him her preference for him but rather than getting a fickle Bingley we get a confused one. Thankfully the Bingleys don't feature much

Charlotte's love story is so quick and unnecessary

Elizabeth falls for Darcy but never questions him on Wickham when his tale is one of the major reasons of her anger with him

Wickham doesn't take immediate advantage of Darcy courting E or Georgiana being in Netherfield

Colonel F and Darcy are too casual about taking Georgiana to Netherfield with Wickham around or taking care of him immediately

Jane falls in and out of love very quickly which is not like your usual regency Jane

many such points make this book one time read rather than all time favorite

[Allison Ripley-Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

Warning: Meant for mature audiences. Contains scenes that would scandalize the ton. Readers of a delicate constitution are advised to keep their fans and vinaigrettes close at hand.

It was so enticing that I couldn’t put it down, this book grabbed my interest from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know what happened next. The story is well written with a very good storyline. You will see the most beloved characters in a whole new way. This is a Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice variation.

As Darcy fights his growing attraction to Miss Elizabeth Bennet while at the Netherfield ball, he happens to overhear Mr. Bennet telling Sir William that he will have to force Miss Elizabeth to accept the proposals of her cousin, Mr. Collins. With jealousy burning in his chest, he sets out the next day to convince Mr. Bennet to refuse consent rather than forcing the issue. Though he is met with some initial resistance, the two men eventually come to an agreement, after which Darcy has one month to convince the lovely and entrancing Miss Elizabeth to marry him. After the Bingleys leave the neighborhood for London, Darcy settles into Netherfield with his sister, his cousin, and his friend and commences his campaign to improve his character and win her respect and, hopefully, her love. So with all that and more this story pulls you in and holds you tight. It’s a must read. I highly recommend to everyone.

[Terri L. McClelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, fairly low angst variation. At the Netherfield ball Darcy overhears a conversation between Mr Bennet and Sir William that Bennet intends to compel Elizabeth to marry his heir, Mr Collins. With the entail Bennet has no other way to support his family when he dies. Darcy just can’t allow that to occur. He visits Bennet the following morning and then learns of Elizabeth’s antipathy towards him. Nevertheless he asks Bennet’s permission to try to persuade Elizabeth to marry him instead. Bennet agrees but the cost of failure for Darcy will be very costly indeed. He has a short window of time to gain Elizabeth’s consent. Will he gain her love in time or will he lose his one chance at love and a great deal of money?

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is nice to see Darcy determined to woo Elizabeth, when he has quite a challenge, given that she essentially despises him when he begins. It was funny that he didn't think he could marry her until he heard she would have to marry someone else. The green-eyed monster takes over! He makes a deal with Mr. Bennet to prevent him from forcing Elizabeth to marry Mr. Collins. The conversations and discussions between Darcy and Elizabeth were interesting and fairly well-done.

The instalove between Charlotte and Colonel Fitzwilliam was rather unbelievable, but sweet anyway. Also, it's a little hard to believe that Darcy's newly introduced friend and Jane would fall in love. But overall it was a nice book. I would have liked to see Jane & Mr. Masters in the epilogue, and perhaps the fate of Bingley and his sister.

[PJ Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

What a wonderful journey this novella took. Loved the Elizabeth and Jane tale but loved Charlotte's character and its conclusion. Great storyline with surprises. Welldone

[Michelle David · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely

An interesting and entertaining variation inspired by Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Elaine Burkett. I enjoyed it.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

~3.5

[KerryO · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice variation on the Darcy/Lizzie romance. Absolutely loved Charlotte's story.

[Teresita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story

I enjoyed the plot of this book and also the unexpected twists. A most entertaining read. And the final touch was lovely!