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Lively Talents: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman of lively talents and no dowry must be in want of suitable employment.
Elizabeth Bennet wants to believe in true love…but faced with the wedding of Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins, not to mention her own ill-matched parents, a happy marriage seems little short of a distant dream. Still, Elizabeth had only been curious about other possibilities. She had not really intended to seek employment as a lady’s companion…and she particularly hadn’t intended to accept a temporary position as the companion of Georgiana Darcy!
Mr Darcy fled Netherfield Park largely to escape the temptation of remaining too near one Elizabeth Bennet. It would therefore appear rather contradictory to hire her as his sister’s companion during Mrs Annesley’s short leave of absence…but motivated half by her effortless connection with Georgiana and half by his own unwillingness to see her exposed to danger in a stranger’s household, that is exactly what he does.
So be it. Mr Darcy simply needs to maintain control over his heart and his actions. He certainly will not make any gesture of love to a woman now in his employ. And most of all, he will not allow Miss Elizabeth Bennet to turn his world upside down…
Lively Talents is a sweet and witty Pride and Prejudice variation. Readers can expect a strong and caring Elizabeth, a compassionate and unbendingly honourable Mr Darcy, and a very novel take on what mischief Lydia might inflict on her family!
Elizabeth Bennet wants to believe in true love…but faced with the wedding of Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins, not to mention her own ill-matched parents, a happy marriage seems little short of a distant dream. Still, Elizabeth had only been curious about other possibilities. She had not really intended to seek employment as a lady’s companion…and she particularly hadn’t intended to accept a temporary position as the companion of Georgiana Darcy!
Mr Darcy fled Netherfield Park largely to escape the temptation of remaining too near one Elizabeth Bennet. It would therefore appear rather contradictory to hire her as his sister’s companion during Mrs Annesley’s short leave of absence…but motivated half by her effortless connection with Georgiana and half by his own unwillingness to see her exposed to danger in a stranger’s household, that is exactly what he does.
So be it. Mr Darcy simply needs to maintain control over his heart and his actions. He certainly will not make any gesture of love to a woman now in his employ. And most of all, he will not allow Miss Elizabeth Bennet to turn his world upside down…
Lively Talents is a sweet and witty Pride and Prejudice variation. Readers can expect a strong and caring Elizabeth, a compassionate and unbendingly honourable Mr Darcy, and a very novel take on what mischief Lydia might inflict on her family!
373 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 11, 2026
About the author
Maeve Robinson
6 books1 followerIf you ever need to find Maeve Robinson, look for her in her converted garden shed, where she will either be busily writing, or curled up with a good book! After retiring from teaching, Maeve is pursuing a long-held dream: writing about the fascinating, highly mannered, and sometimes downright strange Regency period. No matter how many times she reads them, Maeve remains fascinated by the wit and psychological insight of Jane Austen’s books and characters. From the conflicting perspectives of Emma to the perfect romance of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, there is - as Jane herself would say - “something new to be observed in them forever.”
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