The Secret Diary of Anne de Bourgh: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Catherine Bilson

Lady Catherine de Bourgh will do far worse than dictate whom her daughter marries. For ten years, she has kept Anne weak, frightened, and dependent on a doctor who bleeds her every Monday.

Anne has pinned her hopes on the one future that might free her from marriage to Mr Darcy. When he weds Elizabeth Bennet instead, she is trapped with her mother and her medicines, facing a future she cannot bear to contemplate.

Desperate, Anne confides in Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. He listens, sees what the treatments have done to her, and refuses to let the doctor near her again. As Lady Catherine’s secrets come to light, Anne discovers how much of her life has been stolen, and how fiercely her mother intends to hold on to Rosings.

Safe at last, Anne begins to recover among people who welcome her opinions as readily as her company. She makes friends, learns to trust her own strength, and falls in love with Richard. But when Richard encourages Anne to consider Mr Byerly, a wealthy and attentive gentleman, she takes it as proof that he does not return her feelings. Yet Mr Byerly admires Rosings, the one place Anne cannot bear to call home. Anne must weigh the security of a respectable match against the risk of returning to the house she escaped, all while trying to quiet a heart that refuses to give Richard up.

Told through Anne’s candid, often wry diary, this Pride and Prejudice continuation follows a woman learning to live beyond her mother’s version of stronger than anyone expected, and ready to choose a home and a love of her own.

416 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2026

About the author

I've been writing since I was 5 years old. I've always had to set it aside and try to concentrate on so-called 'real life' though. I've had a number of interesting careers - engineer, real estate sales agent, owner of an electrical goods store, silversmith - but finally the time has come for me to return to my first love. Writing.

I've always loved the works of Jane Austen, so perhaps it's fitting that my first published work should be a variation on the much beloved Pride And Prejudice.

Visit my website, www.catherinebilson.com, to read several free short fics in the Pride and Prejudice fandom, and to leave me comments on my work!

I also write not-for-profit fanfiction set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if you'd like to read those free works please go to the Archive Of Our Own and search for the user handle ozhawk.

Reviews

[Ree · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Anne Finds Her Voice
This novel is a Pride and Prejudice variation sequel as told from the pen of Anne de Bourgh after she is rescued by Colonel Fitzwilliam and Darcy from Lady Catherine’s abuse. They take her from Rosings and she goes to live at Pemberley with ODC during their first year of marriage.

The diary covers Anne’s journey of overcoming a life of fear with Lady Catherine, entering society, and finding a happy ending. The diary entries also cover the happenings of Elizabeth and Darcy’s younger sisters, as well as Colonel Fitzwilliam, who comes and goes as he recovers from a war injury and adjusts to civilian life. He, too, eventually finds his own HEA.

I liked that the diary wasn’t simply day-to-day entries; it’s a compelling story that has Anne growing in confidence and finding her own voice when it matters most. Darcy and Elizabeth are there to offer guidance and support, but they never take over or make her decisions for her.

The plot and characters were well-developed and I thought Catherine Bilson handled the diary format very well.


Note: None of my reviews are generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

[Terri Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book very much Im not a huge fan of periferal character books but this one has D&E just enough to keep me interested.