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Darcy and... A Pride and Prejudice Variations Collection #4
Through Every Storm: A Pride and Prejudice Novella
A Pride and Prejudice Novella
A gambler, a profligate and forcibly married to the silly daughter of a country gentleman, no one expected George Wickham to amount to much, nor did they expect him to fall deeply in love with his wife. When that wife takes an unplanned trip in the company of another gentleman, leaving Wickham and her children behind, he will be forced to face his fears and fight for those he holds dear.
Lydia Wickham does not understand why her husband insists on sending money to their wealthy relative Fitzwilliam Darcy. When her funds run low, she chooses to enlist the aid of a soldier as an escort and travels to Derbyshire to seek help from her sister, Mrs. Darcy. What she finds when her husband arrives to take her home is not the kind of help she expected, but exactly the kind she needs. Will she be able to overcome her shortcomings and prove herself worthy of the one person she cannot bear to disappoint?
A gambler, a profligate and forcibly married to the silly daughter of a country gentleman, no one expected George Wickham to amount to much, nor did they expect him to fall deeply in love with his wife. When that wife takes an unplanned trip in the company of another gentleman, leaving Wickham and her children behind, he will be forced to face his fears and fight for those he holds dear.
Lydia Wickham does not understand why her husband insists on sending money to their wealthy relative Fitzwilliam Darcy. When her funds run low, she chooses to enlist the aid of a soldier as an escort and travels to Derbyshire to seek help from her sister, Mrs. Darcy. What she finds when her husband arrives to take her home is not the kind of help she expected, but exactly the kind she needs. Will she be able to overcome her shortcomings and prove herself worthy of the one person she cannot bear to disappoint?
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2015
45 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Leenie Brown
95 books112 followersLeenie Brown has always been a girl with an active imagination, which, while growing up, was both an asset, providing many hours of fun as she played out stories, and a liability, when her older sister and aunt would tell her frightening tales. At one time, they had her convinced Dracula lived in the trunk at the end of the bed she slept in when visiting her grandparents!
Although it has been years since she cowered in her bed in her grandparents’ basement, she still has an imagination which occasionally runs away with her, and she feeds it now as she did then ─ by reading!
Her heroes, when growing up, were authors, and the worlds they painted with words were (and still are) her favourite playgrounds! Now, as an adult, she spends much of her time in the Regency world, playing with the characters from her favourite Jane Austen novels and those of her own creation.
When she is not traipsing down a trail in an attempt to keep up with her imagination, Leenie resides in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia with her two sons and her very own Mr. Brown (a wonderful mix of all the best of Darcy, Bingley, and Edmund with a healthy dose of the teasing Mr. Tilney and just a dash of the scolding Mr. Knightley).
Although it has been years since she cowered in her bed in her grandparents’ basement, she still has an imagination which occasionally runs away with her, and she feeds it now as she did then ─ by reading!
Her heroes, when growing up, were authors, and the worlds they painted with words were (and still are) her favourite playgrounds! Now, as an adult, she spends much of her time in the Regency world, playing with the characters from her favourite Jane Austen novels and those of her own creation.
When she is not traipsing down a trail in an attempt to keep up with her imagination, Leenie resides in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia with her two sons and her very own Mr. Brown (a wonderful mix of all the best of Darcy, Bingley, and Edmund with a healthy dose of the teasing Mr. Tilney and just a dash of the scolding Mr. Knightley).
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 1, 2019
Lydia and Wickham have been married for 10 years, and she's still the same selfish girl she's always been. Wickham has reformed and is a successful shopowner who now loves his wife. However, he's made the same mistakes with her that Mrs. Bennet did, giving into her whims without making her face consequences for her thoughtless behavior. Lydia's gone too far this time, though, and it's time she got the tough love treatment.
It's another short and sweet Leenie Brown story. Content is clean.
It's another short and sweet Leenie Brown story. Content is clean.
September 24, 2016
Everyone has an opportunity to change…whether they choose to do so, is up to them.
I put off reading this for some time due to the fact it was a story about Wickham. I didn’t want to like him, have him redeem himself or even to clean up his act. That is, of course, an uncharitable attitude and not very nice on my part. I am sorry to admit that about myself. Implacable resentment is not something I should admit to. My opinion once lost should not be lost forever. Every villain deserves the opportunity to change their stripes, but can a leopard truly change his stripes?
I questioned whether this was a story about Wickham or Lydia, or perhaps both. At the opening of our story Lydia had left. She had gone to Pemberley with one of the officers in tow leaving Wickham home with their two children, ages 8 and 5. She had left a note saying that she would return. Sounds like Lydia would do something as foolish as that.
Her side: or excuse: She’d overspend her allowance and was going to her sister to ask for money. Because she didn’t want to travel that far alone, she asked one of the officers to go with her as an escort and for protection. She knew a woman shouldn’t travel alone as it was too dangerous.
Colonel Nathaniel Denny was married to Lydia’s sister Kitty [which was not clear at first, I had to back up and reread sections]. She took care of the children when Wickham and Colonel Denny left for Pemberley to retrieve Lydia. Colonel Denny had sent a group of soldiers ahead of them in order to escort his officer back to camp. It would not go well for him.
Lydia was Lydia. She did not, could not, would not, see the problems that she had caused, such as the fact, 1) that Wickham could throw her off, 2) she was traveling in the company of a man…not her husband, and without her maid, 3) that she left an Inn and did not paid her bill, even though she said she intended to pay them on the return home, 4) that Wickham would not take her to his bed until he was sure she was not with child [shock]. If he took her to his bed she might conceive and this was to insure no one could/would label their child a by-blow [he had very good reason for that], 5) that things would change… or else and she had to sign a paper declaring that she would comply to all his terms…and it was witnessed by Colonel Denny and Mr. Darcy [her sisters’ husbands].
There were temper tantrums with Lydia acting the child in her reasoning and thinking. I struggled to understand without labeling her. Was she ADHD? She struggled with concentration while she attempted to learn and keep up her ledgers and accounts. The math and numbers gave her difficulty and caused her to make mistakes. Other examples, her exuberance and boisterousness could account for the hyperactivity of the disorder. Her lack of impulse control, so evident throughout her life, along with not thinking through to the consequences of her actions, all evidence there may be an underlying problem.
Having said that, this work was not about a label but about redemption and forgiveness. In every life there is a moment when a person has a chance…an opportunity to make changes in their life. Wickham had done that and was repentant in his actions toward others and toward his wife. He had determined to make payments to Darcy for the money he had extorted from him in the marriage of Lydia. He was trying to be an upstanding citizen and business owner in the community. And most of all, a worthy father to their two children. Nothing turns a father’s head and heart more than the loving looks from a daughter and son and he knew he stood before them, an example…for good or evil. That was the sobering fact that had put him on the straight and narrow.
But his battle was not won until Lydia was brought to bear. There was a lot of finger pointing, especially toward Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Parents everywhere will cringe from the blame game. We have to remember that Jane, Elizabeth and Mary came from those same parents and once Kitty was out from under Lydia’s influence she too had an opportunity to change. In previous works we were reminded that anyone that wanted to learn was given the opportunity. Lydia chose not to and knew what she needed to do to get out of work, study, practice and had a mother that lived vicariously through her exuberance and vivacity. There was equal blame to pass around. This work was not to throw the Bennet parents under the cart but to redeem a life and save a family.
I will not spoil the reveal or the methods and machinations that Wickham used in an attempt to restore his marriage. It was a worthy read…some angst and…again, we are dealing with Lydia and Wickham. Those who like a redemptive bad boy will enjoy this new Wickham. Those who dislike Lydia will enjoy her punishment. However, those who have a heart to receive the lost back into the fold will enjoy the end result.
I put off reading this for some time due to the fact it was a story about Wickham. I didn’t want to like him, have him redeem himself or even to clean up his act. That is, of course, an uncharitable attitude and not very nice on my part. I am sorry to admit that about myself. Implacable resentment is not something I should admit to. My opinion once lost should not be lost forever. Every villain deserves the opportunity to change their stripes, but can a leopard truly change his stripes?
I questioned whether this was a story about Wickham or Lydia, or perhaps both. At the opening of our story Lydia had left. She had gone to Pemberley with one of the officers in tow leaving Wickham home with their two children, ages 8 and 5. She had left a note saying that she would return. Sounds like Lydia would do something as foolish as that.
Her side: or excuse: She’d overspend her allowance and was going to her sister to ask for money. Because she didn’t want to travel that far alone, she asked one of the officers to go with her as an escort and for protection. She knew a woman shouldn’t travel alone as it was too dangerous.
Colonel Nathaniel Denny was married to Lydia’s sister Kitty [which was not clear at first, I had to back up and reread sections]. She took care of the children when Wickham and Colonel Denny left for Pemberley to retrieve Lydia. Colonel Denny had sent a group of soldiers ahead of them in order to escort his officer back to camp. It would not go well for him.
Lydia was Lydia. She did not, could not, would not, see the problems that she had caused, such as the fact, 1) that Wickham could throw her off, 2) she was traveling in the company of a man…not her husband, and without her maid, 3) that she left an Inn and did not paid her bill, even though she said she intended to pay them on the return home, 4) that Wickham would not take her to his bed until he was sure she was not with child [shock]. If he took her to his bed she might conceive and this was to insure no one could/would label their child a by-blow [he had very good reason for that], 5) that things would change… or else and she had to sign a paper declaring that she would comply to all his terms…and it was witnessed by Colonel Denny and Mr. Darcy [her sisters’ husbands].
There were temper tantrums with Lydia acting the child in her reasoning and thinking. I struggled to understand without labeling her. Was she ADHD? She struggled with concentration while she attempted to learn and keep up her ledgers and accounts. The math and numbers gave her difficulty and caused her to make mistakes. Other examples, her exuberance and boisterousness could account for the hyperactivity of the disorder. Her lack of impulse control, so evident throughout her life, along with not thinking through to the consequences of her actions, all evidence there may be an underlying problem.
Having said that, this work was not about a label but about redemption and forgiveness. In every life there is a moment when a person has a chance…an opportunity to make changes in their life. Wickham had done that and was repentant in his actions toward others and toward his wife. He had determined to make payments to Darcy for the money he had extorted from him in the marriage of Lydia. He was trying to be an upstanding citizen and business owner in the community. And most of all, a worthy father to their two children. Nothing turns a father’s head and heart more than the loving looks from a daughter and son and he knew he stood before them, an example…for good or evil. That was the sobering fact that had put him on the straight and narrow.
But his battle was not won until Lydia was brought to bear. There was a lot of finger pointing, especially toward Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Parents everywhere will cringe from the blame game. We have to remember that Jane, Elizabeth and Mary came from those same parents and once Kitty was out from under Lydia’s influence she too had an opportunity to change. In previous works we were reminded that anyone that wanted to learn was given the opportunity. Lydia chose not to and knew what she needed to do to get out of work, study, practice and had a mother that lived vicariously through her exuberance and vivacity. There was equal blame to pass around. This work was not to throw the Bennet parents under the cart but to redeem a life and save a family.
I will not spoil the reveal or the methods and machinations that Wickham used in an attempt to restore his marriage. It was a worthy read…some angst and…again, we are dealing with Lydia and Wickham. Those who like a redemptive bad boy will enjoy this new Wickham. Those who dislike Lydia will enjoy her punishment. However, those who have a heart to receive the lost back into the fold will enjoy the end result.
April 11, 2016
A reformed George Wickham bringing Lydia to task...this I had to read! I certainly was not disappointed either in this short but rather moving novella. This story takes place 10 years after Wickham is forced and paid to marry Lydia. They are parents to two children still living in Newcastle. However, George is no longer in the Regulars but a shop owner! Lydia has gone off to Pemberley in the company of another soldier and no chaperone. Wickham is devastated.
I was delighted with the premise and the outcome of this story. Kitty and Captain Denny play a large role in this story showing how maturity and the influence of her older sisters helped her become the woman she is. I truly delighted in these two characters.
I highly recommend this story to JAFF lovers. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
I was delighted with the premise and the outcome of this story. Kitty and Captain Denny play a large role in this story showing how maturity and the influence of her older sisters helped her become the woman she is. I truly delighted in these two characters.
I highly recommend this story to JAFF lovers. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
April 3, 2016
This is a P&P sequel set 10 years after Lydia's elopement with Wickham. She and Wickham are settled with two children. Wickham is a shop owner and Lydia is a wife and mother. When Lydia flees to Pemberley in the company of a man, not her husband or relative a new scandal is born. And Wickham is forced to take Lydia in hand and teach her how to be a responsible wife and mother.
This book shows how both Lydia's and Wickham's childhoods were in fraught with mistakes and errors and how it took the birth of his daughter to make him a better man.
This is a sweet, thoughtful story.
This book shows how both Lydia's and Wickham's childhoods were in fraught with mistakes and errors and how it took the birth of his daughter to make him a better man.
This is a sweet, thoughtful story.
March 19, 2019
This Pride and Prejudice story is focused on Mr and Mrs Wickham. Wickham, who is in love with his wife, must force Lydia to see and fix her failures/thoughlessness. Luckily, the two have help from Kitty and Denny (married) who live in the same town.
It is a very cute love story between characters that I usually don't want to have a happy ending. However, the story shows that everyone deserves respect, appreciation and love.
It is a very cute love story between characters that I usually don't want to have a happy ending. However, the story shows that everyone deserves respect, appreciation and love.
June 14, 2019
3.5 stars. This novella is a Pride and Prejudice sequel about Mr. Wickham and his wife Lydia Wickham (nee Bennet), and basically it's a belated coming of age story.
Although he's been made out to be much worse in a lot of JAFF stories than he even was in the original, I've always thought of Mr. Wickham as potentially redeemable, and wondered what might have made such a man turn out so awful after all the help he had been given. I find it refreshing to read of this Wickham as being someone who redeemed himself once he had a family and fell in love with his wife. He even has his own business, a little haberdashery shop, and he's begun to pay off his debt to Mr. Darcy.
I always saw Lydia as someone who might eventually grow up and settle down. However, in this story, Lydia has not yet grown up, even after years of marriage and motherhood. She begins this sequel as the silly, impulsive, stubborn, improper, vain, selfish spendthrift of a girl she was in the original story, and completely oblivious to either the feelings of others or the impact of her actions on them. It's as if she got stuck in a learned pattern of behavior and can't find her way out.
In the opening pages, Wickham has relapsed to a drunken state, but this time for a reason, and his friend Colonel Denny takes him home and sets him on the right path again. That is, to go and retrieve his errant wife. Lydia has taken off with another man, one of Denny's officers, to go ask her sister, Elizabeth Darcy, for money. She overspent her allowance and doesn't want Wickham to know. She doesn't seem to understand that driving off alone with another man makes her look far worse than a spendthrift. Denny and Wickham go after her together, and Wickham is determined his wife is going to change her behavior, and pay her debts.
I won't tell any more. It's a sweet story, and I found it satisfying. Recommended to those who like JAFF and especially alternate outcomes for Wickham and Lydia. I like that this sequel provided some backstory for Wickham that explains in part why perhaps he became the rake he was, and how his flaws are more weakness of character than villainy, weaknesses that he has chosen to overcome. I also like the friendships between him and Denny and between Kitty and her sister Lydia, which are supportive and constructive. Clearly the author understands the importance of feeling connected, in order to help one overcome one's worst inclinations. I also found it interesting to begin to see Lydia as someone who perhaps does need a little help, and who in modern times might even be diagnosed with some form of ADHD.
Although he's been made out to be much worse in a lot of JAFF stories than he even was in the original, I've always thought of Mr. Wickham as potentially redeemable, and wondered what might have made such a man turn out so awful after all the help he had been given. I find it refreshing to read of this Wickham as being someone who redeemed himself once he had a family and fell in love with his wife. He even has his own business, a little haberdashery shop, and he's begun to pay off his debt to Mr. Darcy.
I always saw Lydia as someone who might eventually grow up and settle down. However, in this story, Lydia has not yet grown up, even after years of marriage and motherhood. She begins this sequel as the silly, impulsive, stubborn, improper, vain, selfish spendthrift of a girl she was in the original story, and completely oblivious to either the feelings of others or the impact of her actions on them. It's as if she got stuck in a learned pattern of behavior and can't find her way out.
In the opening pages, Wickham has relapsed to a drunken state, but this time for a reason, and his friend Colonel Denny takes him home and sets him on the right path again. That is, to go and retrieve his errant wife. Lydia has taken off with another man, one of Denny's officers, to go ask her sister, Elizabeth Darcy, for money. She overspent her allowance and doesn't want Wickham to know. She doesn't seem to understand that driving off alone with another man makes her look far worse than a spendthrift. Denny and Wickham go after her together, and Wickham is determined his wife is going to change her behavior, and pay her debts.
I won't tell any more. It's a sweet story, and I found it satisfying. Recommended to those who like JAFF and especially alternate outcomes for Wickham and Lydia. I like that this sequel provided some backstory for Wickham that explains in part why perhaps he became the rake he was, and how his flaws are more weakness of character than villainy, weaknesses that he has chosen to overcome. I also like the friendships between him and Denny and between Kitty and her sister Lydia, which are supportive and constructive. Clearly the author understands the importance of feeling connected, in order to help one overcome one's worst inclinations. I also found it interesting to begin to see Lydia as someone who perhaps does need a little help, and who in modern times might even be diagnosed with some form of ADHD.
March 13, 2017
Ten years on from the end of Pride and Prejudice Lydia and George Wickham's marriage is in trouble. With there failure to communicate can they save their marriage, do they want do. Can Lydia prove her self worthy to the one man that loves her. A Lydia grows up tale.
A second read for this, and an enjoyable tale, centred on the Wickhams with help from Colonel Denny and his wife the former Kitty Bennet.
A second read for this, and an enjoyable tale, centred on the Wickhams with help from Colonel Denny and his wife the former Kitty Bennet.
July 22, 2021
Wickham as a loving husband and father? A Lydia who learns from her mistakes and grows up? I never imagined these were possible, but Leenie Brown makes it come true in her lovely novella "Through Every Storm."
Becoming a father deeply changed Wickham, making him realize that he didn't want his son to grow up like him, or his daughter to be treated by men the way he had treated other women. In the eight years since Pride and Prejudice ended, he has turned his life around, regretting the man he had been before. Lydia, however, is still up to her old habits. When she runs off with a man who isn't her husband, Wickham must bring her home and show love to his wife in a way he never had before, by teaching her the things she ought to have learnt long before.
A beautiful story reminiscent of Hosea from the Bible, with themes about forgiveness and the true meaning of love.
Becoming a father deeply changed Wickham, making him realize that he didn't want his son to grow up like him, or his daughter to be treated by men the way he had treated other women. In the eight years since Pride and Prejudice ended, he has turned his life around, regretting the man he had been before. Lydia, however, is still up to her old habits. When she runs off with a man who isn't her husband, Wickham must bring her home and show love to his wife in a way he never had before, by teaching her the things she ought to have learnt long before.
A beautiful story reminiscent of Hosea from the Bible, with themes about forgiveness and the true meaning of love.
February 4, 2023
This story finds Mr. Wickham, in a situation he has never been in before, his wife Lydia has left.
Mrs. Lydia Wickham, nee Bennet, is still as self-centered as she has always been. Now, her thoughtless behavior will have to be dealt with. Is her husband up to the task? With the assistance of his friend and brother-in-law , Mr. Denny, as well as support from his brother-in-law, Mr. Darcy , Wickham has a plan to both adjust his wife's behavior. That will also help her see that her actions have consequences that can adversely affect other members of her family, including her own children. His plan is quite inventive and calls for sacrifice on both sides. Sit back, relax ,and enjoy this wonderful story.
Mrs. Lydia Wickham, nee Bennet, is still as self-centered as she has always been. Now, her thoughtless behavior will have to be dealt with. Is her husband up to the task? With the assistance of his friend and brother-in-law , Mr. Denny, as well as support from his brother-in-law, Mr. Darcy , Wickham has a plan to both adjust his wife's behavior. That will also help her see that her actions have consequences that can adversely affect other members of her family, including her own children. His plan is quite inventive and calls for sacrifice on both sides. Sit back, relax ,and enjoy this wonderful story.
December 18, 2017
Through Every Storm was a very interesting story about Wickham and Lydia and how they have evolved (or in Lydia's case how she begins to evolve) since the end of Pride and Prejudice. I really enjoyed this story and getting to see a reformed version of both Wickham and Lydia. I love Leenie Brown's stories and how she draws the reader into her books worlds and look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
March 26, 2020
You can do anything
Interesting view on what could of happened between Wickham and Lydia. Great how Denny and Kitty grew up together and helped. I was amazed what Wickham changeable himself. Great storyline and ideas. Highly recommended
Interesting view on what could of happened between Wickham and Lydia. Great how Denny and Kitty grew up together and helped. I was amazed what Wickham changeable himself. Great storyline and ideas. Highly recommended
November 7, 2022
Truly Entertaining!!
5 easy stars for this fabulous tale of a reformed Mr Wickham learning to reform his wife Lydia Wickham. A. delightful concept That is truly well executed My favorite character is actually their daughter LouisaParade.
5 easy stars for this fabulous tale of a reformed Mr Wickham learning to reform his wife Lydia Wickham. A. delightful concept That is truly well executed My favorite character is actually their daughter LouisaParade.
March 19, 2023
Wonderful short read!
What a wonderful, short pick me up! There were a few small editing issues, but I liked it enough to still give it 5 stars. Lydia and Wickham are definitely not characters I usually enjoy!
What a wonderful, short pick me up! There were a few small editing issues, but I liked it enough to still give it 5 stars. Lydia and Wickham are definitely not characters I usually enjoy!
July 23, 2024
Through Every Storm
It was nice to read a story that saw George Wickham reformed and his love for Lydia make her a better person. Of course, it took the continued effort of Colonel Denny and his wife Kitty, yes, Lydia’s sister, to help them throughout the storm in their life’s struggle.
It was nice to read a story that saw George Wickham reformed and his love for Lydia make her a better person. Of course, it took the continued effort of Colonel Denny and his wife Kitty, yes, Lydia’s sister, to help them throughout the storm in their life’s struggle.
March 22, 2022
For the lovers of domestic discipline romance, I guess?
March 29, 2021
I was never really a fan of the character Lydia to begin with, so I wasn’t terribly surprised that she never really matured. Seeing the changes that 10 Years had brought for Wickham and their family was very interesting. Sometimes The only way to achieve changes through tough love. It is only through this “discomfort” that Lydia has a revelation of reality. A satisfying P&P variation overall.
June 11, 2016
Lydia is into some mischief! Wickham must focus out what to do now!
I completely adored this short sequel to Pride & Prejudice! I have never read any book that changed the base characters so well! They are the same people we know from cannon, but 10 years older, wiser. A great story with such sweet, heartfelt sentiment. I will absolutely read this one again!
Leenie Brown knows these people! You can feel it in her writing, she loves them as much as I do and I appreciate yay so much!
This was a gift from the author and I am so happy I received it! I'm looking forward to adding this author to my favourite JAFF authors list!
I completely adored this short sequel to Pride & Prejudice! I have never read any book that changed the base characters so well! They are the same people we know from cannon, but 10 years older, wiser. A great story with such sweet, heartfelt sentiment. I will absolutely read this one again!
Leenie Brown knows these people! You can feel it in her writing, she loves them as much as I do and I appreciate yay so much!
This was a gift from the author and I am so happy I received it! I'm looking forward to adding this author to my favourite JAFF authors list!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews