One Minute More: A Pride & Prejudice Variation

by Jan Ashton

“If I do my duty as a gentleman, I shall have to marry a woman who prefers you. How is this fair?”
It has been a miserable few weeks in Meryton. It was not enough that Fitzwilliam Darcy has had to tolerate the attentions of his best friend’s sister. Now he must deal with his cousin’s disastrous romantic alliance and his own unfortunate attraction to the intriguing and elusive Elizabeth Bennet.

Caroline Bingley’s life-changing mistake has landed her the wrong groom and a temporary exile to Longbourn. She packs her temper along with her gowns, ensuring no one is happy about their houseguest. Especially Elizabeth, who not only gives up her bedchamber to her adversary but becomes the focus of Caroline’s scheme to attach her to Mr Collins.

So much has happened in so little time. What can happen in one minute more?

Genres: Romance, Regency, Historical, Novella, Fan Fiction, Historical Fiction

91 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 17, 2020

About the author

Author and editor of Austenesque novels, lover of history and romance, co-founder of Quills & Quartos Publishing.

Reviews

[wosedwew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time kept passing without my consent. ~ Abby Geni

Poor Caroline Bingley – so consistently irritated during her stay in Hertfordshire. The people, the fashion, the manners and especially Elizabeth Bennet and her attraction for Fitzwilliam Darcy! Caroline’s time with Darcy is running out. What can she do before it is too late?

Compromise!

The best-laid plans of mice and spinsters … with apologies to Robert Burns

Caroline’s plan worked perfectly except for a minor detail. Can she live with the result of her compromise?

And why, oh why, would Caroline Bingley agree to reside temporarily at Longbourn with all those hoydens?

The compromise premise has been done before but it is very well done here. Short, amusing and recommended for those times you just can’t take any more Darcy and Elizabeth angst! There is plenty of angst for Caroline.

I received an ARC of this book with no promise of a review, good or bad.

But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A totally unique Pride and Prejudice-based short story set entirely at Netherfield and Longbourn.

Caroline Bingley is frustrated. Jane and Elizabeth Bennet are unwelcome house guests at Netherfield, as far as she's concerned. Charles is too enamored of Jane and needs to be discouraged.

What's worse, Caroline can't get more than the bare minimum of polite words from Mr. Darcy when she tries to engage him in conversation, yet he talks freely with Eliza Bennet, that unworthy, unsophisticated country chit. It's time to force a compromise.

But what if the "compromise" lands her in the wrong gentleman's bed?

It's a marvelous premise that has repercussions beyond Caroline and the man she compromised. Circumstances force her to accept an invitation to stay at Longbourn. She can't hide her disdain for the residents and her surroundings. Her only amusement comes when Mr. Collins arrives, with Mrs. Bennet clearly intending him to marry an equally clearly repulsed Elizabeth, and Caroline does her best to encourage the match.

The story's point of view floats among Caroline, Elizabeth, Darcy, and Colonel Fitzwilliam. The writing and characterizations are excellent, and the plot moves in some unexpected directions. Content is clean.

Storytelling at its best!

I received an ARC with no promise of a review, favorable or otherwise.

[Sheila Majczan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. I received an ARC of this book with no strings attached.

Set at Netherfield and Longbourn as Jane is recovering from her cold, Caroline sets up a compromise which backfires...although she is still "caught". The man is gracious and seems to figure, "Why not?"...I have no other irons in the fire and she does come with some advantages. But now as Elizabeth and Jane leave Longbourn since Jane is well and Louisa leaves due to news her mother-in-law is dying, Caroline cannot stay at Netherfield with three bachelors...even if one is her brother.

So Caroline is invited to stay at Longbourn and she just is not finish with her mischief making. Collins has arrived and Caroline sees an opportunity to thwart Elizabeth's chances with Darcy...even if Elizabeth has not decided she wants Darcy...it is enough that Darcy pays attention to Elizabeth, holds conversations with Elizabeth and seems to enjoy debating Elizabeth. Collins now has encouragement from two ladies so he is not shy in his overtures.

This short romance as enjoyable. No Wickham nor Lady C. involved.

[J. W. Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.” –Novalis

SPOILER ALERT: this review may contain ***SPOILERS *** OK, maybe a small one.

>>Rating: Clean:
>>Angst Level: slight
>>Timeline: Netherfield, Elizabeth staying to care for Jane.

There was so much to like about this story. Because it was a novella, the story moved along quickly; however, it didn’t suffer from the speed. I liked the way it flowed and I was able to keep up with the action. The writing was tight and I am struggled as to what to say in a review without giving a spoiler. The relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth was so cute. She was constantly on guard against him and he was completely disconcerted by her.

“Isn’t it kind of silly to think that tearing someone else down builds you up?” –Sean Covey, the 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens

**** SPOILER **** OK, I couldn’t resist… just one. Elizabeth and Jane were still at Netherfield when Caroline pulled her coup de grâce. ‘Oh, the machinations of one Caroline Bingley had finally brought her to Mr. Darcy’s bed… only he wasn’t in it.’ **** End Spoiler ****

“You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself.” –Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

Mr. Darcy was horrified to learn that Mr. Collins had arrived at Longbourn and had turned his matrimonial desires/eyes toward the second Bennet daughter. What was a guy to do?

This was part of Quills & Quartos Publishing Summer Short Reads: 2020: I volunteered to read an ARC with no expectations of a review negative or positive. The views and opinions expressed are my own. I grabbed the pre-order as soon as it launched. I definitely wanted this in my personal library. I loved this story and highly recommend it.

1st read 6-20-20
2nd read 11-14-23

[Carole (in Canada) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh yes, he was in danger, indeed; strangely, he had little wish to pull himself free of it." (quote from the book)

Danger? What can he mean by it? True, Caroline Bingley wishes to attach herself to Mr. Darcy but what possible danger can he be in? Just give me 'one minute more' to entice you to read this delightful story.

Elizabeth desperately wants to return to Longbourn while caring for Jane at Netherfield Park. She keeps getting thrown in the path of the glowering Mr. Darcy and the shrewish Caroline Bingley. But when Caroline's machinations turn into a 'mistake' gone awry, she must stay at Longbourn. Mr. Collins arrives shortly on her heels, and chaos ensues.

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book with no expectation for a review.

[Ree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Caroline!
Quote from the book...

“Ah, a man in love, a man entangled, and a man enraged. Should be a grand adventure.”

.... and indeed it was, but you must read the book to find out who is who! A fun story about a compromise gone wrong.... or did it? I especially enjoyed the confrontation between Caroline and Darcy. Jan Ashton gifts us with a fun read to pass a summer afternoon or evening. Well written short story, part of the 2020 summer series of shorts from Quills and Quartos Publishing. Well done ladies!

[Michelle Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received an ARC for an honest review. 4.5 stars but bumped it up for the storyline of sending Caroline to live at Longbourne amidst a "horde of hoydens." It would have been fun to spend even more time with Caroline at Longbourn if only to see her suffer more, but it would have bogged down the length of the story. Being this is a novella, the story moved along at a good pace and flowed nicely.

**** spoiler **** I liked the storyline with Richard here, stepping up and becoming not only reconciled to but accepting of and almost looking forward to his forced marriage to Caroline. I like Richard as a character, so it was nice to read of him as more than Darcy's sidekick. **** end spoiler ****

The storyline between Darcy and Elizabeth was nice and light, as Darcy finds out early of Elizabeth's dislike of him (thanks to Bingley) and is able to start to make amends. The balcony scene at the house party was sweet, and his note to Elizabeth's father was touching.

Overall this story is quick and sweet, well-written, and an enjoyable, low-angst read.

[Dung · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Cute story.

Caroline got away too easily in my opinion. She didn’t seem to really suffer for her bad decisions.

[Sheryl Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lightweight visit into the twisty paths of the ever enchanting Longbourn gardens. Apparently, there are more hidden benches and fascinating flora, regardless of season, in that side of the house to provide a travel writer to mark it as one of England's great literary locations of interest. The schemes that have been launched or, in this case, thwarted therein seem to feature in an untold number of volumes. This is a fun little story that begins with a compromise and skips along, peppered with Ms. Ashton's characteristic, intriguing dialog. An afternoon's delightful, sweet, diversion.

[James S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caroline compromises...

Colonel Fitzwilliams. Whoops

Well written story but not compelling. The romance for Lizzy is tepid and the HEA is really a PHEA. Pretty happily ever after, in my opinion. Caroline’s tepid romance is unexpected. She’s her normal awful self but by the end of the story has turned over a small new leaf.

It’s worth a read, kinda.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novella set entirely at Netherfield and Longbourn. While Jane is ill and staying at Netherfield with Elizabeth, an unexpected situation occurs when Miss Bingley puts her plan to compromise Darcy by going into his bedroom at night... only Darcy isn't in there. Someone else is... This is such a unique idea and actually turns out to be quite a good match for her in theory but she's going to have to earn his good opinion. The main story is about Ms Bingley and her upcoming wedding but we get to see plenty of Bingley & Jane and Darcy & Elizabeth.

This is a great book and although it's a novella, it feels like a much longer book with no sense of anything being rushed or omitted.

[Sam H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't not like this, it was enjoyable. but there is a part of me that just didn't like Caroline being "rewarded" for such manipulative behavior. I think I would try another book from this author before saying no completely.

[Lady Jl · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good read

This is short story with lots of surprises that kept my interest. This book begins with the new neighbors at Netherfield. Darcy is hunted by Miss Bingley but ends up in bed with His cousin colonel Fitzwilliam. He agrees to marry her to preserve her reputation. When Mrs Hurst is called away, Mrs Bennet invited Caroline to stay with them as it not appropriate for her to remain alone in the house after Miss Bennet and Elizabeth leave due to Jane’s illness.
The fun begins and Caroline can’t help herself. It is Darcy who changes and points out Caroline’s errors which could blow up her world. I enjoyed that bit so much it made me laugh. The ending is short, too short but overall I was entertained.

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this a four star rating instead of a 3 star based solely on Ch 2. It felt disjointed to me. I wish I had enjoyed it more. Perhaps, I will in a second reading.

[Michelle David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

A rather interesting premise in this variation inspired by Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride And Prejudice by Jan Ashton. Enjoyable read

[Sarah Ingerson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was objectively well-written with very few typos/errors. It offered an original premise whereby Caroline Bingley and Colonel Fitzwilliam find themselves engaged. I enjoyed having a fresh take on a P&P variation.

However, I did not find myself drawn to this story. It felt underdeveloped to me - like it was a story worthy of a novel that was artificially compressed into novella length. The plot would suddenly jump forward.

I wanted to see Colonel Fitzwilliam and Caroline Bingley's relationship slowly develop. I wanted to see Darcy and Elizabeth get to know each other. They had one positive conversation and switched from antipathy to declarations of love. It was all very sudden towards the end.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun short story that takes place at Netherfield and Longbourn. There is an overheard conversation and a compromising situation that ends surprisingly well. Elizabeth has a pretty quick change of heart near the end and Darcy doesn’t really learn to correct his pride. But Mr Collins is at least useful in a Lady Catherine sort of way. It’s an amusing story.

[Reya Reychelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short, zero plot, boring

[Bettye McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely and interesting story. Get ready for some surprises (unless you have already read spoilers). Things do not always turn in the direction we expect. And I like that. That's what makes these variations so much fun.

The matchmaking in this story exceeds the boundaries of meddling and becomes vicious. Darcy is his tried-and-true aristocratic self who simply cannot marry someone beneath him, but, oh, those fine eyes. I especially loved the way the title was incorporated into the story.

2

[Eliza Baum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a good concept and potential, but I think it suffered from being a novella and not a full novel. There were several times that events felt like they did not have time for enough build up to feel as important as they should or for any real tension to build. With a story like this that has multiple focus points of both plot and characterization, it really needed to be at least double this length to prevent things from resolving too quickly. I didn't have time to really feel how Darcy and Elizabeth's feelings had progressed from staying together at Netherfield. They really didn't have a lot of interactions, and many things were conveyed by the current POV character reflecting rather than being present in the action.

Certainly not bad, but I was disappointed that it wasn't better.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avid Reader

Caroline Bingley thinks that she is compromising Darcy, but it is Colonel Fitzwilliam. Needless to say that Darcy is furious, and tells Charles that he would not have married regardless of a compromise. Elizabeth overheard the conversation between Darcy and Bingley concerning Caroline and her scheming, Jane, and the improprieties of the Bennet family. His words truly anger Elizabeth, but not as much as Mr. Collins.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. It had a good interesting premise. And the first 50% of the book set up a great story.
The second half of the book though? It was some rush to the end. Neither Elizabeth or Darcy go through anything that grows their characters. Elizabeth one moment is annoyed by Darcy (and for good reason) and the next minute she wants to marry him...with really nothing in between...
It was a disappointment.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just okay. Usually one of my favorite authors.

Did not enjoy. This is at least my third reading so I hope to remember to look at my own reviews.

A misbehaving Caroline gets her man: not Darcy but the Colonel. Bingley is dumbfounded that either one considers letting Miss Bingley get what she deserves which is scandal.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caroline compromised the wrong man

This was ok, but a bit indifferent read to me. I had already read it before and didn't realize until several chapters in.

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is essentially a romcom. Maybe it deserves higher rating. But honestly? I can't. The book is a novella, and therefore short. It's cute at times. But the character interactions and personal developments needed way more build-up than they got. For example, at the end, Caroline rushes to save Elizabeth from a proposal from Mr Collins - something she herself had encouraged. Why does she do this? Because Darcy scolded and threatened her only the day before and she repented? WTF?

And, Elizabeth accepts Darcy...why exactly? Because he used flowery language for once? Despite what she overheard him tell Bingley?

And not to forget the main plot of the story: Caroline tries to entrap Darcy in marriage, but accidentally manages it with the Colonel. And because Bingley, Darcy, and the Colonel are good at making sure gossip doesn't travel, her scheme isn't discovered and everyone in Meryton thinks it's a love match. And instead of being properly humbled by the fact the Colonel agrees to marry her, she is still as much a proud snob as ever, still thinks herself to be of a class with members of the first circles. The Colonel lies to his parents, and gets them to accept her as daughter in law. All this, and she's still peevish she didn't manage to entrap Darcy, still all in high dudgeon she has to be guest at Longbourn for reasons, still nose up in the air, still scheming against Elizabeth and Jane.

To be fair, this story's Caroline isn't a caricature, isn't the crazy!Caroline we see in a number of JAFF. In fact, I would have enjoyed her characterisation if the story had been longer, and thus her character had been allowed to develop and grow a bit more.

But as it stands, her Karma Houdini act, her complete lack of self-awareness and repentance, spoils every enjoyment of the book for me.

Let me not even speak of the fact that after all this, Darcy still thinks the Bennets aren't good enough for the Bingley. And his decision to go for Elizabeth after all is based on nothing more than jealousy over Collins. Not the best beginning.

In short: if you enjoy the run of the mill problematic romcoms like, I don't know, "How to lose a man in 10 days", "The Proposal", or "She's All That" or some such, you'll also enjoy this book. If you have higher standards for romcoms? Not so much.

[lori huff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining

A nice, quick read with a fun and angst free plot. The story begins at Netherfield Park, when Elizabeth is nursing Jane who is ill after riding to Netherfield in the rain. Colonel Fitzwilliam comes to Netherfield for a visit, and quickly becomes the victim of an attempt by Caroline Bingley to compromise Mr Darcy. Because Darcy and his cousin switch rooms, Caroline finds herself in the bed of the wrong man, and she's forced to become engaged to the Colonel. This event is the catalyst for everything that follows.

Caroline Bingley is her usual snobby and malicious self, but she meets her match in the Colonel, who, although he's not happy to be forced into anything, adopts a philosophical attitude, and decides to make the best of it. I like Bingley in this version because he has a backbone. The attraction between Elizabeth and Darcy takes a long time to even seem possible, but when it does, it's wonderfully romantic. The only villains are Caroline and Mr Collins, and they're both neutralized in a satisfying way.

I like this author. She writes smart and concise stories, without a lot of useless filler content. The book is well written and well edited. I recommend it highly.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. This was a fun story and while I enjoyed it. Caroline was very devious in dreams of becoming mistress of Pemberley, but things don't go exactly as she intends. The thing that didn't work for me was that there was no development of the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. He didn't seem to have much of a struggle to overcome his objections to her situation and she went from disliking him, and even being angry at overhearing some unkind opinions that he shares about her family, to being attached to him in the snap of a finger. There was no catalyst to begin the process of change and in their initial situation, change is needed and I would say a requirement before these two characters would have any chance of happiness. Elizabeth's justifiable anger is never brought up or addressed, yet she happily accepts him. He thinks how awful and disastrous her family is and how he could never marry her, yet he steps in and offers just that without going though any humbling process or ever having his arrogance pointed out to him. Just doesn't make sense. I felt like I was missing a key part of the story. This was still a good read that I would probably pick up again.

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

I loved it!

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. It has been a miserable few weeks in Meryton. It was not enough that Fitzwilliam Darcy has had to tolerate the attentions of his best friend’s sister. Now he must deal with his cousin’s disastrous romantic alliance and his own unfortunate attraction to the intriguing and elusive Elizabeth Bennet.

Caroline Bingley’s life-changing mistake has landed her the wrong groom and a temporary exile to Longbourn. She packs her temper along with her gowns, ensuring no one is happy about their houseguest, especially Elizabeth, who not only gives up her bedchamber to her adversary but becomes the focus of Caroline’s scheme to attach her to Mr Collins. So much has happened in so little time. What can happen in one minute more? 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.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story where the Colonel joins Darcy at Netherfield for a bit of a break and finds himself compromised, a Hurst family emergency sees Bingley asking the Bennet girls to stay a little longer to save Caroline from being outnumbered by men outside her family, and Darcy finds himself falling for Lizzy a lot faster than the original!
It could have taken more time to develop Lizzy’s feelings and there are certain things that never get addressed by Lizzy and Darcy that help develop their characters in the original but if you want a quick, no major drama read then this is ideal.

[Kinah Zainuddin · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read the book, the thoughts that crossed my mind is that, there's so many possibilities and accidents that might lead to forced marriage (out of honour). Or maybe, this just allies to the gentle folks, and not those beneath them. But in hindsight, I honestly don't think that Carolina Bingley would do this, if this is canon. Since she's the proud sort talking about manners and what not, I do believe she would not want her marriage life to start as such. But oh well, what do I know???

It's an interesting and easy read, but not handsome enough to give more than 3 stars.