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Deceiving Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
The last thing Elizabeth intended was to deceive Mr. Darcy into thinking that she's her sister, Jane.
But when he loses his memory, the two of them can finally explore their true sentiments without any prejudice.
Elizabeth Bennet is in quite the predicament indeed. She finds herself captivated by the aloof yet mesmerizing Mr. Darcy, but he thinks she is someone else entirely – her sister, Jane, whom their cousin Mr. Collins wishes to marry.
But having fallen for Mr. Bingley, Jane implores her sister to keep their secret for a short while so she can free herself of their cousin.
Soon, Mr. Darcy uncovers their ruse and insists they confess everything.
Elizabeth is sure that the truth will spell doom, not just for Jane but for the entire family.
Not to mention that Mr. Darcy will despise her forever. But when he loses his memory in a carriage accident, Elizabeth realizes she can still maintain their deception while caring for her injured sister at Netherfield.
Finally shedding their former prejudice, Elizabeth and Darcy can see one another in a new light; one where they can give free rein to their suppressed sentiments.
Trapped in a conflicting circle of love and lies, Elizabeth cannot help but wonder: Will Darcy still feel the same once he uncovers her duplicity?
Deceiving Mr. Darcy is a sweet and clean variation of Jane Austen's timeless classic, Pride and Prejudice, and it's above 60000 words long.
But when he loses his memory, the two of them can finally explore their true sentiments without any prejudice.
Elizabeth Bennet is in quite the predicament indeed. She finds herself captivated by the aloof yet mesmerizing Mr. Darcy, but he thinks she is someone else entirely – her sister, Jane, whom their cousin Mr. Collins wishes to marry.
But having fallen for Mr. Bingley, Jane implores her sister to keep their secret for a short while so she can free herself of their cousin.
Soon, Mr. Darcy uncovers their ruse and insists they confess everything.
Elizabeth is sure that the truth will spell doom, not just for Jane but for the entire family.
Not to mention that Mr. Darcy will despise her forever. But when he loses his memory in a carriage accident, Elizabeth realizes she can still maintain their deception while caring for her injured sister at Netherfield.
Finally shedding their former prejudice, Elizabeth and Darcy can see one another in a new light; one where they can give free rein to their suppressed sentiments.
Trapped in a conflicting circle of love and lies, Elizabeth cannot help but wonder: Will Darcy still feel the same once he uncovers her duplicity?
Deceiving Mr. Darcy is a sweet and clean variation of Jane Austen's timeless classic, Pride and Prejudice, and it's above 60000 words long.
212 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2021
39 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 30, 2021
Debbie's review is excellent and extensive. I enjoyed this story. Amnesia has been used in other stories but in this one Elizabeth uses that as the reason she will not accept Darcy's proposal: she fears that when he does remember the last 6 months he will regret marrying her.
Lydia is more out-of-control in this story than in canon. Wickham blackmails the Bennets as he possesses her love letters which would ruin her and her sisters if he makes them public. Mr. Bennet borrows from many and then when he does not have the money to repay those loans asks his cousin, Mr. Collins, (who has an estate and is well-off) for help repaying them. Collins agrees but only if he gets Jane as a bride! Jane really has no choice in the matter although she asks her father to try to work something else out.
The deception in this story begins in that his valet, who grew up in Meryton, tells Mr. Bingley (and Darcy) when they are to settle at Netherfield that his neighbor, the Bennets, have 5 daughters and he "seems to remember" that the dark haired one is Jane, while her older sister is Elizabeth. So it is when at the Assembly Charles calls Jane "Elizabeth" Jane decides to play along with the mistake and begs Elizabeth to comply with that lie. Jane is attracted to Bingley and if he thinks she is already engaged to be married to another man, he will turn his interests elsewhere. Jane hopes that he might be "the one" who will save her from Collins.
Elizabeth's first interaction with Darcy was his scathing condemnation of her reading a letter which had flown out of his possession while he was riding. (She was reading it to determine if she could identify to whom to return the letter.) They don't exchange names but his manners towards her have made that wrong first impression in place of the insult in canon.
The Gardiners own a house in Lambton which becomes part of the story later. Wickham also makes another appearance and his friend, Mr. Denney plays a significant role.
Jane's (and Elizabeth's) exchanging of identities goes on for some time. Elizabeth is uncomfortable with it and does urge Jane to be honest with Mr. Bingley. It all comes undone in a drastic manner but as Darcy with Jane rides in his coach to Netherfield to inform Bingley of her lie, they have an accident...the ruse continues as Darcy now has amnesia. When later in the story the lie is again/finally uncovered Bingley walks away. Darcy is more confrontational as he is more concerned with the affect on his friend. Frankly for him it is good news as he was having feeling for "Jane"/Elizabeth and believed her to be engaged.
Yes, it is complicated. With only the two sisters involved in the deception there is the chance and the fear that at any moment someone is going to use the correct names and the ruse will come undone.
Lydia is more out-of-control in this story than in canon. Wickham blackmails the Bennets as he possesses her love letters which would ruin her and her sisters if he makes them public. Mr. Bennet borrows from many and then when he does not have the money to repay those loans asks his cousin, Mr. Collins, (who has an estate and is well-off) for help repaying them. Collins agrees but only if he gets Jane as a bride! Jane really has no choice in the matter although she asks her father to try to work something else out.
The deception in this story begins in that his valet, who grew up in Meryton, tells Mr. Bingley (and Darcy) when they are to settle at Netherfield that his neighbor, the Bennets, have 5 daughters and he "seems to remember" that the dark haired one is Jane, while her older sister is Elizabeth. So it is when at the Assembly Charles calls Jane "Elizabeth" Jane decides to play along with the mistake and begs Elizabeth to comply with that lie. Jane is attracted to Bingley and if he thinks she is already engaged to be married to another man, he will turn his interests elsewhere. Jane hopes that he might be "the one" who will save her from Collins.
Elizabeth's first interaction with Darcy was his scathing condemnation of her reading a letter which had flown out of his possession while he was riding. (She was reading it to determine if she could identify to whom to return the letter.) They don't exchange names but his manners towards her have made that wrong first impression in place of the insult in canon.
The Gardiners own a house in Lambton which becomes part of the story later. Wickham also makes another appearance and his friend, Mr. Denney plays a significant role.
Jane's (and Elizabeth's) exchanging of identities goes on for some time. Elizabeth is uncomfortable with it and does urge Jane to be honest with Mr. Bingley. It all comes undone in a drastic manner but as Darcy with Jane rides in his coach to Netherfield to inform Bingley of her lie, they have an accident...the ruse continues as Darcy now has amnesia. When later in the story the lie is again/finally uncovered Bingley walks away. Darcy is more confrontational as he is more concerned with the affect on his friend. Frankly for him it is good news as he was having feeling for "Jane"/Elizabeth and believed her to be engaged.
Yes, it is complicated. With only the two sisters involved in the deception there is the chance and the fear that at any moment someone is going to use the correct names and the ruse will come undone.
April 28, 2021
This is a cute story with a quite a few different twists to it.
First of all, Mr. Collins owns his own estate, and there appears to be no entail on Longbourn. He's still an icky guy and still a cousin to the Bennets, but he's well off - better off than the Bennets. Lydia is even worse than in canon, and Mr. Bennet is even more ineffectual in curtailing her poor behavior. Mr. Wickham has love letters she sent him, and the scoundrel is blackmailing the Bennets to keep them to himself, insisting upon more money than Mr. Bennet can afford. Mr. Collins will loan the money needed, but only if Jane Bennet agrees to marry him. She doesn't want to, but she's reluctantly willing to make the sacrifice for the sake of her family. This is all backstory.
As the book begins, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy have just arrived at Netherfield - the Bingley sisters and Mr. Hurst don't join them until later. Elizabeth encounters Mr. Darcy on one of her walks the day before the Meryton assembly, and each is disgusted by the behavior of the other. They don't exchange names, but Darcy and Bingley do get erroneous information that Elizabeth is the only blonde Bennet sister, and Darcy concludes the unpleasant dark-haired Bennet sister he met must have been Jane.
On the evening of the assembly itself, Jane attends at Lizzy's insistence, hoping to enjoy herself for one evening before her engagement to Mr. Collins becomes official. She and Mr. Bingley (as usual) are immediately drawn to each other. Unfortunately, news of her betrothal becomes known to Darcy and Bingley, but they still believe Jane is Elizabeth. Jane entreats Elizabeth not to correct them, and the two ladies continue answering to the wrong name around the Netherfield gentlemen. That same evening, Darcy and "Jane" have another contentious conversation with each other.
By the end of the evening, Jane is already falling in love and wants to continue to get to know Mr. Bingley, hoping he'll propose before things are finalized with Mr. Collins. She begs Elizabeth to continue their ruse, promising to reveal all to Mr. Bingley soon.
Things continue on in this vein until Darcy learns the truth in the worst possible way. He insists that Jane come to Netherfield with him and confess to Bingley, but the carriage in which they're traveling has an accident, leaving them both injured. Jane's injuries aren't that extensive, but Darcy has amnesia - he can't recall anything that's happened during the past six months, which includes all his interactions with the Bennet sisters.
Jane and Elizabeth continue their swapped identities. Darcy gets along with the latter swimmingly, not remembering how disagreeable he found her previously. Caroline Bingley seizes the opportunity to pretend she and Darcy came to an understanding during his memory gap, but he's far more interested in "Jane," wishing she wasn't already betrothed, and wondering what the hell he was thinking if he actually proposed to Caroline. Mr. Collins, Mr. Denny, Mr. Wickham, Lydia, and Georgiana all get in on the action with other intriguing deviations from canon.
I have to admit, the premise itself feels...unsettling. It's so out of character for Jane and, to a slightly lesser extent, Elizabeth to be so deceptive. (Interestingly, Elizabeth seems more uncomfortable than Jane in the situation.) Although I recognize that the mix-up allows the plot to develop the way it does, I struggled to get on board with it. I definitely feel it goes on too long before the truth finally comes out.
Having said that, I must add that the plot's turn-around at the end is inspired and really well done. (This is long after everyone's real identity is known by all.)
The storytelling/writing style is good but not great. In a number of places, the language is more modern than Regency.
Despite its flaws, I found the story entertaining and highly original. Content is clean.
First of all, Mr. Collins owns his own estate, and there appears to be no entail on Longbourn. He's still an icky guy and still a cousin to the Bennets, but he's well off - better off than the Bennets. Lydia is even worse than in canon, and Mr. Bennet is even more ineffectual in curtailing her poor behavior. Mr. Wickham has love letters she sent him, and the scoundrel is blackmailing the Bennets to keep them to himself, insisting upon more money than Mr. Bennet can afford. Mr. Collins will loan the money needed, but only if Jane Bennet agrees to marry him. She doesn't want to, but she's reluctantly willing to make the sacrifice for the sake of her family. This is all backstory.
As the book begins, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy have just arrived at Netherfield - the Bingley sisters and Mr. Hurst don't join them until later. Elizabeth encounters Mr. Darcy on one of her walks the day before the Meryton assembly, and each is disgusted by the behavior of the other. They don't exchange names, but Darcy and Bingley do get erroneous information that Elizabeth is the only blonde Bennet sister, and Darcy concludes the unpleasant dark-haired Bennet sister he met must have been Jane.
On the evening of the assembly itself, Jane attends at Lizzy's insistence, hoping to enjoy herself for one evening before her engagement to Mr. Collins becomes official. She and Mr. Bingley (as usual) are immediately drawn to each other. Unfortunately, news of her betrothal becomes known to Darcy and Bingley, but they still believe Jane is Elizabeth. Jane entreats Elizabeth not to correct them, and the two ladies continue answering to the wrong name around the Netherfield gentlemen. That same evening, Darcy and "Jane" have another contentious conversation with each other.
By the end of the evening, Jane is already falling in love and wants to continue to get to know Mr. Bingley, hoping he'll propose before things are finalized with Mr. Collins. She begs Elizabeth to continue their ruse, promising to reveal all to Mr. Bingley soon.
Things continue on in this vein until Darcy learns the truth in the worst possible way. He insists that Jane come to Netherfield with him and confess to Bingley, but the carriage in which they're traveling has an accident, leaving them both injured. Jane's injuries aren't that extensive, but Darcy has amnesia - he can't recall anything that's happened during the past six months, which includes all his interactions with the Bennet sisters.
Jane and Elizabeth continue their swapped identities. Darcy gets along with the latter swimmingly, not remembering how disagreeable he found her previously. Caroline Bingley seizes the opportunity to pretend she and Darcy came to an understanding during his memory gap, but he's far more interested in "Jane," wishing she wasn't already betrothed, and wondering what the hell he was thinking if he actually proposed to Caroline. Mr. Collins, Mr. Denny, Mr. Wickham, Lydia, and Georgiana all get in on the action with other intriguing deviations from canon.
I have to admit, the premise itself feels...unsettling. It's so out of character for Jane and, to a slightly lesser extent, Elizabeth to be so deceptive. (Interestingly, Elizabeth seems more uncomfortable than Jane in the situation.) Although I recognize that the mix-up allows the plot to develop the way it does, I struggled to get on board with it. I definitely feel it goes on too long before the truth finally comes out.
Having said that, I must add that the plot's turn-around at the end is inspired and really well done. (This is long after everyone's real identity is known by all.)
The storytelling/writing style is good but not great. In a number of places, the language is more modern than Regency.
Despite its flaws, I found the story entertaining and highly original. Content is clean.
May 6, 2021
Quirky writing and inconsistent background for the characters. I ended up skipping a lot of text till I got to the dialogue.
I am sure it's a fine, cute story, but I didn't like it.
I am sure it's a fine, cute story, but I didn't like it.
March 5, 2023
Needs editing. Example: Bingley is buying the first estate for his family yet grew up at his family's estate called Meadowbrook, I think.
March 23, 2021
Intriguing plot
Sweet, clean, likeable characters, well written and engaging. One of the very few P & P variations that I have read to the end in recent days. Well worth my time.
Sweet, clean, likeable characters, well written and engaging. One of the very few P & P variations that I have read to the end in recent days. Well worth my time.
March 20, 2022
Inconsistent and unresearched
The best part of the book is Darcy's second proposal. If the rest of the book could have been sensible, it would have been much more enjoyable. Thre concept of what societal norms are makes no sense. Bingley was not a land owner. I no longer remember if book claimed he was from trade or not but readers are likely to assume that, given canon. So WHY are the Bennets considered beneath the Bingleys who are considered on-board with Darcy?
Jane was not the angelic creature of canon, and while I actually liked a more realistic Jane, it is hard to understand how she is considered so loving and caring as to deserve someone she willfully deceived.
Correspondence between unbetrothed should never happen.
Since when is a young man who falls in love easily and relies on the advice of others unmovable once he makes a decision?
Why are we only ever told how horrid is Mr Collins but never shown? Why are he AND the Gardiners land owners, except it gets Lizzy and Jane to Derbyshire? Why would Darcy immediately think of traveling to Meryton if Georgiana is off to Scotland, especially as Scotland is much closer to Pemberley? To which it should take only 3d, not 5, from Longbourn.
How can Wickham be in the militia yet off a a mansion, which is not in Meryton (how was he meeting Georgiana? Makes no sense.) And isn't desertion in a time of war a hanging offence?
I don't mind an off-canon story if it is written within the correct period and is self-consistent.
The best part of the book is Darcy's second proposal. If the rest of the book could have been sensible, it would have been much more enjoyable. Thre concept of what societal norms are makes no sense. Bingley was not a land owner. I no longer remember if book claimed he was from trade or not but readers are likely to assume that, given canon. So WHY are the Bennets considered beneath the Bingleys who are considered on-board with Darcy?
Jane was not the angelic creature of canon, and while I actually liked a more realistic Jane, it is hard to understand how she is considered so loving and caring as to deserve someone she willfully deceived.
Correspondence between unbetrothed should never happen.
Since when is a young man who falls in love easily and relies on the advice of others unmovable once he makes a decision?
Why are we only ever told how horrid is Mr Collins but never shown? Why are he AND the Gardiners land owners, except it gets Lizzy and Jane to Derbyshire? Why would Darcy immediately think of traveling to Meryton if Georgiana is off to Scotland, especially as Scotland is much closer to Pemberley? To which it should take only 3d, not 5, from Longbourn.
How can Wickham be in the militia yet off a a mansion, which is not in Meryton (how was he meeting Georgiana? Makes no sense.) And isn't desertion in a time of war a hanging offence?
I don't mind an off-canon story if it is written within the correct period and is self-consistent.
May 15, 2021
Needs more regency knowledge
Interesting, but somewhat unbelievable plot leaving canon at the very beginning of the story. Many improper actions for the regency period. Several characters are very different, such as Collins already having his own estate and not being a parson. Impossible that Jane and Lizzy could switch identities for weeks, let alone days, in a small town environment such as Meryton.
Interesting, but somewhat unbelievable plot leaving canon at the very beginning of the story. Many improper actions for the regency period. Several characters are very different, such as Collins already having his own estate and not being a parson. Impossible that Jane and Lizzy could switch identities for weeks, let alone days, in a small town environment such as Meryton.
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May 8, 2021DNF
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews