I know that not many people feel a lot of sympathy for Lady Catherine, and that’s fair, but something about her immense pride in being the daughter of an earl and her conviction that daughters never matter much to their fathers just seems kind of sad to me.

Did she and Lady Anne matter to the earl? If so, Lady Catherine didn’t get the memo. Did Anne de Bourgh—Lady Catherine’s only child—matter much to Sir Lewis? Apparently not.

IDK, it’s not like her life is hard, but I’m still a little sorry for her.

Gullible Determination

Description: Charles Bingley has fallen for you, and you for him. However, his sister, seeing the match as nothing by unworthy, has convinced him to leave the countryside. And you fear that he never loved you, and that you will never see him again.

Pairing: Charles Bingley x G!NReader *It's been a while since I watched P&P so Bingley might be slightly ooc

Warnings: None Word Count: 2.8k

Everything Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @caswinchester2000, @imaginesfire Charles Bingley Taglist: @softheartedsnake Requested Taglist: @bazaretcompagnie​

-

As you and Charles circled each other in dance, your eyes rarely left each others. The music barely reached your ears, and the conversation around certainly did not. Charles was smiling only for you, and your eyes shined only for him.

Those around you who knew you, watched with amused glee as you appeared to be the only object of attention to Mr Charles Bingley. There were also those of course, who wished to gain his eye, but to him, they did not exist. No other in the room caught his eye, no other in the room tempted him. His attention seemed to exist only for you.

You had grown close in the last few months he had been in town with his sister. Never expecting a gentlemen of his rank to be interested in you, you were surprised to find he had no interest in anyone but you. There was rarely a day in which you did not see or hear of him. He called on your family more often than not, and the days he did not, you often saw him around town on one of your excursions or casual walks.

Anytime he heard rumor you were ill, or indisposed, or anything of consequence happened to you, he would make his way to your home to inquire after your well being. He never wanted to intrude, but always made himself available to you if you ever needed him. And more than once, you used this knowledge to gain his company on walks around the gardens, or long teas with him in the evenings. All of which he was more than happy to attend. You and Charles could talk of everything important or anything impertinent for hours on end, never tiring of each others company or voice.

No one in your family was less than convinced that he was attached to you, and no one believed for a moment that he would leave town without so much as a promise of marriage to you. You tried not to depend on these idea too much, but you could not help their constant place in your mind anytime you thought of him. Your one worry in the whole of this situation was his sister Caroline.

Caroline, who would strive to interrupt the two of you and pull her brother away from you, was clearly displeased with the whole of your relationship with Charles. At first she was nothing of congenial towards you, but the closer to got to her brother, the more she resented your presence, and you knew it.

And now, as she stood at the edge of the ballroom floor, she eyed the two of you with disdain. The puppy-eyed look her brother was giving you, and the starry doe-eyed look in your own eyes, was enough to make her shudder. She was beginning to fear her brothers intentions, and had the idea of separating the two of you entirely. She only needed to convince her brother of it, she knew he was gullible in his senses, and especially to her feelings, but nonetheless she knew it would be a difficult task in removing him from your side forever.

She was hardly able to remove Charles from your side the rest of the ball. And when it was finally over, she began her excursion of removing the two of them from town altogether. She could sense the regret and disappointment in her brother, and before he could air his concerns and refusal, she bombarded him with excuse after excuse, and spent the rest of the evening convincing him she was right.

With the help, though unintentional as it was, of Mr. Darcy, they talked much in front of Charles about the lack of prospects in your family, as well as the clear difference in rank and status. She even eluded to falsehoods in regards to your manner and behavior that he could not but listen too, for he would never suspect Caroline to lie about your character. By the end of it, he had no strength in him to disappoint her, but was then left with the task of disappointing you.

The next day, after you had spent most of the day in town with your mother, you returned home to find a letter left for you by Charles. With nothing but excitement, you grabbed the letter and retreated to the privacy of your room. Opening the letter, you assumed nothing to be in it but an invitation of sorts. But upon seeing how long it was, you felt an uneasy feeling in your gut as you sat on your bed and began to read the letter.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My Dear Mx L/n;

I hope you find this letter in good humor and that you are not distressed too much by its contents. It has never been my intention to cause you any ill harm, and it does cause me so to myself in writing this. As it is to my greatest regret that I must inform you of mine and my sisters departure from town today. The decision of our parting, came rather suddenly, otherwise I assure you, I would have informed you last night at the ball.

It has come to my attention, that our presence here is no longer required, but instead is needed elsewhere. I leave town with a heavy heart and much disappointment at not seeing you off in person. I wish I could inform you of all that has passed regarding this situation, but I do not believe I have the words to properly convey them.

I also leave with a much distressing idea, that my attentions towards you might have been in vain. For my sister has, though regretfully, informed me that whatever might have appeared to be an attachment between us, had no real prospect of a future.

However this may be, I cannot leave without thanking you for your company and friendship. It does hurt me to leave such a great companion behind. I am unsure of whether we will see each other again in the near future, as my sister has informed me, she has no knowledge of us returning.

Again, I must convey my regrets at this sudden and distant parting, but I wish you every happiness in your future, and hope I do not leave you with any ill regard of my character.

Fondly yours,

Mr. Charles Bingley.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As you stared at the letter, reading over it multiple times before fully understanding it, you felt your chest grown heavy with emotion.

How could he leave so suddenly with no real reasoning? How could he do so with such a cold letter? There seemed to be no real emotion behind it, and had you not seen his name attached to it, you would have had no idea it came from him in the first place.

It was not until a tear landed on the letter in your hands that you realized you were crying. You had never expected, nor prepared yourself for such a strong attachment to be ended so suddenly. It was not until this moment, that you truly realized how strong the attachment was. As a sob escaped your body, you firmly placed the letter down on your bed as you tried to calm yourself.

Turning it back over, you read through one passage again;

'I also leave with a much distressing idea that my attentions towards you might have been in vain. For my sister has, though regretfully, informed me that whatever might have appeared to be an attachment between us, had no real prospect of a future.'

What had Caroline told him? Why would he so suddenly think there was no prospect between you? What of his actions were 'in vain'? There was no way of misunderstanding your feelings towards him, they were clear to everyone, surely they must have been clear to him as well. You cursed Caroline, sure she had convinced him to write this letter, perhaps even she had written it.

Sitting on your bed, thinking over the letter and its meaning, crying, and feeling yourself lost in pain, you were startled from your thoughts when your mother burst into the room.

Spotting the tears on your face, and the letter in your hand, she was sure you already knew of the news she had come to inform you of. And you could see in her eyes the disappointment and pity for you.

"He is gone?" You asked softly, confirming what you were sure was her news.

Nodding solemnly, she said nothing before coming to sit beside you. Wrapping her arms around you, she comforted you in silence as you released the pain and hurt of all your lost happiness.

- - -

Nearly a week had passed, in which you rarely left your home. Anytime you did, you were bombarded with people asking you of Mr Bingley, asking if it was true he left so suddenly, why he did so, what could bring it about, had he left you engaged to himself, etc.. You had grown tired of excusing the Bingley's actions, all while hiding your own pains, so you hid yourself away, waiting for the rumor-mongering to be over.

Walking through the garden of your home, you could not but think back on a week earlier when you and Charles walked the grounds. Shoulders almost brushing as you walked side by side. He picked a flower, and placed it in your hair, such an intimate and caring gesture, paired with his blushing smile, made you tear up at the memory. That beautiful memory now, was laced with nothing but pain and regret.

You passed by the bench the two of you had sat upon, and talked of your favorite books and music until the sun had almost set. The two of you had such a friendly familiarity, it was as though you had known one another for years. You had become too fond and dependent on his friendship and company, that now the thought of it being gone forever caused an emptiness in you that you feared would always be present.

Part of you wanted to hate him, to be angry with him, but you could not. Even through the pained bombardment of disappointment from your friend Elizabeth, who herself had an ill-will towards Charles' friend Mr. Darcy. The two of you shared in your disappointments, and both decided that it was all due to Caroline and Darcy's involvement that Charles left. Though this was of little to no comfort.

Your family and friends went to great pains to try and console you. To convince you that the connection might not have brought you the happiness you coveted. But no matter what they said, you could not believe them. You could not see yourself as anything but torn away from the one person who could bring you true happiness.

Hearing someone approaching you from behind, rather quickly, you let out a sigh, expecting it to be your mother or one of your siblings there to ruin your quiet thoughts.

Spinning around, you staggered in place for a moment, out of sheer surprise. Charles was stood in front of you, staring agape at you and wringing his hands nervously.

You were speechless for a moment before gathering yourself an speaking formally. "Mr. Bingley, I was not aware of your return. Why- What are you doing here?"

Charles looked the ground, and then back at you, before repeating the action once more. Finally taking a small step closer, he finally spoke. "I hope you are well?" He questioned.

You simply nodded, though both of you were sure the truth was on your face, as he seemed to convey guilt before he spoke again. "I...I do not know how else to tell you why I am here, but to say I am determined."

You felt your heart begin to beat rapidly in your chest. "Determined for what Mr. Bingley?"

Mr Bingley could not hide the disappointment at you calling him Mr. Bingley now, when you had before reached a point of friendly familiarity in which you called each other by your first names, though never in the company of others.

"Determined to ask a question that has been weighing heavily on my mind since the night of the ball."

You felt your heart somehow begin to beat heavier, as you grew anxious. "And what question is that?"

He took another step forward before speaking bluntly, impatiently. "Are you engaged to be married?"

The disappointment of the question not being what you hoped, was quickly replaced by startled confusion. "Engaged? Me? Of course not what makes you think I was?" You did not need to ask, you were sure you knew Caroline had something to do with this.

You saw various emotions cross his face, surprise, relief, happiness, confusion. "My sister told me- I mean, she suggested that you were being courted by a Mr. Williams, and that you were surely soon to be engaged to be married."

Surprise was evident on your face, and trying to recuperate your emotions, you spoke hurriedly, "It is true that I once knew a Mr Williams, and that he did intend to propose, but I refused his advancement before the proposal could be made. And I can inform you Mr Bingley, that this occurred months before we were ever acquainted."

"Oh." That was all that escaped Charles for a few moments before he began to pace back and forth. Multiple times he began to speak, but quickly stopped himself. After another moment of silent consideration, he turned back to you. "Then Darcy was correct in informing me that my sister intended to separate us."

You were surprised at this sudden declaration. Mr Darcy said this? Mr Darcy, whom you were convinced took part in separating you, instead came to the aid of your relationship?

Charles continued before you could ask anything. "I was gullible Y/n, for my sister is often able to persuade me of whatever she wishes. It is a fault I must consider from now on. I allowed her to persuade me that not only were your feelings more for another than myself, but that I would only be harming myself with the connection. This latter point did not mean as much to me as the former, but I must admit to my folly that I considered it anyways." Approaching you, he stared at you with more emotion than you could handle without it effecting you. "I should have been more determined to stay, for I could never push away or forget how I feel for you. It hurt me considerably to think of you with another, to be engaged to someone else, that I allowed that pain to dictate my leaving. But now, as you assure me that you are not with another, I must ask you please Y/n, to tell me, is there anyone else whose heart you might consider your own?"

You were hardly able to speak, but allowed yourself a quick shake of the head, and a soft, "There is no one else."

Mr Bingley was barely able to compose himself as a grin crossed his face. You could see his eyes welling up, and were sure they reflected your own. Clearing his throat a bit, he spoke with a smile, "Then I will proceed with the main purpose of my visit, apart I mean, from confessing my foolish behavior."

You gave him a nod, unsure of what to say. He smiled, and slowly, without breaking eye contact with you, knelt down on one knee in front of you. "I was determined weeks ago to propose to you, but I could not get past my own anxieties. But I now have no fears apart from losing you forever. So I ask you with a heart full of hope and love, to marry me. To make me the happiest man in England, to allow me the honor of being your husband, and giving you hopefully nothing but a happy life."

Tears flowed freely as you listened to his proposal. Your heart was no longer full of pain and sorrow, but now overflowing with happiness, excitement and hope. Unable to speak, you nodded your head fervently, paired with a smile speaking your answer.

Grinning happily up at you, his own eyes wet with emotion, he stood up, just in time to catch you as you threw your arms around him. You both giggled out in emotional mirth. Pulling away a moment later, you stared into each others eyes, before uniting in your first kiss, and establishing the first of many in what would be a life and marriage of laughter, and content.

xx End xx

Idk how I feel about this one, I was unable to write it how I wanted. But I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. If you did please consider reblogging or leaving a comment :)

if you'd like to be added to my P&P taglist, let me know!

My Year in Books - 2021

(Part Seven!)

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams - Stephen King

In this new collection he assembles, for the first time, recent stories that have never been published in a book. He introduces each with a passage about its origins or his motivations for writing it. There are thrilling connections between stories; themes of morality, the afterlife, guilt, what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past. “Afterlife” is about a man who died of colon cancer and keeps reliving the same life, repeating his mistakes over and over again. Several stories feature characters at the end of life, revisiting their crimes and misdemeanors. Other stories address what happens when someone discovers that he has supernatural powers—the columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries in “Obits;” the old judge in “The Dune” who, as a boy, canoed to a deserted island and saw names written in the sand, the names of people who then died in freak accidents. In “Morality,” King looks at how a marriage and two lives fall apart after the wife and husband enter into what seems, at first, a devil’s pact they can win. Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of King’s finest gifts to his constant reader—“I made them especially for you,” says King. “Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth.”

Genre(s): Horror, Short Stories

Thoughts: I typically don’t love short story collections, but this one was pretty enjoyable, though I didn’t find it to be particularly memorable. Overall, 3/5.

The Ruins - Scott Smith

Trapped in the Mexican jungle, a group of friends stumble upon a creeping horror unlike anything they could ever imagine. Two young couples are on a lazy Mexican vacation–sun-drenched days, drunken nights, making friends with fellow tourists. When the brother of one of those friends disappears, they decide to venture into the jungle to look for him. What started out as a fun day-trip slowly spirals into a nightmare when they find an ancient ruins site . . . and the terrifying presence that lurks there.

Genre(s): Horror, Thriller, Adventure

Thoughts: This book was more enjoyable than it was good. It definitely kept you invested but I don’t know that I loved the plot. Overall, 3.5/5.

Full Dark, No Stars - Stephen King

"I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger..." writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up "1922." the first in this pitch-black quartet of mesmerizing tales from Stephen King. For James, that stranger is awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness. In "Big Driver," a cozy-mystery writer named Tess encounters the stranger along a back road in Massachusetts when she takes a shortcut home after a book-club engagement. Violated and left for dead, Tess plots a revenge that will bring her face-to-face with another stranger: the one inside herself. "Fair Extension," the shortest of these tales, is perhaps the nastiest and certainly the funniest. Making a deal with the devil not only saves Dave Streeter from a fatal cancer but provides rich recompense for a lifetime of resentment. When her husband of more than twenty years is away on one of his business trips, Darcy Anderson looks for batteries in the garage. Her toe knocks up against a box under a worktable and she discovers the stranger inside her husband. It's a horrifying discovery, rendered with bristling intensity, and it definitely ends a good marriage.

Genre(s): Horror, Short Story

Thoughts: These were more novellas than short stories which I do tend to enjoy more. This is one of my favorite collections by him. Overall, 4/5.

Suicide Forest - Jeremy Bates

Just outside of Tokyo lies Aokigahara, a vast forest and one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Japan...and also the most infamous spot to commit suicide in the world. Legend has it that the spirits of those many suicides are still roaming, haunting deep in the ancient woods. When bad weather prevents a group of friends from climbing neighboring Mt. Fuji, they decide to spend the night camping in Aokigahara. But they get more than they bargained for when one of them is found hanged in the morning--and they realize there might be some truth to the legends after all.

Genre(s): Horror, Thriller, Suspense

Thoughts: I wouldn’t exactly call this high literature, but it kept me engaged. Overall, 3.5/5.

The Dead Zone - Stephen King

Johnny, the small boy who skated at breakneck speed into an accident that for one horrifying moment plunged him into The Dead Zone. Johnny Smith, the small-town schoolteacher who spun the wheel of fortune and won a four-and-a-half-year trip into The Dead Zone. John Smith, who awakened from an interminable coma with an accursed power—the power to see the future and the terrible fate awaiting mankind in The Dead Zone.

Genre(s): Horror, Thriller, Fantasy

Thoughts: Sometimes books just hit the spot and this was one of them. Reminiscent of 11/22/63 and Doctor Sleep I would give this one a 4/5.

Different Seasons - Stephen King

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption--the most satisfying tale of unjust imprisonment and offbeat escape since The Count of Monte Cristo. Apt Pupil--a golden California schoolboy and an old man whose hideous past he uncovers enter into a fateful and chilling mutual parasitism. The Body--four rambunctious young boys venture into the Maine woods and in sunlight and thunder find life, death, and intimations of their own mortality. The Breathing Method--a tale told in a strange club about a woman determined to give birth no matter what.

Genre(s): Horror, Short Stories

Thoughts: A fantastic collection of novellas. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption is one of his best. Overall, 3.5/5.

Confessions on the 7:45 - Lisa Unger

Selena Murphy is commuting home on the train when she strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat. The woman introduces herself as Martha and soon confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again. Then the nanny disappears. As Selena is pulled into the mystery of what happened, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, she begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover…

Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

Thoughts: These types of domestic thrillers are always page turners and this one delivered. Overall, 4/5.

The Ghost Tree - Christina Henry

When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in the town of Smiths Hollow, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won't find the killer. After all, the year before her father's body was found with his heart missing, and since then everyone has moved on. Even her best friend, Miranda, has become more interested in boys than in spending time at the old ghost tree, the way they used to when they were kids. So when Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she knows she can't just do nothing. Not like the rest of her town. But as she draws closer to answers, she realizes that the foundation of her seemingly normal town might be rotten at the center. And that if nobody else stands for the missing, she will.

Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy, Thriller

Thoughts: I really liked this one! It is definitely worth a read. Overall, 4/5.

Caraval - Stephanie Garber

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over. But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, High Fantasy

Thoughts: I wasn’t sure about this one when I first started it, but by the end I was really glad to have read it. Overall, 4/5.

Verity - Colleen Hoover

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died. Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

Genre(s): Thriller, Romance, Mystery

Thoughts: This was one of the craziest books I’ve ever read. It kept me guessing the entire time. It’s relatively short and definitely packs a punch. Overall, 4/5.

Book Reviews 7&8: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen & Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery

This review’s theme is female-led romantic classics ! Audience age: roughly age 10+

This review is about two of my all-time favourite female-led classics! Pride and Prejudice is one of the only classics I can truthfully say I enjoy, sorry to lovers of classics I just cannot bring myself to love many of them. Elizabeth Bennet is a timeless heroine, and her story is an easy, comfortable read. Anne of Green Gables, likewise, echoes the same sentiments, albeit with considerably more hijinks added into the mix- and with the heroines’ age gaps and very different circumstances, this is to be expected!

Nostalgic review

Rating: ★★★★★

These novels are, if I didn’t already make clear, comfort stories in the best sense of the word. It’s been several years since I last read either of them in full, but there is a special ease about them at all times; even in the midst of disaster, you know there is hope just around the corner.

In the case of Pride and Prejudice, I’ll admit that as much as I love Lizzy, it is the entirety of the story that draws me in more than just her character. I love the general vibe of the novel, the drama and gossip in the town and all the fuss that comes about with each new ball the Bennet sisters must attend for social reasons. The surprising scandals are all very alluring, and really, Jane Austen’s stories walked so Gossip Girl could run!

On the flip side, Anne as a character- she is one of my absolute most favourite characters ever written. I’m no orphan and I’ve never had to struggle in the way she did, but I grew up the odd one out in a small town, with a hot temper and a huge imagination that always managed to get me into trouble. Everything about Anne is relatable to me- right down to the infamous scene where she attempts to dye the red hair she hates and it goes green instead (I tried to bleach mine and it went orange, so I didn’t fare much better).

While it has been a long time since I last read these books, I am expecting more positive surprises than negative ones, now that I’m older with a bit more perspective!

Pride and Prejudice Review

Post-read: ★★★★★

Synopsis: Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter of a middle-class family desperate to marry off their five daughters, navigates her way through matters of marriage, estate, love and temperament in an attempt to make a match that ensures her own happiness in a time where love was not always a priority.

Set in Regency England, the middle-class family the Bennets begin to fear their ruin as Mr Bennet grows older. See, Mr Bennet’s estate and fortune detailed in his will can only go to a male heir upon his death, thus ruling out his five daughters without their marriages taking place. As luck would have it, two eligible rich men arrive in town, and Mrs Bennet becomes obsessed with setting up her daughters with them. Amidst numerous balls and trips to the rich families’ residence of Netherfield, Jane Bennet catches the eye of sweet Charles Bingley, while Elizabeth begins a cold war with Bingley’s best friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, after he slights her upon their first meeting, to Mrs Bennet’s fury.

Over time, Mr Darcy becomes increasingly attracted to intelligent and witty Elizabeth, but so do other, less appealing characters to the likes of Elizabeth’s pretentious and stupid cousin, the clergyman Mr Collins, and the handsome militia officer Wickham, who tells Elizabeth that he has lost his fortune because Darcy stole it from him. When Elizabeth’s fifteen year-old sister runs away with Wickham in the middle of the night, Elizabeth is forced to hear our Mr Darcy’s side of the story and put aside her prejudice toward him. He, in turn, overcomes his pride, and by the end of the novel the two are able to freely admit their love without pride or prejudice standing in the way.

For such an old book, it really does stand the test of time. The lessons Austen teaches in this story are forever applicable to relationships in any timeline, though we have to make do without the fancy dresses and balls (and the gender norms and sexism, so it’s still a win for us, I suppose). I enjoy her writing and love how humorous it is; Austen perfected the art of polite mockery. Elizabeth is a good role model, and her character development over the course of the novel is wonderful.

Characters who aged well: first and foremost, Elizabeth Bennet of course. She’s headstrong and real, and satisfyingly selfish when necessary (nobody should be selfless when presented with a proposal from Mr Collins, and I will not hear otherwise). Mr Darcy remains an eternal heartthrob- I do sometimes wonder how someone less determined to see the bad side in Darcy would have viewed him from the get-go (my guess that had Jane been the perspective offered, Darcy might have been cut a bit of slack earlier. But where would be the fun in that?). I won’t comment on all the characters, but I will mention that I appreciated Jane much more as an adult. As often happened with sweeter female characters, internalised misogyny used to get the best of me on occasion and I would resent them for being ‘boring’. Now I just think she’s lovely.

For a villain, Mr Wickham aged so well. I once saw a Tumblr post declaring him the 1800s equivalent of a modern-day fuckboy and it’s stuck in my mind ever since because yes, that’s exactly what he is.

Characters who aged badly: Everybody hates Mr Collins, but I don’t know if I’m entirely correct in listing him here, given he wasn’t well liked back in 1813 either. As an antagonist, he technically aged well, but I’m going to keep him here anyway because I felt like ranting about him. The same goes for nauseating Mrs Bennet and Mary… they aged as intended, but I will remain frustrated with them anyway.

Favourite scene/quote: ‘An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins… And I will never see you again if you do.’

This line never fails to make me laugh, whether on paper or onscreen. He does delight in vexing his over-excitable and irritating wife, and in this case it was all the more pleasing: he saw his wife trying to force his favourite daughter into marrying perhaps his least favourite person on the planet and supported Elizabeth’s decision to reject the man wholeheartedly, as well as reinforces the bond between father and daughter in a humorous way.

Scenes I particularly enjoyed are the ones surrounding Wickham’s secrets and shocking fake elopement with Lydia, partially because Lizzy and Darcy become close, but mostly because all the detective work unravelling the drama is so entertaining. It’s pleasing to see Darcy come out the undisputed hero after all Wickham’s deceit and attempts to ruin many girls’ reputations in attempts to get their fortunes.

Anne of Green Gables Review

Post-read: ★★★★★

Synopsis: red-headed orphan Anne Shirley is adopted by unmarried siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert by accident. After a trial period, they agree to keep Anne, and the misunderstanding brings the greatest joy to their small farmhouse in the town of Avonlea.

This book! Everything about it!

As I anticipated, time did not change any of my love nor expectations for this book, but rather made me fall in love with it all over again.

Starting at the beginning, Anne’s introduction to the Cuthberts starts off with her first asking him to call her by a name she chose herself, and then settling with keeping her own name as long as they remember to spell it with an ‘e’. This alone is already something I relate strongly to- I can’t bear when people forget the second ‘e’ in my name… it looks so empty.

Moving on from the names!

Anne is enrolled in school, a place she is successful in due to her intelligence, yet many adults in the town, including her teacher, refuse to treat her very well. Anne’s temper gets her into trouble of numerous occasions with adults and classmates alike, the most memorable instance being when the handsome popular boy Gilbert Blythe calls her ‘carrots’ and tugs her plaits to get Anne to notice him- and she does, but likely not in the way he hoped: she smashes her writing slate over his head. Utterly iconic move.

The friendship between Anne and her neighbour Diana is a high point of the book, too. Anne is always on the lookout for ‘kindred spirits’ or ‘bosom friends’, terms she applies not only to Diana, but also to Matthew and her second teacher, the amazing Miss Stacy who represents that one literature teacher every writer child connects with.

Navigating dozens of scrapes and accidents, Anne manages to graduate school and attend an academy where- with Miss Stacy’s encouragement- she obtains her teaching license in one year instead of two, and ties first place with Gilbert Blythe, whom she has ignored to the best of her ability since the ‘carrots’ incident, though he has tried many times to obtain her forgiveness. Toward the end of the novel, Matthew has a heart attack that shatters both Anne and Marilla, and she gives up the scholarship she won in favour of teaching close to home in order to stop Green Gables from being sold. Gilbert Blythe passes on his teaching position at Avonlea school to Anne so she won’t have to struggle, and Anne finally accepts that she has lot more love for Gilbert than anything else.

Though they do not get together in this book, the following sequels end with their marriage, and their developing romance is a special part of this first novel too.

Characters who aged well: Anne Shirley, best girl! I think I’ve already listed enough examples to showcase what I think of her, but I also think she has aged very well as an interesting character and feminist role model, all the way back in 1908. Gilbert, too, is a wonderful example of how a man should be, and his character growth is every bit as good as Anne’s. The supporting characters are wonderful too.

Characters who aged badly: Mr Phillips, Anne’s first teacher who treated her terribly and tried to marry a student in the same classroom. Predator teachers exist now too, of course, but this man simply did not cop the jail time he deserved (yes, times were different then, I don’t care).

Favourite scene/quote: ‘I’m not a bit changed- not really. I’m only just pruned down and branched out. The real ME- back here—is just the same.’

This is the essence of Anne’s story, and I like to think for many people. Most people like to think they’ve changed while growing up, but the truth is that most people remain the same, they just grow into their ideas and find new dreams to follow; change doesn’t have to signify loss, just growth.

There are many great scenes in Anne of Green Gables, and narrowing down favourites is quite hard. As a romantic, I loved any scene with Gilbert, even though Anne herself was desperately trying to ignore him. All of Anne’s scrapes are hilarious, too, but if I had to choose, it’s when Matthew picks Anne up from the station the day they meet, and the quiet man- whose only interactions are with his sister- immediately takes a liking to the poor orphan girl no other adult has ever been kind to. Their ride home together signifies a beautiful change in both their lives, and their instant bond is heart-warming.

Overall verdict: I’ve read both of these novels more times than I care to count, so there was never really any strong doubt that I wouldn’t continue to love them a fair amount. It may seem a ridiculous thing to say that I still find them both to be well-written, but as someone who finds many ‘classics’ incredibly boring and too wordy to properly enjoy (looking at Charles Dickens, by the way), I’m making a note of my contentment with Austen and Montgomery’s writing styles. I do generally prefer female authors in the first place (and not just because most men can’t seem to write good female characters to save their lives) so I’m not entirely surprised by this, though I think it necessary to mention after my shock over the stunted sentences in Enid Blyton’s works and Nancy Drew and the Mystery at Lilac Inn.

While rereading these books I also felt compelled to re-watch the televised versions and show them to my younger sister too (she loves them!). I do have personal favourite versions, and this is due not only to the actors in the cast, but to which I deem the most accurate and faithful in comparison to the original written source material. For Pride and Prejudice, contrary to the popular version amongst most people who reference it, my favourite is not the Kiera Knightley movie. I greatly prefer the BBC show, finding the casting, setting and costuming far more accurately detailed. I don’t hate the movie, just to be clear! But if you want accuracy watch the television show, especially because the episodes had a chance to explore more of the script than the movie did, so there was no need to cut things out or rush certain developments.

As for Anne of Green Gables, there are a few different movies and series. My forever-favourite is the Megan Follows and Jonathon Crombie led film series, with the first movie released in 1985. The casting was perfect, I adored the settings and costuming, and Megan as Anne captured everything about the character in the most perfect way imaginable. As for the newer Netflix series Anne with an E, I have only seen a few episodes but I think that was really well done too; the casting of the leads was also very faithful to Montgomery’s novels. It’s a shame that Netflix chose to cancel a show that so many young people really enjoyed, but I hope maybe some of them will watch the movies or pick up the books!

The true importance of these books for me as a child was my connection to the characters, which hasn’t changed at all. Though I do identify in part with Elizabeth, it is Anne who is so much like me, and while I haven’t reviewed past the first book here, I can confirm that my personality has evolved in the same way hers does in the sequels. Something interesting I noticed when mentioning either of these series to people unfamiliar with them is that they are surprised I like these books. The reason? Owing to how old the novels are, people expect the characters to be boring and grounded in sexist tropes. While I cannot deny there are plenty of books out there that are full of these issues, the characters of Elizabeth and Anne are very much feminist in the best way possible. They fight against the expectations for their gender and forge their own paths. Their relationships with the male leads take a long time to develop- Anne and Gilbert do not get together until proper adulthood- because they want everything to be done on their terms, within their own certainty. Neither lead suffers from ‘not like other girls’ syndrome, both cherishing their friendships with the women around them, and Anne especially is a celebration of the best parts of femininity.

Ultimately I find both Pride and Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables to be comfort novels. There is conflict and angst, humour and love, and the reassuring knowledge that by the end of it everyone will get their happy ending.

MORE ABOUT MY NEXT GEN BABIES. 

Adelaide ‘Addy’ Maeve Coleman - daughter of Zara & Danny. 

- scars to your beautiful - alessia cara   - july 1st, cancer  - actress, studying at diamond bridge (LA) - bisexual with no preference, single  - esfp, hufflepuff  - raised in lilac heights in zara & danny’s home they live in now  - ditzy, naive, energetic but also sensitive and insecure. she has a tendency to let herself be walked all over by friends and lovers. she also lacks the confidence to really accept that she has talent and is capable of doing things.  - she was painfully desperate to be one of the popular girls in high school, to the point where she would let her “friends” treat her like dirt. even though she’s now in college, the effects of the underhand bullying stay with her and it makes her very reluctant to trust and open up to new people.

Allison ‘Ally’ Marie Cortes-Smith - daughter of Adrian & Holly. 

- seven - sleeping at last - august 13th, leo  - model & athletics (surfing, figure skating & dance), studying at gold coast (australia)  - heterosexual, dating brett jackson - entp, gryffindor  - raised in violet springs (?), in her family home with adrian and holly - energetic, outgoing, adventurous but also explosive and stubborn. ally is constantly looking for family-like connections away from holly, adrian and haley. she craves feeling like somebody’s first choice because - particularly with holly - she felt like the back-up plan until she got custody of haley. she has one song about her, whereas haley has enough for an EP of music with holly worshipping her and she’s just always felt that subtle favouritism in her household.  - from an early age, she’s sought out love in all of the wrong places but is currently in a good place with brett, who is definitely her safety net. she’d be lying if she said living in australia made her homesick. 

Aurora Faith Kingsley - daughter of Soraya & Julian.

- boss bitch - doja cat  - january 17th, capricorn  - fashion designer, studying at rosewell (paris)  - heterosexual, bisexual dating peter romano  - entj, slytherin  - raised in violet springs (?), in her family home with soraya and julian. she definitely has a dual-citizenship like soraya, though, and often spends summers in cuba with her grandparents.  - outspoken, confident, witty but also explosive, judgemental and harsh. aurora was definitely spoilt with love when being raised by her parents; both soraya and julian doted on her in different ways, and while she knows the value of materialistic things, she’s not entirely used to not getting her own way or not having people adore her. that being said, she’s a fiercely loyal friend and shows the love she was given when she was younger to people she thinks deserve it. - aurora’s expectations and standards are impressively high and she’ll always credit her parents, who always modelled a healthy and secure relationship to her. she doesn’t take it for granted & always strives to find people who treat her the same way julian treats soraya.

Belle Cynthia Carmichael - Daughter of Anastasia 

- donatella - lady gaga  - november 3rd, scorpio  - dancing & modelling, studying in west ivys (london)  - heterosexual, single  - esfp, slytherin  - raised partially in los angeles and also in lilac heights with anastasia and her father (divorced) as well as her older sister, darcy.  - aesthetic, good-humoured, magnetic but also irresponsible, self-indulgent and superficial. belle is the baby of the family and took a shine to the socialite los angles lifestyle from around 12 years old. she’s a big spender, loves the night life of any big city and is a BIG fan of the attention that being a rising star brings her. unlike her sister, who’s a lot more lowkey, belle demands attention and will do anything to get her own way in any situation. - everyone was expecting anastasia and ryder to split from their (what would have been) their fifteen year marriage. everybody except belle and darcy, anyway. the girls were caught off-guard and it wasn’t easy. belle had the most extreme reaction, becoming very emotional and self-indulgent. her way of dealing with it has been to do everything in her power to go against anything either of her parents ask of her; she’s definitely out of control.

Daisy Louise Romano, daughter of Florence & Dominic. (tw: cancer) 

- style - taylor swift  - may 22nd, gemini  - dance, studying at liberty (new york city)  - heterosexual, single   - isfp, gryffindor  - raised in violet springs (?) in dom and florence’s family home, but i imagine they have a family home in italy because of dominic’s roots too. florence and dom spend a lot of time in italy in general, so it’d make sense.  - creative, friendy, warmhearted but also over-protected, nervous and idealistic. daisy is the only daughter in her family and it definitely shows. on top of dominic, she also has carter and peter who have kept a close eye on her growing up and has definitely been protected from things other girls her age may have learnt to deal with themselves, or without as much back-up. rather than rebelling against it, she’s very comfortable & probably relies on her brothers - especially peter - for more than she should. she’s very rooted in family and while she’s a hopeless romantic and loves flirting, going on adventures and seeing the world, her heart is with her family. - daisy’s pre-teen years were snatched away by the fact that she was diagnosed with cancer. she spent three years of what would’ve been her high school life in hospital and was far too weak to dance or do anything she usually did. she was put into remission at 15 and was cancer free for three years before it made a return, now she’s nineteen (pushing 20), she’s once again in remission but her anxiety and trauma from the sickness are very much alive.

Darcy Briar Carmichael - daughter of Anastasia. 

- nothing breaks like a heart - miley cyrus  - february 27th, pisces  - modelling, studying at st judes (violet springs)  - bisexual, single - infp, ravenclaw - raised partially in los angeles and also in lilac heights with anastasia and her father (divorced) as well as her older sister, darcy. - patient, imaginative, loyal but also argumentative, guarded and defensive. darcy has always been wise beyond her years in the sense that she’s mature and has a responsible head on her shoulders. anastasia used to worry that she wouldn’t enjoy her early twenties/teen years in the same way everybody else seemed to, but it just never appealed to her - she preferred to lose herself in art, reading and individual activities rather than going out to huge parties and festivals like her sister. she’s quietly confident and is happy to be seen as the ‘boring’ one if it means not having to be forced to sit at social events she’d rather not be a part of.  - darcy’s confidence was knocked by her parent’s divorce. it actually ruined her application to blossom bell academy - where she wanted to go and do art and photography. she was unorganised and just a mess in general, so she knew she’d get rejected. st judes, her second choice, also rejected her art portfolio but because of her looks, offered her a modelling position. she figured it was better than nothing but it’s never been her passion. only now is she starting to feel inferior in comparison to her little sister.

Dixie Gisele Carmichael - daughter of Disney and Brody. 

- god is a woman - ariana grande  - october 1st, libra  - fashion design, studying at rosewell (paris) - heterosexual, single  - estj, slytherin  - raised in new york but spends the summers in france & christmas in violet springs to be close to grandparents  - confident, hard-working, charming but manipulative, calculated and jealous. dixie has grown up in the spotlight due to being the child of arguably the most famous couple to come out of st judes in her parents era. she’s very used to it and it’s something she’s numb too. however, unlike her sister, who seems to just get things a whole lot easier than dixie, she has clawed her way to the top of everything she has, not caring who she scratches on the way up; being the most popular, young socialite on the upper east side, her fashion career and everything else are things she’s had to fight for out of the threat of otherwise being branded as ‘fleur’s twin.’ she holds herself and others at a viciously high standard. she’s been on dates and enjoyed attention from guys but she hasn’t slept with anybody and has never had a boyfriend; it’s not something she hides either. her main goal right now is to become the best designer there is, and she’s proven that she’ll stop at nothing to get there. - while at gallagher high school, fleur was already booking modelling jobs and becoming the more successful of the twins. dixie resented it. she couldn’t stand feeling inferior or lesser than and wasn’t happy for her sister at all. quite the opposite. the two of them applied for rosewell but unfortunately for fleur, when their acceptance letters came through, she was out at new york fashion week, leaving dixie to reject her offer and forge a fake one telling her she’d been rejected....and she’d do it again.

Dylan Samuel Powell - son of Janey. 

- fine line - harry styles  - february 15th, aquarius  - photographer, studies at west ivys (london)  - heterosexual, dating lily  - infj, hufflepuff  - raised in sweden until he was thirteen, and then moved to violet springs to be closer to his family with janey.  - patient, practical and compassionate but over-protective, nervous and sensitive. dylan had a quiet childhood. when janey graduated from west ivy’s, she moved out to a rural part of sweden where she started a new. her life consisted of writing and exploring until she had dylan with a man who’s no longer in the picture. dylan fell into janey’s lifestyle too; quiet, peaceful and creative. he enjoyed it for the most part, but the trauma of janey’s experiences definitely became his too. he grew up seeing his mother have anxiety attacks in public or not want to leave the house if she had a feeling she was being watched. in many ways, dylan became the parent. he was the one who made his mother feel safe. he was the protector. he never really understood until he finally met his grandparents at 15 and was told exactly why janey was the way she was. this only brought out an even more protective side of him, after having his eyes opened to how disgusting the world can be. - dylan was reluctant to study anywhere too far away from janey, but she pushed him to branch out at least a little, because she has a lot of guilt about holding him back for al of these years. 

Emmett Charles Hamilton - son of Imogen & Nate. 

- go stupid - polo g  - april 12th, aries  - actor, studying at st judes (violet springs)  - heterosexual, single  - entp, slytherin  - raised in london (south kensington) with imogen and has always been a city boy. he’s your typical private school kid; his father has been out of the picture only for a few months but it hasn’t had much effect. his younger brother, ethan, chose to move in with nate while he stuck with imogen. - intelligent, intuitive, social but lazy, restless and unmotivated. out of emmett and ethan, emmett definitely takes the crown for the family disappointment. his brother’s childhood was full of sports trophies, A*’s on report cards and being at the top of the social hierachy. emmett, on the other hand, would’ve happily lived in his parent’s loft and never seen the light of the day if he could. he did pretty wel in school and had al of the potential, but a life of getting high and falling back on to his trust fund seemed way more appealing. imogen was more willing to let him coast through life (being from wealth herself), whereas nate was always pushing him to go out and make something of himself, meaning naturally he prefers his mother.  - emmett is in the process of burning through his trustfund. he’s impulsive and careless and without proper guidance, will soon find himself with nothing. he has no respect for his dad - who is the stricter parent - and thinks he’s invincible. 

Jay Alexander Hamilton -  son of Park. 

- tonight you’re perfect - new politics  - september 17th, virgo  - athlete, liberty academy  - heterosexual, seeing sylvia(?)  - enfj, ravenclaw   - raised partially in the canary islands with his dad, running their hotel, but also in violet springs with his grandparents.  - friendly, ambitious, a deep thinker but also impatient, overly-critical and a perfectionist. jay was brought up on the canary islands with his father after losing his mother when he was eight. constantly being at the beach, the hotel and new people, he’s a social person with an active imagination and is always on the go. he’s both book and street smart but can at times hold himself to impossible standards; he definitely gets his perfectionist streak from his aunt. the loss of his mum has hurt him, but he buries his feelings as much as possible to avoid talking about them. jay’s always fit in with popular crowds seamlessly and it’s exactly the same story for liberty academy. - jay has already shown huge potential at liberty academy and has been given attention that first years usually don’t get. he’s currently dealing with the end of a friendship with ethan, though, his best friend for many years. it’s lowkey weighing on him but he’d never show that it effects him.

Kai Arden Powell - son of Louis & Lexi. 

- fireflies, owl city  - march 3rd, pisces  -  writer and actor, studying at willow house (cardiff)  - heterosexual, dating sofia  - infj, ravenclaw  - raised in violet springs (?) with louis and lexi, close to his family with good connections to both sides.  - imaginative, selfless, creative but pessimistic, self-pitying and emotional. kai is the perfect example of a high achieving burn-out. all through his school life, he boasted great grades and came at the top of the class for most things, but as the years went on, he lost momentum and started to rest on his abilities. while everybody else levelled up and got better, he declined and started to slowly stop caring about his academic achievements. he was more concerned with the social side and fitting in with people who really didn’t care much about him. when it came to college admissions, he was already failing many classes and got rejected from everywhere besides willow house. he hates it and refuses to even try to enjoy it. - sofia is his lifeline, at the moment. she’s trying to get her dad, wesley, to negotiate with people at st judes to get him a space, but it isn’t necessarily going to work. especially if kai can’t get his grades up and apply himself to his writing and acting seriously. 

Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Bradford - daughter of Drew & Annabel.

- first man, camila cabello -  june 30th, cancer  - singer-songwriter & musician, studying liberty academy (new york)  - enfp, ravenclaw  - raised with drew & annabel as an only child  - romantic, loving, protective and sympathetic but touchy, defensive and an overthinker. lottie grew up with both of her parents and spent a lot of time on the road with drew when he was touring. she’s used to big crowds, music and moving around a lot but grew up very attached to her mother, annabel, she’s her favourite person in the entire world and everything she does is to make her proud.  - lottie ended up dropping out of high school to go to a stage school in london when drew stopped touring; she was around 14, but eventually got homesick and returned, spending her last few years at springs park high before she got accepted into liberty. she’s really set on making memories and doing her absolute best in music - but she’s prone to falling in love with people and getting extremely distracted.

Sullivan Rosini - son of Ruby.

- song undecided  -  14th may, taurus  - actor & singer (vc: frank ocean)  - esfj, gryffindor  - raised by ruby  - independent, humanitarian and sociable but also head-strong, stubborn and judgemental. sullivan was adopted by ruby when he was seven and settled very quickly into the family home. since around 12 years old, he’s been an activist and had a huge presence online for animal rights. he’s been arrested multiple time at different protests and it gives ruby the most anxiety but she’s also very proud of him. 

Pride and Prejudice and the Enneagram

The following is a list I made for no one in particular about what I think is the enneagram of each character in Pride and Prejudice. I am really curious what other people think however so please comment your ideas

Elizabeth- 7w6

I went back and forth about 20 times trying to decide what Elizabeth was and I’m not fully settled on my decision (I still think she might be a 4) but I’m going with a 7. I think the most notable examples of why Elizabeth is a 7 is in her attitude towards marriage- she values being happy in marriage over stability and says that only the deepest love would compel her to marry. Nonetheless- I think she has a 6 wing because she is fiercely loyal. Loyal to Jane, loyal to Wickham when she first believes he was the good guy, and loyal to her family regardless of the fact that she is embarrassed of them. I also think the reason she mourns so much for Jane’s rejection and Charlotte and Lydia’s marriages is because she realizes that these things will make her sisters/friend unhappy, which is what Elizabeth thinks is most important.

Jane- 2w1

I knew right away that Jane was a type 2. She is a very giving, generous person who allows others to take advantage of her- most notably her mother and future sisters in law. She is also notably intent on convincing herself that the Bingley sisters do like her, despite what they do to her and seems especially distraught at others having to be the one to take care of her when she is sick and bedridden.

Bingley- 9

I had a lot of trouble typing Bingley. I ultimately settled on a type 9 because he’s a pushover. He is is easily convinced into doing just about anything- from throwing a ball, to leaving town. He is likewise convinced by others that Jane doesn’t like him as he likes her rather than trusting his own instincts. I think he values peace and thus doesn’t stand up to his sisters for fear of the conflict.

Darcy- 5w4

Darcy is a textbook 5. He’s socially awkward, prefers to observe rather than participate, does whatever he can to conserve his energy, and values knowledge and wit. I think he has a 4 wing because of his tendency to be a bit melodramatic and because I think the reason he values his reputation so much is because he fears being seen as common or ordinary like less well-off families

Mrs Bennet- 6

Mrs Bennet is a type 6 because of her tendency to worry, become anxious, and because she fixates her entire energy into finding husbands for her daughters- knowing that husbands will ensure her daughters have stability. However, I struggled reconciling this typing with the fact that she so readily puts Jane’s health at risk so if anyone else has other ideas I am open to hearing them.

Mr Bennet- 5

I think Mr Bennet is a type 5 primarily because of how much he values time alone and peace. It’s evident that he finds his wife draining and in order to conserve his energy he often hides away. He allows Mrs Bennet to do ridiculous things while he sits backs and merely observes and he values the deep conversations he’s able to have with Elizabeth

Lydia- 3

I typed Lydia as a type 3 because I think her reaction to the situation with Wickham implies that she views marriage as being accomplished- which is why she brags so much about being married so young and about all of things she will do as a married woman. An unhealthy 3 veers into 9 territory which I think is why Wickham so easily convinced her to run off with him.

Wickham- 7

I think Wickham is an example of an unhealthy 7. He is impulsive and doesn’t think about the long term effects of his actions. I also think he hides the truth from Elizabeth about his relationship with Darcy because he thinks if she knew the truth she’d reveal it to others and he wouldn’t have the fun he was having. He later ropes Lydia into running off with him and has to be persuaded to do the right thing and marry her with the offer of money- a commodity he famously lacks because of his own lack of foresight.

Mr Collins- 2w1

Mr Collins has a sense of right and wrong and morality- hence why he decides it is proper to marry one of the Bennet girls since he is to inherit their home, but I think he cares much more about being liked. He does have a sense of servitude- he does serve his flock, after all- but I think his greatest example of being a 2 is with his relationship with Lady Catherine and how he essentially worships her because he values someone of her stature showing him favor.

Lady Catherine- 8

I had trouble typing Lady Catherine, but I ultimately settled on a type 8 mostly because of her reaction to Elizabeth and Darcy. I think Lady Catherine values the respect she’s been able to earn as a woman in Victorian England and I think she dislikes having control taken away from her when Darcy will not marry Miss de Bourg like Lady Catherine wanted and I think she resents how that decision will make her look more than anything else.

In this chapter, Carver writes Merrill a Darcy-style letter after she rejects his marriage proposal. (Sorry it’s been 6 months since I posted the last chapter!) 

Title: A Chance Engagement Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Chapters: 45/? Pairings: Eventual Carver/Merrill, background F!Mahariel/Tamlen, other pairings not revealed yet because of spoilers   Other characters: Marian Hawke, Bethany Hawke, Leandra Hawke, Isabela, Tamlen, Fenarel, Female Mahariel, Keeper Marethari, Sabrae Clan, Arishok, Pol   Other tags: Alternative Universe - Regency, Pride & Prejudice References, Bethany and Carver Hawke Live, Pride & Prejudice AU, Fluff and Humour, Ballroom Dancing, Secret Relationships, Comedy of Errors, Jane Austen References, Pining, Rejected Marriage Proposals    

Summary:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, Lady Leandra Amell tried to impress upon her three children, that a single man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a wife. However she hoped this wisdom would be received by her offspring, Lady Amell was dismayed to find that it had not had the effect she intended.”

Regency AU. When Miss Merrill attends the Kirkwall public assembly ball, the last man she expects to engage in a dance is Carver Hawke – a single man who has just come into possession of a large fortune. This chance meeting, however, sets them both on a path they never expected.

READ FROM THE BEGINNING ON ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN

———

The rain hammered down hard, yet Sir Carver Hawke barely noticed it as he marched on home, his heart in accord with the storm that was going on all around him – as if the sky itself was in sympathy with him. Even the crash of thunder sounded as angry as he felt, but Carver was so indignant he did not care. How dare she, he thought; her not accepting his hand was bad enough, but how dare she be so capricious and resentful in spurning him!

How could she be so ungrateful after he had confessed the immense personal cost his marrying her would come to him and his family – that his mother might be ostracised from Hightown all over again? He could have asked anyone in Hightown to marry him, if he were not choosy; and they would have accepted. If either Babette or Fifi de Launcet had perceived even half as much of that sort of preference from him, they would have already ordered their wedding-clothes. Come to think of it, judging by what their brother Emile had seemed to think at the Hawke Estate ball, they probably had.

Perhaps it was the most satisfying outcome that she had refused him. This way, his family would be spared the jeers and sneers that Hightown might heap on them by his marrying her. Carver was under no illusion that his mother only had so many friends because he remained tantalisingly single and thus – for some ridiculous reason – a highly desirable object for their daughters. While he remained enigmatically aloof and disdainfully detached of all of them, it had been up to the scheming noblewomen to ingratiate themselves with Lady Leandra in the hope their unmarried daughters could capture Sir Carver’s reserved heart at last. 

This had all worked perfectly well until Miss Alerion came along and ruined everything with her pretty face and cute voice and lack of interest in marrying him.

Read more on AO3...

2020 Romance Hits: books you need to read

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass. Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward. When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

The Truth About Dukes by Grace Burrowes

A new duke and a woman with a secret in her past get a second chance at love in this delightful and charming Regency romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the Windham series. Robert Rothmere is hiding a past no duke should have endured, but he's not hiding it well enough. Sooner or later, his enemies will learn that he spent years locked away at a private asylum. To get their hands on his wealth, they'll try to send him right back to his worst nightmares. If Robert is to foil their schemes, he needs to marry a perfectly proper, blessedly boring, deadly dull duchess, immediately—and he knows exactly which quietly delightful lady he'd love to entrust with that role. Lady Constance Wentworth has cultivated a reputation for utter forgettability. She never speaks out of turn (in public), never has a daring thought (that she admits aloud), and never comes close to courting scandal... as far as anybody knows. Her path crossed Robert's years ago, though, and she's never forgotten the extraordinary lengths he traveled to keep her safe when she hadn't a friend in the world. She longs to be his demure duchess...but little does he know that to marry her would be utter madness.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins

An intrepid female reporter matches wits with a serious, sexy detective in award-winning author Manda Collins' fun and flirty historical rom-com! England, 1865 : As one of England's most notorious newspaper columnists, Lady Katherine Bascomb believes knowledge is power. And she's determined to inform and educate the ladies of London on the nefarious-and deadly-criminals who are preying on the fairer sex. When her reporting leads to the arrest of a notorious killer, however, Katherine flees to a country house party to escape her newfound notoriety-only to witness a murder on her very first night. And when the lead detective accuses Katherine of inflaming-rather than informing-the public with her column, she vows to prove him wrong. Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham's refusal to compromise his investigations nearly cost him his own career, and he blames Katherine. To avoid bad publicity, his superiors are pressuring him to solve cases quickly rather than correctly. When he discovers she's the key witness in a new crime, he's determined to prevent the beautiful widow from once again wreaking havoc on his case. Yet as Katherine proves surprisingly insightful and Andrew impresses Katherine with his lethal competency, both are forced to admit the fire between them is more flirtatious than furious. But to explore the passion between them, they'll need to catch a killer.

The Boy Toy by Nicola Marsh

A woman ready to give up on love discovers that age is truly just a number in this heartwarming and steamy new romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Nicola Marsh. For almost a decade, successful 37-year-old Samira Broderick has used her bustling LA practice as an excuse to avoid a trip home to Australia. She still resents her meddling Indian mother for arranging her marriage to a man who didn't stick around when the going got tough, but now with a new job Down Under, she's finally ready to reconnect with her. And while she's there, a hot international fling might be just what she needs to get out of her recent funk. Aussie stuntman, Rory Radcliffe, has been hiding his stutter for years by avoiding speaking roles. When a job he can't refuse comes up as a reality show host, he knows he'll need some help for the audition: a dialect coach. But he finds himself at a loss for words when he discovers it's the same sexy woman with whom he just had a mind-blowing one-night stand... Samira can think of many reasons why Rory is completely wrong for her: he's ten years her junior, for one, and he's not Indian--something Samira's mother would never approve of. Even if things were to get serious, there's no reason to tell her mother...is there?

                                                   BASICS

GIVEN NAME : edward anthony masen, jr CURRENT NAME: edward cullen BIRTH DATE : 20th june , 1897 BIRTH PLACE : chicago , illinois AGE : 21 / 123 SPECIES : vampire OCCUPATION : ‘college student’ - pre-law, composer MORAL ALIGNMENT :  true good

                                                 AFFILIATIONS

COVEN / FAMILY : olympic coven - carlisle cullen ( adoptive father ), esme cullen ( adoptive mother ), rosalie hale ( adoptive sister ), emmett cullen ( adoptive brother ), alice cullen ( adoptive sister ), jasper hale ( adoptive brother ) ROMANTIC TIES:  isabella ‘bella’ swan  OTHER TIES: denali coven, various nomads ENEMIES: newborn army, victoria, the volturi ( loosely ) 

                                  APPEARANCE & SKILLS

HEIGHT: 6′2″ BUILD: lean & muscular - athletic EYE COLOR: black ( when abstaining from blood / underfed ) , golden ( due to ‘vegetarian’ lifestyle ), green in human life HAIR COLOR: brown with russet tones PREFERRED HAND : left hand dominant COMPLEXION : fair & flawlessly clear EDUCATION : various degrees, at least 2 medical degrees ABILITIES: traditional vampiric abilities, improved speed, exceptional self control UNIQUE ABILITIES : telepathy MEDIA INFLUENCES : fitzwilliam darcy, edward rochester, the beast  ( disney’s beauty and the beast ) 

           CHARACTER ALTERATIONS & DIVERGENCES

there will be a significant number of tweaks that are made to edward’s canon due to my belief that they are more consistent with who edward is and should have been . these include , but are not limited to:

edward never tampering with bella’s truck in any way shape or form. bella is entitled to make her own decisions, and while edward does still err on the overcautious & protective side, he would never strip her of her own agency. 

the thinly veiled abstinence plotline does not exist in this world. it’s unhealthy and i don’t agree with it. while edward is traditional in many respects, and definitely more formal than the average 21 year old, he is not waiting for marriage. any hesitance related to intimacy exists purely out of fear of harming bella in the process. kay says let edward be horny in 2020. 

in a similar vein, edward is not pressuring bella to marry him at all. there are no ultimatums in place regarding bella’s potential change. he still wants her to live her human life, and would like to marry her one day, but does not hold those contingencies if she makes the decision to be changed. 

edward did not visit bella’s room without her knowledge beyond  one instance  - we’re not about that in 2020. when he did, it was a moment of panic over her safety ( as described in midnight sun ), and was the instance in which she said his name in her sleep. after that, he attempted to pursue her romantically in a more traditional fashion and did not return to her bedroom until it was with her consent and knowledge. 

he is absolutely still broody and withdrawn, but let’s not pretend he hasn’t had any fun in his whole 100+ years of existence. his family has been his whole life, as well as the friends he has made -- while he has been lonely, he has never been alone. 

he still thinks he doesn’t have a soul, and is filled with a lot of self-loathing, but it’s more closely related with personal hatred and remorse for the lives he has taken than hatred of his species. while he is dubbed as one of the vampires with more self control than others, it is because he is actively fighting what he believes to be a monster inside of him -- he cannot reconcile being both man and monster, and often defers to the latter. 

i guess this isn’t so much of a canon change but ?? edward is wildly insecure and unsure of himself  - - he’s also incredibly anxious. the suave persona we see in the books is just that. really he’s just a mess. 

edward’s ‘gift’ is much less of an asset than it is an incredible annoyance and frustration. he doesn’t take pleasure in eavesdropping on the innermost thoughts of others, and is often overwhelmed by tuning in to the anguish and pain from others. he has spent decades trying to fine-tune this skill and actually uses it as infrequently as possible around strangers, unless he absolutely requires it. his ability to control it is entirely dependent on his emotional state

TBA !

                                                 BACKGROUND

       mentions of childhood illness, anxiety murder, & suicide death below 

i am going to link the WIKI here, as most of edward’s history & personality remains unchanged , but i’ll also be giving a brief overview below, including some additions to his canon. 

20TH JUNE , 1897 - edward  is born the only child to edward and elizabeth masen. he is given all of life’s advantages due to his family’s wealth, but is estranged from his father. he is a rather sullen and often sickly boy - he becomes the center of his mother’s world, and music becomes the center of his. he is able to study with the finest instructors and discovers a virtuosic gift.

edward grows into a ‘fine’ young man, destined for a life just like his father. however, he isn’t like his father. he is sentimental, selfless, and kind where his father is stern, selfish, and withdrawn.  edward is able to bring out a smile in just about anyone, and though his wit is dry , he’s capable of making people laugh. he is a GOOD young man - - everyone says. he is GOOD.

THE GREAT WAR comes to a head, and edward ( driven by a sense of duty and bravery ) attempts to enlist. due to his childhood illnesses and the damage incurred on his lungs, he is deemed unfit for service. soon after, the first wave of the spanish influenza takes the life of his father. soon after, edward and his mother become ill. elizabeth begs the doctor responsible for their care to do what she cannot - save her son . death feels like a welcome friend after the suffering the illness had caused , but it does not come for him. instead, a new , excruciating pain . a rebirth - a living death. 

RESENTMENT - uncontrollable anger, uncontrollable thirst color edward’s first days in his new life. he does not understand the changes that had been thrust upon him. the only constant among the chaos was carlisle. carlisle and his goodness, his unfailing faith. suddenly , edward has a father , and his paramount goal was to make him proud. 

edward spends his days fighting the monster inside of him, riddled with an emptiness he could not name nor control. his talent, as carlisle described it, feels more like a curse than anything. he could read anyone -- understand their deepest most secrets, and yet he could not control or contain his own. his darkness was once again mitigated with a new light in the form of esme. esme, who reminded him so much of his own mother. esme, who had lost her own son & found someone to care for in edward. carlisle & esme and their unfailing goodness were almost too much to bear. he could not disappoint them. rather than subjecting them to emotions he couldn’t understand - he disappears. 

1927 - 1931 : the monster rears its ugly head. edward abandons a humane lifestyle and becomes judge & jury for the living. he kills - - and he kills many . he determines who is worthy of living , and seeks out those that deserve to die (  his first victim is esme’s tormentor , and tens of hundreds of men like him follow ). if he must be a monster , then he will seek out other monsters as well . eventually , his guilt consumes him and he returns , eyes crimson , to carlisle & esme . what he does not expect is their undeserved forgiveness , their unconditional love. he will forever be unworthy of such love , and this thought haunts him . he is a monster , but he must do better - - for them. 

the numbers of the cullen clan grow , and family replaces coven. they fall into a familiar rhythm - settling when they can , moving when they must . edward is grateful to be loved , to be forgiven , but he cannot find his own redemption. whatever heart of him is left goes to them - to his family. he is constant for them alone.  he watches their all-consuming romances blossom throughout time and cannot help but be reminded that he is alone . he fills his days  to the best of his ability , and time passes. 

2017 - the cullens re-settle in forks , washington . edward plays the part of recent high school graduate on a gap year in order to buy the family more time in their place of residence. time passes.

MARCH , 2018 a frozen life jumpstarts when isabella swan moves to forks. try as he might to protect her from himself , he is drawn to her. to her goodness , her intelligence , and her clumsiness. this , he realizes , must be what his family had found - - an inexplicable drawing near , the need to be close to someone. if his heart could beat , it would beat for her. 

but life is not that simple . she is fragile , and human , and he puts her at risk by simply being near her . loving her doubles that risk , and yet he does.  fiercely & unconditionally. 

MARCH , 2019  he loves her so much that he thinks it is better to leave her . he cannot see past what he is , and what he is capable of . he will not risk her life . when he thinks she is gone , he risks his . the volturi won’t take the life of a gifted vampire who has committed no crime , so he sets out to do it himself.  she , in all of her goodness , saves him , regardless of whether he is deserving of it .  but it comes at the cost - to save his life , she must sacrifice her own - - she must change. 

PRESENT  for the first time in his immortal existence , edward wants a life , and he wants to live it fully , but he cannot be selfish . he cannot subject bella to a life like his , and he cannot deny her her right to choose.  all he can do is love her with whatever soul he has left to love with , and protect her  ( and his family ) until his last breath . 

LANDON   DAVIES

Hey is that [LOUIS TOMLINSON]? No, that’s just [LANDON DAVIES]. They’re [TWENTY EIGHT], and have spent [THREE MONTHS] in Dayton. I hear that they’re kind of [CREATIVE], but also [STUBBORN]. Did you hear their vices are [SMOKING & ALCOHOL]? Can’t wait to see [HIM] at the next party!

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Landon Davies

AGE: 28 years old

BIRTHPLACE: London, UK

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Dayton, California

OCCUPATION: Engineer

FAMILY:

MOTHER: Lily Evans

FATHER: Christopher Davies

SIBLINGS: Four sisters (Margaret, Darcy and Lucy Evans)

VICES: Smoking, Alcohol

BIOGRAPHY

Landon was born in London to Lily and Christopher. He was the result of an accidental pregnancy and, although his parents tried staying together for his sake, it did not last long. When he was young, Landon resented his father for leaving him to get raised by his mum alone. All the kids at school would talk about their dads and he always felt like he was missing out. That only lasted until his mum married Patrick Evans, his stepfather. He got three sisters who he completely adores and eventually forgave his biological dad for walking out, even though he never contacted him.

Life was going well for Landon. His stepfather loved him like his own son and he finally had the proper family he was always craving for. He never got the best grades in primary school but in secondary, with a little push from his mum, he really started to apply himself. It was the only way he was going to get to live out his dream of going to university in the US. His family was not very well-off and a scholarship was the only way he was going to get into university.

All the hard work paid off and he got really good marks; good enough to get him into Columbia University on a full scholarship to study engineering. Landon managed to do what little university students by finding a balance between work and play. He kept on studying hard and getting good marks but he was also quite popular and was frequently invited to parties. During a game of spin the bottle, Landon got to kiss Harry and the rest, as they say, is history. A simple party game turned into getting to know each other and he was soon referring to the other boy as the most important person in his life.

Landon was sure Harry was it for him and it seemed only natural that the next step would be marriage. They got married before they even graduated and things were great for a while but then tragedy struck. He was involved in a car accident and suffered from amnesia. He couldn’t remember Harry at all and they had to go through the difficult process of trying to fall in love all over again. It didn’t work and their marriage ended in divorce.

The divorce didn’t really affect Landon in the beginning. He couldn’t remember his husband so he couldn’t really feel the loss of his partner; the person he had considered to be the one. He moved back to London to be with his family while he recovered from the accident. It was only a few months back in London when he slowly started remembering bits and pieces from his relationship with Harry.

On what would have been their second wedding anniversary, Landon was a mess. He remembered everything but had lost touch with Harry. He was also blaming himself for everything and didn’t want to ruin things for Harry if the other had moved on and built a new life. Alcohol seemed to keep his demons at bay and he started using it as a way to get away from his past. His mum was worried about him and kept insisting he talk to someone but Landon didn’t want to hear it. It was time he left his family again and moved somewhere he could come to terms with his pain on his own time.

Dayton. The start of a new chapter.

Yeah, so I’m sticking with more P&P stuff today.

One of the things I find interesting, and really compelling, about the ending chapters of P&P is that they basically seem to say: the characters’ arcs and story aren’t over, this is just the end of this particular segment of their lives. For instance, after Darcy’s second proposal, we get:

She [Elizabeth] remembered that he [Darcy] had yet to learn to be laughed at, and it was rather too early to begin.

So this raises the possibility of a more open and easy dynamic than we’re going to see in this exact moment. We get hints of that dynamic during the engagement, but where it’s really affirmed is in this overview of the future:

Georgiana had the highest opinion in the world of Elizabeth, though at first she often listened with an astonishment bordering on alarm at her lively, sportive manner of talking to her brother. He, who had always inspired in herself a respect which almost overcame her affection, she now saw the object of open pleasantry.

But there’s also another transition that’s subtler, to the point that you could probably argue that it’s not really an evolution—but which I personally think is one and a very intriguing one.

Elizabeth is (very understandably) indignant during her confrontation with a more than usually rude and snobbish Lady Catherine, and proclaims:

“No principle of either [duty, honour, or gratitude] would be violated by my marriage with Mr Darcy. And with regard to the resentment of his family, or the indignation of the world, if the former were excited by his marrying me, it would not give me one moment’s concern”

As we know, Lady Catherine proceeds to insult Elizabeth so badly in her letter to Darcy that he cuts her off. However:

But at length, by Elizabeth’s persuasion, he was prevailed on to overlook the offence, and seek a reconciliation; and, after a little further resistance on the part of his aunt, her resentment gave way, either to her affection for him, or her curiosity to see how his wife conducted herself; and she condescended to wait on them at Pemberley

So it seems like Lady Catherine’s resentment did, in the end, give Elizabeth some concern. And, I mean, I think it’s entirely possible that Darcy and Lady Catherine are similar enough to have stayed stubbornly estranged for an indefinite length of time if Elizabeth hadn’t taken it upon herself to interfere and (effectively) bring Lady Catherine to Pemberley. So our last vision of Elizabeth is not of Elizabeth in isolation from the world, but of the Elizabeth at Pemberley who gets over her own rightful sense of offense and successfully works to create a family circle that pulls together their sisters, Mr Bennet, the Gardiners, and yes, Lady Catherine.

Thoughts on Pride and Prejudice

Part 3: Caroline Bingley

When I got to the end of Pride and Prejudice, I’d kind of forgotten that Caroline Bingley stayed in Elizabeth and Darcy’s social sphere: “Miss Bingley was very deeply mortified by Darcy’s marriage; but as she thought it advisable to retain the right of visiting at Pemberley, she dropt all her resentment; was fonder than ever of Georgiana, almost as attentive to Darcy as heretofore, and paid of every arrear of civility to Elizabeth.”

That “advisable to retain the right of visiting” bit is what really struck me. It’s easy to forget that the Bingleys made their fortune in trade. It’s only mentioned once or twice in the novel, and it’s not really mentioned at all in the 1995 or 2005 adaptations (though I noticed it was mentioned in the 1980 version!) The 1995 version makes a point of showing Caroline and her sister sneering at people in trade. It could be easy to dismiss Caroline as opportunistic by continuing to hang around Pemberley and ingratiating herself with Georgiana. But I kind of understand her motives. Despite her family’s newfound wealth, Caroline was still in a precarious place in society. She would still have to marry well in order to maintain the lifestyle she grew up in, and staying in the Darcy family’s orbit is a way of legitimizing the Bingley family’s place in a society where people with “new money” were sometimes looked down on by people with “old money”. And let’s be real: she was probably looking at her sister’s marriage to Mr. Hurst and hoping she wouldn’t get stuck with someone who only cares about card games, napping, and what’s for dinner. 

But the part about Caroline paying Lizzy “every arrear of civility” is interesting too. Maybe they learned to be friends over time, or at least better frienemies.

Full Dark, No Stars - Stephen King

1922: “I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger…” writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up this tale. For James that stranger is awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness.

Big Driver: A Cozy mystery writer named Tess encounters the stranger along a back road in Massachusetts when she takes a shortcut home after a book-club engagement. Violated and left for dead, Tess plots a revenge that will bring her face-to-face with another stranger: the one inside herself.

Fair Extension: Making a deal with the devil not only saves Dave Streeter from a fatal cancer but provides rich recompense for a lifetime of resentment.

A Good Marriage: When her husband of more than twenty years is away on one of his business trips, Darcy Anderson looks for batteries in the garage. Her toe knocks up against a box under a worktable and she discovers the stranger inside her husband. It's a horrifying discovery, rendered with bristling intensity, and it definitely ends a good marriage.

Read if You Like:

Horror

Thriller

Suspense

Paranormal

Dark Fiction

Short Stories

Novellas

Recommended if You Enjoy:

B.A. Paris (Behind Closed Doors), For: A Good Marriage

Stephen King (Needful Things), For: Fair Extension, (The Bazaar of Bad Dreams), (Night Shift)

Steig Larson (Milenium Trilogy), For: Big Driver

4/5 Stars

1922 - 3.5/5

Big Driver - 4/5

Fair Extension - 3.5/5

A Good Marriage - 3.5/5

Pride and Prejudice - ‘Episode 1′ Review

“For a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

In which we meet the Bennets, the Bennets meet the Bingleys and their friend Mr. Darcy, Jane catches a cold, and Elizabeth takes a walk. Contains spoilers.

The 1995 BBC miniseries production of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is considered by many fans (including this one) to be the quintessential screen version of the beloved novel. It is perfect, or very nearly so, in every detail.

I can’t speak to the effectiveness of the exposition because I know the story so well, but I believe it’s done subtly and rather briefly. The Bennets’ home situation is established quickly. I love that the first shots of the home are of a shrieking argument over a hat. Life with the Bennets is hectic and none too relaxing. The family hierarchy is shown in a matter of moments. Jane and Elizabeth are the oldest, the most responsible, and the calmest. Kitty and Lydia are the youngest, the loudest, and the silliest. Mary is a stick in the mud who is mostly ignored by everyone. Mrs. Bennet seems to hate the crazed atmosphere of her home, but does nothing to control it, while Mr. Bennet tries to avoid everyone as much as possible. Lydia is her mother’s favorite, Elizabeth is her father’s favorite. Jane and Elizabeth are best friends, as are Kitty and Lydia. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are not quite the picture of marital bliss.

The Bennets’ financial straits are also speedily communicated. Although they are not poor, the entail of the estate means that the Bennets will be poor after Mr. Bennet’s death unless they are provided for in another way, such as by marriage. At the moment, they have as much money as they need for servants, horses, carriages, and new gowns and hats. It is only the future that is in flux. Knowing all this, Mrs. Bennet has become obsessed with marrying off her daughters as quickly as possible and to the richest men possible. While her motives may seem mercenary to us today, there was no other financial recourse for women of that class besides marriage. They were too rich to work and too poor to have very wealthy relations.

Our first glimpse of Miss Elizabeth Bennet is out on a walk. Elizabeth’s walks coincide with several major plot developments, including one in this episode. Her walking also sets her apart from the other characters. The only others frequently shown walking are Kitty and Lydia and they only walk to Meryton to visit the officers. Elizabeth generally walks for her own amusement. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst are astonished at Elizabeth’s love of walking, and even Jane, the character with whom Lizzy has most in common, seems to prefer to stay indoors.

Elizabeth is an unusual sort of woman for the time. Although she respects society’s rules and edicts and never shows bad manners, she does have a way of pushing the boundaries of society. She is not rude or at all unseemly, but she is playful in the way she talks to others, even her social superiors. This will most clearly be seen in later episodes when she deals with Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Even here, we see her challenge Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley on their idea of the accomplished young lady and tease Darcy about his resentful temper.

Elizabeth is indeed different. When invited to visit Netherfield, Jane asks to borrow the carriage. When Elizabeth decides to tend to her sister at Netherfield, she is offered the carriage but chooses instead to walk, despite the muddy countryside. While her behavior is not improper, it is just a hair unusual. Her so-called “conceited independence” sets her apart from her peers. One could argue that this is precisely what draws Darcy’s attention to her. Unlike Miss Bingley, who is consistently throwing herself at him, Elizabeth does not seem to care what he thinks of her. He watches her recount his insult of her to Charlotte Lucas with interest. His comment was rude and cruel, but Elizabeth finds it funny and not emotionally devastating.

It is also quickly established that Elizabeth is decidedly not a woman on the hunt for a husband. Her conversation with Jane shows that she is in no rush to get married, nor is she likely to accept just any man who makes her an offer. This is important for the story. Had Elizabeth been more like her friend Charlotte Lucas, her later romance with Darcy would have taken on an entirely different flavor.

The miniseries has a lot to boast about. A huge amount of its dialogue was taken directly from Austen’s pages, for instance. There are parts you can literally follow along in the book. To my thinking, the best thing about the show is Colin Firth. Not just because he’s a solid actor and ridiculously handsome (cf. 30 Rock “The man can wear a sweater”), but because he absolutely nails the character of Fitzwilliam Darcy in a way no actor has done before or since.

It’s true, he owes a lot to the script. Regardless of performance, this Darcy is the closest to Austen’s vision of the character. The show is ungenerous with Mr. Darcy. Other versions omit many of Darcy’s disparaging comments about Elizabeth and her family given during his evenings with the Bingleys. Whether this is done for time or to soften the character is anyone’s guess. The miniseries pulls no punches and, if it weren’t for that handsome face, Darcy would be absolutely detestable for the first half of the miniseries. That is as it should be.

As in other versions, Darcy’s attraction to Elizabeth is clear from early on, but that attraction does not soften his demeanor nor his treatment of her. He’s far from the flirty Darcy we see in 1940 and from the cold but quiet Darcy of 2005. Firth’s Darcy is snobbish and disapproving, or at least he appears so thus far.

Historical Context:

It’s hard to compare incomes in the 1800s to what they are today. The best estimate I could find is that Bingley’s £5,000 a year translates roughly to £150,000-200,00 ($250,00-$300,000). The cost of things has changed so much that this really doesn’t give us much of an idea of Bingley’s wealth. Compare Bingley’s income to that of the mother in Sense and Sensibility, who is able to support herself and her three daughters, maintain a comfortable, if rented, home and employ three servants with £500 a year. In any estimation, Bingley is very wealthy. As for Mr. Darcy, with his £10,000 and lavish estate, he can easily be placed as one of the one or two hundred richest men in England.

The militia was the part of the army responsible for home defense. The novel occurs during the Napoleonic Wars (1800-1815), when an invasion was greatly feared. Militias like the one we see here left their military posts in the winter and took up residence in a town because there was less chance of a French invasion.

Bits & Pieces:

Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth have great chemistry. They actually dated for a short time during production.

Susannah Harper (Jane) was pregnant during filming. Thanks to the empire waisted costumes, her pregnancy is hardly discernible. It is most obvious in the scenes in her bedroom, which were filmed later. There, shawls were strategically draped over her bump.

In my opinion, harlequin Great Danes are by far the classiest of dogs.

Although the American Ehle’s accent is good, she slips a bit when her mother visits her at Netherfield and she asks her if she’s seen Charlotte Lucas.

Anna Chancellor (Caroline Bingley) is a direct descendant of one of Jane Austen’s brothers.

Favorite Moments:

Any time Darcy makes a comment about Elizabeth’s “fine eyes” and Miss Bingley reacts to it.

Darcy’s commenting that truly accomplished women read extensively as he watches Elizabeth read and Miss Bingley loiter. In a later drawing room scene, you can catch her holding (but still not reading) a book. I wonder what inspired that...

The way Darcy looks at Elizabeth. It makes me melt.

Colin Firth in the bathtub. I’m sure you could have guessed that one.

Elizabeth and Miss Bingley’s “turn about the room” and Darcy’s comments about it.

sunbunny

More prompts!!!! Do you think you're up to having a go at reformed/double agent!Brock Rumlow?? If not, I'll settle for Bucky :-). I'll take nobility theme #2 please 😄💖

@ibelieveinturtles ooh! my first ever Brock x Darcy fic! Enjoy

Prompt: Nobility themed, #2: “we’ve been engaged to be married since we were three but this is the first time we’ve met and your portraits really don’t do you justice”

Pairing: Brock x Darcy

Rating: T, for language

Notes: Modern Royalty AU

“She could have a huge fuckin’ wart in the middle of her face,” Brock said, glaring at the portrait that had been hanging in the sitting room for the past two years.

“Hell, she could have several huge fuckin’ warts in the middle of her face,” added Jack. He squinted at the portrait while taking a sip of the Rumlows’ incredibly expensive scotch.

A round, pale face stared back at them with large, luminous blue eyes. The Lady Darcy Lewis wore a deep purple silk gown that showed off her bare shoulders and the long column of her neck. Her dark brown hair was braided into an elaborate style that was adorned with tiny gold vines and amethysts.

But Brock’s favorite part of the portrait, not that he’d ever tell anyone, was her lips. Her soft-looking pink lips that made him think of doing things that would’ve gotten him kicked out of any number of posh Swiss boarding schools. (He should know, he’d hopped around them often enough.)

“She could have bad teeth,” Brock continued casually.

“Bad teeth? Maybe you’ll be lucky if she has any at all.”

“Aw, what the shit.” Brock winced.

Jack laughed raucously. “Seriously, man, what’ll you do if she looks nothin’ like this portrait? You gonna disappear the painter or somethin’, that poor bastard?”

“Nah. That’s that artsy fartsy artistic license. You can’t fault him for that. You should feel sorry for me. A goddamned arranged marriage, can you believe this shit?”

Jack clapped a comforting hand onto Brock’s shoulder.

“Well I guess it’s not every day your parents give you Rumlow Hall and a girl.”

Rumlow rolled his eyes. “They’re not giving me anything but a headache. Our families have known each other for generations. They think it’s only natural that we should…make our alliance official.”

“Ah, romance the old money way. Her bling looks like it’s old money too,” observed Jack. He snickered. “Hey, notice how she’s not wearing any silver? What if she’s a werewolf? Or some kinda bearded lady?”

“I’ll run away to the Amazon. Live in the jungle.”

“Well, if I were I bearded lady, you wouldn’t know. I could just shave it off, right?” came a sarcastic voice from behind them.

Brock turned and the woman in the portrait stared back him.

It was then that he realized that the portraitist was wrong. So wrong.

Lady Darcy was even more beautiful in person. Instead of a gown, she was wearing tan breeches that clung to some delectable thighs and tall, slightly muddy, riding boots. She had her herringbone jacket draped over her arm and there was a spark of mischievousness in her eyes that the artist hadn’t managed to capture.

Jesus, was she holding a riding crop?!

A sly smile spread across Brock’s face.

“Oh! Your mother wanted to show off your prized horses, so we went riding for a bit. Hope that was okay.”

“Yes.” Brock cleared his throat. “Of course, you’re more than welcome to.”

“Darcy Lewis. I’m your future bride, I guess.” She laughed and held out her hand.

Brock took her offered hand in his and squeezed it once.

“Brock Rumlow. Nice to finally meet you, Lady Darcy.”

Brock had never thought of himself as a husband. Married, yes, because that was expected of him, but never a husband. His future bride’s face, until recently, had been a formless thing when he thought about it. He gave more thought as to how he was going to keep his various dalliances discreet during the marriage.

But now he smiled when he thought of being a husband. Because Lady Darcy was to be his wife.

Darcy smiled back at him, humor in her eyes, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. He gazed back, suddenly thinking about all the various ways he would fulfill his “husbandly duties”.

In the quiet, Jack coughed expectantly.

When Brock still did nothing, his friend let out an exasperated breath.

“Hi, I’m Jack Rollins,” Jack said, extending his hand. Darcy shook it politely. “I’ll just be over –“ Jack gestured to the bookcase by the window and when Darcy nodded, he left.

“You know, you don’t come off nearly as annoying as the papers would have me believe,” Darcy lilted at him, once they were alone.

“Of course I’m not. I have…interests other than parties and cars.”

“Oh, you do, do you?”

“Yes. I even read your thesis.”

At this Darcy finally seemed surprised. “Wait. Really? You read my thesis?”

“Certainly.”

He didn’t tell her that it took him five tries to finish and understand it. He definitely didn’t tell her that after one night of particularly hard partying, he was nursing a hangover when his mother shoved some papers in front of him. They were her thesis and an article in the Times praising her and Dr. Jane Foster’s research.

“Lady Darcy is certainly making herself worthy of our title. See that you’re worthy of her, will you?”

He laid in bed all day feeling like a shit. Well, he always knew he was a shit but something in his mother’s tone and his father’s stare made him ashamed of being a shit. Suddenly, all of his “antics” weren’t fun and exciting, they were embarrassing.

The next day he cancelled his trip to Dubai and told the model he occasionally slept with that he wasn’t going to be able to make their date. He flushed his “recreational medications” down the toilet and began avoiding the worst of his hangers on.

It took a few months to end some of his more shady business ventures, but he did it.

And although he cleaned up his act (the Times no longer referred to him as the “Famous Dissolute Rake”) he admittedly felt resentment towards his betrothed. Who was she anyways to make him upend his life like this?

But apparently, she was Lady Darcy Lewis, who eschewed crashing expensive cars and getting high in the back of exclusive nightclubs for a chance to intern with renowned American astrophysicist, Dr. Jane Foster. Darcy Lewis who found a puppy in the street, kept it, then opened several animal shelters. Darcy Lewis who had an Instagram account specifically for all the costumes she made for comic conventions.

“Well. Look at that. I’m very relieved you’re not a stereotypical upper crust bad boy,” she teased in a voice that made the hairs on the back of neck prickle pleasantly.

He took a step closer to her. Closer than what would be considered polite, actually. But she didn’t seem to mind. She only looked at him with those big eyes tantalizingly.

“Believe me, sweetheart, I can still be a bad guy if you want it. If you need it. All you gotta do is ask nicely.”

“Well, Earl Rumlow, can I let you in on my super secret request?”

He nodded. She made him feel generous.

She leaned into his space, filling his senses with the faint scent of vanilla and clean woman.

“Rubies,” breathed Darcy into his ear, sending a shiver through him.

“What?”

“I like rubies best. For the engagement ring. The setting can be silver, if you like. Promise I’m not a werewolf.” She tapped the riding crop lightly against his leg, three times. “And your parents are expecting us for tea in the solarium in twenty minutes. Don’t be late, sweetheart.”

She didn’t wait for his reply, but sauntered out the door, her backside swaying enticingly.

He and Jack both watched her leave.

Jack came over from where he was pretending to leaf through a book.

“Still running away to the Amazon?” Jack asked, looping an arm over his shoulder.

“Shut up and call the Royal Jeweler, would you?”

"JERICHO" RETROSPECT: (1.05) "Federal Response"

"JERICHO" RETROSPECT: (1.05) "Federal Response" After my surprised delight over the narrative for the previous episode, (1.04) "Walls of Jericho", I wondered if my delight would continued into the next episode. I would not judge (1.05) "Federal Response" to be better than its predecessor. But it proved to be quite surprising . . . from a certain point of view. 

I am not stating that I found "Federal Response" disappointing, as I did (1.03) "Four Horsemen", but I would not view it as one of the better episodes of Season One, let alone its first half. In this episode, the citizens of Jericho deal with mysterious messages from the Department of Homeland Security and several fires caused by a series of power spikes. The episode begins with a handful of Jericho's citizens playing cards inside Mary Bailey's Tavern at the break of dawn. The electricity, which had shut down in the previous episode, returns and telephones all over town start ringing. Jericho's citizens receive a recorded message telling everyone to remain calm and that help is on the way. The Emergency Alert System is put into place as televisions display a message ordering citizens to stand by for further instructions. Also, it seems that someone within the government has ordered the blockage of all computer IP addresses. Even worse, the town becomes plagued by a few power spikes. One of them blows up a transformer on the public library's roof, setting it ablaze and severing several power lines. For nearly a decade, I had firmly believed that "Federal Response" was mainly about the series of fires that popped up around Jericho. And for the likes of me, I never understood what the fires had to do with the series' main narrative. Now, the fires did have something of an impact upon one subplot . . . namely the marriage between Eric and April Green. The series had already established that their marriage was strained and Eric's affair with tavern owner, Mary Bailey. When Eric and April's home is destroyed by one of the fires, the former discovers that his wife had filed for divorce before the September bombs in the series' pilot episode. This discovery led April to reveal that she had changed her mind about a divorce and wanted to give their marriage a second chance. So far, Eric has not made up his mind about that situation. But what did the fires have to do with the series' main narrative? Not much. But it did drive forward another subplot that proved to be more important. After the Emergency Alert System has been put in place and the IP addresses are blocked, the mysterious Robert Hawkins uses a portable satellite transceiver in his backyard to access his laptop. While Robert works on the latter to send a message, Jake and best friend Stanley Richmond go to the local pumping station to give access to water for the firemen trying to put out the library fire. Once their mission is a success, Jake goes to the roof with Stanley's rifle scope to search for any other fires. Not only does he spot the fire that will consume Eric and April's house, he also spots Robert working on the laptop. More importantly, Robert sees Jake watching him. Later, Robert forces Jake to accept his help in trying to save Eric and April's house in order to ascertain what the latter knows. Later, Robert checks Jake's background and discovers that the latter has visited a series of countries and now has a flagged passport. In the end, both the Federal "response" and the fires allowed Jake and Robert to realize that neither is what the other seemed to be. And their realizations will eventually drive the pair to develop a future relationship that will have a major impact upon the series' main narrative. Aside from the matter regarding Eric and April's strained marriage, other personal dramas featured in this episode drove the series forward. For the first time, Jake hinted the trauma of his past five years to his father. And for the first time, Johnston Green seemed more than ready to welcome back his recalcitrant son. Robert's family life remains strained, as he tries to discipline his older offspring Allison about her use of water. The teenager refuses to listen to her father, still resentful of the past. And Robert refuses to listen to his wife Darcy's warning about how to treat their children, hinting that he might be forced to leave again. Stranded IRS agent Mimi Clark tries to warn Mary Bailey that Eric might not be serious about her. Dale Turner and Skylar Stevens grow even closer, after one of the fires destroy the trailer where Dale lives. And Jake's reaction to Emily Sullivan getting injured by a fallen power line hints that he still harbors strong feelings for her. Rather surprisingly, all of these small, personal dramas will eventually have some impact upon the series' future narrative and subplots. "Federal Response" also featured the usual first-rate performances. The episode featured solid performances from most of the cast. But the performances that really caught my attention came from eight cast members. The messy love triangle between Eric, April and Mary proved to be realistic and complex, thanks to the first-rate performances by Kenneth Mitchell, Darby Stanchfield and Clare Carey. Alicia Coppola gave an interesting and wry performance as the observant and sardonic IRS agent Mimi Clark, who believes she knows how the Eric/Mary affair will end. Both Gerald McRaney and Pamela Reed were excellent as Jake and Eric's parents, Johnston and Gail Green, in scenes that featured the pair's separate reactions to Jake's current presence in Jericho. But my favorite performances came from leads Skeet Ulrich and Lennie James, who did excellent jobs in conveying their characters' reactions to the current crisis and personal demons. More importantly, for the first time they truly hinted the strong chemistry that will make them one of the better action teams in science-fiction/fantasy television. As I had stated earlier, "Federal Response" proved to be an interesting episode that managed to contribute to the series' narrative . . . by a hair's length. It also featured some solid performances, along with first-rate ones that include both Skeet Ulrich and Lennie James. But there is one thing I forgot to add . . . the episode also ended on an ominous note. The town's citizens felt a distinct rumble - as if the ground was shaking . . . before they rushed outside and spotted what appeared to be two ballistic missiles soaring through the night sky above Jericho.