Alone (Pride and Prejudice)

Alone (Michelle d’Arcy)

What did Mr Darcy do in London after fleeing Hertfordshire? Free from the bewitching presence of one Miss Elizabeth Bennet, did he enjoy his Christmastide?

How great was his struggle before the disastrous proposal in Hunsford, how deep was his suffering after the rejection, and how did he feel when he happened upon Elizabeth at Pemberley?

How intense was his happiness when he finally married the possessor of the finest eyes he had ever seen? Is this Christmas season to surpass the memories of the last one?

This story dares to attempt a glimpse into his thoughts during his tumultuous year from that first Christmas in London after meeting Miss Elizabeth Bennet until the happy conclusion that sees him a changed man—though the same in essentials—happily anticipating the joy of his first Christmas as a husband.

This novelette is an expanded (almost doubled) version of the short story ‘Alone’, initially part of the anthology ‘With Love, Mr Darcy’, the proceeds of which have been donated to the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton (UK).