To Katherine’s mind, it wasn’t right that something that could give as much pleasure as a novel could be so reviled. Lorna Warwick had confessed to being on the receiving end of such condescension too and had been sent some very snobby letters in her time. Perhaps that was why Katherine’s own letter had caught the eye of the author.
It had been about a year earlier when Katherine had done something she’d never ever done before—she’d written a fan letter and posted it in care of Miss Warwick’s publisher. It was a silly letter really, full of gushing and admiration and Katherine had never expected a reply. Nevertheless, within a fortnight, a beautiful cream envelope had dropped onto her doormat containing a letter from the famous writer.
How lovely to receive your letter. You have no idea what it means to me to be told how much you enjoy my novels. I often get some very strange letters from readers telling me that they always read my novels but that they are complete trash!
Katherine had laughed and their bond had been sealed. After that, she couldn’t stop. Every moment that wasn’t spent reading a Lorna Warwick novel was spent writing to the woman herself and each letter was answered. They talked about all sorts of things—not just books. They talked about films, past relationships, their work, fashion, Jane Austen, and if men had changed since Austen’s times and if one could really expect to find a Mr Darcy outside the pages of a novel.
Katherine then had dared to ask Lorna if she was attending the conference at Purley Hall and it had gone quiet, for more than two weeks. Had Katherine overstepped the boundaries? Had she pushed things too far? Maybe it was one thing exchanging letters with a fan but quite another to meet a fan in the flesh.
Just as Katherine had given up all hope, though, a letter had arrived.
Dear Katherine,
I’m so sorry not to have replied sooner but I’ve been away and I still can’t answer your question as to whether or not I’ll be at Purley. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Yours truly, Lorna
It seemed a very odd sort of reply, Katherine thought. If Lorna Warwick was going to be at Purley, surely the organisers would want to know as she’d be the biggest name and the main pull because she was famously reclusive. In comparison to the bestselling novelist, Katherine was just a dusty fusty old lecturer. Well, young lecturer, actually; she was in her early thirties, but she knew that people would come and listen to her talks only because they were true Janeites. At these conferences, anyone speaking about Jane Austen was instantly adored and held in great esteem. In fact, any sort of activity with even the lamest connection to Austen was pursued and enjoyed, from Jane Austen Scrabble to Murder in the Dark which, one year, ended in uproar when it was discovered that Anne Elliot had somehow managed to murder Captain Wentworth.
Katherine smiled as she remembered, and then, trying to put thoughts of Purley out of her mind, she made a start on the pile of papers to her left that was threatening to spill onto the floor. It was mostly rubbish that had accumulated as the term had progressed. It was what she called her ‘tomorrow pile,’ except she’d run out of tomorrows.
***
Allowing herself a sigh of relief as she reached the car park, she thought of her small but perfect garden at home where she could kick off her shoes and sink her bare feet into the silky green coolness of her lawn, a glass of white wine in her hand as she toasted the completion of another week of academia.
She’d almost made it to her car and to freedom when a voice cried out, ‘Katherine!’
She stopped. It was the last voice—the very last voice—she wanted to hear.
‘What is it, David?’ she asked a moment later as a fair-haired man with an anxious face joined her by her car.
‘That’s not very friendly. You were the one smiling at me across the car park.’
‘I wasn’t smiling at you. I was squinting at the sun.’
‘Oh,’ he said, looking crestfallen.
‘I’m in a rush,’ she said, opening her car door.
His hand instantly reached out and grabbed it, preventing her from closing it.
‘David—’
‘Talk to me, Kitty.’
‘Don’t call me that. Nobody calls me that.’
‘Oh, come on, Catkin,’ he said, his voice low. ‘We haven’t talked properly since… well, you know.’
‘Since I left you because I found out you’d got married? You’re the one who wasn’t returning my calls, David. You’re the one who disappeared off the face of the planet to marry some ex-student. Nobody knew where you were. I was worried sick.’
‘I was going to tell you.’
‘When? At the christening of your firstborn?’
‘You’re not being fair.’
‘I’m not being fair? I’m not the one who has a wife tucked away in the attic somewhere,’ Katherine cried.
‘Oh, don’t be so melodramatic. This isn’t some nineteenth-century novel,’ he said. ‘That’s the problem with you. You can’t exist in the real world. You have your head constantly immersed in fiction, and you just can’t handle reality anymore.’
Katherine’s mouth dropped open. ‘That is not true!’
‘No?’ he said. ‘So where are you heading now, eh? Purley bloody Hall, I bet.’
‘That’s my work,’ Katherine said in defence of herself.
‘Work? It’s your whole life. You don’t do anything but work. Your entire existence revolves around a set of people who’ve been made up by other people who’ve been dead for at least a century. It’s not healthy.’
Katherine was on the verge of defending herself again but had the good sense to bite her tongue. She didn’t want David to launch into his old tirade about how their love affair was doomed long before the arrival of his wife. She knew he’d throw it all in her face—how many early nights had been rejected in favour of the latest Jane Austen adaptation on TV and how often she had burned a much-looked-forward-to candlelit dinner at home because she’d had her head buried in a book. It bothered her when she stopped to think about it long enough because she knew that she was in love with a fictional world. Mr Darcy, Captain Wentworth and Henry Tilney were all creations of a female mind. They didn’t exist. Perhaps her obsession with such heroes was because there were so few real heroes, and she was standing looking at a real-life nonhero right then.
‘Go home to your wife, David,’ she said, getting into her car.
‘You know I’d rather go home with you.’
Katherine sighed. ‘You should have thought about that before you lied to me,’ she said, closing her door and driving off.
Honestly, any man who wasn’t safely tucked between the covers of a book was a liability. You couldn’t trust any of them. Was it any wonder that Katherine turned to fiction time and time again? Ever since her father had left home when she was seven, she’d hidden from the world around her, nose-diving into the safety of a friendly paperback. Books had always rescued her and remained the one constant in her life.
Acknowledgments
To Helen Wilkinson from the wonderful Pride and Prejudice Tours—I highly recommend their holidays. And very special thanks to the Barton Cottage group: Kelli, Kay, Susan, Sharon, Reeba, Asha, Geoffrey, Jim, and not forgetting the amazing Thomas, Betsy, and Toby.
To Joseph WJ Collins and Sara Jackson Kemp, Cally Taylor, Linda Gillard, Ruth Saberton, and Sue Hobbs.
To Annette Green and the whole team at Sourcebooks who have been wonderfully enthusiastic about my Jane Austen addicts trilogy. It’s been a pleasure working with you all.
To all at the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton who have been so supportive of my books.
And it’s about time I acknowledged Jane Austen too, because she’s been such a huge influence on my life. I adore her books, and when I read Pride and Prejudice all those years ago at the tender age of seventeen, I little thought that one day I would be inspired to write three of my own, linked to her wonderful characters.
Finally—as ever—to my husband, Roy, who
is my own real-life Mr Darcy!
About the Author
Victoria Connelly was brought up in Norfolk and studied English literature at Worcester University before becoming a teacher in North Yorkshire. After getting married in a medieval castle in the Yorkshire Dales, she moved to London, where she lives with her artist husband and a mad springer spaniel, and ex-battery hens.
She has three novels published in Germany and the first, Flights of Angels, was made into a film. Victoria and her husband flew out to Berlin to see it being filmed and got to be extras in it. Her first novel in the UK, Molly’s Millions, is a romantic comedy about a lottery winner who gives it all away.
Mr. Darcy Forever follows A Weekend with Mr. Darcy and Dreaming of Mr. Darcy in a trilogy about Jane Austen addicts, which has been a wonderful excuse to read all the books and watch all the gorgeous film and TV adaptations again.
Dreaming of Mr. Darcy
by Victoria Connelly
Heroes aren’t always what they seem…
Fledgling illustrator and Darcy fanatic Kay Ashton settles in the seaside town of Lyme to finish her book, The Illustrated Darcy, when a film company arrives to make a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Kay is soon falling for the handsome bad boy actor playing Captain Wentworth, but it’s the quiet screenwriter Adam Craig who has more in common with her beloved Mr. Darcy. Though still healing from a broken heart, Adam finds himself unexpectedly in love with Kay. But it will take more than good intentions to convince her that her real happy ending is with him.
Praise for A Weekend with Mr. Darcy:
“Sunshine on a rainy day. A charmingly written slice of warmhearted escapism.”—Lisa Jewell, bestselling author of Roommates Wanted
“Lively, funny characters… the romances of this novel brilliantly reveal one thing that Miss Austen always knew: true love is often a complicated, but beautiful, mess.”—Luxury Reading
For more Victoria Connelly, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy
by Sara Angelini
Their attraction is so hot, it should be against the law…
Judge Fitzwilliam Darcy is terribly bored—ready to hang up his black robe and return to the life of a country gentleman—until he meets Elizabeth Bennet, a fresh-faced attorney with a hectic schedule and no time for the sexy but haughty judge. Sparks fly as the two match wits and battle their overwhelming attraction.
Praise for The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy:
“An excessively diverting entertainment you won’t want to miss.”—Austenprose
“It is finger-licking, lip smacking, delicious… definitely my favorite modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice to date.”—A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf
For a celebration of all things Jane Austen, visit:
www.austenfans.com
Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard
by Belinda Roberts
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a yacht must be in want of a female crew…
The balmy seaside resort town of Salcombe boasts the best in bikinis, sandcastle contests, and a fiercely competitive squad of buff local lifeguards as Regatta Week approaches.
And if that weren’t enough excitement, Mrs Bennet hears that the splendid villa Netherpollock has been rented by a young man of great fortune. She is determined he’ll go out with one of her daughters, until Mr Darcy glides in on his stunning yacht Pemberley and she decides he would be the better catch…
Praise for Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard:
“One of the funniest, cutest Pride and Prejudice versions I’ve read.”—Love Romance Passion
“It’s the perfect beach read or a bit of fluffy fun at the end of a stressful day.”—Dairy of an Eccentric
For a celebration of all things Jane Austen, visit:
www.austenfans.com
The Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice
by Abigail Reynolds
A modern love story with a Jane Austen twist
Marine biologist Cassie Boulton has no patience when a modern-day Mr. Darcy appears in her lab on Cape Cod. Proud, aloof Calder Westing III is the scion of a famous political family, while Cassie’s success is hard-won in spite of a shameful family history.
When their budding romance is brutally thwarted, both by his family and by hers, Calder tries to set things right by rewriting the two of them in the roles of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice… but will Cassie be willing to supply the happy ending?
Praise for The Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice:
“This modern romance is by far her finest yet. I read it from cover to cover in one night and I simply could not put it down!”—Austenprose
“Reynolds has a great writing style… steamy and surprising.”—The Bibliophilic Book Blog
For more Abigail Reynolds, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
Compulsively Mr. Darcy
by Nina Benneton
For anyone obsessed with Pride & Prejudice, it’s Darcy and Elizabeth like you’ve never see them before!
This modern take introduces us to the wealthy philanthropist Fitzwilliam Darcy, a handsome and brooding bachelor who yearns for love but doubts any woman could handle his obsessive tendencies. Meanwhile, Dr. Elizabeth Bennet has her own intimacy issues that ensure her terrible luck with men.
When the two meet up in the emergency room after Darcy’s best friend, Charles Bingley, gets into an accident, Elizabeth thinks the two men are a couple. As Darcy and Elizabeth unravel their misconceptions about each other, they have to decide just how far they’re willing to go to accept each other’s quirky ways…
Praise for Compulsively Mr. Darcy:
“Die-hard fans of everything Austen will enjoy this update of her classic tale.”—Publishers Weekly
For a celebration of all things Jane Austen, visit:
www.austenfans.com
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star
by Heather Lynn Rigaud
Darcy’s as hot as he is talented…
Fast music, powerful beats, and wild reputations—on and off stage—have made virtuoso guitarist Fitzwilliam Darcy’s band into rock’s newest bad boys. But they’ve lost their latest opening act, and their red-hot summer tour is on the fast track to disaster. Now Darcy and bandmates Charles Bingley and Richard Fitzwilliam are about to meet their match…
But she’s about to rock his world…
Enter Elizabeth Bennet, fiercely independent star of girl-band Long Borne Suffering. Elizabeth, her sister Jane, and friend Charlotte Lucas have talent to spare and jump at the opening band slot. Elizabeth is sure she’s seen the worst the music industry has to offer. But as the days and nights heat up, it becomes clear that everyone is in for a summer to remember.
Praise for Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star:
“Austen fans looking for something new will thrill to see familiar characters in a modern setting with a pounding backbeat and electrified vibe.”—Publishers Weekly Best Romance of 2011
For a celebration of all things Jane Austen, visit:
www.austenfans.com
Table of Contents
Front Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
An excerpt from A Weekend with Mr. Darcy
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Cover
Mr. Darcy Forever Page 27