Pride & Precipitance by Caroline Cartier

The Victorian Vagaries are a bit of a fairy tale… Have you ever read Pride and Prejudice, a Variation, a sequel, or any other book, and just wish it could go on for years? The Victorian Vagaries is the story of the Bennet women over twelve years of life and love… The men and heroes we love are ever present of course, but this is the story of the Bennet women in a slightly more modern setting, while keeping to the historical fiction theme that we all love.

Moving the story forward 36 years brings us to a time where more women were working, and the industrial revolution is taking over. Times and opportunities are changing for men and women alike, and Lady Elizabeth Astley, a society widow, and the eldest of her siblings, must protect herself and her vast fortune earned by investing with her uncle from fortune hunters and heiress snatchers, as well as support her step mother and four half sisters as they each break free from the fates laid down before them and meet their destinies. Some characters deviate from canon, others remain charmingly as we know them, and friends from other Jane Austen worlds join us, but never how you might expect, though everyone we love finds their happy ending, and when Elizabeth and Darcy find their happiness, their bond is as strong and beautiful as any of us could hope…

In Volume One of our Victorian Vagaries, Lady Elizabeth Astley, three years widowed, has returned to Meryton to enjoy the country with her young daughter. The eldest of Mr Bennet’s daughters, Elizabeth is an outcast among her sisters and step-mother, but does her best to help her sisters find themselves – and to help Jane when Caroline and Mrs Bennet’s behavior causes catastrophe.

Will Netherfield’s impressive guest Mr Darcy recognize Elizabeth’s worth, or will he continue in his typical prideful behavior? Follow Elizabeth as she narrowly evades the aggressive pursuit of our favorite wastrel – who is a true villain – assists Rosings Park and her cousin Charlotte Collins when disaster strikes Hunsford, and teaches a proud and foolish man the art of pleasing a woman worthy of being pleased.