'Tis the Season Collection Series by Amy D'Orazio, Jenetta James, Mary Smythe, Jan Ashton, Julie Cooper, Susan Adriani, Lucy Marin, KaraLynne Mackrory

There are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement.ELIZABETH BENNET NEVER IMAGINED that by appeasing Mr Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, she would permanently injure the gentleman’s feelings, but so it was. Robbing him of all hope towards her, he impulsively proposes to his cousin Anne, finding out just weeks later that Elizabeth did, in fact, have tender regard for him... moreThere are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement.ELIZABETH BENNET NEVER IMAGINED that by appeasing Mr Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, she would permanently injure the gentleman’s feelings, but so it was. Robbing him of all hope towards her, he impulsively proposes to his cousin Anne, finding out just weeks later that Elizabeth did, in fact, have tender regard for him. DISTRESSED BY THE KNOWLEDGE that misunderstandings have once again thwarted them, Elizabeth flees to the Continent to forget him. Returning two years later, she is more confident, more worldly, and alas, every bit as in love with him as she ever was. She resolves to offer him her friendship, believing him married, perhaps with children.BUT CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE CHANGED for Mr Darcy. Will they have heart enough to learn the truth from one another or will misunderstandings defeat them once more? less

I heard the sound of a door creaking down the hall, an old, heavy door from the noise of it. A man appeared, tall and frowning. He spoke and every person, including me, turned to him. “What is this?”A DREADFUL ACCIDENT BEFALLS THE GARDINER FAMILY while travelling in Derbyshire with their niece Elizabeth Bennet just before Christmas in 1810. With her beloved aunt gravely injured, Elizabeth is forced to seek help from the inhabitants of the grand Pemberley estate... moreI heard the sound of a door creaking down the hall, an old, heavy door from the noise of it. A man appeared, tall and frowning. He spoke and every person, including me, turned to him. “What is this?”A DREADFUL ACCIDENT BEFALLS THE GARDINER FAMILY while travelling in Derbyshire with their niece Elizabeth Bennet just before Christmas in 1810. With her beloved aunt gravely injured, Elizabeth is forced to seek help from the inhabitants of the grand Pemberley estate.THE FORMERLY HAPPY PARTY finds itself stranded at Pemberley, a hauntingly beautiful albeit empty, joyless, and sometimes frightening estate. Its master is taciturn and unwelcoming, and it is the very last place in the world that Elizabeth wanted or expected to spend Christmas.ELIZABETH’S NATURAL SPIRITS cannot be repressed however, and amid trying to create Christmas joy for the Gardiner children and tend to her aunt, she begins to ask questions. Who is the nameless soldier who comes and goes? And who is the feminine figure she glimpses time and again? Who is the real master of Pemberley--the handsome and inscrutable Mr Darcy, or the unexpectedly kind gentleman who seems to wish to spend time with her?WHAT IS THE REASON for the strange dark sadness that hangs over the place--despite the season—and can Elizabeth, with the magic of Christmas, be the one to break it? less

Outside the walls of the carriage, the wind screeched and howled in warning to anyone stupid enough to be out of doors in such weather. Darcy heard the shout of his coachman just as the carriage jerked hard, sending him sliding across the slick leather seat beneath him. His gloves lost their grip and…HAVING LEFT ELIZABETH BENNET behind in Hertfordshire, Fitzwilliam Darcy is amazed to arrive at Pemberley and find her residing there as his wife, the mistress of both his home and his heart... moreOutside the walls of the carriage, the wind screeched and howled in warning to anyone stupid enough to be out of doors in such weather. Darcy heard the shout of his coachman just as the carriage jerked hard, sending him sliding across the slick leather seat beneath him. His gloves lost their grip and…HAVING LEFT ELIZABETH BENNET behind in Hertfordshire, Fitzwilliam Darcy is amazed to arrive at Pemberley and find her residing there as his wife, the mistress of both his home and his heart. Crushed to find that it was a fever dream resulting from his carriage accident, Darcy decides that it must have been a Christmas miracle, sent to show him the happiness he might have if only he could put his reservations about her aside. SO RESOLVED, HE RETURNS to Hertfordshire, wishing to show her the man he is and the life they might have together but the spite of old rivals remains there, determined to keep them apart. Will their love prevail at last within the joys of Christmas? less

Pretty packages, even those containing the greatest treasures of my house, are secondary to what we most desire, for there are no words equal to the tenderness of heart I feel for you, and no gifts greater than what you have already given me: your own heart. The wisest and the best action I have ever done, is give you mine. A YEAR AFTER THEY LAST MET, Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are reunited for Christmas at the Bingleys’ London townhouse... morePretty packages, even those containing the greatest treasures of my house, are secondary to what we most desire, for there are no words equal to the tenderness of heart I feel for you, and no gifts greater than what you have already given me: your own heart. The wisest and the best action I have ever done, is give you mine. A YEAR AFTER THEY LAST MET, Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are reunited for Christmas at the Bingleys’ London townhouse. Neither has passed the time easily—he has travelled, while she has refused a third offer of marriage and helped her sister settle into married life. NOW THEIR PASTS COLLIDE as they gather with family, including two unexpected visitors, to celebrate the holidays and unwrap old wounds. Darcy fears Elizabeth is unhappily constrained living with the newlyweds, while she assumes his ease comes from joy in the choice he made to eschew her.AFTER A YEAR OF YEARNING and self-recrimination, it takes a little Christmas spirit and some meaningful conversation to finally bind their hearts together. less

He had endeavoured to disregard her, to forget her vivacity, her wit, her fine character; he sought to forget the fine, perfectly respectable birth of her father, in favour of remembering who would inherit her family properties upon that father’s death.AFTER THE SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED DEATH of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Fitzwilliam Darcy resolves himself to marry his cousin, Miss Anne de Bourgh... moreHe had endeavoured to disregard her, to forget her vivacity, her wit, her fine character; he sought to forget the fine, perfectly respectable birth of her father, in favour of remembering who would inherit her family properties upon that father’s death.AFTER THE SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED DEATH of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Fitzwilliam Darcy resolves himself to marry his cousin, Miss Anne de Bourgh. Rosings Park, he decides, must do as inducement for a loveless marriage, and for putting aside any thoughts of Elizabeth Bennet.YULETIDE DREAMS SOON BESET HIM however, with angelic visitors, including Lady Anne Darcy, and a phantom Mr Collins showing him poignant scenes from his past, alarming possibilities in the present, and a shocking spectacle for his future. Darcy thus finds his resolutions changed, from the prudent to the poetic as he is taught that love must triumph over all. BUT IS HE TOO LATE to win the hand of his fair lady from Hertfordshire? less

There is no one’s society I find more acceptable than your own; no one whose friendship I have longed for as I have longed for yours.AS CHRISTMAS APPROACHES, it appears to Elizabeth Bennet that only Shakespeare himself could have devised a more wretched comedy of errors. JANE IS NOW MRS BINGLEY, and in her desire to be away from Longbourn and its long-settled guests, the Wickhams, Elizabeth has travelled to Kent to spend the Yuletide holiday with her friend Charlotte Collins... moreThere is no one’s society I find more acceptable than your own; no one whose friendship I have longed for as I have longed for yours.AS CHRISTMAS APPROACHES, it appears to Elizabeth Bennet that only Shakespeare himself could have devised a more wretched comedy of errors. JANE IS NOW MRS BINGLEY, and in her desire to be away from Longbourn and its long-settled guests, the Wickhams, Elizabeth has travelled to Kent to spend the Yuletide holiday with her friend Charlotte Collins. Yet not only have odd circumstances--and a snowstorm--fated her to spend the Yuletide holiday at Rosings Park, she must do so with the elusive Mr Darcy and all his Fitzwilliam relations. Neither of their hearts has healed from their mutual disappointment, and now they each must navigate his family’s ridiculous antics and their own apprehensions to reach a new beginning. While each is eager, neither is certain of the power they may hold over the other’s affections.ONCE DARCY AND ELIZABETH get past mishaps and misunderstandings--and at least one mortifying moment--they each may receive the only Christmas gift they truly wish for: the other’s love. less

She should want Mr Darcy to find happiness in marriage, but it would be a terror to watch him fall in love with another woman.ELIZABETH BENNET IS SHOCKED when, sixteen months after last seeing Mr Darcy in Lambton, she meets with him at a Festive Season house party at Blackthorn Manor. There with her sister Jane—now Mrs Ridley—she is further surprised to see romantic tensions flaring between her sister and her former beau, Mr Bingley, who has arrived with Mr Darcy... moreShe should want Mr Darcy to find happiness in marriage, but it would be a terror to watch him fall in love with another woman.ELIZABETH BENNET IS SHOCKED when, sixteen months after last seeing Mr Darcy in Lambton, she meets with him at a Festive Season house party at Blackthorn Manor. There with her sister Jane—now Mrs Ridley—she is further surprised to see romantic tensions flaring between her sister and her former beau, Mr Bingley, who has arrived with Mr Darcy.INTENT ON KEEPING Mr Bingley and Mrs Ridley from making a mistake, Darcy and Elizabeth are distracted from their own romantic inclinations—a welcome diversion as both are convinced that their love must be unrequited. Elizabeth believes that Darcy cannot accept being brother to Wickham, and Darcy is certain Elizabeth can never forgive him for failing to return Mr Bingley to her sister Jane or protect ladies, including Lydia Bennet, from Wickham. BUT EVERYTHING IS NOT as it seems. As the party approaches its end, will they learn the truth about what has really kept them apart or will they go their separate ways once again? less

I was certain that the ghost of her memory would haunt me at Bingley’s.FITZWILLIAM DARCY wished only to take his sister and hide away to Pemberley for the Christmas season. After Wickham dashed his chances with Elizabeth Bennet, a few weeks at his home hiding from disappointed hopes and nursing heartsore dreams was essential if he was to gain back his equilibrium. But a wintery blast of snow prevents his escape and a detour to his newly married friend’s home at Netherfield is forced upon him... moreI was certain that the ghost of her memory would haunt me at Bingley’s.FITZWILLIAM DARCY wished only to take his sister and hide away to Pemberley for the Christmas season. After Wickham dashed his chances with Elizabeth Bennet, a few weeks at his home hiding from disappointed hopes and nursing heartsore dreams was essential if he was to gain back his equilibrium. But a wintery blast of snow prevents his escape and a detour to his newly married friend’s home at Netherfield is forced upon him.My heart was still lodged unknowingly in Mr Darcy’s pocket where it leapt out of my chest the moment my eyes connected with his.AS THE SNOW LAZILY BUILDS DEEPER, Elizabeth Bennet vows to herself to find her happiness however she can, even if the hope of that happiness including Fitzwilliam Darcy could no longer be. When the object of her heart blows into Netherfield as if carried by the snow itself, she recognises her only hope for the gift she really desires this Christmas has arrived.My heart stilled. My soul surged.BUT THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE never did run smooth, and with a rival, an abundance of mistletoe, and the well-meaning help of some friends, will Darcy and Elizabeth be able to clear up the misgivings of their spotted history and find the gift of love this Christmastide? less