“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single gentleman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”
AS ONE OF the first women gentlemen in England, Darcy has always played by the rules. If anyone examined her life, they would find no fault. She attended the best schools, assumed responsibility for her late father’s estate, Pemberley, and tried her best to care for her younger sister Georgiana. Darcy has spent twenty-five years conducting herself with honor, doing her duty to her family, and never letting her passions run away with her.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet has always been a wild creature. The second of five daughters, with a poor father and a hysterical mother, she has made her way in the world by bending every rule and laughing in the face of anyone brave enough to challenge her. Lizzy’s father is indifferent about her future and spends his time reading books and wasting away in his library. Her mother wants her to marry rich. But Lizzy? She just wants to be free.
Seeking refuge from the weight of responsibility at Pemberley, Darcy decides to visit her friend Charles Bingley in the country. Darcy finds herself unexpectedly captivated by the witty and unconventional Elizabeth Bennet. Their connection defies every expectation, threatening to shatter the fragile peace Darcy has so carefully cultivated. Darcy has always been so certain about what she wanted: to uphold her father’s legacy and build a better future for her sister. But Darcy’s perfectly constructed life begins to crumble when the spirited Lizzy starts to challenge her, defying every convention and igniting a forbidden desire. Can Darcy risk everything for a love that could ruin all that she and her father worked so hard to build?
Praise for When Darcy Met Lizzy
“This riveting, beautiful, and very sexy novel does more than just offer a new spin on an old story--it also extends Austen's arguments about social class and gender in intersectional and deeply important ways. Downing's electric prose and complex character design brings readers deeper into the minds of both Darcy and Elizabeth, where new layers of passion, longing, and self-discovery await.“
Alyse Knorr, Lammy-Award nominated author of Ardor