Thank you Renee..I'm glad and excited i found this site and im sure ill find lot of interesting stories out here... I have read all of Jan's completed works and lost count of the number of times I've read 'The Journey' and 'An Arranged Marriage'...i cannot pick a favourite between the two ...
Jan, Sins of the Fathers is the only story of yours that i am reading as a WIP...the others were all completed and archived when i was first introduced to JA fanfic sometime last year... so i read them all in one go without having to experience such suspense week after week ...however your being such a regular poster does give a lot of comfort

As to your chapters being a bit too long, im afraid they might be a wee bit too short for my appetite..
Monday mornings wont be half as exciting when this story gets completed. Who knows? I might start pestering you for a new one as soon as this one is over i know there's a huge Jan H fanclub that will support me there.. Thanks again for being such a great author!

Chapter 15 is up, my dears. Mrs Darcy's still fanning... So tender, so revealing, so, so... amazing! Enjoy!

Sorry, forgot the link to Jan's pages. Still too overwhelmed, I guess.

Jan,
I am speechless. What a story Peter Darcy had. Even though some of us guessed about Peter being E's father, we could not have guessed all the details. GREAT writing. Thank you!!! Cindy

Ah...the kisses of Mr Darcy...these always leave my heart aflutter...Oh my salts, where are my salts!

Dear Jan,

I have no words. I knew, I just knew they're not siblings, but still my heart ached with all they went throug.
And this scene when she says they are not brother and sister and he says "I know" - ooooh. Swooning.

But as much as I would love to read repeatedly how they confess their real feelings, I'm very happy they both had a chance to talk to Father Darcy. They both, no all three of them, needed to hear it, to learn it, to understand it.

Excellent chapter, magnificent story.

Thank you,

Basia

HIp, hip, hooray!!

I hope Lizzy and her father can get to know one another for a little while. I can just imagine Lizzy smiling and smiling like a fool! LOL!!!

And by the way, would it be possible for them to get married in Ireland? Technically, her father is there.
Poor Darcy is ready to implode!

Jan, since chapter 14 everything is looking bright & sunny for me. I breath a sigh of relief & said finally. You are a very talented writer that even with nagging torture these two endured Mr. Darcy never lose hope and so did I,hahha. I love it when he said " I love you for so long..., oh my i was in tears so true. Excellent,spell-binding, compelling story Jan through and through. I am ecstatic for them they surely deserve the happiness now ,vindication for Mr. Darcy. Thank you so much Jan for sharing this story with us.
annj

Jan, a confession to make. I can’t go on like this… I need a Darcy right now or I shall perish!!!!

I think I shall perish

Jan

My heart is all aflutter for Darcy & Lizzy, but its broken for the loss of Peter & Elizabeth....this story is a jewel...thank you

Frances

Frances, I so agree with you! It seems intolerable that Peter's and Elizabeth's love and lives were interfered with not by fate or their own misunderstandings and mistakes, but by the hard malice of her brother, who would rather ruin her and Peter's lives at any cost because he could not sell her to that bald old pedophile, Sir Dudley. We don't even know if Sir D was rich. I dread finding out in a chapter or two, when D&E confront Linton together, what lies he told Elizabeth about why Peter had "abandoned" her.

My hatred for Linton eclipses my dislike of Lady Catherine, whose lies have been found out in time to be neutralized.

I find myself wondering at the shadowy knowledge Fitzwilliam, as an 8-year-old, must have had of these events that proved to be so important to him 20 years later. He knew the Darcys were suddenly forbidden to go to Bridesgate and didn't know why. Did George know why? Anne obviously did not know about the pregnancy and baby, but did she know the cause of Linton's animosity? In some families, such an unusual event as being banned from a nextdoor neighbor's house would have been discussed in front of the perceptive only child, Fitzwilliam; in others, not. I wonder if the conversation with Uncle Peter will revive any lost memories that Fitzwilliam may have of that time.

As I read this story, I tend to forget it is fiction and worry that the Darcys seem genetically disposed to die in their 40s, if you calculate the ages of George, Peter, Henry and their parents. I hope that Peter and Fitzwilliam will be spared that fate.

Jan, I swoon and dream about this story, while waiting for the next chapter!

Carol

Jan
I think I've switched between this site and DWG in commenting. Oophs
Any way I love this story. I was so afraid that Lizzy was going to end up sick and feverish and Father D would die before he related the tale to any one else (ie. Mr Darcy). Thus making everyone think Lizzy was hallucinating, and not believe her. Thank you for not going there. I don't think my heart would survive that.

Geri

This story is just amazing Jan!! It is my absolute all time favorite JAFF!! It has taken the place of even 'The Journey', my first, and favorite FF until mow.

I just can't get over the malice of Sir Linton. He's one of the worst villains of FF ever. What a terrible thing to have done, and I wonder if it's because of E.Willoghby's age that he could do this? After all, Peter was her husband, so I would think he had rights before that of Linton? I'm sure you'll tie up all the loose ends in time, but what a horrible thing to have done.

Also, Lady C had no scruples either in separating Darcy from Elizabeth by lying also. Such terrible people, but thank goodness Darcy never gave up, because if he had been resigned to believe Lady C's lies, their fates would have been different.

I just LOVED joyful Darcy. What a wonderful description of pure joy and happiness for E and D. I am guessing that E only needs her rightful father's blessing for the marriage, and I so hope he lives to see that day. He was so wronged and my heart just bleeds for him.

You’re right, Cindy, Father Darcy had quite a story. I worried about breaking the cardinal rule of writing by telling so much instead of showing, but I hoped the reader’s interest wouldn’t lag too much during the long recital.

I agree, Eli, nothing like Mr. Darcy’s kisses!

Basia, I’m glad you liked the not brother and sister bit. That’s the second scene I envisioned when dreaming up this story. The first was Elizabeth finding Father Darcy on her own.

Poor Darcy is ready to implode! How true, Annabella.

It’s about time for things to look bright and sunny, isn’t it Annj? This story has been dark way too long.

Mary, Mary, don’t perish! I understand your need for a Darcy, though! Good thing I married mine.

Frances, I share your torn feelings. I wish I could have made Elizabeth’s parents happy, too, but short of raising the dead, I couldn’t find a way.

Carol, I love your musings about what Linton could have told his sister and what might have gone on at Pemberley when Darcy was a child. And how perceptive of you to deduce the ages of the Darcy boys when they died. When I began writing, I made a timeline for myself of their births and deaths so I could keep up with everyone. I feel rather foolish having Elizabeth refer to Peter Darcy as the old priest, when he can’t be more than 42 or 43. From my perspective, that’s young, but I guess a 21-year-old might have a different opinion. I could never kill off our Darcy in any story I write. In my mind, he lives forever.

Geri, I’m glad to see your comments on this site. There’s not enough room on the DWG board to reply without bumping other stories off the main board. You came up with even more angst than I could write. Frankly, I became worn out with so much just like I imagine most readers did.

Jtorres, you continue to amaze me with your lovely comments. I agree that Sir Linton is one of the worst of villains. I certainly hope I never dream up a more horrible person. From what all my Regency sources told me, Linton had rights over his sister because she was underage when married. She was only 17 and would not have come into her majority until she was 21. At least, I hope that’s correct. If not, please pretend it is for this story. Of course, the fact that she turned up pregnant changed things, which will be revealed a bit further in the story.

I just loved all these comments. Thank you so much!

-Jan

Jan said, I wish I could have made Elizabeth’s parents happy, too, but short of raising the dead, I couldn’t find a way.

Jan, you made me think of Kipling's poem entitled "Jane's Marriage," in which she dies and goes to heaven, where she is attended by various literary giants who preceded her and is reunited with one of the lovers she created - I leave it to you to discover which one!

Carol

Oh, I read that poem! It was not Mr Darcy...

What a beautiful story! I read it all in one sitting. My heart kept jumping inside me - that was how sad I was for Darcy and Elizabeth. I am so looking forward to the update.

Jan, I must apologise for the delay in writing a review of the latest chapter (the blame lies with a pressing deadline). I did manage to read the chapter – nothing could stop me doing that! But I wanted to have a proper amount of time to tell you how much I enjoyed it.

I agree with Jtorres – The Journey has long been my favourite, but this has surpassed it. They both satisfy me utterly on a romantic level, but I think the storyline here is just even more inspired, not only the possible sibling relationship that provides the angst, but the whole back story and the thought and research that has gone into it. I think it is an exceptional piece of story telling (even though we don’t yet have the whole).

I have to admit that I am not expecting Peter to survive the night… I don’t know why. I just feel that he may not. I also feel for Mr Bennet in this: Lizzy grew up with a bond to him, and this must be breaking his heart too. Two fathers… both whose lives were affected by the actions of that evil Linton. Ugh.

Okay, onto the review itself. How delighted was I, Jan, that you reconciled them so early in the chapter! I had envisioned (because you do love to torture us, do you not?) that it might be near the end of the chapter that they eventually find each other, but what joy it was to suddenly look up with Elizabeth (because your writing is so ‘real’ I feel that I’m living this with her) and see Darcy there, motionless, with her hat in his hand. Talk about a goosebumps moment! And I loved this beautiful description as Elizabeth accepts the truth that she has learned:

QUOTE: The words swirled around me like snowflakes, but instead of feeling chilled, a delicious warmth flooded my heart.

As I have said before, I really admire your use of the first person voice. You have this incredible ability to write from one single POV, not only allowing us to perceive and see and feel and even misunderstand what Elizabeth does in her own eyes, but also that we the reader get to pick up on nuances that are given out by Darcy and others, so that although in essence it’s a single POV, your writing gives us other clues. It’s really a wonderful talent, and I am sure it’s what gives your stories that distinctive ‘Jan H’ style! (I know you don’t always write in the first person, but I particularly love it when you do!)

And oh my, Jan! That first kiss – that despite him not knowing how her feelings had changed towards him, he just could not stop himself from kissing her… that was wonderful, powerful writing. I would wish to quote the whole exchange to tell you what I loved about it, so just believe me that I loved it ALL. But this image you conjured was just perfect to display his emotions at that point:

QUOTE: He looked to the river on his right, at the trees on his left, at the ground below, and, finally, he looked into my eyes as though he could not believe the words I had spoken. He shook his head.

Okay, and how did I also love that mental image you gave us of them both stood outside the door waiting to be let in by the servant – not touching, side by side, and him saying how he could not go on without her, and her reply:

QUOTE: "I will not leave," I whispered just before the servant opened the door for us.

Swoon. That made my heart break for its loveliness of image and sentiment from them both. How I would love to see this chapter on film!

The suppressed joy of the evening was a delight to read after all they (and we the readers!) had been through – so thank you for the lightheartedness of that moment. You can feel the happiness welling up off the page.

Of course, all the snatched moments together were delightful, especially the kisses – you can’t beat a good snogging session, I say! ;) And how romantic was it that he kept following her to have one more kiss – again, a lovely mental image of their slow progress up the stairs… sigh.

Peter’s story was brilliantly told. You never for one moment lost my attention, I was just riveted, and I felt you broke it up enough so that we never lost the sense of where we were (in the cottage) and who was present – perfectly balanced and very credible.

What a tale, though. Poor Elizabeth Willoughby… what she must have felt and thought during her pregnancy. And the question remains… did she really die in childbirth, as has been said, or was foul play involved? Surely Linton is not that evil that he would have utilized the excuse he gave Peter all those months earlier to be ‘rid’ of her?

Ah, how wonderful a tale you have woven. Sorry for the waffling on, but I find the writing just so worthy of comment. My apologies again for being so late – the bonus for me is, the next chapter is due imminently! I promise to be a bit quicker next week.

Sandra :D

Ah, Carol, I never thought of Kipling's poem, but I can see it now.

Welcome Leia, it's always wonderful to have a new reader! Thank you for your comments.

And dear Sandra, your long, kind review just blows me away. I'm glad to see you remember Lizzy's other father, the one who raised her, for I have a soft spot for him, too. Thank you for all the details you mentioned. You are more than generous.

-Jan