Yes! The drought has ended. I swear I was getting Darcy withdrawl. Thanks for the lovely chapter. It gave me a much need break from studying and it really filled in some holes from previous chapters and still left me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Feel free to update again and make my day.

I'm thinking that this will be one of my favorite chapters!

"I could not bear to lose you, Elizabeth," he whispered suddenly, unexpectedly, and turned his face against her palm to kiss the tip of her fingers.
"Nor I you." ...

Before she knew how it came about, she was in his arms, tears falling freely onto the crisp whiteness of his cravat. His hand had come up to rest at the back of her head, the gentle hold turning into a fiercely protective clasp as he drew a ragged breath.
"Never!" he whispered against her hair, and then again, "Never".

Very well worded. Thank you for this chapter.

Chapter 27 is up, my dears. Enjoy!

Sigh...so romantic, the library scene! and good old Jane! :)

How ironic that the Earl feels D & E cannot have a true communion of spirits because of themselves and they seem to feel that they are destined to have one. Very lovely reunion! That was nice of Jane to allow her sister the comfort she needed.

Dear All,
Many thanks for your kind words and many thanks to the lovely Renee for hosting my story on her site.

I’ve been away from home for a while, and without a working PC for the last 4 weeks (aaaargh!!!) but hopefully that’s a thing of the past. I still haven’t got broadband installed – would you believe it, in this day and age? – but I’m hoping to join the present century before too long.

Once again, many thanks for your appreciation and encouragement, you are very, very kind!

All the best,

Joana

That was lovely! Now let's get them married before any more of Darcy's relatives make an appearance.

Hi,

Have been enjoying the story so far.

Any chance of posting the rest of the story soon? I've been reading other P/P fanfic, and it's hard to keep it straight in my mind. Just can't always remember which plot twist belongs with which story. Or maybe let us know how many chapters there will be. Then I can postpone reading it till the whole thing is posted. That way I can better appreciate the story as a complete work.

Thanks,

Anna

Dear Anna

Thank you for your message and for your interest in my story. There will be 33 chapters and a short epilogue. Hope this helps.

Regards,

Joana

My dears, I promise I'll post the next chapter tomorrow!

This is truly a lovely story.

I started it quite a while ago and just now caught up with it.

I couldn't stop reading.

I am delighted to know that there will be more!

Thank you for a great story.

Here you go, ladies and gents, chapter 28 is up. Enjoy!

Sweet! Darcy is such a gem now

I loved all their attempts at apologies. L & D are just so cute when they try to take all the blame on themselves. Thank you for the very sweet chapter!

Chapter 29 is up, my dears. Enjoy!

No, it is not...

Great chapter! And very clever of Elizabeth to follow Jane with her good news.
But Mrs. Jennings & Mrs. Bennet are just too much for one household! poor Charles & Jane!

That was a lovely evening :) now i look forward to a wedding!

Chapter 30 is up, my dears. Enjoy!

Poor Lizzy! What embarrassment she has to suffer under her tactless relations. At least she has a sensible and protective sister, love her talk with Darcy

Thank you for another wonderful chapter! It is nice to see that Mr. Darcy and Jane are becoming closer, but Mr. Collins, Mrs. Jennings AND Mrs. Bennet? Only love would make that society barely tolerable.

Chapter 31 is up, my dears. Enjoy!

I love it when Darcy is protective of ELizabeth. I loved his speech to Mr. Collins.

That was a good reprimand from Darcy! Indeed, it is a shame that Mary has to suffer such a fool for husband.

Another fabulous chapter. I really empathize with Mary - you've portrayed her nobility, her true goodness, very well, especially as Mr. C. becomes more and more grotesque. Thank you!! I can't wait for more...

Best,
Rachel

Thank you all for your kind words, and for your support and encouragement.

All the best,

Joana

Is chapter 31 the end? Surely it can't be. I love the story but I want to know how it ends.

No, don't worry Brenda, I'll post the next asap.

Chapter 32 is up, my dears. Enjoy!

I am so glad that the Gardners understand that Darcy's actions have all been motivated by love and respect for Elizabeth. This was a very sweet chapter. It was good to get Lady C's business finished so we can get on with the happiness.

I hope meeting and receiving the blessings of Lizzy's aunt and uncle will be the last hurdle for Darcy! The poor man has suffered enough ;)

I've really enjoyed reading this story, I love AUs of P&P. Thanks for writing!

Chapter 33 and the epilogue have just been posted, my dears. Enjoy and don't forget to leave Joana a message! Thanks.

Your epilogue is so beautifully written, Joana. Thanks for such a wonderful story and I hope you will grace us with another story soon :)

What a heart-warming ending to a most romantic story!! Thank you so much for sharing with us and I hope you'll be posting a new story soon!!

Just lovely! Well done!!!

What a lovely story! Thanks so much for posting it.

Joana, that story was so wonderful but the last line was the most beautiful of all. Thank you for allowing us to read your charming story!

An engaging and wonderful story. Thank you so much for sharing it!

Congratulations Joanna. It was a very enjoyable story.

Really wonderful story, thanks for completing it and so beautifully!

Hey there,

Thanks for the story, you did so well writing it! I'm sad to see it go. :(

nfm

Dear All,

Thank you VERY MUCH for all your lovely messages, and for your support!

And MANY THANKS to Renee for having my story in Mrs Darcy's library, as well as for all her help with formatting and with everything else.

It was a great joy to be here!

All the best,

Joana

And MANY THANKS to Renee for having my story in Mrs Darcy's library

Any time, dear Joana! And again thank you for gracing your beautiful story with us.

What a beautiful ending! Thank you so much for a complex and fulfilling story. I enjoyed it all.

I avoid WIP stories like the plague being far too impatient to endure a wait for an upcoming chapter PLUS I can't remember details from one chapter to the next if there is a delay in between.

Sooooo - I waited and watched this story being posted, but didn't indulge (well, maybe I peeked a bit) until it was entirely posted. Now I have just finished it and can only say that it was well worth the wait.

Clever is certainly a word that comes to mind - the intermingling with characters from S&S was very fun (loved the image of Darcy and Brandon swapping stories over a brandy

Joanna's characters were true to Jane Austen's versions and the story was a nice mix of drama, romance, humor and some adventure.

Thanks for your efforts, Joanna and to Renee for making it possible for all the stories to be shared with all of us.

One final note - with all the economic turmoil in the world these days, the fan fiction stories are a wonderful escape!

Such a lovely, lovely story. I've been reading it over the holiday break--it's been just the thing I needed amidst the chaos and noise, an oasis of sweetness and setting to right. The story does begin with considerable angst, of course, as Darcy is so steady to his purpose of avoiding his feelings for Elizabeth. But that makes it all the sweeter when they come together. Joana, you have used and rearranged the words of JA with exquisite taste and judgment to create your re-telling. Many thanks for hours of delight.

this was indeed lovely. I'll hvae to admit skimming some, as it was rather long and I need my sleep, but your descriptions of all the bennets and dashwoods and darcys were quite fascinating, and it was good to see both Lydia and Wickham doing some sort of good for once ;-) and I very much like the redemption of kitty.
do keep writing.
rhie

that was a beautiful story i almost cried reading it thank you

This is such a cute story. I admit, it doesn't have the spice which makes P&P so endearing, all the Darcy and Elizabeth bantering and misunderstandings.=D But its a fantastic what-if version. I like the fact Elizabeth runs the estate, but certainly, it is humiliating to discover Darcy's "pity".
I thought she would've slappe him for sure lol! I always thought mary and Mr Collins would make a good match lol, but he way too pompous and certainly eyed the prettiest girls before finding that his suite to the good looking girls may be harder than he thought.

I wonder if there are any stories in which Elizabeth is independant of through her own will, and intelligence/courage. That would make Darcy regret her even more, I'm sure ELizabeth would have survived very well, despite those awful times for women, if Darcy never came into her life. The question is how?

Anyway thanks for the good read.=D