“About a month ago I received this letter, and about a fortnight ago I answered it; for I thought it
a case of some delicacy, and requiring early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases.”
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 13
Timing is Everything
The plot of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice hinges on timing: when characters meet, when characters travel, when characters read letters. What if one small change occurs in the timing of events early in the novel?
In A Case of Some Delicacy, Mr. Collins offers his olive branch to Mr. Bennet a month earlier. When the heir of Longbourn visits with the aim of marrying one of its daughters, he precedes Mr. Bingley’s coming into Hertfordshire. Mrs. Bennet is nothing but encouraging for a match between Jane and Mr. Collins. When rumors of an impending betrothal begin spreading at the Meryton Assembly, Elizabeth vows to save her dearest sister’s happiness from being sacrificed in marriage. But interfering in the fawning parson’s courtship is a full-time job.
She finds an unlikely accomplice in Mr Darcy, the taciturn man whose heroics on the cricket field have managed to turn Lydia Bennet’s infatuation away from redcoats. Upon overhearing a heated exchange between Elizabeth and Mr Bennet, Darcy is stunned not only by her devotion to her sister, but also by her defiant words to her father. An inexplicable desire to help Elizabeth draws Darcy into the match-breaking scheme, despite knowing that he should want nothing to do with a family like the Bennets.
As the new allies work together, their friendship deepens into mutual admiration. But they must navigate a complicated web of sisters, parents, friends, cousins, and aunts, some of whom may be attempting their own manipulations and romantic schemes. All of the Bennet sisters play roles in the altered events in Hertfordshire, some of them in surprising ways. Eavesdropping and jealousy abound, cricket balls go astray, and love blooms in spite of Mrs. Bennet’s misguided matchmaking.
A Case of Some Delicacy is a fun romp with the characters you already love, and a few new ones you’ll come to love.
“This is everything a P&P variation should be! This is simply a delightful, imaginative and brilliant book.”
~from Leslie’s review on Goodreads
Trailer for A Case of Some Delicacy:
Excerpts from ACoSD:
Chapter 1 Excerpt: Mr. Collins at the Meryton assembly at Austenesque Reviews
Chapter 3 Excerpt: Darcy eavesdrops on Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet at My Jane Austen Book Club
Chapter 4 Excerpt: Lydia during the cricket game at Longbourn at From Pemberley to Milton
Chapter 6 Excerpt: Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s second secret meeting at Quills & Quartos
Chapter 7 Excerpt: Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy call at Longbourn at Savvy Verse and Wit
ACoSD Goodies and extras:
More coming soon…
Timeline Interactive: Explore the crucial differences between the early plot of Pride and Prejudice and A Case of Some Delicacy.