My share in the conversation...Darcy and Elizabeth: A Promise Kept

I read Darcy and Elizabeth: A Promise Kept in 2018 and loved every minute of it. Have you read it? If yes, what did you think about it? What other books by Brenda J. Webb have you read? This is the only one that I have read to date, but it will not be my last. Which one do you recommend that I read next? 

A Book Review, Darcy and Elizabeth: A Promise Kept by Brenda J. Webb

Darcy and Elizabeth: A Promise Kept is one of the best books I’ve read. It is an awesome story! It grabbed me and kept me turning the pages, eagerly wanting to know what would happen next. Brenda J. Webb is an excellent author and told a story that I will not forget.

Lady Markham, Millicent, is a young widow, whose husband died of influenza two years past. She has been a family friend of Darcy and Fitzwilliam since they were children. Darcy still held a place in Millicent’s heart, having been the object of her obsession since she was eight years old. (Millicent had been the object of Richard’s―oh, the complicated web you weave, Ms. Webb.)

The story opens at Hudson Hall, the estate of Lady Markham, with both Darcy and Richard in attendance. Darcy and Millicent (Lady Markham) have an agreement of sorts. They have talked of marriage. Although Millicent loves Darcy, she knows he does not love her, and the marriage would only be one of convenience. They decide to give it a year and see how things stand at the end of that year. Millicent is hoping that in that time, Darcy might come to love her, as she knows he is not formed for a marriage of convenience. That alone made me like her from the beginning.

The premise of the story is different in quite a few aspects from any I’ve read. Darcy and Bingley have not seen each other in five years, due to circumstances of the past. Yes, I’m leaving this a bit vague on purpose. At that time, Darcy had made a promise to Charles that should he ever need Darcy, all he had to do was ask. That time has now come, and the promise will be fulfilled. This promise involves more than either man could ever have realized at the time it was made. That is part of what makes it so delicious! Darcy takes on more than what was asked of him, but that is who he is. Oh. My. Goodness. I’m never “out of love” with Darcy, but I fell hard, all over again. You did him proud, Ms. Webb!   

During the last five years, Georgiana has married and lives in Ireland with her husband, Lord Charlton. Jane and Bingley live at Canfield Manor in Richmond. Lizzy is the governess for a little boy of 4, the son of the Count and Countess of Lynden. After the Countess gives birth to a little girl, she and the baby are banished by the Count to Scotland. Elizabeth goes with her mistress and cares for the Countess and her baby daughter, Emily. The situation changes rather unexpectedly, forcing Lizzy and Emily to move in with Jane and Charles at Canfield Manor. As Darcy keeps his promise to Bingley and becomes more entangled in his affairs, Darcy and Lizzy spend much time in each other’s company.  That is always a plus for me.

The pieces of this narrative fit together flawlessly, and the flow never falters. It is a lovely story that has both romance and angst. Nothing is over the top—no fillers to take up page time—just good writing and storytelling. Writing the review makes me ready to read the book again. That’s how much I loved it. Beautifully done, Brenda J. Webb.