Fandom: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Pairing: Gen
Length: 3000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Derbyshire Writers' GuildWhy this must be read:This short story details the regrets of a certain Lady Mendelson regarding her choices and attitudes when she was younger. While Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet (or Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, depending on one's interpretation of the tale) are only peripheral characters in this story, their influence pervades it. Indeed, they are central to the character growth of Lady Mendelson. Although this story is bittersweet, it holds out the hope of a happy ending. Also, you may or may not be surprised to discover the original identity of Lady Mendelson.
I enjoyed this story for its original twist on the fate of a certain canon character. Some Austen sequels and rewrites tell essentially the same story, just in different ways. This tells a unique story that I have not seen before in Austen fic.
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( Excerpt )The Lesson of a Lifetime