For the Love of a Bennet

Elizabeth Ann West

One sister invited ruin; the other brought the rescue.

Elizabeth Bennet swore she would never dance with Mr. Darcy again. Brighton had other plans.

She had a simple itinerary for the summer: Keep Lydia away from Wickham. Keep her head down. Survive the scandal-ridden coast. Falling in love with the enemy was definitely not on the list. But fate has a cruel sense of humor.

Fitzwilliam Darcy wasn’t supposed to be there. He was supposed to be nursing his wounded pride in London. Instead, he’s in Brighton, uncovering a rot that festers at the heart of the militia–bad ledgers, missing supplies, and men who would kill to keep their secrets.

Every time Elizabeth turns around, Darcy is there. Shielding her. Challenging her. Proving her wrong. She came to Brighton to save her sister, but she didn’t expect to be saved by the man she rejected.

Together, Our Dear Couple must navigate a seaside scandal and find that their love is the only true salvation.

For the Love of a Bennet is a Pride and Prejudice variation.

Book Information

Author: Elizabeth Ann West

Available on: February 19th, 2026

Imprint: Lovelace Lit

Word Count: 54k

Genres: Historical Romance, Jane Austen Fan Fiction

Formats Available: Ebook

ISBNs: 9781966024248

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Chapters from For the Love of a Bennet...

For the Love of a Bennet – Prologue

From Volume II, Chapter XVIII of Pride and Prejudice “Already arisen. ” repeated Mr.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 1

Elizabeth Bennet walked out of her father’s study in a daze of anger. Her thoughts became too jumbled as she heard piano music practiced from the parlor and the high-pitched...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 2

A small family of two bachelors, a young lady, and her companion reunited at the Darcy townhouse in Grosvenor Square, London. The tall, Ionic doorcase at No.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 3

Elizabeth Bennet paused in the last of her packing, stuck on selecting between the two gowns laid upon her bed. One, a fresh lavender with hints of gray, would be...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 4

Below the stairs, Longbourn proved quite busy as not only had the Forsters and Philips arrived but so had a few officers from the regiment. To Elizabeth’s dismay as she...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 5

Arriving in Brighton courtesy of the speed and comfort of his family’s money, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam steeled himself for a distinct diminishment in his lifestyle. Colonel Farrington had long been...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 6

After three days at the glacial pace of ten miles per day, Lydia’s patience had long worn out, and Elizabeth’s was becoming very thin. Lydia behaved particularly sour because the...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 7

Georgiana Darcy wore a new gown trimmed with pearls and a dark teal ribbon, to set off the sea-foam green skirt for her first unofficial dinner in London. Not two...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 8

Elizabeth Bennet cringed at the musty, humid smell filling the air. The regiment had camped down the previous evening in a swampy place the soldiers called Muddleswood.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 9

The journey to Brighton might have put Elizabeth Bennet off travel altogether if she had never ventured beyond Longbourn before. The pace had been slow, Lydia had been especially irksome,...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 10

“Fitzwilliam, why are we not driving by the sea. ” Georgiana asked, impertinently as their carriage took a wide circle drive and stopped in front of a grotesquely large house...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 11

Nightfall brought new expectations. Well-rested and attired, Elizabeth and Lydia joined Colonel and Mrs. Forster

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 12

Lieutenant Denny led Elizabeth near enough to Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam to attract the man’s notice. Sensing someone behind him, Richard turned around.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 13

Mr. Darcy grew more irritated with his cousin as he sidestepped multiple soldiers and many silly young ladies blocking his path to the front of the assembly rooms.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 14

When Mr. Darcy arrived at Marlborough House in the early hours of the morning, he entered the large, empty house as a man bursting with emotion.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 15

“Lydia, it is too late to remain in bed. You must get up,” Elizabeth urged her sister out of her sleepy ways.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 16

The Old Steine Gardens lay only two blocks from the town home where Lizzy remained a guest of the Forsters. A carriage ride would take longer than the short ramble...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 17

With nothing in his possession but bad news, and worse news after that, Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived late for dinner at Marlborough House with the Darcys. He was not late by...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 18

The officers of the militia quickly acclimated to the accustomed schedule of entertainments in Brighton. The letters of the Lennox sisters had perhaps simplified matters, as the truth was there...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 19

“Darcy, that creature is divine and I shall heartily agree to host your ball,” Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert shared her opinion freely in the newly spruced-up drawing-room of Marlborough House.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 20

Nearly a month after Lydia’s invitation to Brighton, Jane Bennet received two letters from her sister, Elizabeth. Unfortunately, in the same post, the other Bennet sisters in residence at Longbourn,...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 21

The second week in Brighton taxed every last ounce of energy Elizabeth Bennet possessed. The social demands of card-playing, dinners, and dancing twice a week in the assembly rooms were...

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 22

Mr. Darcy’s heart felt utterly broken as he walked back to Marlborough House in the pouring rain.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 23

To Elizabeth’s dismay, Mr. Darcy did not call on her, but she could not blame him.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 24

By the time they arrived back at the Forster town home, Lydia hurried upstairs, to visit with Mrs. Forster, and restore her appearance.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 25

“Lizzy, Lizzy. ” Lydia said as she tried to jostle her older sister awake.

For the Love of a Bennet – Chapter 26

The trip to Brighton in support of her sister taught Elizabeth Bennet many realities of military life she had never considered. First, all matters were to be handled efficiently and...

For the Love of a Bennet – Epilogue

A caravan of carriages rolled into the drive of Longbourn in the last week of June 1812. Kitty Bennet had been the first to raise the alarm of the unexpected visitors,...