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FREE LADIES OF LONGBOURN PDF Rebecca Ann Collins | 320 pages | 12 Feb 2009 | Sourcebooks, Inc | 9781402212192 | English | Naperville, United States The Ladies of Longbourn (Rebecca Ann Collins) » p.1 » Global Archive Voiced Books Online Free The ladies of longbourn, p. The Ladies of Longbourn, page 1. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced Ladies of Longbourn any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Reprinted in and England— Social life and customs—19th century—Fiction. Domestic fiction. Ladies of Longbourn, Jane, Pride and prejudice. In such a period during which England has undergone a dynamic transformation in industrial, political, and social terms, it would have been incredible that these men and women would have Ladies of Longbourn like petrified statues, Ladies of Longbourn by the turbulence that swirled around them. That would be unrealistic and unfair to the intelligent and compassionate characters that Jane Austen created and certainly not believable of the men and women devised by Ladies of Longbourn Collins. In The Ladies of Longbourn, the myth of the conventional Victorian marriage is explored, revealing that women, however well brought up, were not Ladies of Longbourn from making serious errors of judgment that jeopardized their chances of happiness. That women must and did always accept a bland, passive role in return for material security is neither acceptable nor true. How young Anne-Marie Bingley confronts and overcomes the trauma of such a situation, and its effect upon her family and friends, is seen against the background of a society where the pressures are increasing upon individuals and their families. It is a difficult and complex period, when old standards are being questioned and individual integrity is tested. It is, nevertheless, an era when certain basic values of decency and decorum may yet be applied to the conduct of men and women, whose worth may not be judged by wealth or beauty alone. Jane Austen may not have been altogether comfortable in the world that was mid-Victorian England, but her characters would have had the stamina and wit to deal with its challenges. Ms Collins certainly believes this to be true and, while the original Austen characters provide the framework of accepted values in this story, those of the next generation such as Jonathan Bingley and his daughter Anne-Marie make their own choices and must live with them. The importance that Jane Austen placed upon personal responsibility is endorsed and reflected throughout as the characters are observed with both humor and affection. Many of these characters will be familiar to readers of the earlier Pemberley novels, but inevitably, there are new faces and names. Afterwards, she rose and went to find Mr Bingley and tell him that John Bradshaw, the husband of their granddaughter Anne-Marie, was dead of a sudden seizure, the result of a completely unforeseen heart condition, which had caused him to collapse unconscious in the vestry after Evensong on Sunday. Mr Bingley, when he had recovered from the shock, had ordered that the carriage be brought round immediately and they had set off for Pemberley Ladies of Longbourn take the news to Darcy and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was at the entrance to greet her sister as she alighted. Now, there was need only to speak of the terrible sadness of it all. Mr Bradshaw was still a young man, being not yet thirty, and though not a particularly inspiring preacher, he got on well enough with everyone, and of Ladies of Longbourn, here was Anne-Marie, married no more than fifteen months, a young widow. Then, there was the need to prepare for the funeral. Mr Darcy had said his manager would attend to all the arrangements and they could travel down together. Jane was particularly happy about that. She liked having Lizzie beside her on these difficult occasions. The letter had said the funeral would be at the parish church in Harwood Park; both the Bingleys and Darcys had houses in town, and preparations were soon in train Ladies of Longbourn leave for London on the morrow. We were such a merry party, too, were we not, Darcy? At Harwood Park, where, in a small churchyard amidst many old graves, an assorted collection of relatives, acquaintances, Ladies of Longbourn parishioners had gathered to bid farewell to the Reverend John Bradshaw, many could only sigh and wonder at the suddenness of his death. Jane still seemed stunned by it all. Her granddaughter Anne-Marie, veiled and clothed in deepest mourning, her small, pale face moist with tears, clung to her grandmother, accepting her comforting Ladies of Longbourn even though Jane had no words of consolation for her. Afterwards, there had been a very simple gathering at Harwood House, where Mr and Mrs Harwood mingled with the mourners, but Anne-Marie retired upstairs until it was time to leave. Then she said her farewells and kissed, embraced, and thanked them all before leaving with her Ladies of Longbourn, his wife, and their family in a closed Ladies of Longbourn, bound for Netherfield Park in Hertfordshire, some twenty-five miles away. When the ladies withdrew after dinner, Ladies of Longbourn, who had remained silent for most of the meal, approached her sister. Jane, however, was not amused. She is still young, not yet twenty-three, still very beautiful, and well provided for by her father. No doubt she will inherit something from her husband as well. With no young children, she will have very little to trouble her, and when she has recovered from this terrible shock, I am quite certain she will not remain a widow for very long. Anne-Marie will be very cross with you. I mean only to reassure you, dear Ladies of Longbourn, that life has certainly not ended for young Anne-Marie. I am confident there will be a better future for her. When they came to visit after their wedding last year, he had nothing at all to say unless it was about church reform. Poor Ladies of Longbourn did all the talking. Mr Bradshaw insisted on walking miles to visit all the village churches in the district and wanted to attend everything from matins to Evensong, and he would drag poor Anne-Marie along, even Ladies of Longbourn you could see she was longing to stay and chat with the rest of us. He was at Pemberley at the time, and I remember his astonishment as Mr Bradshaw got up from the table after breakfast and hurried poor Annie, as he used to call her, off to church. She went quite cheerfully, I will admit, but Fitzwilliam was amazed and said as much. Church reform is his pet topic; I have heard him speak of little else. She is so full of vitality and energy, feels everything so deeply, while he…I cannot honestly Ladies of Longbourn I could pick a single subject upon which I have heard him Ladies of Longbourn with anything approaching passion. It was a subject he addressed at length and with some conviction, but in such measured tones that Ladies of Longbourn was difficult to listen to him for more than a few minutes, which, if he meant to enthuse us, must surely have defeated his purpose altogether. Neither Lizzie nor I could ever get much more than exhortations to virtuous living from the man. I am in no doubt at all of his worthy intentions, but for a young man—he was not yet thirty—he was an amazingly dull fellow. Was she deceived, do you think? No indeed, Anne-Marie is an intelligent young woman. She Ladies of Longbourn have been mistaken when she decided that Mr Bradshaw was the right man for her, but I would no t accept that she was deceived by him. Bradshaw seemed incapable of deception. He was honest— transparently so—and dull; he had few remarkable qualities, but honesty was, I am sure, one of them. It had been only a year or two ago that Darcy had, in conversation with his wife, expressed the hope that Anne-Marie would widen her horizons beyond her nursing career, hoping her friendship with Anna Faulkner would engage her mind and encourage an appreciation of the arts. Darcy found it hard to answer her. I cannot believe she was unhappy. Recalling her own determination that she would rather remain unwed than marry without an assurance of deep and sincere affection, Elizabeth could only express the hope that Anne-Marie would find that life had more to offer her in the future. Other author's books: Woman of Influence Pemberley Chronicles. The Ladies of Longbourn by Rebecca Ann Collins Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. The bestselling Pemberley Chronicles series continues the saga of the Darcys and Bingleys from Jane Austen's Pride and Ladies of Longbourn and introduces imaginative new characters. Her father now owns Longbourn, the Bennet's estate in Hertfordshire.