After the debacle of the Netherfield Ball, opposition grows against the union between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Their indomitable spirit cannot be quenched, however, and every attempt to intimidate them only makes them more determined to attain their happiness.

As a surprise, Lady Catherine de Bourgh remains supportive, offering Elizabeth a home away from the intrigues near Meryton. Though reluctant to leave her family, Elizabeth goes to Kent, and there discovers much to admire in her hostess, and in Anne de Bourgh, Lady Catherine’s daughter.

But all is not well, for the continued hostility toward her from certain members of Mr. Darcy’s family grows apace, and intrigues threaten to break them apart. And the shadow of the rumors which drove her from her home continues to grow longer, its source a surprising and implacable enemy dedicated to the destruction of their happiness together.

Upstart Pretensions is a novella of approximately 40,000 words and is the third book in the No Cause to Repine tetralogy. Volumes 1 and 2, A Tacit Engagement and Scandalous Falsehoods tell the story of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet’s initial meeting and should be read first. The final book, Quitting the Sphere is scheduled to be released in January.