In the Pride and Prejudice Variations series, Abigail Reynolds explores the roads not taken in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, imagining lively plot twists and ecstatically happy endings. Here the story picks up from a pivotal point in Pride and Prejudice - Mr. Darcy's infamously botched proposal of marriage. What if, instead of disappearing from her life after Elizabeth Bennet refuses his awkward marriage proposal, Mr. Darcy took the initiative and tried to change her mind? In Conquering Mr. Darcy, Darcy follows Elizabeth back to her home in Hertfordshire and sets about making himself so irresistible her impulses win out over her sense of propriety until, madly in love and mutually on fire, their passion anticipates their wedding.