Lady Harriette: Fitzwilliam's Heart and Soul

Pride and Prejudice Untold #3

by P.O. Dixon

Past is Prologue ... After his father threatened to cut him off financially for what the Earl of Matlock deemed his son's debauched, heedless way of life, Richard Fitzwilliam set his cap at young Lady Harriette Middleton. A second son whose habits of taste demanded he marry a woman of substantial means, Richard's sole intention was securing her dowry. Having entered her bedchamber under the cover of darkness, he set upon his course. He promised to court her, to win her heart, to marry her. Lady Harriette, the only daughter of one of the wealthiest peers in England, never accustomed herself to accept 'no' for an answer. Richard meant to change all that. She likened his declaration to win her heart as more of a challenge than a promise. By the end of their whirlwind courtship, it was unclear who was pursuing who. The Continuing Story Unfolds ... Colonel Fitzwilliam and Lady Harriette's hasty courtship and subsequent marriage notwithstanding, Richard finds himself deeply in love with his beautiful wife. However, having seduced his innocent young bride, a single question haunts him-does he truly deserve his happiness? Her husband's lack of fortune never concerned Lady Harriette- she loves him. Young, spirited, and beautiful, she has always enjoyed a charmed life. When Richard's past lands on their doorstep, suspicion soon rears its head, and Harriette's questions go unanswered. Seeking explanations on her own is her only recourse. But, does she uncover more than she bargained for?

Genres: Audiobook, Romance, Regency, Historical

340 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2013

About the author

P. O. Dixon has authored several Jane Austen "Pride and Prejudice" adaptations, all written with one overriding purpose in mind—falling in love with Darcy and Elizabeth. Sometimes provocative, but always entertaining, her stories have been read, commented on, and thoroughly enjoyed by thousands of readers worldwide.

Reviews

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting with the third book in any series is certainly a challenge. One feels rather late to the party when one has missed out on major events and character development in two previous novels, so why would I attempt it? Add to the fact that they were Pride and Prejudice “what if” stories changing the plot of Jane Austen’s classic tale, and the problems intensify. What could possibly tempt me to move beyond my prejudices and give, Lady Harriette: Fitzwilliam’s Heart and Soul, a chance? The plot appeared to be focused on the married life of Colonel Fitzwilliam and his new bride Lady Harriet Middleton. His cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy is married to Elizabeth Bennet already too? What? No courtship? Where was this going? I was intrigued.

The book’s description and first few chapters truly peaked my curiosity. Lady Harriette was a beautiful young heiress twelve years younger than her husband, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, the second son of an earl with no fortune. How had he snagged HER, and what did the families think of this misalliance? We learn that he was a rake with a long standing history of dalliance. I wondered if he had married for love or for money? The elephant in the room was how he will he ever keep his privileged and spoiled bride happy? Pressure mounts on Fitzwilliam after he discovers the ancestral property is near bankruptcy. Trying to keep this startling fact from his wife and family, while he and Darcy attempt to catch the thief, seemed wise, but later backfires. Even close friends Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, whose happy life at Pemberley appeared untouchable, are faced with a ghost from the past when a young woman working as a housemaid at the Fitzwilliam estate has a painful connection to both Darcy and Fitzwilliam. Why is she there? Blackmail, or the evil workings of a disgruntled relative? The possibilities for conflict were mounting with every chapter.

Only a creative and skilled writer could truly pull all of these conflicts and challenges together. Author P. O. Dixon, known for her Pride and Prejudice variations, succeeded triumphantly. I was amazed at how she began the story after the marriage of the Fitzwilliam’s and then proceeded to fill in the backstory quite seamlessly. Having not read the first two novels in the series I did not know if she was back peddling or showing off her storytelling skills. It mattered not. Either way it resulted in a page turning plot. There were times when I found myself at a loss when characters like Jane Bennet, elder sister of Elizabeth, where not married to whom Austen paired them off with, or other sisters like Lydia had died. For the benefit of readers who are not familiar with the new twists taken from Austen’s plot that had transpired in previous novels, an author’s forward or a character list in the back would have answered those nagging questions that left me hanging. The character development of Col. Fitzwilliam and Lady Harriette was quite absorbing. I was skeptical that she would truly change, or that he really loved her. I knew that I would like the Col. from the start, and did, but Lady Harriette was another matter. She was a spoiled, rich girl who I could not connect with and wondered why the Colonel loved her beyond her youth, beauty and money. You will have to read the novel to find out if they have their happy-ever-after.

I listened to an audio recording of Lady Harriette: Fitzwilliam’s Heart and Soul, read by Pearl Hewitt. The fast paced story lent itself to a theatrical reading enhanced by Hewitt’s characterizations. This is truly a romance novel with some steamy love scenes, so please take heed. You are forewarned and forearmed for a great read. I highly recommend it.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am such a Darcy and Elizabeth fanatic that I have to really push myself to read about the P&P side characters. So, these books tend to already start with a deficit. However, Colonel Fitzwilliam is also a fun character for JAFF authors to develop, as Austen does not write him to a great depth, even to the point of not giving him a first name. So, I find Colonel Fitzwilliam to be one of the more interesting side characters.

Lady Harriette and Colonel Fitzwilliam courted during the second book of the Untold series - What He Would Not Do, and married at the end of the story. The Colonel has left the army and become master of Beaconwood estate, which he received from his mother. Darcy is working with Fitzwilliam to clear up some issues with the tenants when they discover there is a reason the steward who had managed the estate left in such a hurry - he took all of the working cash from the estate along with him! This is one of the major issues addressed during the story.

As we often seen in JAFF tales, the fundamental problem occurring between the major characters is their inability to share negative information with their significant others. By trying to protect their loved ones, characters will withhold information and attempt to correct a problem before it becomes know to their spouse, etc. The person being denied information is fully aware a problem exists, but they are not given enough information to either control their worry or to do anything about an issue. Thus, we have them jumping to other conclusions, which are often worse than the actual issue. This seems to often be a male issue, as they attempt to protect their loved ones, but in some instances we do see females taking this type of action.

Fitzwilliam has a problem from the start as he has a father who believes him to still be a young rake getting into scrapes, and his father-in-law believes he does not deserve his daughter. So, finding a problem so early in his marriage with his estate leaves him panicked. But, this leaves his wife seeing potential problems in their relationship and she sets out to discover what he is up to. Both of them find themselves getting into some fairly difficult situations, but this eventually brings them closer and helps strengthen their marriage.

We see bits and pieces of problems with Darcy and Elizabeth due to his prior mistress becoming a resident of Derbyshire. Can Darcy convince Elizabeth this has been over for some time? Can Elizabeth recognize this was a life he lived prior to their coming to an understanding? There are other characters dealing with side issues; Lady Catherine, the Colonel's brother (the Viscount), etc.

I very much enjoyed this story and found it a great continuation of the Untold series.

[Erlynn (BooksHugBack) · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Lady Harriette: Fitzwilliam's Heart & Soul' is actually the third in a series by PO Dixon. The first two, 'To Have His Cake (and Eat it Too') and 'What He Would Not Do' were lovely. I was looking forward to this and was genuinely pleased.

While keeping the beloved Pride and Pride story in motion and being respectful of the Austen characters we adore, Dixon creates a continuing tale with romance and intrigue. It is the perfect escape to hide-out in for an afternoon. Now a trilogy, I do hope she continues a series. Although the ability to read this as a stand alone novel is there, I think the readers will appreciate it much more having read the first two, which were wonderful as well.

Fitzwilliam's wife Lady Harriette is strong willed, and while Fitzwilliam tries to protect his bride, family, and new estate he also tries to conceal information from Harriette causing her to act rash and foolishly. I enjoyed the "previous female" aspect of the story that arises once again. It haunts Elizabeth and Darcy and even has Harriette now questioning Fitzwilliam, propelling even more drama. I found it less romantic and angst driven then the previous two, but it was still good entertainment and I came to really enjoy Lady Harriette as a character. Lady Catherine lives up to her crazy self and mixes things up quite a bit, while Darcy and Elizabeth continue their struggles and misunderstandings.

With a good editor, there was a lack of distracting typos and errors and the reader is very thankful for this! Finally... I loved the cover.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive storyline and lots of twist

What a wonderful story to end this series with. This was such an emotional roller coaster with the drama. I enjoyed reading of another strong female who is just one of the guys. I loved how much Lady Harriette and Richard were as close as Darcy and Elizabeth. This foursome was unstoppable. Highly recommended to more mature audience.

[Terri Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final in a trio of books which are all fabulous. If you have read them do yourself a favour well worth it

[Rev'd.Rosemary Caruana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another successful year

Wonderful as ever. Bringing new light to much loved characters and justice to villians. Can't wait for next offering. Each book makes the day brighten

[Carol Perrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Harriette: Fitzwilliam's. Heart and Soul (Pride and Prejudice Untold)

This book was third in the series Pride and Prejudice Untold. Lady Harriette and Richard are in mother's childhood home, Beaconwood, given to the newlyweds. The house is in need of renovation due to the fact that no one has lived there for years. As Darcy was helping Richard go over the books, he discovered that the old steward had been robbing the estate. Richard puts an investigator on the search. He hasn't told Harriette, and Darcy hasn't told Elizabeth because if one know so will the other. One day while the Darcys were at Beaconwood, Lady Harriette is reviewing all the new kitchen maids, the third maid, Annabelle, gives her lady a shock: she looks like Elizabeth. Harriette doesn't say anything, because she thinks it is just a coincidence. Later when Annabelle delivers the women tea, Elizabeth losses her composure because she knows who she is. Elizabeth feels betrayed by Darcy, Richard, and Harriette because of the warning Lady Catherine gave her while they were in Kent. Harriette finally calms her down and brings the young woman back for a discussion. Meanwhile, in another part of the house, Darcy and Richard are coming inside and meet Annabelle delivering clean towels. All three are struck numb. Darcy goes off on Richard for hiring his old courtesan. Almost comes to a fight until Richard reminds Darcy that he does not hire the inside maids. While the women interview Annabelle, they ask do their husbands know that she's here. Well, yes, they just saw her delivering towels. The plot thickens. The wives go looking for their husbands, and the husbands go looking for their wives. Discussions are apparent. Elizabeth wants to go home to Pemberley. Darcy persuades her to wait until morning because it is too dark out for safe travel. Both men have some explaining to do. Richard hears about a lead on his thieving steward, so both couples head for London. The Darcys are at Darcy House, while the Fitzwilliams are at her parent's home. Richard sends Harriette to bed, so that he can sneak out to get his stolen money back. Meanwhile, Harriette cannot get to sleep without Richard. Looking for him throughout the house, the butler tells her he's gone out. She dresses like a young man and goes to Madame Adele’s establishment thinking that's where she'd find Richard. While walking, Harriette is sure her husband doesn't recognize her and when he makes treats what he's going to do, she runs. Suddenly a group of men attack Richard and when he calls the name, Harry, she realizes he's known all along that the young man was his wife. She rushes back to only be kidnapped herself. When Richard awakes, the rope around his hands are loose so he escapes and unites her ropes. Suddenly, they hear some one coming. Their captor is none other than the steward. While he is threatening Richard, Harriette knocks him out. Soon an accomplice arrives, and he is shot. Both men are tied up, and Richard and Harriette leave. The two thieves are in the goal. Circumstances arise that indicates a family member was attempting to see Richard fail at his endeavors to support his wife. Lady Catherine arrives at Matlock and when she cannot convince him that Harriette is sleeping with Darcy, she heads off to Beaconwood to confront Lady Harriette herself. Allowing Lady Catherine to believe that Darcy came to her room that night at Pemberley because she saw her give Fitzwilliam Darcy the letter, but didn't realize that Darcy gave it to Richard Fitzwilliam, and when Lady Catherine is confronted with this, she collapses on the floor. While she recovers at Beaconwood, Harriette has been at her side even though the old bat keeps calling for Elizabeth. When Darcy returns to Pemberley, he realizes just what he has as does Richard over at Beaconwood. Annabelle's baby boy looks just like the Richard's brother, Robert who has been killed in a carriage accident. Now, Harriette's parents are happy that she married Richard, for he is the future Earl. Good book.

[Ceri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows on from another two books by P O Dixon, the first in this series is 'To Have His Cake', which is a variation on Pride and Prejudice which follows an alternative route, and book two is 'What He Would Not Do' which is where Colonel Fitzwilliam begins his courtship of Lady Harriette, our title character here. While I think you'd get more from it if you've read the first two books, you wouldn't be lost if you started with this one, as the main plot points from the previous books concerning Lady H are repeated a few times.

Lady H has married beneath her; she is an heiress and has married a younger son with a much lower income. She isn't that bothered about it, but her husband is very aware of it, and worries that she will regret it. So when he has financial problems he tries to keep it a secret from her, which, considering Harriette's temperament is a bad course of action. A part of Darcy's past comes back to haunt him, and knowledge surrounding this is also kept from Harriette until she feels that she has no option but to find things out for herself.

I was not a fan of Lady H following the last book, but I much preferred her in this one. She is genuinely remorseful for how she's behaved in the past. Colonel Fitzwilliam I was more ambivalent about. He must surely know that the surest way to alienate his wife is to not respect her, and I found him a bit patronising to her on occasion. Also, he knows that his closest friend Darcy has found that it is less of a minefield to confess things in full to his wife, not sure why Fitzwilliam doesn't think to follow his example. Then Fitzwilliam worries about keeping his wife interested in him and proceeds to flirt with Lizzy's sister Jane. I think he's a tiresome husband. The only thing he really has in his favour is that he is very forgiving of Lady H's hoydenish behaviour.

This book is a bit of a lighthearted romp. I had to suspend my disbelief a few times at the things that happened, and the villain of the piece is almost like a pantomime baddie. There is one bit of the book where Lady H has gone out in disguise, which is both physically and socially dangerous and while on the one hand I don't buy that she could have got away with her disguise I am willing to swallow it because of the humour in the scene where F catches up with her, she thinks he hasn't recognised her and misinterprets his reactions and it's really funny. This is a fun read, and definitely worth reading if you've read the first two books, to see what happens next.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Lady Harriette. This Pride and Prejudice spin-off is the third in a series of books. The first two concentrating on Elizabeth and Darcy, while the third concentrates on Colonel Fitzwilliam and Lady Harriette.

Colonel Fitzwilliam is now married to Lady Harriette and is the master of a large estate. Being a landowner is not all that he expected. Not only is he worried about keeping his young, active bride happy, there is money missing from the estate accounts. He finds running an estate more work than he thought, but he is determined to show he is up for the job, which is proving a difficult task, considering his steward has run off with a large amount of the Colonel’s money!

Not wanting to burden Lady Harriette with his troubles, Colonel Fitzwilliam keeps them from her. That proves to be a bad idea since Lady Harriette decides to take matters into her own hands to find out what he is up to. Her actions are very humorous and land them both into trouble!

I really liked Lady Harriette! She is feisty, to the point, selfish...and she seems like the perfect match for Colonel Fitzwilliam in the same way Lizzy is the perfect match for Darcy. I liked how Elizabeth put it, about herself and the Colonel: “Keeping their haughty spouses rooted in common sensibilities was no small feat.”

And yes, Elizabeth and Darcy are in this book quite a bit. Darcy is helping Colonel Fitzwilliam with his estate, but everything is not smooth sailing for him when his past bad behavior comes back to haunt him.

Although Lady Harriette is the third in the series, I felt it could stand alone. Dixon spent some time retelling important events from the previous two stories so you should not be confused.

If you’re a fan of Colonel Fitzwilliam, I think you will like Dixon's new book, Lady Harriette!

**I received an e-copy of the book for my honest review.**

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series beginning with To Have His Cake and Eat It Too followed by What He Would Not Do. This could also be read as a stand alone story. Colonel Fitzwilliam is married to Lady Harriett, a woman more than 10 years his junior. Both Lady Catherine and her father are unhappy with this arrangement. There are problems along the way that cause misunderstandings between both the colonel and his wife as well as Darcy and Elizabeth, especially when someone from the past turns up and mistrust sets in. It was a fun read, but I felt it ended a little to abruptly and conveniently.

[Sheri L. Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Lady Harriette

Lady Harriette is clever, independent, loyal, smart, curious, and truly unique. Her adventures and interactions with others drive the plot. I read trilogy growing more and anticipatory over where the story will go next. I will admit that some of the characters events seemed randomly thrown into the mix, upon their appearance . Nevertheless the book was a Good read.

[billie young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat disappointed

I had such high hopes for this book. It just really seemed flat. What was worse, even the characters seemed uninterested in the story.