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Not so Silent Service: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
In the P&P universe, servants were supposed to be silent and all but invisible as they cater to their masters' every whim. What if a few decided that timely intervention was necessary? How might the story change?
- GenresFan Fiction
147 pages, ebook
First published June 7, 2020
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 15, 2025
1-21-2021 - #20 - Mr. Timberley protects the servants
1-21-2021 - #19 - Mrs. Jenkinson has a plan
7-2-2020 - #18 - Henry Harris, valet, takes Bingley in hand
6-29-2020 - #17 - John Wickham and a ghostly visit
6-25-2020 - #16 - Mrs. Annesley: witch or miracle worker?
6-24-2020 - #15 - Susie Carter is a maid at the White Horse Inn
6-22-2020 - #14 - Mr. Moore is the gamekeeper at Rosings Park
6-21-2020 - #13 - Odile (aka Jenny Pepper) is an unhappy Abigail
6-21-2020 - #12 - Alice Hill to the rescue early in the Bennet marriage
6-19-2020 - #11 - Edith, a young maid at Pemberley, avoids Wickham
6-19-2020 - #10 - Henrietta, the cook at Hunsford parsonage, has had experience with men
6-18-2020 - #9 - Jeremiah "Soames" spruces up a Knight of the Realm
6-18-2020 - #8 - Mrs. Linton shares her life story with a young girl
6-17-2020 - #7 - The brothers, Tom and Hugh, who served the Bingley family
6-16-2020 - #6 - Benjamin "Biggs", the butler at Rosings Park
6-13-2020 - #5 - Mrs. Reynolds, as close as any mother
6-10-2020 - #4 - Ryan Matthews, valet to Mr. Darcy, has some advice to give.
6-10-2020 - #3 - Hannah White, of the Rose and Crown in Lambton, tells the story of her sister.
6-9-2020 - #2 -Paulette is hired to be a maid at Ramsgate during an interesting visit by a young girl from Derbyshire
_________________
You sometimes see a woman who would have made a Joan of Arc in another century and climate, threshing herself to pieces over all the mean worry of housekeeping. ~ Rudyard Kipling
Does the Kipling quote describe Longbourn’s housekeeper? In this very short story, it does.
After the birth of her second daughter, Mrs. Bennet suffered a severe case of post-partum depression which of course was not a diagnosis at the time. Fearing for his infant daughter, Mr. Bennet gave her into the care of the Hills at their cottage until his wife seemed somewhat recovered. Consequently, Elizabeth feels the closeness to Alice Hill that would otherwise belong to her birth mother.
Do servants really know the truth of those they serve?
This story is complete in one posting, but the author challenged other authors to tackle the same subject. More stories may be added.
This unpublished story is available here:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13608818/1/
1-21-2021 - #19 - Mrs. Jenkinson has a plan
7-2-2020 - #18 - Henry Harris, valet, takes Bingley in hand
6-29-2020 - #17 - John Wickham and a ghostly visit
6-25-2020 - #16 - Mrs. Annesley: witch or miracle worker?
6-24-2020 - #15 - Susie Carter is a maid at the White Horse Inn
6-22-2020 - #14 - Mr. Moore is the gamekeeper at Rosings Park
6-21-2020 - #13 - Odile (aka Jenny Pepper) is an unhappy Abigail
6-21-2020 - #12 - Alice Hill to the rescue early in the Bennet marriage
6-19-2020 - #11 - Edith, a young maid at Pemberley, avoids Wickham
6-19-2020 - #10 - Henrietta, the cook at Hunsford parsonage, has had experience with men
6-18-2020 - #9 - Jeremiah "Soames" spruces up a Knight of the Realm
6-18-2020 - #8 - Mrs. Linton shares her life story with a young girl
6-17-2020 - #7 - The brothers, Tom and Hugh, who served the Bingley family
6-16-2020 - #6 - Benjamin "Biggs", the butler at Rosings Park
6-13-2020 - #5 - Mrs. Reynolds, as close as any mother
6-10-2020 - #4 - Ryan Matthews, valet to Mr. Darcy, has some advice to give.
6-10-2020 - #3 - Hannah White, of the Rose and Crown in Lambton, tells the story of her sister.
6-9-2020 - #2 -Paulette is hired to be a maid at Ramsgate during an interesting visit by a young girl from Derbyshire
_________________
You sometimes see a woman who would have made a Joan of Arc in another century and climate, threshing herself to pieces over all the mean worry of housekeeping. ~ Rudyard Kipling
Does the Kipling quote describe Longbourn’s housekeeper? In this very short story, it does.
After the birth of her second daughter, Mrs. Bennet suffered a severe case of post-partum depression which of course was not a diagnosis at the time. Fearing for his infant daughter, Mr. Bennet gave her into the care of the Hills at their cottage until his wife seemed somewhat recovered. Consequently, Elizabeth feels the closeness to Alice Hill that would otherwise belong to her birth mother.
Do servants really know the truth of those they serve?
This story is complete in one posting, but the author challenged other authors to tackle the same subject. More stories may be added.
This unpublished story is available here:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13608818/1/
September 11, 2021
Just picked this up again, and I'm delighted to see the three one-shots I read a year-and-a-half ago have now grown to twenty-one one-shots. They're all extremely well-written short stories highlighting different servants in the Pride and Prejudice universe whose actions affect the characters we all know and either love or loathe.
Still a solid 5-star read.
***
At the point I read this, there are three one-shots, each with a separate tale showing how servants intervened either to change the Pride and Prejudice storyline or to facilitate the existing story.
First, Mrs. Hill, the Bennets' housekeeper, warns Elizabeth about Mr. Wickham's true character - and clues her in regarding Mr. Darcy's.
Next, a housemaid at Ramsgate becomes concerned about Miss Darcy and decides she must warn the young lady's brother.
In the third story, men whose loved ones were ruined by Mr. Wickham take things into their own hands.
I note that previous reviewers have mentioned only the first story. It appears leavesfallingup is posting additional chapters, each a separate one-shot story, based on suggestions she receives starring the servants rather than the usual P&P figures. I found each of the three I read to be credible and very well written. Great concept!
Still a solid 5-star read.
***
At the point I read this, there are three one-shots, each with a separate tale showing how servants intervened either to change the Pride and Prejudice storyline or to facilitate the existing story.
First, Mrs. Hill, the Bennets' housekeeper, warns Elizabeth about Mr. Wickham's true character - and clues her in regarding Mr. Darcy's.
Next, a housemaid at Ramsgate becomes concerned about Miss Darcy and decides she must warn the young lady's brother.
In the third story, men whose loved ones were ruined by Mr. Wickham take things into their own hands.
I note that previous reviewers have mentioned only the first story. It appears leavesfallingup is posting additional chapters, each a separate one-shot story, based on suggestions she receives starring the servants rather than the usual P&P figures. I found each of the three I read to be credible and very well written. Great concept!
June 8, 2020
This is a short but clever story centred on the timely intervention of dear Mrs Hill based on her and fellow servants’ acute observations of two very different but relevant men.
I particularly loved the snapshot and explanation of the fractured and uneasy relationship between Lizzy and her mother.
I particularly loved the snapshot and explanation of the fractured and uneasy relationship between Lizzy and her mother.
June 8, 2020
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13608818...
Clean, one-shot-short: sage advice from Mrs. Hill.
“Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.” –Robert A. Heinlein, Have Space Suit—Will Travel
We have read stories where Mrs. Bennet wanted to send the baby Elizabeth to the cottagers to be raised because she was not the expected boy and heir necessary to break the entail. In this story, the ‘postpartum condition’ with Mrs. Bennet was extended a bit further and we learned the true relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and the woman she called ‘My Alice.’ Oh, what a delightful bond between these two characters.
Mrs. Hill lived and worked within the society of the servant class and we saw just how powerful they could be. This was amazing and I loved that part of the story. The behind-the-scenes machinations of housekeepers, maids, footmen, valets, and other serving staff was very enlightening. No secret was beyond their grasp and they knew how to use the servant’s network to pass the word when it was necessary. Not that they gossiped… no, it was simply the passing of information.
The last few paragraphs served as an epilogue as we learned what happened later. What fun.
Clean, one-shot-short: sage advice from Mrs. Hill.
“Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.” –Robert A. Heinlein, Have Space Suit—Will Travel
We have read stories where Mrs. Bennet wanted to send the baby Elizabeth to the cottagers to be raised because she was not the expected boy and heir necessary to break the entail. In this story, the ‘postpartum condition’ with Mrs. Bennet was extended a bit further and we learned the true relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and the woman she called ‘My Alice.’ Oh, what a delightful bond between these two characters.
Mrs. Hill lived and worked within the society of the servant class and we saw just how powerful they could be. This was amazing and I loved that part of the story. The behind-the-scenes machinations of housekeepers, maids, footmen, valets, and other serving staff was very enlightening. No secret was beyond their grasp and they knew how to use the servant’s network to pass the word when it was necessary. Not that they gossiped… no, it was simply the passing of information.
The last few paragraphs served as an epilogue as we learned what happened later. What fun.
June 8, 2020
This is an online 1 pager that is brilliant. Set a few days before the Netherfield Ball Mrs. Hill intercedes with Lizzy to have a come to Jesus meeting about Darcy vs. Wickham. We see the secret behind the scenes plotting of the service workers.
Wonderful
Wonderful
September 10, 2021
Excellent premise.
Why does Mrs. Bennet throw Lizzy toward bad men? What is the opposite of love? Hate…or indifference? Who better to know a man than “invisible ” servants?
An excellent very short story.
Why does Mrs. Bennet throw Lizzy toward bad men? What is the opposite of love? Hate…or indifference? Who better to know a man than “invisible ” servants?
An excellent very short story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2020
What a lovely one-shot about Mrs. Hill and the servant class.
Truly enjoyed this. Definitely recommend this to other Austen lovers.
Other reviews do a great job of summarizing it.
Truly enjoyed this. Definitely recommend this to other Austen lovers.
Other reviews do a great job of summarizing it.
September 16, 2021
I usually don't read short stories or novellas, but I saw a review of this and was intrigued. Twenty-one short stories that can be read in less than 15 minutes each - I enjoyed each one.
dnf
November 3, 2021I gave up on these short stories after the the first story, when Elizabeth was near perfect (which she is far from) and Mary married Collins.
October 19, 2023
I enjoyed all of these and I don’t usually like short stories.
April 27, 2022
I simply cannot imagine servants being so forward, even the senior ones.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews