P&P What-Ifs #6 - A Council of Darcys
A Pride and Prejudice Retelling
I've been toying with the idea of a Pride & Prejudice retelling from inside Darcy’s mind. Think Inside Out, but instead of emotions, the main characters are different facets of his personality.
What if Pride & Prejudice was told from inside Mr. Darcy’s mind?
What if every decision he made was the result of a council of voices debating endlessly behind his calm exterior?
In this reimagining, Mr. Darcy’s mind is ruled by a council of his own personality facets: the dutiful Master of Pemberley, the protective Brother, the proud Grandson of an Earl, the practical Gentleman Farmer, the moral Christian, and the reflexive Scholar. Together, they guide his every move with logic, pride, and restraint.
All but one voice.
The Romantic, the part of him capable of passion, vulnerability, and love has been exiled from the council.
A Council of Darcys
The oak table in Darcy’s mind was polished and familiar, lit by the steady glow of a single lamp, its seven chairs arranged as they had been for years: one at the head, three to the right, three to the left. Six were occupied. The seventh, positioned to the right of the Master's chair, remained conspicuously empty, its green velvet cushion undisturbed, a constant reminder of who had been exiled.
At the head of the table, The Master straightened his perfectly tailored coat—a mixture of midnight blue and charcoal with subtle silver threading—and called the emergency session to order. His voice carried the weight of Pemberley itself.
“Gentlemen, we have failed.”
To his immediate left, The Brother leaned forward, his simple blue jacket wrinkled from a sleepless night. “Georgiana is safe. That is what matters most.”
“Safe, yes,” interjected The Earl's Grandson from the far right, his magenta silk waistcoat catching the light as he adjusted his immaculate cravat. “But at what cost to her reputation? To ours? The very fact that she entertained such a notion reflects poorly on our guardianship.” His voice carried the sharp consonants and imperious tone that would have made Lady Catherine proud.
The Gentleman Farmer, seated across from him in his comfortable brown working coat, dirt still visible beneath his fingernails, shook his head. “Reputation be damned. She could have been ruined entirely. Wickham—”
“Would never have gone through with it,” The Christian interrupted quietly, his black coat a stark contrast to the others' finery. “Not without substantial gain assured. He is calculating, not reckless. His sin is greed, not passion.”
The Scholar looked up from his contemplation, his grey professorial robes somehow making him appear both wise and weary. “Mrs. Younge was our error. I should have investigated her references more thoroughly. A woman of her... flexible morals should never have been entrusted with Georgiana's care.”
“We all agreed to the appointment,” The Master said heavily. “The fault lies with us all.”
The Brother clenched his fists. “I should have gone with her to Ramsgate. Should have insisted—”
“We had estate business,” The Gentleman Farmer cut him off. “The harvest could not wait. We made a practical decision.”
“The available information was woefully inadequate,” The Scholar muttered. “Had I known of Mrs. Younge's previous connection to Wickham—”
“How could we have known?” The Christian asked gently. “The woman concealed her past transgressions most skillfully. We trusted, perhaps too readily, but trust itself is no sin.”
The Gentleman Farmer leaned back in his chair. “What troubles me most is how easily Georgiana was deceived. She is not typically given to romantic fancies.”
“She is sixteen,” The Brother said simply. “And she has been sheltered from men like Wickham. We have protected her too well, perhaps.”
The Earl's Grandson sniffed disdainfully. “Protection is necessary given her fortune. Every fortune hunter in England would pursue her given the opportunity.”
“But this protection has left her vulnerable in other ways,” The Scholar observed. “She lacks the experience to recognize manipulation. Her education in such matters has been... lacking.”
The Master steepled his fingers. “Wickham knew exactly how to approach her. He understood her loneliness, her desire for affection.”
“Her need for a mother's guidance,” The Brother added quietly.
The room fell silent at this observation. The empty chair seemed to loom larger.
The Christian cleared his throat. “Perhaps it is time we considered... that Georgiana requires guidance we cannot provide.”
“What do you mean?” The Brother asked, though his tone suggested he already knew.
“She needs a woman's influence,” The Scholar said carefully. “Someone to guide her in society, to help her navigate the complexities of courtship and marriage when the time comes.”
The Earl's Grandson straightened. “Surely you do not suggest we marry for convenience? The Darcy name deserves better than a mercenary union.”
The Gentleman Farmer chuckled grimly. “And what have we been doing all these years? Refusing every introduction, dismissing every eligible lady? We have been anything but mercenary in our approach to marriage.”
“Because we...” The Master paused, his eyes flickering toward the empty chair. “Because we have been... incomplete in our considerations.”
The Earl’s Grandson followed his gaze. “We exiled him for good reason.”
“Did we?” The Brother asked, voice low. “Yes, he led us to write poetry and harbor a tendre for Georgiana’s governess in our youth, but we are not boys anymore.”
The Christian stated. “We nearly followed Wickham down the path of debauchery”.
“The Romantic made us vulnerable,” The Scholar snapped. “Emotional attachments blur judgment. Look what happened to Georgiana when she listened to her heart instead of her head.”
The Brother shook his head. “Georgiana's error was not in feeling, but in lacking the wisdom to discern true affection from manipulation. That is learned through experience and guidance—guidance we cannot provide.”
The Master stood slowly, his hands clasped behind his back. “Gentlemen, we must face an uncomfortable truth. Our current... arrangement... has served us well in managing Pemberley, in raising Georgiana to this point, in maintaining our family's standing. But it has left us ill-equipped for what comes next.”
“Georgiana will need to enter society properly,” The Brother said. “She will need a sister to guide her, to be her companion and protector.”
“And we,” The Scholar added reluctantly, “will need to learn how to... how to...” He gestured helplessly.
“How to court a woman properly,” The Gentleman Farmer finished bluntly. “How to recognize genuine affection, how to express our own feelings, how to be vulnerable without being weak.”
The Earl's Grandson looked appalled. “Surely you do not suggest we recall—”
“I suggest,” The Master interrupted firmly, “that we consider whether our current council is sufficient for the challenges ahead. Georgiana's near disaster has shown us our limitations. We cannot protect her from the world forever, and when she enters society, she will need advocates who understand all aspects of human nature—including those we have chosen to suppress.”
The empty chair seemed to shimmer in the lamplight, its green velvet cushion waiting.
The Christian spoke into the silence. “Perhaps it is time to consider forgiveness. Not just for Georgiana's sake, but for our own.”
The Brother looked around the table. “We would need to find the right woman. Someone worthy of our trust, someone who could guide Georgiana, someone who could...” He glanced at the empty chair. “Someone who could handle all of us.”
The Master nodded slowly. “Then we are agreed. It is time to actively seek a wife. Time to prepare ourselves for the complexities that courtship will require. Time to...” He paused, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. “Time to consider whether we have need to bring him back from exile.”
The council sat in contemplative silence, six men around a table built for seven, finally acknowledging that their carefully constructed system might not be sufficient for the path ahead.
This little prologue is more of a concept sketch than a full chapter, just something to test the waters. I'd love to hear what you think, so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
Oh I very much like this! What an interesting concept. Please expand it into a much bigger work!
Yes, I agree with Cheryl!!! Please expand it!!!!