Alix James

Disappointed hopes and the kindness of a stranger. Elizabeth Bennet is as content as a girl with a wounded heart can be. Mr. Bingley has returned to Jane with promising attentions, and all is well... except that no one knows what has become of Mr. Darcy. Shadowed by regrets of the past, Elizabeth means only to enjoy her tour of the Peaks with her aunt and uncle, declining a chance to view Pemberley. The party takes rooms at an inn, and Elizabeth discovers a very lonely gentleman has taken the room next to hers. Fitzwilliam Darcy has lost nearly all the people dearest to him. Too late to save some, and too humbled to reach out to others, he does the only thing he can think of. He leaves all his memories behind for a time, uncertain if or when he will ever return. On his way to Scotland, he stops in an unfamiliar town for the night, and finds a friend in the faceless voice next door. If only their paths would cross in the daylight, so he could learn who she is! As the nights pass, and casual exchanges become deep confidences, Darcy and Elizabeth each find their hearts aching for the one they lost. Elizabeth wishes with all her heart that she could see Mr. Darcy one more time, to let him know how her feelings have changed. The least she can do is advise this stranger in the next room not to give up hope on the woman he loves. When Darcy at last decides to seek Elizabeth Bennet and ask one more time for her hand, will he accidentally be riding away from her, instead? Find out in this delicious, gently paced story of mistakes and redemption. When The Sun Sleeps is a sweet Regency Novella of approximately 20,000 words.