Why would a gentleman ask a lady to conceal their betrothal?

Jane Austen writes of secret engagements in more than one of her novels, and in The Secret Betrothal, author Jan Hahn explores the question of what would happen if Austen’s most famous heroine from Pride and Prejudice reluctantly agrees to accept such a proposal.

When Fitzwilliam Darcy learns that Elizabeth has committed herself to such an arrangement, his hopes of winning her hand are shattered. As circumstances continue to bring the two together—from Hertfordshire to Rosings Park to the seaside town of Brighton—he finds he is unable to tame his desire for the lady who has stolen his heart.

Do Darcy’s efforts to win Elizabeth succeed, or does his sworn enemy lead her to the altar?

From the award-winning author of An Arranged Marriage and The Journey