Intentions and Plans, Starts and Stops

“When first Mr. Bennet had married, economy was held to be perfectly useless, for, of course, they were to have a son. The son was to join in cutting off the entail, as soon as he should be of age, and the widow and younger children would by that means be provided for.”

— Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 50

As I read these words, I can’t help but substitute my own version of Mr. Bennet’s intentions:

“When first Mr. Bennet had married, economy was held to be perfectly useless, for, of course, he was to win the lottery, and the widow and younger children would by that means be provided for.”

A question that comes to mind is why Mr. Bennet did not break the entail with his own father. With so many varying scenarios, one could write several books. For the sake of convenience, one can presume that Bennet’s, no doubt, excellent father passed away before the former reached the age of majority, so they simply did not get around to doing it. There is also the possibility that Bennet did not inherit Longbourn via his father but rather was the next male in line, as in the case of Mr. Collins. Again, the possibilities abound.

Another question for me is why Mr. Bennet did not comport himself more responsibly once he realized a son to inherit and end the entail at age twenty-one was no longer in the cards. Why did he not take other proactive measures for the future of his family? Did he suppose it was simply too late?

Here is what Jane Austen wrote:

“Mr. Bennet had very often wished before this period of his life that, instead of spending his whole income, he had laid by an annual sum for the better provision of his children and of his wife, if she survived him. He now wished it more than ever.”

Here’s another supposition. What if Mr. Bennet had a son, but he passed away before the son reached the age of majority, with no son of his own, leaving the entail intact and Mr. Collins as the heir-apparent?

Again, the possibilities!

Here’s happy news. I have a new story in the early planning stages that addresses many of these nagging questions and more. It is happy news indeed, but there is also the matter of my already having several stories in various stages of completion.

There is one that was meant to be a Charlotte Lucas Christmas story, but I missed the early December 2025 target date for publication, so now it extends beyond the holiday season, giving both Jane and Elizabeth happily-ever-after endings of their own.

I am very excited about a work-in-progress story in which Elizabeth leaves Hertfordshire a couple of weeks after Darcy arrives with the Netherfield party, and it is many months before she sees him again. Expect sparks to fly from the very first chapter of this one.

There is one that I started a while back and shared its first look inside on YouTube about Miss Lydia Bennet’s Brighton adventure. Spoiler alert—she does not end up with Lt. Wickham. Hooray!

I am also writing a non-JAFF story that is primarily intended for my YouTube channel but will likely find its way to eBook format as well.

The list goes on…

If I can manage to publish just half the stories currently on my plate in 2026, it will be a good year indeed. Wish me luck.

Have your share in the conversation. Comment below and let me know which of my current work- in-progress stories piques your interest most.