How would Pride & Prejudice be different if William Collins came to live with the Bennets at Longbourn as a young child? Will Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy still find their happily ever after? Young William Collins spent his childhood under the oppression of an abusive father and an ill mother. When he becomes an orphan after a scarring tragedy, Collins is sent to live with his estranged cousins, the Bennet family, at Longbourn.

At the same time, Fitzwilliam Darcy passes through his own crisis. The unique relationship between the Darcy and Wickham families is revealed late one night when Fitzwilliam discovers his father's unsettling secret-one that affects George Wickham to the core.

Elizabeth grows up loving Collins as a brother, but when he befriends Darcy and Wickham, Elizabeth wonders about her cousin's choice in friends, and Darcy's overbearing pride. What she doesn't know are the heartaches of Darcy's past that shape his intentions now.

As the beloved characters of Pride & Prejudice grapple with their disturbing childhoods, how will the choices of their parents be carried on to the next generation? Can they find happiness, or are they doomed to a lifetime of misery because of the sins of their fathers?

"The Sins of Their Fathers: A Pride & Prejudice Variation" by Tiffany Thomas is a full-length historical romance novel of 85,000 words.

Trigger warning: this book touches on child abuse