Copyright Sean Fallon
Woken up to snow here in central France, which is giving way now to steady, miserable rain and sleet!
We’re in the midst of our annual ‘snowbird’ run, and have about a thousand kilometres still to cover before tomorrow afternoon.
I was grateful to Rochelle therefore, for a sneak preview of this week’s Friday Fictioneers prompt, enabling me to just post and run before we continue heading south again today.
So, channelling Jane Austen… 😉
Mr Darcy
“I need a man with a fine brain and a sharp intellect,” cried the eldest sister.
“And I need a man with the courageous heart of a lion,” said the middle one.
“I just need a man,” said the youngest. “A stud-muffin would adequately suffice, and Mr Darcy, I believe, is one such”. (She was, you understand, a woman much given to plain speaking.)
So in their customarily civilised, even-handed fashion, the sisters resolved their rivalry for the attentions of their would-be suitor, though ultimately none of them accompanied him to the altar.
Darcy, understandably, was fairly cut up.
castelsarrasin 
Dear Sandra,
It was purely selfish on my part to give you a sneak preview. Had I not, we’d have missed out on your story.
Poor Mr. Darcy, I’d say he ended up beside himself. In the end I think if one sister had chosen him he’d have to deal with two sisters-in-law. Stellar writing as always.
Safe travels.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Beside himself! Loved that. Thanks for commenting Rochelle. 🙂
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Hee hee…as he would be! Well-crafted!
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Thanks Pirate. 🙂
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Ha ha – loved that last line. Well done Sandra.
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Thanks Claire.
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Humor? No death? The snow much have gone to your laptop and I’m glad it did. I hope things warm up and dry off soon. Have a wonderful time.
janet
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Now be fair Janet, I’ve hardly ‘offed’ anyone in ages. 🙂 Thank you, safely in Spain now.
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That’s a perfect ending. It seems that every sister got the parts that she wanted most. 😉
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Women usually sort things out to everyone’s satisfaction… 🙂
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Another good one!
DJ
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Thanks Danny, glad you liked it.
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Actually laughed out loud. Just brilliant, and very clever.
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Thank you! 🙂
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lol loved this. quite a twist on one of my favorite novels 🙂
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Thanks kz!
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Laughing out loud this morning! Thanks for posting your story – wouldn’t have missed this one!
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Glad I could brighten your day Jennifer. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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Okay, that’s just fantastically done — nice use of the figurative…
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Thank you! Glad you liked it.
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Good one.
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Thanks!
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Fantastical! Really made me laugh. How can you be so clever????
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Just the genes I guess 😦 Only joking! Thanks for reading Linda.
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Sounds messy,
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Messy is as messy does…
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Haha! Love the humour.
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Thanks Mike.:)
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A wonderful story. The last line was excellent!
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Thanks Steve!
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Oh I loved the the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ take, brilliant 🙂
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Thanks Helen. 🙂
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Poor Mr. Stud-muffin Darcy. 😦
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Poor indeed…
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🙂
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Great story, brilliant ending! Poor Mr Darcy 😦
I also loved the mixture of “stud-muffin” and “adequately suffice” – the old and the new 🙂
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Glad you noticed that. I’m not a devout Austen fan, so I was trying to debunk the language a bit.
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Well, like I wasn’t feeling insecure enough today, Sandra, now I feel like a totally-unlettered yokel. I thought you meant Steve Austin, the wrestler. Okay, back to high school to read Jane Austen! (I sort of get it even still.)
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Unlettered??? Never! Thanks for trying.
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Sly.
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Thanks Dawn. 🙂
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What a break-up for Mr Darcy… 🙂
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I see what you did there….:)
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Hahahahaha! THAT’S how it’s done, Sandra! Super-duper!
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Thanks Kent! 🙂
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A clever story, Sandra. And very funny.
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Thank you Karen. 🙂
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Ummm…I notice the arms and hands are already gone. Not to one of the Bennett sister, then???
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Oh dear, I believe I’ve misspelled the young ladies’ last name. And left the “s” off of “sisters.” Perhaps I’m typing too fast. Or losing too many brain cells….
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Brainc cells… tell me about it… 😦
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Oops, I meant ‘brain’
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Hope the weather improves… but no doubt, the food makes up for it! Poor Mr. Darcy. While humorous, there’s that wicked edge of yours. Clever, Sandra.
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Thank you! I try to be wicked where I can. 🙂
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Ha ha!! I can’t wait for part 4!
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🙂 🙂
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I love it!
We do fall apart at times!
Regards
Jim
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Nice one! 🙂
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This was a hoot! Great take on one of my favorite stories, lovely!
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Thanks Glynis. 🙂
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Pride and Prejudice revamped. Never tire of…Miss Elizabeth and her Mr. Darcy. Great tale of romance and sibling rivalry…
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I’m not much of an Austen fan myself. The prose is a bit over-elaborated for me, but I can see why some people really like her writing. Thanks for reading.
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Guess I was speaking more towards Colin Firth and Sir Lawrence Olivier as the Messrs. Darcy…and Keira Knightley and Greer Garson as the Misses Elizabeths…than I was Jane Austen. Haven’t read her in quite some time. Although I’m certain I was a fan when first I read her Pride and Prejudice. You know…when I was a young girl whose thoughts would turn to romantic notions of the opposite sex. I’m a sucker for…good old-fashion romance.
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Now this is a creative compromise, and each sister gets to take home the part they want most. Poor Mr. Darcy. But great story!
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Thank you!
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Poor Mr Darcy. Fantastic story Sandra.
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Thanks Indira. 🙂
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brilliant! i think ms. austen herself would enjoy reading it.
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I think she might turn in her grave at the mention of stud-muffin…. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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“She was, you understand, a woman much given to plain speaking” — how very Jane, darling. The whole tone was perfect.
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Thanks Helena! I’ve been practising my ‘Austen speak’. 🙂
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Ouch! I’m certain poor Mr. Darcy went to pieces, literally, over the dispute. I hope they were kind enough to get him drunk first before they…divided the spoils. Great story and great idea!
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🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting.
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I love Jane Austen’s humour, Sandra, and your story, with its unique style, is just as enjoyable! FitzWilliam Darcy is indeed a stud-muffin and if he’s still available, I’m …. oh drat, I’m not!! *wail*
Very cleverly done. 🙂
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I used to prefer Georgette Heyer’s hero’s … until I saw Colin Firth in this role. 😉 Thank you for reading.
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Ah yes – and there I shall stop typing lest I tire your audience of Mr Firth’s fine portrayal of the hidden passions of Mr Darcy ….
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So, I guess it goes to show you it isn’t a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Great homage to one of my favorite books.
Here’s mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/a-conversation-at-the-site-of-jennifer-juniors/
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I loved that line… Thanks for reading Maggie.
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Stud-muffin? Where on earth did you find that word? Of course, to be authentic to Austen (whom I first read at 14, when in the books ‘which’ was spelled ‘whitch’) Darcy would have had to have been divided into 5 parts. Very witty, clever story! Now, what are you up to in tht boat of yours?
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Stud muffin? Who knows. The muse dropped by in its usual fashion and extended my vocabulary with words I didn’t know I knew… 🙂 Just passed through France, checking the boat out on the way to Spain. Sunshine, yay!
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Sunshine here, nay! Well actually it is sunny this Saturday a.m. Me too this week on vocab etc. These photo prompts really show the mind for the deep well of memory it is.
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Delightful tale!
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Thank you!
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Divide and conquer, I suppose. Poor Mr. Darcy. I got a good chuckle out of this one, Sandra.
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Thanks Roger. I thought I’d return the favour as I usually get a good cornflake-sprayer out of your work…
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I do believe “stud-muffin” might be a bit after Jane’s time and would, perhaps, be a source of embarrassment to Mr. Darcy–but, then again, you never can tell. Fun story, Sandra.
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Yes, I felt the need to lower the tone… I frequently do. 😦 Thanks for reading vb.
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Not very kind to cut mankind into pieces, but a great story gathered from the pieces in the picture. Amzing!
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Thank you!
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Sandra, this is wonderful! Poor Darcy, he would have made a suitable stud-muffin. I enjoyed your take and your well executed story.
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Colin Firth certainly would. Mmmm! Thanks for reading Amy.
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Wonderfully clever!
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Thank you. 🙂
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What an excellent example of “slap-stick comedy” in words only. The last line alone is a treasure.
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Hi Sandra,
Sunday, and I’m finally getting to your story. I believe Jane Austen would be proud of this sister story, and it fits perfectly with the parts in the photo. I tried to come up with a story based on the parts, but couldn’t and now I’m glad because your story is more than the sum of its parts. Ron
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Thank you Ron, glad you liked it. I thought this might be a difficult prompt but the muse visited quite quickly as he/she sometimes does. 🙂 Have a good week!
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Dear Sandra,
Sorry to be so late arriving. I need one of my time machines. Even without having read your story’s twin, I enjoyed it for its ‘cut to the quick’ progression and resolution. Makes me want to see what I’ve been missing re Ms. Austen.
Aloha,
Doug
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Bravo, Ms Austen.
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