Pride and Perjury

By Alice McVeigh

Despite this pretty exhibition of ruffled feathers, Elton believed the lady less offended than flattered by the ‘puppy’s’ presumption – or, at least, that she would have been flattered, had Mr Jackson only had sufficient sense to have been rather better-born.

Meanwhile, as Mrs Suckling wished the music to commence, there ensued an anxious parade over which should lead, and which merely follow. Five young ladies performed, though not one in any danger of throwing their audience into ecstasies.

Lydia laughed. ‘Oh, you are impossible! You do realise that you are impossible?’

‘I have often enough been told so,’ said Wickham.

‘So, do you make a habit of kissing ladies, then?’

‘Only if they are excessively pretty.’

‘And do they never object?’

‘That depends.’

‘Upon the quality of the kiss?’

‘Upon the quality’ said he, ‘of the lady.’

The twelve tales in McVeigh’s Pride and Perjury include:

The Housekeeper’s Tale” explores the entangled love lives of the Longbourn servants – not to mention their real opinions of the Bennet family.

In “Lady Catherine Regrets”, we are privy to that lady’s innermost fears with regard to that “dreadful” Bennet girl -including the scene in which she recklessly attempts to dissuade Mr Darcy from marrying her.

Kitty is tempted to fall for the Longbourn curate in “Valentine’s Day at the Bennets’” The youngest two Bennet sisters annoy their father in ”The Bennet Girls’ Easter Bonnet” and “All Hallow’s Eve” – while “A Heliotrope Ribbon” exposes every facet of Wickham and Lydia’s accidental elopement in Brighton.

“Captivating Mr Darcy” represents Miss Caroline Bingley’s artfully artless attempt at pulling this trick off although – of course– she never does!

“Tact and Tactics” lays bare Anne de Bourgh’s pursuit of the sardonic Lord Cuthbert – along with Mr Collins’s hilarious tipsiness while conducting a funeral service.

“One Good Sonnet” was inspired by Mrs Bennet’s brag in Pride and Prejudice that Jane Bennet, when only fifteen, had “some verses written on her” by a smitten young man in London.

Mr Perry, the apothecary, divines all in “A Highbury Christmas” – thanks in part to the loquacious Miss Bates – while Mr Knightley takes centre-stage in the deeply moving “Mary Rose”.

The startling misadventures of Mr Elton at Bath – culminating in his offering to Miss Augusta Hawkins – completes Pride and Perjury with the eponymous short story. (This short story was finalist in Chanticleer’s short story awards 2024 as a short story. The volume Pride and Perjury also placed as finalist in April 2025, in short story anthologies.)

ASIN: B0D3C72WVS

Publication: 30 May 2024

Publisher: Warleigh Hall Press

Editions: Paperback, ebook.

A prizewinning, fresh Pride and Prejudice Variation

“I have very little hope,” said Mr Bennet, “of disposing of even one of my daughters much before luncheon.”

(from McVeigh’s Pride and Perjury)

Discover the untold stories behind Jane Austen’s beloved characters in this captivating new release, the fourth in the award-winning standalone series!

What really happened when Wickham eloped with Lydia? What did the Longbourn servants secretly think of the Bennet sisters? Take a deep dive into the ambitions of Caroline Bingley, Lady Catherine’s de Bourgh’s diary, and Mr Knightley’s heart.

Download your copy today – and fall in love with your favourite Austen characters all over again!

Previous books in this series have been shortlisted for the UK Selfies Book Awards at the 2024 London Book Fair, named runner-up for Foreword Indies’ “Book of the Year,” and been quarterfinalists in Publishers Weekly ’s BookLife Prize. In April McVeigh’s Austenesque series won first prize in Chanticleer International Book Award’s Book Series (historical).

“A spirited addition… With inventive creativity, compact world-building and smooth flow, these twelve enchanting stories add new facets to Austen’s beloved landscapes.”

– Foreword Indies Clarion Reviews

“An intelligent prequel packed with enjoyable Austen references. McVeigh displays a brilliant, spot-on command of Austen’s diction and tone.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“Absorbing, delightful, technically flawless and loyally Austenian, Pride and Perjury boasts inspired interpretations of minor characters and off-page events – some of which Austen only hinted at.”

– IndieReader editorial review

“Freshly imagined – could have come straight from Austen’s pen. McVeigh spins a marvellous illusion, uniquely echoing Austen’s own spirit of wit.”

– SPR, editorial review

“Alice McVeigh’s narrative is perfectly pitched, capturing Austen’s authorial voice without ever descending into pastiche. Employing that coolly ironic gaze, she describes events ‘omitted’ from Pride and Prejudice with remarkable conviction.”

– Jane Austen’s Regency World magazine, editorial review

“With attention to detail and an obvious love of her subject, Alice McVeigh creates a wonderful tribute to Austen, perfectly capturing the speech patterns, subtle humour, and satirical jabs at high society. Yet what I liked most about Pride and Perjury was the way it shows how the past of a character can influence the present… Austen’s novels are unlikely to be forgotten with talented and perceptive authors like Alice McVeigh paying homage to them.”

– Historical Fiction Company, editorial review

“McVeigh’s evident dedication to studying Austen’s unique writing style imbues her captivating stories with a strong sense of authenticity. The reader can transition smoothly between Austen’s books and McVeigh’s due to the similarities in writing styles. It is hard to believe that Austen didn’t write these short stories herself, as they bear such a strong resemblance to her engaging writing style.”

– The Coffee Pot Book Club, editorial review

Click here to read about the Warleigh Hall Press Jane Austen series.

Awards

Shortlisted for the famous UK Selfies Awards at the London Book Fair.

Finalist for Foreword Indies’ famous “Book of the Year” 2024

Finalist for the American Writing Awards’ Hawthorne Prize (all-genre)

The only silver medallist in 2024 SPR annual Book Awards

First Place in the 2025 PenCraft Book Awards (Short Story Anthologies)

Finalist in 2025 IAN Book of the Year Award Winners

First, historical (clean) Entrada Incipere Book Awards 2025

Gold medal, Global Book Awards 2024 (historical fiction)

Winner: Silver Medal in the Global Ebook Awards (Historical Literature Fiction – Modern)

Selected as one of the top 100 indies of 2024 by Shelf Unbound (fiction AND non-fiction)

Gold medal in American Book Fest 2024 (anthologies)

Winner: The series of which this is a part won First Prize in Chanticleer International Book Awards’ Book Series Award (historical).

Finalist: The eponymous short story was a finalist for CIBA’s “Shorts” award for short stories.

Finalist for Chanticleer’s Shorts (short story collection/novella) Book Awards.

Silver medal, Global Book Awards 2024 (Book series, fiction)

Honoree: Indie B.R.A.G. medallion

Fourth in Readers’ Favorite Book Awards (historical).

Austen semi-finalist – HFC Historical Romance Book of the Year 2025

Poe Semi-Finalist – Historical Short Story & Anthology, HFC Book of the Year 2025

Pride and Perjury is at the moment on a special offer and exclusive to Amazon. For this reason, the links to alternative retailers below will not work for now. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Alice McVeigh

Official website of the novelist