The Heiress by Molly Greeley

A beautifully written lesbian  reimagining of the life of one of Pride & Prejudice's most underdeveloped characters, Miss Anne de Bourgh, The Heiress is an extraordinary tale of self-discovery and liberation set in Jane Austen's beloved world.

As a fussy baby, Anne was prescribed laudanum to quiet her and has been given the opium-heavy syrup ever since, on account of her continuing ill health. While Lady Catherine is outraged when Darcy chooses not to marry her daughter, Anne barely even notices.

But little by little, she comes to see that what she has always been told is an affliction of nature might in fact be one of nurture – and one, therefore, that she can beat. She finally throws away her laudanum and seeks refuge at the London home of her cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Suddenly wide awake to the world but utterly unprepared, Anne must forge a new identity among those who have never seen the real her – including herself.

With its wit, sensuality and compassion, The Heiress is a sparklingly rebellious novel that takes a shadowy figure from the background of beloved classic Pride & Prejudice and throws her into the light.

‘Haunting. The Heiress has all the hallmarks of nineteenth-century Gothic, which doesn’t shy away from “modern” ills, such as the opiate crisis, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and homophobia. Highly recommended.’ – Finola Austin, author of Bronte’s Mistress