Before there’s love, there’s friendship, and in Such Persuasions as These by Emilia Stratford, that friendship is genuine, unexpected, and exactly what Mr. Darcy didn’t know he needed. In this week’s episode, Emilie Davis is joined by guest co-host Sharon Cortez to discuss a variation where Elizabeth leads with kindness, not combat, and finds herself at the center of Darcy’s slow, sweet transformation. When Elizabeth claims to be engaged to a certain Captain Wentworth (yes, that Captain Wentworth), she unintentionally clears the emotional runway for something rare in Pride and Prejudice retellings: a sincere and supportive friendship between our beloved leads. Emilie and Sharon dive into why this works so well, what makes this Darcy especially lovable, and how friendship-first stories offer something different than slow-burn romance alone. They also swap personal stories about “fake engagements,” adult friendship struggles, and the sitcom-style friend groups they’ve longed for or found along the way.  If you’ve ever wished for more time with Darcy and Elizabeth simply getting to know one another, this one’s for you!   🎵 Music Credit:Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason. 📚 Curious what we will be reading next? See a list of upcoming books at prideandprejudicebookclub.com! ➡️ Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter!