She never wanted a fairy tale prince—but he showed up anyway. Nursing her sister at Netherfield should have been Elizabeth Bennet’s only concern. Instead, she must endure Mr. Darcy’s intense scrutiny and Miss Bingley’s pointed barbs. And after relentless rain turns the road home into a river, Elizabeth is forced to make a daring rescue. Now she’s sick, stranded, and at the mercy of Mr. Darcy’s unsettling concern. Fitzwilliam Darcy lives his life by the stay composed, stay detached, and never, ever fall for a woman outside his sphere. But Elizabeth Bennet, with her mud-streaked hem, sharp tongue, and fearless heart, unravels him. As Miss Bingley’s schemes grow increasingly desperate, Elizabeth insists on returning to Longbourn—even if it means walking ten miles through treacherous conditions. Alarmed, Darcy offers her a stay until she’s well, and he’ll shield her from every insult. As Elizabeth discovers that accepting help can be its own kind of strength, and Darcy learns that yielding doesn’t make him weak, another kind of tempest begins to gather—one neither of them expected. Sometimes love means standing firm in the storm. And sometimes, it means surrendering. The Briar Bargain is the third standalone novel in the Darcy & Elizabeth Rom Com Collection. *This is a full-length novel of approximately 90,000 words