I'm Not Charlotte Lucas

Cover image credit @Haishi via freepik company Cover design by Hannah Bischoff, copyright © 2023 by Covenant Communications, Inc. Published by Covenant Communications, Inc. American Fork, Utah Copyright © 2023 by Kasey Stockton All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any format or in any medium without the written permission of the publisher, Covenant Communications, Inc., P.O. Box 416, American Fork, UT 84003. The views expressed within this work are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Covenant Communications, Inc., or any other entity. This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are either products of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real, or are used fictitiously. First Printing: February 2023 ISBN: 978-1-52441-953-0 “I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins’s character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state.” —Charlotte Lucas Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Acknowledgments I owe everything in my writing career to my Heavenly Father, who has blessed my journey and made it possible for me to publish my stories. Thank you, Jon, for being my rock and supporting my writing in every way. It’s easy to write romance when I have an adoring gentleman of my own. There’s a bit of you in every single one of my heroes, and one day if you read my books, you’ll find those bits. Thank you, Audrey, Mason, and Emma, for being my biggest cheerleaders and telling everyone that your mom is an author. Your pride in me is overwhelming, and I’m so blessed to have the best squad. Thank you Jenny Proctor, Mindy Strunk, Sarah Adams, Amanda Jones, and Shantal Sessions for reading early drafts of this story and helping me improve it. To the team at Covenant and my editor, Ashley Gebert, thank you for all you’ve done to improve and polish this book. Thank you, Hannah, for your work on the stunning cover, and, Jessica, for your marketing expertise. Writing is a solitary job, but the community makes it feel much less so. Thank you to the SRR ladies for your friendship and support, and thank you to my critique group, Martha, Jess, and Deborah, whose friendships I cherish greatly. I’m so glad I can go through this author thing with all of you. Thank you to the Bookstagram ladies for championing my books and being so fun to hang out on the internet with. And thank you, reader, for reading my story. I hope it brought you a few hours of escape and left you with a smile. Praise for Kasey Stockton “Kasey is a magician with her words. I get lost in her beautiful prose and the way she tells her stories. And most importantly, the romance is always top-notch. I adored this book.” —Cindy Steel, author of Double or Nothing: A Sweet Romantic Comedy “Kasey Stockton nailed this delightful modern-day twist of Pride and Prejudice, where the iconic sidekick Charlotte Lucas gets her chance to shine. Kasey’s strong voice, relatable descriptions, and engaging dialogue entranced me. This romantic story is beautifully tied up with an impactful theme of family and positive self-worth. You don’t want to miss this one!” —Anneka Walker, author of Bargaining for the Barrister “Utterly charming from beginning to end! Kasey’s novels are full of heart with characters you’ll love to love. Highly recommend!” —Jenny Proctor, author of Love Redesigned “Charlotte Lucas finally has her day! I’m Not Charlotte Lucas by Kasey Stockton was a fun, breezy read, full of quirky characters and a heroine who fights her way through insecurities and self-doubt to write her own happy ending.” —Elle M. Adams, author of Engaging Emma “Stockton weaves a charming modern tale in I’m Not Charlotte Lucas full of relatable characters, references to the timeless classic, and a swoon-worthy hero sure to make you fall in love with this story about finding confidence in yourself and trusting that sometimes other people can see you better than you can see yourself.” —Dana LeCheminant, author of The Thief and the Noble Chapter One My name is Charlotte Lucas. No, really. My California driver’s license says Charlotte Lucas right across the front. Luckily, my sister, Mariah, took to calling me Charlie when she was little, and the nickname stuck. Unlike the literary Charlotte Lucas, the poor, lonely best friend of the esteemed Elizabeth Bennet, I’m not twenty-seven. Yet. For two more months, I’m still twenty-six. Angling the remote at the TV, I clicked rewind and started the movie again at the beginning of the scene. Pride and Prejudice was comfort food for my soul the way a half-gallon of ice cream or a box of Twinkies comforted other people. Great. Now I wanted Twinkies. I reached for my Diet Coke and took a swig, nestling farther into the worn sofa cushions. Keira Knightly swung thoughtfully on screen as her best friend approached, and I glued my sight to the TV with sick fascination as Charlotte Lucas delivered her fated lines regarding her lack of money, men, and independence. I dropped my head back, a sigh sputtering from my lips. In high school I’d often joked with my best friend, Beth, that she was the Elizabeth Bennet to my Charlotte Lucas—she was constantly slipping from one boyfriend to the next while I remained woefully single. The irony wasn’t lost on either of us that my little sister’s name was Mariah—just like Charlotte Lucas’s younger sister in the book. But Beth never knew exactly how keenly I feared our joke becoming a reality. Because for all of my twenty-six years and the two loser ex-boyfriends I could claim, my biggest fear was ending up with someone like Mr. Collins. The door at the bottom of the stairs opened, spilling light onto the