First Novel in the DARCY AND ELIZABETH SERIES (Part 1 of 2 parts)

An Accident, a Chance Meeting, a Dance and Romance . . . But Will Darcy Win Elizabeth?

This is an ANNOTATED EDITION indicating the very few direct quotes and paraphrases taken from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

What if Elizabeth Bennet met Fitzwilliam Darcy before the Meryton Assembly?

What if she heard Darcy’s insulting comment at the Assembly?

What if he apologized at that ball?

What if they rubbed along for a while until Lizzy’s pride and temper got in the way?

And what if Wickham falls in love for the first time in his profligate life? What will he do, and how will he react when the young woman doesn’t return his feelings?

Pride and Prejudice: Darcy Chooses is about innocent young couples – Darcy and Elizabeth and Bingley and Jane – and the feelings that love evokes and how they handle those feelings. It even takes a brief look at several married couples: Why is there little affection between Thomas and Fanny Bennet? How have the Gardiners grown in their love for one another? And what will happen to the Hursts' marriage? It is a realistic look at relationships that very well may have readers taking a closer look at their own marriages.

Add the Wicked Wickham to the mix and what do you have? You have a tale of friendships, love lost, love gained and the angst of everyday life in Regency England.

Here is a brief preview:

“Caroline, I don’t care if you want to be fashionably late or not. You need to hurry up as we are already late about a quarter hour,” Bingley shouted. He was eager to get to the assembly and was looking forward to meeting new people, especially some of the pretty women that he had heard lived in the area. Caroline was not trying to be fashionably late; she wished to be the center of attention from all the other attendees. Being late allowed that to happen, and Charles Bingley realized that Caroline would get her wish.

Bingley, Darcy and the Hursts had been waiting for several minutes when Caroline deigned to appear. She wore the latest fashionable gown, but the orange color clashed a bit with her red hair. Caroline was oblivious to that fact and came down the stairs with a superior expression on her face and ostrich feathers in her hair matching the color of her gown.

“At last,” remarked Bingley hustling them into the carriage. Caroline just smiled because she knew that all of them would receive the attention she felt that they deserved this evening.

***

All the party realized that they were probably the last attendees to arrive as no other carriages were behind them. Each of the party descended from the carriage and proceeded up the steps to the assembly room.

“Louisa, the place even has an odor to it,” whispered Caroline to her sister with a sneer and wrinkling her nose. Louisa refrained from answering, gave her cape to the footman and took her husband’s arm. When all had divested themselves of coats and capes, they stood in the entrance to the assembly room. Although, a dance was in full swing, when their party appeared, the band ceased playing and the dancers stopped dancing. And everyone stared. Caroline was pleased and gave one and all a haughty stare as they proceeded into the room with Mr. Darcy in the lead. It was no matter to her if her dress was too fancy for a local assembly; she wanted to make sure that she outshone all of the other attendees, most especially, the women.

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