Darcy Saga 01 Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy

Copyright (c) 2009 by Sharon Lathan

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lathan, Sharon.

Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two shall become one: Pride and prejudice

continues / Sharon Lathan.

p. cm.

1. Darcy, Fitzwilliam (Fictitious character)--Fiction. 2. Bennet, Elizabeth (Fictitious character)--Fiction. 3. England--Social life and customs--19th century--Fiction. 4. Domestic fiction. I. Austen, Jane, 1775-1817. Pride and prejudice. II. Title.

PS3612.A869T86 2009

813'.6--dc22

2008037085

Printed and bound in the United States of America

VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Table of Contents

Foreword

Cast of Characters

1. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy

2. An Intimate Conversation

3. The Wedding Night

4. A New Day Dawns

5. Homecoming

6. Settling in at Pemberley

7. A Stroll in the Garden

8. An Anniversary

9. Shopping!

10. Meeting the Matlocks

11. A Surprise for Poor Samuel

12. Christmas Guests

13. Christmas at Pemberley

14. The Days In-between

15. Twelfth Night

16. The Long Winter

17. Conflict and Calamity

18. Recovery, Recollection, and Revenge

19. Romantic Interludes

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Foreword

O
VER
T
HANKSGIVING WEEKEND OF
2005 , I entered a movie theater with my best girlfriend and teenage daughter to watch
Pride & Prejudice
starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. My only expectation was to enjoy a sappy chick flick with two of my dearest women friends. I had never read the classic novel by Jane Austen, nor had I seen any of the previous adaptations.

To my stunned amazement, I walked out of that theater sporting a heart swelling with romantic sentiment and warm fuzzy feelings running amok, and I was soon to embark on a pathway that would change my life. Within two months, I had joined the ranks of fan fiction writers from all over the world who have adored this timeless tale of true love. I have since read the novel and seen a few of the previous adaptations, but my heart remains enamored with the recent movie and the incredible actors and actresses who brought these delightful characters to life.

My personal quest was to delve realistically into the Regency/Late Georgian Era of England in the early 1800s while exploring the future of the Darcys. It began as a lark, but in true Mr. Darcy fashion, I was well into the middle of it before I recognized what I had begun. Quite before I turned around, I had my own website and was reaching the one-year anniversary of their wedding with fifty-plus chapters under my belt. Yes, it is an obsession!

What I have strived to recount is a marriage in its purest embodiment: a union based on commitment, equality, passion, friendship, honesty, and love. I wanted to answer the timeless questions regarding happily-ever-after and how two individual people meld into one soul. Along the way there are humor, drama, friends, family, and life events to experience with the lovers.

The Darcy Saga, in its entirety, is about how two people who are bonded and committed to each other move through life. That is the plot, the theme, and the essence of the story. They are not the same people once they have each other.

This first novel deals with the initial days into weeks, ending with five months of wedded bliss as the family prepares for the Season in London. I do not rush, as I want the reader to share in the joy of new love as it blooms and alters and strengthens William and Elizabeth. Subsequent novels will travel further along the timeline of life.

Welcome to Pemberley, and thank you for taking this journey with me.

Sincerely,

Sharon Lathan

Cast of Characters

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy:
Master of Pemberley in Derbyshire; 29 years of age, born November 10, 1787; parents James and Lady Anne Darcy, both deceased; married Elizabeth Bennet on November 28, 1816

Elizabeth Darcy
: Mistress of Pemberley; 21 years of age, born May 28, 1795; second Bennet daughter

Miss Georgiana Darcy
: 17 years of age; sister of Mr. Darcy with guardianship shared by her brother and cousin, Col. Fitzwilliam; companion is Mrs. Annesley

Col. Richard Fitzwilliam
: 31 years of age; cousin and dear friend to Mr. Darcy; second son of Lord and Lady Matlock; stationed with a regiment in London

Lord Matlock
, the Earl of Matlock: Darcy's Uncle Malcolm, brother to Lady Anne Darcy; ancestral estate is Rivallain in Matlock, Derbyshire

Lady Matlock
, the Countess of Matlock: Darcy's Aunt Madeline; wife to Lord Matlock, mother of Jonathan, Annabella, and Richard

Mr. Jonathan Fitzwilliam
: Heir to the Matlock earldom, eldest Fitzwilliam son; wife is
Priscilla

Mr. Charles Bingley
: 25 years of age; longtime friend of Mr. Darcy; resides at Netherfield Hall in Hertfordshire; married Jane Bennet on November 28, 1816

Jane Bingley
: elder sister of Elizabeth and oldest Bennet daughter; wife of Mr. Bingley

Miss Caroline Bingley
: sister of Charles Bingley

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet
: Elizabeth's parents; reside at Longbourn in Hertfordshire with two middle daughters,
Mary
and
Kitty

Edward and Violet Gardiner
: uncle and aunt of Elizabeth; reside in Cheapside, London

Stephen Lathrop
: Cambridge friend of Mr. Darcy; resides at Stonecrest Hall in Leicestershire; wife is
Amelia

Henry Vernor
: family friend of the Darcys; residence is Sanburl Hall near Lambton, Derbyshire; wife is
Mary
, daughter is
Bertha

Gerald Vernor
: son of Henry Vernor; childhood friend of Mr. Darcy; wife is
Harriet
; resides at Sanburl Hall

Albert Hughes
: childhood friend of Mr. Darcy; wife is
Marilyn

Rory Sitwell
: Cambridge friend of Mr. Darcy; wife is
Julia

George and Alison Fitzherbert
: Derbyshire residents

Clifton and Chloe Drury
: Derbyshire residents

Mrs. Reynolds
: Pemberley housekeeper

Mr. Taylor
: Pemberley butler

Mr. Keith
: Mr. Darcy's steward

Mr. Samuel Oliver
: Mr. Darcy's valet

Miss Marguerite Charbonneau
: Mrs. Darcy's maid

Phillips, Watson, Tillson, Georges, Rothchilde
: Pemberley footmen

Mr. Clark
: Pemberley Head groundskeeper

Mr. Thurber
: Pemberley Head groomsman

Mrs. Langton
: Pemberley cook

Reverend Bertram
: Rector of Pemberley Chapel

Madame du Loire
: Modiste in Lambton

Marquis de Orman
: Derbyshire resident

CHAPTER ONE

Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy

T
HANK GOODNESS IT IS
finally over,
Fitzwilliam Darcy thought with a heavy sigh.

He realized that he probably should not entertain such a thought, but it could not be helped. The past eight weeks of his engagement had held many wonderful moments and all in all had been delightful, but also exceedingly trying. Daily he wanted nothing more than to spend time with his beloved Elizabeth. However, the constant pressures of wedding plans, visits from a seemingly inexhaustible quantity of friends and family, constraints of propriety, and business interests that had taken him from Hertfordshire on several occasions all had conspired to separate him from her far too often. Add to that his own uneasiness with all the social engagements, not to mention his continued distaste for Mrs. Bennet, and the weeks had seemed interminable.

Nonetheless,
he thought while gazing lovingly upon his sleeping wife
... my wife!... There certainly were some marvelous times to be remembered.
In truth, he and Elizabeth had managed to pass numerous satisfying hours together alone, or at least almost alone, yet it never was sufficient as far as Darcy was concerned. She had teased him on occasion for acting like a petulant child whose favorite toy had been taken away. Initially, he had been a bit offended, but then he realized she was correct and had to laugh at himself. Yet he could not deny how bereft he felt without her by his side and how he had treasured every moment that they were together, even if it was brief.

They discovered, much to their mutual joy, that the trials of the previous months, during which each had suffered tremendously, had brought them to a place of complete understanding and honesty. The conversations they now shared were open, deeply profound, intimate, and blessedly free of all artifice and misunderstanding. He had revealed himself to her as he never had to any living soul, not even to his sister or dear Cousin Richard. She had done the same.