The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy (28 page)

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When Darcy returned home, he immediately informed Georgiana that Elizabeth had agreed to a wedding date two months hence. His sister was beside herself with joy. There was no one dearer in her life than her brother, and her greatest wish for him was that he would find someone who recognized his merits, that behind the money, family name, and rank was a solid man of character and understanding.

“Oh, Will, we will be very busy these next few weeks. Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennet are to be married, I am to be presented to the queen, and you are to take a wife. There is so much joy in our lives. We are truly blessed.”

“Yes, I agree. Such events might possibly provide the plot for a gifted novelist, but I would think such a subject must be penned by a woman for the expression of such sentiments fall easily within the female sphere. And while you are writing your first draft, my dear sister, I shall put pen to paper and write to Anne to thank her for all she has done. For without her involvement, this affair could have ended very differently.”

Darcy wrote to his dear cousin, sharing with Anne the good news of his engagement to Elizabeth Bennet and commenting upon the important role she had played in their romance.
The future Mr. and Mrs. Darcy will be forever grateful to the person who, by encouraging Elizabeth to travel into Derbyshire, has been the means of uniting them.

Mary Lydon Simonsen, the author of
Searching for Pemberley
, published by Sourcebooks, has combined her love of history and the novels of Jane Austen in her second novel,
The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy
. A third
Pride and Prejudice
-inspired novel,
A Wife for Mr. Darcy
, will be released by Sourcebooks in July 2011. She is also the author of two self-published novels:
The Second Date, Love Italian-American Style
and
Anne Elliot, A New Beginning
. The author lives in Arizona.