The Pemberley Affair

Book excerpt: Elizabeth Bennet Darcy, a newlywed, finds that adjusting to the expectations of London society during the season imposes a vastly different set of expectations upon her. Her upbringing, although respectable, did not prepare her for rigorous adherence to the ways of the haute monde. When she is asked to chaperone the daughter of Lady Descartes, a former actress married to a member of the aristocracy, Elizabeth is hesitant to take on the responsibility, particularly when the young lady, a lively young woman who shuns her genteel upbringing and goes by the name of Tommy, takes an interest in a young man who has been disinherited by his father because of his ambition to become a poet. Ultimately, the drama must be resolved at a gathering at Pemberley, at which the redoubtable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Collins and his wife, Elizabeth's friend Charlotte, the Bingleys, and the warring parents of the young couple are present for a confrontation that tests Darcy's trust in his wife and Elizabeth's confidence in her role as the mistress of Pemberley.