Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One

Foreword

Over Thanksgiving 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