"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." These were the words that defined Fitzwilliam Darcy's young life. Any measure of integrity, honor, loyalty—these were secondary considerations to the size of a bachelor's estate. The only lady to esteem his genuine character was now lost forever, and he must face his future alone.

Elizabeth Bennet inherits a stunning fortune. Mr. Darcy left Hertfordshire to escape his attraction to her—will her sudden wealth pull them together or drive them further apart? February of 1812 brings startling news to Longbourn; a distant relation has left Elizabeth an astonishing fortune. She is overwhelmed by a multitude of suitors in pursuit of her wealth but is determined to never marry a man who only loves her money.

On June 20, 1815, rumors of Wellington's victory in what history would come to call the Battle of Waterloo reach London. Among the townspeople celebrating, first the rumor and then the confirmation of victory, are Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy (and their son, Fitzy) and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bingley, who live a few blocks apart in Mayfair in London. The news became bleak for the families, however, when they soon received a dispatch that Captain George Wickham had been valiantly killed in battle.

Banished from longbourn at a young age, Elizabeth Bennet is raised among the Fitzwilliams at the Romsley estate, growing up alongside Fitzwilliam Darcy and his cousins. Entering adulthood, Elizabeth soon finds herself in possession of a secret love for him that even she knows is futile, and she must settle for his friendship.

As humiliating as an ill-bred set down was from an impertinent country miss, the veracity of Elizabeth Bennet’s arguments and the humiliation at his own lack of understanding started to sink in. After years of entrenched isolation, others would take notice if he appeared more civil. How was he to take his place in society without raising expectations? He reaches out to the one person he can trust, Colonel Fitzwilliam, who joins the party at Netherfield.

Somehow, his hapless sister had begun a rumor that he was romantically attached to the penniless young woman, from an unheard-of and vulgar family, with whom duty and good sense forbade him from ever considering an alliance…but whose extraordinary wit and captivating eyes he had been entirely unable to banish from his thoughts.

Of most interest to Bennet was Mr. Darcy of Pemberley. When Fitzwilliam Darcy attends the Meryton assembly, he befriends a quiet, intelligent gentleman. In frequent visits to his friend’s home, he becomes acquainted with the Bennet family of Longbourn. Yet Mr. Darcy is distracted by a strange feeling of having met some of them before.

Who is this Mr. Darcy and what are his intentions? Like much of Meryton, the Bennets of Longbourn anticipate the arrival of Mr. Bingley and his friends to Netherfield, yet an unexpected visitor is not a part of Mr. Bingley's or Mr. Darcy's plans. While the two gentlemen attempt to control their uninvited guest, Elizabeth Bennet arrives to tend to her ill sister.

On being alerted of Jane Bennet's persistent melancholy by her sister Madeline Gardiner, Mrs Bennet travels to London in order to bring some cheer to her daughter. Once there, she overhears a conversation between her two elder daughters and becomes aware of Caroline Bingley's perfidy in keeping the truth of Jane's visit to their home from her brother.

The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a party at their country estate, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.

In this romance anthology, 15 Austenesque authors assemble to sketch Darcy's character through a series of reimaginings, set in the Regency through contemporary times - from faithful narratives to the fanciful. In The Darcy Monologues, the man himself reveals his intimate thoughts, his passionate dreams, and his journey to love - all told with a previously concealed wit and enduring charm.

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Fitzwilliam Darcy’s proposal to Elizabeth Bennet at Hunsford is disastrous. In Jan Hahn’s The Child, Darcy flees England soon afterward, striving to overcome his longing for her. Upon his return two years later, while standing on the steps of St. George’s Church in Hanover Square, he spies the very woman he has vowed to forget. But who is the child holding her hand?

Their chance meeting at Pemberley helped Elizabeth Bennet to realize her true feelings for Mr. Darcy. That same meeting gave him the opportunity to show Elizabeth that he had taken her criticism to heart and made improvements to his behavior. Would this new start finally lead to their happily ever after?

In the spring of 1812, Elizabeth and Lydia are the only Bennet daughters still unmarried after the death of their father. Elizabeth's health and spirits worsen as she moves among relations as an unwanted, dependent sister. She returns to Mary and Mr. Collins at Longbourn to learn that the neighborhood gossip centers on the reclusive Mr. Darcy. Darcy and his sister live an isolated life in a small rented lodge near Netherfield after the events at Ramsgate. As Georgiana's health is failing, Darcy has his own regrets to bear.

Elizabeth Bennet made her sister a promise on her deathbed: to love and care for her son, young Charles Bingley, like her very own child. And so she did, for four years, until the boy's guardian, Fitzwilliam Darcy showed up in Meryton, insisting on removing the boy from his aunt, his life, and everything he knew, to be raised at Pemberley.