Follies Past: a Prequel to Pride and Prejudice

Before there was a single man in possession of a good fortune at Netherfield, there was a single man in want of a wife in London. His name was Wickham and he was bent on marrying himself into as much wealth as he might contrive, preferably to the detriment of the man who had destroyed all his prospects in life - the man known as Darcy of Pemberley. The tale begins at Pemberley, at Christmas, almost a year before the opening of Pride and Prejudice. Caroline Bingley is convinced of Mr. Darcy's affection and determined to convert his regard into matrimony as swiftly as possible. Fourteen-year-old Georgiana Darcy has been taken from school, and is about to be sent off to face the rigours of a life in London. As the cast turn their faces to that city, one gentleman awaits them with all the charm and fascination that a handsome face and merciless ambition can beget. The story follows young Georgiana to London, to Ramsgate and to the brink of a perilous elopement, bringing readers all the wit, the drama and the delights of their beloved Pride and Prejudice. Authentic in its use of language, meticulously researched, and faithful to Austen's classic, it is the book Austen fans have been waiting for