Chance Encounters

Book excerpt: In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Fitzwilliam Darcy arrives at Netherfield in a state of indignation and delivers an insult that nearly ended his future before it began. What if he did not go to Meryton that autumn and instead met Elizabeth Bennet later in London during the winter? What if their introduction was not an insult, but rather a challenge to smile, and how does the strength of an extraordinary couple help them to survive all that life sends their way? Chance Encounters is a journey of the imagination, and explores how a resigned and wiser Elizabeth meets a hardened Darcy. It follows them and their families through their courtship, marriage, and beyond. Together they experience a mature love. Revised 2012 edition. This story contains scenes of a mature nature. Linda Wells is the author of Fate and Consequences, Perfect Fit and the Memory and Imperative series.