An Assembly Such as This

Chapter One: At Such an Assembly as This

Fitzwilliam George Alexander Darcy rose from his seat in the Bingley carriage and reluctantly descended to earth before the assembly hall above the only inn to which the small market town of Meryton could lay claim. A window from the hall above opened, allowing the lively but poorly executed music of a country dance to invade the serenity of the night air. Grimacing, he looked down at the hat in his hands and then, with a sigh, positioned it at precisely the correct angle on his head. How, exactly, did you allow Bingley to maneuver you into this ill-conceived foray into country society? he berated himself. But before he could begin a review of the events that had deposited him there, a hound perched on a nearby carriage sent up a mournful howl.

"Precisely," Darcy commiserated aloud as he turned to the rest of his party. Immediately, he saw that his friend's sisters held the same expectation for an enjoyable evening as himself. The expression that passed between them as they shook out thei ... read full excerpt from: An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman ebook