Review by MJ Ryan

Elizabeth’s spirits soon rising to playfulness again, she wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his having ever fallen in love with her. “How could you begin?” said she. “I can comprehend your going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning; but what could set you off in the first place?”

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

This is the closest that Jane Austen ever comes to answering the question that, by the end of Pride and Prejudice, must be on the mind of every reader: when did Darcy fall in love with Elizabeth? This is one of the questions that Pamela Aidan ventures to answer as she fully explores the enigmatic Mr. Darcy in her Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy.

The first book, An Assembly Such as This, has hardly begun before Darcy is slighting Elizabeth at the Meryton assembly and endearing himself to the community at large with his arrogant behavior. Oh, the Darcy we know and love. Or is it? Some readers may arch their brow at Aidan’s interpretation of Darcy, his intrigue with Elizabeth from the moment he laid eyes on her, his complete and total dislike, politely veiled of course, of Miss Bingley and his enchantment with his verbal sparring with Elizabeth at Netherfield. Others will nod their head in agreement. Whether you agree completely with her timing of Darcy’s infatuation with Elizabeth or not, the portrait Aidan paints of him throughout the trilogy is vivid and entertaining.

An Assembly Such as This wanders a bit once Darcy leaves Netherfield for London. The last 60 pages are obviously a set up for the next novel, introducing original characters, starting the exploration of Darcy’s relationship with Georgiana and the implementation of the scheme to keep Bingley away from Miss Bennet. I confess that I don’t find Darcy in London to be a very engaging fellow and I would have lost interest entirely if it hadn’t been for the introduction of Aidan’s original character, Lord Dyfed Brougham.

Too bad Darcy didn’t take Dy’s advice and stay in London instead of traveling to Norwycke Castle to visit people that he doesn’t typically socialize with and that he doesn’t seem to like. This is probably his most impulsive and out of character act in the trilogy which bodes ill for the book. (That’s strike one.) But, he goes with a mission in mind: forget Elizabeth and take a wife. Of course he’s doomed to failure, and we’re doomed to a book, Duty and Desire, with no direct interaction with Elizabeth. (Strike two.) Consisting primarily of original characters, it shares only the hero and the memory of the heroine with Pride and Prejudice. As a result, to enjoy the book you either need to be a great Darcy lover or a fan of Gothic romances, which this book aims to be. If ever there was a hero in Austen’s world more ill-suited to be cast into a Gothic romance it’s Fitzwilliam Darcy. (That would be strike three.)

However, the book is well written and entertaining and, as with the first and third books, I admire Aidan’s consistent characterization of Darcy, excepting that the entire premise of the second book relies on Darcy making a rash, out-of-character decision. That Aidan loves the character is apparent, but she doesn’t fall into the trap of making him a flawless hero. He has faults aplenty and she isn’t shy about highlighting them. What I do question is the appropriateness of placing this book in the Pride and Prejudice timeline. Personally, I would have enjoyed the book more as a prequel, possibly set just after Darcy’s matriculation from school. As it is, it seems like a lengthy and unnecessary exercise of showing Darcy, and the reader, how despite better breeding, no lady is Elizabeth’s equal. I think that Darcy realized that months ago while cooped up at Netherfield with Miss Bingley, Miss Hurst and Elizabeth.

Any disappointment you may encounter with Duty and Desire is forgiven, if not forgotten, when you read the satisfying conclusion of the trilogy, These Three Remain. Plunging right back into the Pride and Prejudice world we all love, we are rewarded with wonderful interaction between Darcy and Elizabeth. We see firsthand Darcy’s gradual realization of the wisdom behind Elizabeth’s sketching of his character and the steps he takes to become the gentleman he aspired to be. I was hoping that Aidan would flesh out some scenes that Miss Austen left vague but, alas, it was not to be. We do, however, get answers to the mystery surrounding Lord Brougham, answers I won’t spoil here but to say that I eagerly await a book centering on this very entertaining and enticing character.

These Three Remain is the book where we discover if Aidan has a handle on the canon characters as well as she does Darcy. Lady Catherine, Wickham, Lydia, and Mr & Mrs Gardiner all have scenes with Darcy that aren’t explored in the original text but that Aidan creates for us here. And a fine job she does, my personal favorite being the scenes with the sleazeball Wickham. Although the Lady Catherine original scenes are a very close second.

I hope Aidan continues on with Darcy and Elizabeth’s story. I find myself wondering how Elizabeth will respond to Darcy’s world in London and to the characters and situations that Aidan has created. I’d even be willing to go so far as to encourage plopping them into the middle of a Gothic romance. With Elizabeth’s wit and satirical eye on hand to laugh at the whims and inconsistencies of everyone, Darcy may even enjoy himself.

An Assembly Such as This - B
Duty and Desire - C-
These Three Remain - A-