Guest Susan Adriani: Pride and Prejudice, Wickham and Georgiana

Linda Banche here. Today I welcome Susan Adriani and her Pride and Prejudice retelling, The Truth About Mr. Darcy. Here she tells us about her love of Pride and Prejudice, our favorite villain, George Wickham, and the world that Georgiana inhabited.

Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win the copy of The Truth About Mr. Darcy which Sourcebooks has generously provided. Susan will select the winner. Check the comments to see who won, and how to contact me to claim your book. If I cannot contact the winner within a week of the selection, I will award the book to an alternate. Note, Sourcebooks can mail to USA and Canada addresses only.

And the winner Susan selected is Amy! Thanks to all for coming over.

Welcome Susan!

Why Pride and Prejudice?

I fell in love with the characters of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice via the BBC version of the 1995 movie, directed by Andrew Davies. The next day I went out, bought the book, and couldn't put it down.

While all of the characters in Jane Austen's novels are colorful and rich in detail and personality, there was just something about Elizabeth Bennet that captivated me from the start. Unlike Mr. Darcy, whose attraction began with her fine eyes and pleasing figure, my admiration was all for her wit, intelligence, and tenacity and individuality during a time when society demanded so much from women, while allowing them very little freedom to do much of anything.

Her circumstances were not ideal—one of five sisters with no dowry to speak of, an idle father, and a silly mother, yet she did not show resentment for her situation. She loved her sisters—even the three silliest ones—and managed to find amusement wherever she went. The fact that Mr. Darcy fell in love with her in spite of her unsuitable situation and connections, really sealed the deal for me.

George Wickham—what a rake!
I think we can all agree that George Wickham is a bit of a debauched rake, not to mention an opportunist, in gentleman's clothing or, in the case of Pride and Prejudice, regimentals. He manages to deceive Elizabeth Bennet, her family, friends, and the entire village of Meryton before he exposes his true nature by abandoning his post, defaulting on a debt of honor, and fleeing Brighton the following summer, all with Lydia Bennet in tow.

In my story, The Truth About Mr. Darcy, I'm afraid he's quite a bit worse. He is more vindictive, more debauched in his actions, and not at all inclined to mask his contempt for Darcy once he discovers his former benefactor's attraction to Elizabeth, which happens quite early in my book.
I certainly didn't set out to make Wickham into more of a villain than Jane Austen did in Pride and Prejudice, but he definitely ended up that way, and I blame it solely on him! While writing The Truth About Mr. Darcy, I found myself struggling with Wickham's character. Every single time I attempted to write him, he just wanted to show me a more calculating and vindictive persona. I spent so much time rewriting his scenes and trying to force him into a milder mold than he apparently wanted, until, finally, it became too much and I let him have his way.

Georgiana Darcy, and keeping her secret safe
We know that Mr. Darcy did everything in his power to keep his sister Georgiana's almost-elopement a secret from the world. Wouldn't you if your innocent younger sister was being sweet-talked by a man like George Wickham? To many of us, it may not appear as if Georgiana Darcy had done anything wrong; she didn't, after all, go through with the elopement, and willingly confessed all to her brother, who then confronted Wickham and ordered him to leave Ramsgate immediately. Case dismissed.

But it wasn't quite so simple back then. Georgiana was fifteen at the time, no more than a girl. Today, her actions would have been blamed on youthful indiscretion. In the regency period, however, girls were the sole preservers of their fragile reputations, and were held to a strict code of conduct—no intimate touching, no private conduct with a gentleman, only innocent conversation, and no letter writing, or gifts. Often their reputations were pretty much all they had, and a lack of restraint on the lady's part was considered scandalous. If the lady in question was raised in the bosom of a prominent, respectable, wealthy family like the Darcys, the consequences of ignoring the constraints placed upon her by society would be even more severe, in a social sense.

Darcy, as we know, was very concerned about the status of his family, and did not consider Elizabeth Bennet and her family's position in society equal to his own, even though her family was the principle family in the village—and neither did his aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh. If Georgiana's indiscretion got out, the status of the Darcys, Fitzwilliams, and de Bourghs would have lessened considerably in the eyes of London's elite. His sister's disgrace (yes, it would have been considered just that) would have affected Darcy's chances of making a good match, as well as her own. While it is unfair to place the blame solely upon Georgiana, society at the time would have done precisely that and more. There was every possibility a young lady and her family would have been ostracized and shunned. In any case, their respectability as a whole would have been called into question, and I'm sure you can perfectly imagine what Lady Catherine would have had to say on that subject.

I've included an excerpt from my book The Truth About Mr. Darcy, where Georgiana reveals her involvement with George Wickham to Elizabeth. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed being here today. Sincere, heartfelt thanks to Linda Banche for having me as her guest on Historical Hussies. Thank you so much—it was a genuine pleasure!

You're very welcome, Susan.

EXCERPT:

“George?” Elizabeth inquired with a frown. “Is that the name of the young man you knew?”

“Yes,” she said, blushing, “George Wickham. He was the son of my father’s steward. He and Fitzwilliam were always very close when they were younger. They attended Cambridge together but did not continue their acquaintance after that. I now suspect it was because of George’s nefarious habits.”

Elizabeth paled and felt as though she would be sick. “George Wickham!” she gasped. No wonder Fitzwilliam was so affected by his presence in Hertfordshire! It is a wonder he did not kill him that day in Meryton!

Georgiana hesitated. “Do you know of him, Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth slowly nodded, too horrified to speak.

“I was at Ramsgate for the summer with my companion, Mrs. Younge, in whose character my brother and I were both deceived,” Georgiana explained. “Fitzwilliam surprised me the day before I was to leave for Gretna Green with George. He was furious and demanded I end my engagement. I could not grieve him, Elizabeth. Fitzwilliam has raised me alone since I was a little girl. It was not long until George’s true nature revealed itself to me in any case. I am truly ashamed.”

“No. You have no reason to feel ashamed, Georgiana. You were very young at the time. Mr. Wickham preyed upon your innocence and your trusting nature. You cannot be held accountable for what he tried to do. Believe me, I am well acquainted with Mr. Wickham and his… expectations of young ladies.” Georgiana was startled by the bitterness in her voice.

They spent the next half hour in earnest conversation about Mr. Wickham until it was time for them to part and dress for their evening at the theatre, each lady feeling a little easier for having confided in the other and feeling a genuine bond of sisterly friendship that would only continue to grow deeper with time.

About the Author--Susan Adriani
Susan Adriani has been a fan of Jane Austen's works and her beloved characters for as long as she can remember. In addition to writing, she is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. In 2007, after contemplating the unexplored possibilities in one of Miss Austen's books, Pride and Prejudice, she began to write her first story, The Truth About Mr. Darcy, formerly titled Affinity and Affection. With encouragement from fellow Austen enthusiasts, she continues and is currently at work on her second and third books. She lives with her husband and young daughter in Connecticut.

The Truth About Mr. Darcy by Susan Adriani
In this hot tale, Mr. Darcy confesses the truth about George Wickham right from the start, warning Elizabeth and the rest of Meryton about Wickham’s despicable character. Will his honesty change the way Elizabeth feels about him and his previous poor behavior? Will he still have to transform himself to win her love? And what will happen when scandal erupts?