Pride and Pyramids

by Amanda Grange and Jacqueline Webb

[Cocktails and Books]

I'm not sure if I ever wondered what Elizabeth and Darcy's life would have been liked after Jane Austen ended their story, but I didn't expect a somewhat more relaxed Darcy to agree to a somewhat spur of the moment decision to traipse off to Egypt.

Darcy's younger cousin, Edward, drops by for a visit and announces that he's heading off to the British Museum to try and convince one of the scholars to allow him to go along on his next dig. Edward is positive that where Sir Matthew is digging is the site of a tomb Edward and Darcy's fathers tried to find when they were young men. Elizabeth wants and adventure and Darcy, under the guise of ensuring Edward doesn't find himself in trouble, agrees to take the entire Darcy brood over seas, river and desert in the name of an "educational experience". What none of the Darcys and Fitzwilliams realize is the ancient curse that hangs over this particular tomb and what dangers lie ahead for them as they go on their journey.

This was an interesting insight into Elizabeth and Darcy's life after Pride and Prejudice. We didn't find the arguing Darcy and Lizzie that we saw in their younger years, but instead a couple who were truly in love and happy in the life they had created together. I was intrigue to find that Darcy would give into the whims of his wife when she announced she wanted an adventure and "hey, let's go off to Egypt". But as the story went on, you realize that while Darcy wanted the adventure to try and bring a spark back into Elizabeth's eyes that had been missing, he also was doing it to be protective of his young cousin.

While the story was a bit slow until the Darcys arrived in Egypt, once there the story seemed to pick up pace. I loved the description of the pyramids, the oasis and the beliefs the locals had with the ancient curses that may lay about the land. Of course, no good story is without some sort of villain. And true to any Darcy and Elizabeth story, it wouldn't be complete with Mr. Wickham lurking about and causing trouble. Of course, the same thing could probably be said for stowaway Mrs. Bennett, but she did have her usefulness now and then.

If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice, it was fun to revisit with old friends and see what has happened to them after fifteen years.