Pride and Prescience Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged [Paperback]

Pride and Prescience (Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged), a Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery, embroils the joyous newlyweds Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy in a mystery involving one of their wedding guests.

The lovely Caroline Bingley is engaged to marry a rich and charismatic American. Unfortunately, this windswept courtship is marred by many strange events-- nocturnal wanderings, spooked horses, carriage accidents, and even an apparent suicide attempt. Soon the whole Bingley family seems the target of a mysterious plot, with only the Darcys recognizing the danger.

Sinister forces are afoot and the Darcys must get to the bottom of the plot before the blushing bride descends into madness--or worse.

Questions for Discussion

1. The book's subtitle comes from the opening line of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Bebris includes this line as an epigraph at the start of Pride and Prescience. What expectations did this quote and subtitle set up in you as a reader? How does it reflect the characters'expectations?

2. The word prescience means foresight, foreknowledge, or anticipation of events. Which characters in the novel display prescience, and in what ways?

3. Discuss the theme of appearance vs. reality in the novel. Are there characters besides Parrish whounintentionally or deliberately, for good or badare not entirely what they seem?

4. To what extent is Caroline responsible for her own misfortune?

5. Describe the dynamic between Elizabeth and Darcy, in terms of both their marriage and their sleuthing. What strengths does each bring to the relationship? What weaknesses? How well do they complement each other?

6. Elizabeth and Darcy clash over the issue of reason vs. intuition. Which do you rely upon most strongly when making decisions?

7. Are the characters complicit in their own dl#-