“...if I endeavor to undeceive people as to the rest of his conduct, who will believe me?” -Pride & Prejudice, Chapter 40
Elizabeth Bennet, a rookie counterintelligence officer, lands an intriguing first assignment—investigating the CIA's legendary William Darcy, who is suspected of being a double agent.
Darcy’s charmed existence seems at an end as he fights for his career and struggles against his love for the young woman he doesn’t know is watching his every move.
Elizabeth’s confidence dissolves as nothing is like she planned—and the more she discovers about Darcy, the more she finds herself in an ever-tightening web of danger.
Unexpected twists abound in this suspenseful Cold War-era romance inspired by Jane Austen’s classic tale.
Undeceived: Pride and Prejudice in the Spy Game.
In this story, William Darcy is a seasoned, rather cynical CIA officer. Elizabeth is a bright, charming rookie whose assignment is to help root out a nefarious double agent.
The novel is set all over Central Europe, the Caribbean, and, of course, at CIA headquarters during the last gasp of the Cold War. “Undeceived” was the culmination of about 2 ½ years of research: books, movies, documentaries, and Google searches that had me wondering if Homeland Security might show up at my door-yikes! (They never did, thank goodness.)
Blog Post:
5 Best Universal Themes in Pride and Prejudice
- First impressions can mislead you.
Especially for our beloved Lizzy B, this is the biggest lesson learned and the most universal theme in the book, IMHO. Basically, Ms. Austen advises us, through her nearly-perfect narrative, to be judicious when expressing our initial gut reaction to someone—not necessarily because it is completely off-base (after all, Mr. Darcy IS prideful and arrogant at first), but because we may not know the whole story. In short, judge slowly.
- If you don’t communicate what you want, it’s quite possible you won’t get it.
Here, I’m thinking about Jane Bennet. She likes Charles Bingley, a lot, but Charlotte Lucas is right (one of a few times she calls it in this book)—if you don’t find a way to communicate your heart’s desire, there is a distinct possibility it will not happen. Yes, I know Jane’s hands are tied by Regency society rules, but Charlotte says she “there are few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement.” (As an aside, I happen to think Austen was informing her readers about Darcy as much as about Bingley and most of the rest of us. After all, later on Darcy remains “really in love” without any encouragement. In fact, until he gets to Pemberley, he has endured active discouragement.)
- No one likes conversing too much with a know-it-all, and if you come off as one, everyone is probably laughing at you behind your back—or avoiding you.
Lots of examples here: Think about Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine—think about poor Mary Bennet. Yes, I remember Mr. Darcy’s line: “…where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.” He thinks himself above human folly and foibles (part of his character growth in the novel) but I think he does make a good point in that—at least, ideally—a real superiority of mind, under good regulation means one uses his or her knowledge to benefit and lift up others. Good regulation also means if you’re not sure what to say, you tend to hold back until you get the lay of the land, so to speak.
- If you want a Mr. Darcy you have to act like an Elizabeth Bennet, and vice versa.
Elizabeth Bennet is charming and witty, but she also demonstrates humility when she is shown to be wrong. She is genuinely concerned for the people she loves, and Mr. Darcy remarks on this quality in her. The Master of Pemberley is full of arrogance and pride, but after his failed proposal and a period of self-examination, he changes his behavior. He works behind the scenes to repair the damage his pride may have cost the Bennets. Which leads us to theme number 5…
- Everyone makes mistakes—it’s how you respond that matters.
Elizabeth and Darcy face their errors and try to make amends. It works out for them in the end, but forgiveness, of themselves and of each other, is the start of that journey to the HEA.
