Emma + Elsie Meet Fitzwilliam Darcy

Chapter 1 ~ Elsie

“Emma.”

Her best friend paced back and forth in front of her dresser, mumbling to herself. "Flowers, shoes, necklace..."

“Emma,” Elsie repeated.

“Surprise!” Emma exclaimed, marking something on the small notepad she was holding. She set the pad on her dresser, scribbling furiously.

Elsie heaved a huge, exasperated sigh. “Emma!”

Emma spun around. “Elsie, you're here.” She tilted her head, letting her blonde, bouncy curls fall to one side. "When did you get here?"

“Set it down.”

“What?”

“The pen, the book, your body in a chair. Step away from the to-do list before your head explodes.”

“I am the maid of honor,” Emma declared solemnly. “I will not rest until my list is complete and I’ve ensured that Annabeth’s wedding is absolutely, one-hundred percent perfect.”

“But Emma,” she said, a light grin dancing on her lips. She flipped her iron-straight chestnut hair over her shoulder and plopped down onto her best friend’s four-post princess bed, sprawling out across the crisp, lightweight comforter. She was bursting to tell Emma what she had just learned, but Emma was wrapped up in her own world, as usual.

“No buts,” her friend said, digging through her purse. She pulled out tubes of lipstick, notepads with scratchings all over them, dozens of tiny barrettes, hair clips, and bobby pins, before finding what she was looking for—her keys.

Elsie knew what that meant—Emma had once again invited her over before having to run out the door. "Let me guess—you're leaving."

Emma’s lips formed an exaggerated pout. "I'm sorry... It's an emergency, I swear. A real one this time! Talk later?"

"You’re going to want to hear this before you go,” Elsie said in a singsong voice. She sat up, slightly annoyed by Emma's dismissal. "Where are you going anyway?"

“What time is it?” Emma made a point of looking at her watch, an heirloom of her mother’s. Her mother had passed away when she was a child, and Elsie had rarely seen her without it on.

“Time for you to listen to the exciting news I have,” Elsie rang out.

“Okay, okay. I have a solid thirty minutes before I absolutely have to leave, or Annabeth’s wedding will be ruined. Do you want that on your conscience, Elsie? Ruined.” Emma’s eyes bulged open to demonstrate her point. “Go ahead, then. What’s your gossip?”

“Charles Bingley,” Elsie said, not being able to contain her excitement any longer. When Emma raised an eyebrow at her, she heaved another sigh. “Remember when we looked up all the wedding guests to do the seating charts?” Elsie could still picture almost every detail of the Louisiana State University junior’s Facebook profile, but Emma’s eyes were completely blank as she tapped her pen against her notebook, fidgeting.

“Remember? Charles Bingley—tall, handsome, older, extremely wealthy—totally perfect for you and your ridiculously high standards?”

“My standards aren’t ridiculous!” Emma exclaimed, bringing back an argument they had on a regular basis. “Why does everyone think I need a boyfriend, all of a sudden? It’s the summer before we whisk off to L.S.U., where I may or may not want to focus on a future that does not include studying for an M.R.S. degree.” She smirked as she annunciated each letter in ‘Mrs.’ “Besides, too many southern women still marry for money. I already have money.”