Elizabeth's War

With the country looming toward war, a young and naïve Elizabeth Bennett enters nurses' training with the anxious anticipation of supporting her king and country but the horrors of war she has become thrust into, soon consume her. While attending a severely wounded Captain Darcy, Elizabeth and he fall in love, spend his respite together with a promise to meet again at the end of the war. Soon the realities of war- its sounds, disease, pain and the death of the soldiers Elizabeth attends, become a heavy burden to her. Near the end of the war, the Spanish influenza pandemic takes the life of her family and a beloved nursing mentor. Months after the armistice, Darcy fears he has lost Elizabeth to the many battlefields she had been assigned to, until his cousin, Col. Richard Fitzwilliam finally finds a physically and emotionally traumatized Elizabeth at an isolated sick sisters hospital in Belgium. Her family dead, her home and belongings sold, Elizabeth agrees to go to Pemberley with Darcy with the promise to be his wife once she recovers from her injuries. Unfortunately, she faces the scrutiny of his parents, family and his privileged social life. Is she suffering from war neurosis? She's lost so much of her life but with the help of Darcy and her medical team, will or can she ever recover enough to become Darcy's wife?

With the country looming toward war, a young and naïve Elizabeth Bennett enters nurses' training with the anxious anticipation of supporting her king and country but the horrors of war she has become thrust into, soon consume her. While attending a severely wounded Captain Darcy, Elizabeth and he fall in love, spend his respite together with a promise to meet again at the end of the war. Soon the realities of war- its sounds, disease, pain and the death of the soldiers Elizabeth attends, become a heavy burden to her. Near the end of the war, the Spanish influenza pandemic takes the life of her family and a beloved nursing mentor. Months after the armistice, Darcy fears he has lost Elizabeth to the many battlefields she had been assigned to, until his cousin, Col. Richard Fitzwilliam finally finds a physically and emotionally traumatized Elizabeth at an isolated sick sisters hospital in Belgium. Her family dead, her home and belongings sold, Elizabeth agrees to go to Pemberley with Darcy with the promise to be his wife once she recovers from her injuries. Unfortunately, she faces the scrutiny of his parents, family and his privileged social life. Is she suffering from war neurosis? She's lost so much of her life but with the help of Darcy and her medical team, will or can she ever recover enough to become Darcy's wife?

Writing under the pen name of Ginger Schlegel, the author rediscovered the characters Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy while watching the original 1940 movie, Pride and Prejudice, starring Greer Garson and Lawrence Olivier. She immediately connected with their combination of innocence and complexity. Ginger spent 43 years of devoted service in the fields of nursing and education. She earned a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from St. John Fisher College. She now spends time quilting, reading and writing. She recently discovered jet skiing and loves the combination of wind and water. Riding the river enhances her creativity and her ability to develop the characters in her stories. Ginger grew up in upstate NY and now lives in central Virginia. She spends summers on the St. Lawrence River with her husband of 50 years. She has 3 children and 6 grandchildren.