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Chapter Twenty
The Netherfield ballroom was overflowing with flowers. The tables were beautifully set with lavish centerpieces, beautifully illuminated, and a fine set of musicians had been hired to add to the merriment. Tables for honored servants and tenants were set slightly apart from the rest, but were equally lavish. The wine flowed and the exceptional food was enthusiastically enjoyed by all the guests.
As Mr. and Mrs. Darcy made their way from table to table, greeting their guests, Lydia Wickham suddenly approached her new brother and begged to speak to him privately. “Mr. Darcy,” she said rather timidly, “First I would like to tell you how happy I am to have you for a brother and to thank you for all you did for me. It has taken me a while to see that you saved me from certain misery, and I could not have you leave without knowing that I do now appreciate your efforts.”
”I am very glad that you now see it that way, Miss Bennet and I hope you know that I wish you the very best for the future. Only be aware that people remember gossip, and that you will now be held to an even higher standard of conduct.”
“I know that, Sir, and hear lectures about it daily from my father. So that is why I have come to ask you if you think it proper to ask the musicians to play a dance. A celebration is nothing without dancing, don’t you think?”
“Well, dancing has never been my favorite pastime, but I believe that I owe a certain lady a much overdue dance. Yes, Lydia, by all means, ask them to play a reel.”
As the music began and eager couples came to form the sets, Mr. Darcy approached his wife. He forced a little smile, but his eyes betrayed the painful intensity of his emotions. “Mrs. Darcy, I believe I owe you a dance. Would you accept my apology and honor me with your hand?”
She smiled lovingly at him, but said rather cheekily, “Do you now find me tempting enough to deserve such an honor, Mr. Darcy?”
He took up her hand and kissed it, murmuring huskily, “I assure you, Madam, that you are the most tempting woman in the room and that your beauty tempts me to far more pleasurable activities than dancing. But propriety demands that I be patient.”
“Then I shall have to take pity on you, Mr. Darcy,” she said, holding out her hand and allowing him to lead her to the floor.
They came to stand beside Thomas and Emily, who were clearly having a wonderful time. Charles and Jane joined them, pulling Georgiana and Richard along to complete their set. Never before had Fitzwilliam Darcy enjoyed dancing quite so much or allowed himself to forget his reserve. His smile, very rarely seen, now lit up the room.
It was a tearful, but happy good-bye. Jane and Elizabeth had trouble parting, wishing the distance between them less daunting. Mr. Bennet kept his composure, but it was evident that for him this marriage brought an end to the daily amusement and camaraderie provided by his beloved Elizabeth. Darcy assured Mr. Bennet that he was not really losing his daughter, but gaining a library, which helped to lift everyone’s spirits a bit, and then it was agreed that a family reunion would take place at Christmas. But Darcy’s last words were reserved for Hill. Should she ever get fed up with Mrs. Bennet’s rantings, he whispered, she would always have a place at Pemberley.
Elizabeth had already settled herself back for the long ride ahead, cuddled comfortably against her husband’s shoulder, when a thought occurred to her and she asked, “May we make a short stop before leaving the neighborhood, Fitzwilliam? There’s a place I should like you to see.”
“Of course, my love. Will you direct the driver?” He tapped his cane on the roof of the carriage and bade the coachman stop.
They drove as far as the road would allow and hiked up the short rise to the top. Darcy looked out over wide green vista and exclaimed at its beauty.
“It is very beautiful,” said Elizabeth, “but that is not why I wanted you to see it. It was from here, that I first saw you,” she said teasingly.
“From here? You saw me from here? How did you recognize me from such a distance?”
“Oh, I had no idea who you were at the time. I only saw two young gentlemen race their horses across the field and stop to chat, as they gazed towards Netherfield.”
“That must have been the day we came to inspect the property.”
“Yes, and I remember observing that the darker gentleman sat a bit taller in the saddle than the other, and rode with such easy grace. I became very curious about you, Mr. Darcy. Quite enchanted. But I certainly would never have believed that you would become my husband one day.”
“But tell me Elizabeth, when did you first realize that you could care for me? Was it after you read my letter?”
“Oh no, it was much……. Really Fitzwilliam, let us not talk about it. What is important is that we love each other now. When it began is difficult to pinpoint anyway. One is usually very much in love before one even realizes it.”
“There is something here that you wish to avoid saying. Why Elizabeth? We should now be able to tell each other everything,” he said, looking at her with concern. “Please, my love. This makes me most uneasy.”
“But knowing will bring you pain, Fitzwilliam. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
“But now that I’m aware of it, I must know or it will haunt me. Please Elizabeth!”
“Alright. On my first afternoon at the parsonage, Maria came running into my room, insisting that I come down to see an amazing sight. I thought that something really unusual had happened, but it was only your cousin Ann and Mrs. Jenkinson stopping to talk to Charlotte. When I looked at her, something bitter erupted inside me and I said the most horrible thing. I cringe to think of it.”
She looked anxiously at her husband before continuing. “I said that I liked her looks, that she was sickly and cross and that she would make you a proper wife.” She stopped again to gauge his reaction, and immediately saw that he understood. “When Maria asked me who I was talking about, I didn’t answer her of course, but it then struck me that I was envious of poor Ann, because she was meant to have you. I never would have said such a vile thing had I not cared for you.”
“So when I first proposed, you were not that indifferent to me,” he said, in shock and anguish.
“No, in fact I believe that I was so cruel in my rejection of you because you had made it impossible for me to accept you. I really hated you for it.” She hung her head and closed her eyes, afraid of what she had just done to them by revealing such feelings.
He came closer and wrapping his arms around her, placed his lips upon her brow and remained there, quietly holding her. Finally he murmured, “To think, that had I offered you my hand in a proper way, you and I could have had two more years together. That does cut me to the core, Elizabeth. How can I ever make up for the way I have hurt you?”
She drew back from him a little and said with a most mischievous glint in her eyes, “Ah, but you forget, Fitzwilliam, that the issue of Bingley and Jane was another sore point that I could not easily have overcome, so I probably wouldn’t have accepted you anyway!”
Recognizing her efforts to lighten the mood, he pulled her towards him a bit roughly, and cried, “You teasing Minx!” and assaulted her neck and bosom with kisses.
“Mr. Darcy!” she laughed, and contentedly held his head against her breast. “How I do adore you, Sir.”
They were rounding the bend, just at the point where Pemberley comes into view, when Fitzwilliam suddenly took his wife in his arms and turning her away from the sight, kissed her most passionately. He held her there, enjoying the taste and the feel of her, but also ensuring that she would not see the skeleton of the breakfast room already constructed.
When he finally allowed her to come up for air, she said, “I do enjoy your kisses Fitzwilliam, but isn’t it a family tradition to stop the coach and admire Pemberley from that rise?”
“I wish to start a new family tradition,” he answered. “Welcoming you home with a kiss.”
“But now you have undone my hair yet again and I must make myself presentable before I meet the servants,” she teased.
He held out his hand to hold the pins she was removing and marveled at the joy of watching her gather up her tresses and coil them into a flattering do. When she was done, he handed her her bonnet and straightened his own attire. He was coming home a married man.
The servants who had come to Hertfordshire had left the wedding celebration just an hour ahead of their Master and Mistress and were now scurrying into their serving attire to be ready to greet them. They joined the rest of the staff to form two lines before the main entrance when they saw the newly weds’ coach approach.
Elizabeth had expected a rather formal and reserved reception, given that it was a servant’s duty to aim for invisibility. But although perfectly correct in their manner, the servants of Pemberley could not help beaming at their new Mistress. Their bright eyes and glowing smiles were so accepting that any apprehension she may have had instantly vanished.
When the last introduction was made and she had told them how pleased and thankful she was for their kind welcome, twelve little children suddenly appeared holding up six large wedding bows forming an arbor. The dark green foliage of the bows was studded with white Gardenias, permeating the air with the sweetest fragrance. Darcy smiled broadly at the wonderful surprise, and taking his wife’s hand, led her through it and to the front door. There, throwing propriety to the wind, he swept her up in his arms and carried her over the threshold and into the large foyer, where he kissed her most ardently before setting her down.
“Fitzwilliam,” she blushed, “the servants!”
He laughed at his own indiscretion, and taking her bonnet from her hands and handing it to the butler, pulled her toward the dining room for some refreshments. “You must be in need of some tea or something cool perhaps. I’m sure that Mrs. Reynolds and Cook have arranged for something light and tempting.”
“Fitzwilliam, please. Could you slow down a little? You’re behaving like an excited little boy in a sweets shop!”
“That is precisely how I feel, my love. Indulge me, please! I have a new toy, and I can’t wait to show it with you.”
He hastily opened the door to find the dining table and sideboards empty, and pretended to be surprised. But drawing her to the glass centerpiece on the table, he brought her hand to his lips and said, “This is for you, Elizabeth. It is my wedding gift to you.”
She was a bit bewildered, for she could not make out what it was. But trying desperately to hide that fact, gave him the sweetest smile and offered, “It is beautiful, Fitzwilliam. I don’t believe I have ever seen anything like it.” She bent over the table to have a closer look, hoping to discover its purpose. She quickly realized that it was a hexagonal glass structure with a high domed roof. And at its center were placed what appeared to be, dollhouse furniture. There was a table with four chairs around it, a lounging settee and several other chairs clustered around small serving tables. She was completely confused!
He watched her discomfort grow and could not bear to tease her any longer. “Elizabeth, this is only a model of the real thing. Come, my love.” He led her through the French doors that opened onto a spacious terrace, then down its steps and around to the back of Pemberley’s east wing. As they rounded the corner, the completed framework of the structure suddenly loomed before them. Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open. Carefully helping her up a set of makeshift steps, he brought her to the center of the most exquisite mosaic tile floor and pulled out a chair for her at the elegantly set table. She had no words for what she felt and simply gazed at him adoringly. They sat together on one side of the table and looked out over the lawn, the lake and the wood beyond.
“I thought the best gift I could give you was to bring you outdoors in every season. Does it please you, my love?”
“Oh Fitzwilliam, it is wonderful beyond imagining! How did you ever dream up such a thing?”
“Well, I will take credit for the original concept. I knew what I wanted, but Thomas’s genius for engineering and design brought it to life.”
”Thomas? Thomas designed this? How wonderful! How very wonderful of you to trust him with such a project, Fitzwilliam. You have made me so happy!” She reached for his hand and held it against her cheek, then placed tender kisses on it. He rose to wrap her in his embrace and show her how much he loved her.
Epilogue
Posted on Sunday, 15 February 2004
“….She considered how many people’s happiness were in his guardianship! - how much of pleasure or pain it was in his power to bestow! - how much of good or evil must be done by him!” JA
Fitzwilliam Darcy’s promise to make his wife happy was one that he took most seriously. He awoke each morning, grateful for the blessings of his life and devoted to finding ways to make their lives even better. He soon came to realize that they were a rare couple indeed. They lacked nothing, and found both passion and contentment in each other. And so, it was obvious that their own happiness could only be increased by making others happy. And that was what Darcy set out to do. He would use his wit, his influence and his capital to improve the lives of those that he and Elizabeth loved. He began with Catherine Bennet.
With her oldest sisters married, Kitty was left to suffer the injustice of dealing daily with her spoiled and bitter sister Lydia, whose only relief, it seemed, was to demean everyone around her, and her dull and preachy sister Mary, who treated her as if she were a fool. After Lydia’s disgrace, Kitty had thought she would gain favor in her mother’s eyes, but Mrs. Bennet continued to favor Lydia, taking her part on every occasion, and giving Kitty little chance to grow or gain in self-confidence. Her father, thinking her a silly and ignorant girl, neglected her completely.
Kitty began writing to Elizabeth out of boredom, but soon found that telling her sister her troubles unburdened her somehow. Elizabeth’s sound advice quickly began to have an effect on her. Following her sister’s instructions to create a life of her own, separate and secret from the one she lived at Longbourn, she got out of the house as much as possible. She took to rambling through the same paths and along the same streams that had nurtured Elizabeth and found herself suddenly seeing the beauty of the world around her. At times she brought her writing materials with her, content to sit under a tree and pour her feelings out on paper. But there were times when the ink spilled or the quill needed mending and she soon abandoned the idea of writing outdoors.
Having always been in competition with Lydia for the prettiest dress, or most stylish bonnet, Kitty had kept her fashion ideas in a private journal. She would sketch out her idea on the center of the page, with notes in the margins as to color, fabric, texture and the like. Now, when a new design came to mind, she would include it in her letter to Elizabeth and eagerly await her sister’s opinion of it. Elizabeth’s opinions on the designs varied, but her lavish praise for her sketches were constant. She encouraged Kitty to look for subjects other than fashion to express her artistic gift and sent her boxes of charcoals and sketchbooks of heavy paper. These she easily carried on her now daily walks and what developed was truly extraordinary.
By Christmas, Kitty had five sketchbooks full of exceptional drawings to show her sister and new brother. Their reaction to her work touched her deeply, for she had never felt valued or appreciated for anything she had thought or done before. She saw herself as a person of worth in their eyes and it changed her life.
Kitty didn’t have to beg to stay at Pemberley; the offer came without her even hinting at it. She and Georgiana would surely become good friends and would gain greatly from sharing their different interests. By the spring, Catherine, as Darcy preferred to call her, was studying with a local artist who worked in both oils and watercolor. But a year later, when he declared that he had nothing more to teach her, it was decided that she should be sent to the prestigious Art Academy in Florence, Italy.
During that first autumn of their marriage, one of Darcy’s newest business ventures demanded the negotiating power of a thoroughly scrupulous attorney, who would have only Darcy’s interests at heart, and would not be tempted to use the situation to line his own pockets at his employer’s expense. Of course, Darcy had a number of such trusted individuals in his employ, but they were already overloaded with work and rather than send an underling, he approached Edward Gardiner to take on the task. He soon found himself depending more and more on Uncle Gardiner’s keen mind and exceptional business sense. The relationship benefited both parties and Edward Gardiner soon saw his reputation grow and yearly income increase substantially.
But finding a way to lift the financial woes of his father-in-law, while allowing Mr. Bennet to retain his dignity, was a far more difficult task. Darcy decided that he needed more information about the situation at Longbourn and sent a gentleman, highly skilled in soil analysis, husbandry, farming and land reclamation to Netherfield with the task of assessing the problems and reporting back to him. The man was introduced to the neighborhood as a friend of the Bingley family and was therefore free to wander the countryside, informally interviewing whomever he wished.
His findings were disheartening. The land had been overworked and was producing less and less each year, for it had not been allowed to lie fallow for more than twenty years! Mr. Bennet’s own neglect of his land had withered away any esteem his tenants once had for him, and they no longer bothered to come to him with their problems. Many accepted the poor yield and had no incentive to work harder, while those who found better opportunities elsewhere abandoned their farms. Drastic changes were needed.
Darcy pondered the problem for months without a workable solution presenting itself until he read an article in the London Gazette about hybrid sheep being bred in South America for their exceptionally fine wool. None had yet been imported to England due to the cost of transporting them and Darcy immediately saw an opportunity for Bingley, Mr. Bennet and himself.
He proposed a partnership whereby he would provide the capital to import the animals and the combined lands of Netherfield and Longbourn would be used to farm them. All Darcy really wanted was the eventual return of his investment, but he had to convince Mr. Bennet that he thought the venture highly lucrative and that he was eager to see the profits. The scheme turned out far better than he could have imagined and within a period of three years, Mr. Bennet was again a well respected and much admired gentleman. He was now so occupied with the day-to-day workings of his estate that he hardly had time to read! And there were many days that he arrived home so preoccupied and exhausted that he lacked the spirit needed to vex his wife. A year later he built a factory on the outskirts of Meryton to clean and process the much sought after wool, thereby providing employment for many and adding to his own wealth and position in the neighborhood.
Elizabeth also persuaded her mother and sisters that it was the responsibility of the ladies of the estate to get to know their tenants and to do what they could to help and guide them. It was what Mrs. Darcy had done before she became ill and it was what she and Georgiana now did on a regular basis. They visited their tenants’ wives and children while their husbands were out working, bringing them gifts of food, comfort and advice when it was appropriate.
Mrs. Bennet had never seen the need to involve herself in the lives of her tenants, but if her daughter, the Mistress of Pemberley deemed it important, then it certainly must be so. At first the visits felt rather awkward, but Mrs. Bennet soon found that she appreciated the esteem that was lavished upon her and she so enjoyed collecting gossip, giving advice and most of all, being taken seriously!
Mary considered it G-d’s work and threw herself into it enthusiastically. Her experiences over the first few months did much to soften her rigid view of the world. She found that she had special empathy for the little children, whose exhausted mother’s had little time or energy for them.
Lydia found it all rather tedious and boring, but understood that here was a chance to redeem herself a little in the eyes of Meryton society. Besides, it was something to do that would get her out of that confining house. She was, of course, not permitted to go into town on her own, and Mary never wished to do anything but read or play the piano. Simple pleasures that she once would have thought old fashioned or stupid, now seemed far preferable to sitting in the parlor with her mother. Her limited choices gave her a new perspective.
One Sunday at church the vicar announced the tragic death of Mary Hawthorne, the young wife of Jonathan Hawthorne, and the mother of two very young children. Lydia was genuinely shaken. She had visited the heavily expectant mother only two days earlier and promised to return with gifts for the baby after the birth. Now both mother and child were being buried the next morning. How would a three year old and an eighteen month old survive without their mother? How would Mr. Hawthorne manage to work his fields, graze his sheep and care for his children all alone? Her own problems suddenly seemed rather small.
After the funeral, the entire Bennet family came to pay their condolences, bringing some prepared meals and small toys for the children. Lydia offered to come and care for the children for a few hours each day, until Mr. Hawthorne made some arrangements for the care of his family. Although Mr. Bennet did not find this altogether proper, he realized that it was the first truly kind thing his youngest daughter had ever done, and gave it his approval.
Months passed and Mr. Hawthorne found neighborhood mothers who were eager to increase their pin money by caring for his children during the day, but whenever one of the children was ill, the arrangement fell apart and Lydia would volunteer to help out. She loved being alone with the sweet little ones. She would heap affection on them, receiving even more in return and found that she even enjoyed many the domestic duties she once looked down upon. But most of all, she looked forward to the few moments she spent in the company of Jonathan Hawthorne on his return home. He did not wear a red coat, nor were his manners that of a true gentleman, but when he came home at the end of the day, sweaty and grimy, his linen shirt clinging to his muscled back and his eyes bright and eager to see his children, he was the most beautiful man in the world. He would thank her for her kindness, sometimes gathering wildflowers to show his appreciation and often walk her most of the way home, carrying the little ones in his arms.
The next spring, when Lydia’s marriage to Wickham was dissolved after five years of abandonment, Jonathan Hawthorne, proposed. He wasn’t at all certain that Mr. Bennet would give his blessing. After all, he was a tenant farmer and she was a gentleman’s daughter. But Mr. Bennet knew a good thing when he saw it and welcomed Jonathan into his family. The wedding was planned for early summer, when Kitty would be home from Italy and traveling would be easier for the Darcys and the Bingleys and all their brood.
Thomas Witherbee’s creative genius was recognized almost immediately by the cream of English society. The Pemberley breakfast room had brought him to the attention of the ton, but the grand manor house that he designed for the Bingleys made him one of the most sought after architects in all of England. He was in such great demand that he opened his own firm two years later.
He had moved his family into a modest, but elegant brick home a few months after the Darcy wedding, but was forced to seek larger accommodations after only two years due to the birth of twin girls. Now, three years later he was finally designing his own home, to be built in a very comfortable section of a new London suburb. His work demanded that he remain in town, but he wanted his family out of the hustle and bustle. Part of each summer was always spent at the cottage at Pemberley, where the added benefit of having good friends with children of their own, allowed them an occasional night of complete privacy.
It was about a week before Lydia’s wedding that Emily and Thomas received a surprise visit from Edmund at the cottage. They had been inviting him to join them for years, with Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam’s encouragement, of course, but he had always felt awkward about accepting. Now, passing through on his way home from a trip to the lakes, he felt a few days with his brother’s family would not be resented. Everyone was happy to see him, especially his little nieces and nephews who adored their playful and amusing uncle. On the first night of his visit they were all invited to dine with the Darcys.
When they entered the house, the family was already gathered in the music room enjoying Georgiana’s mastery of a Haydn sonata and listening to Catherine’s adventures in Italy. Introductions were made and by the time dinner was announced, Edmund thought himself a very lucky man indeed, to be escorting two such lovely and accomplished young ladies into the dining room. Georgiana Darcy was by far the prettier and more refined of the two, but Catherine Bennet immediately put Edmund at ease. There was no pretense in her manner and her genuinely warm responses to all his inquiries made her most endearing. By the time the family was ready to travel to Longbourn, he was completely besotted and eager to travel along so that he could seek Mr. Bennet’s permission to marry her.
Catherine was equally smitten! She was, of course, flattered by the attentions of a good looking, wealthy young man, ten years older than herself, but being ever mindful of her sister’s near calamity in the world of romance, was very careful to assess his character. He was a warm, amiable person who loved the simple pleasures of life and adored little children. But best of all, he adored her! He accepted her as she was, and actually admired her and respected her opinions. He was even genuinely eager to have her exhibit her work! She had never dreamt that she would find such a man.
The morning of Lydia’s wedding, the old Vicar who was to perform the ceremony became ill and the young clergyman from the neighboring village had to be sent for to take his place. He was a rather soft-spoken, charming young man who headed the local church school. Mr. Bennet immediately invited him to stay for the wedding breakfast, and it was there that he first noticed Mary Bennet. She was caring for her five nieces and nephews and was doing a splendid job of keeping them happy. He stood and admired her for several moments before approaching her. Could she use an extra pair of hands, he inquired? Mary had been trying to help the older ones enjoy their cake while balancing the squirming baby on her shoulder. She smiled and thanked him for assisting her.
As they both attempted to get the chocolate into the children’s mouths, rather than on their clothes, they fell into easy conversation. His school had grown considerably in the last few months and they were rather short handed, he told her. Would a lady like herself possibly consider volunteering a few hours of her time two or three times a week to further the education of these children? Mary’s cheeks flushed with excitement. “Why yes, I would be happy to if my father approves,” she responded.
The youngest little Darcy was becoming irritable in Mary’s arms and she excused herself to find her sister. “I think that Edward is getting hungry Elizabeth,” she said as she handed the squirming bundle over to his mother.
“Thank you, Mary. You are such a wonderful auntie,” she said, giving her sister a kiss on the cheek. “I will take him upstairs. Will you watch over William and Emma? You can always hand them over to their father you know, if you get tired,” she winked.
“Oh, I think I saw Mr. Darcy talking to some gentlemen out in the garden, Elizabeth. But I’m very happy to watch them. I get to see them so rarely.”
Elizabeth smiled to herself as she climbed the stairs. “Will wonders never cease!” she murmured.
She changed Edward and made him comfortable before settling down to nurse him in a chair by the window. She could hear the lively chatter below as guests wandered out to sip their drinks in the garden. The deep, velvet timbre of her husband’s voice floated up to her and she leaned forward to see him happily conversing with her father and the groom. She watched him smiling and gesturing, laughing and sipping his wine in perfect ease. Could this be the same proud and haughty man who had insulted her at the Meryton Assembly? He now had a common farmer as a brother-in-law and seemed to think nothing of it. How she loved this man!
It was as if her thoughts of him had caught his attention and he glanced up at the window to see her beaming down at him. He grinned up at her, excused himself from his companions and headed into the house. Within a moment he was seated beside her, gently stroking Edwards head as he sucked contentedly. He then rose to stand behind his wife, placing kisses at the base of her neck and down her spine and placing his wonderful hands on her shoulders began to massage them.
“I knew it was a good idea to keep Netherfield in the family,” he murmured as he continued his gentle kneading. “Imagine having to stay at Longbourn or the Inn in Meryton with the children whenever we visit. It would be uncomfortable and inconvenient. I know Charles agrees with me. And since the house is so large, your father and I have suggested to Hawthorne that he move his family into the east wing and make it their permanent home. The few servants we keep on staff here will be sufficient for them, don’t you think?”
She turned to smile at him. “Is this your wedding present, Mr. Darcy?”
“Well, yes, I suppose. Now obviously Charles and I are not giving them Netherfield. But there is no reason for such a fine house to sit empty between family visits. The east wing will do well enough for them right now and whenever anyone else comes to visit they will have plenty of privacy on the other side of the house. Anyway, I think your father will ask Jonathan to help him at the wool plant in the near future. It has become too much for him to handle on his own and there is no reason for him to work so hard. There are plenty of good men eager to work Jonathan’s land.”
“I believe all your ideas have been good ones, Mr. Darcy. Especially the first one - to marry me,” she joked.
“You didn’t seem to think so when I first approached you, Mrs. Darcy.”
“Yes, but it has been so delightful being proved wrong, each and every day,” she said, reaching up to kiss his mouth. Edward was by now fast asleep and his father placed him gently in his crib in the adjoining room. When he returned he moved to lock the door and working at the knots of his neck cloth, asked, “Are the children well taken care of?”
“They are with their aunt Mary,” she replied.
“Splendid!” he said, impatiently undoing the buttons of his vest.
Charles Bingley approached Mary with a grin, but her face lost its smile when she saw him. “You haven’t come to take them away from me already, have you? It’s early yet,” she complained.
“We wish to cover quite a bit of ground before it gets dark, Mary. I know you understand.”
She scooped little Richard up and handed him to his father. Having just learned to stand, he enjoyed holding on to Mary’s fingers and bouncing up and down. He complained bitterly at the injustice of losing his independent mobility, but once seated on his father’s shoulders he quieted down and happily took in the view.
“Why don’t you come and spend a few weeks with us, Mary. We would all so enjoy having you. You can even come back with us now if you like,” he urged.
She blushed and mumbled something about being rather busy in the weeks to come. She had some charity work that she had promised to do.
“Well, I’m sure you know that you are always welcome. Just write and tell us when you are ready to travel.” He kissed her cheek and taking little Victoria by the hand headed toward the stairs. As he ascended, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth were coming down to say their good-byes to the family. “There you are!” said Charles. “Everyone has been looking for you. Where have you been hiding?”
“Edward needed to be fed, and then we changed into our traveling clothes. Are you and Jane ready to leave?” asked Elizabeth in a most matter of fact manner.
“Yes, we’ll be down in a moment. Jane is waiting for me to bring these little scamps up to her for changing as well.”
Elizabeth nodded and she and Fitzwilliam went to find her parents. From the expression on her mother’s face, Elizabeth knew that something very exciting had just occurred. Mrs. Bennet was all in a tizzy, laughing and smiling with Kitty and Edmund, while Mr. Bennet regarded them most proudly.
“Elizabeth,” Catherine cried when she saw her sister and brother. “Papa has given his permission and Edmund and I are to be married in September. Isn’t it wonderful?” She hugged her sister most happily. “Oh, may we also plan on using the Netherfield ballroom for our wedding party?”
“Of course, Catherine, Edmund, we are so happy for both of you. This is all so sudden, but most welcome. We wish you every happiness!” was her reply.
Darcy congratulated the young couple as well, very pleased to have been a part of Catherine’s transformation into such an accomplished and amiable young woman.
Catherine approached him with tears in her eyes. “I owe so much of my happiness to you, Mr. Darcy. I love you dearly.”
“As I do you, Catherine. You deserve every bit of good fortune that has come your way.” He kissed her hand and went to shake Edmund’s heartily.
“Well, let us gather everyone coming home to Pemberley and be on our way, shall we?” he said, searching for his sister in the crowd. He spotted her kissing Lydia good-bye and went to do the same.
Having made the children comfortable, and settling into their seats as well, they accepted everyone’s good wishes for a safe journey home and waved good-bye. As they departed, Elizabeth watched her parents and sisters with great satisfaction. She could not remember a happier or more hopeful time for her family.
Georgiana grinned at her brother as she rocked little Edmund in her arms. “So I suppose I’m the only one you still have to worry about, dear brother. I hope I do not cause you any undue distress. I am, after all, already three and twenty!” she teased.
Fitzwilliam Darcy smiled at his sister with genuine pride and affection. “I am not at all concerned about you, Georgiana. I am a very selfish being and am only too happy to have the two most wonderful women in all of England at my side. But I dare say that some deserving young man will soon deprive me of part of that pleasure.”
Georgiana just smiled. She had no idea of what lay ahead, but she was so very contented with her life at present, that she knew she would not be willing to give it up for anything less than the very deepest love; the kind she saw between her dear brother and sister every day.
FINIS