Hypothetically Married_A Pride and Prejudice Variation
Page 20
Part Seven
Real Happiness
Epilogue
Mr. Phillips sat near the warmth of Mr. Searle’s ceramic stoves. He was very fond of them. He and Mrs. Phillips had procured several for their own London home. He was alone, for the rest of the party was in the center of the room, engaged in several lively conversations. Mr. Phillips smiled, thoroughly content to sit off to the side and observe his large, wonderful family.
They were celebrating everyone’s tenth anniversaries. Of course, Elizabeth and Darcy wouldn’t have theirs for another month, but that never stopped the group celebration. Over the years, they’d received merciless teasing from the others, especially Richard and Kitty, about their slowness. Elizabeth and Darcy would just exchange intimate smiles in response. Mr. Phillips didn’t think the delay interfered with their happiness.
As this was their joint tenth anniversary, the celebration was rather more extensive than usual and included more couples. In fact, this was their second party. The first had taken place at Netherfield Park and had included all the children.
Mr. Phillips liked children, but after a full weekend surrounded by all the children Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, Lydia and Anne had managed, along with Georgiana’s growing brood, those of Bingley’s sisters and Searle’s sisters, he was quite happy for the relative piece of this smaller adult celebration back home in London. Children, he found, were exhausting. Individually, he loved them. Even when he had several with him at once, he enjoyed their company, and that enjoyment extended to include Lydia’s five, who were horribly spoiled by their doting mother. He simply couldn’t manage them en masse.
This party had fewer adults as well, being relegated to only those who’d actually taken part in the two days of weddings, and Elizabeth and Darcy. Of course, they’d already endured Richard’s and Kitty’s mock assertion they weren’t to attend. Mr. Phillips was, in fact, impressed with how well Darcy took the ribbings. He’d worried, years ago, that the younger man was a bit too stiff for Elizabeth. Happily, Darcy had become more easy with people since their marriage.
The Darcy’s brood of three were entertaining Jane’s and Bingley’s four that evening, at Darcy House, as the Bingleys were staying with the Darcys. They never had purchased a place in London. Kitty’s two were at home, as she and Richard had finally bought a small townhouse in a respectable neighborhood a few years back. Anne’s two had been sent to bed.
Although all of them at once were exhausting, Mr. Phillips knew he would soon miss the children who would return to the country. More than that, he had an obligation to the children. All of them. He was the only grandfather any of them had, even though he wasn’t really anyone’s grandfather.
He sipped his champagne, something Anne always insisted on for these celebrations. This evening was for adults, and for chatter. Not that they didn’t see each other often already. Really, there was little catching up to do.
Anne reported that her mother had a new companion, but that was hardly significant news. This was Lady Catherine’s seventeenth companion in ten years. Mr. Phillips suspected that once she told her new companion all her stories and found out all the information she could about them, she got bored. He was grateful he hadn’t married her.
His gaze went to his wife, in deep conversation with Kitty and Anne, all three animated and cheerful. Instead of Lady Catherine, he’d married a wonderful, generous-hearted woman. A woman who, even while they were secretly courting, had been good enough to accept his spending time with someone else to make life easier for his nieces.
Fortunately, there was no longer any need for anything like that, and hadn’t been since the day they’d wed. His nieces and their husbands were doing very well. Mary’s husband was now an attorney and under him, Mr. Phillips’ former practice was thriving. Mr. Wickham was still working for Searle. He’d stayed reformed, but Mr. Phillips suspected that Searle’s continued observation of him had something to do with that.
Richard had sold his commission. His and Kitty’s combined income wasn’t generous, but Richard’s brother had invested heavily in London property and had asked Richard to manage for him. In return, Richard lived rent free in the Fitzwilliam’s London house, with the servants’ wages paid by his brother. The only disadvantage was that Kitty and Richard had to put up with his brother visiting for about a month every year. As well, since his brother had sired six daughters and no sons, there was a good chance Richard or one of his sons would be the next earl.
As for Jane and Bingley, they were as kindhearted and cheerful as ever. They seemed to enjoy country life, and Jane and Mary had remained quite close. Mr. Phillips smiled, watching the sisters speak cheerfully together.
He scanned the small crowd. He found Elizabeth and Darcy slightly to one side, together. They spent time with others at these events, but after a few hours, they were usually found together. Richard often teased them, saying that since they were comparative newlyweds, he understood they needed to be together more.
Darcy leaned toward Elizabeth and murmured something. She looked up with a smile. He brushed a curl back from her cheek.
Mr. Phillips looked away, feeling he was intruding on an intimate moment. He smiled. It was good to see everyone so happy. There had been times, years ago after first their mother, then their father, and then his wife died, that Mr. Phillips worried he wouldn’t be able to do well by his nieces. What, after all, had he known about raising five half-grown girls? Then, to have the first one married be Lydia, and under such circumstances… He shook his head to dispel the memory.
“A toast,” Richard called.
Mr. Phillips looked to find everyone turning toward Richard. They raised their glasses. He did as well, in his quiet corner. A smile tugged at his lips, for he knew what toast was coming. It was the same one Richard made every year.
“To the general’s nephew,” Richard declared.
“To the general’s nephew,” everyone responded.
Mr. Phillips sipped his champagne. His smile widened. The general’s nephew in question had run off and married a barmaid without a farthing to her name.
~ The End ~
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Installments in Scarsdale Publishing’s Marriage Maker Series:
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From Ashes to Heiresses
In the wake of a devastating fire at Longbourn, Elizabeth and Jane are taken in by their aunt and uncle in Meryton. Concerned about their situation, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley come to Hertfordshire, but not before Mr. Wickham attempts to use Jane’s heartache to his advantage.
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About the Authors
Renata McMann
Renata McMann is the pen name of Teresa McCullough, someone who likes to rewrite public domain works. She is fond of thinking "What if?" To learn more about Renata's work and collaborations, visit www.renatamcmann.com.
Summer Hanford
Starting in 2014, Summer was offered the privilege of partnering with fan fiction author Renata McMann on her well-loved Pride and Prejudice variations. More information on these works is available at www.renatamcmann.com. Additionally, in 2016, Summer was lucky enough to be asked to join Austen Authors, a great place for fans to get more Jane Austen. To explore Austen Authors, visit www.austenauthors.net.
Summer is currently writing solo works, partnering with McMann, providing content for, creating and managing websites, and is the fantasy and science fiction faculty member at AllWriters' Workplace and Workshop, LLC., an international creative writing studio. She lives in Michigan with her husband and compulsory, deliberately spoiled, cats. For more about Summer, visit www.summerhanford.com.