by A K Madison
“I am so glad to hear it. You look well also, my dear. No news yet?”
“Nothing yet.” Elizabeth blushed.
Charlotte joined them, and the two friends embraced. “You are looking well, Charlotte. We have not had the opportunity to talk, but life at Rosings seems to agree with you.”
“Anne is a remarkably congenial companion, and I still have a number of good friends in the neighborhood.” Charlotte smiled. “I am also happy to say that the new rector and his lady seem capable of managing the affairs of the parish, and of their own household, without any interference. We visit from time to time and do charitable work, but the relationship is friendly. Anne seems to have picked up some of your skills and Jane’s. She is most attentive to the needs of her tenants, and they are flourishing.”
“Mr. Darcy says she has an excellent head for the business of running an estate. And the new steward seems to have been helpful.” Elizabeth looked across the room. “Speaking of Mr. Darcy, there he is surrounded by young ladies. Shall we go and see what he is up to?”
She curtsied to Lady Lucas and took Charlotte’s arm, and together they joined Darcy, who was engaged in an animated conversation with Lydia, Kitty, Georgiana, and Anne.
Lydia folded her arms over her chest and thrust out her chin with a scowl. “You may argue all you wish, brother, but I shall not change my mind. The Prince of Denmark was a self-centered boor.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I believe I understand that we are not discussing the ‘Family Shakespeare’ here, but the real one.”
“I would not have recommended a seminary for Lydia where any such drivel was taught,” replied her husband. “I am pleased with her progress, and so should we all be.”
“Oh, Lizzy. I cannot wait to return,” said Lydia. “It is such an interesting place. The girls are all kind to me, and there is always something new to do.”
Georgiana stepped up and took her arm. “Lydia, I think you will find interest and pleasure whatever you are doing. You are so lively.”
“How do you feel about having to go back in, as it were, Lydia?” asked Charlotte.
“It does not bother me. When I have daughters, I shall wait until they are eighteen before allowing them to be out. There are other interesting things in the world besides husbands.”
Charlotte laughed. “You are grown wise, Lydia.”
Darcy and Elizabeth excused themselves and walked arm in arm to greet the other guests. The new Mrs. Emerson sat conversing animatedly with her husband and a group of neighbors, and she smiled at them as they passed near her. “Your mother looks ten years younger, upon my word,” said Darcy. Then, changing the subject, “Have you eaten anything?”
“I have not, and I will cheerfully consume whatever I can scavenge.”
“Permit me.” He seated her comfortably and returned with a plate laden with every delicacy offered by the table. “I like to see a girl with a healthy appetite,” he remarked as he handed it to her. When he returned with his own plate, he said, “I had a letter from London this morning. All is in readiness at the house, and Cook plans a supper featuring roast duck. I hope they do better justice to it than we did to our wedding-night supper.”
“Mrs. Ryland wrote to you and not to me?”
“The letter was addressed to both of us. I recognized her handwriting.”
It was soon time to cut and consume the bride’s cake, and when that had been done, the carriage came around for the newlyweds. Elizabeth and Jane joined their sisters as their mother put on her pelisse and bonnet. Elizabeth embraced her mother and said, “Be happy, Mama. Just be as happy as you can be.”
“Oh, Lizzy. I intend to do just that. And we shall see you soon for the birth of Mary’s babe. Thank you for everything.”
And then it was time for Frances Gardiner Bennet Emerson to leave.
As it turned out, Mary was delivered with little trouble of a fine, sturdy little girl who was the candle of her papa’s eye and Mary’s darling. Elizabeth followed a few months later with Bennet Darcy, the first of four children who arrived like clockwork, three years apart. Mr. and Mrs. Emerson, who made their home at Rose Cottage, arrived for the birth of every grandchild. Eventually they retired to the estate in Kent, where they entertained the growing brood each spring. Not to be outdone, Jane and Charles Bingley also added four children to the family, each as handsome as their two parents.
Darcy and Elizabeth continued to divide their time between Pemberley and London, with just enough time spent in London to satisfy their need for books, plays, and music. They visited Rosings every Easter with their children and took advantage of the location to visit the Emersons, who were always delighted to see them. June brought the annual visit to Netherfield, while late summers and autumns were always spent at Pemberley. The Darcy children were never lonely for playmates as their little Randall cousins were just up the road in Kympton.
Georgiana Darcy had a brilliant Season with what Darcy termed “too many suitors to count, all after her money.” The shy young woman realized this and managed to sidestep the money-grabbers. To the astonishment of everyone who knew her, she fell deeply in love with Jonny Lucas. He was bookish and as shy as Georgiana, and he was finishing up his last year at Cambridge, determined to make a success of the estate he would one day inherit from Sir William. The two met at one of the Meryton assemblies and got to know each other during Georgiana’s summer visits to Netherfield. Jonny waited to ask for her hand until he had successfully completed his studies. Darcy, once convinced that Georgiana’s suitor was worthy of her, became a staunch defender of the young couple from family members who regarded the young man’s birth as somewhat questionable. He had learnt the lesson of his own wife’s worth, and he did all within his power to support and assist the young couple, up to and including arranging with Bingley for them to settle at Longbourn. So it was that Georgiana, cherished daughter of one of the country’s most illustrious families, settled in comfortably with the society around Meryton. On the morning of her wedding, during the ride to church with her brother, she said, “See, Fitzwilliam, what a wonderful family we have now. And it is all because you married Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Neither Anne nor Charlotte ever married, and neither of them seemed too distressed by that fact. They thrived in the country air at Rosings, dividing their time between managing the large estate and assisting with charitable work in the neighborhood. Kitty, who also remained single, eventually joined them at Rosings. She had become a portrait painter of some renown, noted throughout England and in Europe for her captivating portraits of mothers and children. When she was commissioned to paint the portrait of Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and her four children, Kitty’s future was secured, and she traveled (with a suitable companion) to many of the great houses of England, and later Europe, painting her engaging and lively compositions.
Perhaps the most astonishing future of all would belong to Lydia, who continued at school for as long as she was allowed to stay. Though she had not made her official debut in society, she was always warmly welcomed at family gatherings and spent a great deal of time with the Darcys in London. It was there that she caught the eye of Darcy’s cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Lonely and battle-weary, Richard Fitzwilliam had finally heard his mother’s pleas and sold out his commission. Although he had an estate near Matlock, thanks to a grandmother, he was not looking forward to the task of making it a home for one. He would later say that Lydia “blew into my life like a spring tempest.” He was captivated by her intelligence and curiosity, her droll wit, which was often directed at him, and her easy, comfortable manners. His own father finally pushed him over the edge. “Son, if we spent our lives waiting for the right time, nothing would ever happen.” The Colonel realized the truth of this and declared himself to Lydia the next day. She was delighted, for she loved him, but she found herself putting up with a great deal of teasing for marrying a man in a red coat.
Elizabeth Darcy knew none of this as she stood by the garden gate at Rose Cott
age watching her mother leave. Her husband offered her a handkerchief, for she found that more than a few tears were falling. The time since Thomas Bennet’s death had been more difficult, and more rewarding, than she could ever have imagined. Darcy, sensing her mood, leaned over and said quietly, “Remember the past only as it brings you pleasure, dearest.”
But Dr. Price, who was standing nearby, saw that she was weeping and comforted her with words she would remember time and again for the rest of her life. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Acknowledgement
So many thanks! To EC, RM, and M, the world’s most patient and eagle-eyed beta readers.
To the Gentle Readers at Archive of our Own for such wonderful comments and encouragement.
To the Austen Readers group on Facebook, who have welcomed me so warmly.
And finally, to Greg and Erika, Keith and Teresa, the sons and daughters-in-law who have kept me safe, well, and supplied with food and love during these terrible and uncertain weeks of social distancing.
About The Author
A. K. Madison
I’m A.K. Madison, and Rose Cottage is my debut novel. I grew up as an Army brat, and my first exposure to Jane Austen’s work was finding a copy of Northanger Abbey during the aftermath of one of our countless moves. Although it took some help from my mother for me to read it at that age, I’ve been a confirmed Jane Austen fan ever since.
I began writing and sharing Jane Austen-based fiction in 2016, and I’ve actually completed three book length stories and numerous shorter works. I’m partial to situations where Elizabeth and Darcy work at resolving their personal differences while dealing with some external force that threatens their relationship and provides them with a mystery to unravel. My other three book-length works are being prepared for publication, and you can look for them towards the end of 2020 and in early 2021.
In real life, I spent most of my career as a computer systems engineer. I’ve now retired and am flourishing in a second career as a volunteer community health worker. I live in Baltimore, Maryland near my two sons and three grandchildren.
You can keep in touch with me via my blog, which is at http://akmadison.com