by Wynne Mabry
She blushed at the truth of that statement.
Having shared this moment of honesty, they carried on being completely open with each other. On the long walk to the top of Oakham Mount, each of them revealed a great deal to the other. By the time that they had returned to Longbourn, they both felt that they knew each other very well.
In the next little while, they were frequently together in company, at Longbourn, and on more walks about the countryside.
On one of those occasions, a few weeks later, they returned to Oakham Mount, where he made the proposal which she had been expecting and received the answer which he had anticipated. There were no surprises on that day, but a great deal of joy for a couple deeply in love, and for all the people connected to them.
EPILOGUE
New Pursuits
In one reality, both couples were married early in December. Mr. Darcy stuck to his plan of marrying as soon as possible, and Mrs. Bennet was delighted that they were to be married by special licence. Mr. Bingley, who never minded doing things in a hurry, was happy to marry Jane at the same time.
The two marriages were excessively happy, and the couples continued to maintain the closest friendship with Mr. and Mrs. Hurst.
Miss Bingley did recover, but she was never again part of their group. The Hursts were willing to do a great deal for her, but not to have her live with them again.
“I can forgive her,” Mrs. Hurst said, “but I could never feel comfortable having her with us. I am sure I will never quite be able to trust her either.”
She went to live with an aunt and had to make do with the entertainment which Scarborough had to offer instead of a London season. Eventually she married a man as selfish as she was, and they settled down reasonably well together. Since they both enjoyed complaining about others and lamenting any lack of attention to themselves, they were quite well suited.
Mr. Hurst did not miss any more dinners. Even when he was working on an invention, he made a point of never neglecting his wife, whom he felt had been more thoughtful toward him than he deserved. While science remained his passion, he was determined that she would never again suffer for it in any way.
Although Mrs. Hurst had never felt herself ill-used, she was pleased to have his company at every meal and relieved not to have to worry about whether or not he was eating enough. She was also quite amused by his latest interest, which she guessed had been chosen as concession to her recent ordeal.
He had taken up the study of insects. After insisting that he not keep any specimens in the house, Mrs. Hurst found that she had nothing more to concern her than the neighbours catching sight of her husband crawling around in the garden with the largest magnifying glass which could be found in London. It had been a gift from Mr. Darcy, who was very much inclined to encourage Mr. Hurst’s new interest.
“I do not want him to waste such a great mind,” he said to Elizabeth, “but I am sure there is a great deal to be learned about insects even if they are so small.”
“He will be able to see them very well with this,” she replied while using it to study her husband’s eyes to his amusement.
Mr. Hurst did not destroy his machine after all. Instead, he took it to his old tutor, whom he trusted to store it safely. Mr. Carruthers was thrilled by this proof that his theories had been correct. He also received the book, which puzzled him immensely.
“I have not the slightest idea who could have written it,” he said. “That is a great pity. I would have liked to know such a man.”
A short time later, Mr. Hurst received a package from Mr. Carruthers. It contained a newspaper, which was folded over to display the society announcements.
“I thought it would all work out for them,” Elizabeth said happily when Mr. Hurst showed this to her and Mr. Darcy.
Meant to Be Together
The other machine had also been given to Mr. Carruthers. Mr. Darcy had first destroyed the cylinder which made a large portal possible and replaced it with the other one. His old tutor was delighted by this presentation and fascinated to hear about Mr. Hurst.
“I am sorry not to have met the man,” he said.
“I am sorry to have parted with him,” Mr. Darcy said.
Over the passing years, he often wondered what that brilliant man had achieved. Their brief acquaintance had left him with a greater distaste for the Mr. Hurst of his own reality. His disappointment in the man continued for several years, but then a traumatic event brought about a change.
After the death of his father, Mr. Hurst drank a great deal more than usual and then succumbed to an angry bout of violence. In the aftermath, he opened up to Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. In describing to them his miserable childhood, he unburdened himself of years of pent-up anger. After that, he never drank to excess again, and he made a point of being a pleasanter, more thoughtful person. He even took to reading, and thereafter, Mr. Darcy enjoyed many intelligent conversations with him.
After this reformation of her husband, Mrs. Hurst also improved in manner. Although Elizabeth never thought her quite like her counterpart, she did appreciate that the lady was warmer and kinder from that point in her life.
Miss Bingley never improved, but Elizabeth had no expectation of it. She was always wary of that lady. Having seen what one version of her was capable of doing, she avoided the other as much as possible and also advised Jane to be cautious of her.
Jane never learned about the portal and the other reality. “It would be a great deal for anybody to comprehend,” Elizabeth said to Mr. Darcy. “I think we had better keep it to ourselves.”
Soon after her return, Elizabeth had experienced a disappointment in the form of Charlotte’s engagement to Mr. Collins. Her concerns were made greater by the knowledge that one Charlotte had something so much better. There was no Mr. Eastleigh among their acquaintance though. It seemed as though that was simply not to be.
She saw her friend when she and Mr. Darcy visited Kent, and there was comfort in seeing that Charlotte managed her husband very well and was content in her parsonage. She was not especially perturbed when the entail was overturned. Mr. Collins took it very bitterly though, which may have contributed to his early demise.
After about two years of widowhood, Charlotte met Mr. Eastleigh, whom she married before long. Elizabeth was pleased to be introduced to him and interested to learn of his circumstances. He was involved in a respectable trade, and she guessed that the other Charlotte had met him sooner because of some connection between his line of business and her father’s.
He was obviously in love with his wife, and Elizabeth was delighted to see the happiness which her friend enjoyed for the rest of her life. He was also an affectionate and generous stepfather toward her son from her first marriage. Unlike his father, young Mr. Collins never gave the loss of Longbourn any thought. He was quite content in the life he established with the assistance of his stepfather.
Before her own marriage, Elizabeth received a visit from Mr. Darcy’s aunt. Here we go again, she thought as Lady Catherine asked her to take a walk in the garden. But at least I have rehearsed for this was her next thought.
Mr. Darcy was afterwards just as furious as the other one had been, and his aunt was forced to accept the marriage.
As their other selves had predicted, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were indeed an extremely happy couple. She thought it very likely that she would have eventually loved him anyway. “After all, I am sure you could not have gone on being so disagreeable,” she said teasingly.
“Probably not,” he agreed. “Nor could I have gone on resisting you. I believe we were always meant to be together.”
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