The wedding was to take place in October with the approbation of all the relations on both the bride and groom’s side. Even Lady Catherine de Bourgh condescended to write a tolerably civil letter of congratulations containing only a gentle hint concerning how things might have been done with more prudence and taste had she been consulted. Far from alluding to any resentment over Fitzwilliam marrying Georgiana instead of Anne, her ladyship used the occasion to communicate her growing satisfaction with her son-in-law. Dr. Essex’s education and profession, she was now persuaded, afforded him a degree of respectability and prestige as did not ultimately disgrace the family. She stated the conviction, moreover, that with her guidance and patronage, the young man would go far.
The news of the engagement was well received at Heatheridge by Jane and Mr. Bingley, whose own generous natures predisposed them to wish every person of their acquaintance the same felicity in marriage that they themselves continued to enjoy. Miss Bingley, however, could not entertain the idea with as much pleasure. Although Caroline repeatedly professed delight at “dear Georgiana” being so well married so young, her true sentiments savored more of bitterness. At her age, to have yet another man who had piqued her interest and excited her ambition slip through her fingers and beyond reach was more than she could be expected to endure with serenity.
The lovers and their wedding plans held the primary position of attention at Pemberley for a full two weeks, until another important personage claimed precedence. Whilst all the focus had been on Elizabeth’s recovery and then on the excitement of Georgiana’s engagement, another member of the family had been waiting his turn to take center stage. Bennet Fitzwilliam Darcy, upon his unceremonious arrival the first week of September, instantly appropriated the chief place of honor and the total adoration of all who met him.
It seemed only just and reasonable that Elizabeth should be granted an uncomplicated delivery of her first child after the trauma and pain she had so recently endured. And so it was. Her pangs, while hardly trifling, were well within the scope of what she could bear without desperation, and the memory of which lasted only as long as she was in any doubt of the infant’s safety and good health.
Mr. Darcy, who had been anxiously pacing the hall, received the first information of his son’s arrival from the child’s own lips. The robust cry suggested health and vigor, a hope which was confirmed when Jane emerged to give the new father a report. The fact that he had a healthy son and his wife was doing well rendered Mr. Darcy completely speechless for some minutes. His eyes alone expressed to his sister-in-law all he felt. After she returned to Elizabeth’s side, Darcy offered his silent eloquence up to his God in praise and thanksgiving.
Mr. Thornton and his little church in Kympton hosted a flurry of special activity over the succeeding months. First, and of foremost importance in the minds of those whose prosperity depended on the Pemberley estates, the new son and heir made his debut. He was christened with his mother’s maiden name, as was his father before him, and generally touted as the very reflection of Mr. Darcy, whose character and noble mien could already be detected in the infant’s face by those who were particularly perceptive.
One Sunday shortly thereafter, another interesting, albeit less monumental, incident took place. Mr. Sanditon created quite a stir that morning by bringing his two young daughters with him to church for the first time. Few of those present had ever seen the little girls before. So they, and by association he, instantly became objects of fascination, especially amongst the unmarried women in attendance. The gentleman, who had often been viewed as proud and unsociable, appeared now in a more sympathetic light. With his daughters easing the way, Mr. Sanditon inspired and also admitted the kind attentions of a remarkably suitable lady with whom he was to become very well acquainted over the next few months.
A host of visitors came and went from Pemberley that fall. Mrs. Darcy’s relations from Hertfordshire and London arrived in September. Her father took particular pride in seeing his new grandson who bore the Bennet name, especially considering that he had no sons of his own to carry on the title. Her mother never tired of basking in the splendor of such a fine house and in the knowledge that her daughter was mistress there. Aunt and Uncle Gardiner came as well, with their children, to renew acquaintance with all their friends in Derbyshire. Since they had much of the credit for uniting Darcy and Elizabeth in the first place, they found a great deal of proprietary satisfaction in seeing the first offspring of the match.
When these visitors were all gone away, guests began arriving for Miss Darcy’s wedding. News soon spread throughout the neighborhood that there would be nobility coming amongst them, and the watch began for a very fine closed carriage – a barouche with coat of arms it was rumored to be – which would convey Lady Catherine de Bourgh to Pemberley. When the great lady was assured that the place was free of riffraff, she did come, bringing her daughter and son-in-law with her for the event. Her previous visit having been long before the current Mrs. Darcy presided, she keenly anticipated finding a serious decline in the dignity and polish of the grand estate under the new management. However, though she scrutinized the house and grounds down to the minutest detail, all her efforts were frustrated; Pemberley was just as fine as it had ever been when her own sister was its mistress.
Mr. Thornton had the honor of officiating at the wedding uniting Miss Georgiana Darcy to Colonel John Fitzwilliam on a cool, crisp Tuesday morning in October. The bride wore the same delicate silk gown as had her mother, Lady Anne Darcy, on the occasion of her own marriage more than thirty years prior. She was escorted down the aisle to be given away by her distinguished elder brother, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, who stood thus in place of his father. Although their parents had both been gone for many years, the resemblance of this pair to that other couple in the same place and dress evoked strong memories from three decades earlier in the minds of those privileged to be present at both ceremonies.
At the head of the aisle waited the colonel in his red officers’ dress coat with epaulets and attendant finery. Instead of his usual, easy smile, he wore a more solemn expression in accordance with the import of the occasion and the honor bestowed upon him. He gratefully received the hand of Miss Darcy from his life-long friend and cherished it from that day forward.
The words of guidance Mr. Thornton offered on the subject of marriage did not fall upon deaf ears. The new couple, and others gathered there, doubtless profited by attending to them. Mr. Darcy, from his position beside the groom, gazed at his own wife, standing up beside the bride, throughout the whole of it, and she at him. He thought, and not for the first time, how fortunate they were to have found each other and to share such a close approximation to the marital ideal of which the rector spoke. Mrs. Darcy’s mind was similarly engaged. Her heart swelled with emotion; her eyes welled up with tears.
After the newlyweds departed on their wedding trip and all the other guests had finally gone away, Pemberley settled back into a quiet routine – at least as quiet as a house can be when it contains a boisterous two-month-old child within its walls. The young master was the delight of both his parents. His mother had naturally expected to be enchanted. As to the father, the fascination he felt for his progeny overtook him by surprise, and he was forced to recant his former opinions on the subject of a man’s limited role in rearing infants. Darcy held and coddled his son every bit as much as did Elizabeth, and on occasion had to be reprimanded by his wife for spoiling the child.
One afternoon in early November, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were sitting with their son in the drawing room when they received a visit from Mr. Thornton, who did not come alone. To their astonishment, Mrs. Sanditon accompanied him. The principal purport of the visit turned out to be the unexpected announcement of their engagement. Mr. Thornton proudly spoke of his good fortune in having been accepted by such a fine lady, and all the while Ruth blushed and demurred, unaccustomed as she was to so much praise. She soon found relief from her embarrassment by being allowed to ho
ld the child, which did little to divert the focus of attention from her. Mr. Thornton’s eyes followed her wherever she went, and no one present could help but notice how well she looked with a baby in her arms.
The couple received Mr. Darcy’s enthusiastic approval, and Elizabeth added her sincere wish for their every happiness. After a stay of about an hour, the couple went away again, leaving the Darcys to ponder this new development.
“I am very happy for them both. An excellent match,” said Elizabeth. “Yet it does leave Charlotte all alone and probably looking for a new home. I doubt she will feel it proper to remain at the cottage after Ruth is married and gone.”
“We could certainly have her to stay with us,” said Darcy.
“Yes, I should enjoy that very much, and it would at least be a temporary solution for her.”
After a few moments’ reflection, Darcy suggested, “Why not make it permanent?”
“How do you mean? Much as I would love it, Charlotte would never agree to being a perpetual guest here. She would rather make her own way than accept our charity. Of that, I am certain.”
“I do not speak of charity. I was thinking we could offer her some employment … on very easy terms, of course. This house is getting to be too much for Mrs. Reynolds, and she deserves to have some help at her age. Perhaps Mrs. Collins could assist her, train under her, and then take over as head housekeeper when Mrs. Reynolds is ready to retire. The more I think of it, there is no one better suited for the job – no one more organized, capable, and efficient. You know her best, my love. Do you think she would do it, or does she harbor the hope of marrying again?”
“I think it is an inspired idea! Considering how much Charlotte enjoyed managing the parsonage at Hunsford, I warrant she would take great pleasure in the larger challenge of superintending this house. She loves to be active and useful. As for remarrying, I do not think that is her object. She never was a romantic. She only married Mr. Collins as a means to support herself.” Elizabeth laughed when she remembered what Charlotte had said about that. “She told me then that all she really required was a comfortable home. I think Pemberley qualifies, do not you, Darcy?”
So Charlotte came to Pemberley as a friend and as a partner to Elizabeth in directing the function of the household. Mrs. Reynolds stayed on and lived out her life in the great house that had been her home for nearly thirty years. Her dearest wish – to see both Mr. Darcy and Miss Georgiana well married and settled – had been granted, but she did not live long beyond the fulfillment of that aspiration. Her loss was mourned and her memory cherished the same as any other member of the family.
As for Lydia, she returned to Longbourn to be comforted by her mother and to await the birth of her child. She saw herself as a rather tragic figure – like the heroine of a gothic novel with cruel circumstances thrust upon her – and she cultivated that caricature among her friends and relations in Meryton by telling a much-amended version of events in Derbyshire. Her narrative cast her dashing husband in the role of hero rather than villain, making his loss and her sorrow all the more pitiable. When seen in this altered light, bearing Wickham’s child took on an almost noble quality, and she acquired a degree of sympathy and distinction that gave her satisfaction.
Sister Mary, who had blossomed in the time since her siblings left Longbourn, did not at first take kindly to Lydia’s melodramatic return to home and hearth. However, she soon discovered that the change worked to her material advantage. Mrs. Bennet’s being so thoroughly occupied by her youngest daughter liberated Mary to once again pursue her own interests. Thus, well seasoned by time, practice, and renewed dedication, she made great strides toward the standard of the truly accomplished young woman she had always aspired to be.
Kitty, meanwhile, continued to divide her time chiefly between Heatheridge and Pemberley according to which house was hosting the more interesting social events. She fretted over being already almost twenty with no prospects for marriage immediately apparent. It was a happy day indeed, therefore, when she was invited by the Darcys to accompany them on their next trip to London, with the promise of being introduced to a wider segment of their superior society. Kitty expressed particular interest in furthering her acquaintance with the young man Henry Heywood, whom she had met and danced with months before at Georgiana’s birthday ball.
Mrs. Darcy continued to regain the last vestiges of her lost memory and strength, and her headaches became increasingly rare. It took nearly three months, but she did fully recover from the accident.
When she could finally remember all the events of that terrible day, she and her husband talked them through together one last time. Elizabeth might have been tempted to withhold some of the more sordid details, except that, after their recent misunderstandings, they had both sworn to be always entirely honest with each other in future. They agreed that no secret could be worth the risk to their marriage, no matter how reasonable it might seem at the time or how pure the motive for concealment.
So, despite the fact that it was difficult for her to tell and painful for him to hear, Elizabeth told Darcy everything – what Wickham had said of his intentions, what he had done, and how she had acted in response. Together they discussed, they cried, and they commiserated. Then they determined to put the whole of it behind them.
After a little more time had gone by, they were able to look back over the year just past, seeing only the good it had brought them and reasons to face the future with hope. Their circle of friends had been increased and drawn into closer bonds. Their family had been most joyously expanded by birth and by marriage. And their love for each other had withstood every test.
As they celebrated the second anniversary of their marriage at Pemberley that November, Darcy and Elizabeth could easily have been forgiven for thinking themselves blessed above all other creatures in England.
THE END
More About the Author
Shannon Winslow is a passionate appreciator of the arts and a creative person in her own right. With her two sons grown, she now finds more time to devote to her diverse interests in music, literature, and the visual arts – writing claiming the lion’s share of her creative energies in recent years.
In addition to several short stories, Ms. Winslow has authored three novels to date. The Darcys of Pemberley, a sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is her debut. For Myself Alone, a stand-alone Austenesque story, is soon to follow. Her most recent project is a contemporary “what if” novel entitled First of Second Chances.
Shannon is a life-long resident of the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband live in the log home they built in the countryside thirty-five miles south of Seattle, where she writes and paints in her studio facing Mt. Rainier.
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Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore everybody not greatly in fault themselves to tolerable comfort, and to have done with all the rest.
– Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
The Darcys of Pemberley Page 29