Epilogue

I t did not take long for Elizabeth to learn that life at Pemberley was, truly, very much like living in a fairytale. Yes, things went wrong. Crops failed, cottages burnt, tenants fell ill; but she spent her time and considerable energy making certain that everything possible was done to correct whatever had gone wrong. She had never desired great wealth, but she now learnt that it was satisfying indeed to have the resources to improve the lives of others. It was also very satisfying to have access to the Pemberley library, and she often teased her husband by telling him that she would have accepted him immediately, had she known just how large and extensive a collection it was! She gave her husband five children: three boys and two girls.

The Bingleys purchased an estate, Brickhill Manor, a mere four-hour ride from Pemberley. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Bingley was delivered of a baby girl with golden hair and dark eyes. As she was the spitting image of her mother, no-one ever thought her anything but Mr. Bingley's child.

Some four months after the birth of her daughter, Georgiana began to think that the thing she had done with George Wickham – which she had not enjoyed at all! – might in fact be very enjoyable if done with Charles. She could not possibly discuss it with him, of course, so instead she simply appeared in his bedroom one night dressed in something her maid had designed for her. Thus, Charles Bingley's patience was well rewarded. Nine months later, she gave him a son. He never regretted marrying Georgiana Darcy rather than Jane Bennet.

Like her sister, Jane Fitzwilliam produced five children – all boys. Mrs. Bennet thought the Lord must be whimsical indeed to have given her five daughters, but her daughter five sons! The Earl and Countess of Matlock visited Chestnut Creek frequently, as the Countess learnt to love the new Mrs. Fitzwilliam for her kind and gentle spirit.

Predictably enough, there was a good deal of visiting between Pemberley, Chestnut Creek and Brickhill Manor!

Charlotte Collins was, at first, quite upset that her husband had sold his interest in Longbourn. However, as the years passed, she learnt to be grateful; it was clear to her that her husband would never have been able to manage an estate the size of Longbourn. She convinced him to purchase Purvis Lodge in Meryton, where she could be close to her family and far from Rosings Park. Mr. and Mrs. Collins, along with their two girls, were able to live quite well on the remaining funds.

Longbourn eventually passed on to Mary and her husband, a solicitor who had opened a practice in Meryton. His last name, Smith, was unprepossessing, so he was not at all opposed to changing it to Bennet, in accordance with his father-in-law's wishes. When he eventually inherited it, he spent a good deal less time in the library and a good deal more time out on the estate than had his predecessor. Under his careful management, Longbourn's income increased until it was the equal of Chestnut Creek.

Caroline Bingley eventually married a knight. She delighted in being called Lady Everingham, but there was not much else in which to delight. Her husband had no money of his own, and her dowry passed into his hands. Both now had to live on her eight hundred pounds a year. She thought it fortunate that the union produced no children, as she could not imagine how they would have been able to afford them.

Per Mr. Darcy's instructions to his solicitor, George Wickham was moved to better accommodations in Fleet Prison. However, Mr. Darcy's prediction proved correct: Wickham was dead by Easter. His demise was caused not by a weak chest, but by picking a fight with the wrong man. Mr. Darcy had Mr. Wickham's body transported to Derbyshire and had him buried him beside his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wickham, in the Pemberley graveyard.

The "small annuity" provided to Mrs. Cartwright by the Earl of Matlock, made it unnecessary for her to ever have to work again. She remembered the Earl and his niece in her nightly prayers for the remainder of her life.

The End