Epilogue

Pemberley, Summer 1823

F itzwilliam Darcy had known marrying the then Elizabeth Bennet had been the best thing he would ever do. What he had not known was just how much he would love being married to such a beautiful, infuriating, impertinent, and magnificent woman. In March of the current year, they had celebrated ten years of marriage, and each and every day when he prayed, Darcy asked for many more decades with his beloved wife. It was not all smooth sailing, as would be expected with two such strong willed people, but they always resolved their disagreements amicably.

He could not but smile as he watched her feeding their youngest, Clara, who had been born less than two months ago. As she had with each of their now four children, Lizzy, his goddess divine, had insisted that she would feed her children herself. She cared not for the mores of polite society, and he had wisely not opposed her in that. She had agreed to a wet nurse's services for the nighttime feedings only. That way at least she was able to sleep most of the hours of the night.

They had not known it at the time, but they had conceived their first child, Robert Edward, during the month at Seaview House. His birth in early November 1813, coupled with the quickening, which was felt in early June, was a clue to when Robby, as he was called, had begun to be created. Given that no one in the extended family had any warm feelings about the name Bennet, the tradition of naming the heir to Pemberley with his mother's maiden name had been scrapped. Their son's Grandmother Fanny, who lived part of the year with the Darcys, had supported the decision whole heartedly.

Alexander William had been born in April 1816. Like his older brother he was a smaller version of his father in looks, except he had hazel eyes. As he got older, however, unlike Robby who in character was much like his Papa, Alex had many elements of his mother's character. The boys' grandmother had teased that it seemed her second had the opposite problem she had had and could bear only sons. Darcy very much hoped his mother-in-law was wrong. Due to Anne de Bourgh passing away two years previously, Alex would be the master of Rosings Park when he reached his majority.

Anne had outlived her various doctors' expectations, while the late Lady Catherine had met her maker four years before Anne's death.

It was a great relief when Francine Anne Darcy had arrived in the world in October 1819. She had been born with a head of raven-coloured curls, just like her mother had at her birth. Much to her father's joy, by the time Franny was six months old, she had the same emerald-green coloured eyes as her mother. Her older brothers used the moniker ‘Franny Annie' which brought smiles to the adults' faces. Like her mother, she seemed to be on her way to being petite.

Darcy watched as his Elizabeth completed the feeding. He stood and took Clara—named after his late paternal grandmother—and with a cloth on his shoulder, gently patted his daughter's back until she emitted a loud and healthy belch. Both mother, who had returned her breast to the inside of her day dress, and father were inordinately proud of their little girl's achievement. At this point she was shaping up to be a smaller version of her aunt, Gigi. She had straight blonde hair, and as yet, deep blue eyes. In addition, she was a few inches longer than Franny had been at birth.

One of the nursemaids was on hand to take Miss Clara from her father. She disappeared through the door leading into the nursery to put her charge into her cradle. "Come William, we should rejoin those seated on the veranda in the shade. I am sure Mama, some of our aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and cousins are still there watching the horde of children playing in the park."

"At least we will never worry about their safety with Biggs, Johns, and their men keeping a weather eye over them," Darcy replied. The two sergeants, along with many other soldiers who survived Waterloo in 1815, had been some of the many former soldiers returning after their service to King and country, and then had to fight another war, one for the few available jobs.

At Richard's urging, those in the extended family had employed as many as they could as footmen-guards, outriders, and in other roles for which they had skills. The Darcys had employed more than twenty returning soldiers, which included the aforementioned gentle giants. As long as anyone they were watching over was not in any sort of danger, the two men were not averse to being used as something to climb on by the young boys, and even some of the young girls. The primary climber—like her mama had been at the same age—was none other than little Miss Darcy.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Richard, Charlotte, and their three children, a son and two daughters, lived happily at Lancaster Hills, which shared a boundary with Pemberley. The former Colonel had put his love of all things equestrian to good use. He had taken the rather mediocre horse breeding programme at his estate, and turned it into one of the most sought after in the country.

With the fortune Richard had amassed over the years of his service in the Dragoons, he had purchased two neighbouring estates and rapidly expanded his stables, broodmares, and stallions. Among other former officers and soldiers Richard had employed, were the former Lieutenant-Colonel Sisley and Major Whitfield. Like him, they were very knowledgeable about horses so each of them managed one of the stables at the much-expanded estate. Leading by example, as he had done while he was still in the army, the former Colonel had employed close to one hundred returning soldiers, marines, and sailors. With the need for grooms, footmen, carpenters, and other positions, he found work for all the men.

Regardless of how wealthy they were, Charlotte was never frivolous in her spending, keeping a level head. Before he had revealed his true position to her, she had been happy to marry a poor second son—and never overspent her budgets, a lesson well learnt from her mother.

Her dear parents lived with her in Derbyshire for the spring and summer—they were not sanguine with the brutal winters in the north—and the winters between Hertfordshire with her eldest brother and his family at Lucas Lodge and some months of the season with Maria in London. In 1820, a few months after the passing of King George III, Sir William had turned the running of the family estate over to his son, Franklin, who was married to the former Miss Long. They had two sons and another child was on the way.

At the double wedding in January of 1813, Maria met Lord Wesley De Melville, Viscount Westmore. No one had realised there was an attraction between the two until shortly after Maria came out. At that time, Lord Westmore requested, and was granted a courtship. By mid-1815, they had married and so far, Maria had delivered a daughter, a son, and then a second daughter.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

On reaching the veranda, which thanks to being shaded by the house was very popular at this time of the day, Elizabeth sat between Jane and Mary while Darcy sought the company of Andrew and Bingley.

"Robby is taller than Philip," Mary cocked her head toward her eldest son, who was walking towards the lake with his cousins Robby and Charley. "He certainly seems to have William's height and not yours Lizzy."

"My son is not close to as tall as either of them," Jane observed.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Lord Philip Andrew Fitzwilliam, the new Viscount Hilldale was born two months after Robby. As much as Mary and Andrew had not wanted to ascend to the earldom when they did, Lord Reginald Fitzwilliam had passed away a little more than a year past. He was in his seventies and had lived a long and fulfilled life. The dowager Countess split her time between her sons' families, the Darcy's, the Rhys-Davies, and Huntingtons.

After Phillip, Mary had gifted her husband two daughters, and another son, who they had named Reginald after his late grandfather. They lived at Snowhaven and only attended the season when Andrew was required to sit in the Lords. Andrew still conducted services in the chapel at his estate—ably assisted by his beloved wife—whenever he was able, and the two often played many duets on the pianoforte. Thanks to her husband's diligent lessons prior to their wedding, Mary was as an accomplished a horsewoman as anyone.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Jane and Charles Bingley had remained at Netherfield Park for less than a year after Thomas Bennet's passing. It was at that time the family took the position that as there were no fond memories of Longbourn, thanks to the late master, they would relocate. The Bingleys purchased a large estate in Nottinghamshire, less than twenty miles from both Pemberley and Snowhaven.

Charles Arthur Bingley—Charley—had been born in September 1813, making him the oldest of the cousins in the extended family. The plan was that his surname would be changed to Bennet before he reached his majority. He would then break the entail, sell Longbourn, and then change his name back to Bingley. The only remaining one who bore the name Bennet was Fanny, and when she was called home, there would be none in the extended family who bore that family name.

Three daughters, all with blonde ringlets followed Charley, spaced out a little more than two years between each one. Jane and Charles named them Bethany, Louise, and Francine. The respective aunts and grandmother had been gratified to have a Bingley daughter named for them.

The Hursts, who lived at Winsdale in Surrey with their one son and two daughters, were still an integral part of the extended family. The relationship between Louisa, Jane, Elizabeth, and Charlotte had only strengthened over the years and they were all as close as sisters by blood could ever be. The Hursts were often invited to the various family estates and spent time with the extended family in London each season.

Caroline Bingley still lived in her world of delusions under the care of those running The Sanctuary on the Island of Jersey. She was, in her mind Mrs Darcy, and her husband was merely on an extended visit to tour their many estates. That would be her world until her death from influenza five years hence.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Like Maria De Melville had met her own husband, the then Lady Rebecca Fitzwilliam had met the Marquess of Birchington at the same wedding celebration. As there was much contact between the families, Lord Sed and Becca had been together often. A month after her come out, he proposed to her, and a month later, Becca was the Marchioness of Birchington. He had been an only child as his parents were older when they were gifted with Sed.

Within a year of their wedding, they were blessed with twins, a son and daughter. Then, less than two years later another son was born, followed by two daughters. By the time the Duke passed away in 1819, and then the Dowager Duchess in 1821, they knew the future of their family was secure and there were grandchildren, not only one child like they had had.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The other family the Dowager Countess spent some months each year with was the Huntington family. Gigi had met Paul Huntington, the owner of a large estate in Staffordshire, at her coming out ball where he had dared to request, and she had granted, a second set. It had taken four months before he had worked up the courage to request a courtship, and three more before he proposed. They had married in May 1817. Huntington's estate was less than forty miles from Pemberley which pleased his wife and brother-in law.

In February 1819, the Huntingtons had been excited to welcome a son, William Paul, into their family. A daughter, Annabeth, was born in June 1821, and Georgiana suspected she was with child again.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The two youngest Bennets had both married well. Kitty, who when she had turned eighteen asked to be called by her full name of Catherine, married the son of Uncle Edward's business partner. Her husband James, ran the company with Eddy Gardiner since the older Gardiner had retired to a small estate near his wife's beloved Lambton in 1821.

Catherine and James had two sons, and as she was with child again, she was praying for a daughter.

Lydia married a naval captain, John Bertram. Until her husband retired from the navy as a commodore in 1819, when he and his ship sailed anywhere, Lydia was on board with him. With the great amount of prize money he had amassed, Commodore Bertram purchased a medium sized estate in Lincolnshire which overlooked the sea. He of course owned a sloop which he would sail when he had the time.

His wife and sons, they had three so far, would always join him as they all had a love of the sea, even the youngest one, who was not yet one.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The one remaining villain, George Wickham, served his year at Newgate and then he was transported. He unsurprisingly angered a man, who happened to be more vengeful than himself, during the months' long voyage. Somehow, no one could, or more likely would tell how, one night George Wickham had fallen overboard.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Fanny was sitting off to the one side of the veranda with her good friend, Elaine Fitzwilliam, both sipping glasses of cool lemonade.

"Elaine, have you visited Mr and Mrs Reynolds in their cottage on this visit?" Fanny asked.

Pemberley's former butler and housekeeper had retired in 1820, after both had served the Darcys for more than forty years. They had a large pension and comfortable home to live in for the rest of their days.

"I have. Mrs Reynolds was always more a family member than a staff member. My late sister Anne, found her indispensable," Lady Elaine averred.

"As Lizzy felt about her as well," Fanny mused. "The new senior staff members were thoroughly trained by the Reynolds before they retired." Fanny looked at her friend who still wore the muted colours of half mourning, and would for the rest of her life. She was still very spry as she had been more than ten years her late husband's junior. "Has it become even a little easier since Reggie's passing?"

"Now that I am out of deep mourning, each day it becomes a little more bearable," Lady Elaine replied with a touch of sadness she always felt when she spoke of her beloved husband. "I suppose the only good thing about your late husband is you did not feel anything but relief."

"You have the right of it," Fanny owned. "His was a wasted life, other than the five wonderful daughters he gave me, that is. I mourned for only a week, and I do not regret Lizzy and William did not know of his passing until they returned from their honeymoon." Fanny paused as she cogitated. "Things would have been very different for him and our family had he had the ability to look inward, to take a journey of self-discovery like Lizzy did. It was unfortunately beyond his capabilities. Besides," Fanny inclined her head toward their shared family members, "everything worked out well without him."

Unbeknownst to the two dowagers, Elizabeth and Darcy had heard their conversation. "I always said my mother could not be so intelligent for no reason, my love." Elizabeth smiled widely; everything was just as it should be.

~~~The End~~~