Epilogue

Opened two days after the wedding:

Pemberley,

Derbyshire

Dear Mama,

I am writing this on the eve of my wedding, and I did not believe it possible, but if you are reading this, it is because Mr Bennet has left you the money he received from the duke when I was taken. Lizzy and I hardly believed he might do such a thing in the end, but if he has, do not turn it away, for my sake. I know that you believe it is evil money, and perhaps it is, but take it anyway, and by your deeds may it come clean. There is no one more qualified than I to decide what ought to be done with it now, and I have decided that I earned that money, and in my heart, I wish you to have it. The best revenge we can have is to live well, Mama… So do it. Live well, with my blessing.

With All My Love,

Kitty

One week after the wedding:

Pemberley,

Derbyshire

Dear Kitty,

It was as we suspected. None of us could have predicted it, but Mr Bennet actually left Mama his entire fortune, thirty-five thousand pounds! The attorney Mr Knightley said that it was written differently until late August. He previously planned to leave the money to the university, and according to Mr Knightley, Mr Bennet's friends are outraged, but it seems that in late August, presumably after seeing us in town, Mr Bennet suffered a change of heart and changed his will.

As you can imagine, Mama was vocal indeed about not accepting the legacy, but we gave her your letter, and after that she was contemplative. Mr Knightley and Uncle Phillips will deposit the funds into the five percents. Just imagine, our mother, with forty thousand pounds to her name! Imagine how she might have reacted years ago, had the money come to her differently.

She hasn't discussed it since the reading of the will. Darcy, Jane, and I have agreed not to mention it for a while, and allow her to think on it. Even if she never touches a penny, she is welcome here at Pemberley, and all of my houses, always, and I know all of my sisters feel the same.

He remembered none other in his will except young William Collins. Our father left all of his books to him, to be preserved in Longbourn's library, and Mr Knightley is arranging their transport. They shall be stored in Netherfield's library until Charlotte takes up Longbourn, to ensure proper storage.

I shan't expect you to write on your wedding trip, but I do hope Lydia will drop a line to let me know, did Mrs Parker have the house and staff well prepared for you? From the letters she and Mr Parker sent in September, it sounds as if Shannon View is comfortable and well appointed, if not rather faded and in need of refreshment. I do hope your expectations for the estate and town have been met. Give my regards to dear Brandon.

Your Most Devoted Sister,

Lizzy

Three weeks after the wedding:

Shannon View

Sanditon

Dearest Lizzy,

We have been at Sanditon for nearly three weeks, and I will admit that it has been tedious and enjoyable in equal measure. Your remarks that the town and community need progress are certainly very apt. Mr and Mrs Parker are properly welcoming and motivated, but you were correct that the town has too few residents and entertainments for a seaside destination, unless one's intention is a very quiet holiday.

Still, what entertainments and neighbours there are, have been mostly pleasant and enjoyable. Sadly, any visit with Lady Denham becomes tedious very quickly. It was immediately after I arrived that she informed me that she knew I would receive a handsome dowry from you. She then instructed me to form an attachment to her nephew, who is heir to her husband's title but not necessarily her fortune, which is hers from a previous marriage.

Lady Denham is an unapologetically mean woman, who openly uses her fortune to manipulate those about her in what I consider to be an infamous manner. She did not take well to hearing that not only have I no present interest in either marriage or her nephew, but that you will not approve my marriage, nor release my dowry until my majority. I wonder if you might not even receive an angry letter from the woman. She was quite vexed.

So vexed, as a matter of fact, that she has continued to make unseemly comments whenever we meet at events, quite publicly. One might think I had stolen my own dowry from her very coffers, so proprietary is hers and her nephew's behaviour. Her chief complaint of Sanditon is its scarcity of heiresses. She quite chided Kitty for having brought a husband with her, rather than seeking one in her new neighbourhood, and the news that I am not to be courted has made her quite openly and amusingly piqued.

Do not be alarmed. A fortune hunter Sir Edward Denham may be, but he is also spoiled, selfish, and appallingly stupid. I would sooner have married Mr Collins. At least our cousin had no malice in him. I am not certain I could say that I sense no cunning in Sir Edward Denham. His stepsister, Miss Denham, seems a nice enough girl, but I avoid her company because it always includes her brother's.

This is in contrast to Miss Clara Brereton, a distant cousin who is dependent upon Lady Denham's charity. Her demeanour is all that is sweet and pious. Sir Edward seems improperly interested in her, and she protects herself by spouting religious tracts, rather like Mary used to do, but Miss Brereton manages to do it in a manner that people do not take offence to, because she is so sweet and not at all self-righteous or pedantic. I have to admit, it is clear that she is sincerely devout. Perhaps it is her unsettled state. Perhaps if her cousin were to find her a husband she could depend on and she did not need to fear the workhouse, she might be less prone to obsession with showing her goodness.

From what I can tell, her cousin is not generous with pin money, nor clothes, and she frequently makes remarks to frighten Clara about her situation and poverty. It is quite cruel. I am still trying to think of an elegant way to put the old bat in her place. She quite reminds me of the stories of Will's horrid aunt. As you see, my powers of discernment and sketching of characters grow apace. One day I will have your talent for snubbing while making it sound a compliment. Meanwhile, I spend these visits daydreaming of you being here to give her one of your set downs.

Mr Parker's next younger brother, Sidney Parker, is here to visit, and has brought a party of friends. They are drunken idiots, most of them, although a few are alright. Lady Denham watches me like a hawk to ensure that I do not favour one of them and not her nephew. It seems she claimed my dowry before I even arrived at Shannon View. Mr Parker the younger is devilishly handsome. If I did not know better than to become attached so young, I might be in some danger.

Thankfully, due to you encouraging me to wait to become attached to anyone, until I am old enough to read people, I have apprehended that though he presents a smiling face, he has a cutting, sarcastic sense of humour, finding amusement in the follies and foibles of his relatives too enjoyable for my taste, reminding me of another gentleman we thought we once knew. I wonder if there is not a bit of cruelty to his nature.

Several times I have observed him making fun of his own sisters, who had not the wit to understand his insults. It is not that I dislike the man. I do not even know him well enough. Only that I am glad not to be meeting him at the tender age of sixteen, when I might have been wild about him in a ballroom and all too willing to be cruel about his relations with him. It matters little, for the gentleman is very shortly to be married to a young lady from London with a vast fortune and no brothers. He is to join her father in his trade, which I am uncertain what sort it is, only that the family is genteel, like Aunt and Uncle Gardiner.

There are not many shops here. Most of the town buys their gloves and parasols at the library, though I must say it is well stocked with unique items. I have completed my gift shopping for the festive season, and found a most interesting periodical about decorating. I know my usual interests lean toward clothes, but since assisting Kitty at Delaford, and our discussions for Shannon View, I find I am becoming even more interested in decorating. They had six months complete of the periodical, Mesdames élégante Maison, and I am quite addicted to studying every page. I recall a book I saw at Uncle's warehouse; I shall write to Aunt Madeleine and ask if one can be procured for me to peruse. I shall write to you again, before we come away. Is Diane attending the lessons I left for her?

Your Favourite Sister,

Lydia

Eight weeks after the wedding:

Shannon View

Sanditon

Lizzy,

I am such an idiot. I suppose this is what I deserve for my pride in my last letter, boasting of my growing discernment. He is not truly cruel or mocking like Papa, only misunderstood. And contrary to my belief in my control of my sensibilities, I have fallen in love with him in a most unseemly fashion.

I can hear you already, Lizzy, asking what am I thinking, falling in love with a man about to be married? I can well believe your incredulity, and worse, it is impossible for him to be married now, and my heart breaks for him.

I can quite imagine your interest in knowing how I managed to get into such a scrape. Mr Parker and I danced once at the assembly the night before his betrothed, Miss Matilda Honeybourne, arrived in Sanditon. Only once have I ever experienced such an enchanting moment, and then I was just a girl. That chance slipped away from me, and I have always vowed to find a man who could make me feel such enchantment again. I believed perhaps with Wickham, that the sentiment would grow, but I have since vowed to hold fast until I find it again. Lizzy, in an instant I felt I had found my best friend, the person I wanted to share everything with. Nothing was said between us, but I felt he stared into my eyes more intensely than any other man I had ever met.

The next day Miss Honeybourne descended from her carriage, announced that she felt unwell, and promptly fell ill with scarlet fever and was gone before three more days had passed. Kitty and I endeavoured to visit Trafalgar House to help with the children while Mary Parker was absent from the house to assist with the poor lady. It was then that I chanced to meet Mr Parker in the upstairs hall, having been dragged home by his brother for some forced rest. Moments later a messenger arrived. Miss Honeybourne had died just after he had left her side.

Mr Parker's grief was so profound and sincere, Lizzy. And watching him over the next day, being comforted by his siblings, I saw the strong bond their family has, and I realise now that I judged him too quickly. He is obviously a man of some sense and great sensibility, and capable of the deepest affection. I could not help falling in love with him. But it matters not…

He has left Sanditon to bring Miss Honeybourne home to her family, and Mr and Mrs Tom Parker are at their wits end with worry. Their youngest brother, a Mr Arthur Parker, has followed him to London, and though no one thinks much of his abilities, he is a bit of a worry pot, I believe his capabilities are underestimated. It is hoped he can bring some comfort to his brother and help him find a new direction for his future.

I shall not be in any further danger, however, as it seems clear he does not plan to return to Sanditon for some time and instead will continue his plan of taking up the business of Miss Honeybourne's father, who has no other close family to assist him. He is so good; I can scarcely think of him without pain in my chest.

We return to Derbyshire next week. Please tell Georgiana that I long to join her at Matlock, I have missed you all, and look forward to returning to Pemberley, and Diane and the children. I have decided to let you give me a season this year if you still wish it. I still do not believe it important, but Kitty will be entering society as Mrs Brandon this year and she wishes us to take on London together, so I shall endeavour to endure it. Is it too late to order clothes? Kitty has measured me, and my size remains the same. Perhaps Madame Clarisse can throw a few gowns together? She knows my tastes so well.

Your Most Exasperating Sister,

Lydia

Nearly three months after the wedding:

Matlock,

Derbyshire

Dearest Sister,

You shall never guess in a million years what I am to tell you. It is almost too embarrassing to write it down. I, Fanny Bennet, widowed at forty-six, am to be married! I still cannot take it in. Mr Bertelli was invited to accompany the family to Matlock, as he is still progressing on the family portrait commissioned by my son Will.

I knew that I fancied him, but truly Sister, it was only girlish foolishness! I never dreamed he would look my way, although it seemed he did, and often. And at Lady Matlock's ball, he asked for my hand! It was so romantic I thought I might die from the emotion he evoked in me. Feelings that I never thought to feel again, scratch that, feelings that I am not sure I ever had for Thomas.

Donato likes children well enough, but has no pressing desire to be a father, and so my years are not an obstacle for him. Imagine, sister, me! Fanny Bennet. Marrying a man three years my junior for love, at the advanced age of forty-seven! It is too mortifying for words!

We are to be married in June when the family gathers at Shannon View in Sanditon, and Kitty and Brandon wish us to make our permanent home in the very large and comfortable dower house. We shall manage their estate for them, and keep it in good operation for when the family visits in the summer.

Lizzy believes Donato will be highly welcomed as a portrait artist in Sanditon. He is looking forward to painting the landscapes and shoreline. He loves to paint the sea. Do not tell, but he wishes to draw me on the beach like one of those French girls! What a scandalous life I am coming to lead! Lizzy is to send a carriage for you and my brother Phillips in May. Say you will come…

Your Scandalous Sister,

Fanny

Four months after the wedding:

Piccadilly,

London

Lady Darcy,

Finally, there is an answer to the mystery in Hempstead.

Viscount Compton's heir took some time to track down, but he was finally located in America. He is the nephew of Viscount Compton, and when he visited my office, we learned that the viscount's aunt disappeared from society many years ago. It was said that she eloped and ran away with a man, yet the man she was reportedly in love with, and wanted to marry, had been left behind.

The viscount's father had maintained that his sister had run away with a footman and had never been heard from again. It is believed by the new viscount, as it was also believed by his father, that she was locked away so her dowry would never have to be paid as it was laid out in their father's will.

The local doctor who examined the body believes that the times could be correct, and says that he believes the woman was locked up for many years before she died. A funeral will be held next week, and the body will finally be laid to rest in the family churchyard.

Montague

Seventeen Months after the wedding. (March 1954).

Shannon View,

Sanditon

Dear Aunt Madeleine,

She's done it! She's finally done it! My dearest stepmama, Mrs Fanny Bertelli, at the advanced age of eight and forty, has presented her husband with a son. Master Michael Antony Bertelli was born last night, a strong and hearty boy, whose father says has the lungs of a great singer.

Mama came through the birth far easier than we all feared. All of us girls, and Aunt Phillips too, were here, so afraid were we that something unfortunate might happen, and we would not be here with her. Mama says not to worry overly much over Uncle's business preventing your attendance. She was quite well looked after, and in the end, she had no trouble at all. Sister Augustine said that if all births were so easy, that even the gentlemen would do it.

We have all agreed we might need to have our festive seasons at our own homes this year. It seems that with the exception of Lydia of course, all of the Bennet daughters are expecting children before the end of this year. Perhaps you might come to Pemberley? Or perchance you might prefer to travel to Sanditon, and meet your long overdue nephew. Do tell me when you decide. Give my love to my cousins, and my uncle.

I Remain, As Always,

Your Lizzy