Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Pemberley, 1816
“ P apa, wait for me!”
Elizabeth watched her eldest daughter skip along the gravel path that cut through Pemberley’s gardens towards Darcy, her ribbons flying in the winter breeze. He turned and smiled at his firstborn child. His eyes shone with a tender pride he reserved for Annabella, and it was in these private moments that Elizabeth was able to enjoy seeing her reticent husband fully at ease. On her hip was Marianne, whose chubby hands pulled at the delicate gold necklace that Darcy had given Elizabeth for her birthday
“Wait for us too,” she called with a laugh.
With a few decisive steps, Darcy returned to her side and lovingly took their youngest daughter into his arms, grinning as she patted his nose. They walked side by side up the steps towards the house; the frost-strewn windows greeted them, and the ivy on the walls rustled softly. Annabella ran ahead, and Elizabeth caught Darcy watching as she disappeared from view.
“How are you?” she murmured. “I have not forgotten that today is the anniversary of Dominic’s death.”
Darcy looked past her, wistfully gazing out at the gardens. “Do you know, it feels like yesterday that he and I were playing here together?” He glanced at his baby daughter. “Time and tide wait for no man. I still miss him, but with every day I spend with my family, the pain of his loss eases.” A sadness filled his voice as he continued. “But it is on days like today that I consider what might have been.”
Elizabeth touched his arm lightly. “I am glad that we are spending the day with your family.”
“You are? How fortunate I am that you still tolerate their company!” His dark eyes gleamed with sudden mischief.
Laughing, Elizabeth replied, “Fitzwilliam and Rosalind are delightful.”
“A pity their children have a tendency to break everything in sight.”
Elizabeth suppressed a smile, but she did not contradict him. “I shall not be drawn into a debate over which of our relatives has the most destructive offspring. I am not sure I would win. I dearly love my nephew, but Jane has no control over him.”
“With any luck, he will turn out the same as Bingley—affable and generous.”
There was a slight pause before Elizabeth tentatively asked, “Will Cecilia be in attendance? Has there been any further word about Lord Fulford?”
“From my uncle’s last letter, Fulford continues to drink excessively. He is certainly dying, but he is taking his time about it.”
“God forgive me for saying this, but I hope for Cecilia’s sake it is soon.” Marianne began to fuss and reach for Elizabeth, who took her from Darcy. “She and Georgiana have been planning everything they wish to do in London during her first Season. Cecilia deserves some happiness after all that she has endured.”
“Do you think I should inform Cecilia of what happened with Wickham?” Darcy asked.
“I suspect she already knows.” Elizabeth lowered her voice as they stepped into the house. “And if there was anyone who would encourage Georgiana to be guarded around men, it is Cecilia.”
“That is true,” Darcy conceded. “Perhaps my reluctance at Georgiana’s coming out is more because I fear my sister’s heart being broken.”
“We must allow the ones we love to find their own way,” she said gently.
“You know how I wish to protect those I love from harm.” He gave a rueful smile. “Tis a hard habit to break.”
A squeal and thump echoed from the passageway, followed by Annabella crying, “Papa!” Darcy hurried towards her, and Elizabeth behind him. They discovered that their daughter had tripped on an uneven tile and was sitting on the floor, a large scrape on her knee.
“Come, little one, let me see to that.” Darcy reached for his handkerchief, dabbing it lightly onto the injury before scooping her up into his embrace. Annabella flung her arms about his neck, and he murmured soothingly. “Would it make you feel better if you choose a book from the library that we four can read together?”
“Even baby?” Annabella sounded doubtful.
“Even baby.”
Engrossed in tending to his eldest daughter, Darcy did not notice his handkerchief falling to the floor. Moving Marianne to her other hip, Elizabeth stooped to pick it up, reminded of a time when the sight of blood would have been impossible for Darcy to bear. Her heart stirred as she remembered his pale, stricken face that long-ago day in the Netherfield stables. How far we have come since those sad times , she thought. How glad I am to have filled his life with happiness . She opened her mouth to call to him but stopped, choosing instead to watch the pair ascend the stairs deep in conversation, her beloved child’s tears forgotten in the presence of her father’s love.