Christmases at Pemberley

Longbourn Christmas

Epilogue Chapter 3

Chapel at Pemberley

Christmas Eve, 1833

Elizabeth Darcy, seated between her two sons in the front pew of the newly remodeled sanctuary, turned as the door opened at the back of the chapel and Fitzwilliam Darcy, dressed in evening attire, his silvering hair carefully brushed, entered with his eldest daughter on his arm.

Elizabeth, who had been on the verge of tears all morning, felt her throat clog and her eyes swim at the sight of Gabriella, a vision in soft green, her hair twisted up elegantly, with a veil falling behind her.

Father and bride made their way down the aisle and then Fitzwilliam gently removed his daughter’s hand from his own arm and transferred it to her groom, Lewis Fitzwilliam, eldest son of Richard and Anne Fitzwilliam.

Darcy walked over to pew and sank down next to Elizabeth as Stephen, well aware of his parents’ desire to sit together, moved over to make room for his father.

Elizabeth found herself wiping her eyes frequently as she watched the wedding of her eldest daughter. She had, until this day, never understood women who cried when their daughters were well married. Why would one weep at such a time? But now she understood it entirely. It was a beautiful thing to have her precious eldest daughter married to a gentleman who would, one day, be master of Rosings in Kent. Gabriella was bright, energetic, hardworking, and enthusiastic, and she would be an excellent wife and, in time, mother. But she would also be living several days' travel from Pemberley, and that was hard to accept.

“She will be happy, darling,” Fitzwilliam murmured into her ear, and Elizabeth smiled gratefully at him.

A moment later, she heard a soft sob across the aisle and cast a sympathetic glance at Anne Fitzwilliam, who was smiling broadly through her own tears. The former Miss de Bourgh had birthed three children but only one son, who was now standing across from his bride to be, his expression one of open adoration. Elizabeth had looked on as the young couple enjoyed a courtship somewhat like her own, with much of it carried out by letter. She was very fond of Lewis Fitzwilliam and knew that he would be a wonderful husband to their daughter. Indeed, given the joy and satisfaction of her own marriage, how could she be anything but delighted for her dear Gabriella?

“Dearly beloved,” Mr. Haskell said, “we are gathered together today in the presence of God…”

The ancient words from the Book of Common Prayer soothed Elizabeth’s soul, and she watched with joy as Mary’s husband officiated the marriage ceremony for the couple. That too, she thought absently, had been a remarkably fruitful marriage. Mary was now mother to two sons and two daughters and lived a productive and happy life serving her family and the tenantry at nearby Hunsford.

Yes, this was a good and glorious thing, and she would celebrate and thank God for His mercies in bringing the young couple together.

/

Drawing Room

Pemberley

Christmas Day

Fitzwilliam Darcy looked out over the assembled relatives and friends, all of whom were chattering eagerly with one another.

It had been many years since the mansion had been so full of guests, but the marriage of the eldest daughter of Pemberley to the heir of Rosings had brought every branch of the family to Derbyshire to celebrate.

The elders of the extended family were gathered around the fire, with Mrs. Bennet, now white-haired, wrinkled, and slightly hunched, speaking amicably with the Dowager Countess of Matlock, whose own locks were a stately gray. The Countess had put off her half mourning attire only the previous month following the death of the earl the preceding November. Darcy was pleased to see that his aunt, in spite of her years and recent loss, still retained her straight posture and lively eyes.

The new Earl of Matlock, Richard’s elder brother, was seated next to his wife, the countess. The earl had married later in life, and his eldest child and only son was not yet twenty, so this was the first marriage of the next generation of Fitzwilliams. Across from the earl sat Sir John and Lady Lydia Radcliffe, who had journeyed from their estate in Sussex to Pemberley for the wedding. Lydia, formerly boisterous and flirtatious, was now a lively, but well-mannered wife to her baronet husband, and mother of three healthy girls and two energetic sons.

Darcy’s eyes shifted to the other pockets of guests in the room. His own heir, Stephen, was chatting happily with his twin cousins, Beatrice and Aaron Russell, while Phoebe, his seventeen-year-old daughter, spoke amiably with her cousin Thomas Bingley.

The door to the drawing room opened, and Jane Russell and Kitty Bingley entered in a flurry of wool gowns and silk shawls, along with their husbands. Darcy, searching in vain for his wife, was relieved when Jane and Isaac Russell approached him, and the former said, “Elizabeth will be down shortly. Joseph was fussy and wished for some time with his Mamma before lying down in his cot.”

Darcy nodded and relaxed. Joseph, his sixth child and fourth son, had been rather a surprise, born when Elizabeth was nine and thirty years of age. The child adored his mother, and the last weeks had limited Elizabeth’s time with her littlest one, as the Darcys prepared for the wedding of Gabriella and Lewis.

“Darcy,” Isaac remarked, “I know I have said this before, but I appreciate your willingness to sell Blue Haven to us. It really is perfect for our family.”

“I am glad,” Darcy responded, “and I am also grateful to you for your purchase. I am pleased that the estate will stay in the family, while also relieved to no longer have the added responsibility for the land and tenants. Berkshire is too far from Derbyshire to make it convenient to administer, and the money was helpful for Gabriella’s dowry.”

“The location is wonderful for us,” Jane said decidedly. “It is close enough to Town that Isaac can journey to London on a day’s notice, and the children are thriving with the cleaner air of the country.”

“Especially the younger boys,” Isaac said with a laugh, and Darcy chuckled with him. The Russells had been blessed with no fewer than eight children, and the last four were boys who doubtless relished the opportunity to ride horses and run and climb the many trees on the former Darcy subsidiary estate.

“Do you know whether Mary and Gerald will be joining us for Christmas dinner?” Jane asked.

“They will,” Darcy replied. “Indeed, they should arrive within the hour and intend to stay over for a few days, as Haskell assists in delivering gifts to some of the poor in Lambton and Hunsford.”

“We former Bennet daughters will all be here, then,” Jane remarked, looking around fondly at the increasingly crowded room. “How wonderful.”

“It is,” Darcy agreed.

The door opened again, and at last Darcy’s beloved Elizabeth appeared, arm in arm with Lady Georgiana Forsythe. The two women stopped in the doorway, looked about, and then made their way toward Darcy, whereupon Elizabeth released her sister-in-law’s arm and took her husband’s instead.

“Is all well in the nursery?” Darcy asked, looking from his wife to his sister and then back again.

The two ladies exchanged glances, and then Georgiana laughed and said, “It is well enough, Brother. Anthony was so dreadfully fussy that I was forced to send for my husband. He is able to manage our son far more easily than I am. I know that is my fault to some degree; I am inclined to spoil him as the youngest of our children.”

“I understand that entirely,” Elizabeth said with a grin. “Moreover, I do not know about you, Georgiana, but I am significantly more exhausted than I was when Gabriella was born!”

“Oh, absolutely!” her sister-in-law replied. “When Jacob was born, I thought I was tired, but compared to now, well!”

At this moment, the door opened once again to reveal the newlyweds, Lewis and Gabriella Fitzwilliam, both beaming with delight. Various cousins and siblings of the couple surged forward to speak with them, and Georgiana drifted off, leaving the elder Darcys alone in the corner of the room, gazing over their sisters and brothers-in-law, their nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles and friends.

They had, indeed, been given so very much in this life, but Darcy, relishing the feeling of his wife’s warm hand on his arm, knew that Elizabeth was the greatest gift of all.

The End

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