Epilogue
The waves crashed on the seashore, and Elizabeth rode at a gallop, looking back at her husband. She knew he was only pretending to allow her to win the race, but she enjoyed it nevertheless.
In their three years of marriage, she had learnt to ride, and the sport had become her favourite exercise, especially because she could share it with her husband and her sister Georgiana.
He had taught her to ride, as he had taught her many things that had enhanced her life to a felicity beyond her expectations.
He shared everything with her — from his home to his knowledge — making her his partner in every way.
She struggled to be worthy of his trust and share his duties, his responsibilities, and his concerns too.
Three years later, Elizabeth still spoke to her aunt Gardiner about her good fortune in winning the love of such a man, whom she adored as much as she respected and admired.
Their marriage had faced strong opposition in the first months, from almost everyone in his circle of friends. By the beginning of the autumn, though, Colonel Fitzwilliam had convinced his parents to get to know Elizabeth before judging her and to support her in society.
Having her husband by her side, Elizabeth bore the opposition with dignity, as well as patience, loving her husband, honouring him, and learning to fulfil her responsibilities. Slowly, the Fitzwilliams recognised her worthiness and accepted her, though Lady Catherine de Bourgh never did.
Darcy continued to support Dr Gardiner’s work, as well as other charities, and together they opened a small office near Pemberley, too, providing medical care to those who could not afford it.
One of those was George Wickham, who did not recover after his injuries and remained at Darcy’s mercy — a harsh but deserved repayment for his betrayal.
Elizabeth finally pulled her horse to a stop, laughing. Her husband did the same, then dismounted in a hurry and stretched out his hands to lift her down.
“I have missed this so much!” she said, breathing deeply. “The sea, the waves, the breeze!”
“I have missed even more being here with you,” he said. “The month we spent here during the first summer of our marriage, I shall never forget.”
“Such times will never return,” she replied, placing her arms around his neck.
“Not now, when our son is already two years old, when Jane and Charles have purchased an estate close to Pemberley, when our four unmarried sisters are all out, when we have just opened a school in Lambton, and when your aunt plans to introduce me at the palace.”
“Indeed,” he answered thoughtfully. “Those happy times of peace and solitude are forever gone.”
She laughed while he held her even tighter.
“I know you love the noisier, busier, yet happier days, Mr Darcy.”
“I do. I love every day of my life with you more than I loved the previous one, Mrs Darcy. But there are times when I want nothing and nobody but you.”
“So do I, my beloved husband. That is why I abandoned our son at the cottage with Georgiana and Mary, so we can escape here, to our favourite place, at least for a little while,” she said laughingly. “Shall we go swimming?”
“Of course,” he said. “Just like the last time we were here, three years ago,” he responded, and she blushed as she remembered that swim very well.
This summer, they had rented two cottages to accommodate their family for two months.
It was their son’s first time at the sea, and he loved it as much as his parents.
To Elizabeth and Darcy, nothing was more beautiful than that piece of wilderness, where they had first met under daring, dreadful circumstances that had changed their lives forever.
It was a place they still had not shown anyone else, had not shared with anyone, where they escaped at every opportunity.
They removed their clothes and walked hand in hand towards the water, each step taking them deeper, and stopped when the water reached her chest and his waist. She held onto his shoulders, while his arms closed around her.
“I still remember your touch when you first pulled me out of deep water, six years ago,” she said. “There was nothing but care in that gesture, but my body and my mind have never forgotten it.”
“As I have never forgotten the beautiful young woman who dived into the water like a nymph. A daring, imprudent nymph, but enchanting nevertheless.”
She began the kiss, then he lifted her and placed her legs around his waist. Her hands encircled his neck, and her body rubbed against his. His patience soon gave way, and his mouth captured hers, tasting her, savouring her sweetness, trying to satiate an ever-growing hunger.
His hands began to explore her hips, her thighs, her back, her neck…
They kissed and swam, caressed and touched, inching closer to the point where their passion became overwhelming and demanded fulfilment.
They knew very well what each of them liked, expected, and longed for.
Her body, yearning for him, quivered and burned at the same time, opening when she felt his arousal, to embrace his warm strength that found its way inside her.
Their bodies perfectly fitted together inside and out, just as they seemed to fit perfectly in the seawater, under the bright sky.
“It seems we are as proficient at swimming as we were three years ago,” he said hoarsely, and she laughed. Still hand in hand, they walked back to the shore and sat, warmed by the sunshine. He put his arms around her again.
“This place seems to never change, do you not think?” she asked. “We have come here so many times since we married, and I am thrilled every time, though everything is the same — the beach, the sea, the waves, the rocks.”
“I am thrilled every time I hold you in my arms, by beloved Elizabeth, regardless of the place we are in.”
They remained closely embraced, enjoying the peace, the sea, and each other for just a little while before needing to return to their loved ones. For the time being, for just a little while, each of them was everything that the other wished for and needed.