Epilogue – 2
And for those wondering where another choice could have led…
Mr. William Fitzroy-Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet
of Pembrook and Pemberley
Happy was the day when Mrs. Bennet finally married off her least favorite daughter to a wealthy man, with estates in both Salisbury and Derbyshire. For although the matron did not appear in this story, Mrs. Bennet’s daughters still felt her presence in their lives, most notably the eldest.
Mrs. Collins endured, living a modest life in Hunsford being of service to her husband’s parishioners and rarely traveled the fifty miles of good road to visit her father’s estate.
Her value significantly increased when she produced the future heir of Longbourn shortly after the marriage of her favorite sister to Mr. Fitzroy.
Mr. Collins was filled with pride, but in truth, could not remember the events which brought his child into existence.
His wife having plied him with such strong drink beforehand, he was embarrassed to admit, and only did so to himself, he had slept through the marital bed.
Yet, he had fulfilled his duty, and believed it was the responsibility of every minister to encourage matrimonial felicity in his congregants.
Time and again, upon Mr. Bingley’s daily deliveries to the parsonage, and Mrs. Collins’s daily excursion to Bingley’s Mercantile, the minister contemplated that member of his flock.
He recalled one of his more altruistic chidings where he informed the shopkeeper, he had grieved for Mrs. Bingley long enough; that he should choose a lovely young lady from the village to be the new Mrs. Bingley.
The Reverend Mr. Collins then offered his opinion on appropriate replacements but was once again befuddled by the man’s disinterest.
Mr. Collins believed Bingley’s very future resided in his hands and was crossing the street to the man’s business when he realized he had never ordered the ink and pens Mr. Bingley had delivered that morning.
Nor the books from the day before; nor the pen knife; nor the watch chain; nor shoe buckles.
He began to consider the continual deliveries to his home, and his wife’s visits to the store, when an unfortunate event with a runaway carriage led to his demise!
Mrs. Collins grieved the appropriate amount of time, then married Mr. Bingley, who quickly sold his mercantile.
They took up residence at Fitzroy-Darcy’s newly acquired property near Longbourn, Netherfield Park, so young Master William Charles Collins could learn about his future estate of Longbourn.
He was doted upon by his grandparents and loved as his own by his stepfather.
The once mentioned Miss Bingley had remained in America, having married a man whose passion led him to explore the western frontier.
He was kind to her young son, believing his father had been killed fighting old Boney.
The new Mrs. Johnson did not dispute his beliefs, and they lived a hard life on the plains of Nebraska far from the ballrooms the former Caroline Bingley of Grosvenor Square had known.
The younger Bennet girls offer little significance to the story, and therefore it will only be said of them they married well for their station (a curate, a minor country gentleman, and a soldier in the Regulars––you may assign to each girl the spouse you choose).
And what of Anne de Bourgh? The boisterous woman, who, along with her own mother, had determined Mr. Fitzroy’s true parentage quite early on in the story?
After having been spurned by the Viscount Wenton for a French countess, she married a retired colonel from the regulars, often feeling a kinship to the military for reasons she could not explain.
They resided at Rosings most of the year.
Lady Catherine moved to the dowager house, Wickham’s threats behind her.
For although Darcy sustained only minor injuries in the duel, the same could not be said for George Wickham.
A shot from the opposite wood ended his life, with only small footprints and a gold chain found by the edge of the trees.
Oddly, the culprit was never apprehended.
Georgiana Wickham, now a widow, returned to Pemberley with her new brother and his wife.
She had sustained a mysterious burn on her hand the same day her husband lost his life, but doctors were not concerned, nor was her brother.
She remarried at the age of three and twenty, following the advice of William, who she had grown to love as if she had known him all her days.
She wed a man who, much like her new brother, adored his wife.
Their estate was only ten miles from Pemberley.
And what of our beloved couple? How did the adventure affect their lives?
Darcy had immediately removed any evidence of Wickham in his home, rehiring all the servants and setting his estate to rights again.
He also erected a monument to Clara Smith and her young son William before sending anonymous drafts from his account to a family he would never know.
He and Elizabeth frequently entertained Georgiana. She had just departed on a crisp April day, and as they watched her carriage leave the gates, Darcy handed little Henry to Nanny Flora. “Elizabeth, walk with me?”
She smiled and asked the footman to send a maid to fetch her shawl. They walked through the meadow, the woods, and over a slight hill before coming upon a small pond, where they sat on the banks.
“Could you ever have imagined our life being one of such joy and contentment?” she asked, reaching up to trace his cheek with her fingers.
“Yes, I could, and I did. From almost the first moment I met you.”
He rested his hand on the curve of her belly, where another Darcy grew, content to be united in this life. A life they both felt was worth choosing.
~The End~