Epilogue
Pemberley
Darcy
Isorted through the stack of letters on my desk, placing the most pressing ones on top.
Since Graham’s birth two weeks ago, I had neglected my correspondence.
My beautiful son had greeted the world with a head of brown, wavy hair, announcing his annoyance at the change in his circumstances with vociferous yells.
Although my wife seemed well on her way towards recovery and had already resumed several of her duties, I rested easier in the knowledge she would never have to endure that particular ordeal again.
My movements ceased at a sudden alteration in the air—an unseasonable chill along with another, more elusive, change. I rose, went to the casement windows, and shut them.
“Hallo, Darcy.”
Good God. I spun round to find Graham leaning upon the mantel. He wore a purple coat embellished with an abundance of ostentatious gold embroidery. “Graham, what are you doing here?”
He raised his palms. “Be easy, my friend. I am not here to conduct business of any sort. I want to congratulate you. With the recent birth of your second son, your family is now complete.”
I shifted my weight and set my shoulders into a less rigid position. “Thank you. I could not be more pleased.”
“Could I trouble you for a glass of your excellent brandy?”
“Of course.” I poured two glasses of the liquor, and we took seats.
Graham raised his glass to take a sip. “Ah, this is delicious!”
“You must have another reason for coming here. After all, you did not congratulate me after Jane’s birth.”
A deeper colour tinged his ears. “That is true. However, I have returned to Pemberley from time to time.” He raised his index finger.
“Rest assured, I have never intruded upon your private moments with Elizabeth. But I have indulged in glimpses of the two of you from afar, sometimes with your children. In addition, I have stopped at the nursery a few times, including today, just before I appeared to you.” His hand lifted to his chest. “I cannot express how honoured I am that you named your son Graham.”
“Well, there is no denying that you made an impression upon us. You also assisted my brothers, my aunt, and my cousin Anne, and I suspect you had a hand in Mr. Andrew Oakley’s transformation as well. No doubt you are aware the former Mrs. Sarah Mead married him in December 1815.”
“Indeed, I contrived the idea of using Mr. Oakley in that particular manner, although the manoeuvre could not have succeeded without my family’s assistance.” He sat forwards in an erect posture. “I have a favour to ask of you.”
I stiffened. What could he possibly want?
“With your agreement, I should like to be a presence in Graham’s life.”
“What sort of presence?”
“I want to return once each year and stay for a few days to spend time with Graham as a friend and advisor.”
“A few days each year?”
“Yes.” He smoothed his lapel, and his smile took a sheepish turn. “My absence in 1815 caused a bit of chaos, so my family is adamant that I stay no more than three days at a time.”
Shorter visits ought to be easier for me to tolerate, yet he could complicate our lives in unforeseen ways. I twisted my signet ring.
“My hope is that your son will view me like an uncle or a friend.”
Did I want Graham to return…or to advise my son? I raised the brandy to my mouth but lowered it without taking a drink. “What if I refuse?”
He sobered. “Then I shall respect your wishes.”
“Well, that is a vast improvement over last time.”
With a wince, Graham lowered his gaze. “Since then, I have learnt my lesson. I shall not abuse my powers again.”
I took a sip of brandy. “In any event, I should not make this decision without Elizabeth. After you left, I told her everything.” I rang the servant’s bell, and my butler soon arrived. He started when his gaze veered towards Graham.
“Rutley, ask Mrs. Darcy if she would care to join Mr. Graham and me here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Within five minutes, the door opened and Elizabeth entered.
Graham and I stood. Since my youngest son’s birth, she had eschewed her usual hair arrangements for a simpler one and dressed in plain, muslin gowns such as the current green garment.
Nevertheless, her beauty and captivating presence animated the room.
She glanced at me, then went to the angel, extending her hand. “Graham, this is a pleasant surprise.”
He took her hand and kissed it. “Elizabeth, I am delighted to see you again. You are as beautiful as ever.”
“That is a generous falsehood.” She brushed her hand down the sleeve of her gown, and her lips pursed. “I wanted to greet you, though I am not dressed to receive guests today.”
“Anyone would be privileged to look upon your loveliness.” Graham shot me a quick look. “I know Darcy agrees with me.”
“You are correct.” I moved a chair closer to the other two, and we all took seats. I restated Graham’s request for her benefit.
Elizabeth studied him. “Why do you want to do this for our son?”
He leaned towards her, placing his hands upon his thighs.
“Well, as he is my namesake, it seems fitting for me to be a part of his life. And as a second son, he is the one most apt to benefit from the attention. Bennet enjoys the advantages and respect commensurate with being the heir, whilst Jane has the distinction of being your only daughter.”
She locked eyes with me. “What are your thoughts?”
“Well, notwithstanding Graham’s explanation, it would be odd for him to engage with our youngest son but not with Bennet or Jane.”
“Yes, I agree.” My wife tapped her lower lip. “After all, whilst our children are young, they will often be together.”
“I understand your concern.” Graham’s sight flitted between Elizabeth and me. “So, you will allow me to spend time with Graham as long as Jane and Bennet, assuming they are present, are invited to join us.”
“Yes.” Elizabeth looked towards me.
I nodded and shifted my sight to Graham. “My only other condition is that if your association with our children ever leads to a problem, we reserve the right to end it.”
He placed his palms together. “Yes, I agree, and I appreciate this very much.”
My wife stood, prompting Graham and me to rise. “Shall you be our guest for a few days?”
“No, I had not planned to stay today. Would the third week in November be a convenient time for me to return?”
“Yes, we shall expect you then.”
“That is excellent!” He beamed at us in turn. “Well, I shall leave you both for now. Farewell, my good friends.” And with that, he vanished, leaving behind a twirling cloud of smoke.
Elizabeth’s hand flew to her throat. “My goodness, I did not expect that.”
“I took hold of her arm. “Are you well?”
"Yes, I am." She looked up at me. “Is this not a remarkable turn of events?”
“To be sure, but I should not be surprised if Graham changes his mind.”
“Do you doubt he will return?”
“No, but if the children tax his patience, he may decide to spend his time elsewhere.”
Her eyebrow arched. “O ye of little faith.”
“We are speaking of Graham.”
She grinned. “Well, I hope he perseveres, for our children may be the making of him.”
“Indeed.”
July 1826
Pemberley
Elizabeth
I set down the letter from Jane. At the end of the month, our two eldest boys would return from Eton.
The following week, my sister, Charles, and the children would come to Pemberley and spend a fortnight with us.
We should be a festive group! My head tilted at the faint sounds of fervent shouts.
What sort of amusement had Graham arranged for the children today?
This morning, Graham had prevailed upon me to give the children’s governess the day off, as he wanted to attend them in her stead.
Upon leaving my morning room, the animated voices of Jane and my son drew me to the blue sitting room.
I paused at the doorway, and my hand covered my mouth.
A blindfolded Graham lay upon his side on the rug, his wrists bound behind him with rope.
My son stood pointing a stick—which I took to represent a sword—at Graham’s head.
Jane crouched at Graham’s feet, tying up his ankles.
All three wore paper hats—no doubt Jane’s handiwork—a three-cornered one for Graham and two-cornered ones for the children.
With masterly control, I not only refrained from laughing but affected a staid visage before striding into the room. “Jane, Graham, why have you constrained Mr. Graham?”
My children stood at attention and shared a look between them before approaching me. Jane, as she often did, came to the forefront to act as spokesman.
“Mama”—Jane leaned close, using a soft voice—“you see, Graham is Admiral Nelson, I am Captain Hardy, and this room is our ship. Mr. Graham is the ruthless pirate Blackbeard, whom we have captured.”
“Blackbeard? But he died over forty years before Admiral Nelson was even born.” My Jane usually paid strict attention to such details.
“Yes, I know.” She gave her brother a pointed look.
My son adjusted his hat. “You see, Mama, Mr. Graham is Blackbeard’s ghost.”
“Of course, that makes perfect sense.” I glanced down at Graham, who attempted to loosen the rope around his wrists. “Well, I need both of you sailors to go ashore in the hall and allow me a few minutes to interrogate your prisoner.”
“But we cannot leave Blackbeard unguarded.” My son’s forehead crinkled.
“You may be assured he will remain on board your ship, Admiral. Now, hurry and go.” I waved my hand to rush them along, and they hied from the room. I knelt beside Graham. “Pray, allow me to untie you.”
“Your kind offer is appreciated, Elizabeth, but I must decline.”
“What do you mean? Do you not want to be freed? At least allow me to remove your blindfold.”
“No…um…in accordance with our agreed-upon rules, if I free myself unaided, I earn the privilege of picking our next game, and you may be certain my choice will lack the threat of imprisonment. At the moment, I am leaning towards jackstraws.”
“Well, if you are certain…”
“Yes, I am determined to unbind myself without any sort of aid. You cannot imagine how rewarding it has been to abandon my supernatural powers during my visits. I could use them and be free in a flash, but where would the satisfaction be in that?”
“Yes, I see what you mean.”
He grimaced. “However, I cannot understand why Darcy saw fit to teach Jane this infernal knot—it is maddeningly difficult to unravel.”
“Ah.” I sat back on my heels and tucked my chin. “I am the culprit. My uncle Gardiner taught this and several other complicated knots to my sister Jane and me when we were children.”
“Oh? Well, I wish you had devoted the time to a painting lesson instead. But fear not, I shall be a free man well before dinner time. Of course, you may be assured I shall have worked up an enormous appetite by then.”
“Very well, I am forewarned.”
He halted his movements, and his head shifted towards me. “May I tell you a secret?”
“Yes, you may.”
“To my surprise, I have never been more amused than in the hours I have spent with your children.”
What a sweet thing to say. “That is a beautiful sentiment.” A thickness in my throat hindered my response.
My sight lingered on the grey hairs peeking out from his blindfold near his temple.
At my suggestion, he had allowed his body to display the expected signs of aging over the years. “Shall I retrieve your captors now?”
“Yes, by all means.”
Upon declining Jane’s kind offer to remain and be her first lieutenant, I left the trio at their game and proceeded to the study.
I knocked upon the door and entered, closing and locking it behind me.
Fitzwilliam stood and walked around his desk to meet me.
I slipped my arms around him and seized his mouth in a passionate kiss.
Electricity thrummed between us, and my body moulded against his.
He broke our contact to cradle my face in his palm, panting. “To what do I owe this delightful greeting?”
“As a governess, Graham’s methods are singular, but he has our two darling imps well occupied, so I thought we ought to find our own entertainment.” My eyebrow arched.
“Well, my compliments to Graham.” He lifted me in his arms and carried me to the sofa.
And for the next blissful hour, nothing and no one existed save the two of us.