Epilogue
Captain Gibbon and Lydia were allowed to marry three years later when Lydia turned eighteen years old and the young couple happily retired to their estate to start their life together.
Lydia had insisted on waiting to marry until then and many times in her visits to Pemberley, she had hugged Lady Anne thanking her for her great wisdom and foresight.
***
Longbourn had seldom worn such an air of contentment.
Mr Bennet sat in his library with a letter from Jane folded neatly upon his knee, another from Elizabeth lying open upon his desk, and a third from Kitty, now Lady Ellis, remarkably free of exclamation marks.
Mary had lately written to recommend a volume of the History of the Brighton area to her father, a circumstance that amused him almost as much as it pleased him since she no longer read books on sermons and doctrinal import.
Mrs Bennet swept into the room in excellent spirits.
“My dear Mr Bennet,” she declared, “I have been calculating, and I believe there has never been a mother in Hertfordshire as fortunate as I.”
“I tremble for the arithmetic,” said her husband amused.
“It is perfectly mathematical! Jane has married the best of men; Elizabeth, though she would have me believe otherwise, positively adores Mr Darcy; Mary is a countess and her husband, although a little older is young at heart and adores her. Kitty, or Catherine as she insists on being called nowadays, is a viscountess with an equally loving husband. And of course, let us not forget Lydia who always wanted an officer, though he is retired, he will always be Captain Gibbon to me.”
Mr Bennet lowered his spectacles.
“I think you are right, my dear, it is an accomplishment I should never have thought possible.”
Mrs Bennet ignored him with practised ease. “And Lydia has an estate, of course not as large as Netherfield Park, Pemberley or Newhaven Fort, but it is by no mean inadequate.”
At this, Mr Bennet smiled. “Lydia surprised us both, my dear.”
Indeed, she had. After much firmness, many conversations, and the combined influence and example of her sisters, Lydia’s passion for every bright uniform had at last cooled.
When she had insisted on waiting to marry, declaring that she thought she was still too young and looked forward to being a gentleman’s wife rather than a captain’s wife proclaiming that a gentleman's character was of considerably greater consequence than his regiment, they had all been astonished.
Mr Bennet had nearly dropped his book upon hearing it.
“I confess,” he said now, “I once imagined she would elope with the first lieutenant who complimented her ribbons.”
Mrs Bennet shuddered, “Do not remind me! I have thanked Lady Anne and the Good Lord for bringing her to Hertfordshire countless times. That lady is worth her weight in gold.”
“Then I must add my thanks to the lady and Darcy. Their influence appears to have travelled farther than even their carriage.”
Mrs Bennet seated herself opposite him with unusual gentleness, “You know, my dear, we have done very well.”
Mr Bennet looked toward the window, where the autumn sun lay warmly across the lawns. “We have been more lucky than wise.”
“Nonsense, we raised good girls.”
“We certainly raised spirited ones.”
Mrs Bennet smiled fondly. “They have all become exactly what they ought.”
“Indeed, they have, my dear, through the Grace of God alone.”
Mrs Bennet huffed, “you do not give yourself enough credit, Mr Bennet... or me. God gave them to us, but we raised them to be honest and respectable young ladies.”
“That we did, Mrs Bennet.”
“God has been very good to us.” The lady said wiping tears of contentment from her face.
“It seems so, my dear, it certainly seems so.”
They remained seated in quiet and contented companionship and the study at Longbourn, which had witnessed so many anxieties over daughters, officers, fortunes, and futures, seemed at last entirely at peace.
***
Six years later
“What time is mother coming?” Darcy asked his wife as she put the last of the decorations around the terrace, fresh garlands to celebrate the birth of James Bennet Darcy, heir to the Darcy’s holdings, who was turning five years old the following day.
“She is already here; she is in the drawing room with Lady Catherine, Anne and Georgiana.”
Darcy hugged her from behind and burying his nose into her neck took a swift breath of her scent.
“Mrs Darcy in a few hours the house will be swarming with people and you, madam, will have time for everybody but your poor, forsaken husband.”
She laughed leaning against him in a most delicious way, “Mr Darcy…” she attempted to complain but in a moment his mouth was on hers and all plans for visitors and decorations slipped from her mind.
“William…” she said between kisses, “darling…”
“Yes?” He kept the pressure on while pushing her into the parlour.
“We cannot…” more kisses ensued.
“Why not?” He had no intention of stopping.
“Because…”
“Because?”
“We have visitors already.”
“My mother will look after them until we come back.”
“You must be jesting… William…”
“No, I certainly am not.”
And to prove his point, he swept her into his arms and ran up the stairs and into his bedchamber where they did not emerge again for another hour.
Lady Catherine had taken two years to forgive Darcy and Elizabeth for the heinous crime of marrying for love and depriving Anne of the promised groom, for whom she had waited for so long.
Lady Catherine had come to Pemberley in all her pomp, to put an end to the whole affair, when they were actually on their wedding tour, not knowing that she was already too late.
She left soon after arriving, when Lady Anne threatened to set Hamlet on her.
Elizabeth encountered the vicious lady two years later when they met casually in London, during the season. The grand old lady realised too late that she was the one missing out as the new Mrs Darcy was very popular and well beloved by all.
As for Lady Anne, by the time the newlyweds returned home from their tour she and Georgiana had already removed themselves to the dower house.
Both Darcy and Elizabeth entreated her to return home but she was implacable that the new mistress of Pemberley be in charge of the manor house, because two mistresses under the same roof were never going to work.
She also mentioned that she wanted to be in charge of the house where she lived, seeing as the dower house was just as beautiful as Pemberley only smaller.
Georgiana was given the choice and opted to move in with her mother, to allow the young couple to settle.
However, when James was born, Lady Anne spent more of her time at Pemberley than at the dower house; and with the arrival of little Jane Marie, her presence became more valued still. Yet, though she was seldom at home, she carefully preserved the independence of the dower house.
For James’ birthday they were expecting Mr and Mrs Bingley, who lived only eighteen miles from Pemberley with their two children Sarah and Charlie. They had been hosting Mr and Mrs Bennet and Mr and Mrs Gardiner with their four children, Annabelle, Edward, Miriam and Jonathan.
Also coming to Pemberley to celebrate the Darcy’s heir were: Lord and Lady Gibbon who had twin girls, Rebecca and Rachel; Viscount and Viscountess Ellis who had two boys, Laurence and Timothy, and Mr and Mrs Gibbon who had one little boy, Peter.
The Matlocks were also coming with Viscount Allenby and his wife, the former Martha Moncrieff and their daughter Ester and son Charles.
Coming with them were Lady Emily and her husband Robert Asquith and their son, Philip; and Brigadier Richard Fitzwilliam and his new wife, Ana Maria, his Spanish bride of noble blood and fortune of only one year and consequently no children.
Arriving later that afternoon were Lord and Lady Holton who also had a couple of children of their own, Abigail and William.
Altogether the house was going to be full of friends and family, with their offspring numbering eighteen children in total, who would certainly animate the house and garden with their lively games creating the happy sounds of which now characterised the summers at Pemberley.
***
We cannot finish this narrative without telling the final and fitting conclusion of all the antagonists from this tale.
They each encountered a different end on their way to their chosen destination, whether physical, emotional or spiritual.
Even before arriving in Canada Miss Julia Buchanan had already been embroiled in another scandal.
On board the Asp under Captain Benwick, heading to the Americas, she met an amiable family, a very charming and polite lady with a husband who seemed more interested in charming the young ladies on board than keeping an eye on his unruly young boys.
The wife was with child again expecting their third child and suffered tremendous sickness on board, leaving her husband to fend for himself most of the days… and nights.
After a particular night when Julia and the husband had dined together and gotten very drunk, the natural course of events led them to her cabin where they started a dishonourable liaison that lasted through the whole Atlantic crossing.
By the time they disembarked in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Julia already knew she was again with child - once again with no prospect of marrying the father.
Her relative, an old aunt who was a widow with no children of her own expelled Julia from the house when she realised the young woman had lied to her.
Julia had no choice but beg and seek assistance from her local parish. The pastor, a married young man with his own young wife expecting their first child took pity on her and undertook the responsibility of finding and placing her within his parish.
Julia was placed in a grand house with many servants and a hard housekeeper who looked at her suspiciously. The housekeeper kept her working from first light to well into the night.