Epilogue
The smaller dining room at Pemberley had not been designed to hold quite so many people, but Elizabeth loved the informality of it.
Tonight, the people she loved most in the world were packed around the round table with elbows occasionally colliding and dishes being passed from hand to hand while everyone spoke over everyone else.
It felt much more like a family dinner than a formal anniversary celebration, which suited Elizabeth perfectly.
Jane sat beside Bingley, one hand resting occasionally upon the gentle swell beneath her gown.
Her pregnancy had given her complexion an even softer glow, though Bingley was convinced it had rendered his wife incapable of the smallest exertion.
When she leaned forwards to reach for the potatoes, his hand shot out to capture her wrist.
"My dear Jane, allow me."
Jane gave him a patient look. "Charles, I am with child, not made of spun glass."
Bingley placed two potatoes upon her plate. "Dr Matthews said you were not to overexert yourself."
"I do not believe this was the type of exertion he meant, dearest."
Across the table, Fitzwilliam laughed loudly enough to earn himself a warning look from Anne.
"You mock now," Bingley said. "We shall see how you behave when Anne is carrying your heir."
"I shall behave with perfect calm and good sense."
Anne rolled her eyes and Georgiana let out a bark of laughter before covering her mouth as though shocked the sound had come from her. This naturally caused the rest of the party to descend into a very improper fit of giggles.
Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and looked towards Darcy.
He had been watching the exchange with amusement, but the moment her gaze found him, his attention shifted entirely to her.
A year of marriage had done nothing to cool what lay between them and she felt the familiar flutter low in her stomach as he reached for her hand and raised it slowly to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Must you paw at your wife like a lovestruck schoolboy every time she comes within reach?" said Fitzwilliam.
Anne punched her husband lightly on the arm. "As if you are one to talk, Richard."
Fitzwilliam looked wounded. "I am the very model of restraint."
Anne raised her brows. "Then I have no notion whose hand is presently on my knee."
Elizabeth laughed as Darcy lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed another deliberate and much louder kiss against her fingers.
"I was given very firm instructions regarding excessive restraint," he said. "And I am nothing if not a thorough and obedient man."
Fitzwilliam shook his head, smiling. "I hardly recognise you, cousin."
Darcy ignored him and kept hold of Elizabeth's hand for another moment before finally releasing it to reach for the wine.
Elizabeth had not paid much attention to the bottle when it was brought to the table. Pemberley's cellars contained more wine than she could ever hope to distinguish between, and Darcy generally knew what she favoured. She accepted the glass he poured for her and took a sip.
Furniture polish. Elizabeth lowered the glass very slowly and turned her eyes to her husband who was watching her expectantly.
"Does it bring back memories, my love?"
Her eyes narrowed. "William."
That was enough to draw Fitzwilliam's attention. He looked from Elizabeth to the bottle in Darcy's hand and then began to laugh. "You finally served it."
Darcy's mouth twitched. "I thought it appropriate."
"The cellar wine?" Fitzwilliam asked, already laughing harder.
"One of them."
Elizabeth took the bottle from Darcy and examined the label, though there was really no need. Her tongue had recognised the dreadful stuff immediately. "You brought a bottle of Lady Catherine's wine home with you."
"I thought we might want it one day."
"For what possible reason?"
"Our first anniversary seemed a suitable occasion."
She looked at him over the bottle. "Fitzwilliam Darcy. You stole from your aunt."
"I did no such thing. The good colonel acquired it for me."
Elizabeth turned towards the colonel. Fitzwilliam lifted both hands. "I was following orders."
Georgiana looked between them, confused. "What about a cellar?"
For one brief second, there was silence around the table.
Then Fitzwilliam made a strangled sound into his wine, Anne bent over laughing and Bingley nearly dropped his fork.
Even Jane, who had been attempting to maintain some degree of decorum, gave up entirely as the table descended once again into noisy, helpless laughter.
Georgiana's eyes widened. "What?"
"Nothing you need concern yourself with," Darcy said, too quickly.
That only made everyone laugh harder.
Georgiana looked more confused by the second. "I do not understand what is funny."
"Your brother and I were once accidentally locked in a wine cellar overnight," Elizabeth explained, still smiling.
Georgiana's eyes widened. "And that was what it took for you to fall in love with my brother?" she asked wonderingly.
"That and many, many other things," Elizabeth said happily.
"I believe she did not truly fall in love with him until she saw the size of his grounds at Pemberley," Bingley said with a wink.
"Hear, hear!" cried Fitzwilliam, raising his glass.
The teasing might have continued indefinitely if Darcy had not reached for Elizabeth’s wine as she lifted it again. He caught her wrist lightly and gave the glass a suspicious look. "Perhaps not too much of that."
Elizabeth raised her brows. "I beg your pardon?"
"I speak from experience, madam." He favoured her with a sly smile.
That was enough to start another round of laughter, and when Elizabeth accused him of having drunk every bit as much as she had, Darcy made the mistake of insisting that he had at least retained his memory of the evening.
She retaliated at once by announcing to the table that he had sung, at length and with great enthusiasm.
"You sang?" Bingley asked through a snort of laughter. "Please tell me it was a ballad. I will die happy if Fitzwilliam Darcy was heard singing a romantic ballad."
"I did not," Darcy said, though his eyes lifted briefly towards the ceiling as if appealing for mercy.
"You absolutely did, and with great feeling too," Elizabeth insisted.
Georgiana leaned forwards, delighted. "William, I have never heard you sing in my life."
"There is a reason for that."
Fitzwilliam laughed into his wine. "Now I am offended. You have denied your own family this pleasure for years, yet a lady traps you in a cellar for one night and suddenly you are performing like a prima donna."
Darcy reached for a roll from the bread basket and regarded his cousin over it with a warning look. "If you value your peace, Richard, I suggest you leave the matter there."
Fitzwilliam, who had never been particularly skilled at leaving matters anywhere, only grinned and leaned back in his chair. "I should like to hear at least one verse."
"You will hear nothing of the sort."
"I think we ought to put it to a vote."
Anne gave her husband a look. "I think you ought to stop tormenting him before he decides to make good on that threat."
Darcy turned the roll once between his fingers. "Your wife is a very sensible woman."
Still smiling, Fitzwilliam reached towards Anne's plate, plucked up a pea and flicked it across the table towards Darcy.
His aim was poor. The pea missed Darcy entirely and struck Elizabeth just below the shoulder.
There was a brief silence as Elizabeth looked down at the tiny green missile resting against her gown.
Fitzwilliam winced. "That was intended for Darcy."
Darcy looked from the pea to his cousin, then very deliberately picked up the roll beside his plate. "I cannot possibly ignore such an outrageous attack upon my wife."
"Darcy," Fitzwilliam said, already laughing. "Be reasonable."
"I think you forfeited the right to reason when you assaulted Mrs Darcy with a pea."
He threw the roll. It went wide of Fitzwilliam to strike Bingley squarely in the chest. Bingley stared down at it in surprise before looking towards Darcy.
"I believe I have just been drawn into this conflict against my will."
"You were collateral damage," Fitzwilliam told him with a smirk.
Bingley picked up the roll and sent it back across the table, though his aim was no better than Fitzwilliam's.
It struck Anne instead, and from that point there was very little hope of restoring order.
Anne retaliated at once, Georgiana joined in after only a moment's hesitation and proved to have very fine aim, while Bingley attempted to protect Jane with one arm and throw food with the other.
Jane wisely remained out of the fray, laughing so hard that she had tears running down her cheeks.
Elizabeth was laughing too much to defend herself properly when Darcy caught her around the waist and drew her firmly against his side as another roll flew past.
"You see what your family has reduced us to," he murmured near her ear.
"My family?"
"Your sister married Bingley. I think that makes him your responsibility."
"Then Fitzwilliam is yours." Elizabeth laughed and reached up to brush a smear of gravy from his sleeve. His hair had fallen slightly over his forehead and the dignified master of Pemberley had long since disappeared.
"You are entirely undone again, Mr Pemberley."
Darcy caught her hand before she could lower it and pressed a kiss to her fingers. "I have become accustomed to it."
Another piece of bread sailed past them and Elizabeth leaned into him, still laughing.
"Happy anniversary, William."
His arm tightened around her waist. "Very happy, my love."