"Well, then, that is all settled and resolved now!" Mr. Bingley had cried with no little relief, "I am sure she will accept you if you return to her; indeed, she loves you still, as her current melancholy is surely due to her belief she will never have you again. Come to Hertfordshire, my friend, and make it right!"

  Thus the following morning Mr. Darcy found himself accompanying Mr. Bingley back to Netherfield Park, then on a call the very next day to Longbourn, and now he stood before her on a path somewhere between the two estates, after having watched her startle like a deer and run out of the room in haste. Did she wish to escape him? For a moment after her quick flight from the Longbourn drawing room, Mr. Darcy believed he had been wrong to visit, but Mr. Bingley nudged him and Miss Bennet gazed at him pleadingly, which propelled him into action. He felt his legs carry him out of the room after Elizabeth, ignoring the exclamations of confusion at all this sudden behavior, first from Elizabeth, and now Mr. Darcy, and he followed after Elizabeth not so many steps behind, close enough to hear her cry and see her silently chastising herself; it was all he could do not to run to her and bring her into an embrace. Now he spoke, and his words befuddled him, for why was he trying to act like a mere acquaintance when they were anything but? Then she had let out a bitter laugh with her sarcastic retort, and for a moment he was nervous she wouldn't accept him, but, being a man, he could be cowardly no longer, and he inhaled and began his speech:

  "Miss Elizabeth, you are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were when we saw each other last, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever.”

  Elizabeth, feeling all the more than common awkwardness and anxiety of his situation and more so hers, now forced herself to speak; and immediately, though not very fluently, gave him to understand that she had never stopped loving him at all, that she had come to regret and rue her overreaction to his honesty regarding Mr. Bingley and her sister, and that she had very much been living a life of daily despair, believing she had lost him forever.

  "You never could lose me, Elizabeth," he said, as he closed the distance between them, coming to stand before her and looking into her eyes. She had some tears, but they merely slowly dropped from her eyes one at a time, and he slowly cupped her face with his hands and gently wiped one of them away from her cheek with his thumb. He heard her breath catch at his touch, and she whispered, "Oh, William.”

  Mr. Darcy leaned in and placed a slow, chaste kiss on her forehead, and after a moment, he stepped away with a red face, embarrassed at himself for having behaved improperly in a moment of emotion, but most fortunately, he was met with what appeared to be a most grateful smile. Encouraged, Mr. Darcy ventured to say, "Elizabeth, will you marry me?"

  Elizabeth cried out with a laugh, "Yes, I shall!" and it was settled.

  They shared an embrace, and some few tears might have been shed on her side, but these were happy tears. As they made their way back to Longbourn with her on his arm, Elizabeth felt her heart swell with emotion; she had thought her William was lost to her forever, and now he was here and they were to be married. Upon entering Longbourn, they were met with curious looks and stares, and as Mr. Darcy ventured to the library to speak with Mr. Bennet, Elizabeth found Jane and gave her a hearty embrace, who whispered to her.

  "Lizzy, are you finally well? Oh, how I knew Mr. Darcy might have loved you still after I learned it was he who sent Mr. Bingley to call on us at Gracechurch Street!"

  After a few moments, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet entered the crowded drawing room, and the elder gentleman announced the news of another fine engagement, which was received with great astonishment and no little elation from Mrs. Bennet, who began to realize the magnitude of what she was hearing as she turned an awestruck gaze on Mr. Darcy. She might have begun to exclaim and wonder at how a daughter of hers such as her Lizzy could make a match with a man like Mr. Darcy; but instead, the woman became unusually silent, such an alternative to what was expected and which pleased Elizabeth greatly. Now there were but two weddings on the horizon, and the Bennet household could not hold any more joy than it did on that fateful day.

  Chapter 14

  Mr. Darcy, who had finally been privileged to have had his first night of truly restful sleep in many weeks since his heartbreak in Kent, awoke just before dawn and hastened to ready himself for a morning walk, where he would meet his betrothed just as they had done in Kent. He was in full spirits this morning just as he had been yesterday, as he and Mr. Bingley stayed at Longbourn the majority of the day following his proposal, returning to Netherfield only to change briefly for dinner back at Longbourn. The entire Bennet clan was still amazed from the surprise of Mr. Darcy's proposal, but by the time they all sat to dine that evening, Elizabeth had happily told the story of her overhearing his confession of admiration at the Hunsford assembly, a tale which evoked happy sighs from the youngest Bennet girls, goodhearted laughter from Mr. Bingley, and even sympathetic looks towards Mr. Darcy from Elizabeth's parents.

  "I have always warned Lizzy that she is far too impertinent, and I am far from surprised to know she was eavesdropping, I daresay," Mrs. Bennet said with a little teasing smile at Mr. Darcy, "and my, how you have transformed, Mr. Darcy; first, Lizzy was merely tolerable, and then you fell in love with her. I would say, it might serve you right, sir, and teach you a lesson about proper manners!"

  "Mama!" Elizabeth exclaimed with no little blush of mortification, but to her great relief Mr. Darcy merely chuckled and nodded.

  "I believe Mrs. Bennet is right, Elizabeth," he said, "It was a clever twist of fate that I would insult the same lady with whom I would later find myself in love."

  This rewarded him with smiles and a laugh from both Elizabeth and her mother, and the rest of the dinner was enjoyable. The Bennets were loud and somewhat uncouth, it was true, but Mr. Darcy could now see that they were merely a spirited bunch of goodly people who did not hold his former sins against him, and for that he would be eternally grateful. He was also glad to be able to relieve Mrs. Bennet of her worries about her family's future; with Miss Bennet marrying Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth marrying him, Mr. Darcy knew that there should be no lingering anxiety in regards what might happen if something unforeseen befell Mr. Bennet. This in itself was already seeming to result in a change in the life of the household, according to Elizabeth.

  "I can already tell that Mama has less trepidation now about our future," she assured him after the men returned from drinks with Mr. Bennet, "as she is calmer and easier to be around, it is certain, and she has completely changed her opinion of you, good sir."

  That last part was added with a sly smile, and Mr. Darcy was pleased to observe her blushing countenance. How beautiful she looked finally happy again, so unlike when he spied her that day in London, and a glance in a mirror told him that he, too, had changed in appearance due to his heartbreak, but hopeful was he now to soon look well again, having won his heart's desire.

  Thus, as that early morning sun shone down upon the path leading from Netherfield to Longbourn, Mr. Darcy eagerly anticipated seeing his beloved again. As if summoned by the very thoughts in his mind, his Elizabeth appeared on the horizon on the path ahead, and he quickened his pace to reach her as she stopped to wait for him.

  "Elizabeth," he said breathlessly as he pulled her into an embrace. They were completely alone, and how he relished holding her in his arms, her lovely feminine scent enveloping him as he smiled into her hair, which she had not put up completely.

  "William," he heard her mutter softly, and he responded by holding her even more tightly. They stood there in this way for a length of time before finally turning to walk. She took his arm, and they leisurely walked toward Netherfield, each of them smilingly and serenely content with their current way of being, enjoying each other's company, both of them barely daring to believe that any of this was even a reality—were they not dreaming, and would it not end upon waking?

  "William, I am exceedingly happy," Elizabeth said after some quiet moments of walking, her words evoking a smile from her betrothed.

  "Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth," Mr. Darcy said softly in return, "I cannot describe my own satisfaction."

  "Nor I," Elizabeth answered with a solemn nod. "I feel as if this is still just a dream, and I shall wake from it before long and be back in my melancholic way."

  "Never," Mr. Darcy said with some playfulness yet some urgency as well, "I shall not allow you to wake from this dream then, my dear."

  She smiled up at him.

  "And I shall keep you from waking, also, William."

  They stopped walking, Netherfield finally in view. Mr. Darcy directed them to turn around and begin the trek back toward Longbourn.

  "Elizabeth," he said quietly, with some seriousness in his tone and voice, "As long as I have you, I know that I shall despair no more, for you have indubitably rescued me from it."

  She looked up at him with a wistful smile and answered, "I thank you for rescuing me from my own despair as well, sir."

  There was a silence between them as they walked along, and finally Elizabeth, no longer wishing to dwell nor linger on the more dreadful time of the recent past, spoke to him thus: “Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure, William. Let us relish this time and envision our future together. Tell me more about Pemberley in the summertime."

  And so they walked, and, he obliging his future bride with tales of her future home, they spent the morning walking arm-in-arm as the sun rose. As the day of Jane's wedding approached, both couples spent many a walk out-of-doors together, each couple providing the other with ample privacy and space to share a loving embrace or two, and before long the wedding took place, a happy joyous affair. The newlyweds ensconced themselves at Netherfield while Mr. Darcy returned to London, with Elizabeth departing for Town as well so she could shop for her wedding trousseau. Mr. Darcy resided at Darcy House and invited his sister to reside there so she could finally meet Elizabeth, and Elizabeth stayed with the Gardiners, who were preparing for their summer tour in the coming weeks.

  "I am sorry we cannot take you any longer, my dear, but I must admit I would prefer you to be busy preparing for a wedding than accompanying us north," Mrs. Gardiner said with a laugh.

  Elizabeth shook her head but silently agreed, as there was nothing she would rather do than marry Mr. Darcy as well.

  After a week in London, Elizabeth returned to Hertfordshire with Mr. Darcy and his sister, who would be residing at Netherfield now that Mr. and Mrs. Bingley were away on their wedding trip, and the Darcys called on Longbourn nearly every day for the next few weeks as they waited for the banns to be read.

  "Oh, how I cannot wait to be married," Elizabeth said breathlessly to him the very morning of their wedding, meeting at their assignation spot between Netherfield and Longbourn. They embraced one another and held each other for some moments, before pulling away slightly.

  "Come. You must return and prepare for your wedding. Shall I walk you part of the way?" Mr. Darcy asked with a smile to his bride, who easily acquiesced.

  The next time he saw her, it was in the church, and though he wished Mr. Bingley were there, he was satisfied to have his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam stand up with him. He spied his family members in the pews, including Lady Catherine's brother, the earl. Lady Catherine was not present, though this was no surprise to Mr. Darcy, as she had tried to accost him in London after their engagement had been announced, and he turned her away from Darcy House for being uncharitable and rude toward him and his future bride. The colonel had informed him that Lady Catherine's next stop after Darcy House was a visit to his father the earl, and her hysterics were not well received, as they had reasonably recognized they had no real authority over whom their nephew chose to marry.

  "They had quite the row," Colonel Fitzwilliam had told him the evening before as he arrived at Netherfield. The colonel laughed about it, Mr. Darcy rolled his eyes, and that was that. He received a congratulatory note from his cousin Miss de Bourgh, so he was thankful she was not angry nor held any expectations of marriage from him.

  Mr. Darcy shook these thoughts from his mind as he watched his Elizabeth enter the church, and his heart beat fast, knowing quite well that he had not lost the lady of his dreams: Elizabeth Bennet was finally to be Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy, and this fact made Mr. Darcy unequivocally the happiest man in all of England.

  Epilogue

  Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were an exceedingly happy couple, though it would be an untruth to suggest that their marriage was always without conflict or challenge; their headstrong personalities sometimes resulted in a sheer battle of wills betwixt the two. However, their passionate natures often tempered these times of disagreement, as they would almost inevitably find their way into one another's arms before they retired, having resolved very early on in their marriage to never go to sleep angry (even if it meant staying up together the entirety of the night before finally arriving at a resolution).

  Their mutual passion for one another resulted in an heir to the estate just ten months after their marriage, a strapping young boy named Bennet, and he was followed by a daughter five times over, nearly every two years or so, until at last another little boy, young Fitzwilliam, arrived when Master Bennet was nearly eleven years old. The Darcy daughters, Jane, Anne, Emma, Marianne, and Fanny, all had distinct personalities which reminded their parents of various relatives: two were serene and responsible like Elizabeth's sister Jane (little Jane, or more properly, Miss Darcy and her next sister Miss Anne), one was high-spirited like Lydia (Miss Marianne), one was painfully shy and quiet like Mr. Darcy's sister (Miss Fanny), and one had a delightful liveliness of mind (or impertinence, depending on who was describing her) just like her mother (Miss Emma). Altogether, the Darcy daughters taught both Mr. and Mrs. Darcy innumerable lessons in patience, humility, and responsibility, as well as providing them a deepened respect and understanding for the trials that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet must have endured raising up five silly daughters without two steady and levelheaded sons to round them out.

  Mr. Darcy's ward and sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy, enjoyed many seasons before finally settling on marriage, Mr. Wickham unfortunately having left a deep impression upon her to be wary of love; but thankfully, over time she learned that she, too, was worthy of loving and being loved in return, and she made a very decent match when she married a second son of an earl. Miss Kitty married a clergyman named Mr. Jones, who had the living at Kympton and whom she met during a visit to Pemberley one summer. Miss Mary married one of the young men who worked for her uncle Mr. Philips, a young clerk named Mr. Martin, and she greatly enjoyed living among the society ladies of Meryton, finally receiving her share of attention which her mother failed to shower upon her as the middling, plain daughter she used to be. The reader now may be wondering what exactly was Miss Lydia's fate in all this, since she never went to Brighton and was thus saved from the clutches of Mr. Wickham. It is a simple matter, really, but the story took many years to unfold in its entirety.

  She met Colonel Fitzwilliam at the Darcy wedding most certainly, but as the reader should be reminded, he was to marry an heiress and nothing less (though he could not deny feeling some attraction for the girl when they were introduced). He soon married his cousin Miss de Bough, a natural enough scheme after Lady Catherine failed to ensnare Mr. Darcy for her daughter. He lived well at Rosings Park, but unfortunately, a mere twelve days after the birth of their daughter little Catherine, Mrs. Fitzwilliam passed away from an infection that resulted from the man-midwife mismanaging her daughter's birth. This was sad, solemn news indeed, and Colonel Fitzwilliam mourned the loss of his wife and the mother of his child for a number of years. It was not until one summer at Pemberley around the time little Catherine was six years of age that he was thrown back into Miss Lydia's path, and he was reminded of the spark he felt when they had met those many years before. It was soon revealed that she had harbored feelings for him which prevented her from falling in love with anyone else, and as a result, they quickly entered into a romantic courtship and became married. She adored little Catherine, and the colonel was glad to have found not only a lady love for himself but a mother for his motherless daughter. Mrs. Bennet, as the reader may imagine, was sorely pleased at the match, and Mr. Bennet was finally relieved of his youngest and most silliest daughter (although, if he were being truly honest with himself, he would have to acknowledge that Lydia had become significantly less silly over the years as she lived with them and helped care for her Mama). The new Mrs. Fitzwilliam longed for a babe, to give little Catherine a sister or a brother, and her longings were soon answered with the arrival of little Bennet Fitzwilliam.

  In total, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet saw the arrivals of twenty four grandchildren before Mr. Bennet passed away, and the widow Bennet saw another five grandchildren in her old age. As it was, she could not be more pleased, as Mr. Darcy her son-in-law provided her with a lovely home in Meryton after Mr. Bennet's death where she could stay close to her sister Mrs. Philips and her middle daughter Mrs. Martin. The Bingleys eventually moved to Derbyshire some years after their wedding, where Elizabeth Darcy and Jane Bingley remained as close as ever and, along with their sister Kitty Jones, happily watched their children grow up alongside one another.

  Lady Catherine de Bourgh lived long, incredibly, but she was settled at the Dower House after the colonel's wedding to Miss de Bourgh, and surprisingly, she got on rather well with the headstrong Lydia Fitzwilliam after her son-in-law's second marriage, taking her under her wing and providing guidance on what it meant to be mistress of such an estate as Rosings Park. If anyone had ever suggested to Elizabeth such a future during those days she spent in Kent, she would have denied the possibility of it. When Lady Catherine finally passed away, her granddaughter little Catherine was not the only one shedding true tears of sadness, as Mrs. Fitzwilliam and young master Bennet Fitzwilliam were truly aggrieved for the loss of Lady Catherine as well.

 

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