A Letter from Mrs. Bennet to her sister Mrs. Phillips
My Dear sister,
I am writing to tell you of the wonderful events that have occurred here lately. Elizabeth recently had a wedding and reception with none other then Mr. Darcy! Oh, it was splendid! The reception took place at his magnificent Pemberly estate, which Elizabeth will soon be the mistress of. Mr. Darcy is very wealthy and I couldn't be happier about the marriage. I must admit that I was initially shocked to hear about Mr. Darcy's proposal! I previously thought him to be a proud and arrogant man who would never even look at Elizabeth. I could not believe the news at first. Elizabeth is not nearly as handsome as Jane and I never would have thought she could capture a bit of interest in Darcy's eyes. I almost died of shock when I heard the second part of the news, that Elizabeth had accepted his proposal! I had always thought that Elizabeth detested the man and I admit I also detested him. I will always remember how proud and arrogant he was at the first ball when he would not talk to anyone or ask Elizabeth to dance. I often wondered why the disagreeable Mr. Darcy came to visit so often with our dear Bingley. I found it to be quite tiresome but now I must admit my opinion of him has completely changed.
I believe Elizabeth will have quite an extravagant life with Mr. Darcy, she will have so many fine things, clothes, and carriages! Perhaps more so then Jane. I never would have thought Elizabeth would marry such a wealthy husband! It had always been my hope that Jane would, for she has so much charm and no man has been able to resist her beauty. Elizabeth, however, is often strong headed. There are times when I still think that Elizabeth detests Mr. Darcy but Mr. Bennet assures me that she is quite in love with him. Although I cannot understand why, Mr. Bennet has always taken a preference for Elizabeth over my other four daughters. I must say that she is his favorite daughter and it will be very difficult for him to part with her. I trust Mr. Bennet when he assures me she is happy because he seems to have more of a connection with her then I have ever had.
I cannot conclude this happy letter without describing Elizabeth's wedding. My poor nerves were often so stressed leading up to the big day. I feared that it would not go as perfectly as it did. Throughout their engagement I feared that Darcy would break it off, for his aunt had sent him an indignant and abusive letter in response to it. I must say that Miss Bingley was mortified by the marriage but I did not let the opinions of these two women dampen my happiness. The marriage itself was very traditional and took place in a church. I cried tears of joy throughout it. The reception at Pemberly was magnificent. His estate has beautiful gardens and was extravagantly decorated. The food was amazing, he had many chefs and servants to assist with the reception. The most amazing thing of all was the happiness of the recently married couple. Oh, I was so wrong about Darcy! I now see him as a handsome, charming, and agreeable man. Even Mr. Bennet has said that he likes Darcy as much as Mr. Bingley. I am overcome with joy to be able to call my two eldest daughters Mrs. Darcy and Mrs. Bingley. With three of my daughters happily married my poor nerves can finally be at peace. I am sure you have also heard news of Jane's marriage to Mr. Bingley. He is a very agreeable and wealthy man and they are very much in love. It was so hard to part with Jane, the dearest to me of all my daughters, but I could not keep her from a life of happiness. You may also have heard of Lydia's marriage, which did not occur in a preferable way, but we are all very pleased. These past years have been consumed with nothing other then thoughts of marrying my daughters and now that three have been married I have much more time on my hands. I will use it to visit my daughters at their estates and perhaps to pay you a visit, my dear sister. I must now conclude this letter and assure you that I have never been happier in my life.
With love,
Your sister