Here is the final chapter.

Later today I will remove most of the story for publication.

The edited version with additional content will be available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

I hope you enjoyed the story. If you did, perhaps you would leave a review on Amazon.

Thanks.

~~R~~

An auspicious ending

Fitzwilliam Darcy was standing at the altar, anxiously awaiting his bride. Beside him stood Bingley, who was fidgeting as much as Darcy. Colonel Fitzwilliam and Phillip Hurst, who were standing up with the respective grooms, exchanged amused grins.

It was two days after Christmas and the church in Meryton was packed with friends and family, including the Earl of Matlock and Georgiana Darcy. While the couples had agreed that Jane and Elizabeth would spend a final Christmas with their family before their marriage, they had insisted that they wanted to start the new year in wedded bliss.

Mrs Bennet had complained that she only had one month to prepare for the wedding, but neither of the couples were prepared to wait any longer.

Christmas had been joyous with the addition of Darcy's family and the Gardiners and Darcy had to revise his opinion of tradesmen. Mr and Mrs Gardiner were exactly the kind of people whose company he enjoyed, and he extended an invitation for them to spend some of their planned trip north at Pemberley the following summer. A visit to which Georgiana was looking forward as well. Darcy's sister was ecstatic that she would at last be blessed with not one but five sisters.

At last, the patience of Darcy and Bingley was rewarded. Mr Bennet entered the church with his two oldest daughters on his arms.

Darcy's breath caught as he beheld his glowing bride who had eyes only for him. Neither of them realised, or would have cared if they had, that they sported equally besotted smiles as Bennet handed Elizabeth's hand to Darcy.

Bingley and Jane were equally distracted and even when Mr Simmons cleared his throat to get the attention of the couples, they did not respond. Eventually Richard and Hurst nudged their charges to recall them to the present.

George Wickham, who assisted Mr Simmons saw the love his old friend had for his bride, and at last acknowledged that it would have been a travesty if Darcy had married any of the other ladies he had known. Perhaps Darcy had been right to wait for Miss Elizabeth.

The service went by in a blur for the dear couples until Mr Simmons said, 'you may kiss your bride.'

At that point Darcy broke into a big grin before he scandalised some of the congregation by pulling Elizabeth into a tight embrace and thoroughly kissing his wife. It must be said that Lizzy cooperated just as enthusiastically.

The passionate, albeit brief kiss which Jane and Bingley shared went almost unnoticed.

~~R~~

After the wedding breakfast, Darcy and Elizabeth made their way to London to spend a week at Darcy House. Since it was the middle of winter, they had decided that they would postpone their wedding trip until the spring.

Bingley's family and his guest also returned to London to give the new couple some privacy, although his family and Richard would return early in the new year. Like the Darcys, Jane and Bingley also planned to take a wedding trip in the spring and would use that time to look for an estate to purchase in Derbyshire. Jane also decided that since neither she nor Elizabeth needed another estate, she passed Longbourn on to Mary.

During his time in town, Colonel Fitzwilliam was planning to retire from the army. Lady Matlock had been correct. At last Richard had an incentive to overcome his pride and he accepted the estate once Charlotte had agreed to marry him. The wedding was to take place a week after Twelfth Night.

Caroline Bingley too was anxious to return to Netherfield, to continue her courtship with Colonel Forster. Everyone was betting on another wedding as soon as the Colonel could arrange for another officer to take over as commander of his unit.

~~R~~

When Darcy and Elizabeth arrived at Darcy House, she was stunned at the magnificence of her new home. Looking around she realised that the understated elegance could only have been achieved with great expense.

Darcy briefly introduced her to his senior staff before escorting her to their suite.

Once they were in private, she looked up at her husband with a mischievous smile. 'It is no wonder that all those mercenary women were determined to catch you. I am only glad that I came to know you before I realised how wealthy you must be.'

Darcy gave her an embarrassed smile in return. 'I have to admit that Miss Bingley was incorrect when she gossiped about my income. The figure she mentioned is but a fraction of my true worth.'

'Your true worth is priceless,' Elizabeth said as she snuggled into his arms.

Only one response was appropriate for this declaration. Darcy was only too happy to prove to his wife that he returned her love in full measure.

~~R~~ ~~R~~ ~~R~~

~~R~~

Compromising Mr Darcy by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2022