And here it is, the final part of my story. I hope you have enjoyed reading this figment of my imagination.

Thanks to all of you for your feedback, encouragement, and gentle prodding.

P.S. I hope you find Mr Collins' fate to be sufficiently appropriate.

Stay safe, all of you.

28th December

Elizabeth was already at the bottom of the stairs when her sister and Mrs Gardiner came in. 'Help me to my room,' she cried. 'We've so much to do!'

Mrs Gardiner patted her arm. 'I think you did very well, staying calm so that your mother did not become over-anxious.'

Elizabeth grimaced. 'Sometimes mamma can be wearing on my poor nerves.' She paused, her mouth open, then said, 'Oh, no! I sound just like her. Heaven help me.'

As Jane smiled behind her fingers, Mrs Gardiner chuckled and said, 'I think, on this particular day of days, you are allowed to have some nerves, but I would avoid making a habit of it.'

They made their way upstairs and to Elizabeth's chamber, where a maid was busy preparing her clothing.

There was no time to bathe, that was for after and Elizabeth blushed to think what would come after that, but a washcloth and soap was deployed with vigour on all parts of her body. She was scented and powdered, and hot irons readied for her hair. Finally, Elizabeth was dressed to her chemise and seated at her dresser, while Jane styled her hair in a loose mass of curls on the back of her head. Mrs Gardiner passed the amber and pearl pins used to push into the mound of curls to secure the coiffure.

Mrs Gardiner checked her watch. 'I think it is time for the dress. We'll add the flowers and combs once you're clothed.'

Elizabeth nodded, and stood. Jane supported her as she stepped into the dress and the maid raised it. Her splinted arm was slipped in first, then the other.

Mrs Gardiner waited until the dress was buttoned up the back, then said, 'I have made loose open sleeves to cover your arms. They pin at the shoulder and drape beautifully to hide the bandages.'

Her aunt threaded them onto her arms and the ladies pinned them in place so that the join was invisible.

'Oh, aunt, thank you so much. They are wonderful and match the dress perfectly. When did you find the time?'

'They took just a couple of late nights to make and I was delighted to do them.' She adjusted the drape of the sleeve around the splinted arm, then smiled. 'There, that looks much better.'

Jane came forward holding a circlet of flowers. 'Now, hold still while we finish the hair. The flower crown was added and a small puff of lace, secured by a comb above the mound of curls, covered the back of her head.

Jane tweaked the lace into place as Elizabeth turned to the long mirror to examine her appearance. She nodded and then looked to Jane and Mrs Gardiner's reflections in the mirror for their opinion. The two ladies, flanking her in the mirror, nodded, Jane with a large smile and suspiciously bright eyes.

Mrs Gardiner patted her shoulder and turned. 'I'll go down and see how Mrs Hill is managing. When it is time to come down, I will send a footman to help. We cannot risk you falling now!'

Elizabeth smiled her thanks, then turned to Jane. 'Dearest Jane, I know I will not be leaving the area for a while, but I will miss you most of all when I do go.'

'Oh, Lizzy!' A tear trickled down Jane's cheek and Elizabeth frowned and raised a hand to wipe it away.

She wrapped her arm around Jane and drew her in for a hug. 'We will be here for your wedding, and then you and Mr Bingley will have to come and stay with us once you are back from your honeymoon.'

'I would like that. I am happy for you Lizzy. You deserve every happiness.'

'I wish you were sharing my day, then my happiness would be complete.' She paused, her smile dropping. 'Poor Mrs Hurst. It has been a terrible time, these past few months. One awful thing after another. But it has passed, as all bad things do, and now we can begin to take pleasure from life once more. Your time will come, dear Jane, and I will be here to celebrate it with you.'

There was a tap at the door.

Jane moved toward the door, looking back at her sister as she reached for the doorknob. 'But now we celebrate your time.' She opened the door.

As expected, their footman stood outside. 'It's time, miss,'

Elizabeth nodded, picked up her stick - now wrapped in a ribbon to match her dress, courtesy of Lydia – and said, 'I am ready.'

By the time they reached the room where the service was to be held, sounds from outside of voices and horses' hooves on the gravel heralded the arrival of their guests.

To her surprise, first through the door were her mother and Lady Catherine.

'Lady Catherine!' she exclaimed, 'I did not expect you to be able to come.'

Lady Catherine came forward and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek. 'How could I not come, my dear? Colonel Fitzwilliam and I set off yesterday evening and spent the night in London.'

'Well, I am very happy you came. Have you met my sister, Lydia, yet? She was disappointed that she was not well enough to see you on your last visit.'

'I have been introduced and hope to speak more with her once you are pronounced my niece.'

During this time. More people had arrived, and Lady Catherine moved off to allow Elizabeth to congratulate Charlotte and her new husband and to welcome more of the new arrivals before they took their seats.

When the vicar came in, it was time for everyone to take their places. Mr Bennet stepped forward and helped Elizabeth to her place. Jane was waiting here with a small bouquet, which she passed to her sister. In the adjacent room, the doors thrown open so that everyone could hear, Miss Darcy with Mary seated on the bench beside her, began to play a gentle tune.

Then a hush fell over the crowd. There was a stir at the back of the room as a figure entered. Colonel Fitzwilliam stood at the back, smiling down the length of the room to Elizabeth, who nodded to him.

The Colonel gestured to someone out of sight, then he stepped forward. Mr Darcy was there at last. He stood beside his cousin, gazing at his bride.

She waited, a broad smile of joy on her face as he stepped forward and moved to join her, their eyes locked together as he came. The Colonel fell in behind his cousin, a broad grin of amusement most likely because of this exchange of roles.

Mr Darcy reached the front and stepped to stand beside Elizabeth, her father on her other side.

They all faced the vicar, the music stopped, and the ceremony began.

'Dearly beloved…'

A cheer went up as Mr Darcy swept his new wife up in his arms where she protested, her face a rosy red, as he carried her to the back of the room where the register was waiting to be signed. Once they had signed the book, Elizabeth using for the last time the name Bennet, Doctor and Mrs Williams added their signatures as witnesses, with Charlotte signing her new name for the first time. Then Mr Darcy swept her up in his arms once more and carried her through to the dining room where the wedding breakfast had been laid out.

'William, I am perfectly capable of—'

'Hobbling?' he finished, for her.

'Well, yes.'

'I have wanted to carry you for a long time, and now I am allowed. Please allow me.'

Before she could reply, there was a stir at the door.

'Talking of carrying…' she muttered.

Mrs Bennet had entered the room, carrying the pineapple on a tray. A hush fell over the guests and a muttering arose. The words 'What is it?' 'A pineapple?' 'It's a pineapple!' could just be made out.

'Upstaged by a pineapple,' muttered Elizabeth.

Colonel Fitzwilliam arriving at his cousins' side just in time to hear Elizabeth's caustic comment let out a guffaw. 'Where did you get it, Darce?'

'I know someone who has a pinery, so I called in a favour.'

'Not…?'

Mr Darcy flushed. 'Exactly so, however, let us say no more about it.'

'I am impressed.' The Colonel looked over to Mrs Bennet who was standing proudly beside the sideboard where the pineapple now took pride of place, then gave a small chuckle and turned to Lizzy. 'Have I congratulated you yet?'

'On the pineapple?' said Elizabeth with a grin.

He smiled back and gave her a small bow. 'Mrs Darcy, may I welcome you to the fam…' but then his expression changed as something behind her caught his eye.

Elizabeth turned and realised he had seen Lydia who was talking to Lady Catherine with great animation. She turned back and put her hand on his arm. 'She told me would wait until she was older.'

He came out of his stupor and refocused on Elizabeth, then nodded. 'I know. I am banking on it.' He then excused himself and made his way over to them, and Lydia welcomed him with a smile.

Mr Darcy turned to his new wife, took up her hand and pressed a kiss onto the back of it. 'Mrs Darcy, can I fetch you something to eat?'

Epilogue

After the long and harrowing - for Mr Collins - meeting with Lady Catherine and the Archbishop on his return to Hunsford, Mr Collins, after a short deliberation, had decided on retaining the cloth and travelling to the colonies to preach his version of Christianity to the convicts.

Mr Darcy's words to Elizabeth on the matter of Mr Collins covered all salient points. 'He will leave on one of the transportation ships early in the new year. The journey is long and hard, and if he does not survive to disembark the ship in Van Diemen's Land, I will not repine. One strange coincidence is that Mr Wickham is apparently on the same ship.' Mr Collins and Mr Wickham were then consigned to the past, forgotten and unmissed by all, until one further mention brought the memory of Mr Collins briefly back to light.

A year or so after Mr Collins had left England, Mr Darcy received a letter from Lady Catherine. She had been informed that her one-time clergyman was dead, killed in an altercation on board the prison ship.

'There were women convicts on the ship. It seems Mr Collins did not behave as a clergyman should when ministering to them, and these women took exception to his salacious actions toward them. From what I have discovered, they used a wooden pole to vigorously administer to him what he attempted to do to a girl of fourteen, and he died in agony several days later. A fitting end for a sordid little man.'

His body was consigned to the sea and forgotten.

Mr Darcy informed his father-in-law, but no-one else. The matter was long settled, there was no need to revive it.

Soon after the Darcy's wedding, Colonel Fitzwilliam married Anne de Bourgh in a short, private ceremony in her room at Rosings Park; Anne being too debilitated to travel to a church. Few people attended due to the nature of the ceremony. By this time, Elizabeth was able to travel and so the Darcy's went to Rosings for the wedding before setting off on their honeymoon on the south coast. Miss Darcy chose to stay at Rosings during this period and was collected by the Darcy's as they passed through Kent on their way to Pemberley. Anne did not long survive the marriage, leaving Colonel Fitzwilliam and Lady Catherine in mourning.

The Darcy's returned to Longbourn, happy and content after their first several months together in Pemberley, for the wedding of Mr Bingley and Miss Bennet in late May. Even Mr Hurst came to stand up with his brother, as he was by then in half-mourning, although he said no more than two words to Miss Bingley the entire time, and those words were her name. Miss Bingley, to her credit and everyone's relief, maintained her personality change.

There was a surprise for them all at the Bennet family dinner given at Longbourn the day before the wedding.

After the table had been cleared away, and the servants had gone, Mr Bennet stood to gain their attention. 'I have an unusual and, I have to say, rather unexpected announcement to make. For some time after her recovery from the smallpox, your mother was feeling unsure about herself and wanted some reassurance that she wasn't as ugly as she felt.' He paused for a moment, while murmurs went around the table and Jane reached over to touch her mother's hand in sympathy. 'I have been happy to provide that reassurance and… well…' He stopped, a light flush appearing on his cheeks, and cleared his throat, while Mrs Bennet blushed and smiled down at the table. 'Well, we had assumed we were too old to have another child. It appears we were wrong. God willing, your new brother or sister will be arriving in November.' He sat down, ready to enjoy the reaction.

There was a stunned silence and then almost everyone started talking at the same time.

Mr Darcy sat unspeaking, a strange look in his eyes as the noise levels increased around them. Then, after a nod from his wife, he too stood and waited. The noise level reduced until all eyes were gazing curiously at him.

He held out a hand for Elizabeth and she stood to join him as he spoke. 'Well, as this seems to be a time of announcements, we have one to make. It seems our new brother or sister will not be the only baby arriving this year and will be able to grow up with his or her older niece or nephew.'

All semblance of calm vanished amidst the celebrations.

It had been decided when Lady Catherine was at Longbourn for the wedding, that Lydia would go to Rosings in late spring, brought by the Darcy's when came for their visit. She added a lightness to the house of mourning, which was much appreciated, and Lady Catherine's depression was eased as she took interest in instructing her new charge on various matters.

About a month and a half before Mrs Bennet was to enter confinement, Mr and Mrs Darcy gave thanks for the safe, if a little early, arrival of their lusty son.

Despite her husband's concerns, Mrs Darcy insisted on being at Longbourn for her newest sibling's birth. He knew there was no point in trying to fight her on this, so made sure the journey was a stress-free as possible by taking it in very easy stages.

Soon after the Darcy's arrival, Mrs Bennet entered her travails. The father to be, having done this five-times previously, was calmly waiting downstairs with two of his sons by law, both amazed at his demeanour.

'When you are on your sixth confinement, I expect you will be calm enough to sit quietly and read,' he said, with a twinkle in his eye, looking up from his newspaper to watch the nervous pacing of his sons.

'I am not sure I will ever be able to contemplate it as calmly as that,' muttered Mr Bingley, pacing the room. 'I do not know how I will manage when Jane's time comes.'

'Well, I will allow you to practice your role for that day, so long as you do not wear out my carpet,' Mr Bennet replied with a chuckle.

Mr Darcy, having recently been through it himself was somewhat calmer than his younger friend, but still he could not settle, nor completely relax until the child was born and the mother safe.

Eventually the time did pass, and the door opened. Elizabeth entered, a triumphant smile on her face.

Mr Bennet looked up. 'Well, my dear?'

'Mamma wants to see you,' she replied.

'All is well?' he asked.

'All is very well indeed,'

Mr Bennet smiled, carefully folded his newspaper, then stood and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Once the door was closed, Mr Darcy looked to his wife with a raised eyebrow, a small trick he had learned from her.

'Well,' she said slowly, keeping her expression neutral. 'I have a new sister.'

Once the disappointment at the news – an unexpected disappointment for Mr Bennet that he had had no idea he would feel - had died away, Mr Darcy chuckled. 'A son would have been much welcomed, I suppose, but a living mother and child are the best result anybody could ask.'

Elizabeth face took on a look of pure joy. 'Poor papa – it seems mamma is finally having her revenge for all the times he has teased her over the course of their marriage.' A wicked grin appeared. 'It is her greatest triumph, because I also have a new brother. Longbourn finally has an heir.'

FIN