AN: It's taken me awhile for this post because I hate endings. I hate for stories I'm reading to end - but Lord and Lady Matlock's happy ending needs to be shared so here it is.

Thank you for supporting me through my first Fan Fiction!

Kitty was just sealing her letter when she heard Mrs. Wells running through the house yelling, "Lady Matlock! Lady Matlock! Come quickly! My lord is stirring. He's stirring!"

Kitty was up the stairs at a very quick pace. She reached her husband's bedside short of breath. He was moving his head from side to side and making low moans in the back of his throat.

"Oh Julian, can you hear me?" She gasped while holding his hand, "Oh, Julian!"

After a few moments he seemed to fall into another deep sleep. Kitty was encouraged though by this stirring and groaning. She refused to leave his side lest he wake up fully and she not be there. She took tea in his room and dismissed all the servants. Her patience was rewarded in the late afternoon. The sun was setting and there was a golden hue to the room. The fire was warm and Kitty had not been able to fight the sleep which the comfortable room encouraged. She sat quietly dozing in a chair next to Lord Matlock's bed when his stirring woke her. Again his head shifted from left to right, but this time his eyes opened slightly. She quickly moved to his side and grasped his hand. He returned the grasp and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. His eyes opened a bit wider and he focused not on her face, but on her hand.

"Elizabeth's ring," he said in a dry hoarse voice.

Oh god. Kitty looked down at their clasped hands. His thumb rubbed the ruby ring. Her heart pounded. Her stomach squeezed into a tight knot. She had been waiting for him to wake. To tell him her true feelings, that she loved him with all her heart. She had been waiting to tell him she had seen his letter to Lady Catherine. She hoped he would tell her it was all true. That every word he had written that awful old woman was true. That he looked forward to their future together, that he was happy, and most importantly - that he loved her.

"She was a kind woman," he spoke again, "much like you Catherine."

Kitty looked up surprised, with brows raised, "Who was Julian?"

"My grandmother, Lady Elizabeth."

Kitty let out the breath she had been holding, and tears started to fall from her eyes. Relief poured over her. Relief over the ring, but mostly over him waking up and seemingly with all his memory. She knew in that moment that he would be alright. That they would be alright. She leaned over him and kissed his forehead.

"Oh Julian, how do you feel?"

"I feel like I've been kicked in the head by a horse!"

Kitty stood and rang the bell, "Thrown from one my love."

He grimaced then asked, "Is Wonder alright?"

"I believe so. A bad gash in his chest, though."

"The poor beast! We've made that jump a million times," he started to sit up, groaned, and laid back down.

Kitty quickly admonished him, "Stay still Julian darling, you need to rest."

"I will not argue with that," he said and closed his eyes. While he rested Mrs. Wells brought tea, broth, and the medicine mixture which the Doctor had left. Lord Matlock woke again awhile later and drank a little of each. The Doctor himself came and checked on his now conscious patient. Kitty nursed him unwearyingly. Two days passed in which time she barely left his side. The only time she did leave him was to sleep, bathe and to write follow up letters to Pemberley, alerting the residence there of Lord Matlock's improvement. One morning while writing a letter in the library, Kitty returned Lady Elizabeth's ring to Lord Matlock's desk. She thought it had worked its magic and if he wanted her to have it, he would give it to her. The letters to the Darcy's were quickly responded to with much relief from the family who offered to be called on for any and all help. Kitty assured them that she and Mrs. Wells had things under control for the time being and she expected Lord Matlock's recovery to continue unobstructed.

Lord Matlock's improvement was such over the next few days that he could sit up in bed for meals and to play cards with Kitty. When he tired from cards she would read out loud to him. They spent many hours in this manner, bonding, laughing and making bets for kisses over cards. Both parties enjoyed it thoroughly, and if it had not been for a slight but persistent headache, Lord Matlock would have found it to be the perfect honeymoon. Kitty loved the unencumbered time with her husband, and found her bond with him deepened. She even began to think that he might feel the same.

Five days after the accident the Doctor suggested Lord Matlock take a turn about the garden. The spring weather was finally wining out over the cold winter air, and the breeze carried a promise of a warm summer to come. Daffodils added pops of color to an otherwise still drab landscape. Lord Matlock was pleased to have the sun shining on his face and told Kitty, his escort on the prescribed walk of his pleasure, "Oh Catherine darling, it is nice to have the sun on my face, and fresh air in my lungs. I'm sure it's nice for you too seeing as you've been nursing me all week."

"I was happy to do it Julian. In fact I rather enjoyed it!"

"Taking pleasure from my pain?" he asked in a joking manner.

She smiled but could not laugh, "No. I was so worried Julian. I was afraid you'd fought with Darcy and ridden so recklessly home to avoid staying under the same roof as him. I thought he'd have your death on his conscience forever!"

"Is that what you thought?" he asked seriously.

"Of course! You'd ridden there to smooth things over for poor Georgiana. I was sure Darcy was in a complete fit and would hear no reason!"

"He may be moody but he's not completely stubborn. No, I did succeed in smoothing things over. He saw that there was nothing he could have done differently with Georgiana and that scum footman."

"Oh I'm glad to hear it! But if you weren't angry why were you riding at breakneck speeds then Julian?"

The pair reached a bench and Lord Matlock motioned for his bride to sit. His knee was still very tender and he needed the break. He looked deeply into her eyes and told her with a seriousness atypical of his character, "To make my dinner date."

"Your dinner date?"

"Yes, I'd promised you to be home by dinner. I was already dreadfully late, and I was so looking forward to the last night of our honeymoon."

Kitty only gripped his hands tighter, so he continued, "My accident was a complete blessing in disguise Catherine. Without it we wouldn't have had this second week of our honeymoon. We would have gone to London without having truly connected."

"What do you mean?"

"The truth is I very well could have died the other night. Between the time Wonder hit that fence and I hit the ground my life flashed before me. And the truth is all I saw was you and our future children and grandchildren."

Kitty felt tears welling up in eyes. She leaned in and kissed her husband softly on the lips. He spoke again, "I love you Catherine. With all my heart."

"I love you too Julian," she said through smiling lips. The leaned into each other again, her tears adding salt to their kisses.

After some time spent in this manner Julian reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box that was very familiar to Kitty.

"I wanted to give you this ring the night of the ball. But many circumstances between then and now have prevented me."

Kitty blushed when she saw the ring, he did not poke at her embarrassment though and so she knew he did not mind she had gone into his desk and worn it. She held out her hand and he placed the beautiful ruby ring on her finger.

"Darcy had this ring at Pemberley. It was our grandmother's but was bequeathed to me. Whenever you look at it I hope you think of our love for one another Catherine."

"I will Julian. I will."

The End