Author's Note: Well, this is it! Thank you to everyone who hung in there until the end. I really appreciate all of the feedback that you have provided. There are many lessons learned in this, my second story. The main one is that I should do a better job of estimating how long it would turn out to be.
Epilogue
October 25, 1813, Pemberley
Darcy reclined against the headboard of the bed gazing in wonder at the small, sleeping bundle in his arms. For the fifth time in as many minutes, he inspected the perfection that was his son and heir, Bennet Edward Darcy. The subject of his adoration with his perfect fingers and toes, downy covered head, and soft skin made a series of soft snuffling noises accompanied by slight, half smiles.
Next to him lay his beautiful wife. She was also asleep, exhausted after having endured hours of travail to birth this bundle of joy. His heart was full, and life was good. In gratitude, he leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and thanked God for the blessings of the past year.
The Marquis and the Earl had not fared as well. They had both lost much of their influence and power in the House of Lords and had retired permanently to their respective estates in the country. Everything that had befallen them had been exactly as it had been in his dream: retrenchment, lack of standing in society, reduction in staff at their estates, and the loss of family holdings. The Fitzwilliam ladies never regained their place as leaders in the Ton.
The Viscount had also experienced a bad year. His marriage had started off poorly, for Cassandra had been cold and contentious from the beginning. So, they had only had minimal contact until the birth of their daughter. In compliance with their agreement, Fitzwilliam had been named as godfather to Annabel Marie Fitzwilliam. Also, as per their agreement, Lisle had avoided the gaming tables, and surprisingly, he had been quite active in the improvements to the Fitzwilliam estates. His dedication to reform was facilitated by the shunning he received from his former compatriots. For he received no invitations and no visits from any of them. His society had dwindled considerably.
Earlier that September, Fitzwilliam had received a note from Lisle stating that he would be arriving from the Matlock estate on the morrow to bring Annabel to him. Subsequently, the master of Pemberley had found himself with a very pregnant Elizabeth waiting on the drive as a carriage drew up in front of the manor house. Richard and Lisle, who had ridden alongside, dismounted and bowed before them. One brother was received warmly while the other brother was received less so. As the nursemaids and their charge were handed down from the carriage, Elizabeth hurried over to coo over the sleeping six-month-old child. With hushed voices, they entered and were shown to their rooms.
The three cousins reconvened a half-hour later in Fitzwilliam's study. He looked at Lisle and asked, "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit and how long will you stay?"
The Viscount fidgeted with his cravat and answered, "Annabel will need to stay for some weeks, possibly a month. At this point, I do not know for sure how long. Richard has agreed to accompany me to London to meet with my lawyers about a serious matter that has arisen."
Fitzwilliam nodded. "And where is your wife?"
Lisle started to speak and then closed his mouth, rubbing his hands over his face. Richard answered for him, "She is on a ship somewhere between here and Italy." He paused at Fitzwilliam's exclamation of dismay, and then continued, "It is not known in society yet, but we received word two days ago that last week she and her lover set sail. The man in question is the art restorer that her father had hired to work on the paintings at his estate."
Silence reigned for several minutes as the magnitude of the looming scandal settled over them. Finally, Lisle broke their reverie, "I cannot imagine how she expects to maintain her lifestyle, for her fortune has been greatly reduced and she will receive nothing from me. I go to consult with my lawyers concerning divorce proceedings. I know that it will take years to be granted a divorce, but I want to start the process at once. Since she has left the country, it may be easier. A few of the Earl's old friends in the House of Lords will perhaps help me expedite the process."
Fitzwilliam shook himself out of his state of shock to murmur, "Lisle, I am sorry that your marriage has devolved so quickly to this."
The Viscount laughed bitterly, "Well, it is not like I did not deserve it after what I tried to do to you. You are a better man than I am to express any sympathy for me at all." He stared into space for a moment and then added, "You will be glad to hear that Richard is going to sell his commission. For I am already four and thirty and will probably be forty before I will be in a position to remarry and sire an heir. To be quite honest, I have no desire to do so. Therefore, my brother must bear the burden of continuing the line of Fitzwilliams."
Richard received Fitzwilliam's congratulations on retiring from the army and added, "I will be working with Lisle on the management of the estates and helping him to dig our way out of debt."
The three cousins then discussed the intricacies of the English laws concerning divorce and the steps that Lisle would have to take. It was expected to be a difficult endeavor even with all of the provocations.
Before the two brothers left Pemberley, Lisle pulled Fitzwilliam aside and said rather sheepishly, "I want to thank you for setting me straight last year. It had never occurred to me how my lifestyle was wearing on me. Most of the time, I was either inebriated or anxiously watching over my shoulder lest my creditors catch up with me. More importantly, I never realized that none of those people that I caroused with were true friends. Life here in the country has given me time to think. The Earl never really taught me good principles, and I followed his example of avarice and greed." He looked pensive for a moment then continued. "Unwillingly, Father has relinquished his authority in the management of our properties. I hope to leave the Earldom in better shape for Richard and his son." He clapped Fitzwilliam on the shoulder and looked earnestly into his eyes. "I apologize for my part in what we tried to do to you last year. It was wrong. Thank you for being the better man and giving me the chance to start anew. In addition, I am grateful that you chose to be Annabel's godfather. No doubt, she could not have a more excellent man to fill that position. I do want the best for her since she is my daughter."
Stunned, Fitzwilliam had watched his cousins ride away with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Over the next several months, Annabel became a permanent resident at Pemberley. For after witnessing the peace and joy that pervaded the walls of the Darcy household, Lisle had decided that she was best left in their care. With his apparent improvement, he had been allowed more frequent visits as well.
The Viscount's petition for divorce, as they had suspected, was met with a great deal of resistance such that it languished in the courts for six years. In the end, he did achieve his freedom. However, it was accomplished in the direst of circumstances, as during his fortieth year, he received word of Cassandra's death from an outbreak of smallpox in southern Italy. His father passed away the next year, making Lisle the sixth Earl of Matlock. However, he only survived his father by one year, succumbing to a severe case of influenza from which he was unable to recover. Thus, Richard became the seventh Earl.
By that time, Richard had been married for six years to the widow of William Collins. Collins had died from an apoplexy in 1814 leaving no heir. Charlotte Fitzwilliam, neƩ Collins gave Richard the heir and spare that he needed to keep the earldom in the family. The Darcy's two boys and three girls, Annabel, along with the Fitzwilliam's two boys developed close bonds through the years. Annabel and Bennet being the oldest, provided the best of examples as to what constituted proper pride and good principles to the younger cousins.
With the death of William Collins, the only remaining heir to Longbourn, Thomas Bennet had been able to break the entail that had hung over his estate for years. Therefore, the threat of the hedgerows had been vanquished for good from the fears of his wife. Thus, that lady became much less excitable and shrill, allowing the two remaining unmarried Bennet daughters to attract worthy men for their lifelong partners.
The Gardiners had visited Pemberley during the month of July with their four children. It had been a revelation for Fitzwilliam to hear the ring of children's laughter echoing off the vaulted ceilings of the Darcy estate. Gardiner's wealth had increased substantially with a strategic investment into the gas light industry. Subsequently, Gardiner had bought an estate in Essex that was less than a three-hour carriage ride to London. His comment to Fitzwilliam had been that it was a deal that he could not pass up and that it came with the added benefit that he could keep up with his business affairs in town.
The recommendation for the investment had come from Georgiana who had been excited about the growth opportunity after attending a lecture and exhibition with her Aunt Agatha. Georgiana flourished under the influence of this charismatic lady. When she finally did partake of her first season at the age of twenty, she was declared to be a nonpareil and was pursued from every quarter. However, her wily aunt, brother, and two cousins ensured that she was never in any danger from unscrupulous suitors. No hint of scandal from the Fitzwilliam branch of the family was ever attached to the young lady. In the summer months, she and Aunt Agatha had spent much of their time at Pemberley doting on the Darcy and Fitzwilliam children or touring interesting locales. At the age of twenty-three, Georgiana met her future husband while touring the Scottish hill country. Despite Fitzwilliam's initial resistance to the match, she and Nathaniel Jameson were married three months later.
During that same trip, Lady Agatha Fitzwilliam encountered an old friend. Sir Jonathan Giles and the lady had grown up together. She was the daughter of the Earl of Matlock, while he was the second son of a baronet whose estate bordered her father's. As they had come of age, they had fallen passionately in love. However, when he had learned of it, her father had sent her to London and had forbidden Jonathan from pursuing her. His father had forced him into a marriage with a lady who had a significant dowry. And thus, upon receiving her inheritance from her grandmother, Lady Agatha had refused to marry. Following the death of his father and elder brother, Jonathan had inherited the title. His marriage had not been unhappy, but he had always held special feelings for his first love. After the death of his wife in 1818, he had toured Ireland and Scotland with his eldest son. When Lady Agatha and Sir Jonathan had met in Scotland, the years had fallen away. Afterward, they had found themselves in company often over the next year. Sir Jonathan had been issued an invitation to Pemberley the following summer and the pair were wed in August of that year at his estate.
For Fitzwilliam, the past twelve months had been a time of growth and reflection. He had often contemplated the dream, or vision, that he had experienced the previous October and had come to consider that it had been sent by God to warn him.
However, what he had never resolved in his own mind was the fact that, in his dream, he had run headlong into the arms of another woman. Could that truly have been his fate? Would he have done that? Without the dream to warn him, would he have thrown off Elizabeth, his true heart, for a woman who was nothing more than an adolescent fantasy? Did he truly have the potential for making such a reckless decision? Could he so easily have been lured in by the seductive Countess and ensnared by the schemes of his Matlock relations? It worried him to think of himself as such a weak man.
But perhaps that was the truth of the matter. For he was weak, as all on this earth are. He had been raised to think well of his own strength and resolve, to be proud of his own sense of morality. Thankfully, Elizabeth had already exposed much of his prideful failings. But perhaps his remaining pride in what he considered to be his spiritual infallibility could have been his downfall. This blind spot in his character could have caused him to stumble irretrievably and lose the love of the only woman worthy of being pleased. Perhaps God in his mercy had stepped in to give him a chance to make the right choice.
However, at this moment, on the day of his first son's birth, Fitzwilliam was not concerned with anything other than his perfect little family. Bennet had awakened and was regarding his father with a gaze that seemed to see into his very soul. Softly, so as to not awaken Elizabeth, Fitzwilliam promised him that he would endeavor to be the best father that he possibly could be. He told him how lucky he was to have such a wonderful mother, how he could not wait to teach him to love Pemberley, and many other things that a new father needed to tell his son during their first conversation.
Glancing over he saw Elizabeth smiling with a tired but happy light in her eye as she listened to his softly murmured words.
Fitzwilliam told her, "I was just telling him how you saved me from myself, my brave darling." Bennet's eyes had just drifted closed as he fell back asleep.
Elizabeth replied as her eyes too drooped sleepily, "I will always save you, Fitzwilliam."
He leaned over to kiss her brow as her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing became steady in slumber. Whispering softly in her ear, he said with a full heart, "You are my beautiful hero, Elizabeth Darcy."
