Epilogue

Not long after Elizabeth gave birth, Fitzwilliam finally worked up the nerve to propose to Mary. He had sat with Georgiana and Mary in the final moments after he and Darcy returned from the fields and had seen the two girls worry about their sister and cousin. The three of them spoke of trivial things as a way to distract themselves, but Fitzwilliam realised how very much he wished to be in a similar position to his cousin, waiting for the woman he loved to give birth to their child. He wanted the happiness Darcy had found.

And he believed that happiness was to be found with Mary. He had come to admire the lady very much over the last months. Right then, while everyone was anxiously awaiting the new arrival, was not the time to ask, but soon it would be.

He found the time almost a sennight later.

The couple were walking in the maze near the house, accompanied by Georgiana, though she had drifted away without either realising it. When they reached the centre, Richard seemed to recognise that they were alone and took the opportunity to propose.

"Mary, my dear, we have courted for months now, and through our time together and the letters we have exchanged, I have come to admire you greatly. I cannot imagine another person I would want to walk beside me as I learn to manage Rosings with my cousin Anne. The two of you get along extremely well, so I think we would live together well enough. Would you ... do you think you would marry me and be my wife?"

"You admire me?" she asked quietly.

"I do, very much. But truthfully, Mary, I ..." he sighed heavily, not comfortable with shows of affection. "... the truth is that I love you very much. I do not want to be parted from you. I made the excuse of learning about the harvest so I could remain nearby. I wanted more time with you than just exchanging letters."

"I love you too, Jonathan. And, yes, I will marry you," Mary replied before Fitzwilliam pulled her up and into his arms. The two kissed for several minutes before a giggle alerted them that Georgiana had found them.

They shared their news first with her, then with the Darcys, who were in their private sitting room admiring Hope. Next, they sought Mrs Gardiner to inform her, who passed along her husband's blessing for the pair to marry.

Soon, it was determined they would marry in London after Easter. The Darcys should be able to travel by then, or at least they hoped to. Still, they had no intention of attending any part of the Season, and would take the opportunity to visit the Hursts, who had taken over the lease of Netherfield. After the baby came — a little boy named after his father — they decided to remain in Meryton, where they had come to enjoy the society.

During the Darcys' stay at Netherfield, news of the Bingley siblings' destiny reached them. Faced with Caroline's persistent ability to deter potential suitors, the duo resolved to embark on a new adventure—quite literally. In August, they set sail for Nova Scotia with a firm determination to find prospective partners willing to marry them in that distant land, where no rumours of their reputations could reach them.

The visit to the Hursts would also allow them to visit some of the others in Meryton who wanted to see little Hope and check on things at Longbourn.

Since Fitzwilliam first mentioned the idea of marrying Lydia off to a soldier, he had taken the necessary steps to put it all into action. He had found a retired soldier willing to marry Lydia Bennet, knowing his task would be to turn a selfish, spoiled child into a suitable wife.

As he had been successful at turning boys into soldiers, he felt he would also be successful with a wife. Instead of the harsh discipline of the military, he used other methods to encourage good behaviour, including supplementing her pin money for good behaviour and taking it away for improper behaviour. He also rewarded her with dresses and ribbons when she acted appropriately, and, surprising them all, she learned reasonably quickly.

Mr and Mrs Bennet had differing opinions of their youngest child marrying — Mr Bennet was pleased to have one less person to provide for, though he had been a little annoyed at being required to send one hundred fifty pounds per year to her husband. Each quarter, the various solicitors had to send him warnings to forward the required funds, as each quarter, he hoped it would be forgotten so he could keep that money for himself. Each quarter, he was disappointed when no one forgot.

Mrs Bennet had cried and fussed and pretended to be ill when Lydia informed her of her desire to be wed to the handsome soldier who had shown up with a marriage contract already signed. Lydia did have the choice of accepting him, but she was intelligent enough to realise that this was the only way she could leave Longbourn. No one in their village had anything to do with her family, and she was bored always remaining at home. Marriage to a soldier, even if he was retired, seemed more exciting than remaining with her parents.

After days of her mother feigning illness, Lydia married him anyway, and Mrs Bennet now only had her husband for company. She continued to refuse to visit the tenants, and Mr Bennet only took a cursory interest in ensuring their health and wellbeing. There were moments when one or the other thought they would run mad if they were forced into the other's company any longer. However, neither ran mad, and unfortunately, they both remained well enough.

However, Mr Bennet decided he had paid enough toward his debt to Elizabeth and had stubbornly refused to heed the warnings about what would happen if he did not do as required. Darcy arrived with a writ from the magistrate and had the gentleman sent to the gaol for a fortnight. He spent most of the time demanding to be released and, if not released, insisted he be brought a few books.

Sir William did not give in to his former friend's demands, and while he did bring him books, they were not the kind of books he expected to receive. Mr Bennet did receive his account books from Longbourn with explicit orders to write the necessary bank drafts to the London solicitors so he could be released.

It took another four days for him to comply. This scenario was repeated at least once a year for the next four years until the money he owed the Darcys was repaid. The hundred pounds he was required to give each of his daughters annually continued to be a struggle. Two of his sons-in-law were far less willing to play this game, and after a serious talk with the two former soldiers, he never attempted this particular stunt again in his life.

Kitty had been older than most of the other students when she first attended school. After a year and a half of instruction and mastering a variety of accomplishments, she became known for her drawing and portraiture. She began creating portraits of the members of her family, particularly the youngest members. Her first portrait was of little Hope Darcy, and her parents were delighted with the image and brought Kitty to Pemberley for a summer to make additional drawings and portraits of the little girl. A year later, when Jane and Mary had their first children, Kitty also captured the images of those children.

When Georgiana had her presentation and come out when she was eighteen, twenty-year-old Kitty debuted with her. While both girls had several suitors, Georgiana Darcy was far more sought after than Kitty Gardiner, though neither girl found one who cared about them enough to tempt them into marriage.

The following year, Georgiana met a viscount who was interested in more than just her dowry. When her season was cut short by the impending birth of Elizabeth's second child, the viscount followed them to Derbyshire, begging a friend to allow him to stay at a neighbouring estate for several months while he courted the heiress.

They married a few months later, and just shy of ten months after the wedding, when Georgiana gave birth to a daughter, Kitty visited her estate and met her own future husband.

Georgiana invited her friend to visit as she recovered from the birth. It had become an expectation that Kitty would capture the first image of any children born into the extended family, so when the viscount's younger brother arrived with the same intention, it became something of a competition between the two to see who could create the portrait.

One afternoon, Kitty entered a room quietly, not realising the viscount and his brother were already there. Before she could announce her presence, she heard the young man insult not only her drawings but her person as well. From then on, she avoided him and ceased any attempts at conversation with him.

At first, he was unaware that Kitty was avoiding him and deliberately attempted to provoke her into speaking with him. The two remained at the viscount's estate for another month, and each left with conflicting feelings. He desperately wanted to get to know the lady better while she hoped never to encounter him again.

They met several more times over the next year before they finally had an honest conversation, and he confessed his interest in her. The couple courted for a year after that before she finally accepted his proposal of marriage. After their marriage, they continued to visit their families to capture special events, and eventually, they could even travel to the continent. They never did have children but adored all the cousins, nieces, and nephews they travelled to visit.

As the years passed, the large extended family continued to grow. Fitzwilliam and Mary eventually had three children, two boys and a girl, and were very happy at Rosings. "Aunt" Anne de Bourgh was very involved with all her nieces and nephews, especially those who lived in her home. She never married but lived far longer than anyone anticipated and was very happy to remain a much-loved aunt.

Jane's husband eventually purchased an estate not far from Rosings in Kent. The two sisters were close and enjoyed raising their children near each other. Jane ended up with five children, four girls and one boy, and the cousins spent every summer together. Her children also referred to Anne de Bourgh as their aunt; no one cared if they were related.

Lydia occasionally joined the families when they got together in the summers. She and her husband only had one child, a daughter, and her father treated her similarly to his wife to ensure she did not grow up as spoiled as her mother had.

Darcy and Elizabeth had five more children after Hope, four boys followed by one more girl. They were all taught to manage their estates well, love learning, and be honest in everything. One by one, their parents watched them find love and marry. While life was not always easy, they did all things together, falling more and more in love with each other as they did. Time and time again, they were grateful to have found each other as adults and for the trust that began in childhood and continued for a lifetime.

Author's Note: The story is done for real this time. Well, as done as a rough draft can be. If you'd like to be a beta reader, send me an email at melissa dot anne dot author at gmail dot com.