Elizabeth's first weeks at Kympton parsonage were an enlightening and delightful experience for her. It was obvious that marriage had brought great joy and contentment to Mary's life. Despite being heavily pregnant, Mary was incredibly committed to her role as a parson's wife, and she took care to perform her duties with diligence and dedication. She was particularly active in many local charities and was always eager to assist her husband with the day-to-day administrative duties of the parish. Mary's selflessness and kindness had earned her the respect and admiration of the people of Kympton and the surrounding area. In fact, many young women sought her out for advice and guidance.
Mary's husband was very attentive and affectionate with her, and it was evident that he was deeply in love. Their house was well-appointed and comfortable for the young couple's needs, and to raise a small family.
Mrs. Bennet lived four miles away from the parsonage, and due to not having a carriage, she rarely had the chance to visit her middle child. On the other hand, Mrs. Potter visited Mary at least twice a week and was deeply concerned about her wellbeing.
One morning, two weeks after Elizabeth's arrival at Kympton parsonage, Mary began experiencing typical labor pains. Elizabeth was present with her at the parsonage, and soon after, Mr. Martin quickly rushed to fetch the experienced midwife who lived just one mile away from the parsonage.
Elizabeth, with utmost care, took Mary's arm and guided her towards the main bedroom. Elizabeth was just about to leave the bedroom when Mary's demeanor suddenly changed. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she clung to Elizabeth's hand, her voice trembling. "Lizzy, please don't leave me alone. Stay with me." Elizabeth could feel the weight of Mary's emotions and vulnerability; her grip on Elizabeth's hand tightening in a desperate plea. "I confess, I am so terrified that I won't survive childbirth, or that my child won't either."
Elizabeth was almost as nervous as Mary. She gave Mary's hand an encouraging squeeze and tried to sound confident when she replied, "Mary, I am going to stay with you. But please, don't let negative thoughts consume you. I am confident that you and your child will be fine. You are young and healthy."
Mary cut her off abruptly and, fixing her gaze intently into Elizabeth's eyes, said, "Only the Almighty knows what the future holds, and sadly, we can do nothing to control destiny." She flinched again and quietly said, "I would be happy if you would accept the responsibility of being my child's godmother."
Elizabeth smiled and nodded in agreement, and Mary added, "Promise me that if I don't survive and my child does, you will do everything in your power to support my husband in raising my child."
Seeing Mary's desperate, pleading, teary face, Elizabeth pulled her into a comforting embrace. "Yes, Mary, I promise. But I am sure that both you and your child will be fine."
Mary smiled, "Thank you, Lizzy."
"Would you like to send a message to our mother?"
No, please don't. Our mother is going to be extremely nervous, and I'm sure she will make me even more nervous than I already am. Please send a message to Mrs. Potter, as I promised I would let her know when the time came."
As Elizabeth was writing a note for Mrs. Potter, the experienced midwife entered the room. Elizabeth requested a maid to deliver the note. Half an hour later, Mrs. Potter arrived and they both stayed by Maria's side, attentively following the midwife's instructions throughout the delivery.
Elizabeth had never witnessed childbirth before; it was an awe-inspiring and nerve-wracking experience for her.
Knowing that her husband was in the adjacent room, Mary struggled to contain her emotions. She desperately tried not to cry out in pain or scream in agony. She was aware he was already extremely worried and didn't want to worry him any further.
Fortunately, the delivery went smoothly and only lasted a few hours, with no complications afterwards. Ultimately, a happy and healthy boy was born.
As expected, Mr. Martin was the happiest man in the Kingdom: his son was healthy and strong, and his beautiful wife had survived childbirth. He had been fearful of the prospect of losing his beloved Mary, as he couldn't even fathom the idea of living his life without her.
Elizabeth sent joyful letters to the Gardiners and Jane, as well as a brief note to her mother and Kitty, informing them of the happy news. The following day, her mother and Kitty visited the parsonage eagerly to meet little Thomas.
PPP
The same day Darcy and Georgiana arrived at Pemberley, they heard the happy news of the birth of Thomas Martin. Two days later, the siblings went to the parsonage to meet the newest member of the Martins family.
The parents were beaming with happiness; the baby was healthy. Although they had the money to hire a wet nurse, Mary decided, with her husband's support, to take care of feeding their baby herself. After a few days of much needed rest and recover, Mary started feeling much better, gradually returning to some of her normal activities.
A few days after Thomas's birth, Elizabeth finished writing the first draft of her third novel, which Mary - one of her biggest fans - thought was even better than her previous two.
Mary and her husband requested Elizabeth to stay with them for a few more weeks. During her extended visit, Elizabeth spent several hours every day chatting with Mary and assisting her with household chores and charitable work. Elizabeth was particularly fascinated by little Thomas. He was a healthy, beautiful baby who rarely cried and slept most of the time. Elizabeth loved to hold him and watch him sleep, marveling at how peaceful he looked.
Every day after breakfast, Mary would feed little Thomas, while Elizabeth would take a leisurely walk around the parsonage. It was during one of these morning walks that Darcy was riding by and happened to see Elizabeth.
Over time, these chance encounters became a regular occurrence, and Darcy would take advantage of them to walk with Elizabeth. They talked about various things, from literature and art to politics and philosophy. Mr. Darcy would then escort Elizabeth to the parsonage so they could chat for a while longer. Their conversations were always entertaining and intellectually stimulating, and were the highlight of his day. He cherished every moment that he spent with Elizabeth.
During the first weeks of Thomas's life, the Darcys visited the Martin's quite often. Mr. and Mrs. Martin and Georgiana endeavored to ensure that Darcy had ample chances to spend time alone with Elizabeth.
A month after Thomas Martin's birth, he was baptized. Elizabeth was the proud godmother and Darcy the godfather.
PPP
On the afternoon before Elizabeth's departure to London, Darcy went to the parsonage to see her. He needed to speak with her about his feelings; he loved her more than anything in the world. He was concerned about her safety and comfort during the journey, as he did not approve of her travelling in the stagecoach with only a middle-aged lady, who was a friend of the Martins, and her uncle's servant. So, he wanted to offer Elizabeth the use one of his carriages and servants for her journey to London.
Elizabeth was in the middle of packing her gowns when a maid informed her that Mr. Darcy was waiting for her in the parlor and wished to speak with her. As she descended the stairs, Mary greeted her and apologized, explaining that she had to feed Thomas.
Darcy greeted her with a broad smile. "Good afternoon, Miss Bennet. I was not able to meet you earlier, and I wanted to speak with you before you depart for London. How are you?"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy. I was just about to finish packing my trunk. Would you like to take a seat?" With a warm smile, she gestured toward the nearest chair.
After seeing her beautiful smile and expressive eyes, Darcy became mesmerized and speechless. After a few seconds, he finally said, "Miss Bennet, I know in the past, I was a proud and arrogant man who made several mistakes that I am now ashamed of. I know that I am far from being worthy of you, but if you are willing to give me a chance, I will work every day to become a better man who is deserving of you." He knelt down. "Miss Bennet, Elizabeth, would you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?"
Elizabeth looked at him and hesitated for a long moment. Her feelings for him had changed drastically, but she still had some doubts about whether he would return to being the gentleman she had known in Meryton. Finally, she smiled at him and replied, "Mr. Darcy, to be honest, I enjoy your company very much and I am not indifferent to you. However, I still have some doubts, and I fear in time, you would regret marrying me." She took a deep breath and added, "Your late wife was the daughter of an Earl, and I assume she had a large dowry at her disposal. I am just the daughter of a minor gentleman without any connections or a large dowry. Furthermore, the Ton knows I am a writer."
Darcy stood up, took both of Elizabeth's hands, looked her in the eyes and said, "Elizabeth, I won't deny that I started courting Lady Victoria because she was the daughter of an Earl. However, when I met you at Hunsford, I regretted my decision. I was deeply unhappy in my marriage. Whether you consent to marry me or not, I don't want to marry for money or connections." He kissed her hand. "I don't care about your dowry, and I don't care that you have connections in trade. I have been in love with you for several years, and my fervent wish is to marry you." He kissed her other hand. "I understand you have doubts and concerns, and I understand you need more time to get to know me better. So, if you are willing, I would like to court you."
Elizabeth smiled and nodded in agreement. Darcy then kissed both of her hands.
Although Darcy suggested that Elizabeth travel to London in his carriage, she declined the offer, stating that Mrs. Taylor had already hired a carriage.
In early October, they would travel together with the Gardiners to Scotland for the birth of Lydia's child.
Years later, when Elizabeth was writing a novel about her own love story with Mr. Darcy, she still wondered what had caused the change in her feelings for him. She didn't know exactly if it was the positive reports she heard about him, his genuine regret for his actions and words, his efforts to correct his mistakes, his protective nature towards her family - especially Lydia, or his respect for her opinions and displays of affection. Perhaps it was a combination of all these actions together, but the truth was that it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to recall the Darcy she had met in Meryton.
PPP
Mrs. Bennet and Kitty's life at Lambton, despite Lydia's absence, had not changed much. Kitty was participating in some of the charities that Mary and Mrs. Potter had suggested to her and once or twice a week she visited her nephew at the parsonage. She was about to turn 20 and, for the moment, she wasn't interested in any young man. So, when Mrs. Potter invited Kitty to go with her to London in October, she gladly accepted the invitation. It was a very good opportunity to learn more about the world, to be able to attend the theater, and perhaps meet an interesting gentleman.
Mrs. Bennet at first protested, not wanting to be left alone in Lambton, and it was finally agreed that they would all go to London after Lydia returned from exile.
Their neighbors were convinced that Lydia was with the Gardiners in London. The few times when someone commented on Miss Lydia's absence, Mrs. Potter, Mary or Mr. Martin replied that she was in London because all of her sisters had a season in London when they turned seventeen.
PPP
The days were always the same for Lydia Bennet. She felt depressed by the lack of company since the nurse and maid who lived with her had no time to waste, and they spoke very little to her.
Every week she received letters from Elizabeth, Kitty, and Mary. Her mother and Jane rarely wrote to her. Lydia knew that her mother had always been too lazy to write, but she had assumed that she would at least make an effort to reply to her daughter's letters.
It didn't surprise her that Jane didn't write, since she had gotten married, she had practically cut herself off from her sisters. Elizabeth's letters were the longest and funniest, and she had even suggested a list of books that might interest her. Lydia had also written to Mr. Wilks three times in the last few months, but received no reply. Finally, after many months of denial, she realized that she had been a fool to believe him.
As her due date approached, Lydia was afraid to be alone during that time. From stories she had heard, the experience was very painful and many women even died. The midwife had told her a few days ago that she estimated her delivery was less than a month away, and her aunt, uncle, and Elizabeth were due to arrive in a fortnight.
The family that would raise the child – Mr. and Mrs. Morrison - lived relatively close. They were a nice middle-aged couple who didn't have children. They visited her once a week and were very kind to her; they were eager to have a child. Mr. Gardiner had agreed to endow the child with £1,000 as they know their adoptive parents had little money.
Elizabeth would provide £300 from her own dowry, and the remaining £700 would be £300 from Lydia's dowry and £400 would be taken care of by Mr. Gardiner.