February – April 1812
Within a week of arriving in Derbyshire, Mrs. Bennet and her daughters were settled in their new home. The Darcys decided to make the four-day trip to the small town in Scotland where the Douglas' lived. The Douglases had adopted Frederick Darcy's daughter.
They only knew the name of the village, the family's name, and that they had a farm. When they arrived at the village, they learned the family was respected and well-liked by their neighbors. With caution, the Darcys went to the Douglas' farm and were pleasantly surprised since it was relatively large and must have an income of at least £400 to £500 a year.
The house was well-maintained and adequate for a couple with several children. There were three outbuildings: a chicken coop with several chickens, a barn that held a few cows, several pigs and some horses in the stable.
The Douglases were surprised that such an elegant couple as the Darcys came to visit them, but after talking with them for a few minutes, they understood their reason.
"So, your brother was our beloved Clara's biological father."
Darcy nodded, "Yes; and if you allow us, we would like to meet Clara and get to know her."
"Mr. Darcy, what kind of relationship do you want to have with our Clara? Do you want to take her to live with you?" Mrs. Douglas asked with a frown. She was so afraid they would take her daughter away from her.
Seeing the Douglas' worried faces, Elizabeth gently squeezed Darcy's hand and shook her head slightly. Darcy responded, "It is not our intention to take Clara away from you, far from it." He smiled slightly, "we would like to meet her and contribute some funds for her future education and dowry."
The couple breathed a sigh of relief, and Mr. Douglas responded, "You can meet her and have a relationship with her in the future. Although we have saved £1000 for Clara's dowry, additional money is always welcome."
Mrs. Douglas added, "You can't imagine the happiness Clara has brought us since she came to our house. She is our daughter in almost every way and I couldn't bear it if you took her away."
"I promise, that's never going to happen, Mrs. Douglas..."
The Douglases led them to a nice small room where the little girl was with her nurse. When the girl saw the Douglases, she smiled broadly and extended her little hands for Mrs. Douglas to pick her up.
She was a healthy, pretty and lively girl. She had the same blue eyes as Frederick and dark blond hair. The Darcys could easily see that the Douglases, and particularly Mrs. Douglas, adored their 'daughter'.
Three days later, the Darcys returned to Pemberley, and subsequently, Darcy met with his solicitor and added £3,000 to little Clara Douglas's dowry.
Over the years, the Darcys had the opportunity to see Clara grow up into a charming and beautiful young woman. When she was old enough, they told her the truth about her biological father and mother. However, since she adored her adoptive parents and had a happy life, she had never felt the loss of her natural parents.
For the first three months in Derbyshire, Mrs. Bennet and her daughters were in deep mourning and did not partake in parties or meet any of the wealthy gentlemen whom Fanny Bennet dreamt would marry her daughters.
The only gentleman they met was Mr. Flanders, the vicar of Kympton. He was single, twenty-eight years old, and had an income of about £300 a year.
Within a month of meeting him, Mr. Flanders began to show an interest in Mary, and within three months, he asked permission to court her, and Mary gladly acquiesced. Fanny Bennet was not at all happy with her daughter's decision, and tried to dissuade her. "Mr. Flanders has an income of only £300 a year. Due to our connection to Elizabeth and Darcy, you can make a better marriage. I will talk to Lizzy and I am sure she will be able to convince you to change your mind."
Mary shook her head. "Mother, I will not change my mind. Besides, Lizzy and Darcy support me. Have you forgotten that Mr. Darcy was a clergyman before he inherited Pemberley?"
Exasperated, Fanny replied, "But the situation was different, you may meet other wealthy gentlemen! First, Jane marries Mr. Jameson, and now you will marry a clergyman."
"Mother, you forget Mr. Flanders did not propose to me, but simply asked permission to court me. Additionally, you told me many times that I was not as beautiful as Jane, and I have heard you say more than once that you were sure I would become a spinster."
"Well, you are not as beautiful as Jane, but with your new hairstyle and without glasses you are much prettier..."
That same discussion was repeated for several weeks, but Mary did not change her mind.
June – August 1812
In mid-June 1812, nine and a half months after their marriage, Elizabeth gave birth to her first son. Fortunately, the delivery was relatively easy, and in less than a month, Elizabeth resumed part of her duties as mistress of Pemberley.
Mrs. Bennet was excited about the child's birth; although Elizabeth was her niece, she deeply cared for her, and she, herself, had not been able to bear a son. Jane wrote a long and affectionate letter to congratulate Elizabeth on the birth of her first child. Unfortunately, due to her husband's business, she couldn't travel to Pemberley for the christening.
While the Matlocks sent the Darcys a short note congratulating them on the child's birth; the only one of the family who came to meet the child was Sir Richard. A few days later, Mr. Bingley and Miss Bingley arrived.
Since Richard was the youngest son of an earl, and was now Sir Richard, his wife would be Lady Fitzwilliam. Caroline paid a great deal of attention to him as he met the requirements she was looking for in a husband: Titled, son of an Earl and war hero - although being a war hero wasn't a requirement priorly in Caroline's list.
The day after their first meeting, as they strolled in the main garden of Pemberley, Caroline commented, "It's strange, but I came out into society a few years ago. I wonder, why have we never met before?"
"It is not so strange, Miss Bingley. Bear in mind that I was away from England for a long time. Afterwards, I was badly injured. So, I couldn't participate in the season for several years."
"You are correct. I had forgotten that until a year ago you were a Colonel." She smiled slightly and asked, "Are you planning to continue in service to the Kingdom?"
Richard nodded slightly, "Yes; but my days as a soldier are over. Recently, I was invited to join the diplomatic corps of the Kingdom, and I have accepted. In a month I will have to return to London."
"I congratulate you; I wish everything could be resolved via diplomacy without the need for so many wars! But I suppose it is not a simple task since there have been wars for hundreds of years."
"You have said it very well, Miss Bingley. It is not a simple task. However, I am convinced that, if a negotiation is fair; and that implies both parties gain something, many wars could be avoided..."
Over the next few days, Richard and Caroline had several conversations similar to that one and more on other topics. For his part, Richard knew very well that due to his lifestyle, he had to choose a lady with a large dowry, and Caroline Bingley met that condition as well as other conditions that he was looking for in a wife: she was pretty, wealthy, ambitious and well educated. He also enjoyed her company very much. She was not well connected, but she had no longer ties to trade. Bingley was about to buy an estate, as well.
PPP
A month and a half after Bennet Darcy was born, he was christened at Pemberley Chapel. The proud godfather was Charles Bingley, and the doting godmother was Mary Bennet.
Mrs. Bennet, with her matchmaking tendencies, took the opportunity to promote a match between Charles Bingley and Lydia. But again, she failed in her attempt. Ironically, Charles Bingley seemed more interested in Kitty than in Lydia, although not to the point of wanting to court her.
The visitors left during the first days of August. Before their leaving, Sir Richard had asked Caroline Bingley for permission to court her. Six months later, they were married.
It was a marriage of convenience, yet both gained much in the exchange. With the passing of time, neither Caroline nor Richard ever regretted their marriage. By the standards of high society, they were a happy couple, and they cared for each other deeply.
