At last, in December, about forty people gathered at Longbourn Chapel to witness Elizabeth Bennet's wedding to Fitzwilliam Darcy. As the organ played, Elizabeth entered the church arm in arm with her father with tears in her eyes. Elizabeth was radiant in a new pearl-colored gown with beautiful flowers and pearl adornments in her hair, while Darcy was wearing a dark blue suit that brought out the color of his eyes.

When he saw Elizabeth for the first time, he was deeply moved. He had never seen his Elizabeth so beautiful. At last, Mr. Bennet kissed Elizabeth's forehead and put her hand in Darcy's.

It was clear to the elderly priest who had christened Elizabeth twenty-one years ago, and everyone gathered in the church that the young couple was deeply in love. The wedding was very emotional. The groom's voice shook when he said his vows, and the bride shed tears of happiness.

Mrs. Bennet was very excited and proud of herself since the Earl and Countess of Matlock attended the wedding breakfast and complimented her on the food quality and her hostess skills.

Darcy and Elizabeth departed for London at midday; they wanted to spend their first night alone as husband and wife.

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Arriving at Darcy's house, the housekeeper welcomed Elizabeth warmly and introduced her to the chief servants. Later Darcy gave her a brief tour of the main rooms.

When they reached the library, Elizabeth gasped. There were hundreds of books. Smiling, she looked at her husband and, with a playful smile, said,

"Mr. Darcy, if I had known you had such an impressive collection of books, I would have accepted your marriage proposal much sooner."

Darcy smiled, "Pemberley's library is larger and boasts an even greater collection of books, my Love."

"I'm looking forward to going to Pemberley, and seeing the library.…"

Darcy took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Later they continued the tour of the house until they reached Elizabeth's bedchamber. Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised; her bedchamber was decorated in yellow and pink colors. There was a beautiful vanity with a matching stool, a small table with a vase of flowers, two comfortable chairs, a sofa, and a large bed.

Elizabeth smiled and kissed him softly. Darcy kissed her deeply, and they continued kissing and caressing more passionately. A few minutes later, with the bit of control Darcy still had, gasped, "If you wish, my Love, I will stop."

Elizabeth shook her head, looked into his eyes, and said, "No, Fitzwilliam. I love you."

With some difficulty and Elizabeth's help, Darcy untied the laces of her gown until the gown fell to the floor, and then he untied her corset. Within a few minutes, to Darcy's delight, Elizabeth was naked in the middle of the room.

Although the light was dim since the sun had gone down a few minutes earlier, and no candle had been lit, Elizabeth blushed at the look of admiration and desire of her husband.

"You are so beautiful my love. So beautiful."

He carried her to the bed and in a few seconds, Elizabeth was lying in the middle of the bed with her hair spread out on the pillow.

Darcy took a long look at her, staring with a mixture of desire, love, and passion. They continued kissing and caressing passionately, and when they did come together as a couple, although Elizabeth initially felt pain, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of their life.

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The first week of their marriage was the happiest of Darcy's life. To Darcy's surprise and delight, as the days passed, he fell even more in love with his beautiful wife. Elizabeth was a passionate and curious woman, and their lovemaking was even better than in his dreams. In addition, he discovered that she was an excellent chess opponent, and she was always eager to learn new things.

Darcy never tired of looking at her, either when she was sleeping or when she was awake. He never tired of caressing her hair and her body. He never tired of hearing her voice, hearing her laugh, and kissing her until they were both breathless. To Darcy's joy, they agreed on their first night together that, from that day forward, they would always share a bed. Every night, before retiring to their shared bedchamber, she played the pianoforte and sang for him.

At Elizabeth's request, they attended the opera once; it was a magical experience but Darcy spent more time watching the expression in his wife's beautiful eyes than the happenings on the stage. They went to the dressmaker together, because he didn't want to be parted from her.

The only awkward moment was at Gunter's, where they had a chance encounter with Lady Victoria. The Lady greeted them and asked some impertinent questions about their wedding, and especially about Elizabeth's family; Darcy was furious with the hateful Lady. He chose to finish the conversation by commenting he had seen her husband with a young lady at the opera, but he hadn't had the pleasure of seeing Lady Victoria there, as well. He knew as well - as well as all of London - that Lady Victoria's husband preferred the company of his mistress to his wife.

Darcy was daily most grateful for his narrow escape, because, if he had married that shrew, he would now be deeply unhappy and trapped in a marriage to an insipid and vapid woman. The idea of living his life without his Elizabeth was inconceivable.

January 1813 - March 1813

After their short honeymoon in London, Darcy and Elizabeth continued on their trip to Kent. Richard and Anne were very glad to see the young couple again. Anne was still sickly, but she was now making an effort to improve her health and put her depression behind her. Richard was eager to discuss with Darcy the new crop techniques that his steward had proposed.

Three days after their arrival, Mary began with typical labor pains. Elizabeth was with her at the parsonage, and soon after, Mr. Collins went to fetch the midwife.

Elizabeth took Mary's arm and slowly led to her bedroom. Mary begged her, "Lizzy, please stay with me. I am so scared that I won't survive childbirth…"

Elizabeth squeezed her hand, "Mary, don't think or say that. I am sure you will be fine and you will rise your child. You are young and healthy..."

Mary interrupted her, "Only, God knows, Lizzy..." She winced, "Please promise me that if I do not survive, but my child does, you will help Mr. Collins raise him or her."

Seeing Mary's pleading and teary face, Elizabeth hugged her, "Yes, Mary, I promise. But I am sure you will be fine. I love you."

At that moment, the midwife entered the room. Elizabeth stayed by Mary's side throughout the birth, following the midwife's instructions. It was a fascinating and, at the same time, frightening experience for Elizabeth. Knowing Mr. Collins was in the next room, Mary did her best not to cry or scream in pain as she knew her husband was very nervous.

Thankfully, there were no complications and a few hours later a healthy boy was born. After a few days, Mary was completely recovered.

Mr. Collins was the happiest man in the kingdom - his child was perfect and healthy, and his beautiful, beloved wife survived childbirth and was doing very well. He had been terrified of losing his Mary since he couldn't imagine his life without her.

Elizabeth sent letters to her parents, her uncle Gardiner, her sisters, and Charlotte Lucas telling them the joyous news. Her parents, as expected, were very happy, and they promised to visit Hunsford in February for the child's christening.

Mary and her husband asked Anne and Richard to be godparents for Thomas Collins; both Fitzwilliams were pleased and proud to accept.

Although Mary had the means to hire a wet nurse, she decided to feed her baby by herself, and Mr. Collins always agreed with his wife's decisions.

After spending two weeks in Kent, Darcy and Elizabeth continued on their four-day journey to Pemberley. Elizabeth was very curious about her future home and, during the long trip, she asked Darcy many questions about the house, the grounds, and his childhood memories.

Despite Darcy's detailed descriptions, Elizabeth was in awe the first time she saw Pemberley. The house and the grounds were more beautiful than Elizabeth had imagined, and all of this was hers.

The servants and Mrs. Reynolds, in particular, were pleased to have a new mistress, especially a mistress who was obviously deeply in love with the master.

Their first week at Pemberley was spent touring the house, the gardens, and the park. Elizabeth, as a voracious reader, fell in love with the house's impressive library - she agreed with her husband that it was most impressive than his library in London. To her great surprise, she discovered that Darcy had bought all the books that her father had sold over a year ago to increase his daughter's dowries.

To Darcy's delight, Elizabeth was enchanted by Gigi and, in a short time, she loved her dearly like a daughter. The sweet baby was growing very fast and soon, she started to call him "pa-pa".

Darcy watched his beloved wife sleep in his arms. The doctor had confirmed their suspicion - they were expecting their first child. Every day, he was more in love with his beautiful Elizabeth. He could never have imagined one year ago, that he could be so happy with his life. Elizabeth and Gigi were the light of his life, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the best decision he had ever made was to accept Bingley's invitation to visit Netherfield Park.