Epilogue
Longbourn, 7 years later.
Once again
Longbourn was a crowded house. During the course of the years, one by one, all
five Bennet girls had left their home to find their own life with their
husbands gradually taking away the liveliness of the household. The mistress of
the estate could not be happier with this circumstance, marrying them well had
been her most desired wish but as time went by, the emptiness of the rooms and
the remembrance of those happy days with the constant noise of her chatty
daughters around made her wish all her girls were back to bring Longbourn back
to its glorious and happier days.
The grandchildren
didn’t take too much to come and fill the empty house with laughter. The first one came from Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy,
a fine boy named Andrew who was now six years old. Three years later the
Darcy’s were blessed with a second child, Emily –Millie, as they
called her -- who in her only three years of life had succeeded in turning the
solemn Pemberley household upside down.
The Bingleys had
also contributed to the enlargement of the family by producing two of the most
well behaved children anyone had ever seen. Edward, to be five years old, was
named after Jane’s dearest uncle and their second offspring, Josephine,
was a beauty with golden locks and the sweetest of dispositions. The couple was
happily established in Derbyshire in an estate they acquired only thirty miles
away from Pemberley
Mrs. Wickham had only produced a son, Brandon, now four years old. There
was little chance she would bear another child with her husband as Lt. Wickham
was constantly away with his regiment and the young wife had given up the
tiresome task of following the drum with him. The youngest Bennet girl did not
complain much about this circumstance, for this circumstance allowed her the
chance to move return to Longbourn at will, where she would share with her
mother the responsibility of looking after her only son. She was a frequent
visitor of her eldest sisters’ estates as well, appearing unannounced at
their homes several times a year and abusing their hospitality until she was
subtly asked to leave.
Mary was the last
of the Miss Bennet’s to leave the nest. She never attended balls or
assemblies so the chances that she would find a suitable husband were scarce.
But against everything her family had been expected, the taciturn Miss Mary was
able to find love in the person of Mr. Robert Pickford, the new curator of
Meryton’s church and was expecting her first child.
The occasion that
had reunited all five sisters at Longbourn this time was the christening of Mr.
and Mrs. Bennet sixth grandchild, George Michael Lucas, the son of Catherine
Bennet and George Lucas, Charlotte’s
second youngest brother. Invited to the party were also Mr. and Mrs. Collins,
who attended the ceremony with their two boys, Phillip and Steven. Also in attendance was Charlotte’s sister, Maria Lucas who had
recently married Mr. James Carey, a young attorney from a neighbouring town.
Longbourn was now
brimming with the joyful sound of children running about the house and the
incessant chat of ladies that were acquainting each other with what their lives
had been during the months they had been apart. Elizabeth and Jane saw each
other with certain frequency, their wealth and the proximity of their homes
allowed them that privilege, but the rest did not have that luck and used these
family gatherings to learn the latest news.
When formalities were over, the gentlemen chose to enjoy the breeze of
the gardens while the ladies preferred to reunite in the shaded interior of the
house to share their conversations in the comfort of Longbourn’s rooms.
“Darcy,”
Bingley addressed his brother in law, “how is your sister? I understand
she is due in very little time.”
“She might
have made me an uncle by the time we return home.” Replied Darcy with a
smile.
“More
children,” sighed Mr. Bennet as he observed the boys running around the
lawn, “I have never seen so many of them together in years. It reminds me
when my girls were little and we invited the Lucases along to our house. Had I
known that I was to suffer in this same manner again, I would have reconsidered
giving my daughters in marriage.”
“The only
relief I can give you, sir,” Bingley patted his father-in-law’s
back, “is that you should enjoy this relative peace now that there are
only six of them. In only a few months you’ll have seven grandchildren to
sport to your neighbours, perhaps a few more if Darcy and I work on it.”
“I will not
object to more additions to the family,” Mr. Bennet replied with a laugh,
“as long as they return to their own home every night. That is the
advantage of having Kitty married so close to Longbourn. She leaves after
supper and we can have our peace back.”
Darcy chuckled at his father-in-law’s pretended irritability.
Albeit he constantly complained about them, it was known that Mr. Bennet adored
his grandchildren. “Come now, Mr. Bennet, I thought you enjoyed the
little ones visiting you and playing in your library.”
“Allow me to
remind you it had been your children the ones that had used
it as a playground. I have been told that Pemberley’s library suffered
because of their mischief, too.”
“For some
reason they are exceedingly fond of that room. Although I am afraid it is not
to enrich their minds with its extraordinary contents and vast
knowledge.” Darcy grinned and shook his head. “Emily is
particularly attracted to the higher rows of shelves. Before us coming here,
she was silently playing in the library while I was reading. I was distracted
for only a minute and by the time glanced back at her, she was reaching the
sixth row. I had never imagined that someone so small could climb so high in so
little time. And as soon as her feet touched the floor again she ran away to
pick up the globe from the desk. When she sets something in her mind, she will
not stop until she gets it.”
“She
resembles so much my Lizzy at that age, a little monster in the costume of a
girl, but so adorable that it was impossible to punish her. Do you still have
to lock the door of the music room?”
“We try to
keep it closed, but somehow she always manages to get in. Mrs. Reynolds has a
weak side for her and likes to indulge her every whim. It is not easy to be
severe when an entire household is willing to spoil her. But what really amazes
me is that she is so silent when she is up to mischief that it is impossible to
know what she is doing until it is too late. I cannot imagine what will become
of us when she expands her vocabulary.” Darcy said with an apprehensive
smile.
“When girls
start talking they do not stop until the day they die. I have six good examples
to show you.” Mr. Bennet pointed to the house. “I believe they are
in the drawing room right now.”
“I say,
Darcy, your daughter is a very spirited child.” Bingley reflected with an
amused air.
“Bingley, you
are being too generous. That girl is inexhaustible.” Darcy shook his head
in resignation.
“Just like my
Lizzy, I told you.” Mr. Bennet declared and the gentlemen laughed.
At that moment
Andrew Darcy and Edward Bingley came running. Panting behind them was Phil
Collins, too heavy to keep the other’s pace. The lads passed between the
gentlemen and hid behind a tree.
“Boys!”
Darcy called them. “I told you not to run around the guests.”
“But,
Papa,” Andrew replied from their hiding place. “She is chasing us
and will not leave us in peace.”
“Son, that is
not ...”
He stopped as the
subject in discussion suddenly appeared beside them, running at an amazing
speed for someone her size. Darcy caught her in motion and lifted her up.
“I thought
you were sleeping your nap, young lady,” Darcy tried to appear stern as
scolded his little daughter. Emily hugged him lovingly and Darcy’s frown
was replaced with a huge grin.
“Man, your daughter has you eating from
her hand.” Bingley smiled.
“Just like
her mother. It is impossible to be severe with any of them.” The proud
father replied.
“Darcy.”
Bingley pointed at the girl’s feet. “I think something is missing
here.”
The gentleman
looked at his daughter’s feet and rolled his eyes when he realized that
she was barefoot, again. He excused himself from his party and walked towards
the house, carrying his precious daughter in his arms.
With no servants at
sight that could take care of Emily, Darcy followed the sound of feminine
voices and laughter that came from the drawing room and quickly located his wife. He hesitated before entering, not
sure he wanted to interrupt the ladies in their domain. He stepped in
nonetheless and upon being noticed, the chatting ceased and more than ten pairs
of eyes focused on him.
“Is anything
the matter, my dear?” Elizabeth asked sweetly.
“No, I
...” he glanced around, deciding that making a quick exit was the best
thing to do. “Forgive me for the interruption. Excuse me.”
The chatting and
giggling was resumed the moment he left the room. Father and daughter looked at
each other, Emily too comfortable in her father’s arms to think of going
to her mother’s and Darcy knowing better than to venture himself alone in
a room full of Bennet women.
“There you
are, Miss Millie,” Mrs. Hill saw them from down the hall.
“I’ve been looking for you the whole afternoon.”
Darcy smiled
gratefully at the loyal maid. Since their arrival, his children had tried her
patience with every possible method but she still looked after them with the
same dedication and adoration with which she had served their mother when she
was a child. “I fear that this little lady has left something behind in
her escape.”
Hill noticed
Emily’s dirty stockings because of the lack of shoes. Her heart swelled
with love for this adorable little girl that reminded her so much of the
spirited Miss Lizzy she had helped to raise. “Allow me, sir, I will
change her and take her to bed.”
“Thank you,
Mrs. Hill.” Darcy and handed his daughter to the servant.
“Come here,
little one.” Hill bounced her in her arms and Emily started giggling.
“Hill will take you to bed and tell you a very nice story. Do you know
that you are the loveliest young lady there could be? Just like your Mama,
lovely and witty.”
As they walked
away, Emily glanced at her father over Hill’s shoulder with her huge
brown eyes smiling at him. With a broad smile, Darcy returned to his party.
As she did every
night before going to bed, Elizabeth Darcy went to the room where her offspring
slept to check if they were resting peacefully. Andrew had grown so big, he so
much resembled his father that it warmed up her heart to know she was raising a
fine man such as her husband. Her daughter Emily was very much the little
angel, when asleep, because, when awake, she was the little devil. Everyone
told her that Emily looked very much like herself but Elizabeth knew that her
daughter had also inherited her husband’s character. Andrew, possessor of
Darcy’s looks, was the one that inherited his mother’s disposition.
He was active, merry and, though well behaved and respectful, he had the
ability to tease and enchant his elders with his witty remarks. Emily, on the
other hand, had her father’s pride and hauteur combined with
Elizabeth’s enchanting personality and charisma. The result was
extraordinary. With her only three years of age she had the ability to raise an
entire household and demand things from servants that knew should not oblige
her but that just could not resist her authority.
Elizabeth looked
around the room and a smile of contentment came to her face. This had been her
room, eight years ago. Eight years! So many things had happened, everything had
changed so much since that day since she left that she could not imagine her
life as it was before meeting her husband. A marriage of duty. Who would
imagine it would end so happily?
The door opened and
Darcy came into the bedroom. “My love, are you not coming to bed?”
“I was seeing
if our little angels were asleep,” she smiled at him.
Darcy stood behind
her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He glanced at his sleeping children
with a placid smile. He was so proud of them.
Elizabeth sighed
and leaned her head on his shoulder. His hands linked over her stomach as she
spoke. “They are growing so fast, they are so much their own
selves.”
“Indeed.
Andrew is already a little man. You should have seen him yesterday when your
father showed him his atlas, listening as he told him of the world’s
greatest wonders. He said he would be an explorer when he grew up and discover
new territories around the world. He has your sense of adventure.” As
Darcy spoke, Elizabeth smiled with fondness as she brushed a lock of hair off
Andrew’s forehead. “Millie
is the one I fear will give us more trouble. She had this innate stubbornness
and independency that I do not know from where it comes.”
She arched an
eyebrow in amusement. Couldn’t her husband see that their daughter was
exactly like him? And if he did notice the resemblance, he would never admit
it. “She was the prettiest baby I have ever seen. If only they would
remain small for a little longer.”
“Well,”
Darcy bent his head to kiss his wife’s neck, “We can always have
some more, if that is your wish. You know I do not mind providing them.”
A low, sensuous
moan of approval escaped Elizabeth’s throat when she felt her
husband’s hand moving up to her bosom. “And you are quite
proficient at it.”
Darcy placed his
hands on her waist and turned her around to give her a sensuous kiss.
“Shall we go to our bedroom, Mrs. Darcy? I fear that this is not the most
appropriate place to proceed with this.”
She smiled archly.
“Mr. Darcy, I will be delighted to oblige.”
Exactly nine months
later, Patrick Darcy was born to the utter joy of his mother and father.
The End