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Books » Pride and Prejudice » The Return to Pemberley
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Author of 4 Stories |
OMGOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so sorry i haven't updated in so long! I've been incredibly busy, and just lazy too. But it's that last chapter, finally! I'm so happy. Please R+R, and don't hate me. Please. I dont think you will after reading this.
As much as such attentions would be welcomed and enjoyed, the refuge of an empty barouche, and even more, a quiet chamber could be preferred above all else. So, throughout the wedding breakfast, while they received congratulations and luck alike, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, with their companions Mr. and Mrs. Bingley, secretly wished for the festivities to come to an end, thus allowing them to escape the grasp of their well-intending relations. The time passed quickly, which was fortunately convenient to the wishes of the newlyweds.
As the couples prepared to depart, Mrs. Bennet bestowed on her daughters one last farewell. Taking them to the side she said-
“My dears, since we shall not see one another for quite some time, I deplore you, do not forget the advice I have given you. It is of the utmost importance that you not disappoint your new husbands.” Here, Mrs. Bennet began to tear, once again. “My darlings, oh! I never thought I would see this day. You have made me so proud. Now, pray not disregard my advice. Farewell, farewell, my dears!” The sisters blushed at this, recalling the rather unpleasant conversation they had had the previous night with their mother.
Mrs. Bennet had interrupted their earnest midnight discussion in order to speak to them of a matter of great importance.
“Darlings, it is of the utmost importance that you listen closely and take my words to heart. I know you both to be acquainted with…the goings-on of married couples. However, I insist you not shrink from your duty. It would disappoint your husbands-to-be, and that can only bring disgrace, my dears. My mother gave me this advice: to close your eyes and think of something…more pleasant, if you will. It is not so-”
“-Mama, please!” interjected Elizabeth. Both girls were blushing exuberantly. Jane, as mortified as she was, was quite unable to speak; however, Elizabeth, who was just as deeply mortified, felt compelled to halt her mother before she heard more of what they both certainly did not what to hear. “You needn’t lecture us so, and pray do not continue your sentence. Whatever Jane and I chose to do, it shall be of our own accord, and not of your own. As well-intended as your advice may be, I assure you it is falling on deaf ears. If you would please excuse us, Mama, I was just readying myself to bid Jane goodnight.”
Her happy mood not weighed down in the slightest, Mrs. Bennet wished her children a good night’s sleep one last time, and retired to her own chambers.
Remembering, the two gave each other a look of suppressed embarrassment before giving their Mama one last goodbye. Mrs. Bennet, in her anxiety, (any mother anticipating separation from her daughters is wont to feel the same), returned to her husband’s side for comfort.
“Oh, Lizzy, farewell, I daresay we will see each other before too long. I will write as often as I can, and I fully expect you to return the favor.” Jane and Elizabeth embraced tearfully, Elizabeth promising she would write, both careful not to muss the other’s wedding finery.
Finally, after all the pomp and celebration, the two couples were without distraction.
“Well, Mrs. Darcy, how do you feel?” inquired the honorable Mr. Darcy of his new wife, snuggling closer.
“Well, Mr. Darcy, I have gained a new name, a circumstance I will very much need to give myself over to. Yet I find it to be a very handsome and worthy name. What say you on the matter?”
“I say, Mrs. Darcy that is not at all what I meant when I inquired how you were feeling. Rather, I had hoped for a more heartfelt answer from you.”
“Was I not sincere in my reply, dear husband?”
Mr. Darcy, smiling at the endearment, remarked, “No, my sweet, more to be felt from the heart than sincere. I had hoped for you to take the question as I meant it, meaning your happiness, my beloved wife.” Mr. Darcy, to emphasis his point, leaned down and kissed Elizabeth. This continued until Mrs. Darcy pulled away and observed-
“That, Fitzwilliam, ought to answer your inquiry. Was there anything else you wanted to say?” the new Mrs. Darcy begun. Unfortunately, her new spouse cut her off in an attempt to answer her own query.
“How do you think the day went, Jane? It was very pleasant, I believe; disregarding Caroline and her foul mood,” noted Mr. Bingley, his arm around the newly made Mrs. Bingley.
“Oh, Charles, you know she didn’t really mean that. Your sister always has, I believe, felt disinclination towards me; evident by her conspiring to dissuade you against me, not at all long ago. But I have left that behind me, and some day she will too.” Bingley inwardly cringed. He had failed to tell her that it was in fact his good friend who had been the main factor in their separation. Now, however, was not the time for such confessions, those could wait. “My dear husband, what did you truly think of the day? And if you mention your sister in any way other than passing, the consequences will, I fear, be severe.”
Mr. Bingley chuckled at his wife’s wit. “In my opinion, it went exceptionally well. I own to not knowing of a more perfect day in history. Your dress is lovely as well, my darling.”
“Oh, Charles, that’s not what I wanted to hear at all! If we are to have a happy marriage, you must become more acquainted with what and what not to say, and when. My dress is the object of least importance now.”
“Excuse me, Mrs. Bingley; I was told that women were inclined to compliments on their personal appearance compared with other pleasantries. Forgive me, forgive me, my dear Mrs. Bingley, I intend to correct the matter at once….”—was the reply warranted by Mr. Bingley, in a rather mocking tone.
Mrs. Bingley was afflicted with a fit of giggles at her new-found husband’s impersonation of the more officious attentions of a Mr. Collins, albeit abbreviated. “Charles, you know what I mean. I would love a compliment when there is occasion to give one; and I will reciprocate it. However, now is not the time for such tid-bits.”
“Then what does the situation call for?”
“As if you did not know….” They then succumbed to the same fate as their dearest friend and sister.
The first child was born of the Bingleys a mere eleven months following their wedding. Sara Margaret Bingley, a gentle, kind-hearted little thing, looked much like her father and was soon the pride and joy of both her parents. Three more siblings were born to the Bingleys within the span of seven years; Joseph, Maria, and Elizabeth were all as much like their parents as their eldest sister. Joseph grew up to inherit Netherfield Park and was in every way his father. The sisters all comfortably married country gentlemen, none living farther away than Suffolkshire. Jane and Charles agreed life could not have given them more.
The Darcys, too, had their fair share of children. Born thirteen months after the date of their marriage, Rebecca Jane Darcy was as shy as her father, but as energetic as only her mother could be. Her semblance was mostly of her mother, including the eyes which Mr. Darcy had found so enchanting so long ago. Seven months later, her younger brother, Michael Richard, was conceived, followed by Charles, Anne, Francis, and Benjamin. All but Charles had their mother’s eyes. The Darcys too agreed they had been more than blessed.
