Elizabeth Bennet's wedding day dawned bright and clear. Although the third reading of the banns had been completed on the fifteenth, the couple had decided to spend the holiday season courting and preparing for their new life. Their wedding was accordingly scheduled on the thirty-first, so Elizabeth could metaphorically finish her childhood with 1811, and usher in her new married life in 1812. It was all either terribly romantic or silly, depending on whose opinion one sought. Naturally, Lydia's suggestion that they get a special license so she could marry at exactly midnight was given due consideration and appropriate rejection.

The Bennets spent the month with a combination of elation and trepidation preparing for their second daughter to enter a higher tier of society. Mrs Bennet vacillated between having all the fears that had plagued her for the past fifteen years just disappear overnight, and new fears that something would go amiss with the wedding or the marriage. Her three elder daughters did their best to soothe her, but it seemed it would take the wedding to lay her nervousness to rest—optimistically presuming it was not an engrained habit.

The daughters journeyed to London for the trousseau as expected. To everyone's surprise, Mrs Bennet accompanied the elder daughters, and even more alarmingly, she was welcome. A few words to the wise from Lady Catherine, of all people, had put Mrs Bennet into a mood to mostly stay out of her daughters' way. Of course, that did not come about as one might think. Lady Catherine did not in any way feel Mrs Bennet was worthy of her condescension and advice, but simply seeing how the so-called great lady treated her daughter, her nephew, her neighbours, and nearly everyone else; left Mrs Bennet determined to do the exact opposite of Lady Catherine in every particular. Lady Catherine wanted more lace, Mrs Bennet wanted less. Lady Catherine wanted the richest food imaginable, while Mrs Bennet said her soon to be son preferred plain dishes. Lady Catherine wanted the finest silk, while Mrs Bennet asserted that muslin had been more than good enough to capture a man's attention. There may even have been some words about a Bennet succeeding where a de Bourgh failed, but certainly not anyplace where the daughters could hear.

All in all, the month was surprisingly pleasant. The engaged couple spent much of every day together, and both found an astonishing capacity to ignore silliness all around. The bride, naturally, asserted it would be a useful skill in a few years when the Darcy children were quite likely to engage in epic bouts of ridiculousness. The groom found it politic to agree.

Mr Bingley hosted an engagement dinner, as did Sir William and a few other families—all on the basis that a poor excuse for a gathering was better than none.

At long last, morning came, breakfast came and went, a bath came and went, and Elizabeth sat down to have Jane do her hair. It was Jane's task and had always been. The sisters' relationship had naturally evolved over the two months of their association with the Netherfield gentlemen and was unlikely to ever be the same again.

Halfway through setting her hair, Jane took a deep breath and asked, "Lizzy, may I ask you something… actually, two things… one explicit, and one abstract?"

Elizabeth had to laugh, but when she saw Jane was far more nervous than the silliness of the question implied, settled down. "Be my guest."

Jane took some time procrastinating while working on her hair, and finally asked, "I will start with the explicit. May I live with you after your wedding trip?"

"Of course," Elizabeth said emphatically, then asked, "is this in any way related to the more abstract question?"

"Yes… I wanted to know how you know you love Mr Darcy. When did it start, and when were you certain?"

Elizabeth frowned grimly. "I became certain when Mr Wickham had a knife at my throat. All I could think of was that I had to escape so I could show my love for the man properly. He had been showing his for some time, and I had been resisting. But …"

Jane continued working her hair for quite some time while Elizabeth tried to work out how to put it.

"… but the moment came when I had gone beyond liking to something more, and he went beyond someone important to someone critical, and I went from believing he was a good man to knowing… it was all of those things, but at some point, I just knew."

"What is it like?" Jane asked breathlessly.

"It feels as if nothing else could ever be good enough without William. It feels like I am missing a piece of my very soul when he is not with me. Perhaps the feeling will dissipate over time as it seems to with most couples, but since everything fell into place… it all just fits. We belong together. It is as if the world would not quite be able to continue without us being joined."

Jane sighed wistfully but did not reply.

Elizabeth asked in a whisper, "May I assume from your questions that you have given up on Mr Bingley?"

"I have," Jane replied, but would not meet Elizabeth's eyes.

"I do not wish to pry as it is none of my business, but would you like to tell me why?"

"You allow me to unburden myself?"

"Perhaps… or more likely, as a soon to be married woman, I need to work on my gossiping skills, which seem barely adequate."

Jane chuckled. "That makes sense, I suppose," then she sighed before continuing.

"I suppose that if you had not overheard the pernicious sisters at Netherfield, I may well have married the man and done so happily. Now… well, I was starting to feel a bit better about him until Lady Catherine's objection."

Elizabeth shook her head in confusion, unable to think of anything involving Mr Bingley that day.

"I left to take care of Miss de Bourgh, and he stayed to watch the spectacle. Naturally, it was not his place to escort me, and I would not have allowed it if he offered… but it did not even occur to him."

"Yes, I suppose that was not ideal… but to play Devil's Advocate, might I suggest you were not exactly offering him much encouragement."

"Like you encouraged your Mr Darcy?" Jane asked cheekily.

Elizabeth sighed. "Yes, I imagine any man will have trouble measuring up if that is your standard."

"I cannot say that your intended's behaviour is my minimal standard, but I would prefer someone closer to Mr Darcy than Mr Bingley. You know me, Lizzy. I am a naturally unassuming and amiable person… and I like that about myself. Mr Bingley is the same. I fear that if we wed, we would each be so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so easy, that every servant will cheat us; and so generous, that we will always exceed our income."

Elizabeth guffawed. "That sounds like something Papa would say."

"He did say it… or something very near. Perhaps it was foolhardy, but I asked his advice."

"You asked marital advice from our father?" Elizabeth gasped in surprise.

"Stranger things have happened. For example, you seem to have asked some from our mother," Jane replied with a small laugh.

Elizabeth joined her.

"That got me to thinking, and I concluded I did not like the way he handled his sisters. Fair or not, he inherited £100,000 and the position of head of the family, while Miss Bingley inherited £20,000 and a bad seminary education. Her brother, despite completely controlling her finances for several years, chose to allow her to routinely insult anyone and everyone… until they went too far and seemed like they might cost him something he wanted. He then went from complete indolence to cutting his sisters off overnight. I cannot condone either response. He should have been working on them for years, and when he had enough, he should have been gentler."

Elizabeth shrugged. "I cannot say I agree or disagree. I doubt anything short of a French prison would modify the sisters' behaviour, but he could have at least made the attempt."

"Regardless… I cannot accept a weak man. I believe he would exacerbate my own deficiencies, while a strong man will encourage me to grow into my own strength."

"I cannot argue. I most certainly have grown a great deal in the last two months, and I believe William has as well."

Jane laughed. "That he has. Can you even remember him calling you not handsome enough to even tempt him to dance?"

"In such cases as these, a good memory is unpardonable. This is the last time I shall ever remember it."

They burst into a fit of giggles.

Elizabeth finally asked, "Does Mr Bingley know?"

"Not yet. I did not want to tarnish your courtship or wedding, but I will most assuredly tell him tomorrow at the latest… perhaps, even tonight."

"Probably for the best. You have carried an unnatural burden all your life that should have been borne by our parents. Perhaps, it is time for you to just enjoy a season without the expectation that your beauty will save us all from starving in the hedgerows."

"Are you certain you do not mind?"

Elizabeth stopped Jane's movements, then turned so she could look at her directly instead of through the mirror.

"Of course, we do not mind. Would you like to be astonished?"

"By what?"

"Something William said."

"Do not bother. NOTHING my soon-to-be brother could say would be overly astonishing. He has a great tendency to say unexpected things at regular intervals."

Elizabeth smiled and blinked slowly in memory of some of the shocking things her intended had said, though most of what came immediately to mind were in no way suitable for Jane's ears.

"Be that as it may, we discussed this exact thing on Christmas day. Prepare to be astonished."

"I await in breathless anticipation."

Elizabeth's smile dimmed somewhat. "He said he expects all of my sisters to live with us eventually. He also expects at least Mama sometimes."

"That is very generous," Jane said in surprise, "though hardly astonishing. This IS Fitzwilliam Darcy we are discussing."

"Here is the shocking thing. He opines—with good evidence—something he only recently recognized. He believes he and Georgiana have suffered from loneliness all their lives. He was an only child for a decade and spent most of his time with Mr Wickham, then just when he got a new sister, he was sent off to Eaton and his mother died only a few years later. Then just after he finished university and returned home to get to know the family, his father died. Georgiana went to school because everyone told him it was the way it was done, and they both became even more isolated. His sister cannot remember having a mother, and barely remembers her father. William has spent his life feeling lonely while surrounded by people."

Jane frowned, "I never thought about it like that."

"Neither did I. Who would have thought that boundless wealth would do that—but it has. So many of the people he deals with every day just want money, or consequence, or investment, or assistance, or something he can give them. Even our family looked to him as our salvation. He says he hopes to fill Pemberley with children and have it be a happy, noisy place as it was during his grandfather's day. He is, however, an impatient man. He suggests we can make it such a place almost immediately by simply filling it with noisy Bennets!"

Jane howled in laughter, loud enough to draw Mary in, as she had been wandering past the door.

Elizabeth explained what they had in mind to both sisters.

"The season ends in June, and I will need to be presented before that. William suggests the two of you and Anne live with us in about a month when we return from our wedding trip. We can be presented and enjoy the season together. The two of you will find beaus or not, as you choose, since you are both welcome to remain with us as long as you like. Next year, we will launch Georgiana, Kitty and Lydia."

Mary laughed. "You may well have a child by then."

"We will manage," Elizabeth said with a smile.

"That would be a good plan if you manage to get dressed and coiffed on time for your wedding, which seems unlikely at the moment."

With a laugh they all went back to work.

Fitzwilliam Darcy gasped in delight when he saw his bride preparing to enter the back door of the church on her father's arm. He stared in astonishment and might well have stumbled without the steadying hand of his cousin who was acting as witness along with his soon to be sister, Jane.

He found himself with just a moment to feast his eyes on his intended, while reflecting on the tremendous number of good things that had happened in and around that church. It seemed his life up to that point had all been geared toward placing him in the luckiest of places at just the right time. He was rather superstitiously awaiting his bride in the exact spot where he made his apology six weeks earlier, even though it was on the wrong side of the chancel, and he would have to move aside for her. Through the open door, he could see the spot in the courtyard where he made his personal apology and received his first bit of forgiveness and the first of many genuine smiles from the woman he wanted to court. Between him and his bride he could see all the people who were most important to him. Georgiana stood with the Bennets, his cousin Fitzwilliam was standing as witness, and his good friend Bingley was looking wistfully at his soon to be sister. The Bennet sisters were arrayed in the new gowns they had purchased, and looking quite handsome, if he did say so himself.

His bride was being escorted by her father. Darcy never quite warmed to the man, but they had established the sort of detente that men formed when they had to be in company but had little to say to each other. He did not dislike the man per se but had a hard time respecting him. His offer to host the Longbourn ladies had been met with a curious level of indifference, as if the man just expected the world to solve all of his problems for him. That said, if you examined the father in a prudential light, one could easily argue he was right—the world had solved all his problems for him, in the form of one Fitzwilliam Darcy. Considering what he was gaining, Darcy just thought he would accept his father-in-law as he was, since even if he did visit extensively, he would spend most of his time in the library.

His ruminations ended abruptly when Elizabeth walked through the door. Most of all, his bride was the most stunning woman he had ever seen, and the smile on her face lit up the whole room. Nothing in his life had prepared him for the heart-pounding excitement of seeing her walk up the aisle with her father.

In what seemed only seconds, Mr Bennet placed Elizabeth's hand in his.

The bride whispered, "I never knew I could love someone so fiercely!"

The groom replied, "I never knew my life had not even started yet!"

Reverend Turner cleared his throat, and whispered, "Shall we proceed?"

At a nod, he began the ceremony with the traditional, "Who giveth this Woman to be married to this Man?"

Mr Bennet nodded assent, and Darcy suspected the man thought his parenting duty to be essentially complete… but that thought only flew into his head and disappeared like a wisp of smoke, because all of his attention was focused on his bride. He imagined he must be making a complete mooncalf of himself if his look of adoration matched Elizabeth's, and every word spoken by the three felt sacred.

In time, the ceremony was complete, the vows were spoken, the union was solemnized, and Reverend Turner raised his voice and said, "I now present to you Mr and Mrs Darcy."

A great shout appeared from the assembled crowd, and Darcy felt like the luckiest man in the world. He had been astounded that this little market town, whose residents he had openly disdained when he arrived, had crowded around him in protective assistance. Not a word of his apology, or the bad behaviour that preceded it had made it to London's gossip sheets. Not a person in the town held a grudge, and everyone treated him with more respect than he deserved. He suspected he might eventually buy Netherfield just to keep in touch with his friends and family.

The wedding party proceeded to the registry where Elizabeth signed the name of Bennet for the last time, next to Jane and the colonel. Darcy wondered idly what sort of man Jane and Mary might find in London, but that thought made no more than a brief visit.

The wedding breakfast was elegant and tasty, and Darcy had to admit that his new mother-in-law certainly laid a fine table.

They left in good time to bring the new mistress to Darcy house in London to take up her duties along with the new year, although he doubted much of the first fortnight would be dedicated to duty to anyone except each other.

As they left Longbourn's drive, Elizabeth sat demurely beside her new husband (more or less), and said, "You were very wrong, husband. I hope you know that."

"I have erred more times than I can count, wife. Perhaps, you might be more specific?"

"You were wrong about my family. As it turns out, it must very materially increase our chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world."

Darcy had no idea whether to howl in laughter or kiss her within an inch of her life. In the end, one last stray thought put him on the right path.

Why not both?

~~ FINIS ~~

A/N: There you have it gang. As usual, I blew through my planned story length by at least double. I doubled the planned number of chapters, but the word count was five times what I originally thought. At 68k words this is a novel when I was thinking novella at best. Not sure if that's a feature or a bug, but it does seem to match how I roll.

I DID find the outlines very useful, but when I ran out of outline for the original story, the ending I anticipated was far too abrupt. In the end, I'm glad I blew past it and kept outlining chapters one at a time, but one day I'll write one the length I planned (maybe).

For the stats obsessed (you know who you are) this makes my 46th story. I've published just over 1.5M words (yep, MILLION) spread across 537 chapters. 20,000 total reviews, so I owe a big thanks to my readers.

Not sure what's next. I've got "The Propriety Failure" about 95% ready to publish on Kindle but having trouble getting the last 5% done. I'll leave it here until I finally pull the trigger.

I have a couple more shorts for "The Compromise Chronicles", so I'll probably unwind with a few of those next.

After that… who knows. I have at least seven novels started that may or may not enter the fray. The two most likely candidates are titled "Red or Green (A Soulmarks Story)" and "Brave Enough". We'll see.