Page 46 of Elizabeth’s Choice

Darcy and Elizabeth departed with Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley to Pemberley after the wedding, and the Bennet Family joined them a week before Christmas to enjoy the festivities for a full month in Derbyshire. Bingley was also invited but his sisters were certainly not and although Miss Bingley attempted to grovel for mercy, Elizabeth’s displeasure was legendary and she never forgave her, not only for Miss Bingley’s lies but for the way she had treated Darcy during his most challenging times.

Miss Bingley finally learned some humility, though, after spending two years in York and finally marrying a lieutenant of the militia who liked the spinster’s dowry and they settled in Newcastle. She rarely returned to town and Darcy never spoke another word to her for the rest of her life.

Jane and Bingley completed their courtship and became betrothed five months later after Bingley was able to prove his constancy to Mr. Bennet. It took another two months for the wedding ceremony to take place, and on a beautiful June day, Jane became Mrs. Bingley, eleven years to the date of the meeting that Benjamin Bingley and Thomas Bennet had plotted. Mr. Bennet not only gave his first daughter away but handed a ten-pound note to Bingley for losing the bet to his father with a broad grin on his face.

Mary and Kitty remained in Hertfordshire and surprisingly, Mary was the next to choose her husband who found her very pretty in her bright-coloured dresses. Mr. Grantley, ashamed of his parents and sisters whose greed cast them out of polite society, went to Hertfordshire to apologise to Bingley and found peace in the countryside as well as a wife for himself. He and Mary leased Ashworth from Lady Elizabeth and enjoyed raising their four children together, with friends and family nearby.

Kitty suffered for the next year with loneliness and not knowing who she wanted to be after Lydia’s abrupt departure from Hertfordshire. Elizabeth, seeing that her sister needed guidance but also the freedom to grow into her own, invited Kitty to Pemberley to see and learn from Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley, as well as Elizabeth’s archery students and Mrs. Fitzwilliam, the colonel’s wife in the area. Kitty learned not only archery herself but grew her own confidence and at the age of twenty, married one of Darcy’s friends with seven thousand a year, exceeding all of Mrs. Bennet’s expectations.

Lydia and George Wickham languished unnecessarily for nearly a decade, making one poor decision after another, but they finally came to their senses after realising that they could choose their own happiness. Begging the Duke and Duchess of Kielder for assistance with complete humility, Wickham was able to resign from the militia and became an under-steward, labouring with his hands but feeling fulfilled to have a lively wife who was now able to manage the household well with their eight children in tow.

Darcy and Elizabeth lived in harmony majority of the time, travelling throughout the kingdom to offer archery lessons to ladies who desired to learn the sport. They would have a few spectacular arguments, although Elizabeth would often concede that she was being too stubborn and that society was simply unprepared to accept that some women were indeed better than men. Darcy never argued against intelligent women but held firm that there were still many senseless ladies who saw no value in better education and that it would take several generations to change that mindset.

Elizabeth was grateful for her husband for always giving her a chance to choose for herself, and whether wearing her suit or a dress, she felt the freedom and safety within Pemberley with Darcy by her side. They raised their three sons and two daughters to think for themselves while showing generosity and humility to those around them. Lady Elizabeth attended the Order of the Garter ceremony every June and when the time came for King George IV to hold the first chapter of his reign in 1820, Elizabeth was greeted by the new king with affection for saving his life several years prior.

Elizabeth and Darcy always chose each other, beginning their day with gratitude and ending the night with each other in their arms. They knew that this blessing was something that they could not take for granted and that they must choose to intentionally care for each other and talk through any difficulties as well as celebrate all the good in life.

Elizabeth continued to grow her investments and helped Darcy amass an incredible fortune, but they gave much of it away to establish schools and build better homes for their tenants, as well as to purchase many important art pieces to be installed in museums around the world.

Their love-story was unique and eternal, and their legacy lived on, not due to what was destined for them but because they decided to choose their own story.

~*~

“Are you angry with me?” Darcy asked his wife as they sat in the carriage to return home one evening from their outing.

“What makes you think I am upset?” Elizabeth responded pointedly, as she sat with her arms crossed across from him.

He gulped as he cautiously replied, “I know very well when you are upset, my dear wife, but I have no idea what I might have done. We have been married for six months and now that you are about five months along, I honestly do not know what to do or say at times. I thought you were pleased to spend another fortnight in town before we return to Pemberley.”

“Have you forgotten what tomorrow is?” she asked. “It is the anniversary of the first time we met!”

Darcy smiled as he replied, “Ah, were you upset that I had forgotten about our meeting at the Monument to the London Fire? I hate to correct you, my love, but that was the second time we met. The first time we met was more than eleven years ago and I do not believe either of us recall the exact date.”

“That is true… I wish I could remember. I had so many competitions and the dates are all a blur. But you remembered tomorrow? Why did you not mention it to me? I thought you had forgotten and I love you so much and we cannot forget…” she began to cry and wiped her eyes.

Darcy quickly sat next to her and handed her his handkerchief, “Your moods are so inconstant but you know I love you so much, do you not? I know you are uncomfortable with the heat and wearing these layers and layers of skirts, but you are doing so well! After the annual Order of the Garter procession next week, we will be free to enjoy the wilderness of Derbyshire and you can wear whatever you wish or nothing at all. I will spoil the surprise, but I had planned on taking you to the Monument tomorrow at noon to give you a very improper kiss in front of everyone and then picnic at the nearby park. Does that please you?”

Elizabeth smiled as she sat on his lap and embraced him, “How do you always know what I need? I did not think I would be so emotional to be with child but I do not enjoy being in the pregnant state. Men have it so much easier to become fathers and I wish I did not have to go through this.”

Darcy rubbed her back as he consoled her, “I read that there are several ways to prevent pregnancies and we can try them after this one, Elizabeth. Whether boy or girl, Pemberley is not entailed so we can stop after just one child.”

Elizabeth straight up and glared at him, “Stop? Stop at one? Nonsense! I want to give you at least five or six children! I want our homes to be filled with children and have them invade us at all hours of the day and night, not just have them visit us with their nannies for a quarter hour a day! Why would I stop at one?”

“But you just said…” Darcy looked at her in confusion.

“Good lord,” she kissed his cheek, “I just do not like having you suffer my mood changes and hearing me complain all day, my William. I am not enjoying being so difficult and irritable. I am not myself but I know this is temporary. I am sorry you misunderstood. You have exceeded every expectation while I am expecting.” She grinned broadly and then slyly asked, “You know, I still do have one last wish left. I have not collected the last one yet and I want to use it now.”

“Anything you wish, my dearest,” Darcy replied as he kissed her lips. “Your wish is my command.”

“Right after we became betrothed, I thought to use it to ask you to purchase Ashworth for me so that we could marry before I became of age, but His Majesty was able to facilitate the purchase for me using my title so I did not need to use it. Since I own Ashworth as my outright property now, could you help me use some of my funds to purchase something else? The prospect of owning multiple estates is enthralling and although I would like to save for our future daughters’ dowries, I have been interested in a specific area to add to the acquisition.”

Darcy chuckled, “You have a massive fortune and can do as you like, Lady Elizabeth, and I would be pleased to assist you with anything you would like. I will even contribute to your investment and ensure it is fully in your name. It is not often that you ask for help… Wait, I do not think you have ever used the word ‘help’ with me before. Have you ever asked me for help before? Even with your sister Lydia and Wickham’s situation, I do not believe you asked for help but I simply offered it to you.”

“Well, papa told me to know when to ask for help and I know I am a proud woman, but I can humble myself enough to ask you for help. I had thought you were haughty and unreasonable at one point but have known for a long time that you are humble and generous,” she kissed him again. “I love you with all my heart.”

“You can have anything you want. Anything at all when you ask like this!” He embraced her happily. “Which area do you have in mind?”

“Oh, just a place close to Oxford that I have been researching. I learned that there is a small house that is available which has a large park ten miles around and it sounds perfect to be able to visit my friends and old professors whenever we wish,” she explained. “It is in the Cotswolds but the house is very small and in need of serious repairs, and I know little about what to look for. We will likely need to have something built entirely new but I believe owning large parcels of land will be worth investing in the future and something we can hand down to our children or grandchildren or great grandchildren.”

Darcy scratched his head, “I cannot imagine making a fortune with land other than for farming but I will do whatever you wish. You are beyond intelligent and I suppose as England becomes more and more populated, people will want to live somewhere else and not just in London.” He looked outside the carriage and commented, “We are near the theatre now. Let us enjoy our time together and we will not pay attention to anyone else but concentrate on our own happiness. We choose our own paths, and we will always choose each other.”

“I love you, my William. I am grateful for you and am so glad that I wanted to marry you that fateful day when you saved me,” Elizabeth held Darcy closely, still sitting on his lap. “Even as a ten-year-old girl, I knew you were my choice and you are truly the best men I know. Let us show the world what it means to love each other and care naught how they will write scathing gossips us being too affectionate in public. Who gives two straws about what anyone else thinks about us?”

They laughed as they exited the carriage, and without another word, Darcy wrapped his arms around her to lean her back and kiss her in the lips for all to see. Darcy and Elizabeth would choose to live fearlessly and for each other for the rest of their lives, for all of their happily ever after.

The End