The summer progressed, bringing with it the much-anticipated wedding of Georgiana Darcy. The groom was a quiet, earnest young man named Dr. Edward Maddox, whom she had met through her charitable work with the parish poor. He was not a man of vast fortune or title, but of principle and gentle intelligence, and the light in Georgiana’s eyes when she spoke of him was all the recommendation Darcy and Elizabeth needed.
Pemberley was once again a hive of joyful activity, but of a different sort than the anxious anticipation before Alexander’s birth. This was a celebration, the house decked in flowers and greenery, its halls filled with the laughter of family. The Bingleys were there, Jane now gloriously round with child, her serenity a calming influence on everyone. Even the Bennets had returne
