Pride Prejudice and Perjury

Epilogue

Epilogue

(Six Weddings and a Few Funerals)

Georgiana Darcy was so overjoyed at the news of her brother's betrothal to Elizabeth Bennet that she insisted upon them opening her birthday ball. Most of the company had also attended the previous ball at Pemberley – given in honour of Mr. Darcy's engagement to Caroline Bingley – and thus were astonished to see their host opening the ball with an entirely different lady. Not only was she not his betrothed, but she was a person whom, according to local gossip, might be entirely undeserving of the appellation lady, and the foundation of that gossip was, in fact, due to her exclusion from the society of none other than Mr. Darcy.

Only Darcy's intimates were aware of the abrupt end of his engagement to Miss Bingley; or of the restoration of Miss Bennet's reputation. Imagine the surprise of the remainder of the company when their host, upon being handed an express by his butler during the supper, ordered champagne to be served, and proceeded to announce his betrothal to Miss Elizabeth Bennet!

No one who had been present at the earlier ball could fail to notice the marked difference in his demeanour from that prior occasion, when his appearance was more in keeping with a man bound for the gallows, than of one looking forward to a life of connubial felicity. On the few occasions he had managed a smile, it was in so stiff and wooden a manner as to be entirely unconvincing. Tonight, however, Darcy had no need of pretence, for his heart was brimming with a love and a joy that could not be suppressed, and which was very visibly returned by his beautiful intended bride.

***

In deference to Mr. Darcy's wishes, the few who were cognisant of the details of Lady Catherine's vile scheme, and the consequent abrupt termination of his engagement to Miss Bingley, kept their silence. However, after the announcement of his betrothal to Miss Bennet, speculation concerning the breaking off of his previous engagement to Miss Bingley was rife – not only in Derbyshire, but in the London papers, also.

Caroline Bingley, who had even greater reason than Mr. Darcy, to prevent details of the deception becoming common knowledge, developed an urgent desire to tour to the Continent. Though the cause of the broken engagement never became known, it nevertheless resulted in public shame for the lady.

Either she had withdrawn from the engagement – disgraceful behaviour indeed – or else she had given Mr. Darcy just cause to break it off – her failure to seek rightful legal redress through the courts was tantamount to an admission of guilt. Gossip had it that she was guilty of much the same kind of offence as that which she had so assiduously assisted Lady Catherine de Bourgh in attempting to attribute to Elizabeth Bennet.

In common with her brother, Charles Bingley, Mrs. Hurst likewise refused to admit their sister, Caroline, into her society, for she feared the social disapprobation it must inevitably attract. Miss Bingley was thus obliged to remove herself from society, and lived out her days sequestered in a lonely cottage in some distant place.

***

Elizabeth's wedding was followed early in the New Year by that of her sister, Kitty, to Jonathon Chester. An unexpected addition to those gathered on that occasion, at the church in Longbourn, was a gentleman by the name of Harold Thorpe, who claimed a distant kinship to Mr. Bennet. When the wedding breakfast was over and the happy couple bade farewell, Mr. Thorpe was granted an interview with Mr. Bennet, wherein he revealed his purpose in coming to Longbourn.

Due to a good deal of bad luck, Mr. Thorpe's father had lost his modest estate to creditors. He died very soon afterwards, leaving very little to his only son, Harold, who endeavoured to make his fortune in New South Wales, where he was successful as a farmer. After a dozen or so years there, he decided to sell up and return to England, with the intention of establishing himself as a gentleman farmer.

Whilst waiting in Sydney for his ship to sail, he had met a gentleman by the name of George Wickham, who was down on his luck and attempting to reverse it at the card table. Having drunk immoderately, he regaled those present with stories of his many successes with the ladies; in the course of which he spoke of an elopement, and subsequent profitable marriage, to a Miss Bennet of Longbourn. Upon questioning him, Mr. Thorpe determined that the father of the young lady from Longbourn was a distant cousin of his deceased father. Two days later, he was unsurprised to learn that Mr. Wickham had been shot by an irate army officer, whose wife he had seduced.

Mr. Thorpe obtained an official copy of Mr. Wickham's death certificate before departing the colony, and had come to Longbourn with the intention of giving it to Mr. Bennet. He expressed his sincere regret at being the bearer of bad tidings, and was greatly surprised to discover that his news was received with the utmost complaisance – not least of all by Mr. Wickham's widow.

Mr. Bennet invited the gentleman to remain as his guest at Longbourn while he sought a suitable farm in the district. Mr. Thorpe, eager to make up for lost time, was also in want of a wife, and fortunately he did not have far to look – Lydia Wickham, he decided, would suit him very well. Lydia was of a like mind, and before the possibility of forwarding a match between them had even occurred to her mother, an understanding had developed.

***

Lady Catherine de Bourgh's passing was deeply regretted by at least one person – her humble rector, Mr. Collins. Having worked most diligently to ingratiate himself and find favour with the great lady, he was now obliged to start all over again with his new patroness, Miss Anne de Bourgh. The unfortunate Mr. Collins found his new task most difficult indeed, for unlike Lady Catherine, who had always been most explicit concerning what did and did not please her, and exceedingly precise in her wishes and demands, the daughter hardly spoke a word. Her anxious rector fretted, knowing not what he must do to please her.

Then, one day, by a stroke of good fortune, a swarm of bees took up residence in an ancient elm tree, situated in a part of the garden where Miss de Bourgh was fond of sitting. The bees terrified her, and none of the gardeners were eager to attempt the removal of the nest, on account of it being at so great a distance from the ground.

Mr. Collins, a keen apiarist, was overjoyed at this unexpected boon. Here was an opportunity to impress, and be of service to his patroness – and to earn her gratitude. Having climbed to the top of the estate's tallest ladder, Mr. Collins expertly climbed up along the large branch towards the bees. Whether he would have succeeded in dislodging the nest we shall never know, for the bees attacked the unfortunate rector en masse, and dislodged him from the branch, from whence he plummeted to his death.

***

Mr. Collins' untimely demise caused a good deal of speculation at Longbourn, to which he was heir; for he had passed away without fathering a child. It was eventually determined that Mr. Bennet's nearest living male relative was none other than Lydia's betrothed: Harold Thorpe.

Mr Bennet's chief tenant farmer, old Jones, who had become increasingly infirmed, wished to retire, and thus Mr. Thorpe took over the farming of his lands. After wedding Lydia, he took up residence in her parents' house, and Mr. Bennet was exceedingly happy to hand over the entire management of his estate to his son-in-law, and to content himself with reading and frequent visits to his favourite daughter at Pemberley.

If he had hoped that the marriage of all five daughters, and the comfort of knowing that she might live out her days at Longbourn, would finally put an end to his wife's interminable fretting over matrimonial matters, he was sadly disappointed. For Mrs. Bennet had discovered that there was a dearth of male children in the district of a suitable age and social status for her dear little Eleanor – and wherever would Lydia find a husband for her daughter?

***

Charlotte Collins found herself entirely consolable over the untimely death of her husband, and bore his memory not the slightest ill-will on account of his early departure from this world – leaving her a widow alone. Mrs. Collins gratefully accepted the invitation of her old friend, Elizabeth Darcy, to stay at Pemberley for as long as she pleased. When a suitable period of mourning had passed, Elizabeth introduced her friend to a number or eligible local gentlemen, and was unsurprised when the rector at Kympton found favour. Although he was an exceedingly amiable and intelligent gentleman – and far superior to the late Mr. Collins in every way – Elizabeth suspected that Charlotte had decided that being mistress of a parsonage suited her; and that the lovely Parsonage House at Kympton was everything she could possibly wish for – not to mention being close to Pemberley.

***

For a time, it seemed that the much anticipated marriage of Colonel Fitzwilliam and Victoria Netherby might never eventuate. Though he loved the lady, and was well aware that she wished to marry him, and that they would be most welcome to reside at Fendalton Park, the colonel had misgivings on account of her great wealth, which greatly exceeded his own. It troubled him that her fortune was part of her attraction – a circumstance of which she must, herself, be well aware. Thus did the colonel hesitate in proposing marriage – until the occurrence of a most surprising turn of events.

Anne de Bourgh, who had her whole life long been weak and sickly, passed away within two years of her mother. Her will had been entirely devised by Lady Catherine. Colonel Fitzwilliam's older brother had an earl's inheritance and would have no use for Rosings Park; so Lady Catherine determined that it should go to one of her other two nephews. Darcy was her favourite; but since the will would only take effect if her daughter were unmarried, the fact of its execution meant that Darcy had not married Anne – which, he was well aware, was her fondest wish. That being the case, he did not deserve to inherit her estate, and thus it was left in its entirety to Colonel Fitzwilliam – who very speedily married Victoria Netherby and took up residence at Rosings Park.

***

Georgiana was so delighted to have Elizabeth living at Pemberley, that she was not at all eager to marry, despite the blossoming of her affection for Lord Netherby, who was a most frequent visitor. Under Elizabeth's guidance, Georgiana developed greater confidence, and learned to give freer rein to the playful side of her character, which Lord Netherby found enchanting.

The lady's reticence to consider marriage made the gentleman ever more desperate and in love with her. He remained patient and true to Georgiana for several years, until finally, she agreed to marry him – upon the promise that they might visit Pemberley or invite Mr. and Mrs. Darcy to visit Fendalton Park as much as her heart desired.

~ The End ~