Page 64 of A Life Diverted
As much as she loved seeing Aunt Catherine with the children, it reminded Elizabeth of the loss of Grandmama Beth.
It had been some years that Mama and Papa had insisted Grandmama move back into the manor house.
It was in December 1819, not many days after Elizabeth had shared that she was with child once again, that Grandmama Beth had passed in her sleep at Longbourn.
Between four children from Jane and David, and two from herself and William, before Grandmama Beth had been called home to her final reward, she had met and been overjoyed with her six great-grandchildren.
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Jane and David had been the mistress and master of Willowmere for the last seven years.
When their second daughter had been born in September 1817, the first having joined the family in November 1815, Cilla and Wendell decided it was time to switch homes with their eldest son and his wife.
At first, the younger Wendells had protested, but the older couple had been adamant.
They had argued that they were only two people living in the manor house, while after first Elizabeth Frances, called Eliza much to her Aunt Charlotte’s approbation, and next Catherine Jane, who before she was two, began to be called Kitty, thanks to her love of cats, were born, Jane and David were running out of room at the dower house.
The younger Wendells soon saw the logic in the decision to switch homes, especially when Jane began to increase again.
So it was, in December 1819, that identical twin sons, Joseph Stephen and Thomas Reginald were born in Willowmere’s manor house’s birthing chamber. Little Joe, as he was called, would be another Joseph Wendell. He was older than his brother, Thomas, by a half hour.
Being only five miles from Pemberley meant that it was never a hardship to visit one estate or the other.
Both Hilldale and Glenmeade were less than thirty miles from the estates in Derbyshire, and after all, what was thirty miles of good road?
Visits between the extended family estates were numerous, and that included Granville in Nottinghamshire.
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Elizabeth and Darcy took seats near Charlotte and Barney. “I see your older two listening to Grandmama Catherine with rapt attention,” Elizabeth observed.
“No more so than Ben and little Eliza,” Charlotte replied.
“Ben, Prisci, Robby, and this one,” Elizabeth tapped her belly, “have no choice but to be bibliophiles given their parents and the library they have access to in this house. If they did not like the written word, I would think someone had substituted my children with others.”
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It had been about three years after the wedding before Charlotte began to increase.
She had presented Barney with a son and heir in November 1815.
He was christened Stephen David for Barney’s great-uncle.
Stephen’s brother, William Joseph named after his two grandfathers, had arrived in July 1817.
The third child, a daughter who had been named Sarah Priscilla for her grandmothers, had joined the family at Glenmeade in February 1820.
As he had planned to do when Barney turned thirty in May 1815, Stephen Granger signed Glenmeade over to his nephew.
Thanks to his hope being restored by Ellie’s discovery, rather than give up and wait for his death, Stephen lived a full life surrounded by his ever-growing number of great nieces and nephews.
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“It is a pity Emily and Andrew will not be at Giana’s wedding, although the reason is a good one,” Elizabeth stated.
“I would say so,” Darcy responded, “Our cousin is soon to enter her lying in with her fifth child. Which explains why the Carringtons are not here, and why Aunt Elaine and Uncle Reggie will depart for Hilldale right after the ceremony, even before the wedding breakfast. ”
“Richard and Melody will travel to Hilldale also, but after the celebratory meal. With Richard being one of Giana’s guardians, he could not countenance leaving early. You do know their four will remain here with us, do you not?” Elizabeth reminded William.
“Yes, I do know, as tiring as having the Fitzwilliam brothers and their rambunctious ways without Richard here to rein them in will be,” Darcy stated with a grin. It was no secret he enjoyed having Richard’s sons around him as much as any of the other offspring of the extended family.
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Emily, who had been increasing for almost three months when the three couples had married in January 1812, gave birth to the future Viscount Hilldale, Richard Paul, in early June of the same year.
Daughters were born in October 1815, and April 1817.
A second son was brought into the world in August 1820.
As they had two of each sex already, Emily and Andrew cared not what the sex of the new babe would be, as long as mother and child were both healthy.
Melody had been afraid she was barren after her hellish marriage to Viscount Tesco had not produced any children.
As an aside, the Earl of Sainsbury had died of a heart problem in November 1812, thereby ending his line.
He went to meet his maker knowing that his former daughter-in-law had given her new husband a child.
Her worries were put to rest when she felt the quickening in February 1812, meaning she had more than likely conceived on their honeymoon.
In the first week of July of that year, a daughter, Ophilia Elaine, named for her grandmothers, was born.
In March 1815, Melody delivered a son and heir to Rosings Park, named Lewis Andrew.
Lewis was for the last master of the estate before Richard, and Andrew encompassed both his brother’s and the late Anne de Bourgh’s names.
In October 1816, a second son, William Lawrence was born. He was followed by Harold Richard in January 1819.
It was obvious to all, given the ease Melody fell with child with Richard that the problem had been her late first husband’s, who used to vociferously blame her for the failure to produce an heir.
He would abuse her very publicly for her not doing her duty to him.
Thankfully, the truth was now known that the fault was not hers.
Melody’s former sisters-in-law had both apologised to her for the treatment and verbal abuse she had received from their late brother and father.
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What, you may ask, happened with the rest of the characters? There were no villains per se left living.
William Collins was not an evil man, just a very stupid one.
He was sent to the Cape of Good Hope where he was told to go proselytise the savages in the interior of the land of southern Africa.
Thinking that serving God made him invincible, against all advice he attempted to convert members of the Zulu nation under their King, Senzangakhona.
The King charged his son and heir, Shaka, with ridding them of the annoying man. Collins was never heard of again.
Jenny and Jimmy Peterson thrived together.
She gave thanks to God on a daily basis that she had her courses which meant she was not carrying the executed criminal’s seed.
She bore her husband two more sons and three daughters.
The dowry she had been gifted was in part used for the education of all six of the Peterson children.
The Biggs brothers were excellent farmers on the farm next to their sister and brother-in-law. As they had surmised, their father was in his element and was in charge of growing all vegetables for their own consumption.
Brian met a lady, Paulette Johns, the only child of a very minor landholder.
When they married he moved to that small estate—which was only six miles from Longbourn—and took over the running of his father-in-law’s farm.
The only stipulation was that Brian had to take his wife’s name, so he became Brian Johns.
Within a year he had more than doubled the estate’s earnings.
He and his wife had five children so far.
John Biggs ended up marrying the daughter of Mr and Mrs Hill.
The couple were delighted with the match as regardless of his size, John Biggs was a good, gentle husband and father.
The two remained at the farm at Longbourn and had four children so far.
The elder Mr Biggs alternated between his sons’ farms and had never been happier.
Charles Bingley found his calling in the business his father had founded. He would be forever grateful that his late sire had left the decision of his future up to him. Two years after his younger sister’s death, Bingley met and eventually married the daughter of another tradesman in Scarborough.
To date, they had two children, a son and daughter, and were extremely happy. A few years past, Bingley had been in the Darcys’ company when the latter family visited Scarborough.
The former friendship was not revived, instead they were rather distant, but not indifferent, acquaintances.
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As she sat holding her beloved’s hand, Elizabeth looked across the room where her two sets of parents were seated in conversation with each other.
Papa was present. He did spend a lot of time in the library, but only when there was nothing else to do and never at the exclusion of being with his beloved Fanny and family.
Elizabeth was aware that once Henry moved to Netherfield Park after his tour, in four to five years, Mama and Papa intended to do what Mother and Father had done and turn the estate over to James and Giana.
Even though he had diverted the course of her life, Elizabeth kept her vow to the late George Wickham that she would never think about him again.
On balance, even though what was done to her was reprehensible, Elizabeth, whether called Ellie or Lizzy, had gained far more than she had lost. Of course, since marrying William her life had become even more full of love.
She remembered the time she had spoken of the true worth of life and family. She was richer than Croesus with the wealth of love in the extended family she had.
~~~The End~~~
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