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Although Mrs. Tucker was tempted to tell her aunt precisely what she thought about that woman’s less than Christian attitudes, Mary merely excused herself to take the air in the garden, where she walked until her temper had subsided to a manageable level.

As a result of several such conversations, Mrs. Tucker did not mourn their departure from Meryton overmuch.

In truth, she found herself quite cheerful upon resuming her place in the carriage, despite the challenges that could be expected from restricting so many active children to the confines of a coach for several long days of travel.

Though she had only visited Derbyshire once (and then as Miss Bennet), Mary found herself increasingly anxious to arrive, if for no other reason than to look upon a place that she might call home.

Mr. Owen Tucker (vicar of the Pemberley chapel) was very glad to see his twin again, and likewise welcomed his sister-in-law and the children with open arms. As he himself had no real wish to marry, it was the work of an instant to decide that he and his brother’s family would move into the parsonage (a domicile which the vicar had previously avoided, deeming it much too large for a bachelor).

The house was large enough to accommodate all the children, and Mr. Owen Tucker was very glad to turn over the housekeeping to his brother’s wife.

Though barely a mile away, the parsonage was separated from Pemberley House by a small wood lot, lending it a feeling of privacy.

Mary was glad to see that the little cottage had a garden which, though somewhat overgrown, was easily put to rights, as well as a shed large enough for a cow, some poultry, and perhaps even some pigs and a horse or two.

The Tucker family was quickly settled into their comfortable new abode and it was not long before it felt as if they had always lived there.

Mrs. Darcy was pleased to have a sister settled so nearby, and the children from the two families rarely spent a day out of one another’s company, whether in the school room or at play.

Mr. Darcy in particular was glad to see how close the children became, for it occurred to him that these boys and girls born in Africa were, in general, a self-sufficient, happy lot, accustomed to making do with very little.

They did not whine or throw tantrums demanding that the newest, most expensive toy be purchased for them, but treated each gift as a treasure; indeed, it often seemed to Fitzwilliam that the youngsters were quite content to entertain themselves with games requiring nothing more than sticks, stones, and their imagination.

Mr. Darcy’s heir, in particular, spent many hours listening to his cousins’ stories and, in doing so, gained an excellent sense of how those born under very different circumstances from his own might live out their lives.

Indeed, in later years, no one would ever accuse Mr. Bennet Darcy, Master of Pemberley, of having any improper pride.

The gentleman’s two younger brothers developed an early fascination with steam locomotives as a result of their cousins’ stories, and they dreamt of a day when any Englishman might travel from London to Edinburgh in a day.

By the time they graduated university, however, the environmental destruction as well as the disturbing frequency of fatal rail accidents resulting from an industry with little consideration for anything but profit left the two young men greatly disillusioned.

Much to their Uncle Matlock’s joy and their father’s consternation, Thomas and Henry Darcy announced their determination to enter politics; they were elected to the Commons and proceeded to campaign for greater regulation of the railroad industry, as well as the preservation of natural areas for future generations.

Like their brothers, the Darcys’ two daughters exhibited a decided tendency to forge their own path.

Much to her mother’s amusement, Miss Anne Darcy was known to spend endless hours practicing her instrument; in later years, several of her original compositions would even receive some significant acclaim.

Miss Darcy’s younger sister would occasionally tease her sibling that Anne had taken all the musical talent in the family for herself and left none for her sister, for indeed, Miss Edna had neither much aptitude nor much inclination to practice.

Thus, while Miss Anne Darcy spent a great deal of time with her Aunt Georgiana and Uncle Jonah Somerset (eventually becoming so dear to that childless couple as to be made heiress to all their properties), Miss Edna Darcy became well known in Society for her intelligence and wit, much as her mother had done years before.

Certainly some in Society never forgot Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy’s humble origins and continued to look upon the couple with a suspicious eye, hoping to see some regret on the side of the gentleman or vulgarity from the lady.

Unfortunately for them, the Darcys grew only more content as the years passed, and indeed, neither Fitzwilliam nor Elizabeth ever found anything wanting in their marriage.

Those who sought an introduction, hoping to hoodwink or intimidate a na?ve country girl, soon discovered that, not only did Mrs. Darcy have several powerful connections in the highest circles (not to mention a protective husband who was perfectly willing to use his power against any who threatened his wife), but the lady herself had such a quick wit that her critics often found themselves withdrawing from an encounter with the feeling that they were being laughed at, though none could ever point to anything Mrs. Darcy had said as uncivil.

Even when Mr. and Mrs. Darcy had grown old and grey and retired to the dower house at Pemberley to live out their twilight years, their children and grandchildren often observed the pair walking in the park together, laughing and teasing like a couple newly courting.

Certainly they had their share of arguments and misunderstandings, but their quarrels rarely lasted long enough for the sun to set and rise again, for there was one point upon which Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam could always agree: pride and prejudice made poor bedfellows indeed.