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Mr. Bennet’s downfall was complete within six months.

Forced to go into town to find staff to replace those who had fled, an angry shopkeeper confronted him.

Without tenants, he did not bring the money he would need to pay anyone.

The many letters he had been ignoring referred to the lack of funds and overdue bills.

He was bankrupt soon after. Forced to find work, he left Longbourn and Meryton. No one who knew him saw him again.

Almost a year later, Mrs. Bennet received notice that she was a widow.

After a scandalously short period of mourning, she remarried.

The man she decided on this time was outstanding, and it thrilled him to have a woman like her in his life.

She surprised her daughters by having a son ten months later.

Charlotte Collins, nee Lucas, realized that by choosing Mr. Collins for her husband, she had chosen a life of servitude.

The illusion that she was the mistress of her own home was only the merest veneer.

Lady Catherine dictated everything she did, from what kind of meat they had on Tuesday to the size of the cut that was prepared.

When the servants could not complete the useless tasks that Lady Catherine insisted on, Charlotte completed them herself.

For a while, she looked forward to moving to Longbourn. However, that did not come to pass.

When Mr. Bennet became bankrupt, a clause in the entailment immediately transferred the possession to the heir.

On discovering that it was a useless property with empty tenant homes and fields left fallow, Mr. Collins followed Lady Catherine’s advice to sell it, as they designed the entail to prevent Mr. Bennet from selling the property but allowed Mr. Collins to do so.

He immediately invested the paltry sum in an investment scheme that Lady Catherine chose.

The investment suggestion proved unsound, but Mr. Collins did not mind; Lady Catherine told him it was for the best. When Charlotte had daughters, she counseled them to make wise choices in marriage partners.

It was not a lesson she had enjoyed learning the hard way.

Unbeknownst to the Collinses, or Lady Catherine, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, who was engaged to Jane by that time, had purchased Longbourn.

By that time Mary was being courted by Mr. Goulding’s second son, recently home from Oxford.

It was gifted to them at the event of their marriage with the provision that he change his name to Bennet.

He gladly complied with the proposal and worked with his new bride to help all the families returning from Pemberley to take up their old homes.

Thus, the Bennet family continued at Longbourn, becoming wonderful stewards to its people and land.

Wickham’s story ended as it was meant to—embarrassing, cheerless, and a surprise to no one.

The trial was swift and his rank was stripped, yet despite his crimes, they granted him leniency instead of a death sentence.

Put on a boat bound for Australia, Wickham found his powers of persuasion did not work on men more wicked than he was.

After attempting to charm the wrong woman, he had a strange mishap that sent him tumbling overboard.

When they could not save him, the man in charge simply shrugged his shoulders in resignation.

No one had liked him anyway, and it was one less mouth to feed.

Things continued splendidly for the Bennet ladies.

Elizabeth found peace and satisfaction at Pemberley.

Her love for her husband grew ever stronger, as did her chess game.

She could soon best him regularly and often found herself able to beat Theodore.

Regardless of how her skill developed, Darcy never stopped thinking of her as his queen.

He called her his queen whenever he wanted to see her eyes sparkle.

She was like a missing puzzle piece that fit together and made his life feel whole.

She was the most important part of his life. At least, until the children came.

“She is going to be tiny. Be careful when you see her.” Kiernan spoke in a whisper, smiling kindly down at his young charge.

“I wished for another brother.” The tiny voice easily betrayed Artie’s disappointment.

“A sister’s love is irreplaceable. They give hugs you can feel to your toes, and they make the world brighter. As her big brother, it’s your duty to look out for her. You get to help her stay safe.” Kiernan watched as Artie’s brows drew together and he tried to puzzle out these recent developments.

“I can protect baby Thea?” Something about that sounded right to Artie.

“Yes, you can protect baby Thea. I am sure you will do a wonderful job of it, too.” Kiernan spoke reassuringly to the little boy despite the discrepancy in their sizes.

He had grown tremendously in the six years since the drama that had brought Elizabeth and Darcy together.

His relationship with the Darcys had only gotten closer over the years, and he was delighted to be there to welcome their newest child.

Elizabeth lay recovering in bed, cuddling her newborn.

When they entered the room, Kiernan clasped Artie’s small, chubby hand as they approached.

At four, Artie was prone to throwing himself into his mother’s arms with unrestrained joy, and Kiernan wanted to shield Elizabeth and the baby from his ardent hugs.

Though obviously tired, Elizabeth was glowing.

It thrilled Kiernan that she had gotten the daughter she had wished for.

Darcy kneeled on the bed beside the two, their two-year-old son Gilbert in his arms. His eyes overflowed with love as he gazed upon his wife and newborn daughter, tears streaming down his face.

“Thea is very red. Is she sick?” a little voice whispered to Kiernan. Tip-toeing, he crept closer. Arthur Theodore Darcy was a very caring child, and he loved his Uncle Kiernan and trusted him to help.

“No, new babies are just like that. You were just as red when you were born,” came the soft reply from Kiernan.

“Hello baby Thea, I am your big brother. I am going to help protect you.” Reaching out, Artie ran a careful finger over her little clenched hand. He felt a rush of joy when he looked into her wide, trusting eyes.

Elizabeth and Darcy went on to have five children: Arthur Theodore, Gilbert Charles, Dorothea Frances, Kiernan James, and Catherine Mariana. Elizabeth cherished her large family, and it was a rare occasion when they did not have some extended family member visiting.

Once a year, all the Bennet ladies gathered at Pemberley for a reunion.

As they all married and grew families of their own, the number of people who came to Pemberley increased.

While Darcy never felt comfortable in crowds, the people he loved understood how to interpret what he meant when he said the wrong things.

On one of these occasions, Kiernan met Marianne Gardiner, Elizabeth’s younger cousin.

During their long courtship, Darcy made sure he could act as a chaperone for Marianne and Kiernan as much as possible.

When Kiernan would glare at Darcy for his interference, Darcy would laugh and say it was his job as a chaperone.

After completing studies at both Eton and Cambridge, Kiernan used the funds he had been accumulating since Bingley started his nest egg to buy a horse breeding farm near Pemberley.

His horses were renowned for their might, wisdom, and faithfulness.

Though he had a diverse stock, his finest horses all descended from one sire, whom he had called Crumpet.

After his first successful year of business, Kiernan married Marianne.

When Elizabeth gave him a tearful hug on his wedding day, she told him he had long been part of her family.

This would just force other people to recognize the fact.