Page 99 of I Thee Wed (Pride And Prejudice Variation #2)

Christmas at Pemberley brought snow upon the ground and an icy wind in the air.

Within the house, the fragrance of pine and holly from the wreaths Elizabeth and Jane had fashioned sweetened the rooms. The grand staircase was dressed with garlands of pine boughs and holly berries, secured with bright red ribbons.

After dinner, the family gathered in the drawing room to play with the children before they were sent up to the nursery.

Elizabeth looked at her husband, tall, masculine, and hers.

He held their daughter, tightly wrapped in a blanket and asleep in her father’s arms. She glanced down at her two sons, who lay on the floor playing with tin soldiers beside their little cousin Phillip.

Her eyes sought Lady Helen and found her in a circle with Phillip and Lady Abigail, rocking baby Abby in her arms. The Earl was absent, confined to Matlock with a gouty foot.

He had indulged too freely in the weeks leading up to the holiday and now remained confined to his bedchamber.

Lady Helen was vastly contented. She had told Elizabeth that Abby was a blessing to their family, and that Phillip now spent his time at home rather than following his father’s ways, though Abby would never have allowed it. She was a strong woman who spoke plainly.

Elizabeth’s gaze swept the room and found her father, the Bingleys, and Mrs. Bennet seated near the fire.

Her relationship with her mother was not close, but they wrote once a month and were civil when in company, which occurred but twice a year.

Jane was happy at last. Caroline had accepted her circumstances and caused no further disturbances.

James Bingley had purchased an estate, and though he and Caroline would never be leaders in high society, they were leaders in their community.

They now had three children. James had established a charity for an orphanage in Leeds, and Caroline had found success in planning its fundraising activities.

She was well-regarded in her neighborhood and was satisfied.

The Collins, Bennets, and the Warwicks sat on couches opposite one another.

Mary rocked her daughter while little Thomas played at her feet with Kitty’s children, Daniel and Catherine.

Mrs. Warwick, her mother-in-law, cradled baby Robby, who had fallen asleep.

The two couples had formed a close connection, and the family ties between them were strong.

Richard and Anne were frequently included in the dinners and smaller celebrations of the households.

Elizabeth’s gaze turned to the group farthest from the hearth: the Lucases and Fitzwilliams. Lydia and Alexander stood arm in arm, speaking with Richard and Anne.

Richard carried his son, David William, his head tucked under his father’s chin, fast asleep.

Anne, heavy with child, stood for a few minutes before sinking back into her seat and propping her legs up, clearly uncomfortable.

The Fitzwilliams and Lady Helen would remain at Pemberley for Anne’s confinement.

Richard had placed notices in the London papers to fill the vacancy for a physician in the Hunsford parish, but none had yet been secured.

Consequently, they were at Pemberley, and Dr. Rutledge would deliver her baby.

Dr. Rutledge had married the midwife, which had made Charlotte and Elizabeth chuckle together. “I told you that had you been a nurse, you might have captured the surgeon.”

Georgiana was not at Pemberley this Christmas.

She had married Viscount Eldon in the autumn, and this was her first Christmas away from Darcy.

Elizabeth recalled her husband’s tears as he walked Georgiana up the nave at St. George’s.

She had been more a daughter than a sister to him.

Georgiana, however, was happy in love, and her husband was a kind, sensible man, much like Richard and Darcy.

All had taken to him with ease. The Eldons had promised to visit at Easter, when Elizabeth’s family would gather again.

Elizabeth knew their good fortune in securing Eldon for Georgiana, for men like him were rare.

Eldon was an only child, and the hopes of the family rested upon him and his young wife.

Elizabeth’s gaze returned to Alexander, the tall, fair man she had loved for half her life.

She wondered where that love had gone. When she looked at him now, she saw him as a brother.

She felt none of the discomfort she had once imagined when she first heard of his betrothal to Lydia.

She was grateful that nothing from the past stood between them, for she did love him still, though now only as a brother.

Her eyes fell to Miss Farrow, who sat with the nannies.

She was now raising Jane’s children. Elizabeth knew how much the Bennets owed that lady, both on Lydia’s and Mrs. Bennet’s behalf.

Elizabeth had already decided that she would live at Pemberley when she was no longer able to work because of age or frailty.

She had become a member of the Bennet family.

Elizabeth was grateful that Lady Catherine had declined the invitation, as she had done every year.

She lived in Bath and had invited Mrs. Jenkinson to live with her as a companion.

Surprisingly, the two ladies got along well together.

Lady Catherine liked to complain, and Mrs. Jenkinson enjoyed commiserating.

And so it was, amidst children’s laughter, the fond discourse of relations, and her husband’s eyes fixed upon her with unspoken devotion, that Elizabeth Darcy was confirmed in the happy conviction that her greatest fortune was not Pemberley, nor her husband’s wealth, but the man himself who shared it with her.