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She looked up. “Mary and Richard were visiting when Mama went into labor. Papa says the colonel kept him very good company while they waited and that my sister was invaluable in assisting Mama, as was Jane. Bingley was a bundle of nerves, apparently.”

“I think your father intimidates Bingley. He was probably afraid of becoming the butt of one of his jokes.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “Probably, but Papa is harmless. I hope Bingley learns this sooner rather than later.” She looked up at Darcy and pursed her lips, asking for a kiss.

Darcy happily obliged her and several long minutes were lost as they indulged in a favorite pastime. When he caught his breath afterward, he had another question.

“Do you think your mother will forgive me now for disparaging Kitty and Lydia?”

Elizabeth laughed. “Oh, I am sure she will. Her focus now will be on little Albert. Plus, it was because of her connection to you that her middle daughter married. She will probably want us to still take one or both of the girls this season, I am sure, but the pressure has been removed. She no longer has to worry about the hedgerows, so she may decide she needs Kitty and Lydia to assist her for a while. It has been something like eighteen years since she had a baby in the house, after all.” She looked at his pile of correspondence, which he had dropped in his lap when he pulled her close. “Have you received any good letters?”

Surprised, Darcy removed his arm from around her shoulders and picked up his missives. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. This one is from Rosings but is in my uncle’s handwriting.” He broke the seal and read it through.

“What does it say?” Elizabeth tilted her head as she watched him read.

“You remember how Lady Catherine has been making your cousin’s life miserable?”

Elizabeth nodded slowly. “I do.”

“Well, it seems she will not be anymore.” He lowered the page to his lap.

“It appears your cousin received word of his ‘disinheritance’, if you will. Mrs. Collins sent a note to Rosings two days ago saying that her husband had not taken the news well. She sent him out to work in the gardens in the hopes that such activity would calm him.”

“And?”

Darcy took a deep breath. “It seems he decided to check his hives. He was attacked by a swarm of bees and passed away from the attack.”

Elizabeth’s eyes had grown wide. “Oh, my.” She put her hand to her mouth as she stared at him for a long moment.

“This is horrible to say, but Susannah must be relieved. I know she was unhappy being married to him. Jane told me her beau was distraught the day Collins married her and that he has not paid attention to any other lady since then. If they are both still interested, they will be free to marry once her mourning is over.”

“If he is smart, he will stake his claim as soon as possible. To be honest, since she will be losing her home now, no one would look askance at her for marrying soon. Is she with child, do you think?”

Elizabeth shrugged. “I do not believe so. I have not heard anything, anyway.” She shrugged. “I guess we will find out sooner or later.” She looked up at Darcy. “Do you ever regret compromising me?”

Darcy shook his head. “Never. I remember telling you that I do not regret that impulsive moment because it changed my life for the better. I did not realize when I said it how true it was.” He bent his head and kissed her again, not stopping until some indeterminate time later, when his sister walked in on them and gasped.

~~~***~~~

In the end, Mrs. Bennet did get over her dislike of Darcy. She even gave up her never-ending criticism of her second daughter. As predicted, her son was more important than anything else that might have once held her attention.

~~~***~~~

Susannah Long Collins did marry her former beau.

After her husband’s funeral, she returned to her parents’ home.

John Goulding called on her that very day and was a constant visitor.

There was no question of a child from her first husband, as she had loathed him from the beginning and never once allowed him into her bed.

Susannah and John eloped a month after her return and lived a long and happy life together, welcoming six children into the world.

~~~***~~~

Jane and Bingley eventually gave up Netherfield and purchased an estate just thirty miles from Pemberley. The two couples were in frequent company with each other and their sister Mary, who, with her husband, had taken up residence at the dower house at Matlock upon his retirement from the army.

~~~***~~~

After Darcy’s marriage, Georgiana happily lived full-time with him and her new sister, and between them and her companion, Mrs. Annesley, grew and matured into a confident but pleasant young lady.

She came out when she was eighteen and was declared a diamond of the first water by the leaders of the ton .

She fell in love in her third season with a gentleman from Lincolnshire named Stephen Lethbridge.

The couple raised five children to adulthood and lived a long and happy life.

~~~***~~~

As he had promised, Darcy purchased an elderly curricle and helped his wife to restore it.

Elizabeth taught him everything she knew, and they passed many a happy hour working on the equipage.

When Mr. Bennet passed and his gig came to Pemberley, Darcy had a building erected specifically for the pair of antique carriages.

He and his wife could often be found driving around in one or the other of them.

~~~***~~~

Elizabeth bore Darcy eight children: four boys and four girls. Eventually, her husband turned over the reins of the Pemberley estates to his eldest son, Bennet. Darcy and his Elizabeth were married for seventy years and died within hours of each other one cold winter morning in 1881.

The End