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“You are too kind,” Georgiana demurred, though a pleased blush coloured her cheeks. “I merely attempt to capture impressions.”

“And succeed admirably,” Darcy assured her, his deep affection for his sister evident in his tone. “However, we have come to discuss another matter with you both. It concerns the upcoming London Season.”

Georgiana’s expression grew slightly apprehensive, while Kitty looked politely interested, clearly assuming the conversation would concern only Georgiana’s debut.

“As you know, Georgiana,” Darcy continued, “we plan to spend February through May in London for your first Season. Mrs Darcy and I have been discussing how we might make the experience more enjoyable for you, given your natural reserve in large gatherings.”

“I shall try to be brave, brother,” Georgiana assured him, though her fingers twisted nervously in her lap. “I know it is expected of me.”

“Your courage is not in question,” Darcy said gently. “But we thought perhaps the presence of a friend might make the experience less daunting. Would you welcome Kitty’s company during your Season?”

Georgiana’s face transformed with surprise and dawning delight. “Kitty? In London with us?”

Kitty herself appeared utterly stunned, her eyes widening as she looked from Darcy to Elizabeth and back again. “Me?” she breathed. “You would take me to London for the Season?”

“If you would like to come,” Elizabeth confirmed, smiling at her sister’s astonishment. “You would stay with us at Darcy House, accompany Georgiana to all the appropriate events, and be presented alongside her.”

“Oh!” Kitty exclaimed, her composure momentarily forgotten in her excitement. “Oh, I should like it above all things! But...” she hesitated, a new maturity evident in her sudden thoughtfulness. “Would I not be an imposition? I have no dowry to speak of...”

“You would be there as Georgiana’s particular friend and my sister,” Elizabeth assured her. “Your presence would be a comfort to Georgiana and a joy to me.”

“And I have no objection to extending the protection of the Darcy name to my sister-in-law,” Darcy added with formal courtesy, though his eyes held unexpected kindness as he addressed Kitty.

“Your companionship has been beneficial to Georgiana. I see no reason why that should not continue in London.”

Kitty’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude. “I hardly know what to say,” she managed. “It is more than I ever dared hope for. To have a Season in London... I shall work very hard not to disappoint you. I promise I shall be the model of propriety.”

“We have every confidence in you,” Elizabeth assured her, touched by her sister’s sincere determination.

Georgiana, overcoming her habitual shyness, reached out to clasp Kitty’s hand. “Oh, I am so glad,” she said with unexpected animation. “Everything will be so much less frightening with you there. We shall face it all together.”

As the two girls fell into excited discussion of what the Season might hold, Elizabeth exchanged a satisfied glance with her husband. “That was well done,” she murmured. “See how happy you have made them both.”

“I believe the arrangement will benefit everyone concerned,” Darcy replied, though the slight curve of his lips suggested he took particular pleasure in Kitty’s joyful reaction.

“Georgiana gains a companion, Kitty an opportunity she might otherwise have missed, and I the knowledge that my sister faces her debut with greater confidence.”

Elizabeth was about to reply when a movement across the room caught her attention.

Mary, who had been playing the pianoforte earlier, now stood conversing with a young man Elizabeth recognised as the new curate from Meryton parish.

What struck her as remarkable was not the conversation itself, but Mary’s manner.

Usually stiff and pedantic in company, her middle sister now appeared genuinely engaged, her customary severe expression softened into something approaching animation as she gestured to emphasise whatever point she was making.

More surprising still was the curate’s response.

Rather than the polite disinterest most gentlemen displayed when trapped in conversation with Mary, he appeared to be listening with genuine attention, occasionally nodding or offering a comment that caused Mary to consider thoughtfully before responding.

“Well,” Elizabeth remarked, nodding subtly in their direction. “That is an unexpected development.”

Darcy followed her gaze. “The curate? I was introduced to him before the ceremony. A scholarly young man. Cambridge educated, I believe.”

“Mary has always favoured those of an intellectual bent,” Elizabeth observed. “Though I have rarely seen her converse so naturally with a gentleman before. Usually she resorts to quoting Fordyce’s Sermons or making pronouncements on propriety.”

“Perhaps she has found someone who shares her interests,” Darcy suggested. “Your sister possesses considerable knowledge, if somewhat rigorously applied. A man of the church might well appreciate such qualities.”

As they watched, the curate smiled at something Mary said, a warm, genuine expression that transformed his rather plain features. More remarkable still was Mary’s response: a small, tentative smile that nevertheless represented a significant departure from her usual solemn countenance.

“How curious,” Elizabeth mused. “I had almost resigned myself to Mary becoming the spinster sister, dispensing moral wisdom to nieces and nephews. But perhaps there are possibilities I had not considered.”

“Life frequently offers such surprises,” Darcy observed. “A year ago, would you have imagined Kitty preparing for a London Season under our supervision, or Jane mistress of Netherfield as Lady Richard Fitzwilliam?”

“Or myself as mistress of Pemberley,” Elizabeth added softly. “No, indeed. Life has taken turns I could never have predicted.”

She surveyed the room, her heart full as she observed her family in their various groupings.

Jane and Richard, heads close together as they discussed their future at Netherfield.

Kitty and Georgiana, their excitement palpable as they contemplated the London Season.

Mary, engaged in what appeared to be a theological discussion with the curate who seemed genuinely captivated by her opinions.

Her father, observing it all with his characteristic ironic detachment, though his eyes held a warmth that spoke of genuine satisfaction in his daughters’ happiness.

Even Mrs Bennet, for all her fluttering and exclaiming, appeared genuinely content, her lifelong ambition to see her daughters well-settled now largely accomplished.

After years of fretting over entails and fortunes, she could at last enjoy the fruits of what she unquestionably viewed as her successful maternal management.

“We have much to be thankful for,” Elizabeth said quietly. “Despite all the difficulties of the past year.”

Darcy’s hand found hers, his fingers warm and reassuring against her own. “Perhaps because of those difficulties,” he suggested. “Without them, would we have recognised our true feelings so clearly? Would Jane have found her way to Lord Fitzwilliam?”

“You are suggesting that good may come from even the darkest circumstances,” Elizabeth observed. “A most optimistic philosophy, Mr Darcy.”

“Merely a practical observation,” he replied, though his eyes held a depth of feeling that belied the simplicity of his words. “Life seldom follows the path we expect, but I have discovered that the unexpected route often leads to greater happiness than we could have imagined.”

Elizabeth smiled up at him, filled with contentment as she considered the truth of his statement.

From her initial dislike of the proud Mr Darcy to their current partnership of mutual love and respect, their journey had indeed been unexpected.

The same could be said for Jane, whose broken engagement had ultimately led her to a man far better suited to her gentle strength.

Even Kitty, once frivolous and attention-seeking, now stood on the threshold of opportunities that would have been unimaginable a year ago.

“I believe you are right,” she agreed. “And I find I am quite looking forward to whatever surprises await us next.”