Page 32 of Searching for Elizabeth (A Pride and Prejudice Variation)

—four days later—

Elizabeth Darcy, holding tight to Georgiana’s hand, watched through the window as the carriage rounded a curve and Longbourn appeared. She felt emotions, of course, both positive and negative, but she was glad to realize that they were not powerful enough to put a serious dent in her mood. After all, they were not visiting for long. They would have refreshments, give the horses a rest and drink, and load Mary’s luggage onto the second carriage. The Darcys would be at Longbourn for only a few hours, and then they would travel towards Pemberley before stopping at an inn that had, according to William, excellent accommodations.

The family poured out of the house to greet them, as they had half a month before when William brought Lizzy there after her harrowing experience with Wickham. Mary looked extremely happy, as she was looking forward to a future that would assuredly be more pleasant than her past. Jane seemed as smiley as ever, and Lizzy wondered if she even now understood anything about her most reserved sister. Lydia asked an inappropriate question about the honeymoon and then said, “Did you bring me a gift?”

Lizzy laughed but did not bother to answer either question. Kitty bounced eagerly to greet her only married sister, and she threw her arms around Georgiana. What Kitty did not say with words was expressed to Lizzy when she swiftly displayed a key on a ribbon and then thrust the key back into her bodice.

Lizzy smiled at Kitty and reached out her hand to her, saying, “Use it well. But maybe you should not be alone there. Take a sister, or Maria Lucas, whenever you go.”

Kitty nodded, eyes wide. Georgiana stepped toward Kitty and made arrangements to exchange letters with her, and Mary joined them and chatted about the possibility of Kitty coming for a visit someday.

Lizzy turned to face her parents.

Her father looked nervous and embarrassed, and her mother looked like she had pasted a false smile over a frown. She said, “You cannot stay at an inn, tonight, Lizzy! You must stay here, at your home!”

“This is not my home anymore, Mama,”

Lizzy said.

William said, “Pemberley is too far a ride to go straight from here to there; we must stay at, not just one, but two inns. However, never fear, Mrs. Bennet. I will take good care of both of your daughters.”

Lizzy watched her mother gush, “Oh, my dear son, of course I know you will. Whatever you say, of course, is correct; I am sure you know better.”

William’s eyes widened at the word son, but otherwise he did not respond, just nodded his head as if in agreement with her praise.

Lizzy’s father said, “I thank you for your care for our daughters, Mr. Darcy. I hope you know how proud your father would be of you.”

Lizzy studied her papa’s eyes as he turned to her and said, “Of course we all wish you very happy, Lizzy.”

William, Lizzy, and Georgiana were escorted into the house, seated together in the parlor, and fed a repast that seemed more afternoon tea than luncheon. There were a great many different sorts of cakes and biscuits, and Lizzy smiled at Mary, realizing that she had arranged to serve all of her favorites. Will laughed as he watched her eat more than usual.

“Should we get the receipts for some of these treats, Elizabeth?”

Lizzy’s eyes lit up at the notion, and at her agreement to the plan, Mary headed to the kitchen to confer with Cook.

There was not that much that wanted to be said, it turned out. Unfortunately, the lack of conversation gave Mama the opportunity to complain about losing Hill. Always one to grasp every chance to complain, she bemoaned her “luck”

in losing such a longtime servant. The made the same complaint multiple times, sometimes in the presence of the new housekeeper, Mrs. Brown. The latter looked very uncomfortable, and of course Lizzy felt discomfited on her behalf.

When the appointed leave-taking time approached, they quickly said their farewells and, laden with boxes of leftover sweets and receipts, Georgiana, Mary, Lizzy, and William climbed into the carriage and started off slightly ahead of schedule.

Mary said, “Goodbye forever, Longbourn. I have, for so long, borne the difficulty of living where I was not wanted.”

“Mary, you are wanted at Pemberley,”

William said.

“You are most dearly wanted at Pemberley,”

Georgiana agreed.

Lizzy chimed in, “I did not tell you in my letter, Mary, but I was determined to go to William and plead with him to invite you to Pemberley to live, not just visit, but before I even stood up to do so, William came to me with that exact resolve.”

Mary looked from face to face to face, and she said, “I am so grateful to all of you. I feel a bit as if I finally belong somewhere, and I think we shall be four of the happiest people in England.”

Everyone smiled and nodded and felt very good about the sentiments exchanged. But then Mary sat up straighter and said, “Oh, Lizzy! I cannot believe that I forgot to ask. Did Mr. Briggs approve of Tales from the Hedgerows? Will it be published?”

William’s laugh was warmer and looser than any Lizzy had heard before. He said, “Oh, yes, Mary. It will be published, and I am so glad that you brought our minds back to what is really important!”

But all of them knew that Mary had previously identified the things that were most important: They were mutually grateful for one another; they were happy to belong to the same family, to belong together; and they were looking forward to their pursuit of happiness.