Page 31 of The Bennet Heir

What happened to the conspirators?

On the Monday following the dinner party where all had been revealed, news spread quickly throughout Meryton that Mr. Bingley had departed from Netherfield. After sneaking out of the dinner behind his sister and Mrs. Bennet, he had ordered his sister’s belongings packed and left in the foyer of the house. The servants reported that he had offered them extra pay to close the house on a Sunday, and they had worked diligently to pack everything belonging to the Bingleys. His own things were loaded onto his carriage, and at daybreak, he boarded it and left the area.

Although he had the courtesy to send a note to Philips informing him of his departure and intent to cancel the lease—willingly forfeiting any payments—he offered little explanation. His whereabouts remained a mystery, as he left no forwarding address and only sent a brief message to the Hursts, notifying them of the events in Meryton.

When Miss Bingley was informed of this, she screeched yet again before swooning in despair. She was quickly recalled when Mrs. Bennet splashed water from the small portion allocated to them for cleaning themselves, and then informed her that she would gain no sympathy from that quarter.

The gaol in Meryton was a very small room behind the blacksmith’s shop, and that gentleman grew very tired very quickly of the two women. He begged Sir William to do something about them soon, insisting that they would cause each other harm if they were forced to remain in close proximity for long.

His words were prophetic. Before three more days had passed, both women had scratches and bruises on their faces and arms, and Miss Bingley’s eye was blackened. Since there was not another cell available to separate the women, they were escorted by several soldiers to London and imprisoned. They were tried a few weeks later and sentenced to remain in prison for their lifetimes, which were, blessedly for each, cut short.

Due to the mention of the Darcy name during the trial, a sensationalised account was reported in several gossip rags, much to Darcy’s displeasure. However, he was quickly absolved of any wrongdoing since most in society knew of Caroline Bingley’s pursuit of Darcy and had laughed about it. They decided that the woman had gone truly mad upon learning that he was engaged to an heiress and had acted accordingly. Neither her name nor Bingley’s was mentioned again in society, and no one seemed to miss them.

The final conspirator, George Wickham, was court-martialed and found guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer. Stripped of his rank, he was spared a harsher sentence due to the army's urgent need for soldiers and was ordered to serve in Portugal. However, he never reached his destination. The ship transporting him was captured, and in his foolhardy attempt to escape, he was shot by his captors.

What became of the rest?

After her mother was taken to the gaol, Lydia was brought to live with the Philipses. She utterly rebelled at the idea of living at Longbourn, believing what her mother had taught her—that her brother and sisters hated her and wanted nothing to do with her.

Her behaviour did not improve when she moved in with her aunt and uncle, despite their efforts to restrain her. It did not take long for them to seek other options, eventually settling on a school in Northumberland. Unlike many schools, this one catered to more difficult students who remained there for a majority of the year, returning home only for two weeks at Christmas and two weeks in the summer.

After four years at school, Lydia returned to Longbourn for good. Though still exuberant, her energy was now tempered and more appropriately directed. She spent much of her time with Grandmama Bennet, who, though frail in body, remained sharp of mind and continued to guide Lydia’s education in being a lady of worth.

She also helped care for her young nephews and niece—Lucas Thomas, the firstborn Bennet son, and his younger siblings, Jonathan and Rachel.

Shortly after her seventeenth birthday, Lydia had a quiet coming out at one of Meryton’s quarterly assemblies. She remained at Longbourn for another two years before marrying Charlotte’s younger brother, Edward. The second of three Lucas sons, Edward had recently completed his studies at Oxford, preparing for a career as a rector. Fortuitously, Meryton’s long-serving rector was nearing retirement, and with Longbourn and Netherfield holding the parish’s advowson, Edward was appointed curate. He trained under the retiring rector until he was old enough to take orders, securing both his future and Lydia’s.

Remarkably, Lydia thrived as a rector’s wife. She had matured considerably from the thoughtless, self-absorbed girl she had once been under her mother’s lackadaisical influence. Her past experiences—both the difficulties she had faced at school and the lessons she had learned in the years since—had fostered in her a genuine sympathy for others. This, combined with her natural vivacity, made her well-suited to her role, and all the parishioners were delighted to welcome her into their homes.

She and her husband built a warm and loving home, raising several children in an atmosphere of joy and kindness. Though she retained her playful spirit, Lydia had developed a steadiness that made her a devoted wife and mother, and her husband adored her for it.

You could say all the Bennet sisters, and Georgiana, married well—though their definition of “marrying well” may have differed from conventional expectations of the time.

Jane eventually wed Colonel Fitzwilliam although their love story took several years to unfold. While initially captivated by her beauty, he was even more drawn to her character. Unlike Mr. Bingley, he saw beyond her outward grace and valued the woman within. However, he remained in the army after their first meeting, believing he could not yet offer her the life she deserved. They maintained a close acquaintance, often meeting at Netherfield and Pemberley with the Darcys, but the colonel felt he could not propose until he had the means to support a wife.

Nearly two years later, with encouragement from Bennet and Darcy, he invested his savings in a breeding concern at Netherfield, taking on the role of manager. As a member of the Horse Guards, he had experience selecting cavalry horses, making military mounts the focus of the operation. Once the venture was well established, he was persuaded to retire from active service, accepting half-pay from the military. The horse farm provided a stable income, and with Darcy and Elizabeth’s offer for him to reside at Netherfield while overseeing the enterprise, he finally felt secure enough to court Jane.

Jane, however, grew impatient. After six months of waiting on the former colonel, she took matters into her own hands, using her feminine charm to spur him into action. Their marriage was a joyful one, blessed with three children, all boys.

Mary and Kitty eventually entered society, with Mary—being close in age to Georgiana—making her debut first. She and Georgiana shared their first season together, though neither found a suitor worthy that year. The following year, when Kitty came out, she quickly fell in love with a minor gentleman whose estate was similar in size to Longbourn. Their marriage was a contented one, built on mutual affection, and the two settled on his estate in Northamptonshire. The couple had four children, two boys and two girls.

Mary remained unwed until her third season when she met a man she could truly admire. Like Kitty’s husband, he was a gentleman of modest means, though as a second son, he had pursued a profession since he had little expectation of inheriting an estate. He was a successful solicitor, and Mary found herself well suited to his life in town. Their marriage was one of intellectual companionship and shared respect. For whatever reason, they were never able to have children, but both adored their nieces and nephews and spoiled them at every opportunity.

Georgiana did not marry until her fifth season. At twenty-two, Georgiana was refined and reserved. That season, she met a viscount who was immediately taken with Georgiana’s beauty and the prestige of her family’s wealth and status. She, however, was unimpressed. Having no interest in a courtship based solely on material advantage, she refused his initial advances.

Her refusal only intrigued the viscount further, as he was unaccustomed to rejection. Determined to understand the woman who had defied him, he sought opportunities to engage her in conversation. The more he learned about her character, the more he respected her. Observing the marriages of her siblings and witnessing the genuine affection between them, he began to understand what Georgiana truly desired in a husband. Over time, he approached her not as a conquest, but as an equal. Eventually, they fell in love, though it took nearly a year for him to convince her that his feelings were sincere.

As for Darcy and Elizabeth, theirs was a long and very happy marriage.

When Elizabeth informed Darcy that she was expecting their first child, he became very protective of her. They returned home earlier than planned, opting to forgo much of the season. Some months later, their daughter was born. She was named Eleanor Elizabeth, after her grandmother and great-grandmother, and was the first of seven children. After Eleanor came four sons—Bennet Jonathan, Thomas Henry, William Alexander, and Richard Charles—all born in relatively quick succession over the next seven years.

Elizabeth experienced two losses after Richard, and when no further children came, Elizabeth and Darcy believed their family was complete. However, to their great surprise, Elizabeth later found herself expecting once more, shortly after Eleanor’s presentation. She gave birth to another girl, named Charlotte Anne, and just shy of two years later came another boy, named Edward George.

The family split their time between their two primary estates with forays into London as necessary. They spent much time with their family over the next fifty or so years, treasuring their growing family and maintaining close ties with their extended relations. Over the years, they celebrated triumphs and weathered challenges, raising their children with love and guiding them into adulthood.

While their marriage was not without moments of disagreement—inevitable for two strong-willed individuals—they always found their way back to common ground. In the early years, this often meant sleepless nights as they strove to follow Elizabeth’s Uncle and Aunt Gardiner’s advice never to go to bed angry. Though they did not always reach full agreement, they learned to navigate their differences with patience and understanding, finding a path forward together.

Through it all, their love, rooted in mutual respect and unwavering devotion, sustained them. Their years together were filled with joy, laughter, and the quiet strength of a partnership built to endure.