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“I can never compensate for the ill-treatment she faced from me, and I will not hold you in contempt if you doubt my words, but I do want her to have the right place in your life. According to me, she is our eldest daughter and the one who has given Beatrice a chance to live a decent life despite her cruel act. And I am ever so grateful for her intervention; if not, I am certain Mr. Darcy would have never spared her. She might have been in prison now, and it pains me to think I pushed her to this state,” Lady Anderson said with remorse.

Though Lady Anderson had revealed the truth about her daughter’s birth, everyone aware of the secret decided to keep it to themselves. Darcy could not believe that Elizabeth was already aware of it but had not disclosed it to him.

The evening ended with Lord Anderson and Elizabeth dancing together, and everyone, including Lady Anderson, was happy to see them.

“How long has it been since you danced, Papa?” Elizabeth asked.

“I don’t remember, my dear. It might have been ages, and you can tell easily, can’t you?”

“I can tell by the expression on your face,” she said, smiling.

Lord Anderson stared into her eyes, fondly remembering his dance with her mother when he first met her at a ball.

“I have invited Mr. Darcy to Scotland to visit our estate. I hope you can convince him, as I am certain he does not want you to be anywhere around Beatrice.”

“I will try my best.”

“Even if you deny it, it is your home, Elizabeth; your childhood should have been there, with me, growing up as my daughter. If you choose to visit me there someday, I will be delighted. But be assured my trips to Derbyshire will not be once a year anymore, but more frequent.”

“I would love to visit, and I promise we will try to make it.”

Lord Anderson turned around and glanced at Darcy, who stood with Mr. Bingley and Mary.

“You have found yourself a remarkable man as your husband, who has stood by you through thick and thin. I hope you know that he would do anything for your happiness.”

“I do,” she said, looking in his direction and locking eyes with Darcy.

Lord Anderson took Elizabeth to his room after the guests left that evening and handed her a box.

“What is it, Papa?”

“It is your engagement present.”

Elizabeth opened it eagerly, and inside the box, she found her mother’s chain she had thrown at him in anger.

“I gifted this to Sarah the day we married; I understand why she wanted you to have it.”

Elizabeth found a rolled sheet of paper in the box, looked at it, and gasped.

The sheet displayed a sketch of a young woman, and Elizabeth immediately knew who it was. Every detail on the features of the face was meticulously drawn, leaving her with no doubt about the identity.

“This is your mother, Sarah,” Lord Anderson said.

Elizabeth could not control her tears; she had often wondered how her mother looked, and now she did not have that regret.

She hugged her father tightly, and it was the first time she did so.

“You have given me the best gift ever.”

***

The night before the wedding, Charlotte sat with Elizabeth in her room. Mrs. Gardiner had decided that Elizabeth would be more comfortable with her friend regarding the subject of discussion.

Charlotte gave Elizabeth a vague outline of what to expect the next day.

“Charlotte, you are scaring me.”

“Am I to believe that anything in this world could scare you, Lizzy?” she teased.

Elizabeth was silent, struggling to hide her fear regarding the topic discussed.

“Good heavens! You are terrified, aren’t you? From what I know from Mrs. Gardiner, Mary had a better temperament than you during this discussion. You act as if you never even thought about it,” Charlotte said.

“Yes, I did not; as ridiculous as it sounds with everything that has happened lately in my life, I failed to think about the prospect of my wedding night,” she said with irritation.

“I can only tell you that you need to trust your husband, and everything will be well,” Charlotte reassured her friend.

After she left, Elizabeth sat in bed with a book, understanding that she would never sleep till morning.

***

The wedding day was beautiful, as it had snowed the previous day, and Lady Martha never left Elizabeth’s side until she was ready.

“You look beautiful, Elizabeth, and Fitzwilliam is a lucky man,” she said, admiring her niece.

Edmund and Emily sneaked into her room, wanting to see her as the bride. Even though she knew she was not moving far away, Elizabeth felt sad to leave Ashton Park.

Lord Anderson felt emotional to see her in her wedding dress, and the party set off to the church in happy spirits.

The wedding was a beautiful affair, and the church was filled with happy faces of friends and family who wished nothing but joy for the couple.

Darcy had anticipated the moment for a long time, as he had imagined Elizabeth walking into the church countless times in his dreams. However, nothing was close to reality.

As Elizabeth walked down the aisle with her father, Darcy held his breath.

Even from a distance, he could see her eyes sparkle with joy as she saw him, and she smiled, a smile so beautiful and special, and Darcy knew it was meant only for him.

For a few moments, everything and everyone around them seemed to vanish as they stood in front of each other in awe.

Mr. Bingley and Mary had to remind the couple to concentrate on the ceremony, much to their embarrassment.

Darcy and Elizabeth exchanged their vows, and each made promises in their hearts to keep the other happy. Darcy could not express the peace he felt when they were announced as man and wife.

“My dear wife, you have enchanted me with your beauty this morning; I could hardly say my vows,” he finally said as they stepped down from the altar.

“You did manage quite well despite the enchantment,” she said and smiled.

They left the church, and Darcy led her to his carriage.

“Fitzwilliam, do you need Georgiana to accompany you?” Lady Martha teased as always, making everyone laugh.

Darcy was not pleased with it and was glad he could rightfully deny Lady Martha this time.

Once in the carriage, he put a coat around Elizabeth, seeing her shiver. Elizabeth did not know whether it was due to the freezing weather that she felt that way or because of the look on her husband’s face.

“Are you warm enough?” he asked.

“Yes, very much, I thank you!” she said, and Darcy put his arm around her.

“You do not know how much I have longed for this moment.”

“You mean our wedding?”

“No, just to put my arm around you and sit next to you like this in our carriage.”

Elizabeth looked at him, puzzled.

“It might be such a simple thing, Elizabeth. I have traveled with you countless times in this carriage, but I could never do this, and today I have the right.”

“Not just today, but every time we are alone in the carriage.”

“Only when alone? I will hold you this way even if we have company, especially when Lady Martha is present,” he said. For a passing second, Elizabeth sensed him looking annoyed as he recollected how she had mocked him in the past.

“I sure will miss how she taunted you until the wedding,” she said with a laugh.

“I am so glad you are finally mine,” he said with contentment.

The wedding breakfast was a happy affair, and as much as Darcy wanted to be alone with his wife, he realized that Mr. Bingley and Mary were leaving for their honeymoon the next day, and Elizabeth wanted to spend time with her sister.

The Gardiner children enjoyed the company of Edmund and Emily. After years, Pemberley seemed like a different place, and Mrs. Reynolds mentioned the same.

“Mr. Darcy, after your mother’s death, we have hosted several balls and parties here, but I have not seen such a happy gathering like this till now. I am certain your marriage will bring much more joy to your life and everyone around you.”

Darcy thanked her, and he remembered the first conversation he had about Elizabeth with Mrs. Reynolds; she had recommended her as a good friend to Georgiana, and neither of them was aware that she would become the mistress of Pemberley in the future.

After breakfast, Elizabeth prepared to change, and Georgiana took her to her chamber.

This was the first time she set foot in the room, which had a sense of warmth and elegance.

“It is beautiful, Georgiana.”

“You must be aware that it is my mother’s room, and my brother has not changed much of it. However, he will not mind if you choose to.”

“I don’t think I would want to change anything,” she said, and the same maid employed in Ashton Park for Elizabeth had moved to Pemberley to work for Elizabeth.

“Everything has been so perfect; I must thank you for all you have done,” she said to Georgiana.

“I am glad you are happy. It was such a beautiful ceremony, and I was so happy to see you walk down the aisle with Lord Anderson.”

Elizabeth and Darcy spent the rest of the day with family. Richard could sense that his cousin was impatient to spend time alone with his bride.

“I was wondering if you could spare a few moments for me in the study?” Richard asked him in the evening.

“What? Now?” Darcy asked, with irritation as he headed upstairs.

“Yes, Darcy, now. I needed some help regarding our property in town; I think you can help me with this.”

“Richard, whatever it is, we can discuss it tomorrow,” Darcy said impatiently. He watched Richard’s amusement and finally understood that he was making fun of him.

“You wait and see. When your time comes, I will have my share of fun,” he said and left.

The couple was to have supper in their private parlor, and Elizabeth looked at herself in the mirror as she prepared to dine with him.

She had changed into her evening gown and wore the necklace her father had gifted her for the wedding. She stayed in her room for a while, aware that Darcy was waiting for her.

Finally, she walked into the parlor to find him seated, his expression thoughtful.

“I apologize for making you wait,” she said.