EPILOGUE
PEMBERLEY
3 MONTHS LATER…
Darcy found Elizabeth curled up in his favorite velvet chair in the library.
She closed her book when she noticed him, her smile brightening when she saw the letters in his hand. “Any worthwhile news?” she asked, biting her lips and lowering her eyebrows.
Darcy did not know why she tried to contain her curiosity when her inquisitive nature was one of the qualities he loved most about her. “There is no news of Wickham otherthan what we already know. His ship is not expected to return soon.” He handed her the envelope from Connell.
She grabbed the letter, her lips pursing as she scanned over the page. “If he had stayed with Lydia instead of going out drinking and gambling, he would not have been press ganged.”
Wickham had not been in uniform, not wanting to be recognized and forced to return to Lydia. What had he expected, in disguise, inthatpart of London where seafaring men were known to seek gin and companionship during their short leaves? Wickham had been too drunk to protest effectively, and by the following afternoon when he was sober enough to tell them he had an army commission, it was too late. TheHMS Lydiahad already set sail. “His wife would be a kinder mistress than the ship he must toil on,” Darcy noted dryly.
Elizabeth set the letter down and rang for another cup to be brought in for him. “Mrs. Annesley has been a good influence on her.”
With all the stories the midwife had discreetly shared of her profession—and which Elizabeth’s sisters later recounted to her in their letters—they had learned the advantages of decorum. Lydia, relieved and with a renewed appreciation that she had been spared the pangs of motherhood, had calmed considerably.
Tapping her chin, Elizabeth smiled. “I noticed that Connell mentioned Mrs. Annesley more than once in his letter.”
“They have been working closely,” Darcy acknowledged.
“He finds many excuses to travel through Hertfordshire.”
Darcy’s suspicions had reached the same conclusion. “You think Connell has developed a particular interest in Mrs. Annesley?”
Elizabeth huffed and jabbed her finger against his letter. “Since when is Longbourn on the way to Kent from London? He has a copy of Mrs. Annesley’s list. There is no need for him to seek her out.”
Darcy settled in the chair beside hers. “And is that so wrong?”
Her smile sparkled in her eyes. “Not at all. I have it on good authority—Jane’s—that Mrs. Annesley is not indifferent to his attentions.”
Saving the best for last, Darcy handed Elizabeth the other letter he had received. It had taken him several minutes to cipher Nick’s handwriting, but it was the first letter he had received from his brother since he and Alex had left Darcy House in London.
Elizabeth squinted her eyes, then turned the page one way, then the other. Handing it back to Darcy, she said, “It must have been storming when he wrote this. What does it say?”
Darcy loved how easily she excused Nick’s poor penmanship. “They captured a Spanish warship off the coast of Portugal. Snuck right up on it in the dark of night, boarding her before the watchman had a chanceto cry out. It was a risky move, as they had to weave around several British naval vessels, but they promptly turned their prize over to the closest ship. Alex is still mad at Nick for not pilfering the firearms and gold bars in the hold.”
Elizabeth gasped. “A prize ship! Did the Admiralty grant them amnesty and a privateering license?”
“They could do no less,” Darcy answered, relief coursing through his body. His brother could return to England now. The question only remained: when?
“After handing over such a fat prize, I should hope not!” Elizabeth untucked her feet from under her and leaned forward to pour the tea the maid set on the table.
“We shall read about it in the papers soon, I should think. Nick claims it shall be his last ship, but he knows better than to speak for Alex. Still, he hopes that when their first child is born, she might change her mind.”
“She is with child! Oh, how lovely!” Elizabeth rubbed her stomach. “Would it not be wonderful if our children were born at the same time?”
Like him and Nick. Darcy slid forward, until his knees were on the floor and he could kiss Elizabeth’s stomach. Her hands twined through his hair, pulling him closer.
Rubbing his cheek against her, he whispered, “I have not seen you, but I already love you more than anyone.” He felt Elizabethtug on his hair.
With a laugh, he raised his head and brushed his lips over hers. “Except for you, my love.”
“That is more like it. We must be a team before our children are old enough to conspire mischief against us, or where would we be?” The way she twirled her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck sent shivers down to Darcy’s fingers and toes. And the sweetness of her lips, the softness of her skin, the silk of her hair … Darcy could ignore the world and remain in her embrace for days.
“Did he say when they might return to England?” she asked, stroking his cheeks.
