~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After looking in on her youngest sons in the nursery, Elizabeth made her way down to the study she shared with William. She had her own desk under the windows, so she always had a good view of the park, lake, and the forest beyond.
When she entered the study, Elizabeth noticed that William had the door to the secret storage compartment open. He had ordered it repaired and restored to how it looked before he struck it with his fist that fateful day. Now, it was a place where family keepsakes were housed. Other than sentimental value, they had no worth. Among other things, there was a lock of each of their children’s hair, each one tied in a ribbon. Also, there were some love letters they had written one to the other over the years of their marriage. The pouch containing the letters his late parents had written was resting against the back of the void.
“William, are you adding an item?” Elizabeth asked.
“No, my beloved wife, I am not. It is nice to know how to open this door without having to drive my fist into it,” Darcy said with a smile. “Sometimes I am still in awe of how the long-lost letters I found here changed the course of all our lives, and especially, the way the ones from my parents washed away the rest of my improper pride.”
“All I know is that you are the best master, landlord, man, husband, brother, and father. I love you, William,” Elizabeth said as she entered the warm circle of his welcoming arms.
“And you, my beloved, are everything I wanted in a wife and so much more. I love you, my Elizabeth.
They stood, her leaning back against the well-muscled planes of his chest, watching the nurses and governesses rounding up the children to herd them back into the house.
All was right with their world.
~~~The End~~~
