It was a matter of some debate as to who enjoyed this cheerful Christmas chaos the most. The Darcys were determined to be the happiest couple in London, and quite possibly the entire world, and the Bingleys and the Gardiners made similar claims. Mrs. Bennet was perpetually beside herself at her daughters’ good fortune, and while Mr. Bennet had never been particularly fond of London, he found no shortage of amusements there.
When he was not teasing the newlyweds or lurking in Lord Darcy’s magnificent library, Mr. Bennet took delight inintroducing Elizabeth’s new sisters to his sardonic style of humor. Emma and Cathy could unabashedly banter right back at him and were often encouraged to do so by General Fitzwilliam, through Harriet and Georgiana required a little time to acclimate to such japery.
Georgiana was a timid creature when Elizabeth met her in London, before journeying home to Longbourn. She was instantly ready to welcome a new sister, and revealed that her brother had spoken often of Elizabeth. Though Georgiana was overwhelmed by the Bennets for a day or two, she acclimated to their liveliness so swiftly that her brother was often expressing his amazement.
Mrs. Bennet affectionately welcomed Georgiana as a companion to her daughters; she praised her accomplishments, her manners, and most especially her elegant wardrobe, and the effusions of Kitty and Lydia worked wonders on Georgian’s confidence and ease in company.
In London, Mrs. Bennet took to Cathy and Harriet with the same alacrity. She was not beyond the occasional vulgar or indiscreet comment, and she was quite cool to Emma, at first. Sir Edward and Elizabeth put paid to her attitude, for Emma was just as dear to them as any other member of the family.
“If my Harriet had been a Harry, if she were a son and not a daughter, she and Emma would be wed, making Emma my daughter. I do not know if it is wrong, or a sin, but it is not for me to sneer at them. I have only just discovered my Harriet, and I will not make her uneasy over her personal matters.”
Mrs. Bennet gave her brother just a little more trouble about his liberality and his libertine past, but she and Emma found their footing eventually. They grew to take delight in sniping at one another, each laughing at the other’s absurdity. But it was undeniable that Mrs. Bennet was proud of her girls,and relished presiding over so many young ladies. Her three youngest, the three young ladies at the Gardiner house, and the increasingly outspoken Miss Darcy made quite a set.
The princess found Mrs. Bennet’s idiosyncrasies to be delightful; she was as fond of folly and foibles as her daughter, and there was a great deal of such things to be savored in company with Elizabeth’s expanded family. It became a game between the princess and the general to tell wild stories of their various exploits in Mrs. Bennet’s presence, vying for who could work the lady into the greatest state of excitement. Emma and Mr. Bingley picked up the habit ere long, and Mr. Bennet always drily congratulated them on their achievements when smelling salts were called for.
Lavish gifts were exchanged on Christmas Eve, when the princess managed to sneak away for a while to make merry at Darcy House. The Fitzwilliams were introduced to Elizabeth and her relations, and though their noble bearing was more reserved and decorous than the Bennets and their kin, they were kind people who were glad of so many new relations.
The Earl of Matlock was distantly acquainted with Sir Edward already, but he took with relish to Mr. Bennet’s style of raillery, and his attempts to lure Mr. Bennet from the library and further their acquaintance soon won him over. They often abandoned the ladies entirely, attending lectures and touring museums, a welcome escape from gatherings that were decidedly feminine.
The Countess of Matlock reminded Elizabeth of the late Madeline Gardiner, for her manners were genteel and she was youthful for an older woman. Though she had no daughter of her own, she shared Mrs. Bennet’s matchmaking fervor, and the two ladies made stalwart chaperones in many ballrooms around London.
On one occasion, Elizabeth had the supremely amusing distinction of intruding her dashing husband to an old acquaintance they met with most unexpectedly, Mr. Craig Lucas. Mr. Tilney and Mr. Willoughby were often to be met with, at the Gardiners’ Twelfth Night Ball, and at many events thereafter. Cathy’s passion for Mr. Tilney cooled somewhat, for she was popular amongst their social circle, but he remained a favorite companion. Mr. Willoughby confounded the gossips of theton, for he was a perfectly amiable beau toward his intended, but paid special attention to Emma's particular friend, his cousin Harriet.
In the spring, Emma and Mr. Willoughby wed in Highbury before removing to Combe Magna, where Emma brought Harriet as her companion. The Willoughbys happily adopted the child they referred to as his ward, and Eliza Williams returned to her relieved guardian Colonel Brandon. The child, Christened Margaret Willoughby and passed off as an orphaned cousin, became the apple of Emma and Harriet’s eye, and they were very content in their new home while Mr. Willoughby divided his time between his estates.
Kellynch was sold to a wealthy sailor who had wed one of Sir Walter’s daughters. The eldest was still unwed, and gave him a fair share of trouble before removing to Bath with some relations. The new Lady Gardiner had Allenham for life before it was meant to pass to her nephew, but she happily gave the manor over to Mr. Willoughby so that she might remain always in London with her husband. Mr. Willoughby devoted himself to improving the place with the intention of renting it to tenants for additional income, for he had indeed been generous in allowing his bride considerable control of her own fortune.
She spent a great sum on decorating her new home to her own liking, and she was incredibly indulgent toward littleMargaret and Harriet, who was accepted amongst the household as Emma’s spinster companion. The pair happily passed their spring days attempting and subsequently abandoning a variety of hobbies and pursuits, from reading to music to the composition of riddles. Ere long they discovered a passion to hold their interest, and devoted themselves to the flourishing of Combe Magna’s expansive gardens.
The flowers were blooming and all was green again, displaying Combe Magna to advantage when the Darcys visited with Georgiana, Cathy, and the Gardiners. Lady Susan joined the party, praising her niece for the improvements she had made to Combe Magna, and lamenting how tedious Hartfield had become. Elizabeth was pleased at every sign of Emma and Harriet’s contentment in their new life, and they had the highest praise for Mr. Willoughby, who was a generous and respectful friend to his wife and his cousin.
It was late summer when Jane recovered from a second lying in, and was fit to travel after delivering her husband a son. The Bingleys left their children with the Bennets and joined the Darcys and Gardiners for a trip to Sanditon. The princess arranged everything, and was very proud to show Lady Darcy and her friends the improvements she had funded in the fashionable seaside resort.
It was inevitable that when Elizabeth and Cathy first embarked in a bathing machine, that they should think of Tom Bertram and his raft sinking into the moat, and they were too well amused to be afraid of their immersion in the sea. It was an enchanting experience, and one they joyfully repeated every day of their month by the sea.
Elizabeth also spent much of her time in Sanditon with the princess, marveling at the improvements to the village that her mother had commissioned, and even suggesting ideasof her own. All of the Bennet sisters had some great notion that the princess and Mr. Tom Parker heard in good humor. Jane proposed a public conservatory, Elizabeth suggested miles of walking paths along the cliffs, Mary spoke of aesthetic improvements to glorify the local chapel, Kitty suggested inducing more merchants to open shops with fashionable window dressings, and Lydia advised that a regiment of the militia ought to quarter there.
Mr. Parker, the mayor and greatest promoter of the village, relished every suggestion. General Fitzwilliam delighted him with the notion of a racing track to rival Newmarket, Sir Edward considered opening a small emporium along the cliffside High Street, and even Lord Darcy’s sardonic quip about a library for antisocial husbands was given credit.
Though Sidney Parker had been cast out of his family, and Esther Denham was never seen there again, the seaside paradise already drew quite a crowd, and the mayor cherished every hope of raising the village's importance more still. Just as the Prince Regent patronized Brighton, Princess Elizabeth had brought fashionable crowds to the little town so determined to distinguish itself, and the mayor was in perpetual awe of her.
Not far from Sanditon was Ashford Green, a small estate in Sussex that Lord Darcy’s father had inherited from a distant relation. Elizabeth found it quaint in a quiet sort of way, but it was certainly nothing to the grander of Pemberley. To her delight, General Fitzwilliam intended to purchase the manor from his cousin, for he was of a mind to take a wife. Lord Darcy and Mr. Bingley had a private bet about which Bennet sister the general would favor, but the general had other plans.
In the autumn, Elizabeth and her relations once again prepared for another London season. Mr. Tilney began formally courting Cathy, though he was not without competition, forCathy had acquired many suitors in Sanditon, and both Arthur Parker and Sir Edward Denham pursued her to London. The youngest of the Parker brothers, a stout, awkward young man with good intentions if not good sense, bore his rejection well enough – and learned to prefer the company of Mary Bennet.
Elizabeth kept her promise to Mrs. Rushworth and visited her friend whenever she was in London. Kitty and Lydia became fond of the widow’s younger sister, Miss Julia Bertram, who shared their enthusiasm to be included in the fun of their older siblings. Mrs. Rushworth had taken Elizabeth’s advice to heart, and though she observed every proper mourning custom, she was glad when the year came to an end.
So, too, was General Fitzwilliam, who became a frequent visitor at Wimpole Street when the widow began entertaining again. Mr. Crawford had not visited at all during his lover’s mourning period, residing chiefly at Mansfield Park, when his sister wed the new heir; it was rumored that he was courting Mrs. Rushworth’s impoverished cousin, who had long been a member of the Bertram household.
Mrs. Rushworth could speak of it with perfect equanimity; it was only General Fitzwilliam who seemed to disrupt her composure. Lord Darcy was delighted at the opportunity to return his cousin’s teasing when the courtship led to an engagement, and Elizabeth was truly happy that her long-suffering friend had come to love General Fitzwilliam wholeheartedly.
Not long after the Fitzwilliams wed, Princess Elizabeth retreated to Clwyd Castle with her entourage, and thought it a great lark to invite all those who had passed the strangest week of their life there a year before. The Bennets, Bingleys, and Fitzwilliams were included in the invitation, and their curiosity about the time their friends had spent there prevailed.
On All Hallows’ Eve, a macabre sort of re-enactment was staged by Mr. and Mrs. Tilney and Mrs. and Mrs. Willoughby, who play-acted the shocking events of that infamous week in the space of an hour, staging quite a production in the great hall. They called upon the Darcys and Gardiners to assist them, and General Fitzwilliam was most energetic in presenting his small role at the end of the drama. Kitty, Lydia, Georgiana, and the princess’s theatrical friend Lady Abernathy gleefully portrayed the villains of the tale, causing Mrs. Bennet to make a spectacle of her own in the audience as she cried out at every new twist and turn of the play, and the rest of the audience were just as enthusiastic. The princess wept from laughter at the most chaotic scenes, and Lady Susan was present to recite a great deal of insolence, as was her custom.
Elizabeth was pleased that even her husband bore it all in good humor, grumbling only a little that it was in rather poor taste. There was another re-enactment that pleased him much better. He and Elizabeth walked the battlements of the castle together one evening at sunset, just as they had done one year before.
They stood hand in hand in the very place where he had asked her to become his wife, until Elizabeth took his hands and placed them on her stomach. “I have spent the happiest year of my life as your wife, Fitzwilliam, but a far greater joy now awaits us.”
