CHAPTER 24 - And they all lived...

The six months flew passed, Mr Darcy spent as much time as he could in Hertfordshire, leaving for only ten days to sort out the settlement papers with his solicitor, retrieve his mothers wedding ring and his sister Georgina, with Wickham gone, there was no reason she could not join them at Netherfield as they prepared for the wedding.

Jane and Elizabeth had agreed to have a double wedding much to their mothers' dismay, she had wanted to have two grand weddings to brag about her two eldest daughters marrying so well. The sisters were resolved, they would marry together and no amount of cajoling, begging or censure could change their minds.

Their aunt and uncle Gardiner insisted on gifting the sisters their wedding dresses, sending the finest wedding materials from town, along with fashion sheets so that the girls could chose their designs. Their mothers' exasperation grew daily as Elizabeth and Jane chose elegant but simple dresses, rather than large lacey creations adorned with multiple ribbons; she hoped that when her other daughters married, she would be allowed to impose her wedding dress desires on them.

The day arrived, sunny and warm, with a slight breeze making it a perfect wedding day. Mr Bingleys carriage took Mrs Bennet and the three youngest Bennet daughters to the church, where Mrs Bennet spent the rest of the time before the wedding fretting over the flowers.

Elizabeth, Jane and Mr Bennet followed a little later in Mr Darcy's carriage, Mr Bennet was quieter than usual, mentioning only that it was hard to part with his two most sensible daughter at the same time, and that not a sensible word would be heard at Longbourn for the rest of his days. Jane was quick to remind her father that Mr Darcy had invested greatly in the Netherfield library, and there were many tomes he had not yet read. Likewise, Elizabeth promised to write with a full description of the Pemberley Library, leaving it up to her father to decide if it was worth the journey to Derbyshire to verify her findings.

It was a proud father who walked his two daughters down the aisle towards their respective grooms, who stood beaming with happiness as they waited for their beautiful brides. Caroline Bingley and Georgiana both shed happy tears for their friends and family; Georgiana was delighted and very surprised to see the changes in Caroline when she first arrived at Netherfield, it took one evening of Caroline reading to the Bennets, Darcy's, Hurst's, the Colonel and Mr Bingley for Georgiana to resolve to renew her friendship with this rather pleasing version of Caroline Bingley. Her cousins tendre for the charming Miss Bingley was not missed by the young lady, she had yet to see Fitzwilliam this in love with a woman before, it warmed her heart to see his affections being returned. Caroline's demur behaviour finally convinced Georgiana that the change was real, she recalled all to well how Caroline fawned and flattered her brother, this was nothing like that.

Neither of the couples could remember much about the day, Mr Darcy recalled his overwhelming relief when they were pronounced man and wife, Elizabeth was finally his, no more chaperone, Elizabeth's sisters had taken their roles very seriously, even the capricious Lydia, and no liberties had been allowed. The colonel would accompany Georgiana and Miss Bingley back to town, where Miss Bingley was invited to stay at Darcy house until Georgiana's brother and his new wife returned from honeymoon; when all the Darcy's would go to Pemberley.

Shortly after the wedding the viscount asked and received permission to court Mary, they got engaged after six months and their wedding followed three months after that. His mother was delighted in her daughter in law, despite her lack of connections. After several visits to the modiste Mary was dressed in styles she could never have imagined, Her first ball in town as the viscounts betrothed was her first event in town, with the support of the Earl of Matlock and his wife, ten of her closest friends within the ton, Mary was the darling of London, her style was emulated by all who wished to ensnare a titled gentleman.

The Bingleys and Hurst's had been invited to spend Christmas with the Darcy's at Pemberley, along with the Bennets and the Fitzwilliams.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh was not happy that Mr Darcy had not married her daughter Anne, nor was she happy that she had to commit her parson to Bedlam, he returned from Hertfordshire totally witless, after a few incidents with some of her maids, she had no choice but that course of action.

She had tried several times to convince her nephew to see the errors of marrying that country no-body but Mr Darcy had the full support of his uncle and aunt Matlock, their two sons and their daughter; Georgiana was as in love with Miss Elizabeth as her brother and would not listen to a single thing her aunt had to say; even her own daughter Anne, had stuck up a friendship with the girl, announcing her to be the perfect wife for William, and that she had never intended to marry her cousin anyway. Secretly Lady Catherine was proud that her daughter had finally learnt to stand up to her, but she would never admit that to anyone.

Outside of Colonel Fitzwilliam no-one really knew what happened to Wickham in the end, all the colonel would say is that it had been taken care of.

Jane and Mr Bingley returned from their honeymoon to take up residence at Netherfield, after a year they gave up the place to purchase a handsome property in Derbyshire where Mrs Bennet could not arrive uninvited to instruct them on how to manage their married life. Jane was much happier and it was a scant nine months later that Charles Bingley junior was born, two months ahead of his cousins, Bennet George and Anne Jane Darcy; the birth of the twins brought Elizabeth and William much joy, Bennet was the splitting image of his father with his mothers personality, Annie was the splitting image of her mother but with her fathers personality.

It would be three year before the twins received a much longed for sibling, Richard Thomas Darcy had his mothers fine eyes and his fathers unruly curls, but his personality was very much in line with Uncle Richard, bringing laughter and liveliness to the Darcy family.