Author's Note: So, here we are at the end of this tale. It's taken a long while to get here but I hope that you have enjoyed the tale anyway. This wouldn't be complete without me saying a huge thank you to you, my readers. Your encouragement and support has been invaluable, I'm not going to list you all, because I'm frankly too lazy. But I'm sure that you all know who you are, you're reading after all. OK and now it's time to shut up because it's starting to sound a little bit like I'm accepting an Oscar.

I hope you all enjoy this very last chapter and epilogue. Remember this is your last opportunity to tell me so. Enjoy! Hugs, Ella xXx.

Chapter 20

It was the hardest eight months ever. There were times when it was hard to tolerate Michael and Laura particularly, knowing that there was no real reason to be at Cresocartref made it even harder. I desperately anticipated moving on to the next part of my life. Yet instead I was stuck in Wales in a limbo, trying to patiently wait out the time until my wedding. It was almost impossible to do so though when I could not even see Darcy, his letters were hardly enough to make up for his absence. Occasionally he would visit, ostensibly because he had business with the Colonel. The Colonel had prooved perfectly amenable to the scheme. But Mrs Llewellyn who did not know the truth of the situation would comment, "I do not know why you must leave us Miss Bennet." repeatedly. Not to mention taking every opportunity to throw Eleanor at Mr Darcy, now that Mr Randal had left the island she was still looking for a suitable replacement, poor Mr Andrew still did not qualify in her opinion.

Even though Mrs Llewellyn had the Marquess within her sight it was not enough for her. To have one daughter well married was acceptable, but with her goal so close to grasping she was greedy for more glory. She had come from a most respectable family but married a red coat, who despite being a Colonel in the King's army of good family left she and her children in comparative poverty. Before her marriage she had been surrounded by finery and was desperate for her daughters to return to such splendour. For Eleanor to marry her cousin, a mere clergyman, would be even more of step down, especially considering her portion was only seven thousand pounds, which could never buy them a house or independence. Other than that she would probably have been willing to allow them to marry.

As for Isabella's romance it was as good as a decided thing. The whole of Anglesey was eagerly awaiting the news of her betrothal to the Marquess of Gower, their most dignified resident. Mrs Llewellyn left them together for at least an hour every week in the hope that he would say something to her. Yet he never spoke, even her mother's hints did not encourage him. Isabella was not particularly well versed in the art of patience; she was so like me in that respect. Mrs Llewellyn was even more agitated than usual, on several occasions I was sent to her rooms in order to look after her while she bemoaned her fate and her all her daughters' single status. "I do not know what will become of her Miss Bennet really I do not. For here is the Marquess of Gower calling on Belle and she cannot get a proposal out of him, she must be putting him off, I do declare, for why else would he not make an offer to her. Then Nora, oh I do not know what to do with that girl, really I do not! She will not pay the slightest heed to any gentleman except her cousin and she could do so much better than him! Miss Bennet you must speak to them both, I know you will make them see sense. Get Belle to make the Marquess offer and have Nora pay attention to richer men! Oh Miss Bennet, you are so good! Oh you will speak with them won't you? Oh pass me my salts!"

There was little that I could really say to either of them. Eleanor was already engaged, though no one but me knew the truth of the situation with her cousin. To me it was proof enough of her devotion to him; she was a good girl not likely to break a promise. Besides why change her mind? She loved him they would be happy and comfortable together.

They, Eleanor and Isabella had quizzed me over my sudden decision to leave Cresocartref. They begged me to tell them the truth for the excuse they had been given – that I planned to live with my eldest sister who was expecting her first child – did not convince them. Isabella particularly knew that it was not quite right, "Please Miss Lizzy, I know that you and Papa are not telling us everything. What is the real reason that you are going away? I do not believe that it is to look after your sister; you have not helped your other sister with her children. Besides if you are then why are you not going before the birth, but a couple of months afterwards?"

"You have everything worked out for yourself Belle, why do you not take a guess? You will not be far off the mark, I should imagine." I decided to eventually give in to their nagging and let the two oldest Llewellyn daughters in on the secret, though they were made to solemnly swear that they would never tell another living soul.

Eleanor had looked a little shocked, later she spoke of the matter to me. Isabella on the other hand looked at me and, with her astounding astuteness, simply said, "Is Mr Darcy the man who refused to dance Miss Lizzy?" Eleanor looked curiously at her sister before understanding dawned on her pretty face. I happily assured them that it was indeed the case, Mr Darcy was the man who refused to dance. The pair of them gladly wished me joy and did not complain about me leaving them again.

Later, Eleanor came to speak to me herself; there was more that she wished to say on the subject of her cousin. She knocked on the door long after the rest of the family had retired. I was still burning down the candle reading a book, for there was no time for such luxuries in the day. "I thought I would find you up Lizzy. May I disturb your solitude and seek your advice?" With a nod of acquiescence on my part she took a seat on the stool next to the dressing table, "First of all I believe that I must apologise for what happened when Mr Darcy came to visit us, you must have hated me." she wriggled her bare feet looking uncomfortable.

"Eleanor there is nothing to forgive, you were in no way out of line, your behaviour was impeccable. Besides you and me both know that you are too devoted to Mr Andrew to behave so fickly." I said, trying not to sound as if I was at all censuring her mother. I could not in all honestly do so as it would be hypocritical of me, my own mother was forever conjuring schemes such as Mrs Llewellyn's and I had always laughed it off and forgiven her lack of judgment. Mrs Llewellyn deserved the same courtesy from me.

"You are certain?" she looked up from studying her feet and studied my face carefully as if to ascertain if I were attempting to spare her feelings or not. Before she continued, "Lizzy I must ask you something very important. Your engagement, does Papa know of all the details, does he condone your decision to keep it secret? Or did you tell him the same as you told Belle and I?"

"Your father knows everything Eleanor, Mr Darcy wrote him a letter explaining the situation. Your father understands our desire to keep the engagement a private affair." I said wondering just where this conversation was heading.

"Do you feel it too impertinent to ask you why you decided to keep the engagement private rather than a secret? What made you decide to tell at least a few people of the arrangement, and not just keep it completely to yourselves? Surely by letting a few people know there was a chance that you would be found out by society? You said to Belle and I that you told your family, so that the arrangement would not appear so clandestine. But there was no chance of anybody discovering it if you had told nobody."

"Yes, that was the reason, because we did not want people to find out and then reach the incorrect conclusion about the nature of our relationship. In all honesty we could not really announce a betrothal it would have been considered highly improper by many people and there were reasons that I shall not reveal to you why we did not want that sort of talk. If, at least, our family knew then we would have their support should the secret be revealed and there be some sort of scandal."

"Oh, would people really accuse you of untoward behaviour if they found out that there had been a secret engagement?" she looked very young and naïve. It was her nature to be too trusting of people, which was why she had entered into her own secret engagement with so few qualms.

"Very likely yes. That is why the engagement has been a private one, it will be announced eventually just not quite yet, for proprieties sake rather than anything else."

"So private engagements are far better to enter into than secret ones?"

"Yes Eleanor." I agreed, wondering to what exactly these questions were tending to. Clearly it was something to do with her own relationship with her cousin.

"Do you think that if Andrew and I were to speak to Papa about our engagement that he would be willing to keep it a secret from Mamma? He has been supportive of your choices and agreed to keep it quiet. Why would he not do the same for me? After all he is not so reticent about a match with Andrew as Mamma is." She finally asked what she had come to do.

It was a difficult question to answer, what should be done for the best? Eleanor had placed me in a very difficult position in the first place, by placing me in her confidence for such a secret and then begging me not to reveal it to her parents, my employers. Now she wanted to know if I thought it wise to ask for her fathers consent. The question was as difficult to answer, as her secret had been difficult to keep. For a while the guilt of not telling her father, who had been so good to me, had pressed on my conscious.

Colonel Llewellyn would, very likely appreciate knowing the truth of his daughter's situation from her, than by discovering it through village gossip. However, would he be willing to then keep it a secret from his wife? It did not seem right at all. Eleanor's engagement was a huge matter, Mrs Llewellyn could not be denied knowledge, and she had as much right to giving her consent to the matter as anyone else. Yet to the understanding of others she was quite disapproving of the whole affair, which was perfectly right. Thus was it right to advice Eleanor to go behind her mother's back and consult her father in the matter?

My own father had never hidden things from my mother. They may not have had the closest of relationships, there may have even been a lack of respect on both their parts, but he would never undermine her in such a manner as that. Yes, he would tease her and lead her on, but not in matters as important as a daughter's future. He nearly always did what she would have wanted, even if it was not necessarily what he wanted. He had quickly found it was best for all that she, at least, was happy. The only time he had ever outright undermined her had been when Mr Collins had proposed and she had insisted that I accept he had outright refused Mr Collins. The rest of the time he would carefully sway her opinion on the matter until he had her consent as well.

"Eleanor I really do not know what you should do, I cannot advise you in such a matter. While I do not condone the secrecy currently involved, to advise you to tell the Colonel would be partly selfish on my part. In all honesty it would not be fair to undermine your mother in such a way would it?"

"So you do not think it would be right for Andrew and I to speak to him?"

"The decision is up to you. It might be best if you and Mr Andrew speak about it together, have you spoken to him about you current thoughts yet?"

"No," she looked downcast for a second, "I do not want him to think that I am displeased by our arrangement, because I am not. I just hate the secrecy of it all."

"Well, perhaps you will not have to wait that much longer then. I think everything will turn out well in the end." I gave her a comforting hug and she departed for the night.

As it happened she did not have long to wait at all until she received her father's approval over the match. In May, the Marquess finally spoke to Colonel Llewellyn and they came to an agreement regarding Isabella. The Marquess was reluctant to enter into any engagement because of Isabella's age, she was barely sixteen and by no means old enough to become his wife. However, it was quite a decided thing that they both wanted to marry. Isabella of course objected to their pronouncement that she was too young. Eventually though she was made to see the sense in the compromise the Marquess and her father had come to, that their engagement would be announced, but they would not marry until she turned eighteen. She still bemoaned that two years was a dreadfully long time but there was nothing to be done. He stayed on the estate at Anglesey for the majority of his time over the next two years only departing when business called him away. It was quite funny, really, his house, Llysmaen, was really only a hunting lodge and had not the luxuries he was accustomed to.

With the engagement between Isabella and the Marquess settled Andrew Bagot finally went to speak with Colonel Llewellyn. He had the support of the Marquess on his side and Eleanor and Mr Andrew Bagot's engagement was announced to the world as well. Mrs Llewellyn did not seem to mind too much, "I hoped to see all my girls well married, but their own happiness is most important really and though Andrew may not be rich he truly loves Nora. Besides I think it very likely that with such impeccable connections as the Marquess of Gower he will not be a country clergyman for much longer. I should not be surprised if he eventually becomes a Bishop." She bubbled to me cheerfully only three days later.

Not to be completely forgotten in the round of engagements at Cresocartref House, was my own. It had been arranged between Darcy and myself that a public announcement would be made in June. Mrs Llewellyn found it first when she was looking over the news of Court, the engagements and obituaries, it was all she ever red: the gossip columns in The Times. She suddenly screamed loudly in shock threw the paper down, quickly picked it up again and demanded Eleanor's presence to come and read the announcement to her, "for I am sure they must have misprinted it, I would have known about it otherwise." she reasoned excitably.

Eleanor and Isabella both huddled over the paper, "You mean this one Mamma?" Isabella asked in an innocent voice, "Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy Esq. of Pemberley House, Derbyshire announces his engagement to Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

"Yes, yes that is the one. Miss Bennet what have you to say is it true?"

"Quite true ma'am." I assured her

"It is not put in very well, my dear. It does not even mention where you live or your parents or anything. You ought to have a word with that young man of yours."

"It was the announcement which we agreed upon."

"He consulted you first?"

"Of course ma'am."

"Well this is quite a turn of events. All my doing I suppose, if he had not stayed here then the two of you would never have become in engaged. I must say we have had some luck here recently. Well then my dear congratulations he is a charming young man you will do very well with him I dare say." she said perfectly cheerfully. I had feared her reaction slightly, she had seemed to want Eleanor to marry Mr Darcy but the announcement did not seem to bother her in the slightest.

Later, the night before I departed for the last time she came to visit me, "Now my dear, you must know that I look upon you quite as if you were my own daughter so I feel that it is my duty to speak to you on this subject…" The less said on that conversation the better I believe, but it was very sweet of her and it pleased me to know that she thought so highly of me. She even had a gift for me, something old, she explained it was a little yellow rose porcelain broach, "to go with my wedding gown" she said, for she hoped that I would marry in yellow, since apparently it became me so well.

I should not have worried about how Mrs Llewellyn would take the news at all. In all this time I had forgotten about Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Her nose had been pushed greatly out of joint by the announcement that her nephew was remarrying and once again his intended partner was not her daughter Anne; a girl who had been so perfectly formed for him. She sent me a letter by express articulating her displeasure in my actions and accusing me of trapping her nephew. She said that I had been scheming and plotting the whole time that he had been wed to that woman (she never could bring herself to address Lady Arabella properly). She accused me of having used my arts and allurements to entrap him and insisted that I break the engagement immediately. Truthfully, I was greatly shocked that she did not journey up from Kent to visit me, but she was getting old and frail by all accounts. She died several years later after a long withdrawn illness only living long enough to finally reconcile with her nephew and forgive him the terrible mistakes he had made. She did not attend the wedding, as she felt that her esteemed presence not being present was quite enough to convey her extreme displeasure.

Jane and Bingley came to collect me from Cresocartref and take me to London to shop for my trousseau. With them was their first child, a little girl, Clara. She was a tiny and angelic version of Jane; just as she looked as a baby, I imagined. Also there for the journey was Bingley's old spinster aunt who had come to live with them to help take care of the children. She was introduced to me as Aunt Biddy, and insisted that I address her in such an informal manner too; it was a testament to the easy going manners of the Bingley family. My goodbyes with the Llewellyn's were tearful they were after all a second family even though we would see them again as they were travelling down for the wedding.

We had a month in which we received calls of congratulations. Even Miss Bingley was perfectly cordial towards me; in return I treated her with politeness having long forgiven her for her behaviour towards me. Even for the embarrassment she had caused at Lady Arabella's dinner party. Jane and Aunt Gardiner dragged me round shop after shop buying gown after gown. I would never have believed, before, that shopping – a pass time that I had never objected to greatly – could be so very exhausting.

London had other benefits to it as well. I was able to see my fiancé regularly, which was a definite improvement on the weekly letters that had been endured for seven long months.

I was formally introduced to family members who before I had barely spoken with. The Earl and Countess of Matlock were perfectly friendly and good natured, very different from Lady Catherine and they had not the slightest objection to me. And to Darcy's other cousins, Viscount Shirley and his wife and Lady Harriette Claughton and her husband, the Colonel was once again absent, apparently abroad, his mother said that he sent his congratulations. We did not see him for years as he always seemed to be going in the opposite direction to us, sometimes I thought that he was purposefully avoiding us. He spent a lot of time at Rosings and finally married Anne.

Georgiana and Lord Tyndale announced their intentions to be married soon, by Christmas they hoped. No one was surprised by their revelation and we all offered our congratulations to them. Henriette commented later that she was now the only one of us all that was left single. Remembering that only a year before I possessed a similar feeling myself I reassured her once again that everything would turn out well in the end. And it did, she married when she was twenty-two, to the Duke of Rochester, not the same one who had nearly married her elder sister. But a distant cousin of his who had inherited the title once the late Duke's life of debauchery led him to an early grave. The history of her courtship is too long a one to repeat here, but needless to say she found happiness.

My wedding was something of a surprise to me. I had been involved in the planning of course, and had settled that the wedding would take place in Pemberley's chapel. It was not quite what I had imagined in my younger years but there we have it. There was really no other choice, as I had no desire to be married in town and neither did Mr Darcy.

We set off just over a week before hand in the direction of Pemberley, Jane and Bingley were with us. The Gardiners would arrive a few days before the wedding with the Thursfields. Apparently, Mr Thursfield could not leave the parish for an extended period at the present but they would not miss the wedding for the world, Kitty had written to me apologetically.

After only half a days travelling I begun to recognise the countryside, it was familiar, but not the direction of Derbyshire that I had remembered taking before. I turned to the others who had been watching me carefully, "Why it is Hertfordshire?" I exclaimed with a great deal of wonder, "What are we doing in Hertfordshire, Fitzwilliam, Jane? Are we not going in the wrong direction should we not be in Bedfordshire now?" Jane shook her head with a smile.

"No Elizabeth not today." Darcy said taking my hand, I looked sharply at him.

"Why not?"

"Just wait and see my dear," he said with a mysterious smile.

There was not long to wait before we pulled up outside the front of Longbourn. I had a feeling that it was our intended destination but Fitzwilliam had teasingly refused to say one way or the other, when I had attempted to guess. Charlotte was standing outside the front of the house with her daughter Lucy tugging on her hand. Mrs Hill carrying Walter, Mr Collins had come to wait for us at the bottom of the drive and bowed and waved like mad. "Lizzy!" Charlotte rushed towards me as soon as Darcy had helped me down from the carriage, "Oh I am so happy to see you again and you Jane." she greeted both of us with a kiss on the cheek. Before turning to the gentlemen, "Mr Darcy, Mr Bingley it is lovely to see you again."

"Mrs Collins, you look well," Bingley supplied her with his usual cordial manners.

"Mrs Collins we must thank you for your hospitality, it is very good of you."

"Oh it is nothing I assure you it will be…"

"Mr Darcy," here Mr Collins who had finally caught us up interrupted puffing and panting. "We would of course always offer such an esteemed personage as yourself our humble hospitality, particularly considering the generous condescension which your Aunt the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh was so kind as to bestow on my dear Charlotte and myself. The valuable rectory of this parish rectory at Rosings Park, Hunsford Cottage was most comfortable and suitable for the needs of my dear Charlotte and I before we came to inherit Longbourn from my late, poor, unfortunate cousin Bennet. We would of course never deny you admittance into our house and may I congratulate you on you engagement to my cousin Elizabeth. Who if I am able to make any amends for removing her from her childhood home I would of course always be eager to attempt at reconciliation. And what you condescended to ask me was no trouble at all. No indeed, no trouble of all, we would always be glad to have such illustrious guests staying…"

"My dear," Charlotte finally interrupted his ramblings and invited us inside for refreshments. They had made a few changes since arriving at Longbourn, nothing too drastic though. That altered was mostly of Mr Collins instructions, in the library he had done terrible things, not only had he got rid of the novels – I had taken those with me when I left – oh no, he had committed sins worse than that. He had proceeded to get rid of the science books, as well as Shakespeare, poetry and the lovely hand illustrated version of The Canterbury Tales that had been Papa's pride and joy. All that was left were sermon books and Latin and Greek. He was reading to Lucy from them already.

Left alone to walk in the gardens later that afternoon Darcy finally revealed the plan to me. "We are to marry from the church at Longbourn, my darling. All the guests already know and will be here on the day. I know how much you wanted to be married from your childhood church though you said nothing. Mrs Collins was quite amenable to the plan and us and the Bingleys staying at the house until the wedding. Kitty and the others felt that it would be best if we did not overcrowd them all at once that is why they delayed their journey. Do you mind, that we have been planning behind your back? Will it spoil your plans too much? If it does then I am sure that Mrs Reynolds would not mind…"

"No, no it is perfect my love, a wonderful surprise I cannot believe that you managed to keep me so much in the dark though." I silenced his explanation with a quick kiss. "Though I might add, that in future, I would like to be consulted on all matters. Otherwise I might find myself in Russia without knowing it." I said with an impertinently raised eyebrow.

We walked on for a little while when a thought that had been troubling me for goodness knows how long re-entered my head. When he had proposed to me why had he said that he had not meant to speak yet and why further more did he not think that I would be favourably inclined? Finally, I stopped and popped a few buds on the fuchsia bush, asked him why he had said that – I suppose in retrospect it was not the best proposal yet still somehow it was. "I would have thought it obvious to you Elizabeth." he replied with surprise, but on me shaking my head quizzically he continued. "I simply did not think that I had the right to speak to you on such a subject, it seemed disrespectful to you as well as Lady Arabella."

"Oh?"

"I had completed my period of mourning it is true but it was not fair to rush into an engagement so soon, no matter my own feelings. It would have been prudent of me to wait at least a few months more before saying anything to you on the matter."

"And when would that have been? You might never have even seen me again."

"It is true the thought did cross my mind, but it was not likely."

"You could have come to Cresocartref House." I suggested, "How very convenient that you were an acquaintance of theirs. If Lord Tyndale had arranged my position you may not have had that luxury." I commented with just a hint of archness, "How very convenient for you."

"I never intended to do such a thing. It was shear coincidence that I knew of their search for a governess, that is all. Beside if I had had no encouragement from you then I should never have assumed as much as to just arrive on the Llewellyn's doorstep." He continued seriously, though I knew full well that he was teasing, or he then added, "But I think it was very clever of me to keep you away from any other men."

"Yes very clever indeed, I rolled my eyes, "tuly it was very fortunate that Mr Bagot, Mr Randal and the Marquess' affections were already engaged when I met them."

"And even more fortunate that we have such scheming relatives." He added with a grin.

"Do you think?"

"Probably not as much as your scheming." He continued to tease me.

"My scheming?" I laughed lightly, "Mr Darcy, I never once schemed."

"No, but you scared me into submission."

"Submission indeed!" I shook my head and tried to suppress a grin. "It is not my fault you are such a wimp, believing in your own ghost stories."

"A wimp, am I?" He cast me a serious look, which was almost disapproving. But the sparkle in his own eye told me he was teasing me. "Then I wonder why you chose to accept me?"

"Your great estate?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"And there I was thinking that you were different from any other woman of my acquaintance, it seems I was mistaken madam, a pity is it not?" He grimaced, his eyes still betraying him.

"Yes a very great pity." I nodded my head solemnly in agreement to his statement. "However, it is not too late for you to back out."

"I could, but I fear even Bingley would have my head for that. Besides, in truth I believe that I love you too much to let you go again." He finally spoke in all seriousness, I stopped and looked up at him, my own soft smile mirrored upon his own face.

"That is a very good thing."

"Why is that Elizabeth?" He bent his head down towards my ear as he spoke.

"Well it is not really your grand estate, but you, that I love the most."

Epilogue

Our wedding was perfect… to me at least. I shall not sport with your intelligence by describing it in too great a detail, for it was really no different to any other wedding that had occurred either before or after. It was simply a late summer country wedding. Yet, to me it was perfect with my friends and family all there and most importantly the man who I loved, who that day became my husband and not my master.

It was frowned on; I will not even try to deny it. Even though the majority of his family were welcoming to me, the same could not be said for the majority of society. However, not for the reasons I had imagined. Most seemed to ignore that I had been a governess instead they were more concerned by the gossip that I had been his mistress before we married. Lady Newlyn had been the one to spread the rumour and frankly, I think she should have been more respectful to her late sister's memory than to do such a thing. But I am sure she would reason that juicy gossip must be told. It was, I suppose, fortune that we were now married. That undid at least some of the shame of my position. We did not have to bear under the shunning for long however, Lord and Lady Matlock would not have it so and they were too important in the ton to be ignored. We did not spent a great deal of time in town anyway mostly preferring to remain in the country within our family circle.

The Sutton children we decided, it may surprise you to learn, were left at school. Priscilla was perfectly at home there and so too was Roberta once her friendship with Emma blossomed. It seemed a shame to remove them from their friends. Thomas on the other hand was more of a concern. It was unusual for a boy only six years old to be at school already and by all accounts he was something of a handful, but in the long term, the discipline he received there did him good. He has become a most respectable young man.

The children never had a settled home which was unfortunate, but does not seem to have affected them at all that they divided their holidays between Darcy and I, Henriette and the Duke, Georgiana and Tyndale, and the Countess of Newlyn and her husband.

They have grown up to be fine and respectable, Priscilla achieved her dearest wish, she was a stunning beauty at eighteen and was quickly snatched up by her cousin the Viscount. Roberta, never quite the beauty her sister was, improved as she grew older the straw coloured hair she and Thomas both had darkened considerably it complimented her turquoise eyes far better. She is married now to marry a young man of moderate means, Mr Wilmot and she are very happy together. Both the girls have children of their own which makes me feel very old indeed. Thomas is to come of age any day now we are just waiting for him to complete his tenure at University before he takes complete control of Allcotte. When that time comes it is likely that he will announce his engagement to Rachel.

Little Rachel has transformed into a lovely young lady she has the good looks of her mother and father without their poor temperaments. Instead she acts like the sweet and guiding elder sibling of Kitty and Mr Thursfield's four children. She knows little of her real parents and though her situation has never been purposefully concealed to most of the world she is Rachel Thursfield the daughter of a country clergyman. In turn the rest of us really know very little about her father whatever happened to Wickham he has sunk into obscurity never having married an heiress as he envisioned or apparently suffering for his misdeeds. Occasionally Rachel has wondered if she has any real brothers or sisters but not often she is happy with her other Mother and Father and Samuel, Abigail, Daniel and Estelle.

There are two people missing. Two people who I cannot conclude this tale without mentioning them one last time, for there have been two sisters who I have neglected completely for the greater part of my story. Mary we had heard little from her indeed there was very little to tell of her until recently when she arrived at Pemberley one day while we were hosting a picnic. As we all knew she had gone to France to join a convent. But decided not to take the veil and instead after several months left the convent and went to India to work as a missionary. There she had met with the Reverend Doctor Thompson and married him about eight years ago now. They had two daughters, twins Talitha and Miriam, and decided that the climate was not the best for raising young children. So they, had returned to England when they had news of a new rectory waiting for Dr Thompson to take over. On their arrival in London they had gone straight to Gracechurch Street only to find that another family now inhabited the house. They had kindly supplied Mary and her family with the Gardiner's new place of residence a small estate just outside Lambton. From there she had been taken to meet her family at Pemberley it was a happy reunion to see that everything had worked out so well for Mary.

And Lydia too, she was dead of course. And Wickham, Rachel's father had vanished from the country without a trace, what happened to him I truly cannot say. But we must spare a thought for Lydia. For had she not run away I would never have been so fortunate as to be reunited with my husband. We named our first child for my sister, as a mark of gratitude; she lived only a week and lies next to generations of Darcys now. Every week at church we pass her tiny grave and I spare a thought for my daughter and sister too.

She is not the only child who we have had in fifteen years. Five more followed Lydia Darcy. William, Ben, Elizabeth, Peter and Adele. There was a seventh child we would sometimes call our own; Jane and Bingley's third and last child, Flora, spent her earlier years with us. Following her rather difficult birth and Jane's subsequent illness I had just had Lizzy and as a favour we took Flora too. Lizzy and Lorry are practically inseparable. Our children are more brothers and sisters to her than Clara and Jack, I have sometimes heard said, but I would doubt it. There and hundreds more cousins and nephews and nieces and grandchildren too. Not ours yet though some day soon there will be if I were to list them all you would likely be very bored.

When reading to me once, many years ago now, Georgiana said that when one embarked upon telling their history if the task is to be done well then they must be in possession of Irish humour Scottish prudence and English sincerity. I should hope that I have fulfilled those requirements. Though I am not entirely certain what exactly Irish humour is. I would like to think that there has been at least a little wit, for my tale has been both sincere and prudent, at least I possess two of the above criteria. In any case it shall be left to you, the reader, to be the judge of that because I have told all there is to tell and so the last words I have left to write on these pages are nothing more than,

The End.