This has taken me a very long time to get out. Over a year in fact. In the time since I last posted I have had a son, who is now a year old, and have beaten at the husbot with a stick repeatedly while trying to get an hour on the computer to get some work done on this story. Unfortunately, we only have one computer these days and his university coursework takes precedence over my fanfiction. Now that my oldest in in pre-school three hours a day I have eagerly awaited the day that my youngest falls asleep so that I can grab some writing time. Today is that day and I have decided to give everything a very quick wrap up rather than continue on with no idea when I might be able to get to the computer to write more. It's rushed, I know, and for that I apologise, but I want to be able to label it complete rather than have it continue to hang over my head. I have another fic in the works at the moment, all handwritten in a notebook, which I will type up in its entirety before I even consider trying to post. Hopefully I won't suffer the same disastrous luck with computers this time as I have been for so long in the past.

The task of finding a section of Pemberley to convert for Mrs Wickham's personal use proved to be far more difficult than either she or Mrs Darcy had anticipated. Although Mr Darcy had been more than happy to promise them whatever funds and resources they might require it finally proved to be too much for either as the magnitude of Mrs Darcy's proposition became truly apparent. Not one to abandon an idea without fully exploring all the options, however, Elizabeth applied to her husband for his full opinion on the matter. It quickly became very clear to him that while the sacrifice of an entire floor in the guest wing would be of no hardship to any of them, none being overly prone to invite large numbers of guests to the house, Mrs Wickham was becoming less enthused about the idea of breaking apart her family home. To make it truly a place of her own would require private access to the rooms below and an entrance separate from the main one. The task, he feared, would take a long time to complete and he had seen enough of his sister's altered character to know that she may not be happy with them even then.

So Mr and Mrs Darcy had once again put forth the idea that Mrs Wickham might, instead, have the dower house for her personal use. Initially resistant to the idea, eventually they managed to persuade her to at least take a tour of the house so that they might all see what state of repair the building was in. Having not been used since the death of the Darcy siblings grandmother some eight months after Mr Darcy's birth it took a week for Mrs Reynolds and her staff to make it ready for an inspection by the master and mistress. As expected it was outdated, almost more so than it should have been. The furniture, though sound, would need new coverings at the very least, the curtains all needed to be replaced and the wallpaper was hanging off the walls in places after nearly three decades of neglect.

It was a great surprise to all, therefore, when Mrs Wickham declared that she would happily take possession of the house once only a few rooms had been made over for her use and while the rest of the place was brought up to date. The Darcy's protested but she was quite adamant enough that they relented before they had even left to return to Pemberley. Mrs Wickham had no memories of this house, good or bad, and she could see herself quite happy here, even enough that in a few years she might feel confident enough to join her brother and sister in Town for the little season should they so desire it.

Mr Darcy could be forgiven for wanting the work on the main bedroom, a nursery, parlor and kitchen to take as long as possible. As it was, however, it took a little more than a month to make the house fit for habitation and to find two maids, a cook and a housekeeper to undertake the primary positions in the house. Mrs Wickham moved in five weeks after, content with the few rooms she had immediate use of. She dedicated much of her time there, in that first year, to rediscovering the young woman she might have been but for the deception of George Wickham. She once again began to explore those accomplishments that she had dedicated so much of her youth to achieving. Able to indulge in that which her husband had deemed 'a frivolous waste of money' she had once again realised that joy in creating a beautiful piece of needlework or a well played song. It was not long until the house was full of music each morning and less time still for that sound to change from a melancholy one to one of utter happiness and contentment.

She doted upon her daughter, and when a nephew was born to her brother and sister eighteen months after their marriage she found a new joy in joining them for a few hours each day. This infrequent exposure to a truly loving marriage was more beneficial to her than months in the same house had been for no matter whether her visit was expected or not they always behaved with the same love and respect towards one another.

Many changes happened over the course of the following year. Mrs Darcy's father survived only three months after the birth of his first grandchild, long enough to be certain this favourite daughter truly was married to the best of men. He was found in his book room one afternoon, with a book in one hand and a glass of port beside him. He had passed with a smile in his favourite place and employed in that which he most enjoyed. Unfortunately, Mr Collins showed no hesitation in casting the rest of the Bennets from the house as soon as the opportunity arose. Although he received a great deal of censure from the local families, and his wife was most distressed by his actions, he would not be moved to allow the family to see the first six months of their mourning in the peace of their home. Mary, to the surprise of all, remained at Netherfield with the Bingleys, a house she was married from as soon as was proper to her Uncle's clerk.

Not wishing for Mrs Bennet and her younger daughters exuberant natures to interfere with Georgiana's recovery Mr and Mrs Darcy accommodated them in Darcy House in Town until a house could be found for them. At the insistence of the younger girls and the indulgence of the mother a house was taken for them in Brighton. Far from learning the nature of her own insignificance, that her youthful beauty was not out of the common way after all or that her dowery was of too small a portion to make her attractive to a soldier as little more than a flirtation at best, Lydia's unchecked ways rapidly made her a great favourite. A young officer quickly caught her eye and they were married after a whirlwind romance.

She was widowed within a year but contrary to the expectations of her family she did not apply to her wealthier brother and sister for aid. Instead she went to the more gentle sister, where she spent some time recovering from her much reduced circumstances. She married the third son of a tradesman, a friend of Mr Bingley's, and lived a happy life quietly helping to run his small shop

Katherine did not remain at home long after her younger sister. Without Lydia's influence she was quickly noted to be of a quieter nature, a young woman who had acted out only to be noticed. She had visited the Darcys regularly, her weak lungs almost as affected by the air in Brighton as they were by that in Town. The hot crush of frequent balls and parties and the sea bathing her mother pressed her to partake in caused her to spend a winter in bed attended regularly by doctors paid for by her brother. Mrs Darcy came to the conclusion that remaining with her nervous mother, who had little thought for the health of her remaining daughter and only for finding her a husband, would only prove detrimental in the long run. Kitty was brought to Pemberley where she met the young man who held the living at Kympton. Their attraction to one another was immediate but frequent bouts of ill health meant that they did not marry for nearly two years. The same poor health also meant they were never able to have children, but for a woman who had always wished to be noticed and be the centre of one person's this was less of a hardship than one might believe. She was content, instead, to be aunt to her ever increasing number of nephews and nieces.

A great friendship grew between Katherine and Georgiana, each recognising something in the other of what might have been. Katherine saw the devastation of poor judgement, something that she was sure had affected Lydia, and Georgiana saw the young woman she had been. Shy, quiet, and desperate for some form of attention or recognition among other more prominent siblings. It was this friendship, more than any other influence, which allowed Mrs Wickham to heal well enough to once again enter society. She never remarried, not able to trust her self and her future to another man, but she did find a measure of peace.

Mrs Bennet was content to remain in Brighton, although she never quite forgave Mrs Darcy and Mrs Bingley for failing to ensure her younger daughters married rich men. She lived with her companion for a further eight years before she fell ill with a cold and never recovered.

Mr and Mrs Darcy would have three children. The Darcy name did not open as many doors in society as it once had. Perhaps if Darcy had not encouraged his sister to return to the family home the scandal of her elopement might have been put to one side and curiosity over his wife would have made the gossips that much quicker to pay a call upon them. As it was Elizabeth Darcy was decided as an eccentric young woman with an odd idea of how to protect her children from poor behaviour when they were allowed to associate with an aunt such as Mrs Wickham. That she had four sisters, only one of which had made a half decent marriage, was another mark against her. As a result the Darcys were able to enjoy only the company of their closest friends and never spent more time in Town than they felt was absolutely necessary. This was no great hardship for them, although the more sociable Mrs Darcy was occasionally heard to lament the distance from their family on the days when bad weather made Pemberley seem particularly isolated. They were saved from even this, however, when the Bingleys made the decision to sell Netherfield and move north. Even their good natures, it seemed, could not withstand close proximity to Mr Collins for long. Mrs Darcy's joy at once more having her sister in calling distance was only surpassed by the birth of her children and it was that happiness which followed her through the rest of her days.

Artemis