Epilogue
March 1826, Oak Hollow
Elizabeth and Darcy were not alone on this morning’s ride. It stood to reason that the children of two who loved horses as much as they did would also enjoy all things equestrian.
Although they rode Penny and Zeus occasionally, their horses had slowed a few steps. Even though the former could still run away from the latter, the two Darcy parents rarely raced the two senior horses any longer. They both rode offspring of the two—who were far more equal in speed than Penny and Zeus used to be—when not riding their older horses.
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Unsurprisingly and fittingly, their first born arrived in February 1812, only a few days after her namesake’s birthday. Elizabeth and Darcy had named her Anne de Bourgh Darcy. Thankfully unlike her late cousin, Anne was as healthy as any child ever. Anne looked much like her Aunt Giana and her late grandmother who had had the same name as herself. Rather than the Fitzwilliam blue eyes like her aunt and late grandmother, Anne was gifted the same emerald-green eyes as well as her mother’s stature.
From her birth, Jenki had been Anne’s nurse and later her, and the rest of the Darcy children’s governess. She felt a special affinity to Anne and with Miss Darcy’s fourteenth birthday, Jenki had become her companion.
On her birthday past, Anne had been informed Rosings Park was part of her dowry. Her sisters had forty thousandpounds each while Anne had a quarter of that, but when added to her estate, her dowry was enormous. Like her mother before her, the estate would be managed by trustees, made up of her father, grandfather, and some of her uncles, until she reached the age of five and twenty or married. Their firstborn, Anne, was recently fourteen, and thankfully as yet, had not shown any interest in the opposite sex besides as brothers, cousins, or other relatives.
Ben, named Bennet Edward, had been born in April 1814. At the age of eleven—or as he reminded one and all—almost twelve, he was already taller than his petite mother and older sister. If one looked at a portrait of his father at the same age, it would be hard to tell them apart.
Having relinquished his pony to one of the twins, Ben had just graduated to a cob. Like Anne before him, he had begun riding Hector until the pony was put out to pasture. Hector’s life had ended three years previously. He had been mourned as much by Elizabeth as her children who had all ridden him. The faithful pony had been buried under a tree in one of the fields near the stables at Pemberley so he could be visited at will.
Robert and Bethany had joined the family in November 1815. Much to her father’s delight, firstborn of the two, Beth as she was called, was very much like her mother in character and looks, except for one thing, she had the Darcy height and would be as tall as her Aunt Giana one day. Ben’s pony had been seconded by Beth as it was larger than hers, which had waited for more Darcys to be born before being ridden regularly again.
There had been no more little Darcys for four years after the twins, but in January 1820, Jane Darcy had arrived. She had been followed by the babe of the family—so far—Franny, named Francine, in May 1822.
Jane was very much like her namesake in character, and would be tall just like Aunt Jane, but she had her mother’s hair colour and father’s slate blue eyes. Franny was her mother inevery way except hair and eyes. She had golden blonde hair with hazel eyes.
As they had for many years now, John Biggs and Brian Johns, among others, were watching from not far off. They would go wherever the mistress went, but they had a large team of guards. Over the years, with each addition to the family, Darcy had told the two to employ more former soldiers, marines, and sailors. Thankfully to date they had never had an incident where the men had needed to employ their particular skills.
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“Elizabeth, dearest, it does not feel strange for you to be at Oak Hollow when it belongs to our sister and brother, does it?” Darcy asked his wife as she sat on her mount which stood next to Zeus.
“No, it seems right that the estate should have been purchased by one of the family. My Mama and Papa had no need for three estates and as we have seen, Catherine and Charles have been excellent stewards of Anne and Sir Lewis’s estate,” Elizabeth replied as she looked over the field where their older children and some of their cousins were racing reminiscent of the races she and her beloved husband used to have.
“Bingley quickly became a very able and conscientious estate manager,” Darcy opined.
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The riding party on this day included some of the Bingley cousins. The now Catherine Bingley, then still Bennet, had asked not to be called Kitty after she came out in London.
Like her sister Mary, when Catherine came out, her parents had informed her suitor he could not declare himself until after her nineteenth birthday. Just as had been the case with her sisters before her, by the time Catherine turned nineteen she had no doubt of his constancy or of her ownfeelings. Bingley had proposed and been accepted at the end of May 1813. The wedding had been in August of that year.
Bingley had been looking for an estate to purchase and both he and his wife had preferred to stay in one of the counties around Hertfordshire. Fanny and Bennet had offered them Oak Hollow at a much reduced price, which the Bingleys had accepted after trying to argue, and losing said argument, they should pay the market price. With the money he saved, Bingley purchased a small to medium sized neighbouring estate which added thirty percent more land to his estate and a commensurate increase in his income.
Their first child, Charles, called Charley, had been born two years, almost to the day, after their wedding in August 1815. Being only a few months older than the Darcy twins they and he were very close.
The first Bingley daughter was born in April 1817. She was named Hildebrand, called Hildy, for Aunt Bingley who lived with the family at Oak Hollow. Hildy’s sister Mariane was born in December 1818. A second son, James, joined the family in May 1821.
Until Catherine had felt the quickening which proved she was increasing again, she had thought she would not bear another. She was at the manor house heavy with child and being attended by her husband and their mother while their father relaxed in the library.
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Bennet and Fanny were as happy and in love as they had been at any time in their long, loving marriage. Longbourn was more prosperous than it had ever been, thanks to a combination of the master and his extremely competent steward. Longbourn was willed to the oldest grandson who would not receive his own estate. The will requested, not demanded, that grandson add Bennet to the end of his name to carry on the Bennet name at Longbourn.
For travel purposes, their family was thankfully situated in only two general geographic areas. As travel became harder with age, it was gratifying that those distant from Hertfordshire were to be found within a few hours of one another. With three daughters and their families in close proximity to Longbourn, it was very seldom the Bennet matriarch and patriarch were not surrounded by grandchildren.
Even though he was approaching his eighth decade—he would reach it two years hence—Bennet still felt as healthy as he had for the last few years. He could not do as much as he had been able to when he was younger, but that was to be expected and the natural order of things.
Although her hair was streaked with grey, just past the middle of her sixth decade, Fanny felt well. She was as beautiful as she had ever been, a few wrinkles notwithstanding.
