“Then let us see this marriage take place here, in the church founded by our ancestor, in three—”
“Pray, make it four,” murmured Elizabeth.
“Four days, then,” the duke said like a sort of royal edict that could not be changed.
The two lovers, overwhelmed by thrill, took each other’s hands before him as though he were the priest officiating their marriage. The duke smiled, inclining his head slightly, a gesture of complete acceptance of their union.
“One more thing!” the duke finally said, and Darcy wondered what was left to decide. Still, he already had complete confidence in the Duke of Blandford, his blood father.
“With or without that registry page, you are my first son, and you have the right to a title. The first Duke of Blandford was the illegitimate son of James I. In the present situation, even if you are considered my illegitimate son—and I hope Anne will forgive me for saying that!—you are entitled to be a member of the peerage. The Prince Regent will understand the situation, and I am sure that, after a decent period, you will receive a title. The Marquess and Marchioness of Pemberley is what I have in mind…”
“Well, sir. Is it marchioness enough for my splendid wife?” Darcy asked, and the duke burst into laughter.
“Sorry, Elizabeth, your future husband was offered a dukedom, and he refused!”
Chapter 23
“Oh, how much there is to do!” exclaimed Jane when Elizabeth and Darcy informed her of the wedding that was to take place in just a few days. Yet the mild reproach in her words was but a veil for the immense joy that had enveloped the household.
Messages flew swiftly to the Gardiner family, Longbourn, and Meryton, for the entire family was invited. To Elizabeth’s delight, Darcy anticipated their arrival and expected them to stay under his roof. It was a gesture of peace that gladdened her heart beyond words. Yet, at the same time, she was prepared to curb any attempt by Mrs. Bennet to meddle in her new family’s affairs, just as she had already done with Jane and Mr. Bingley.
With the whole family gathered, the dining room—which had seemed vast to Elizabeth upon her first evening in Darcy’s home—now felt almost too small to contain them all. Yet her greatest joy was seeing the ladies of her family so thoroughlydelighted. Mary had retreated into the library and emerged only for meals, while Mrs Bennet and Kitty found themselves surrounded by seamstresses who performed wonders in a mere two days.
On the eve before the wedding, the duke extended an invitation to Lady Edwina, the Darcys, and Elizabeth for an afternoon gathering to acquaint them with his children.
They entered the drawing room with nervous anticipation, uncertain what awaited them. Only Lady Edwina smiled, for she had prepared the entire affair alongside the duke.
Awaiting them were Louis, the Marquess of Brimpsfield, Lady Harriet, and Ralston, the duke’s second son, visibly confounded. Their father had spoken nothing of the nature of this meeting. Obviously curious, all three of them were suddenly touched by apprehension when meeting their guests they did not know.
However, when they turned to the duke, they seemed prepared to hear what he had to say with the confidence that showed how much they respected and loved their father.
Having already weathered all possible emotions and knowing the result, Elizabeth studied them intently as the duke spoke. His voice carried the weight of sentiment, though it lacked the raw turmoil that had gripped him only days before when talking to them.
However, the revelation struck like a thunderclap for his children—utterly unforeseen, utterly staggering.
They gazed in astonishment at Darcy, their expressions shifting as the story unfolded.
Yet the duke allowed them no time to dwell upon their surprise and bewilderment. There was no reason for them to fear Darcy. And, in mutual accord with Lady Edwina and Darcy, the duke withheld the knowledge of his intent to restore Darcy’s rightful claim. Yet the document he held in his hands, signed inthe church, was proof enough that Darcy might have possessed such a right.
“To keep this story, which has already spanned thirty years, from growing any longer,” the duke finally said, “Fitzwilliam has a father whom he has loved and will always love dearly. He desires nothing more than to carry forward the legacy of Mr. George Darcy. He lays no claim to the title nor to our—your—inheritance. And with that, the legal matter is settled.”
With measured movements, he tore the parish register fragment into small pieces. His butler gathered the remnants and departed with them. Only then did the three young heirs exhale in relief, casting a look of trust and gratitude upon Darcy and Elizabeth.
“I wished you to know the truth,” the duke continued, “because Fitzwilliam resembles me enough to raise questions, particularly since our lives shall henceforth be entwined as one family. That is my wish—one that all of you, Fitzwilliam, Louis, Georgiana, Harriet, Ralston, and as of tomorrow, Miss Bennet, shall honour and uphold. You shall live together, and you shall raise your children together.”
At that moment, as the atmosphere lightened, Harriet rose, stepped towards Darcy, and embraced him. Then, before the tear-filled eyes of Lady Edwina and the duke, the entire family followed suit. Louis, looking Darcy in the eye, simply said, “Thank you.”
And when the duke approached Darcy, the three young heirs were struck once more—for their undeniable resemblance.
“London will take notice,” murmured Harriet, slightly anxious.
“London would do well to show some decency for once,” Lady Edwina declared with confidence. “And should it fail to do so, the Duke will have ways to silence its whispers.”
Thus, the celebration of Elizabeth and Darcy’s wedding began that evening in the house of the Duke of Blandford, Darcy’s father, and in the presence of all his newfound siblings.
Epilogue
The night of the Season’s ball at the Duke of Blandford’s residence finally arrived, and it was said that an invitation to the event was the most valuable in London society. Mr and Mrs Darcy wanted all their family to benefit from that privilege, and their guest list included the Bennets, Jane and Bingley, and most surprisingly, the Hursts and Miss Bingley. It was an intelligent ruse on Darcy’s part—he told them that Elizabeth added their names to the list, letting them see that from that moment on, Elizabeth could remove them in the future. A small revenge that brought smiles to Jane’s face as she still feared her future sisters-in-law.
