“I see,” Elizabeth said.
“But this is not a topic for tonight,” he declared, and she scrutinised him to gauge his sincerity.
He smiled, kissed her hand, and helped her sit beside him.
“Elizabeth is concerned that I am troubled because of the news Mr Bennet gave us,” he quipped, observing his family around the table. “I am not. What we have experienced in recent times puts trivial matters into perspective. Truly, I care only about being here with you and celebrating our happiness together—and with the colonel, the Oakhams, and the Matlocks, who will arrive soon to complete our family.”
Darcy’s words lightened the mood, and soon, laughter, jokes, and amiable conversations filled the table.
And when, two days later, his family arrived, Pemberley fell into the rhythm of its happiest season in many years. In a short time, no one seemed to recall the precise ties of kinship; all that mattered was the joy of being together and the shared anticipation of Elizabeth and Darcy’s wedding.
During the day, each passed the time as they pleased, but dinner brought them all together, and the cheerful sound of conversation and laughter echoed throughout the house.
Despite her happiness, Elizabeth whispered to Darcy during such a meal a few days after the arrival of the last guests, “I shall not marry you without a proper proposal, even though you persuaded my parents to come and the banns are being read in our churches. I do not know a bride who has gone to her wedding without being asked.”
“And I shall not marry you without asking,” he said with a smile, rising to his feet and tapping his knife gently against the crystal glass to gather his family’s attention.
“This evening,” he declared in front of everybody, “the ladies will not withdraw. Instead, we shall all move to the first floor.”
The balcony, certainly the finest place to look out over the wide gardens and far-off woods, now lay in shadow. No candles had been lit, and the darkness made the coming surprise feel all the more mysterious.
Then Elizabeth noticed a gathering on the garden paths. People from the Pemberley estate were arriving, not alone but with their families beside them. She could see children, who all stood in curious silence as if they were waiting for the most important event.
Elizabeth looked at Darcy, who smiled and invited her to be patient for another moment.
Then he took her hand, and at his signal, the night sky above Pemberley erupted in a spectacle of fireworks—a dazzling display of light, colour, and sound. Intricate patterns, painting the dark backdrop with vivid hues of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple; spherical chrysanthemums that bloomed across the sky to cascading willows that gracefully fell like glittering rain, eliciting gasps of wonder and admiration from those who had never before witnessed such a marvel.
The spectacle lasted a long time, continuously punctuated by the wonder and delight of those present.
Now, waiting for quiet to descend, Darcy turned to Elizabeth and asked in a murmur that only she heard, “Miss Elizabeth Bennet, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
Still under the spell of the colourful lights, she turned to him and answered, “Yes, Mr Darcy, I shall be your wife!”
Then, ensuring everybody heard what he said, he spoke with evident delight, “Dear all, Pemberley has a new mistress! Let us celebrate my future wife, Elizabeth Bennet!”
And the celebration began.
Epilogue
It was late at night when Darcy and the colonel exchanged a discreet glance, and the two men slipped away through a side door they had often used in their youth to leave the house unnoticed. Laughing like a pair of schoolboys, they settled on a bench by the lake, though even there, the cheerful voices of their families reached them, for all the windows stood open.
“You have no idea how happy I am!” the colonel said.
“I suspected as much,” Darcy replied with a smile, though the emotion in his voice betrayed him. He was deeply grateful to his cousin and friend, who had never ceased urging him not to abandon the idea of making Elizabeth his wife.
“If not for you, I might not be this happy today,” he said at last.
“If not for your pride, you would have been married long ago,” the colonel chided him gently.
“Beyond pride I found her… However, the struggle only made this day more beautiful,” Darcy replied, at which the colonel burst into laughter.
“Only you could utter such nonsense. You nearly lost her—but what does that matter now? Still, you should know I was not the only one who conspired for the sake of your match.”
He spoke with certainty, for this time, it was no blunder but a truth Darcy was meant to hear.
“What are you saying?” Darcy asked, though he seemed only partly attentive, for Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner had just appeared on the terrace.
“I am saying it was a complex scheme, with contributions from the entire family.”
