Page 62

Book 2 Chapter 12

Jane Warburton never loved her husband. Their respect and affection grew but it never overwhelmed their hearts. It did not stop them having seven children, four of whom survived childhood. She lived a long and comfortable life, became a beloved mother, aunt and grandmother to her own and her sisters’ children.

Catherine Collins had not loved her husband when she married him. But like a glacier carving its way down a valley, she moulded her husband, and surprisingly quickly. In this she was assisted by Anne de Bourgh. The first, deeply secret, way was through the conversations between Miss de Bourgh and Mrs. Collins. Mr. Collins did not stand a chance against two such clever women. The second way was the different way that Miss de Bourgh dealt with Mr. Collins once her mother died.

As expected, Darcy’s marriage to Elizabeth had not been well received. But the first Lady Catherine knew of it was the notice in The Times. She shouted for days afterwards but everyone knew it was nothing but verbal froth. She never forgave the couple but they were unconcerned at this. Lady Catherine’s indulgent lifestyle caught up with her and she died in her sleep within a year of the Darcys’ wedding. And despite the illness of her youth Anne de Bourgh defied the expectations of her family, and even her doctors, and lived for another 23 years. She was the godmother to the Collins’ oldest daughter and when Anne passed away, Catherine Collins was inconsolable. The frail, sickly lady had helped Catherine in her marriage, from survival at first, to a long happy passionate marriage.

Mary Hughes, despite being the daughter of a woman who birthed five children, was infertile. She and her husband tried desperately for years to conceive. But it was not to be. They were sad but were swamped with children from both sides of their family. Randolph Hughes was one of seven children, five sons and two daughters, and they all married and all had multiple children. Mary’s three oldest sisters also had multiple children. It turned out that Randolph and Mary Hughes were uncle and aunt to 39 children. They never admitted it to each other but they both had the thought that children were all well and good but it was nice to close the door on them at the end of a visit. He ended up as the Bishop of Bath and Wells, his ambitions fulfilled with the help of his wife.

As for the remaining Bennet daughter? She was allowed to go to Brighton and behaved as expected when no longer under the gaze of her parents. Not that they had done much to rein her in. She allowed herself to be persuaded to elope, which was nothing but a ruse to deprive her of her virtue. They were both disappointed. It was not an elopement, nothing but a tawdry encounter, but Lydia’s virtue was long gone anyway. The scandal was hushed up through the combined offices of several of her brothers-in-law and she was shipped off on the Fisher Fleet to India. She ensnared a young man of modest fortune and was never heard from again. Most of her sisters’ children did not even know she existed.

Charlotte Bingley moved from Hertfordshire to Herefordshire. The estate that Charles Bingley purchased had been neglected for more than a generation. But it had potential and the two of them were prepared to undertake the hard work needed. Their plans were constantly interrupted by Charlotte’s remarkable fecundity. She was pregnant every year for the first nine years of her marriage, which limited how much she could assist her husband. As rather goes without saying, they had a long and very passionate marriage.

At the age of 26 Charlotte Lucas was cynical about love and marriage, romance being the last thing on her mind. She spent the rest of her life marvelling at how all it took was the right man at the right time to make such cynicism seem ridiculous.

Charlotte Bingley loved and respected her husband but she did make one demand. His sister was not allowed to visit. A demand he was happy to agree to. Hurst had spent the whole of their remaining nine months at Netherfield Park writing increasingly desperate letters every month. Bingley was unmoved. In the end Lydia Bennet and Caroline Bingley were on the same liner to India. Lydia was at one end of the spectrum, happy, flirty and buxom. Whereas Caroline was the exact opposite, haughty, supercilious and so svelte as to appear boney. Both of them lacked character but Lydia made a comfortable marriage despite having a tiny dowry, whereas Caroline made a business arrangement of a marriage, and it would not have happened without her dowry. Neither was missed by their families.

At the start of 1811 the Bennet family had five unmarried daughters. By the end of 1812 all five were married, although the news had not yet reached Britain from India as to the last of them.

Were the parents happy? Alas no. Having five daughters married had been an oft-expressed goal of Mrs. Bennet. In part because it seemed so unlikely. The reality of living at Longbourn with no children present was totally different, most notably because they had to talk to each other. Only to discover they had nothing to say. And then there were the monthly letters from Mr. Collins. Bennet ignored them at first but Mr. Collins was not prepared to be cast aside. The next letter was to Paul Philips requesting that he remind Bennet of the requirements of the entail. The amount saved, reluctantly, from no longer having any children present was spent on the hiring of a Steward.

Thomas Bennet drank himself into an early grave, evidencing no interest in the estate to the last. The dower cottage was not yet complete and Fanny Bennet lived with her sister in Meryton until Paul Philips passed on. The two sisters lived in the dower cottage of the Longbourn estate for the rest of their lives.

William Collins the bachelor had dreamed of being the Master of Longbourn. William Collins the married family man chose his faith over material wealth. Catherine Collins was never the Mistress of Longbourn. They chose to remain at Hunsford while the estate was run by their Steward. It was leased out just like Netherfield Park and was inherited by their oldest son on his 21st birthday.

As for our dear couple? They played a very limited role in society until Georgiana was married. Once she was safely married to a Baron, they withdrew completely. They travelled extensively but their stays in London were infrequent. Each year they went on a tour round all the sisters. They stayed with Anne de Bourgh and saw Catherine. They stayed at Darcy House, the knocker not on, and saw Jane and the extended Warburton family. They moved west and stayed with Mary and her husband before finally visiting Georgiana in Worcestershire.

But the rest of the time they were in Derbyshire, maintaining Pemberley but also investing in the local community. They were active in promoting additional industry in the area, be it a dairy, or a brewery or a more industrial enterprise.

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“Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we had not met?”

Darcy’s question caught Elizabeth by surprise. She had to think for a minute.

“We were always likely to meet. You are Charles’ closest friend and he wanted to honour his father. Who else was he going to ask to educate him? If Jane had not been married then it could just as easily have been me that you insulted.”

“Would you have made a fuss like Miss Goulding?”

“No, I do not think so. We will never know but I do not like to show weakness. I was much more likely to bottle up my anger and been prejudiced against you for evermore.”

She smiled at her husband, grateful that Jane had been married.

Jane is

(Happily)

Married