Page 58 of Kitty's Fortune

Epilogue

June 1, 1817

Georgiana Darcy walked down the church aisle towards the altar at the front of the church. Standing there, waiting for her, was David Scallon, the man who would very shortly be her husband.

It had been a long and difficult courtship, lasting nearly a year, complicated by the fact that he was a parson, someone Fitzwilliam had thought was too far beneath her to be a serious consideration, an idea that David had mistakenly believed as well.

They first met at an assembly in Lambton last summer. Before Fitzwilliam’s marriage, he would never even have considered attending such a thing, but Elizabeth had convinced him that it was a good way to get to know their neighbors better.

From the very first moment Georgiana had seen David dancing with someone else, she knew he was the perfect man for her. It was his manner, not his looks, that she fell in love with at first sight. He was friendly and cheerful, much like Mr. Bingley, but he was quieter, gentler, more sincere. She also knew that he would never court her, would never even ask her to dance. She was too far out of his sphere.

It took her most of the evening, but she eventually managed to gather enough courage to ask him to dance. He was surprised, but he agreed.

They didn’t meet often after that. His parsonage was in Trenton, a little village about four miles away from Pemberley, and a place Georgiana seldom if ever visited. She began making excuses to drive or ride in that direction, simply hoping to bump into him.

It had taken six full months to make him realize that none of their “accidental” meetings had been coincidence, but once he was fully convinced that Georgiana was deliberately attempting to attract his attention, he turned out to have just as much affection for her as she did for him.

Even then, their road wasn’t smooth. He could not call on her in any traditional sense, because Fitzwilliam refused to allow it. So, they continued to meet “accidentally,” though they began to plan these meetings.

Many times, Georgiana was tempted to simply elope with him. Since she was, by then, twenty-one, they wouldn’t even have to run away to Gretna Greene to do it, but her past with Mr. Wickham still haunted her, and she couldn’t bring herself to mention it. He never even made the suggestion.

Eventually, she requested help from her other guardian, her cousin, Richard, who was far less of a prig than Fitzwilliam. Even with his help, it took Georgiana two months to convince her brother to approve of her marriage to David.

Despite the delays and trials they faced, David was steadfast in his cheerfulness and affection for her, proving more every day that he was truly worthy of her placing her life in his hands.

As she reached the altar and turned to face him, a pure light of happiness shone from his eyes, and Georgiana felt it reflectedin her own face. Saying their vows before both man and God somehow cemented their bond, making their love for each other stronger, though only yesterday Georgiana would have been certain she could not love David any more than she already did.

A half-hour later, they arrived at the wedding breakfast, which was being held in Pemberley’s ballroom. Georgiana finally had enough presence of mind to actually look around her.

Elizabeth’s sisters, who Georgiana had come to regard as her sisters, had all agreed to attend. It wasn’t particularly difficult for Jane or Catherine, both of whom lived within a half-day’s journey. Lydia and Mary were a bit more difficult, since they were both much farther away. Additionally, money for travel wasn’t easy to come by for either of them.

Fitzwilliam had been kind enough to arrange transportation for both of them as well as their husbands and even Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, although the Bennets politely declined as neither of them liked to travel much these days.

On this most special day, Georgiana felt truly blessed to be surrounded by sisters when, for so long she had none.

Each of her sisters had brought at least one child with them, and Jane had her hands full with three. The nursery was full to bursting with little ones and their nurses. They even had to convert one of the spare bedrooms into a secondary nursery.

The oldest child in the nursery, of course, was Travis, who was now eleven. He quite doted on his younger sister, who was nearing her second birthday.

The Bingley children consisted of two boys and a girl, aged five, three, and six months. The Gouldings had one little boy, not quite two years old, and Mr. and Mrs. Benedict had brought both their daughters, though the younger one was only a few months old.

Elizabeth had finally managed to have a baby girl just last year after four years of not being able to have children. Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam had discussed with Georgiana the very real possibility that they might not have any more children, in which case they would likely leave Pemberley to Georgiana’s oldest boy, assuming she had one.

Though they all agreed that there was nothing wrong with a daughter inheriting the estate, they also agreed that such a valuable inheritance could very well doom her to either remain single or to suffer from an avaricious marriage. It was simpler to grant her a monetary dowry similar to Georgiana’s.

As Georgiana looked around her, she was filled with gratitude that she had lived a life full of love and joy. It had all started when she met Catherine at school ten years ago. It was the most fortunate meeting she could have wished for, since it had secured not only her own happiness, but that of Fitzwilliam and Catherine as well.

Thinking of her friend, Georgiana’s eyes sought her out. Catherine was standing close to her husband who was clearly saying something humorous, making Catherine giggle. It was odd. Catherine seldom laughed in public. The most she would ever reveal was a little smile or a twinkle in her eyes. However, Stephen frequently made her laugh. He seemed to take some sort of delight in making Catherine break out of her polite façade.

Georgiana never truly understood what Catherine saw in her cousin. She thought he was improper, rude, and a little selfish, but she couldn’t deny that he was still very much in love with her friend, and they were both happier in their marriage than either had been before.

She was shocked to see that, once Catherine had stopped laughing, Stephen put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. Such displays should remain private.

Georgiana glanced up at her new husband. His dark eyes were watching her with both amusement and affection. “You have a wonderful family,” he said.

“Yes, I do,” she answered. “I have been truly blessed in that way. Today, however, it is finally complete. I am the last of my sisters to get married, and you are the perfect addition.”

David shook his head. “I am most pleased to be a part of such a loving family, but you are wrong in thinking it is complete. Families are never complete. All you need to do is look around the nursery to understand. Each of those little ones has the potential to grow up, get married, and start families of their own, thereby making our family grow more and more as time goes by. It is both invigorating and humbling to know that you and I are only a small part of a very, very large family, just as God made us.”

This was exactly what Georgiana loved most about her husband. Yes, he loved her with all his heart, but he genuinely cared about all people. He was truly a good leader of his flock, offering a useful and comforting perspective to help them all cope with life’s challenges.

On an impulse, Georgiana took his hand and gently pulled him back out into the hall, which was mercifully empty.

She looked up into her husband’s eyes, which were twinkling. He knew what she was up to, but he waited for her to say it. “David, will you kiss me?”

“With all my heart,” he said.

And he did.

The End