It was a very happy day for Mrs. Bennet when her two most beautiful daughters got married. She was extremely proud when she visited Mrs. Bingley and spoke to others about Mrs. Darcy. Although her daughters were now successful, Mrs. Bennet did not become a wiser woman. She remained as silly and nervous as she had always been. Her husband, Mr. Bennet, did not seem to mind; he was used to her character.
Mr. Bennet missed Elizabeth very much. His love for her made him leave home more often than before. He loved to go to Pemberley, especially when he was not expected.
Jane and Bingley stayed at Netherfield for only one year. They decided to move because they lived too close to Mrs. Bennet and her gossiping friends. Bingley bought a large house in a nearby county, only thirty miles from Pemberley. This made Jane and Elizabeth very happy, as they could now see each other often.
Kitty also improved a lot. She spent most of her time with Jane and Elizabeth. In their company, she became more sensible and polite. Her father would not let her visit Lydia, even though Lydia often invited her to parties. Mary was the only daughter who stayed at home. She had to go out into society more often with her mother, but she didn't mind. She was happy that people no longer compared her to her sisters.
As for Lydia and Wickham, they did not change. They were still irresponsible and always needed more money. Soon after the wedding, Lydia wrote a letter to Elizabeth:
"My dear Lizzy, I wish you joy. I am so glad you are rich! When you have nothing to do, I hope you will think of us. I am sure Wickham would like a good job at court. We don’t have enough money to live on, so any help would be great."
Elizabeth did not ask Darcy to find a job for Wickham, but she often sent them money from her own savings. Lydia and Wickham moved from place to place, always spending more than they earned. Their love for each other soon faded, and they were often bored and unhappy. Although Darcy would not allow Wickham to visit Pemberley, he helped him in his career for Elizabeth’s sake.
Miss Bingley was very jealous of the marriage, but she wanted to keep visiting Pemberley. Therefore, she was very polite to Elizabeth and pretended to be her friend.
Georgiana Darcy lived at Pemberley with her brother and Elizabeth. The two women became very close. Georgiana was surprised at first to see how Elizabeth joked with Mr. Darcy. She had always looked up to her brother with a respect that was almost like fear. From Elizabeth, she learned that a wife can be playful and funny with her husband.
At first, Lady Catherine was very angry about the marriage. She wrote a very mean letter to Darcy, and they stopped speaking for a while. However, Elizabeth eventually convinced Darcy to forgive his aunt. Lady Catherine finally visited Pemberley because she was curious to see how Elizabeth acted as the mistress of such a great house.
The Gardiners were always the most welcome guests at Pemberley. Darcy and Elizabeth loved them sincerely. They never forgot that it was because of the Gardiners’ trip to Derbyshire that they had found each other again. At last, everyone found the happiness they deserved.
THE END