Darcy's Voyage: A Tale of Uncharted Love on the Open Seas (40 page)

“A moment, please,” Darcy said. He called out to one of the crewmen that was working in the dining room and asked if he could assist.

Elizabeth watched curiously as the man helped Darcy remove the sign.

Darcy thanked the man and he turned to Elizabeth, holding out the sign. “A remembrance for you.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Oh! Where should we hang it?”

“I am sure we will find the most suitable place for it!”

They walked out and as Elizabeth began walking toward the carriage, Darcy nudged her away from it. “Come, let us walk a ways along the harbour.”

Always eager for a walk, Elizabeth obliged. They engaged in small talk as they passed several ships. It was but a few moments later that Darcy stopped suddenly. Elizabeth looked at him curiously.

“Shall we go back, then?”

A furtive smile crept across Darcy’s face as he answered, “No.”

At Elizabeth’s questioning glance, he pointed to the ship moored directly in front of them.

Elizabeth turned and gasped when she found herself facing a smaller replica of
Pemberley’s Promise
. Darcy watched her face as her eyes travelled the length of the ship and fell upon the name engraved upon the front,
Pemberley’s Promise II
.

She looked at her husband, at the ship, and then back to her husband. “William, what is this?”

“This, my dear, is where I had planned to spend our wedding night.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Elizabeth, your wedding gift from me. Our own ship, with our own private cabin, to be captained by Wendell wherever we wish to go.”

“Our own ship?” Elizabeth’s eyes were wide and sparkled in delight.

Darcy nodded. “Would you like to see it?”

“Oh yes!”

The two walked aboard the ship as Darcy explained to her how he had come to London after she left Netherfield to make the arrangements to purchase this ship and sell the larger one. With Wendell desiring to sail more locally, he did not want the burden of finding another captain for
Pemberley’s Promise
. So he decided to sell and found this smaller ship, built by the same builder, and knew he had to have it.

As they boarded the ship, Elizabeth was surprised to see Wendell already onboard.

“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. Welcome aboard your new ship,
Pemberley’s Promise II
.”

After a short voyage onboard Pemberley’s Promise II sailing up and down the coast of England, they went on to their London townhome. Elizabeth was well pleased with it in all its aspects and could not suggest one change she would wish to make in it. She quickly became acquainted with all the staff and they all gave their hearty approval of the woman their master had chosen to marry.

Charles and Jane lived several years at Netherfield until finally a suitable manor was found for them to purchase a mere half hour’s carriage ride from Pemberley. In the years to come, the three Bingley children and four Darcy children grew up to be the closest of cousins.

Georgiana grew in her confidence and beauty, and after she was brought out into society, several men drew her attention and eventually she married the son of an earl who had the sweetest disposition and a respectable fortune that greatly complimented hers.

Kitty married next, a young gentleman from Hertfordshire who owned a small estate. Mary then wed a clergyman and moved south of London.

Lydia found it difficult to settle down with any man. Her wild, impetuous ways were so ingrained within her that, after the episode with Wickham, she pretty much decided she did not want to do the conventional thing and marry. As long as there were soldiers nearby, Lydia was content. She lived with her mother and father at Longbourn for ten years until Mr. Bennet finally died. Mrs. Bennet and Lydia were then put out of Longbourn by the Collinses.

With the unbearable prospect of Mrs. Bennet and Lydia coming to live with either the Bingleys or the Darcys, a joint decision was made to purchase a respectable home for them in the village of Meryton. There, living close to the Phillipses and having the best source of noteworthy gossip right at hand, Mrs. Bennet was quite content. Lydia often left for unexplained periods of time and when she returned, Mrs. Bennet never questioned her whereabouts. But she was always glad to have her back and the two were always in agreement how handsome a man in a red coat was.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh finally did come to accept Elizabeth and apologized to her about a year after the marriage. But it was mainly the machinations of her daughter, Anne, that prompted this when Lady Catherine was quite ill and presumed close to death. Anne could not allow her mother to pass on without making amends, so she pleaded with her cousin to come with his wife to Rosings.

Darcy and Elizabeth agreed to make the visit and when they arrived, they could not believe how gravely ill their aunt was. Despite her condition, she continued to make demands and let her strong opinions be known. She did, however, struggle through an apology, which Darcy later reflected must have been the most difficult thing she had ever been required to do.

It was a great surprise, then, that Lady Catherine seemed to recover from her close call with death. Apparently, she had not been as ill as everyone surmised and she lived another five years. Whilst her behaviour did not improve completely, she was very attentive to the things of which she spoke in the presence of her nephew, not wishing to give him any cause to contact their attorney.

Darcy and Elizabeth sailed frequently on
Pemberley’s Promise II
, making stops in ports around England, Scotland, and Ireland, and then sailing across the Channel to visit different ports in Europe. Sometimes they travelled alone and at other times they brought Charles and Jane, Georgiana and her husband, or some other family members or friends.

Neither forgot the greater ship,
Pemberley’s Promise
, and on a rare occasion, when they were at the harbour or out at sea, they would see her moored at the dock or elegantly sailing by. She was a beautiful ship and never ceased to cause both Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s hearts to flutter just at the sight of her.

The sign they removed from the grand ship’s dining room was hung on the wall above their bed in
Pemberley’s Promise II.
It was a constant reminder to them of the vows and promises they made to each other that day while crossing the Atlantic on
Pemberley’s Promise.

The End

I must thank a few people who helped me through this journey. First of all, thanks to my Australian friend, Sharni, who I trusted implicitly for advice on each chapter of this book when it was first written. Thanks also to Roya and Mary Anne, who were a great help to me in editing and cleaning up my sentences. Thanks to Philippa from Derbyshire, England, who gave me a beautiful description of that county and what a small village like Lambton may have looked like in the nineteenth century. Thanks to Deb Werksman and Sourcebooks, who took a chance with me and gave me the opportunity to publish this book. Finally, thanks to all who read this story when it was first written and self-published, and encouraged me along the way.

Kara Louise
grew up in Los Angeles, but now lives on ten acres just outside Wichita, Kansas, with her husband, Dan. She is the author of half a dozen successful Jane Austen-related novels. Visit her website at www.karalouise.ahhhs.net.