Surprisingly, it was Lord Francis who saved the situation. He was not a clever man, nor particularly generous, but he was not unkind, and he knew his world. During their short acquaintance, he had liked Anne, and he bore her no resentment for her refusal of him, since he had made a far better match in her mother. Also, he was in an exceedingly good temper.
It had been agreed, as a condition of the marriage, that Rosings should be sold, for “What good does it do for one's standing in the world,” said Lord Francis, “to be shut away in the country, when you could live at Stilbury castle with my sister?” Lady Catherine, delighted at the prospect of living with a Duke and a Duchess, had consented; and a buyer, a rich manufacturer, had been found, and a very handsome price agreed upon, far more rapidly than could have been anticipated. In the course of subsequent financial discussions, Lady Catherine happened to mention that an advantageous saving had been made in the denial of Anne's dowry.
To her astonishment, Lord Francis told his bride that it was a d—d shame. “I don't like her choice of a husband,” he said, “but it ain't right to pauperize the poor girl. And don't think it won't be talked of,” he added. “People always know; everything gets known.
Girl marries a quarryman, they talk about her. You cut her off without a shilling, they talk about us. Sort of thing that gets in the papers. Don't want that. D_ it, ma'am, I won't have it. Let the girl have ten thousand. I'll see Colby about it tomorrow.”
Lady Catherine, on both of the occasions of her marrying, had thought nothing, standing beside her bridegroom, of promising to “honour and obey” with no intention of doing any such thing. Now, for the first time in her life, she actually found herself in a position of being obliged to do something, whether she wanted to, or no; and Anne's marriage was not long delayed.
Anne went to live at the house on the hillside, and the room with the wide-sweeping views was the beloved haven where she wrote her books. The little white cottage became the home of Georgiana's old nurse, Mrs Grainger.
The quarry prospered, and in a very short time Edmund had a quite sufficient income to support a family. Although they never made a large amount of money, the series of historic novels by “A. Caldwell” (publisher: John Endicott) enjoyed a good success with the more discerning members of the reading public.
Anne's impression that she might like Mary Bennet was well-founded. Mary, who had never received much affection from either her two silly sisters or her two clever ones, found a friend in Anne. By suggesting books that she herself liked, exchanging letters, and receiving Mary for the occasional visit, Anne was able to direct her mind, and actually persuaded her, rather than collecting extracts, to try a little writing. Mary wrote some pretty verses, and became more self-confident, and much happier. Her looks improved with the improvement in her spirits, with the result that she and her mother actually began to enjoy each other's company. They lived together with much more of mutual cheerfulness, and Mary, having got a few of her verses published in the kind of periodicals that ladies read, became something of a star in Meryton society, and received the admiration she had always craved.
Darcy and Elizabeth continued as happy as they had always been. Lewis Bennet Fitzwilliam Darcy grew up a beautiful, clever, and sweet-natured child, and had several brothers and sisters, all as delightful as he. Their favourite excursion was to ride their ponies up the track to see Cousin Anne, who read them the most wonderful stories, and spoiled them, their father said, quite dreadfully. The road to Pemberley was never made up for carriages, but that deterred none of them from making the journey very frequently, for Anne regarded Darcy and Elizabeth as a brother and sister, and Pemberley as her second home.
Georgiana had one season in London, enjoyed it very much, came home, and married Mr Rackham; thus becoming happily settled within two miles of Pemberley; and when Minette had a litter, Anne gave her a puppy.
Mrs Annesley, now Mrs Fitzwilliam, was, as her husband had suspected, a perfect soldier's wife. She went with him to every place that he was sent to, could make a home anywhere, in any circumstances, was never dismayed by bad weather, supply problems, or the sound of cannon fire, and was beloved by everyone in the regiment.
As to the happiness of Lady Catherine and her husband, it may be assumed that she reaped the reward of her marriage, in the opportunity it gave her, as the sister of a Duchess, to associate with those of the very highest rank. The happiness of Lord Francis may be inferred from the fact that, soon after they were married, he spent forty thousand pounds of her money to purchase the command of a regiment of cavalry.