Epilogue Back to Previous Chapter Catherine's father had taught her accounts when she was a girl. Though Mr. Morland despaired of ever making his eldest daughter a proficient--for she was not particularly friendly to very severe, very intense application, and shirked her lessons whenever she could--at last his tuition proved fruitful, for her latest, most important calculations were exact. In late May, she was safely delivered of a son, named Henry Bennet-Tilney, called Hal by all. With the infant in tow, the Tilneys spent a month at Pemberley later that summer. The Darcys were delighted to receive their new nephew, and quite as delighted to receive his parents. Elizabeth was especially glad to see Catherine healthy and vibrant so soon after her confinement, as the mistress of Pemberley was only a few months away from her own. Mr. Bennet had visited Woodston shortly after the birth of his first grandson. He knew the Tilneys' plan to visit Pemberley, and no one was terribly surprised when he turned up there as well. The Gardiners were there, and the Bingleys, and Kitty Bennet; Pemberley in August was a full, but very happy place. The Bingleys had already determined to remove from Netherfield; so close a proximity to Jane's mother and Meryton relations soon imposed upon even Bingley's good humour and Jane's affectionate nature. The long visit in Derbyshire gave them the opportunity to view and eventually purchase an estate in a neighbouring county. The move was viewed with much approbation by both sides of the family: Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley were gratified by the additional importance enjoyed by their brother as a landowner, and Elizabeth rejoiced in having Jane only thirty miles from Pemberley. The first of the Bennet girls to marry had the least happiness in her marriage. As could be expected, Wickham's affection for Lydia soon sunk into indifference; hers lasted a little longer. She might complain to her mother of ill-usage, but to the world Lydia Wickham was a devoted and loyal wife, and she retained all the claims to reputation that her marriage had given her. Henry could not receive Wickham at Woodston any more than Darcy could receive him at Pemberley, and Lydia scorned visiting the parsonage, preferring to stay with one of her two eldest sisters when Wickham was off enjoying the delights of London or Bath. Henry heard of her occasional financial distress through his sisters, and provided what relief he could through the same conduit. Lydia invited Kitty to Newcastle, promising her balls and officers, but Mr. Bennet would not allow it. Kitty spent most of her time at the homes of her brother and her two eldest sisters, and the removal from her former influences was beneficial. She became less irritable, less ignorant, and less insipid. Kitty was so much at Pemberley, and her improvement was so great, that she soon attracted the notice of a young man in the neighbourhood. He was the rector of Kympton parish--the living meant for Wickham, which he had scorned to accept. Darcy had found a most worthy young man, known to Henry at Oxford, and had recommended him for the living. This gentleman developed a violent affection for the newly elegant Miss Kitty Bennet, who retained her joyous nature even as she put off her less desirable habits. Within a few months, they reached an understanding; Mr. Bennet gave them his blessing, and they were soon married and settled at Kympton. Only a few years before, Kitty would never have imagined herself married to a clergyman, but she found life in a parsonage suited her very well. How much the example of her sister Tilney worked upon her cannot be known, but there is no doubt that her marriage was happy. With Kitty gone from Longbourn, Mary was no longer able to pursue accomplishments with the single-mindedness she had formerly enjoyed. Mrs. Bennet was quite unable to sit alone; thus, Mary was forced to mix more with the world. However, as she was no longer mortified by comparisons between her beauty and that of her sisters, she found it quite easy to be philosophical about the change. Being so much more seen, it is not to be wondered at that Mary would find herself being courted by one of her uncle Philips' clerks. Indeed, it was the same young man who had once brought papers to Longbourn and been entranced by her performance on the pianoforte. At that time, Kitty and Lydia had made sport of the young man's spots and shabby suits; however, he had worked hard, and risen in the practice. He was marked out by the childless Mr. Philips to inherit the practice, and this very welcome circumstance persuaded Mary to entertain the young man's offer of marriage. It certainly helped the gentleman's case that he had passed the age of spots, and acquired a much better suit of clothes. Mary's happiness in her choice can be imagined, as her husband encouraged her to read and practice her instrument, and she was well content to be a star in Meryton society. Though Mrs. Bennet had worked so hard to find husbands for her daughters, when the last one married, she protested against being left alone. Thus, Mary’s husband moved into the great house at Longbourn, a situation that suited everyone except Mr. Bennet. He missed his son and his second daughter exceedingly, to the point that he was stirred from his natural indolence and drawn away from home much oftener than ever before. He took great pleasure in visiting in Woodston and Pemberley, and never waited for an invitation, or even wrote ahead of his intentions. Fortunately, he was always welcome in either house. Henry's affection for Catherine did not abate, but grew stronger over the years, and young Hal was joined by several siblings. Catherine herself improved under Henry's influence, and after only a few years of marriage found nearly as much enjoyment in a book of history as in a horrid novel. She considered her husband as delightful a partner as she had found him the first night they met, in the Lower Rooms at Bath, and despite her apprehensions, she proved to be a competent mother. A house full of small children was nothing new to Catherine, and indeed was very much her idea of a proper home. Henry took great satisfaction not only in his personal contentment, but in that of his friends as well. His relationship with his father was strong, and to many observers highly irreverent, a state of affairs that suited them both perfectly. Henry's friendship with Bingley and Darcy--now, truly, his brothers--was as warm as ever, and there was a great deal of visiting back and forth, even as their respective families grew. Henry Tilney's life had begun with a gothic melodrama, but in later years became too settled and ordinary for a hero; thus, I close my narrative with the hope that it has provided some diversion for the reader, and some edification for those who eschew literary works that are all story and no reflection. FINIS. Table of Contents By A Lady Comment on this story Home ~ Site Map ~ Contact Original Images and Content Copyright © 2002 by Margaret C. Sullivan. All Rights Reserved.