To be honest: I am a little surprised by some of the comments. So maybe I should clarify my thinking and why I chose to write the ending (and possibly prepare you for the epilogue) the way I did. I do not want any of you to think that I chose the ending (and even parts of the epilogue) because it was the easy way out or that Elizabeth and Darcy did not think through their decision.
First, let me say that I was a little taken back by all the people who truly believed there would be a hyphenated name. The thought never actually occurred to me. Darcy was always going to stay Darcy. In fact, I chose the Dukedom of Shrewsbury because it did actually go extinct after a few generations for the very same reason: no direct descendants. I just took a little literary flexibility and added in that a
woman could inherit[/]. There were only every three Dukes of Shrewsbury.
Second, I think I need to apologize for not clarifying myself in the story. I could have done a better job at explaining the choice, and will attempt to do better in future works. But I do want to reiterate: Darcy was never going to be a Talbot. Why? Because the struggle I wanted to Darcy to feel was of whether or not his name was more important than Elizabeth. Let me be clear: it was not about whether the Darcy name was more important than the Talbot name but Elizabeth herself.
Here is where something crucial, I think, was missed; and I take full ownership for not describing it more clearly. Elizabeth also had a struggle, and it had nothing to do with her title. It had everything to do with her identity. For years, she was called Miss Bennet and then all of a sudden she’s Lady Elizabeth Talbot. While I was writing it, I kept asking myself the question: How would that kind of change affect Lizzy? She was allowed the freedom without the additional responsibilities and expectations that Darcy had. Would she be prepared to become what society (not James or any of his friends) deemed was acceptable as a “Talbot”?
I came to the conclusion, and you can disagree with me if you wish, that the amount of time Lizzy spent as Lady Elizabeth Talbot, was not enough to feel like a member of the Talbot family. She wouldn’t have that background of “duty according to rank” (as I started to call it in my head). She barely had any contact with them because her grandfather did not like them. So, in my mind, when confronted with the option of joining or being seen as a member of a family she had no respect for or previous experience, versus joining a family (the Darcys) that she did have a reference for (knowing Darcy and his extended family), her choice, at least to me, was clear. Elizabeth would choose to be a Darcy over being a Talbot.
However, there is one more reason I feel Elizabeth would have chosen to be a Darcy rather than a Talbot: Darcy himself. She did love him. In retrospect, I think a few of you forgot (or maybe not) that Elizabeth was only the fifth generation in the Dukedom, which means that this specific dukedom was a relatively new one. However, the Darcys were a great deal older family than Talbot Dukedom. In reality, the Darcys, even without a title, were just as important as the Talbots.
I know. The title pulls James ahead of Darcy in terms of “rank”, but not necessarily importance. That was part of the problem Darcy had to determine: was it more important that he consider rank and everything that could come with it, or his duty? Trust me, when I wrote it, I knew some people (I just underestimated how many) would not like their decision. This is fiction though – I don’t expect the real Earl of Shrewsbury to give up his title anytime soon.
Those of you that believe they gave up the opportunity in the future to make changes. I do not believe that the loss of the title would hinder them from making a difference. They would still be part of the “illustrious” Darcy family and still have the power and importance that came with it. They also have many family members and friends who have titles that would be more than willing to help.
I also cannot see that Elizabeth’s or Darcy’s children would be raised in an environment where they would feel the loss of the title. I think that both Elizabeth and Darcy would make sure their children were raised with the belief that their characters were more important than a name. However, I am planning a sequel, whether or not I actually write it is a different matter, that could include this issue in it.
Someone, or probably multiple people, wondered that Elizabeth would still inherit the Duke’s holdings. I did mention in the conversation with Darcy that Elizabeth would still inherit everything from him.
James continued, “The patent that made my grandfather the first duke has a condition in it: only a Talbot from the original duke’s direct[/] descendants can inherit the title. None of my estates or other holdings are connected to the title and Elizabeth will inherit those independently; however, for her children to inherit the title they must be Talbots as well. That requires her husband to change his surname to Talbot.”
I know some of you believe that Darcy made a mature decision: give up his name for the title. I agree. Many of you, if I read your comments correctly, see Elizabeth as making an immature decision. That I do not agree with. Elizabeth was raised to respect rank but by no means put importance on it.
Take for example James and Robert’s mother. She was someone who believed that the rank should be preserved and therefore made James marry and Robert marry women they did not love. Thankfully, James did fall in love with Evette. However, Robert’s marriage, and I hope I hinted enough at it, was not as pleasant and left a bad taste in his mouth. Elizabeth would have been raised to believe the character of a person was most important.
When Elizabeth was confronted with the fact that she would have to choose between allowing the Darcy name to go extinct she saw it as allowing the Darcy family legacy to go extinct. For what reason? For a title that had done nothing but complicate her live and the lives of those closest to her. For who? A family she really had no connection with.
That was one of the reasons I barely used James’ last name in the writing. He was never call Talbot because I wanted the distinction between him and the Talbot family to be clear. Like I said, I probably didn’t show that well enough in my writing.
Lastly, I hope you continue to read the story, although I am convinced you are not going to like the epilogue. Part of me feels as if I should apologize in advance for it – however, I did write a few alternate epilogues, but this one just seemed to fit. I do wish that you would have gotten the same amount of enjoyment from the ending that I did. It is actually my favorite chapter in the entire story. I know it was not what you expected. To be honest: it didn’t end how I expected either. I hope that your disappointment will not keep you from reading other stories I might post.
I do want to take a moment and thank each of you for reading it!