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Chapter 30

T he days after the three conspirators were apprehended—one was executed the morning after his arrival at the Tower of London, and the other two were awaiting a ship to transport them to Van Diemen’s land—were a flurry of activity. Ladies Matlock and Gardiner, ably assisted by Lady and Charlotte Lucas, had taken charge to ensure that all of the final arrangements for the weddings to be held on Saturday upcoming were made and completed.

They had the complete cooperation and assistance of the Longbourn and Netherfield Park housekeepers and all of the servants of the respective houses. With the affection and respect those employed at both estates felt for all of the Bennet sisters, there was nothing the servants would not have done to ensure that the weddings would go off flawlessly.

Even before the plot to extort money from Elizabeth had been uncovered, it had been decided there would not be a pre-wedding ball. Instead, there would be a ball held at Elizabeth’s Hertfordshire House on Russell Square in London, Saturday the fourteenth of December. The ball would celebrate the Earl and Countess of Henderson as well as the Viscount and Viscountess of Hilldale and their marriages as well as be a celebration of the upcoming wedding, which would soon be announced between the new Earl of Pemberley—his investiture would be the week after the double wedding—and the Duchess of Hertfordshire, to be held on the twentieth day of December.

It had been determined that the announcement of the engagement would be sent to the papers a few days after the upcoming double wedding. Seeing that there would be more than a month before the wedding date, any talk of a rushed or patched up affair would be negated. As much as Elizabeth wanted to marry from Longbourn, she had recognised that given the fact she was a duchess, and that many of the royals would be in attendance, a London wedding made more sense. Hence she had accepted the Queen’s offer to marry in her chapel with her vicar officiating. The chapel, as Her Majesty called it, was Westminster Abbey and her vicar, none other than Charles Manners-Sutton, The Most Reverend Willowmere, by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury.

Elizabeth had been honoured by Her Majesty’s insistence that the main reason she marry William in London, was so the monarch could attend the ceremony and wedding breakfast herself. There was also the small matter that one did not gainsay Queen Charlotte, even if, as in her case, Her Majesty held her in high esteem. In the end, the location of where she married was secondary to with whom she would be joining her life. She had not a shred of doubt that in William she had found the ideal man to be her partner in life.

For now her attention was dedicated to her sisters who would marry in a few days. Elizabeth would stand up with Jane and Kate would do the honours for Mary. Thinking about the wedding Elizabeth could not but smile. William was standing up with Richard, so she would have him close to her during the ceremony. Andrew’s friend, Lord Wesley De Melville, Viscount Westmore, heir to the Earl of Jersey, was his best man.

Something else Elizabeth had noticed was the frequency of Charlotte’s visits to Longbourn and reciprocal visits made by her father to Lucas Lodge. It was almost as if there was something between her best friend and her father. She would not object if her father and Charlotte chose to move forward. All she cared about was that Papa would be happy. He would need companionship with three of his daughters leaving his house in short order. It was not a subject Elizabeth was ready to contemplate yet, so she decided she would think about that after the upcoming double wedding.

By the Friday before the wedding, all arrangements were complete, as they should be. That night Jane and Mary were given the pre-wedding talk by Aunt Maddie. She emphasised the fact there was no shame in the giving and receiving of pleasure and that what occurred between a husband and wife in private, as long as it was what they both wanted, was never wrong. By the end of her talk, both brides felt most of the apprehension of the unknown leave them.

Elizabeth joined Jane and Mary shortly after Madeline left the bedchamber where she had met with her nieces. “What did Aunt Maddie tell you?” Elizabeth asked inquisitively.

“That, my impatient sister, you will discover the night before you wed William,” Jane smiled.

“I will miss both of you so very much,” Elizabeth sighed, “but I will not worry about you as I know you are marrying the perfect man for each of you.” She paused, “Both of you will spend a sennight in London before going to your estates, will you not?”

“You are correct,” Mary confirmed, “Richard and I will enjoy a wedding trip in the spring, after Easter. Evidently the Regent gifted us a house in Margate as a wedding gift.”

“And Andrew and I will use William’s Seaview House near Brighton at about the same time Mary and Richard are in Margate,” Jane added. She looked at Elizabeth and took one of her hands into one of her own. “Do not forget that you , Your Grace , will be married to William in little more than six weeks. He will be with you most of the time before your wedding so you will not have time to miss us too much.”

Jane’s speaking of William caused Elizabeth to blush with pleasure. How she loved her fiancé. She wished they did not need to wait to marry until a few days before Christmas, but worrying about the delay would do nothing so she would concentrate on all she needed to do before the wedding.

One of the things which would take the best part of a month after the double wedding was the tour of her satellite estates. Of all of them, the one she was most keen to see was Castlemere in Derbyshire. It was not only seeing the castle on the shores of the lake which had captured Elizabeth’s attention, but the fact that the estate immediately to her estate’s east was Pemberley.

She would enjoy a tour of that estate before they returned to Longbourn before making their way to London for the ball and wedding less than a sennight later. William would accompany her along with Papa, her two youngest sisters, Anna, the two companions, and Charlotte. It went without saying that John, Brian, and their men would be escorting them as they travelled.

Elizabeth was not sure if Charlotte’s agreeing to join them was a fulfilment of their previous agreement to accompany her on the tour of the estates, or if her desire to keep her promise was driven by Papa being one of the party who would be with them. Papa was able to leave Longbourn as the winter crops had been planted, and there was nothing which necessitated his presence until those crops were harvested and the spring planting was planned.

“Lizzy, where did you go?” Jane asked.

Hearing her sister’s voice broke the train of Elizabeth’s thoughts. “Please pardon me, I was wool-gathering for some moments.” She stood and hugged each of her soon to be married sisters. “I am sure you need to attempt to sleep tonight, even if it may be difficult for you given your anticipation of the morrow. Sleep well my two dearest sisters.”

“Good night Lizzy,” Mary responded, “and thank you for allowing me to share the bed with Janey tonight.” Mary hugged Lizzy again, and then the latter slipped out of the room she used to share with Jane and made for Mary’s bedchamber.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Happy was the day Thomas Bennet walked his eldest and middle daughters up the aisle of the Longbourn Village church towards the men who awaited them with great anticipation. He had to fight a smile which threatened to form as he was sure had the parson, Mr Pierce, not counselled against it, the grooms would have tried to claim his respective bride as soon as Bennet entered the nave of the church.

Bennet did not doubt the love the grooms held for their brides and, if he had, the looks Andrew and Richard were bestowing on his daughters as they approached would have been enough to convince anyone of their love and devotion.

Lizzy was already in place next to Lord Westmore while Kate was next to Darcy. There was no missing the way the latter’s eyes were locked onto Lizzy’s as she stood across the altar from him rather than watching the brides like everyone else in the church was doing. Bennet had no doubt that had they their preference, Lizzy and Darcy would be standing up as the third couple to be married that day.

He was well aware the time before his second daughter married Darcy would pass in the blink of an eye. As happy as he was for all three of his eldest daughters, Bennet could not help but feel a flash of melancholy given the fact they would no longer be under his protection or under his roof.

In time, Kate and Lydia would find the man who would be her match, and it would be him on his own. Then again, perhaps not. Bennet looked to the side as they passed the Lucas family’s pew. Miss Lucas was standing next to her parents, When he caught her eye, she gave him a warm and welcoming smile. Yes, it was possible he would not be alone.

Charlotte Lucas was nothing like his former wife, which was certainly a great positive. She was neither vapid nor a gossip, she was intelligent, practical, and knew how to live within a budget. Bennet was fully aware that if she did not desire to, she need not marry thanks to Lizzy having dowered her. Today was about the daughter on each of his arms; there would be more than enough time to consider the future. Besides, Miss Lucas would be with them when they toured Lizzy’s satellite estates, so there was plenty of time to consider his options.

As they approached the head of the aisle, Mr Pierce nodded, releasing the Fitzwilliam brothers to use the three marble steps from the altar and wait for his respective bride.

Both brides were wearing delicate wedding bonnets so there was no veil to lift. Bennet kissed Jane’s forehead and then placed her hand on Hilldale’s arm. He repeated the action with Mary before handing her to Henderson. Afterwards, he joined Lydia, the Gardiners, and the Phillipses in the front pew.

On the other side of the aisle were Lord and Lady Matlock along with Anne de Bourgh and Anna. The mother of the grooms was dabbing tears of happiness from her cheeks. After despairing that Andrew would never find a woman he would want to share his life with, and all of her worries for Richard in the army, she felt a great sense of relief. Next to her Lord Matlock felt no less pleasure at being able to witness his sons marry.

As soon as the grooms led their brides to stand before the rector, the same one who had christened all five Bennet sisters, Mr Pierce gave the signal for the congregation to be seated.

He smiled kindly at the couples before him, and he opened the Book of Common Prayer , even though after more than forty years as a clergyman he could recite the words of the ceremony from memory, and began to read. “Dearly beloved…”

The service was conducted as one, except for the vows which each couple recited separately. While Andrew and Jane said their vows, Elizabeth was looking directly at her William saying her vows to him silently.

Darcy was doing the same thing at the same time. At times he still had to pinch himself to make sure he was not dreaming, that he had actually managed to get out of his own way and won the heart of the only woman with whom he would ever want to join his life. Her rank and wealth, just like his own impending elevation, meant little to him. All of it would be meaningless without Elizabeth.

Anyone seated in the congregation who had ever thought Mary Bennet plain were eating their words. She was as beautiful as any of her sisters. Add to that the glow of happiness which radiated from her as she joined her life to that of Lord Henderson made her look as ethereal as Jane Bennet. There was talk that the Bennet sisters all had massive dowries, that combined with her looks made many a local man kick himself for overlooking Mary Bennet in the past. At least there were still two Bennet sisters who were unattached. None of the local men would dare approach the duchess. Even before her elevation, most had been intimidated by her intelligence. Now she was under the protection of the Queen and the Regent. Additionally, she was being officially courted by Mr Darcy, who it seemed would soon be an earl. Then there were her guards to consider who were led by the two mountainous men who would cut down anyone stupid enough to attempt to compromise Her Grace, and if they did not, there was the little matter of being convicted of treason for the attempt.

Mr Pierce then began to intone the final parts of the Church of England’s wedding ceremony, “Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.

“Forasmuch as Andrew and Jane and Richard and Mary have consented together in holy Wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a Ring, and by joining of hands, I pronounce that each couple be Man and Wife together, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

“God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favour look upon you; and so fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye may so live together in this life, that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen. ”

A cheer rose from the congregation, and hands were clapped to show approbation for the new Lord and Lady Henderson and Lord and Lady Hilldale. Together with the four witnesses, the couples retired to the registry where the register was open to the first page which had space to add signatures. First Kate and Darcy signed; they were followed by Mary and Richard, with the former signing the name Bennet for the final time. The process was repeated by Elizabeth and Lord Westmore, followed by Jane and Andrew.

Thanks to there being two couples, there was no tarrying in the registry, as many newlywed couples are wont to do after signing the register. By the time the newly married Fitzwilliam couples entered the nave of the church, only family and close friends remained. The rest of the congregation had already departed for the celebratory meal at Netherfield Park.

It took a little while for all of the wishes for happiness to be imparted. Soon enough only the two newly married couples remained. They waited a few minutes and then mounted the two landaus, both enclosed given the season, waiting to convey them to Netherfield Park.

Given their rank, as an earl and countess, Mary and Richard were in the lead coach. The latter bestowed a series of passionate kisses on his wife, another advantage of the equipage being enclosed on this day, leaving both of them breathless .

“Are you happy, my countess?” Henderson enquired.

“Incandescently,” came the reply. “Now kiss me again, my Lord.”

“Your wish is my command.” Henderson proceeded to obey his wife to the best of his abilities. She had no complaints.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Thankfully both brides had taken Aunt Maddie’s advice and enjoyed some repast and hot chocolate to break their fasts before they had bathed and dressed prior to leaving for the church, so they had not had pangs of hunger during the ceremony. Now however, after taking almost an hour to circulate and greet their guests, they and their husbands felt decidedly hungry.

While the men went to make their wives plates, Jane and Mary took a seat at a table where Lizzy, William, Anna, Kate, and Lydia were seated. “Thank you for gifting me five more cousins,” Anna gushed.

“When Lizzy and William marry you will have a plethora of sisters,” Mary pointed out.

“That is true, and then Richard and Andrew will be our brothers as well. William and Richard were always as close as brothers, now it will be so,” Anna replied.

Before any more could be said, the aforementioned men returned with plates for each of their wives and themselves. The others at the table understood how hungry the newlyweds were, so they did not address them until their hunger had been sated.

Jane looked to Andrew and nodded and Mary did the same with Richard. “Lizzy, will you assist me to change into my travel attire?” Jane requested.

“Of course I will,” Elizabeth responded emphatically as she stood.

Kate was ready before Mary had to invite her to join her. Anna was asked to assist Mary, and a similar request was made of Lydia by Jane so none of the younger girls were left out.

Within an hour, family and close friends were waving to the rear of the Henderson and Hilldale coaches. As soon as they made the turn and were no longer visible, everyone began to return to the ballroom where the tables with the food were located.

“God has been very good to your family, Mr Bennet,” Charlotte opined as she and Mr Bennet were the last two to re-enter the house.

“Yes, Miss Lucas, I dare say He has been,” Bennet agreed.

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