Chapter 20

Finally, the day of the wedding arrived, and it was quite the loveliest autumn day Darcy had seen in many years. The sort of perfect autumn day that every man, woman, and child born in Derbyshire lived for. It is not within the skill of this author to detail the perfection of the sky, the foliage, nor even the nuptials of our beloved couple. Would it improve the story to know the bride wore pale yellow? Could our happiness for the beloved couple be increased by the knowledge that the head gardener had declared he had never seen such elegant flower arrangements in all of his time at Pemberley? Perhaps it would interest the reader to know that the cake was lemon, and that it was quite the tallest and most elegant cake that anyone had ever seen.

What about the jewels? The ladies might object to not knowing that the bride wore her sister's famous citrine parure and tiara, and that it paired with her gown in a most becoming way. Do not forget to note that the groom wore his blue coat, because his bride had told him many times how becoming it was, and that he changed his waistcoat four times that morning and that his final selection was not flannel. No… These are just details. Let it only be said that the day Mr Gardiner led his fourth niece down the aisle to her sweetheart was the happiest day that anyone in the family could remember. Happier even than their own nuptials, if at all possible. It was a day of laughter. The bride laughed and smiled all day until her jaw ached, and her stoic husband smiled so beautifully that the ladies attending agreed that he was nearly too painfully handsome to gaze upon.

When the couple left in the lovely white carriage with Elizabeth's stunning Palomino horses, they travelled alone to Delaford, where they would remain for three days. Then they would come for Lydia, and travel to Shannon View where they would remain until Christmastide, when they all would visit Matlock with the Darcy household for the festive season. But first. The wedding night must happen. The groom left his wife at her bedroom door, suddenly shy and unsure of himself. Kitty smiled up at him and entered her chamber. After she shed her gown, and donned something positively scandalous that her sister promised was necessary, Corrigan took her hair down and let it fall over her shoulders, then left her for the evening. Taking a deep breath, the new bride had no fear of opening the door to her husband's room and inviting him in for the first night of the rest of their lives.

The End.