by Lynne Robson
“What date would that be Elizabeth? As long as it isn’t too distant, I will agree to anything you wish,” Fitzwilliam asked her.
“Your aunts have suggested the last weekend in June and as Bishop Peel is your Godfather, it has been suggested that the wedding be held at Matlock Cathedral. Longbourn Church is rather small, and since we both come from large families and have many friends, the Cathedral is the ideal size for the ceremony.
“Then it shall be in Matlock,” Mr Darcy replied smiling
“Did you know that your uncle and aunt, Lady Catherine and my father had a bet on when you would propose to me? The winner then had the honour of hosting the wedding reception. Your uncle and aunt won, so they are hosting our wedding reception at Matlock House. I have suggested that should the weather cooperate, it should be turned into a garden party as many of my relations, as well as yours, have young children. What do you think?” Elizabeth told him.
Mr Darcy laughed at this saying, “You and my aunts have been very busy in my absence. If your father and mother agree to all of this, then yes I agree. Your suggestion is an advantageous one for me as Matlock House is closer to my home than Hertfordshire. My friends and family will have no difficulties in attending our wedding. What do you think of these plans Mr. Bennet? What about Mrs. Bennet? Won’t she want to be part of the arrangements for her daughters’ wedding?”
“I think that it is a marvellous idea sir, as for Mrs. Bennet, let us wait and see. As you know,
I have sent her an express this morning and she should receive it tomorrow morning. I have told her to meet us at her brother Edward’s house so that she can take her daughter shopping for her trousseau,” Mr Bennet replied.
In their excitement over the wedding plans, the beverages had sat untouched until they were quite cold. Noticing this, Lady Catherine rang for fresh tea and coffee. Looking at the time Lady Catherine decided that it would be best to send a message to the parsonage, so Charlotte would not worry. In the message, Lady Catherine stated that Elizabeth was at Rosings Park; she then invited Charlotte and her family to join her later that afternoon.
Just then, a beaming Mr. Bingley and Jane entered the room, “ Hello Mr. Bingley, Jane.”
“Mr Bennet,” Bingley bowed, “may I have a word with you”
“Well Catherine, by the look of things I will be needing your library again. It seems a excellent morning for hand petitioning,” Mr Bennet said ironically.
Mr. Bennet and Mr. Bingley then left the room to go to the library; Jane smiled happily at her sister, excitedly taking her to one side to tell her the good news.
Once Jane had settled down in her seat drinking her tea, a very excited Georgiana ran up to Jane informing her about her brother and Elizabeth’s engagement, saying how excited she was to finally have a sister. Colouring, and remembering where she was, she turned to Elizabeth and said, “I hope you do not mind me telling your sister, Elizabeth? I am so happy and excited, I have always wanted a sister and now I will have five all at once.”
Jane was very pleased for her sister and Mr. Darcy, giving them her sincere congratulation.
“You must call me William now, Miss Bennet. May I call you Jane, since I am now to be your brother? You must also call my sister by her given name as well. We all call her Georgie.”
“William, I would be very happy for you and Georgie, to call me Jane, now we are to be brother and sister,” Jane said happily.
William smiled, “You appear to be extremely happy today. Have you had some good news yourself that you want to share with us? Come now, let us know before we all die of suspense.”
Laughing, Jane said, “Yes, Mr. Bingley has asked me to become his wife, so two engagements have been achieved on this visit to Rosings. I am so happy.”
Mr. Bennet and Mr. Bingley entered the room, all smiles, and everyone congratulated Mr. Bingley and Jane on their engagement. After Mr. Bingley had been informed of Elizabeth and Darcy’s engagement he sincerely congratulated the happy couple on their engagement as well.
Lady Catherine announced, “It looks as though we need to organise a celebration to announce these engagements, do we not? William, your townhouse is the largest and has the nicest ballroom, I can help you organise a ball in two or three weeks time, preferably the latter, to celebrate your engagement in London. Elizabeth will be able to her future London home as well.”
“What a wonderful idea. I will write to Mr. and Mrs. Harris, my housekeeper and butler, so they can start readying the ballroom and the rest of the house for the occasion.” Mr. Darcy said enthusiastically, “Elizabeth, you must make sure to list all the names of your friends and relatives who should be included. We can use the same list for the wedding invitations as well. Tomorrow, we can all go to London, if your father is agreeable, we can all then stay at our townhouse, while preparations are being made for the ball. Whilst there, we could organise an informal family dinner which would include our nearest relations so we can announce our engagement formally. Would you be agreeable to that, my dearest Elizabeth?” Smiling, he looked over at his lovely fiancée, Elizabeth, and Mr. Bennet for their approval, which was readily given.
“I love the idea already, Fitzwilliam.” Elizabeth replied looking lovingly at him. “Oh, look at the time! I think we had better send a message to the parsonage to let them know what is happening or Charlotte will be worried something has happened to me.”
“I already have, Elizabeth,” Lady Catherine said, “With all this excitement around I thought it better to let poor Charlotte know what was happening. They should be here any time now. By the way, since you are marrying my nephew, you must call me Aunt Catherine now, and you must also call Edward and Rebecca aunt and uncle as well.”
“I thank you, Aunt Catherine, for all that you have done and for making me so happy,” Elizabeth said to her, giving her a squeeze. “Charlotte, who knew my Grandma, wrote and told me that you were just like her. At first, I was a bit skeptical, but now I can say that you are just like by beloved Grandma. It is just like having her back from the dead.”
This brought a tear to Lady Catherine’s eyes as she said “I knew Alice when I was younger. She was a wonderful woman. I always hoped that I would be like her when I was older. You have made me extremely happy that you think that.”
Chapter Twelve
The next few weeks flew by. Jane and Elizabeth stayed with their father and mother at William’s townhouse. Their mother had come to London as predicted to help with Elizabeth’s trousseau, only to find that she had another daughter engaged as well. She was ecstatic to find that Jane and Mr. Bingley were finally engaged.
While in London their father had some unpleasant news from the school which Kitty, Mary and Lydia had been sent to. Lydia had been found writing to one of the officers, a Captain Denny, which her father put an immediate stop to. Mr. Bennet wrote to Captain Denny stating that if he wished to court his daughter Lydia, he would have to wait at least 18 months until her 18th Birthday. Then and only then, if she had obeyed the rules set down by the school, would he be allowed to court her. There was to be no personnel or written contact with her until that time. Mr. Bennet also told Captain Denny that once Lydia had finished her schooling, he would be happy for his daughter to be courted by him, and if he wished to keep in contact with Lydia, he could do this through her father only. Mr. Denny wrote to say that he agreed to Mr. Bennet’s terms and that any further contact with Lydia would be done through her father. Mr. Bennet was very pleased to see that this young man was willing to wait to court his youngest daughter.
The two couples agreed to have double wedding at the end of June. Mr. Bingley invited all his sisters to the wedding, along with an old aunt who lived in Bath. He stated in his letter to Caroline and Louisa that they would only be allowed to attend if they followed the instructions set down in his letter. He stated that they must both write a sincere written apology to Elizabeth and especially Jane. There was to be no malicious gossip about either Jane or Elizabeth, if t
hey heard any it was to be put a stop to immediately, Mr Bingley then stated that he did not want to see either of them until his the wedding day.
The engagement ball was a great success; Mrs. Bennet in awe of the amount of titled persons who attended the ball, but surprisingly got along very well with Lady Catherine. This made both Elizabeth and Jane extremely delighted to see mother was happy and relaxed. Mr Bennet watched his wife proudly; happy to see the woman he had married 25 years ago.
Not long after being in town, Mr. Bennet, quietly overjoyed at his daughters’ forthcoming marriages, soon received even more good news. His sister Sophia had presented her husband with twin boys named John Andrew Stephenson and Thomas Bennet Stephenson; Thomas Bennet would now inherit Longbourn House and not Mr. Collins. Elizabeth felt sorry for her friend for the loss of Longbourn, but Charlotte wrote to say that they were very content with their life at the parsonage, so much that they would not want to leave it. A few weeks later, Charlotte wrote to say that she was, as Mr. Collins called it, expecting an olive branch in January.
June soon came, Elizabeth and Jane, along with their parents, were invited to stay with the Earl and Countess of Matlock for a couple of weeks, until the wedding.
The day of the wedding was a beautiful sunny day, the grounds of Matlock House looked exquisite, as the gardeners had worked hard on the flowerbeds. The meal was to be held in the large solarium, which had doors that led outside into the formal gardens. Once outside, a garden party with swings and other entertainments for both adults and children had been arranged in various parts of the grounds.
Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes and looked around her room. Her ladies maid Hannah, whom William had hired for her, came into her dressing room to help her get ready for the day.
“Miss Bennet, her Ladyship has sent you this tray of your favourite breakfast foods and she advises you to eat as much as possible, because later you might not have the appetite to do so.”
“Thank you, Hannah,” Elizabeth said, looking at the breakfast tray and started to nibble. She was surprised to see how much she managed to eat once she had started. Hannah returned and smiled, saying her bath was now ready for her and asked if she would like her special rinse water to contain rose water or lavender.
“Rose water today Hannah, as I will be carrying the most beautiful Fitzwilliam roses in my bouquet, with small white roses in my hair. Tell me Hannah, what do you think of the new idea of a lace veil for the bride? It looks very pretty; do you think that you will be able to attach it to my hair with the flowers? I do not want to spoil them, or would it be better just to have it sit on top of my hair, held with a few hairpins, so it will be easier to remove after the ceremony? What is your advice?” Elizabeth babbled nervously
“Well Miss, when my last mistress was married, like you, she used a veil. We arranged it so that it sat on the top of her hair held there by very few hairpins so that when the ceremony was over and they went back for the reception, it was easier to remove. The flowers in her hair were not damaged and neither was the veil. This was because hairpins were safely placed away from the flowers. Shall I do your hair now like I did the other day? I will then put the flowers in your hair, and then place the veil gently over top of the flowers, will this be acceptable, ma’am?”
“Yes, that would be wonderful Hannah,” Elizabeth replied dreamily.
A few hours later Elizabeth looked at herself in the mirror thinking, “I do not recognise myself any more. This dress is wonderful.” It was cream silk with an overdress of French lace with pearls on the bodice, and long fine lacy sleeves. Around her neck were her Grandma’s pearls and in her ears her Grandma’s pearl earbobs. After the maid left, someone knocked at her door, “Enter” Elizabeth called. There stood Lady Rebecca and Lady Catherine.
“You look absolutely stunning my dear.” said Lady Catherine “Now, has your mother informed you of what is to happen tonight?” Elizabeth blushed with embarrassment, “Do not be afraid, I know you are a wise girl my dear. Both Rebecca and myself would like to give you a bit of advice, if we may.”
Elizabeth looked at both women, “My mother told me about the wedding night. The trouble was that she was so embarrassed; she confused both Jane and myself. I would be grateful of any advice you can give me Aunt Catherine, Aunt Rebecca.”
Therefore, both Lady Catherine and Lady Rebecca explained gently what was expected from her on her wedding night. They also told her not to be afraid as her husband loved her, he would be gentle with her, and to remember that her husband would be nervous as well. They told her that it would be painful but bearable the first time. After that, however it was extremely enjoyable.
“The best advice my mother gave me was to always put my husband’s wishes before my own and you will be repaid thrice as much. I did this and my married life has been wonderful, I have two fine sons and three grandchildren. All I have to do to make my life complete now is to find a woman like yourself for my Richard,” Lady Rebecca said gently.
“Yes, that is good advice Rebecca. My mother told me as much when I married Sir Lewis and we had a wonderful marriage. It was just so sad that we were not blessed with a child who had good health.” Lady Catherine said sadly then in a happier voice she then said, “With all this excitement, I have forgotten to tell Richard that he is now the heir to the Rosings estates. My solicitor wants Richard and myself in London to discuss all the details at the beginning of next month.”
“You are so generous Catherine; this means that Richard can now leave the army and settle down to learn how to run an estate like Andrew and William have done. Now my dear, from what you have told us, I think we had better be on our way to see your sister. Her maid told me she was extremely nervous. Your Father and Mother will want to see you soon I should imagine, so we will see you at the cathedral, and keep smiling.” Both Lady Catherine and Lady Rebecca kissed her on the cheek and went on their way to Jane’s room.
**************
Down in the library a similar conversation was going on between Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Bennet, Viscount Andrew Fitzwilliam, and Lord Edward.
“Well now, as you two young men get married, in approximately two hours time, is there anything you would wish to know about the wedding night?” The Earl said whilst looking towards both grooms with a smile, “Or, did you take your late fathers’ advice whilst on your grand tour after you both finished Cambridge? Then again, did your father take you to Harcourt House when you came of age like ours did? Come now, is their any advice you would like us to give you, ask away.”
Both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley went as red as cherries, which made the Earl and Mr. Bennet laugh.
“Well?” Mr. Bennet said looking at them.
“Sir, I have some experience, but what I would like to know is, what is the best way to approach my wife without frightening her in any way,” asked William. Charles agreed that this was something he had been worrying about as well.
“Good question, the best way for you to approach her would be to be informally dressed, not in your night attire. Take her a drink to calm her nerves and your own as well. Then let things develop slowly from then on, but remember that she is not like any of the women you will have met at Harcourt House or on your grand tour. She will need a lot of tenderness and understanding. If you show her consideration and gentleness, she will feel at ease in your company and you will have a excellent marriage. Frighten her and she will not want to know you and your marriage will be difficult. Your grandfather told me these things when I first married Rebecca and my marriage has been brilliantly happy. I also told Andrew here and I hope he is having the same felicity I have in his marriage.”
“Yes, Father my marriage has been exquisite, Laura is a wonderful wife,” said Andrew Fitzwilliam,
Both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley seemed to breath easily, and the Earl handed them a glass of his best brandy.
“A toast to your wedding and to your beautiful brides Elizabeth and Jane.”
Chapter Thirteen
The coaches arrived to take the grooms and their groomsmen to the Cathedral. When they arrived, the Cathedral was already full of the invited guests, and many tenants and servants of Mr. Darcy were waiting outside so that they could wish him well. Mr. Darcy had invited his Pemberley housekeeper and butler Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, and from his Mayfair townhouse, the housekeeper and butler, Mr. and Mrs. Harris to the wedding. These servants had known him since he was four years of age and had been like replacement parents when he lost first his mother and later father. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley went into the Vestry to await the arrival of their brides; they were both so nervous that Richard and Andrew Fitzwilliam, the groomsmen, tried their best to talk of other things to take their mind off their pre-wedding jitters. Thankfully, their wait was not too long for they were only marginally successful.
