~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Richard and Darcy were pacing back and forth impatiently in the retiring room off the altar in Longbourn Village’s church .
Their attendants knew saying anything would not help at that juncture so Andrew and Bingley sat back and left the grooms to their pacing. It was how Mr. Pierce, the rector, found the two men he was about to join with two Bennet sisters when he entered the room.
“It is time to take your positions, gentlemen,” the clergyman told the two indulgently. In his many years of conducting wedding ceremonies he had seen similar behaviour from grooms who could not wait until it was time to be joined by their brides.
The act of walking to their positions helped calm the nervous, anticipatory energy the two men had coursing through their bodies. As they watched, they saw their very soon-to-be mother-in-law enter the church with Mrs. Gardiner and that lady’s eldest two children. The youngest child, Peter, was in the nursery at Longbourn.
Fanny and Maddie entered the front pew and sat next to Mr. Gardiner and the Philipses leaving a seat for Bennet beside his wife, the first one on the aisle. Across the aisle in the front pew sat the Fitzwilliam parents.
When the Reverend took his place, the hum ofconversation from the assembled congregation came to an abrupt halt. All eyes were now directed to the inner vestibule doors which allowed entrance into the nave of the church.
May Gardiner proudly entered the church when one of the doors was swung open. She seemed very pleased with herself that she was able to discharge her duties of flower girl at this wedding. May carried a basket full of rose petals which had been sent from Rosings Park’s conservatory. She dropped them on the carpet as she walked.
Elizabeth had been beyond pleased the rose petals from Kent were not only in May’s basket but the bouquets both she and Mary were holding were made up of roses from Rosings Park. It helped the feeling that Anne and Uncle Lewis were physically present on this special day.
By the time May was half way up the aisle, Lydia followed her. She was followed by Giana, Kitty, and finally by Jane. As soon as the grooms saw Jane, their sense of anticipation returned in full force.
The inner vestibule door was closed and as soon as Jane reached her position opposite Kitty, Mr. Pierce gave the signal for the congregation to stand. Once everyone was ready, he nodded to the back of the church which signalled that both inner vestibule doors were to be opened wide.
Bennet entered the nave of the church with Mary on his left arm and Elizabeth on his right. There was an audible gasp heard from both grooms when each beheld his bride. Richard had to fight the urge to stand still in position to receive Mary while Darcy’s inclination was to run down the aisle and pull his Elizabeth into his arms. Both men kept their equanimity and their positions until it was time to stand at the head of the aisle.
As she passed the second to last row of pews on the right where the companions were seated, Elizabeth looked at Jenki and gave her a wide smile which was returned in full measure.Between the two of them, Anne was very much present on this wonderful day. She looked back towards where William stood, heading towards her felicitous future.
On arriving at the place he would hand his daughters to their grooms, Bennet turned and kissed Mary on both of her cheeks. Mary had chosen a wedding bonnet rather than a veil so there was no impediment for him to kiss her. Thereafter, he placed Mary’s hand on Richard’s forearm and then turned to his second daughter. He lifted Elizabeth’s veil, bestowed a kiss on both cheeks, and then lowered it. He then handed her to her groom.
While the brides and grooms took their places before the parson, Bennet joined his wife in the front pew on the right. With the couples in place, the rector gave the signal for the witnesses to be seated.
As had been agreed, it was a single service, even the asking if there were any objections. As would be expected though, each couple repeated their own vows separately. All four stressed the vow to love her or his partner. When it came time for the vow to obey, Elizabeth raised an impertinent eyebrow before making her promise. Darcy was fully aware he was not marrying one who would follow blindly if she disagreed with something. It was one of the many things he loved about her.
In what seemed like the flap of a bird’s wing, it was over. Mary was Mrs. Richard Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth was Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. After the final benedictions, the couples and their attendants made their way to the registry where both brides signed the name Bennet for the last time. Given there were two couples, there was no delay before they exited back into the nave where their family and closest friends waited to be the first to wish them happy.
Not long before they were to exit the church, Lady Lucas and Maria both offered their best wishes to Elizabeth. Elizabeth had not missed that although he attended the wedding,Johnny, had not remained to convey his congratulations like the rest of his family. She understood it was hard for him to see her marry another when he had always dreamed he would be her husband. Sir William, Franklin and Jennifer Lucas were busy speaking to Mary.
“Charlotte wants you to know how very sorry she is that her increasing does not allow her to travel,” Lady Lucas stated after she had conveyed her good wishes to the newly married Darcys.
“She explained all in her last letter,” Elizabeth assured her friend’s mother. “In my reply I promised we would stop in Lincolnshire at their estate when Mr. Darcy and I return from our wedding trip, and a month or so in London for the season.”
“Sir William, Maria, and I will be departing for Smythe Bluff in a few weeks. I know Charlotte will be very happy to see you again.” Lady Lucas squeezed Elizabeth’s hand. “We will see you at the wedding breakfast.”
Even though a large room could be configured at Longbourn with the walls pushed back it was still only about half the size of the ballroom at Netherfield Park. Therefore, the celebratory meal was being held there rather than at Longbourn. Both newlywed couples would depart for their respective destinations from that estate.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Elizabeth and Darcy sat in the Darcy coach not long after it had departed the wedding breakfast. Mary’s and Richard’s conveyance had left a few minutes before them on its way to Sanditon in the south, on the west coast of England. Like the Darcys, the Fitzwilliams were to spend the night at their home in London and depart in the morning.
“Hang propriety,” Darcy growled as he moved himself to sit on the forward facing bench next to his wife.
“Who made up these silly rules that a husband cannot sit next to his wife in a carriage?” Elizabeth wondered.
“You know, I have not a clue,” Darcy averred as he kissed his wife on her cheek. “I say we start a new way, regardless of others’ opinions. Just as we agreed to sleep in the same bed each night, we will sit next to one another when we are in a coach.”
His eyes were locked onto his wife’s lips. As soon as they cleared Meryton, he intended to capture those enticing, pouty lips of hers.
At the same time, Elizabeth closed her eyes as she felt Anne’s presence. ‘Annie, it was as you said it would be. I am ever so happy you had the right of it. I have a feeling William will be requiring my attention soon. Before he does, I want you know how privileged I felt to be your sister and best friend.’
Elizabeth felt the speed increase once they were out of Meryton. Soon William was kissing her and all thoughts of being Anne de Bourgh’s best friend were temporally relegated to the back of her mind.
