~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Three days before the wedding, those involved in the ceremony met at the Abbey to go over the order of service. However, they would meet his Grace, Charles Manners-Sutton, The Most Reverend Willowmere, by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, only on the day of the wedding. The meeting on this day was held with one of the bishops who assisted the Archbishop.
Young May and Peter Gardiner, seven and five respectively, were excited that they would have a role in the wedding. May was to be the flower girl and Peter was to act as page and carry his cousin’s train. Jane and Mary were to stand up with Elizabeth, while Andrew and Richard would do the honours for William.
The Bishop explained that the congregation would stand until the royal family was seated, the congregants would bow and curtsy to the royals, and then they would be seated. Each participant would bow or curtsy to the King and Queen and their children in attendance as they entered the abbey from the vestibule.
Elizabeth would be walked up the aisle between her papa and her father. After the service, the bride and groom would return to Buckingham House in a royal coach pulled by eight white horses and escorted by a contingent of royal guards.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The next day, the betrothed couple went for a walk in St. James Park, escorted by Biggs, Johns, and a cadre of royal guards. Jane and Andrew, Cassie and Richard, Wes, and Mary walked with them.
None of them realized they were being watched. Lord Harrington Hamstead was desperate. He had no way of paying his debts of honour. He had been so confident his luck was changing that he had put his estate in Shropshire and his town house in London up as collateral. He had lost, and if he did not make a substantial payment in the next few days, the man holding his vowels would foreclose on the properties that had been in his family for generations—they were not protected by an entail.
He watched Buckingham House for a chance to get near the countrified Princess. Desperate men are rarely smart men, and he needed funds desperately. Deciding his only option was to compromise the Princess before she was lost to him by marriage, he watched as the four couples entered the park.
There was a major flaw in his plan; he did not know which lady was the Princess. He knew who the Fitzwilliams were, but he had no idea who the other two men were. All of the ladies were similarly dressed which did not help the hapless lord decide which was the princess. He calculated that it was one of those two not accompanied by a Fitzwilliam—he had a one on two chance of selecting the correct lady. He started running—as fast as he was able with his corpulent body—toward the last couple, Mary and Wes. Before he was within twenty yards of the group of walkers, he found himself flat on his back staring up at the angry visage of one of the biggest men he had ever seen.
As Lord Hamstead attempted to rise, the man growled at him to stay down and, to make his point even more clearly, Johns placed the sole of his boot on the wheezing man’s chest. Two of the royal guard were assisted Johns within moments and dragged the sputtering man to his feet.
The only one of the walkers who noticed anything amiss was Richard. His military training helped him identify threats, but almost as soon as he saw the man, he knew the escorts would never allow him close enough to disturb them. Once he saw the man was subdued, he nodded to the captain of the guard, conveying his approval of their swift actions. Cassie looked at her husband quizzically when she saw the grin on his face. “Later my love, I will tell you all,” Richard told his wife as he watched the guards dragging the hapless man away.
The rest of their walk was undisturbed and, after enjoying tea in one of the large parlours in the house, the six visitors took their leave. Elizabeth and Mary walked them out to the courtyard.
“You will be my husband in less than two days, William,” Elizabeth said softly as they approached the waiting coach.
“When you become my wife, my love, it will be the greatest day of my life,” William stated quietly as he squeezed her hand.
“For me it will be my best birthday ever,” Elizabeth told her betrothed. “I will never have an excuse to forget the date of our anniversary.”
“Even though it is not my birthday on Saturday, as I am marrying you, my dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, I feel I am the one being given the gift, one which I will treasure for the rest of my life,” William returned quietly, his voice laden with certainty.
“We will see you later at Darcy House for a family dinner, William.” Elizabeth would feel bereft of his company until she and her parents arrived at Darcy House.
After the sisters saw their extended family off they returned to the parlour, where their parents were waiting for them with Prince Frederick and the captain of the guards. “Did you notice the disturbance while you were walking in St. James Park?” Bennet asked.
Elizabeth and Mary looked at one another questioningly; both shook their heads. “No Papa, we did not notice anything out of the ordinary,” Elizabeth reported.
“Then I commend you, captain, as you and your men were beyond efficient,” Bennet stated as he turned to the commander of the guards.
“As much as I appreciate your words, Lord Longbourn,” the captain bowed, “it was your man, Johns, who neutralised the threat before any of the walkers became aware of the issue, other than former Captain Fitzwilliam.”
“Where is the dastard now?” the Prince asked.
“In the dungeon, your Royal Highness,” the Captain averred.
“Thank you, captain, please hold him until you hear from me. You are dismissed,” the Prince commanded. The captain broke off a smart salute and left the parlour.
“What happened?” Mary asked.
“A desperate fortune hunter tried to compromise Lizzy, except he did not know who she was so it seems he was aiming at you, Mary, before Johns brought him down,” the Prince explained. “The closest he got to you was little more than twenty yards.”
“What will happen to him?” Elizabeth asked.
“He will be held until after the wedding,” Bennet replied. “Evidently, he has gambled his birth right away and was trying to save it by acquiring your fortune. We have been informed his debts will be called in and he will lose everything by next week.”
“Even though he did not know who you were, he will still be charged with treason. I will recommend transportation for him,” the Prince explained.
