“Richard do not tease them on their wedding day,” Cassie told her husband, swatting his arm playfully.
“Yes, dear,” Richard replied as he waggled his eyebrows at his wife.
After the newlyweds ate and drank, they circulated among those they had not yet greeted, those seated in the other half of the ballroom. Just after that, the King decided he needed to rest. Everyone stood and acknowledged the King with a bow or curtsey. Once the monarch exited the room, the celebration resumed.
It was another hour and a half before Elizabeth and William were satisfied they had spoken personally to all of the well-wishers. Jane and Mary accompanied Elizabeth to the apartment she had been occupying during her stay at Buckingham House.
They assisted her to remove her intricate wedding gown and to change into her travel attire, although they were crossing only through Hyde Park to Grosvenor Square—a ride that would take less than twenty minutes.
“Lizzy, I am sure you and William will be happy. I am so glad for you, little sister,” Jane told her as they fell into one another’s arms.
“That we will have a felicitous marriage is not in doubt, Janie. With our living at Pemberley in the summer, we will be much closer to your estate. William told me Hilldale is less than five hours away by carriage,” Elizabeth hugged her older sister tightly in return.
She drew Mary into their hug. “Mary, I will miss you, and my other sisters and brother.”
“The house will seem empty without you there every day, Lizzy,” Mary stated stoically. “However, I have a feeling Tommy will make sure we do not have too much peace.”
“Until Tommy goes to Eton in two years,” Jane pointed out. “You will love Seaview, Lizzy; Andrew and I have many warm memories of it. We would have liked to bathe in the sea at the private cove, but it was far too cold when we were there in December.”
“It has been warmer lately; mayhap you and our new brother will be able to venture into the seawater,” Mary surmised.
“Just wait, Mary, it is less than two years until you come out and Wes will at last be able to declare himself,” Elizabeth told her younger sister with arched eyebrow.
“There is no guarantee he will wait for me, Lizzy,” Mary demurred.
“Mary Rose Bennet! Do not talk drivel. You know very well Wes is besotted with you, and were he allowed to declare himself today, he would,” Jane stated firmly. “A blind man could see how in love you two are.”
After final hugs, the three sisters joined William and the rest of the family near the doors leading to the portico, where a Darcy coach awaited them. There were long hugs with everyone, including Kitty, Lydia, Georgiana, and Tommy.
“Will I see you at Darcy House after your rest, Lizzy?” Tommy asked innocently.
“If Lizzy and William are not too tired, it is possible you may see them before dinner, otherwise we will see them then,” Fanny told her son.
“William,” his father said quietly as he pulled him aside, “This is from your mother. She asked me to give it to you on your wedding day so you can read it with your wife if you so choose. As you married Lizzy, having her read it will not be the problem it would have been had you married another.” Darcy handed his son a sealed letter with his name written in his late mother’s neat script.
William placed the precious letter in his inside pocket, and soon the new husband and wife were on their way to Darcy House.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The Killions welcomed the Marquess and his Princess to Darcy House with warm wishes for their future felicity. The couple made for William’s suite, the one he had moved into after he had become betrothed. It was the farthest one from the Duke’s and Gigi’s suites.
Once they dismissed their personal servants, the couple sat on a settee in their shared sitting room. William held his mother’s missive for a while, just looking at his mother’s flowing, neat handwriting. Elizabeth gave his free hand a squeeze and he broke the seal. It did not take long to discover why his father had made the comment about reading the letter with his wife.
July 1, 1803
To my dearest darling son, William:
I asked your father to give my letter to you on your wedding day. If my Robert has joined me in heaven already, he will have arranged beforehand to have someone deliver this in his stead, though I pray you have received this from his hands.
If a mother’s intuition is correct, then Lizzy is the one sitting next to you as you read this, my son. From the day I watched the little mite kick your shins, I had a feeling she would be the one for you. If I was incorrect and it not Lizzy who is your wife, I apologise to your wife for my presumption, should you allow her to read this.
Whether it is Lizzy or another, please welcome her to the family on my behalf. It saddens me greatly I was unable to be with you today, but I will be watching with pleasure from heaven.
You were told this while I was alive, William. You are the best son a parent could wish for. As long as you have followed your heart when choosing your wife, you both love one another, and you have mutual respect, you cannot go wrong.
It does not mean there will never be disagreements, but if you do have them, once you have children, make sure it is not in front of them. You never knew about any disagreements your father and I had. They were few and far between, but they were ours.
Never hold back from your wife, William. Give her the whole of your heart and allow her to see your true self at all times. It is my great regret that I will never know my grandchildren, but I am sure you will be wonderful parents. Never follow theTon’smores of hiding children in the nursery for most of the day with nursemaids and governesses. Follow the example we—and all the parents you know in our extended family—set with you and Gigi.
