‘I would love to do so, but I do not believe that my savings will stretch that far, and I would prefer to leave your dowry as your settlement, just in case, and perhaps just use the interest.’
Mary smiled impishly, a smile reminiscent of her older sister, when she said, ‘My dowry is an estate in Cambridgeshire close to Newmarket in Suffolk.’
There was a great family resemblance between Richard and Darcy when they heard that news.
~T~
34Happily Ever After
Mrs Bennet was the proudest mother in the country.
She was hosting the wedding of not one or even two, but three daughters and they were all marrying extremely eligible gentlemen.
While Darcy was the lowest ranked gentleman, he was at present the wealthiest. On the other hand, The Honourable Mr Richard Fitzwilliam was the second son of an Earl, even if he was technically the poorest, he was still a most eligible match. But the crowning glory was her Jane who was marrying the second son of a Duke.
And they were all marrying for love and respect. Mrs Bennet could hardly contain her happiness.
~T~
After the last engagement was announced, the couples conferred and decided that none of them wanted to wait for their wedding. As a consequence, they would all marry in the same ceremony.
As for the date, they agreed that Jane’s and Deveril’s suggestion of just after Christmas was a good one. There was enough time to have the banns read and for family and friends to be notified.
The duchess suggested that the guests could be accommodated at Netherfield the night before the wedding to ensure their families would be present on the day and not kept away due to the weather.
Then it was just a minor matter to agree that as Netherfield had more space than Longbourn, the wedding breakfast was to be held there and Mrs Bennet would work with the duchess to make the arrangements.
~T~
The day of the wedding dawned grey and blustery, but nothing could dampen the excitement of the brides especially as Mrs Bennet was in an absolute tizzy to ensure they would be perfect.
Despite Mrs Bennet’s help, the sisters were ready on time.
When they came downstairs, their family was waiting for them. Even Mr Bennet became somewhat misty eyed when he saw his daughters in their wedding finery. Due to the time of the year each of the girls had chosen velvet as the material for the wedding gowns which were commissioned during a very quick trip to London just after choosing the wedding date.
‘You look stunning. All of you,’ said their father who carefully embraced each of them. ‘I shall miss you but am assured that your young men will treat you as you deserve… like the treasures you are.’
Mrs Gardiner broke the mood by reminding them that it was time to don their cloaks and go.
Once they arrived at the church, the ladies except for the brides entered and took their places while the others, including Mr Gardiner waited in the vestibule where they were to leave their cloaks for the duration of the ceremony.
Mrs Bennet was relieved to see that the three grooms were already in place. There were no groomsmen with them as the men they would have chosen were getting married as well and were already standing with them. To balance their party, the sisters were each other’s bridesmaids.
Mr Bennet confirmed that everybody was ready in the church and turned to his daughters. ‘Are you ready?’
The sisters exchanged glances, smiles, and nods. ‘Yes, we are, papa,’ answered Jane for all of them as she took the proffered arm of Mr Gardiner just as her sisters accepted the arms of their father to make their way up the aisle.
This arrangement had caused some initial concern as there were three brides and only one father with but two arms and Mr Bennet thought it undignified to deliver a bride to the altar and then scurry back to escort the other two.
Since Gardiner had been instrumental in facilitating these marriages, they decided that he would escort one of them while Bennet led the other two to their grooms. The choice of which brides each would escort was decided in the most intelligent and logical fashion. The girls drew the names of their escorts out of a hat.
~T~
Once they entered the church, all these concerns were forgotten as each bride only had eyes for their groom.
The grooms for their part were mesmerised by the vision which were each of their brides.
Darcy could hardly believe his luck that this vibrant woman was about to become his wife.
