Two days before the wedding, Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived at Netherfield Park with the rest of the Fitzwilliam family. With him came his older brother, Arthur Fitzwilliam, Viscount Bramwell, and father, Lord Hugh Fitzwilliam, Earl of Matlock. Darcy’s family was small, Elizabeth realized, suddenly feeling particularly grateful for her plethora of sisters.
Mrs. Bennet fell into an awed silence and behaved very well in front of Mr. Darcy’s wealthy relations. She hosted a family dinner the night before the wedding, and her planning and execution of the evening were perfect. Each course was sumptuous and delightful, and Darcy’s well-bred relations complimented their hostess warmly and sincerely.
Elizabeth’s first impression of her future family was good. They welcomed her warmly and extended an invitation to dine once they were all in London.
Throughout all this, Elizabeth’s mother maintained her vow never to speak to her daughter again almost completely. She did not seek her daughter’s preferences in her planning, and Elizabeth thought it just as well since this was not to be the wedding of her dreams.
She went to bed the night before her wedding feeling unaccountably nervous. Praying she would soon fall into a peaceful sleep, she laid down and closed her eyes.Let this be over quickly,she prayed. She repeated the words in her mind until she finally drifted to sleep in the early hours of the morning.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Monday, May 4, 1812
Longbourn
Elizabeth
Elizabeth stood before her mirror, staring at her reflection. She looked lovely in the gown of pale-yellow silk ordered as part of her wedding clothes. Mr. Darcy had told Mrs. Bennet that Elizabeth would purchase most of her wardrobe in London, so her mother had only ordered four new gowns for her most troublesome daughter.
Her hair had been arranged fashionably, with curls framing her face and kissing her neck. Her dark eyes stood out against her pale face, and the color of her gown brought out hints of gold within their depths.
“You look very well, Lizzy.” Her mother’s voice from her doorway caused her to jump in surprise, since Mrs. Bennet had kept her vow of silence.
“I am to tell you of the wedding night.” Mrs. Bennet proceeded to do so, and Elizabth blushed in mortification and embarrassment. “It will be over quickly,” her mother said. “Give him his heir, and then you may lock your door against him.”
Mrs. Bennet turned to leave and then stopped. She turned around and came back toward Elizabeth. “It is good that you will be married,” she said. “Your father thinks I am a fool and do not notice, but he is not well.” She sat slowly on the bed. “I know you think I was harsh, not speaking to you all these months. In truth, I felt far too angry to do so. First, I grew upset when you rejected Mr. Collins. And then Jane accepted his proposal, and I became even more furious because she, who had the attentions of a worthier man, felt the need to do her duty where you would not. Even after learning of Miss Bingley’s letter, I did not doubt that Mr. Bingley would return. But he never did.”
She sniffed. “I let my anger continue, even after you returned engaged. I thought for sure that Mr. Darcy would cry off. But he did not.” She patted her hair and stood. “Come down now, for your father is waiting.”
“Would you have done it?” Elizabeth asked. “Would you have cast me out and denied me a home?” She needed to know.
Her mother nodded. “Yes.” She did not attempt to explain herself, turning and leaving the room.
Elizabeth gasped as a sob threatened to explode from within her. She struggled to compose herself. When she felt a little more certain of her equanimity, she glanced in the mirror to be certain she had not spoiled her appearance and then left the room.
Her father awaited her at the bottom of the stairs. “You look lovely, my dear,” he said sincerely. He offered her his arm and Elizabeth took it. He leaned heavily on her, and she supportedhim to the carriage where her mother and three remaining sisters waited.
She and her father had the privilege to sit on the forward-facing bench. Mama had somehow managed to squeeze herself and her three youngest daughters on the rear-facing one. The ride to the church felt far too short, however, and soon she had disembarked and was waiting just outside the chapel doors for her turn to enter.
When it came time, her father escorted her down the aisle toward Mr. Darcy. Charlotte stood there, waiting to stand as a witness for Elizabeth. Colonel Fitzwilliam joined his cousin. With a start, she noted Lady de Bourgh sitting with the Fitzwilliams. The lady grinned and winked at her, and Elizabeth smiled back.
Suddenly, they were at the front of the church and her father placed her hand into Darcy’s. The parson began to speak, and, in a whirlwind, she and her new husband were back down the aisle and signing the parish register.
The wedding breakfast passed in a similar blur, and before she boarded the carriage with Darcy, she farewelled her friends and neighbors, her sisters, her mother, and her father. When she came to Charlotte, she hugged her tightly.
“I will send for you soon,” she promised.
“I shall join you in London before too long,” Charlotte confided. “Lady de Bourgh has asked me to join her at her house as her guest.”
“Charlotte, that is wonderful!” Elizabeth cried. “I am very pleased.”
“Did you know that her house is in Mayfair, two doors down from Mr. Darcy?” she grinned happily. “You will not escape me now!”
Elizabeth laughed. “I have no wish to. I shall look forward to having your company.”
Charlotte sobered. “Do not let your misgivings and wounded vanity prevent you from learning to love him, Elizabeth,” she cautioned. “Mr. Darcy is a good man.”
Elizabeth glanced across the room, where her husband appeared to be having a conversation with her father. “I promise to try,” she said at last.
