“All of us will miss you, but we will write, Papa,” Elizabeth vowed.
“And Lulu and I will reply to each one,” Bennet promised. “Come, girls, it is time; it would not do for your betrotheds to think they are being jilted, would it?”
Bennet felt bittersweet as he handed first Jane, then Lizzy, and finally Mary into his conveyance. This was the final time he would do so, with his three eldest daughters still bearing the name Bennet.
They sat in silence, in contemplation, as the carriage transported them the short distance to the church. Each bride felt the anticipation grow when she saw the three landaus waiting near the church, each with a matched pair of white horses attached. The tops were up, given the time of the year;however, they were the coaches each pair of newlyweds would travel to Netherfield Park in after the ceremony concluded and the register had been signed.
Bennet handed his daughters out in descending age order. They entered the vestibule where Lulu was waiting with Kate, Anna, and Lydia. Also present was Gardiner. Seeing that Bennet only had two arms, he could not walk three brides into the church without leaving one in the vestibule to wait for him. Hence, Gardiner would have the honour of walking Mary up the aisle towards Fitzwilliam.
Louisa stood before each bride and gently dropped her veil into place. She was very pleased each one had requested she do the honours for them.
As soon as Bennet was ready, with Jane on one arm and Lizzy on the other, Kate and Anna behind their respective bride, Mary ready on Gardiner’s arm and Lydia behind her, Lulu entered the nave of the church and nodded to Mr Pierce, who was standing next to three grooms all suffering from nervous anticipation.
The rector waited until Mrs Bennet reached the Bennet pew and entered. Maddie, Charlotte, and Phillips were already in the pew, leaving the seat closest to the aisle for Bennet, and one between Lulu and Maddie for Gardiner. Mr Pierce smiled at his wife and then gave the signal for everyone to stand. As he did that, the three grooms relaxed, knowing that their respective brides were present, and then focused on the double doors at the rear of the nave, which led to the vestibule and the entrance to the church. They did not have long to wait, because as soon as the congregants were standing, Mr Pierce nodded to his curate. He and another man pushed the double doors open.
Darcy’s and Bingley’s eyes locked onto those of his affianced. It did not take long before they had progressed up the aisle enough to give Fitzwilliam a clear view of his beloved Mary. Like the other two grooms, his eyes were fixed on hisbride.
The grooms only needed to be prodded gently by the men standing up for them to remember they needed to meet their bride at the head of the aisle. Bennet lifted the veil on both daughters he had walked towards their grooms, and he kissed first Jane and then Lizzy on the cheek and replaced the veil before placing one of their hands on the waiting man’s arm. Gardiner handed Mary to Bennet so he could repeat the process for her.
Gardiner and then Bennet entered the pew where their wives were standing and stood next to them.
With the three couples in place, Mr Pierce gave the signal for those attending the church to be seated. Seeing everyone in the congregation doing so, Pierce turned to the couples standing before him. He opened theBook of Common Prayer. “Dearly beloved…”
As had been planned, the parts of the service in common were recited once, but each couple, descending by age of the brides, said their vows separately. All too soon for Bennet, Pierce was reciting the concluding prayer and final benediction.
Louisa leaned over to her husband. “Was this too part of the Collins effect?” She asked.
“No, that executed criminal had no effect on today. If it is all the same to you, I would like to forget about that man and the delusions created by his lying family. There may be others of that name in this kingdom, but none are related to the line which ended with William Collins.” Bennet kissed his wife on the crown of her head as their friends and family cheered for the three newly married couples.
Epilogue
August 1812
Longbourn and Netherfield Park were both almost full with extended family members. The occasion which had caused the family to come together was hopefully a very joyous one. The joy, of course, depended on whether both mother and new babe came through the experience of childbirth healthy and alive.
As she had planned, Louisa had waited until she missed her courses in January of the current year before she informed Thomas that she suspected she was with child. He had laughed and kissed her soundly and told her, seeing that she had never been indisposed since their wedding, he had guessed that she was increasing, but he had decided not to say anything until she felt ready to share her news.
When Louisa had shared her husband’s reaction with Aunt Hildebrand, her aunt had given her a knowing ‘I told you so’ look.
Bennet and Lulu had waited until she felt the quickening in mid-March before the news was shared with the Bennet sisters. None of them were at Longbourn at that time. Rather, they all were enjoying time with their sisters and the Gardiners in London. Letters had been sent to Darcy, Fitzwilliam, and Bingley Houses.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
In April 1812, word had reached the Bennets that MrsKingston and her daughters had reached Cornwall only to find her parents were dead and had left everything to Drusilla’s brother.
Given how she had treated her parents, the brother wanted nothing to do with his sister or his nieces. Evidently, rather than starve in the hedgerows, the four Kingston ladies ended up going into service. They learnt the hard way that they could not behave the way in which they used to and expect good things to happen to them.
Nothing was ever heard of them again.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It had been during the early part of the season that Chalmers, Darcy’s steward, had written to say that a neighbouring estate, Castlemere, was for sale. It belonged to the Duke of Hertfordshire; however, his youngest of three sons, had perished in a riding accident at the estate. It was the reason that His Grace was selling at a very reasonable price. Being a very good friend of Chalmers, the agent would hold off advertising the estate for sale for a fortnight.
Knowing it was a very good and well-run estate, about half of the size of his own, Darcy had urged Bingley not to miss the opportunity. His brother by marriage had agreed, and they had departed—with their wives—the day the letter arrived. Pushing hard, they had arrived at Pemberley the morning of the third day.
That afternoon, Darcy, Bingley, and Chalmers had met with the agent and inspected the estate. Bingley liked what he saw, but he wanted Jane to see the estate and manor house before he made a decision. The next morning, the two couples had arrived early and toured the estate and the house. All that remained of the old castle was one wall that was incorporated into the current manor. Jane was very happy with everything, and the fact that there was a shared boundary with Pemberleydid not hurt.
Bingley had signed the bill of sale, and a sennight later, once the agreed-upon purchase price was paid into the Duke’s account, the Court of Chancery had been applied to for a new deed, which had been issued a fortnight later.
