Chapter 22
Elizabeth rode her horse to Oakham Mount the morning before the double wedding. A groom and footman waited for her at the base of the low hill while she sat on a rock on the edge of the summit, waiting for the sun to rise above the eastern horizon.
Even before the sun rose, there were birds flitting from branch to branch of the four oak trees on the summit which gave the low hill its name. They were singing to welcome the new day. The leaves on the oak trees were already changing from a vibrant yellow and orange colour to a redder and more crimson one. They had been green until around the second week of September. They looked so much better than the brown colour they would become before falling off the trees and inexorably floating to the ground below.
There was not too much breeze on this day so that the leaves were doing a slow dance as the little wind moved them. In addition, the sky was mostly clear, and the few clouds Elizabeth could see were white, not the heavy dark-grey ones which would have sent her galloping home.
As Elizabeth sat and stared at the changing colours signalling the approaching sun, she contemplated the recent past. She had been pleased that William, as she and all of her sisters had been asked to call their cousin-to-be, had only requested the supper set for the ball held at Netherfield Park. If he had asked for a second set, she would more likely than not have answered in the affirmative. She was relieved that she had not had to make that decision, and she was sure that Mrs Annesley would have pointed out the impropriety ofdancing more than one set with a man with whom she had no understanding.
The ball had been as enjoyable as the one at Matlock House, at which she had first danced with William. At supper they had picked up where they had left off, discussing books they had read since their previous dance. William had also expressed his pleasure at the way Gigi had been welcomed into the circle of Elizabeth’s sisters and their friends.
As she thought of the wedding, which would be on the morrow, it was bittersweet for Elizabeth, although the good far outweighed the bad. The only negative for her was that she would no longer see Jane each day, but the happiness Jane felt at marrying the man who loved her and whom she loved in return was far more than the little sadness she would have. In addition, she was gaining Charlotte as a sister-in-law when she married her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Richard.
That Charlotte was about to marry excited Elizabeth almost as much as Jane’s marrying Andrew. How fortuitous it was that Richard was Harold’s good friend and they had met him soon after going to London for Elizabeth’s presentation. It was why Elizabeth had been so insistent that Charlotte agree to accompany her to London. She was certain that with a much larger number of men in the capital, there would be some who would appreciate Charlotte’s good sense and intelligence. Besides that, Elizabeth had never believed her friend to be plain, like Mamma used to call her before things had changed.
Another thing to which Elizabeth had to look forward was that she was standing up with Jane on the morrow. Charlotte was having Maria do the honours for her, while Andrew’s best man was Harold, and Richard’s was William. She felt a little shiver of anticipation when she thought about how she would bestanding near to William, close to the altar in St Alfred’s when the two couples said their vows.
She could not help but smile when she thought of Gigi and her younger sisters. Gigi was close to all three but was in awe of Mary’s abilities on the pianoforte. She also shared a love of drawing with Catherine. But her closest connection was to Lyddie, as the two girls were only three months apart in age. Where the youngest Bennet was livelier and more outgoing, Gigi was still somewhat shy and introverted. Lyddie helped draw her out, even more than Elizabeth had when they first met. Elizabeth and Gigi were still very close; however, the latter’s attention was shared among the Bennet sisters. Knowing that it was important for Gigi to widen her circle of friends, Elizabeth did not repine that she was no longer the sole focus of Gigi’s attention. The circle of friends also included Maria Lucas, Mandy and Cara Long, and Stella Goulding.
Although Elizabeth had never known the former Anne de Bourgh when the quacks Lady Catherine employed hurt her health, she had heard Anne Ashby’s Fitzwilliam and Darcy cousins remark that since her marriage Anne looked even healthier than she had ever been. The Ashbys arrived two days before the ball.
Rather than take a suite in the manor house, the Ashbys were in residence at the dower house. The reason was simple: they wanted their privacy. During the day, they spent some time at the manor house or visiting friends in the neighbourhood, but as a recently married couple, they still preferred their own company to any other.
After the wedding, other than the two newly married couples, most of those attending the celebration would make for London to attend the Little Season. Without Jane, Elizabethchose not to attend. She knew that William would make for Town, but not to partake in the social scene. He had business to transact in London and would only be there for a fortnight or so.
Using big eyes and an innocent face, Gigi had gained William’s permission to remain at Longbourn when he made for Town, as long as she was invited, which of course she had been.
Just before the sun broke above the horizon, her reverie was interrupted when she heard the crunch of footsteps behind her. She turned to see William approaching her. She was reminded about just how handsome a man he was. The footman had followed William up and was standing on the summit next to the head of the path so propriety would be observed.
“Good morning, Elizabeth,” Darcy called out.
“And to you, William,” Elizabeth responded. “I assume that Zeus is with my Phoebe and Peter, the groom, is watching him as well.”
“You are right. Zeus enjoyed his run, and now, he is visiting your mare. I see we both like to name horses after Greek gods. Phoebe was a Titan, the goddess of intellect and prophecy. It fits that one as intelligent as you would name your horse for that particular goddess,” Darcy stated. He looked at the rock next to Elizabeth.
“Please sit,” Elizabeth invited. “Far be it from me to disabuse you, but it was Father and not me who named Phoebe. He may very well have considered the things you alluded to, but you would need to ask him that. Also, the name Phoebe, which means ‘bright’, was given to some lunar goddesses as well. Would you like me to recite them?”
Darcy held up his hand. “No need for a lesson on Greek Mythology this morning.” He pointed towards the east. “I see the sun is making an appearance.”
The reds, silvers, and golds which had been seen before the sun touched the horizon were no longer visible. The brilliant light of the new day had chased the colours away and now the clouds all reflected the same bright hue.
Even though the sun’s rays were weaker the further into autumn and the closer to winter they got, Elizabeth could feel the warming rays bathe her face. The other thing the sun did was change the patchwork of harvested fields below from grey to many colours, brown and green chief among them.
“What time is it?” Elizabeth asked once the sun was all the way above the horizon.
“It is fifteen minutes before seven. According to the almanack I read, the official time of sunrise was three minutes ago,” Darcy revealed after looking at his fob watch. Whenever he viewed it, he was reminded of his father, as this one used to belong to his late sire. “You did mention during supper at the ball that this was a good place to see a vista of the area. Do you come here often in the morning before most others have risen?”
“Less now as we get closer to winter. However, in the spring and summer I come as much as the weather will permit,” Elizabeth replied.
Soon thereafter, with the Longbourn footman following, the two made their way down the hill to where the groom was watching their mounts. Darcy’s stallion, Zeus, was at least two hands taller than Elizabeth’s Phoebe. Given her petite size, the mare was more than large enough for her.
Never had Darcy felt an attraction to any woman, especially not one of marriageable age before. Elizabeth was nothing like the debutantes of theTon.It seemed that in meeting one, you had met most of them. She challenged him and, when she agreed, it was genuine. She was far more than his intellectual equal. No, in that, she was far above him. Hurst had told him that like Jane, who would marry on the morrow, Elizabeth would not want to think along those lines for another two years or so. Andrew had been patient, and Darcy would be also.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The next morning Bennet waited in the vestibule to begin the walk up the aisle with Jane on his arm and Lizzy walking behind them. Sir William and Charlotte came after Lizzy; Maria was bringing up the rear. He could not have been prouder. He had watched May Gardiner and Tommy precede them through the single open inner vestibule door; the cousins were acting as the flower girl and ring bearer. Of course, the little heart-shaped pillow did not have the actual rings on it; those were in Hurst’s and Darcy’s pockets.
Even though Tommy was young to be breeched at four, it was not unheard of at that age. He had walked upright and proud in his little suit, holding the pillow—which had two rings of no value sewn onto it—steadily before him as he made sure that he kept to the same speed his cousin did as she stopped to throw rose petals on the carpet every step or two.
