As it was their duty to do so, Fitzwilliam and Jane made a slow circuit of the room, making sure to stop and say words of thanks for the good wishes and company of each person. It took a little more than an hour before they reached the head table where their family was seated.
For Jane it was a relief to be off her feet while her gallant husband went to make her a plate. ‘What will I do for my next birthday?’ Jane asked herself silently. ‘There will never be another one with a celebration like today’s.’
The wisdom of her mamma insisting she eat when she left her bed this morning had been apparent in the church with the lack of hunger pangs, but now, when Richard placed a plate before her, Jane realised she was ready to eat. With Richard seated next to her and surrounded by her brother and sisters—which included Anna—she felt contentment wash over her as she had a few bites of each of the items Richard selected. The dear man had selected all favourites of hers.
All too soon for their family, but not soon enough for Jane and Richard, it was time to change. They would reach the inn on the Staffordshire–Derbyshire border, where they would stop for the night. From there, it was about two days to the Lakes.
Elizabeth accompanied Jane to the bedchamber Jane had used at Holder Heights since she had left the nursery. Everything had been packed up already, and most, other than what was needed for the wedding trip, had already been sent to Rosings Park. The suite would feel empty without Jane across the sitting room from Elizabeth. Thankfully it would not be for long. Mary had agreed to move in so there would still be two sisters sharing the suite. First the paper on the walls would be changed, as the light pastel colours Jane preferred did not match Mary’s choices.
When Jane was changed into her travel attire, she looked about the room. Other than her wedding gown, which would be folded, packed, and sent to Rosings Park, her closets were empty. There was a small valise on the dresser with the last few things. Jane nodded to her maid who took the valise and exited her mistress’s former bedchamber.
Jane wrapped Lizzy in a hug. “I will miss you,” she stated as a tear rolled down her cheek and then she released her sister.
“As I will you, but this is not a sad parting; I know you will be very happy.”
“Yes, I will be! However, that does not mean I will not long to see you and Mary. Not to mention Mamma and Papa, Jamey and Charlotte, all of you. But I will not be maudlin. It is, after all, both the day of my wedding and my birthday. We will see one another often, I promise you that.” Jane pulled Lizzy into another hug, this one of a much longer duration.
The sisters linked arms and made their way down to the entrance hall, where their family members awaited them. Jane left Lizzy’s side and went to her husband, who offered her one of his arms, which she wrapped around one of hers.
They all exited the house to the drive, where a former de Bourgh barouche box stood ready, the coachman holding the ribbons of the two matched pairs. The former mistress of Rosings Park used to demand three pairs of horses be used. Fitzwilliam, who actually understood horseflesh, changed it to two pairs almost immediately. While Jane was being farewelled, Fitzwilliam had an uncharitable thought. Had Mrs de Bourgh not been committed to Bedlam already, hearing that, one of thefoundlings,as she incorrectly called them, was now the mistress of Rosings Park, would have been enough to make her insane.
Once she had wished everyone farewell, Jane gave Kitty and Lydia another hug before stopping in front of Lizzy and Mary. She pulled them into her arms. “I love you both very much.” With that said, Jane released them and allowed Richard to hand her into the coach.
Fitzwilliam joined his wife and nodded to the footman, who closed the door and recessed the step. He struck the ceiling with his cane, signalling the coachman to proceed. As they departed, he and Jane waved to their family members until they could no longer see them.
Like they had from the church, the two shared the forward-facing bench. Their lack of sleep from the previous night soon caught up with them, and they fell asleep in one another’s arms.
Chapter 31
A note from Hilldale arrived on Monday afternoon to announce that Marie had delivered a son who was named John Reginald to honour his grandfathers. It was no surprise Marie’s first child was a son, as her father had sired three sons and only one daughter with his first wife, and so far, only four sons with his second wife, coincidentally also named Georgiana, like the late duchess had been.
With little John’s birth, the continuation of the Matlock Earldom was assured. Of course, had Marie and Hilldale not been blessed with a son, the first son of Jane and Richard birthed would have been the heir after Hilldale.
Shortly after Marie was churched, and a little before little John reached his second month, he was christened. Jane and Richard, along with Robert Darcy, were his godparents. The most recently married couple arrived a sennight before the christening. They, like Darcy, had accepted the honour of standing as John’s godparents without delay.
Since their arrival at Holder Heights on their return from the Lake District, Elizabeth had noticed a glow about Jane she had never seen before. When she asked what the cause was, aside from telling her it was her felicitous marriage, Jane refused to say anything else, even though Elizabeth was sure her older sister was not being completely open with her.
Jane and Richard departed for Rosings Park on the fourth Monday in October, about a fortnight after the christening.
With Jane married and little John’s christening over, all attention turned to Elizabeth’s coming out after her next birthday when she would turn eighteen on the fifth day of February 1809.
No matter how much she disliked the hooped court dress, she had to get used to walking in it, curtsying in it, and then back away in it without ending up on the floor. There was a little reprieve from the preparations for her presentation around Christmastide when, as they did most years, the Carringtons travelled to Netherfield Park, where they were joined by the Fitzwilliams—sans Marie and Hilldale, as they would not travel with their son yet—and the Darcys.
On the day after they arrived, Charlotte invited her mother to call, and it was then that she and Jamey informed both of their mothers that she had felt the quickening recently, and the babe was expected in April or May of the coming year. The grandmothers-to-be were equally joyous, and when their husbands and the future aunts and uncles were informed, there was much celebration of the news.
As pleased as Elizabeth was at the prospect of a niece or nephew, the attention paid to the good news had interrupted her practising for her presentation, something she could not repine. Unfortunately, Mrs Annesley had her back to practices the next morning, so the reprieve was short.
Elizabeth was granted a longer break from practising and thinking about her presentation when she was informed that there would be no more from the Saturday of Christmas Eve and they would resume on Monday, the second day of January. As much as she did not like all the rehearsing, Elizabeth understood why it was needed. It would not do to commit afaux pasin front of the Queen and disgrace her whole family. Understanding did not mean she had to like the experience.
Having Jane in the same house again was a boon for Elizabeth even though things had changed significantly. She was sanguine with the changes regarding what chambers they slept in. It was not as if she were lonely; she had Mary in the bedchamber Jane used to occupy at Netherfield Park like it was at Holder Heights. Also, like now when Anna was in residence, the latter shared the bedchamber with Mary.
What Elizabeth noticed was she was no longer Jane’s confidant as she had been for all the years as they grew up. On that subject, she decided to seek Mamma’s counsel.
“What troubles you, Lizzy?” Edith asked. She had seen Lizzy trying to puzzle something out and had waited until her middle daughter asked to speak to her, which she had done that morning. Mother and daughter were ensconced in the master suite’s private sitting room.
“Do you think Jane is upset with me?” Elizabeth enquired.
“If she is, I have seen no evidence of it,” Edith responded thoughtfully. “What caused you to think so?”
