Page 129 of A Life Diverted
Friday, the day before the wedding, Jane arrived at Buckingham House to be with her sister on her last day as an unmarried woman.
They stood together looking at the wedding gown Elizabeth was to wear on the morrow.
It was white satin, puffy sleeves slightly off the shoulder, with a gossamer overlay embellished with diamond chips.
The long train would flow behind her as she walked up the aisle.
Thankfully, Peter would be helping with her train as she walked.
Elizabeth would have preferred a simple dress like the one Jane wore at her wedding, but since hers was a royal wedding, that was not possible.
Her trousseau had been ordered during a trip to Town before they arrived at Buckingham House.
Being poked, prodded, and measured by London’s premier modiste, Madam Chambourg, was not her favourite thing to do.
Madam Chambourg, who only accepted new clients occasionally—and then with a long waiting period—made an exception for the Queen’s granddaughter.
Her shop had been closed to the public for a little more than a week to accommodate Princess Beth’s huge order.
Elizabeth and others in the family had completed their final fittings since arriving at Buckingham House.
Dinner was a formal affair—as it always was when dining with the King and Queen. Much to Queen Charlotte’s delight, her granddaughter thrilled them with an exhibition of playing and singing once the men re-joined the ladies in a music room after the separation of the sexes.
Lady Sarah marvelled anew each time she heard Priscilla’s daughter—her granddaughter—play and sing.
Her daughter had been accomplished, but not to the level of Elizabeth or her sisters.
Listening to Elizabeth sing, she was convinced she could feel Priscilla’s presence shining down on them from heaven.
For their final performance of the night, Jane played on the harp, Mary played the pianoforte, and Elizabeth sang an aria in German as a special treat for her royal grandmother. Much to the Queen’s delight, whenever she and Elizabeth conversed in private, it was in German.
Everyone retired relatively early that night, given the momentous occasion occurring on the morrow.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Once Elizabeth was ready for bed, there was a knock on her door. When bade to enter, Fanny sat on the bed with her second daughter and held Lizzy’s hand. She intended to talk to her daughter about the wedding night.
“This is the last night we have sole claim on you as a daughter living under our roof—even though we are certainly not in our own home tonight. Cilla, Priscilla, would have loved to be the one giving you this information, Lizzy, so it is my task to do it for the both of us,” Fanny told her daughter.
“Mama, I never met my birthmother, but I feel her love in everything she did to protect me; she left me with the best person other than herself in the world. In my mind, I have always had the love of two mothers,” Elizabeth imparted to her mother as she squeezed her hands.
“From tomorrow your William will have the honour, and I dare say pleasure, of your protection, though you must know that all of us will protect and love you all of your days,” Fanny began.
“He understands you, Lizzy, and your father, Papa, and I are equally happy and relieved that your marriage will be a true partnership, which is the only kind of marriage in which we knew you would find your own happiness.
William respects you as much as he loves you.
“Tomorrow night is your wedding night, and I need to talk to you about what to expect in the marriage bed,” Fanny offered softly.
With a blush rising in her cheeks, Lizzy nodded for her mother to proceed.
“The intimacies of the marriage bed are not something to be feared, especially not with someone who loves you the way that your William clearly loves you.
When there is love like the two of you share, the marriage bed will be a wonderful and pleasurable experience for both of you.
“Anyone that advises a daughter to ‘lie back and tolerate’ the relations between man and woman has no idea of what they speak.
Do not be afraid to tell William what you like and do not like and let him know that you want to know the same from him.
Just as you want your marriage to be a true partnership, Lizzy, the same is true of the marriage bed.
My wish for you is that you will discover that it is as pleasurable to give as to receive.
Never be ashamed of the relations that you will have in private with your husband.
A good relationship in the marriage bed enhances your marriage as a whole and gives a depth of joy that cannot be harmed by anyone.
“I will not lie to you; there will be some pain and more than likely a few drops of blood the first time, but it is only the first time that this should happen.
The pain will be but a moment and marks your becoming a wife in every sense of the word.
William likely expects that he will need to stop for a moment at that point, so if you need him to, tell him and I am sure that he will.
He is a man that will never force you to do that which is unacceptable to you.
That is why telling each other what you enjoy, and do not enjoy, is so very important.
“If you never think of your relations with your husband as a chore, they will never be so.
No matter what anyone else may say, both husband and wife deriving pleasure from the marriage bed is a good thing and does not make you a wanton, nor is it a sin to love your husband as only a wife can.
You and William are passionate people, so I believe that both of you will take pleasure in your marriage, and in the many ways it can be enjoyed.
Never be afraid to be spontaneous. Regardless of what society professes, night-time is not the only acceptable time for conjugal relations with your beloved husband.
Whenever the two of you have privacy and you both desire the same thing, it is never wrong.
“I pray you both will be able to keep your stubborn streaks under good regulation. There will be disagreements and arguments at times, but no matter what, never go to bed angry one with the other. Do you understand this, Lizzy? It is critically important to the health of your marriage.
“Yes Mama, I do understand what you are saying,” Elizabeth returned, looking anywhere but directly at her mother.
“I am now jumping ahead, but when you are with child, there is no reason to stop having relations with your husband until you feel it is too uncomfortable for you as you near your confinement. Remember, it will be a partnership, and like any good and equal partnership, the shared experience of love, passion, and pleasure will be very fulfilling. Do you have any questions for me, Lizzy? If you feel the need, I can summon Jane to see you and talk to you as well.” Fanny gently squeezed her daughter’s hand.
After she calmed down at the thought of the pleasure and experiences that she would start to share with William starting on the morrow, Elizabeth shook her head.
“No, Mama, I have no questions. I always love to talk to Jane, but your talk was very thorough, so I have no need for more information at this time. Thank you, Mama; you have helped me look forward to the marriage bed with pleasure and not fear.” Lizzy drew her mother in for a hug and kissed both of Fanny’s cheeks.
After her mother left, Elizabeth felt warm all over as she imagined seeing William undressed for the first time on the morrow.
She had seen plates of nude men in a book she had discovered in her father’s library, and sculptures at museums, so she had a rough idea what she would see.
She fell asleep with a smile on her lips as she imagined William and herself intertwined in their bed together.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
William, unlike most young men of his age, had not experienced the pleasures of the flesh; he sat with his father in Darcy House having the most uncomfortable—if informative—conversation of his life.
There were some similarities to the talk Elizabeth received from her mother in the information Robert Darcy passed onto his son, but also many differences. By the time the mortifying conversation was completed, William was sure he was the colour of an overripe tomato.
Robert gave his son some informative books after the betrothal was made official, but he felt William needed additional information.
As hard as it had been for father and son, the former had not shirked his duty and made sure his son was aware how to give his wife pleasure as well as receiving his own.
When William finally fell asleep in the bed he would be sharing with his Elizabeth on the morrow sleep finally claimed him after the final stroke of midnight. As he fell asleep he wished she was with him that night ever more impatient to have her in his arms.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The fifth day of March dawned clear, with hardly any wind.
Elizabeth was awake when her maid entered her bedchamber, followed by her mother.
“Happy birthday, Lizzy; it looks like a good day to get married. With little or no wind, it will be warmer than the last few days,” Fanny hugged and kissed her daughter.
“The maid there,” Fanny indicated one of the Buckingham House maids, “has tea, toast, scones, butter, jam, and cream. You need to eat and drink, as it will be some hours before the wedding breakfast.”
“Mama, you know full well I can never pass up having warm scones with jam and cream—especially as I see strawberry jam.” Elizabeth had thought herself too excited to eat, but she could not pass up scones.
Once she had one and realised how hungry she was, she had a second, followed by toast and butter.
She washed it down with two cups of tea.