Page 130 of A Life Diverted
“I will leave you to Jacqui now, Lizzy,” Fanny kissed her daughter on the top of her head. “Jane, Mary, and I will return to help you dress after your bath,” Fanny told her daughter, pulling the bedchamber door closed.
Shortly after her mother left, Elizabeth luxuriated in a steaming tub while her maid washed her mahogany tresses. ‘ I wonder what my William is doing now, ’ Elizabeth thought as she relaxed while Jacqui massaged her scalp.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The morning of his wedding, William made his way to the breakfast parlour to break his fast, following the advice of his father and others.
He normally ate a large breakfast, but today he took one egg, a piece of sausage, and some toast. His drink of choice in the morning was coffee, and he savoured a steaming cup.
His father, Gigi, Kitty, and Lydia joined him just as he was about to leave the parlour.
He was about to ask where his soon-to-be little brother, Tommy, was when he remembered the lad was still being hosted at the Gardiners.
Thinking about the Gardiners made William remember the time when he and his father signed the settlement.
Phillips and his wife were being hosted by the Gardiners; they were there to represent Priscilla’s interests, and by extension, Elizabeth’s.
Elizabeth, Bennet, Gardiner, and the Prince were present.
There was no disagreement about Netherfield being transferred to the Bennets. Her marriage would release her inheritance, so Elizabeth did not need to wait for her majority; the property would be the Bennets’ after the wedding.
William had been prepared for Elizabeth’s massive fortune, bequeathed to her by her mother. What he had not known was she was her birthfather’s sole heir, which would add another massive fortune—larger than her current one—when the Prince passed on.
He grinned as he remembered how vociferously his Lizzy had argued against any Darcy money being settled on her, as her fortune would remain hers to do with as she wished.
Even though he felt a man should settle money on his wife, William had not fought Lizzy on that point.
Once an acceptable settlement was drafted, it was signed.
After this reminiscence, William thought about his Lizzy as he bathed. As he reclined with his eyes closed in his—soon to be their—oversized tub, William snapped out of his reverie when Carstens informed him it was time to get dressed.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Both Jane and Mary assisted Elizabeth with her dress’s train as she came down one of the grand staircases at Buckingham House.
Both her papa and father were waiting for her in the foyer at the base of the stairs.
The diamond chips caught the early morning sun shining through the large windows, creating prisms that reflected onto the walls.
Fanny kissed her daughter before she lowered her gossamer veil. Both Bennet and the Prince were stunned by the vision Elizabeth made as she walked down the stairs.
Recovering from his trance, the Prince led his daughter to the foremost coach, a gilded royal viewing coach drawn by four pair of white horses; it was the same one that would bear the newlyweds back to Buckingham House for the wedding breakfast.
Bennet, Fanny, Jane, and Mary rode in an only slightly less ostentatious royal carriage, pulled by three pairs of matched bays. As the conveyances began to move, twenty mounted royal guards took up their stations, half in front of the lead vehicle and the rest behind the second carriage.
Elizabeth waved to the people lining the route. When the coaches halted at the Abbey and Elizabeth was helped to alight, a rousing cheer rose from the considerable crowd.
The congregants were already seated, and all rose before the King, Queen, and some of their children, led by the Prince of Wales, took their seats. After they accepted curtsies and bows, the King nodded and everyone resumed their seats.
William had been introduced to the Archbishop before the royal party arrived. He was standing with his cousins—soon-to-be brothers—when they heard the cheering of the crowd outside, alerting them to the bride’s arrival.
Fanny was escorted to her seat by Lord Matlock. She curtseyed and he bowed to the royals before they took their seats. First up the aisle was May Gardiner, who remembered to curtsey.
Mary made her way up the aisle next; Wes could not take his eyes off her in her light blue satin gown. Jane was the last attendant before the bride. Andrew’s eyes followed his wife from the instant she walked through the vestibule door, made her curtsey, and took her place opposite him.
There were a number of friends from Meryton seated together with the Gardiners and Phillipses, including the Lucases, Collinses, Gouldings, and Longs. Sir William had never seen so many highly ranked and royal individuals in one place before, not even at his investiture at St. James.
When the Archbishop gave the signal for the congregation to stand, all did, except for the King and Queen.
The organ at the choir’s entrance behind the central screen started to play as the doors from the narthex were opened.
With her birthfather on her right, her adoptive father on her left, and Peter behind her helping with her train, Elizabeth started to walk up the long aisle towards her beloved William, whose eyes locked with hers.
After the acknowledgment to the King and Queen, Prince Frederick lifted his daughter’s veil and kissed her cheek, and then stepped back.
Lord Longbourn kissed her other cheek and then, after lowering the veil, placed Elizabeth’s arm on William’s forearm.
The Prince joined his parents and siblings as the Baron joined his Baroness and children.
The bride and groom climbed the three steps until they were standing in front of His Grace the Archbishop and the two bishops concelebrating with him.
Peter joined his parents as he had been instructed to do.
The Archbishop nodded to the Princess in greeting, opened the Book of Common Prayer, and began. “Dearly beloved…”
For both Elizabeth and William, time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
There were no objections—even had someone had one, they would not have dared make it given the bride was a granddaughter of the King and Queen, both present.
Then they were reciting their vows. William did not miss the arched eyebrow when Elizabeth recited the part of the vow where she promised to obey him.
William allowed himself a small smile; he had no doubt that if any of their vows would be bent, it would be that one. A few minutes later, he slid a diamond-encrusted wedding band onto her ring finger, next to his mother’s engagement ring.
It was done. The Archbishop announced that “…they be Man and Wife together, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.” He intoned the final benediction, and the marriage ritual was complete.
The King and Queen stood and clapped, which allowed those in the congregation to do the same.
A bishop led the newlyweds to the register, on a stand to the side of the altar.
Elizabeth and William signed, as did their four attendants as witnesses.
By the time the register was signed, the King, Queen, and their children, except for Frederick, had exited the Abbey through a side door, after which most of the congregants began to file out of the main doors.
The new Duke of Derbyshire was the first to hug Elizabeth. “You are perfect for William, Lizzy, and I know you will continue to be a good sister to Gigi. I only wish my Anne could have been here today,” Robert Darcy said quietly with his mouth close to Elizabeth’s ear.
“She is here, Father Robert. She and my birthmother are watching over us,” Elizabeth returned as she kissed her father-in-law on both cheeks.
After much hugging, kissing, and well-wishing, friends and family entered their conveyances to take them the short distance to Buckingham House.
A few minutes after the last of the coaches departed, Elizabeth and William made their way toward the exit.
Elizabeth and William exited into the bright sunlight, walking between lines of royal guard members lining the steps of the Abbey.
A rousing cheer rose from the crowd which had grown larger since the ceremony began.
William handed two bags of coins to two guards, who tossed them into the crowd, causing the cheering to grow even louder.
William handed his wife into the coach, and then followed her inside. The cheering from the crowd reached a crescendo as the new husband gave his wife a chaste kiss as the conveyance pulled away.