Page 39 of Brighton Rescue (Pride and Prejudice Variation #23)
“Yes, I do,” the colonel answered, smiling reassuringly at the lady who would soon be his wife.
He had long cared for Anne, and while he was not in love with her, or she with him, they had realized in the last year that their temperaments were compatible.
Anne was eager to escape from the dictatorial control of her mother, and Richard was desirous of wedding an heiress, hence the decision to wed.
Given Lady Catherine’s probable response, they had decided to marry without informing the current mistress of Rosings ahead of time.
“It is very kind of Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennet to allow us to share their wedding day,” Anne said.
“It is indeed,” her fiancé concurred.
/
There were cries of excitement as the two newly married couples walked into the dining room at Longbourn.
The new Mrs. Bingley looked around with appreciation; while the couples had been signing the wedding register and accepting the congratulations of those who had attended the ceremony, her sisters had rushed back to Longbourn to put the final finishes on the wedding breakfast.
The table was groaning under the weight of a wide variety of foods, and extra servants bustled to and fro, carrying platters of baked delicacies into the other rooms. Longbourn would be full today, as Mrs. Bennet was eager to show off her newly married daughter to the world.
“Oh Mary!” Elizabeth Darcy exclaimed, rushing up with her husband slightly behind her. “Congratulations! I am so very happy for you! ”
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Mary responded, her face glowing. At her side stood Charles Bingley, his own face suffused with joy.
Darcy, who was holding his baby son in his arms, shifted the infant so that he could shake Bingley’s hand. “I must also congratulate you, Bingley. Mrs. Bingley is a wonderful woman.”
“I am enormously blessed,” Bingley answered. “Not merely in acquiring a most wonderful woman as a wife, but her extended family as well.”
“We are brothers now,” Darcy said with satisfaction.
/
“Congratulations, Mrs. Fitzwilliam!” Jane Hartford exclaimed.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hartford,” Anne answered jubilantly. She had been on edge throughout her wedding ceremony, fearful that her mother would come rushing into the church in Meryton to stop the wedding.
Nothing of the sort had happened; the sacred words had been said, the wedding register had been signed, and she was now Mrs. Richard Fitzwilliam, until death parted her from her husband .
She felt his hand on her arm and looked up, smiling shyly.
She had always been fond of him, and now it was something more; not ardent, romantic love perhaps, but genuine affection and friendship.
She also felt safe for the first time in living memory.
Richard would not allow himself to be overborne by Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Richard would protect her.
/
Miss Caroline Bingley sat in a forgotten corner of the drawing room in Longbourn and gazed around with a mixture of fury and bewilderment.
How had her life come to this? She had toiled hard and long to attract Darcy of Pemberley; she desired above all things to become his wife, and when her brother had informed her that Darcy was marrying instead the impertinent, impoverished Miss Elizabeth Bennet, she had thought she would die of embarrassment and fury.
Caroline had, at least, taken heart that her brother Charles had not married into the Bennet family, whom she now thoroughly loathed; if nothing else, she had succeeded in preventing the insipid, if handsome, Miss Jane Bennet from becoming the mistress of Netherfield Park .
And now, all that had come to naught, for Charles, strangely altered after his failure to win Jane Bennet, had settled at Netherfield in order to devote himself to the interests of the estate.
Not surprisingly, Mrs. Bennet had promptly gotten her claws into her brother again, though it was startling that Charles had not chosen either Miss Kitty or Miss Lydia, who were at least handsome!
Instead, he was now married to Mary who, while much improved in appearance for some reason, was not beautiful.
Caroline peered around the room and felt a strong desire to weep with angry disappointment. All she wanted in life was to marry a wealthy, landed man and climb the ranks of society. Was that so much to ask? Why were far less worthy women fortunate to attract the attention of rich, well born men?
It was not fair!
/
“He is absolutely precious,” Jane said, cuddling her nephew close to her.
“He is the delight of our lives,” Darcy declared.
“I am so thrilled for you that you are also with child, my dear sister,” Elizabeth said .
Jane looked lovingly on her husband, who was smiling down at the baby in his wife’s arms, his eyes faraway. “Gabriel and I are ecstatic.”
/
“My Jane actually met the Prince Regent, Lady Amelia?” Mrs. Bennet asked breathlessly.
Lady Amelia took a sip of hot chocolate and said, “Indeed, Mrs. Bennet. Gabriel and Jane have attended three parties at the Pavilion, and the Prince Regent spoke to my son and your daughter each time. He was obviously pleased with their company.”
“Oh,” Mrs. Bennet gushed, “and to think that I was initially unhappy that Jane was wedding your son! A duke himself could not have been a better husband to my daughter!”
/
Lady Catherine de Bourgh stared in confusion at the myriad carriages and horses which were crowding the side yard of Longbourn. Was a party going on? One in the morning, no less?
She would have words with Anne when she found her!
It was bad enough that the girl had crept out of the de Bourgh house in London to scuttle off to Hertfordshire, but to come here, to Longbourn, the locale of Lady Catherine’s greatest defeat at the hands of the impertinent Mr. Bennet? How dare she?
Catherine de Bourgh huffed to herself; no doubt Anne had never intended to tell her mother of her journey to Hertfordshire.
In truth, Lady Catherine would likely never have known of her daughter’s rebellious journey because she had planned to stay another full week at the Matlock Estate in Wessex.
However, her brother, the earl of Matlock, had fallen ill.
Lady Catherine had left in haste, only to discover back in London that Anne and Colonel Fitzwilliam had departed without leaving a message regarding their destination.
Fortunately, Lady Catherine’s butler, a most useful servant, had overhead their plans and promptly shared them with his mistress.
A chaise pulled up behind the de Bourgh carriage and a middle aged couple, dressed in Sunday finery, descended to the ground.
The man was a familiar one, and Lady Catherine strode forward and demanded imperiously, “Sir William Lucas, what is going on here? Why are all these vehicles scattered untidily about the lawn of this inferior house? ”
Sir William turned in surprise and then, recognizing the patroness of his daughter’s husband, bowed deeply. “Lady Catherine! What an incredible honor this is! I wondered why you were not at the ceremony. I am delighted that you were able to come to the wedding breakfast.”
Profound unease settled into Lady Catherine’s chest at these cheerful words.
“Wedding ceremony? What wedding ceremony?”
Sir William jolted in confusion. “Why, Colonel Fitzwilliam married your daughter, the former Miss Anne de Bourgh, only an hour ago! Did you not know?”
Lady Catherine stared at the man and was bewildered to see him dividing before her very eyes. How could that be? Surely there were not two Sir Williams. One was quite enough!
Really, she felt very peculiar. Not that there was anything wrong with her, of course. She was a strong woman with an amazing constitution. She had no patience for women who...
Lady Catherine fainted.