Page 78 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)

Fitzwilliam Darcy, on those very rare occasions when he had considered his wedding, had visualized the ceremony taking place in either the small church in Kympton near Pemberley or in the imposing cathedral of St. George’s in London. Instead, he was standing at the front of a modest sanctuary in the humble town of Meryton, Hertfordshire. It was not a large church, boasting neither a great bell tower nor intricate carvings in the roof, but he was quite sure that there was no other place in the entire world where he would rather be at this moment.

He looked around and felt tears prickle his eyes. Lady Catherine had journeyed from London only this morning, and was sitting next to Mrs. Jenkinson; both were smiling at him joyfully. The Earl and Countess of Matlock were also present; Darcy’s noble uncle had been aggrieved at the news that his nephew was marrying the second daughter of a country gentleman, but Lady Catherine had bent her considerable will on her brother and ordered him to Meryton, and he had obeyed.

The Collinses were here as well, summoned by Lady Catherine to rejoice in the marriage of the master of Pemberley to one of Charlotte Collins’s oldest friends. Mrs. Collins, now obviously with child, was beautiful in her happiness, and Mr. Collins was grinning widely, probably congratulating himself on inviting Elizabeth to Kent in the first place as a suitable female for his patron’s nephew.

The other attendees were largely residents of Meryton. Elizabeth was popular among the four and twenty families who gathered for parties and assemblies and balls, and many acquaintances had gathered to watch the second Miss Bennet capture the most eligible gentleman most of them had ever met.

He could not, in this moment, imagine anything better than to be captured by the most beautiful, vibrant, glorious woman to walk on earth.

The music started and he, along with everyone else, turned to watch as Elizabeth Bennet appeared in the back of the sanctuary on the arm of her father. She was dressed in a yellow gown, her magnificent dark curls piled high on her head, with matching yellow combs keeping her hair in place. He found himself suddenly without breath, so lovely was she.

Her eyes met his, and her face was glowing with happiness and yes, ardent love, as the distance between them closed. A minute later, she was at his side, and Mr. Bennet was carefully transferring her hand from his own arm to her future husband’s. The older man’s smile was a little sad, and Darcy nodded reassuringly to him. He would take good care of Elizabeth. He was blessed to be in a position to provide for her every need and nearly any want, and he took seriously the role of husband and the noble sentiment that he was her protector, and in a sense, her servant.

Together, they turned to Mr. Allen, who was beaming down on them from the pulpit. A moment later, the rector was speaking words that Darcy had heard many times before, but today they were for him, and for Elizabeth, to join the two into one before God and Man.

“Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony.”

Darcy’s ears rang with the old and powerful words, even as his eyes were fixed on Elizabeth, his beautiful bride, his adored one, his love. She was his, and he was hers, until death parted them.

***

Charles Bingley had attended many weddings and many wedding breakfasts. Given how quickly Darcy had married his bride, it was somewhat surprising that the marriage feast was both sumptuous and resplendent. But then again, perhaps it was not; Mrs. Bennet might be garrulous and vulgar, but she had always set a very good table, and Bingley knew that the lady of Longbourn had been dreaming of a daughter well married for many years now.

He took another sip of quite excellent burgundy and struggled to maintain his composure. He wished he was the man whom Mrs. Bennet was celebrating today, but he had squandered the easy path with Jane Bennet, and now could only cling to hope that someday…

“Mr. Bingley.”

He turned so suddenly that his drink cast a few drops onto the carpet, and looked down with wonder at Jane Bennet, whose handsome features were particularly striking today. “Miss Bennet, many congratulations to you and your family.”

“Thank you,” the lady responded happily. “Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth will deal very well together, I believe. Our family is overjoyed for them.”

He nodded vigorously. “I entirely agree. I do not believe there is another woman in all of England so well suited to my dear friend. He is a lucky man, and I could not be more pleased for him.”

He hesitated for a few seconds and then continued softly. “I … I do not wish to appear forward, Miss Bennet, but I am quite convinced that you are the best woman in England for me, though I realize that my abandonment last autumn must make you doubt my devotion. Is there … is there any hope for me?”

She reached forward and took his gloved hands in her own. “There is hope, yes, Mr. Bingley. I have thought long about you and me and our possible future. I have decided that I am willing to enter a six month long courtship with you, with the understanding that if one or the other of us decides we will not suit by the end of that time, we will part ways with courtesy.”

The thrill of her words made his breath catch in his throat, and he nearly choked. She stared at him in confusion and he forced himself to swallow and speak in record time; he would not wish her to question his heart in this matter.

“Yes, yes!” he cried, his face incandescent with delight. “Yes, I am entirely in agreement. That is an excellent and wise recommendation, and I thank you for your forgiving spirit. Shall I speak to your father on the matter now?”

***

Colonel Fitzwilliam had nobly spent some twenty minutes chatting with the garrulous Sir William Lucas and was now in search of his cousin, Anne, who had disappeared from the drawing room a full half hour before. He excused himself courteously from Sir William, stopped by a table to collect two glasses of iced lemonade, and penetrated deeper into the house.

He recognized the mellifluous tones of Anne’s voice before he saw her, mixed in with the more strident tones of Miss Lydia Bennet. He turned a corner, passing a gaggle of giggling girls as he did so, and halted in the doorway of a small back room which showed all the signs of being a workplace for the young ladies with lace and bits and bobs scattered across a table.

“I cannot thank you enough,” Lydia enthused, her handsome face flushed with delight. “Lizzy says Rosings is absolutely lovely, and I am so looking forward to spending time with you.”

“I will enjoy having you as a guest, Miss Lydia,” Anne replied from her simple wooden chair near the window. “You will need to work hard, mind you.”

“Oh, I will,” the girl pledged ardently. “I promise I will not squander this opportunity, Miss de Bourgh. Oh, how the time has flown. I promised I would help Mama pour coffee and tea. Good morning, Colonel Fitzwilliam!”

He bowed to both Miss Lydia and to his cousin and waited as the younger woman positively bounded out of the room.

“Miss Lydia is coming to Rosings, then? She is clearly overjoyed at the prospect,” he remarked.

“She is,” her cousin explained cheerfully. “It will be good for her, and I have no doubt we will enjoy her company. Is that lemonade for me, Richard? Thank you! It is a wonderful day for our family, but it is quite warm and a cool drink is just what I most desired. I confess to feeling quite self-satisfied as Mother and I were the ones who arranged for this courtship, which has reached a satisfactory end. I truly have never seen Darcy so happy!”

“I agree entirely. Mrs. Darcy is a lovely young woman and is most compatible with our…”

“Sometimes difficult cousin?” Anne finished with a sly twinkle in her eye.

The colonel laughed and nodded. “I value Darcy a great deal, but he is not the easiest man to know and understand. I am thankful that he did not settle for a wealthy woman who would not take the time to appreciate his heart.”

“Like me?” his female cousin returned saucily.

“Like you, in that you and Darcy would not suit as man and wife,” Richard returned solemnly and then, after a moment of hesitation, continued with an absurd amount of anxiety. “Do you suppose, Anne, that you will ever wish to … to marry?”

The lady’s eyebrows flew up in astonishment and, after a few seconds, she set her glass down on a small table and turned a direct gaze on the tall military man. “Is that a proposal, Richard?”

He felt himself color in embarrassment but managed to summon his courage and respond. “It is, if you are willing to accept me, Anne. I admire and love the true you, not to be confused with the vapid female who lies around on couches at Rosings.”

Anne smirked at these words, but her eyes were serious. “Richard, you know of my commitment to the League.”

“And I honor you for that,” the Colonel returned swiftly. “I have learned much from you and Lady Catherine about the horrors that so many women experience at the hands of evil men. I am proud of my service to the Crown, but it is truly nothing compared to what you and your mother are doing.”

“So you would be willing to carry out missions for the League?”

“Of course I would; more than that, I would be honored to come alongside of you in your endeavors.”

His cousin tilted her chin thoughtfully and stared at the ceiling while the colonel waited nervously.

“I accept your offer,” Anne stated, rising briskly to her feet, “but I will not marry you for a full year. Is that agreeable to you?”

Her suitor blinked in surprise before nodding. “Of course, Anne, that is entirely acceptable, though may I be permitted to know why you wish to wait?”

Anne grinned openly and reached her hands out to the Colonel’s. “It is likely that once we marry, I will conceive a baby, and while I will love a child, I need a twelvemonth to shift certain of my responsibilities to other members of the League. Besides, you also will need to sell your commission and the like. I wish to wait for your sake as well; the work we have done together has been somewhat glamorous and exciting, but we minister to some broken souls, Richard. You need to accept that Mother and I are devoted to assisting those considered the dregs of society.”

“I esteem you greatly for that, dear Anne. It will be hard to wait a year, but at least it is better than the seven years that Jacob served for Rachel in the Book of Genesis.”

Anne chortled and once again Richard marveled at how adeptly his love could change her expressions. “You are quite right, my dear. I expect it will be an exciting year, filled with anticipation, and perhaps we shall enjoy some adventures together.”

Richard declared solemnly, “I promise you that you are, and always will be, the only woman for me. I expect a year will pass by quickly, and I can only trust that much of that time will be spent side-by-side accomplishing good.”

***

“Goodbye, my Lizzy,” Mr. Bennet said huskily, pulling his second daughter close for one last embrace. “I will miss you.”

“I will miss you too, Papa,” she responded, “but I do hope you and Mother will visit us at Pemberley within the next year.”

“Given that you and the library will be waiting for me, I will,” Mr. Bennet promised, then turned to face his new son. “Mr. Darcy, take good care of her.”

“I promise I will. Goodbye, Mrs. Bennet.”

“Mr. Darcy, it is truly wonderful to welcome you into the family.”

Elizabeth gave last embraces to her four sisters with tears prickling in her eyes. It would be some time before she would see her family again and while she was aglow with joy to be Mrs. Darcy, she would miss them.

She heard the sound of clopping hooves behind her as the Darcy carriage arrived in front of her family home. She gave Jane one last kiss and turned, eager to finish this difficult leave-taking. Darcy helped her into the carriage and sat down beside her as the horses were spurred into motion by the driver.

Elizabeth’s window faced out toward her family, and she stripped off her left glove and waved enthusiastically as her mother, her father, and her sisters receded in the distance.

“Goodbye, Lizzy! Goodbye!”

“Are you well, Elizabeth?” Darcy asked with some concern.

She turned to her husband – her husband, her husband! – and leaned forward impulsively to plant a firm kiss on his lips. For a brief moment, he froze in astonishment, but that moment passed quickly, and he responded quickly and passionately. A full minute later, they disengaged, rather breathlessly and Elizabeth declared, “I believe that shows I am very well indeed, my dear. I will miss my family, but praise God that He brought us together in marriage, and I look forward to many years of happiness together.”

He nodded, his eyes bright with love and, yes, desire, and he reached out a hand to carefully remove her other glove, the better to enjoy the touch of her fingers in his own.

“I thank the Lord on High as well,” he responded. “When I think of how far we have come in the last few months…”

She kissed him again, her mind leaping backwards to his first, dreadful proposal, to the interference of the League of the Golden Daffodil, to walks and talks and understanding and tenderness and warmth and adoration.

“Fitzwilliam?” she murmured when they had pulled apart again.

“Yes, my love?”

“How long until we arrive at Darcy House?”

“It is but two hours, my darling.”

Elizabeth shifted closer to him and smiled up into his face. “I can hardly wait to arrive there.”