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Darcy agreed with his assessment and left to give instructions to his butler so that they would be able to depart before dawn on the morrow.

He went to his study and composed expresses to be sent to the inns they would stay at and asked Douglas to have the steward work with the stable master so horses were sent ahead for the changes that would be needed along the way.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Within a minute of receiving the note from his father, Lord Tom shared the contents with his younger brother, and they sought out the Ashbys.

As soon as they were apprised of the urgency of the situation, orders were issued to pack.

They wanted to be heading toward Pemberley within the hour, two at the most.

Once the orders had been issued, Amy noted that her Tom was worried and rested her hand on his arm. “You are very close to your uncle, are you not, Tom?” she asked.

“I am. I have spent much time with Uncle Sed as he trained me to take over the duchy one day in the future…” His voice caught.

He did not want to contemplate his uncle’s mortality, but the thoughts were being forced upon him.

“My prayer is that he will recover, and we will not be duke and duchess for many more years.”

“That too is my prayer, Tom,” Lady Amy said as she increased the pressure on her fiancée’s arm. “We will pray often as it is in God’s hands now. None of us know His plan; all we can do is hope that it is not your uncle’s time to be called home to our Creator.”

Not more than an hour later the coach, pulled by the six strongest horses Lord Tom owned, was on its way to Pemberley as fast as was possible, without harming the team. There was one rest break of less than an hour to allow the horses water and rest then they resumed their journey.

As dusk was falling, the Birchington carriage pulled into Pemberley’s courtyard where the family waited for the occupants, they had been notified as soon as the conveyance rolled through the estate’s gates.

After greeting their parents, the Bennet brothers found themselves in a group hug with their three sisters, while Lord Ashbury conveyed his family’s hopes and prayers that the Duke of Bedford would make a full recovery to the Duke of Hertfordshire.

That night the party was very much subdued; all went to bed early due to the intended departure time.

The kitchen staff had baskets of comestibles in each carriage along with flagons of drinks so there would be no need to delay for breakfast. By a quarter hour before five, the carriages and attendant outriders had departed Pemberley.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The younger Phillips, the Bingleys, and the Hursts were in the sitting room with the duchess and her nieces when the butler announced that His Royal Highness, the Prince Regent had just arrived.

The Regent was proceeded by a royal page that announced his highness, he received deep bows and curtsies from those present.

The Regent took his cousins hands in his own, “How is Cousin Sed faring, Cousin Rose?” he asked gently.

“He is as he has been this last week, Your Highness,” Lady Rose reported. “The illness has not worsened, thank God, but there has been no significant improvement either, Cousin.”

“We had to come see him for ourselves. We have always thought that our Cousin Sedgewick was indestructible. Our mother sends her best wishes, Cousin Rose, but could not come.” The Regent paused before he went to go see his cousin. “Cousin Rose, would you like us to send you our royal physicians?”

“That is a most generous offer, Your Royal Highness,” Lady Rose responded with a half curtsy.

“However, you know my Sed well. He only wants the doctor that he knows and has used for many years. I do promise, Cousin, that if things take a turn for the worse, I will inform you, and overrule my husband with you. Together we may win.” She offered a nod and the Regent’s low chuckle, and ghost of a smile was won before he was shown to his cousin’s bedchamber.

Once he left the room, the three couples took their seats again once Lady Rose had done so.

“I did not realise that Uncle Sed was so close to his royal cousin,” Caroline Phillips stated softly. “It is extraordinary that the Regent would come here himself and not send an emissary.”

“It was not unexpected as Sed and Cousin George were always very close,” the Duchess explained. “Thomas, being so much younger than Sed, had a much more distant relationship with the Regent. It is an honour, to be sure, but sometimes family overrules the dictates of protocol.”

“Knowing that the family is related to the royals, it was always almost abstract for me,” Charles Bingley stated in wonder. “Being in the same room with our de facto monarch highlighted the closeness of the connection in ways that no amount of explaining ever could.”

“I told you that I have the best connections, did I not, husband,” his beloved Franny teased.

“A note from Thomas arrived this morning,” Lady Rose changed the subject. “All of the party that travelled to Derbyshire will be in London by the afternoon on the morrow.”

“What will happen with the betrothal ball, Aunt Rose?” Louisa asked. She still had to pinch herself that she was allowed to address two duchesses with the appellation of “Aunt”.

“Catherine commented on the same thing, but I have spoken to Sed, and he will not hear of plans being changed on his account,” Lady Rose reported.

“I could see that the thought of the ball or the nuptials being postponed on his account was very upsetting to him, so I allowed him to have his way. He will not relent on this.”

“Let us pray that Uncle Sed will recover and be able to have a set with Lizzy at the ball,” Graham Phillips offered hopefully.

On his visit with his Uncle, he had a similar reaction to his twin cousins the first day they saw him; he was just able to mask it better.

As much as he hoped and prayed for the Duke’s recovery, he was not too sure that it would come to pass.

After a short visit with his favourite cousin, the Regent said his farewells and departed for Buckingham House with his retinue in tow.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The seven Bennets did not stop at their town homes to change; they went directly to Bedford House.

The Darcys and Ashbys were in their own carriages for the last leg and would visit the Duke of Bedford on the morrow.

No sooner had the two conveyances halted at the Russell Square house, than the seven made their way with all haste to the family sitting room where the butler informed them that her grace was with her nieces and their husbands.

It was a very emotional reunion that followed as the family commiserated together.

After kissing his sister-in-law on both cheeks and giving her an encouraging hug, the Duke of Hertfordshire went directly to his brother’s chambers.

When he entered, he was stopped dead in his tracks.

Thomas Bennet saw a very sick man, one who, no matter the hopes, would more than likely not leave his sickbed alive.

“Thomas…why are you…returned?” Lord Sedgewick managed to say between deep, rasping breaths. “I asked…Jane…”

“She did not beseech us to return, Sed, she honoured your request,” the younger Bennet brother interrupted. “You must have known that as soon as we were informed that we would return, did you not?”

“I suppose…that…I knew. It is good…to see you, Brother. I have seen…you looking better.” Even in the state that he was, Lord Sed Bennet was still able to joke with his brother.

“Thomas, I…know that I…am not much longer…for this world. The…infection is in my…lungs. There is a…very hard conversation…that must be had…with my Rose.” Seeing that his younger brother was about to interject, Lord Sed held up his hand to stay the protest.

“Thomas…I wish to witness…my niece and…nephew’s marriage…before God…takes me…home to Him,” the older Bennet rasped out.

“How long does Mr. Penrod think that you have, Sed,” Lord Thomas asked, tears rolling down his cheeks and dreading the answer that he knew he would hear.

“A week…a fortnight at the…most.” Sed admitted.

“I know it is hard for you to talk; will you allow me to talk to the family on your behalf?” Thomas asked and Sed nodded in agreement, “Is Penrod here?”

His older brother nodded again, “Resting in…blue chamber,” was all he could manage. Lord Thomas summoned the nurse waiting respectfully outside of the room and instructed a footman to wake the doctor and have him join the family in the sitting room.

It was a very sombre Duke of Hertfordshire that returned to the family sitting room.

As soon as his sister-in-law saw his mien, she knew that she was going to lose her Sed; that their prayers would not be answered.

She started sobbing, supported by Sarah Bennet on one side and Jane Fitzwilliam on the other.

When Mr. Frederick Penrod was ushered into the sitting room by the butler, he could see that the family was aware that the news was not what they wanted to hear.

“Sed told me what his prognosis is, but I would like you to elucidate us please, Mr. Penrod,” Lord Thomas instructed the doctor.

“As you know, his Grace contracted a cold after riding in the rain a few weeks ago.” The statement received nods from his listeners.

“Unfortunately, the Duke did not tell his wife that he was ill until almost a week later when the fever started. Unfortunately, the fever was so high that we had to resort to an ice bath to help reduce it.”

“By the time that I was summoned, it was no longer a cold but pneumonia. Everything known to us has been tried, and there was a brief period that we thought that his Grace may recover, but then the rasping sounds started to accommodate his breathing, which indicates that the infection is in his lungs.” He looked at the Duchess of Bedford.

“You have my sincere apologies for not informing you, your Grace, but your husband swore me to secrecy as he did not want to worry you until it was unavoidable.”

“That is my…Sed,” Lady Rose agreed between sobs.

“Thank you, Penrod. We need to have a family discussion now,” Lord Thomas dismissed the doctor, and the butler closed the door after him. When they were alone, he shared the conversation that he had with his dying brother and conveyed his dying wish.

Once the family digested the news and the request, they all knew that none of them would want to deny Sed Bennet his wish.

“We will need to discuss this with our betrotheds,” Elizabeth stated the obvious.

“I do not believe that William will object to marrying earlier. He can apply for a special licence on the morrow, if he agrees.”

“The same is true of Amy,” the Marquess of Birchington said, realizing that his ascendency to the Dukedom would come far sooner than he wanted, and he needed her to help him make it okay for so many of those that are dependent on them, or would soon be in their care.

“If we are all in agreement, then William and I will go to the Archbishop’s offices at Doctors Commons on the morrow. ”

“Sed is sleeping now, but when he wakes, I would like to tell him that his wish is being granted,” Thomas nodded, his shoulders lowering as the weights continued to pile on compounded by the sadness which was almost overwhelming.

“We have to inform the cousins,” Lady Sarah stated.

Once Lady Rose had calmed down, she told them about the exalted guest that had come to visit her husband and agreed that the royals must be apprised of the situation without delay.

Footmen were dispatched in three directions, one to the Darcys, one to the Ashbys, and the last to Buckingham House.

The first two carried notes that requested that the two families join them at Bedford House with all haste.

Two hours later the two stunned families heard the news from the Duke of Hertfordshire.

As their betrotheds had predicted, both the Duke of Derbyshire and Lady Amy Ashby agreed to the wedding that week without any reservation.

It was decided that only family members would be invited to the wedding.

Ladies Sarah and Gillian, as the mothers of the brides, would be in charge of the planning, and that they would notify the other family members who would be invited for the small ceremony.

The very soon to be brothers planned to meet at Doctors Commons as it opened at ten o’clock the following morning.

With the applications coming from a Duke and a Marquess, not to mention the connection to the royals, there was no doubt that the licenses would be approved and issued the same day.

Lord Thomas, accompanied by Lords Tom and William, went to see his ailing brother and had the pleasure of seeing him smile when he was told that his wish to witness the wedding would be granted. As hard as it was for him to breathe, it was a happy Lord Sed who returned to his slumber.