Page 32 of The Next Mrs Bennet

J ane and Andrew arrived in London two days before Mary’s coming out. Both were glowing with love and happiness. They stopped at Devonshire House first to be able to greet all of the family who were there.

Because they had been travelling for two days from Campton Place in Eastbourne, Jane and Andrew excused themselves after greeting their family members. Their plan was to make for Hilldale House on Portman Square, wash, change, and rest a little. After that they would return to hear all of the news.

As keen as both Elizabeth and Mary were to share their good tidings about their betrothals, they restrained themselves knowing that Jane and Andrew would return shortly.

As promised, almost three hours later the Hilldales were announced once again. All the news was shared: the good—the two engagements—and the bad—Anne de Bourgh’s murder. The fact that Richard would have been the master of Rosings Park regardless, highlighted just how heinous the late Catherine’s actions had been.

Her trial had been held, and as expected, she was found guilty of murder; she was sentenced to hang. None of the family were present that cold, grey morning she met her end, but the governor of Newgate shared she called herself a noble, and right until she dropped, she was sure that no one would execute her. She had been buried in a potter’s field in an unmarked grave reserved for murderers and those unclaimed by anyone willing to bury them in sanctified ground.

“So, my little brother got engaged and became the master of an estate while I was on my honeymoon. With Mary as your wife, you may make something of yourself one day,” Andrew ribbed.

“I may be younger, but I am certainly not smaller,” Richard retorted. “And yes, with Mary by my side, my life will be a very felicitous one.”

Andrew turned to his Darcy cousin who was seated in the wingback chair on his other side. “Liam, it is good you managed to keep your Hessian from your mouth and won the diamond of the first waters that Lizzy is,” he jested.

“How well I know it,” Darcy agreed. “I thank God every day for leading me to my Elizabeth.” He looked across the small distance between him and his beloved, who was seated with her older and next younger sisters.

“And I do the same for my Liam,” Elizabeth stated. Jane, Mary, and Elizabeth were seated on a settee within earshot of their men.

“I was certain you two would end up engaged to the men you are. I just did not expect it would be by the time Andrew and I returned from our wedding trip,” Jane related.

“Do not forget, Janey, you and Andrew have been away for six weeks. Much happened in that time. Like Lizzy, I could not be more pleased to be engaged to the man I love,” Mary mused. “I am joyful you are both here for my official entry into society, and Jane, I thank you for adding your name to my short list of sponsors.”

“I did not think five sponsors were enough, so I joined them,” Jane teased. “Mama looks quite content that two more of her daughters are to marry soon. The house will become rather empty.”

“Do not forget that Henry, Tommy, and Ellie are still at Longbourn,” Elizabeth pointed out. “Well, I suppose it will be just two of them while Tommy is at school.”

“At least you and I will be with Mama and Papa until the day we marry.” Mary smiled with pleasure as she thought of marrying her Richard. “And do not forget that unlike you two, I will be living less than fifty miles from Meryton; that is when we are not all in London.”

“Also, in addition to that, aside from Town, we will spend part of the summer, Christmastide, and Easter with all of the family,” Jane reminded her sisters.

“That could be too much time,” Elizabeth teased.

Becca was seated next to her mother, mother-in-law, Aunt Elaine, Connie, and Marie. “It is a pleasure to see all of my girls back together again,” Becca said wistfully as she watched her three eldest daughters enjoying one another’s company so freely. Ellie was not in the room. She, Giana, Felicity, and Harriet were in the music room under the watchful eyes of Mrs Annesley and Mrs Jenkinson—she had joined the Bennet household a fortnight before when she had entered half mourning for her late charge—and the twin sisters’ companion. Henry and Rosemarie were in a corner discussing a book they had both read.

The other half of Becca’s heart was in the library with her father, Uncle Reggie, Will, and Harry.

All the preparations for the ball were made, and in less than two days Mary would make her curtsy before the Queen. Becca’s middle child had not complained about the hooped monstrosity as much as Lizzy had, but she could tell Mary was no more enamoured with her presentation gown than Lizzy had been.

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

Mary was in anticipation of her ball that night. She would dance three sets with Richard, her fiancé. As soon as their engagement became official, he had requested the third set as well. If her mother, grandmothers, and aunts had sanctioned it, Mary would have danced more sets with Richard.

She was to dance the first with Papa and the second with Grandpapa. Uncle Reggie had been generous enough to move his set until after supper to allow Richard the third. Uncle Edward, Henry, and Cousin Will had the following sets before supper. Liam would partner her for the set after Uncle Reggie, then it would be Aunt Connie’s husband’s turn, followed by Andrew. Thankfully that only left one or two sets for men not connected to the family. Being engaged before her ball had made all of the difference.

Earlier that morning Mary had made her curtsy before the Queen. She was summoned into the presentation chamber right after two daughters of a duke. Her Majesty had jested it was not every day she accepted a curtsy from a debutant being sponsored by a duchess, marchioness, two countesses, a viscountess, and a Lady.

Much to her relief, Mary had not made a faux pas backing out of the presentation chamber. Thankfully, unlike many who wanted to see and be seen, she and her family departed as soon as all their belongings were collected from the antechamber where they had been left. The instant Mary reached her chambers, like Jane and Lizzy before her, she could not wait to change out of the hooped presentation gown.

Now it was the early evening before her ball, and she sat at her dresser in front of the mirror watching her abigail work on an intricate coiffure. As she sat, Mary thought about the fact that Lizzy was doing the same thing she was, each day crossing off a day as they counted down towards their wedding.

First, there would be two balls—one this night and one in a fortnight at Matlock House to celebrate their engagements. The plan was to return to Hertfordshire after the engagement ball, where the whole of the family would congregate for Christmastide.

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

January, 1812

As happy as she was that Lizzy and Mary would marry Liam and Richard in three days, Becca could not help feeling a tinge of sadness at two more of her children leaving the house. Other than to her Thomas, and a very small group of ladies, she would not verbalise the feeling. She certainly would not allow the two brides to spy any melancholy in her.

She knew it was the way of things. Was it not exactly the same thing her own mother experienced when first she and then Connie married? Neither Mother nor Aunt Elaine had experienced a daughter leaving their home, but they could understand Becca’s feelings. Outside of Thomas, her mother and the former two ladies were the only ones she could speak with about these feelings. In the next twelvemonth, Marie would be experiencing the same mixed feelings.

After Mary’s coming out ball, Lord Jamie Carrington, Viscount Hadlock, had begun to call on Rosemarie. A fortnight past, he had requested and been granted a courtship.

Thanks to assistance from all of the ladies in the family, everything was already decided and organised for the weddings and the celebratory meal on Wednesday. Like with Jane’s wedding, the wedding breakfast would be in Longbourn’s ballroom, and a large contingent of staff and servants from Netherfield Park would be on hand to assist. As it was, some of the food was being prepared at Longbourn while the balance was being cooked at Tommy’s estate.

It had been decided not to have another engagement ball locally. A few good friends, like the Phillipses, Lucases, Gouldings, and Longs, had been invited to, and attended, the engagement ball in London. The Bennets did sponsor an additional assembly for their neighbours, which had been held on the previous Friday. Everyone in the family attended which allowed their neighbours to convey their wishes for happiness to the two engaged couples.

Between the two estates, there were more than enough chambers for both the family and any guests who did not live locally. With the courtship between their son and Rosemarie, the Carringtons—Jamie plus five, his parents, younger brother, and two sisters—had been invited to attend the wedding. They had accepted and would travel from London on the morrow. Of course, the Gardiners were already present. They had arrived on Friday past and were housed at Longbourn as they always were. To make up for the fact that Jane and Andrew had a very small wedding with hardly anyone beyond family, several friends in common to the Cavendishes and Fitzwilliams were invited. Like the Carringtons, those guests would be housed at Netherfield Park. In addition, a larger cross-section of the local population was invited to the double wedding’s celebratory meal for the same reason as more London friends had been invited.

While their wives were busy organising everything for the upcoming wedding, the husbands kept out of the way with chess tournaments in the library. The winner crowed about his victory until Ellie challenged him to a game and beat him soundly. For some reason, the desire to boast disappeared after being thrashed at the game by a girl who would turn fourteen in a few weeks.

The men groaned when Lizzy decided to enter a competition. More often than not, she won. When she did, at least the game against Ellie was hard-fought. Ellie won more, but Lizzy did not lose every game to her like they did.

The two couples who would soon marry spent most of each day in their respective beloved’s company, but unfortunately for them, they were extremely well chaperoned. In addition to those who had been in Town with them, a host of companions and the ever-present guards were with them when they were out of doors. Tommy and Ian had remained at Longbourn and not returned to their school after Twelfth Night. They would return to school a few days after the wedding.

Even when the two couples walked in opposite directions in the park, weather permitting, of course, there were chaperones with each couple. Not that they wanted to do anything too bad; they just would have liked the opportunity for a few kisses here and there.

There was a family dinner which included the Lucases and Philipses on Monday night. Before Liam and Richard departed with the group travelling to Netherfield Park—even with so many in residence at Longbourn, the two grooms had to sleep at the other estate—Elizabeth placed her hand on her fiancé’s arm to hold him back. He looked at her questioningly.

“Liam, tomorrow is the last full day we will be single. You know the direction to Oakham Mount, do you not?” He nodded it was so. “If there is no precipitation on the morrow, will you meet me there at dawn? I would like us to, for the first time, watch the sunrise together from the summit.”

“You know I can deny you nothing, my dearest, loveliest Elizabeth. Unless it is raining or snowing, I will be there,” Darcy agreed softly. He was gifted with a beaming smile from his beloved.

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

Elizabeth arrived on Aphrodite at the time that the eastern sky had begun to lighten. Liam and Zeus were waiting for her. She was not, of course, alone. Both John and Brian were escorting her. The only concession she had wheedled out of the two gentle giants—they were to her—was that one of them would remain at the base of the path up to the summit while the other would be standing at the head of said path. That way she and Liam would have relative privacy, as they would be on the opposite side of the summit, sitting on a rock with their backs to the footman-guard.

“Good morning, Mrs Darcy to be,” Darcy greeted with a lopsided grin when he saw her arrive. How he loved this woman. He stepped forward and handed her down from her saddle.

“And to you, Liam,” Elizabeth returned with a smile once she regained her voice after the pleasure of her beloved’s hands on her waist.

Biggs remained with the horses while Johns preceded the engaged couple up the hill. As soon as he was happy there were no others on the summit, he stood aside and took up his station next to the path.

Elizabeth led Liam past the stand of oak trees to her favourite place to sit and watch the sunrise—a large boulder with a flattened top, which made it the ideal natural bench. Before she could sit, Liam had placed a large handkerchief on the surface of the rock for her to sit on. It had never bothered her before to sit on the stone, but she appreciated her betrothed’s consideration for her.

From where they were seated, they could see a good portion of Meryton. Some businesses, like the smithy, the baker, and a few others, were already preparing for the coming day. West of the town, they could make out the indistinct shadow of the manor house at Netherfield Park. The more the sky lightened, the more of the structure became distinct.

“There is Longbourn,” Elizabeth pointed. She moved her arm towards another estate. “And Lucas Lodge there, closer to Meryton.” Suddenly she remembered what was in her pocket. “On my way through the kitchen, Cook gifted us some treats to enjoy.” She pulled a cloth from her coat’s pocket, placed it on her legs, and carefully unwrapped the contents. “An apple-cinnamon pastry and a warm roll each.” Elizabeth handed one of each to Liam. “John and Brian enjoyed theirs earlier while they waited for me to arrive.”

“Hmmm, this is rather delectable. I wonder if Cousin Becca’s cook will share her receipt?” Darcy enquired as he licked the residue of the apple and cinnamon from his fingers. She had told him he could call her Mother, but Cousin Becca was ingrained for Darcy. Even though she was sixteen or seventeen years his senior, he could not bring himself to address her as ‘Mother’. When he had eaten the roll as well, Darcy took Elizabeth’s hand in his own. Since the large man would not be able to see from his vantage point, she did not attempt to withdraw her hand.

“Even though it is winter, the way the colours change on the clouds as the sun approaches is beautiful, almost like a painter colouring his canvas. It is fascinating to me.” Elizabeth rested her head on Liam’s shoulder. It just felt right to be there.

“Yet, I am looking at the most beautiful of women. There is no sunrise which shines as brightly as you do, my beloved Elizabeth.”

As much as she wanted to turn and capture Liam’s lips, Elizabeth was very cognisant of the large presence of Brian next to the path. The two men allowed her some latitude, but not that much. That made her think of something she wanted to ask her beloved. “Liam, if Papa agrees, would you be willing to employ John Biggs and Brian Johns?”

“Of course, I would! I am not sure Bennet would give them up too easily. But for you, my one and only love, I will make the request of him.”

“I love you, Liam.” Elizabeth squeezed his hand that she was still gripping.

“No more than I love you, my Elizabeth,” Darcy responded as he returned the pressure, making sure not to apply too much force to her much smaller hand.

Even though the sun was weak, once it was completely above the horizon, much to the chagrin of both, they released the other’s hand, stood, and shook off any remaining crumbs. Elizabeth took Liam’s handkerchief and put it in her pocket. He did not ask her to return it. With that, first Liam slipped off the boulder, and then he handed Elizabeth down.

“I am marrying you tomorrow, and we will never have to separate again,” she whispered to him as they walked.

“I cannot wait for the wedding to be over.” Darcy’s ears turned red, and Elizabeth blushed at the double meaning in the statement.

Elizabeth found she agreed with him with regard to both interpretations.

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

That night, the last they would be maidens, Becca spoke to both of her daughters together. Lizzy and Mary had chosen to hear ‘the talk’ together rather than separately. Becca emphasised the advantage they had of having a love match and how important communication, in and out of the marriage bed, was.

She did not gloss over the fact that there would more than likely be some pain the first time they joined with their husbands and possibly some bleeding, but she made sure they knew it would only be the first time. The last thing she wanted was for her daughters to fear that which was beautiful between a man and woman in a loving relationship built on mutual respect.

Her detailed information erased all of the fears her daughters may have had and left them in anticipation of the consummation of their marriages.

Elizabeth and Mary both woke at dawn. Jane would be attending Elizabeth as her matron of honour, while Ellie—who was beyond excited to have this honour at her age—was standing up as Mary’s maid of honour. Since Jane married, the next two Bennet sisters shared a suite. For Jane, the night before her sisters’ weddings was the first night she had not slept in the same bed as Andrew since they had married. He was at Netherfield Park with Richard and Liam and was doing the honours for both grooms.

Minutes after Jane and Ellie arrived in the suite, Becca led a maid carrying a tray into the sitting room. Once the tray was on the sideboard, Becca first summoned Lizzy and then Mary.

There were pots of hot chocolate and tea. To sate their hunger were rolls, muffins, and some apple-cinnamon pastries. For the rolls there was butter, jam, and honey.

“Mama, I thank you for these treats, but I do not think my nerves will allow me to eat,” Elizabeth claimed. Mary nodded her head in agreement.

“Lizzy, and you too, Mary, it is at least four, possibly five, hours until the wedding breakfast. Believe me when I tell you, it is imperative you eat something. You do not want to swoon from hunger, or have your bellies rumble, during the ceremony, do you? Ask Janey how thankful she was she followed my advice the day she married,” Becca insisted.

“I did not realise how hungry I was until I listened to Mama,” Jane added.

The brides sat and were soon munching happily. Between them they almost drained the pot of hot chocolate. “Mama was correct,” Mary owned sheepishly. It was Elizabeth’s turn to nod.

Becca gave her daughters a knowing look. She rang for the maid, and once the tray was removed, she kissed each of her daughters on their cheeks and left the suite. Elizabeth and Jane entered the former’s bedchamber while Ellie followed Mary into her rooms.

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

Richard and Darcy were both mesmerised when their respective brides, each on one of Bennet’s arms, followed their attendants into the nave of the church.

In Darcy’s mind, Elizabeth had never looked more beautiful as his eyes locked onto her magnificent emerald-green ones. Across from him, Richard was thinking a very similar thing about his Mary.

Bennet led his second and third daughters to their grooms, who had been prompted by Andrew to step down and meet them. He lifted Mary’s veil, kissed her forehead and placed her hand on Richard Fitzwilliam’s forearm. While the latter led his bride to the position Mr Pierce had indicated, Bennet repeated the process with Lizzy. With a sigh, he made for the pew where his family was standing. Like at Jane’s wedding, his mother was on the aisle, so he slipped past her and took his place between her and Becca.

The rector signalled the congregants to be seated. He paused for a moment and began the liturgy to marry Mary and Richard.

Elizabeth and Liam mouthed the vows to one another as Mary and Richard said them. Then Mr Pierce turned to them. Soon enough the individual parts were over, and the parson was reciting the final benedictions. When it was complete, a cheer rose up from the assembled witnesses. The two couples and their three attendants made the short walk to the registry and signed the register, fulfilling the last legal requirement to be married.

Towards the end of the service there was a disturbance from outside, but whatever it was, it was short-lived. The couples being married had noticed none of it. Becca and Bennet looked at one another and were not concerned. Biggs, Johns, and some of their men would make sure there were no interruptions.

While the newly married couples were accepting good wishes from their family and close friends, Bennet slipped out to speak to his guards. He returned to the nave in time to congratulate his daughters and new sons. Soon they began the walk back to the manor house. “You will not believe who attempted to interrupt the weddings,” Bennet told his beloved.

“Well, it cannot be the murderess; she has paid for her crimes already, and that Bingley fellow left England,” Becca puzzled.

“Yes, he did, but that shrew, Caroline Bingley, did not. She blames us, especially Lizzy, for her downfall, and she came here armed with a pistol to exact her revenge on Lizzy. Johns and another man tackled her before she got near the church. They gagged her and have her well secured, and she is on the way to the town gaol. I will speak to your father and Matlock. That menace needs to be transported,” Bennet related.

“Papa will sign the order with the greatest of pleasure. That day she attempted to compromise Henry; he did warn her what would happen to her if she ever attempted aught else. As she will not need her dowry where she is going, I will suggest Papa have it given to Mrs Hurst for her future children.” Becca shook her head. “Enough about the harpy; we have a celebration to attend.

Bennet looked at his wife with love in his eyes. “You may not have been my first Mrs Bennet, but you, Lady Rebecca Cavendish Bennet, are second to none. Yes, let us go and enjoy the feast and see our daughters off.”

“A much better thing with which to be concerned.” Becca rested her head on her beloved’s shoulder as they entered their home.