by Don Miller
That night it was very quiet at Longbourn. Unlike most nights after a quiet dinner, Mr. Bennet did not retire to his library and Mrs. Bennet did not go to her room, but both retired to the parlor to talk and, by their mutual presence, give each other comfort. They could not understand how this could have happened. They both acknowledged Lydia was a somewhat wild and headstrong girl, but they were reluctant to believe she would run off. But they also did not want to believe she had been abducted or was lying somewhere injured and not able to return home.
“I just cannot believe it is a coincidence,” said Mr. Bennet, “that Lydia disappeared at the same time Mr. Wickham left the area. I can understand Mr. Wickham could be in a hurry to get home, but it is hard to believe he left no evidence of his passage. It certainly seems he must be trying to remain unobserved, and I can only imagine he would do that if he had something to hide. And that something to hide could be Lydia.”
“But I just cannot believe my Lydia would act that way,” said Mrs. Bennet. “I know I have probably not exercised the control over her I should, but she has certainly been taught how to act like a gentleman’s daughter, and such a woman would not run away with a man. She must have been taken against her will if she is not lying injured or dead somewhere.”
“I am afraid I do not share your confidence in her understanding of the proper behavior of a gentlewoman. Her behavior in Meryton and at balls and in the company of officers has been anything but exemplary. No, I fear she has run off with Mr. Wickham and has been compromised forever.”
“Whatever are we going to do, Thomas? What do we do about the search for her, and what do we do about the wedding?”
“We will continue the search for her tomorrow with the help of the men who work for me and Mr. Bingley. If nothing comes up, I fear we will have to wait for some kind of correspondence from Lydia or Mr. Wickham. If we know nothing by Friday morning, we will go to London for Lizzie’s wedding, and not tell her until after the wedding what has occurred. Then maybe with her and Mr. Darcy’s resources, the search for Lydia can be expanded. But I will not, under any circumstances, upset Elizabeth or Mr. Darcy before their wedding. Is that understood, Frances?”
Mrs. Bennet started weeping, and nodded her head, finally saying in a very soft whisper, “Yes, of course you are right. We must not ruin Elizabeth’s wedding. I hope the girls and Mr. Bingley do not let slip out what has happened.”
At that point Mr. Bennet did go to his library to reflect on all that it happened and to try to lose himself in one of his books. Mrs. Bennet went to her bedroom and prepared for bed, still weeping and praying that nothing terrible at happened to her Lydia.
On Thursday the search proved no more productive, so on Friday morning Mr. and Mrs. Bennet entered the family carriage and traveled to the Gardiner house. When they were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Mrs. Gardiner inquired after Lydia, and Mr. Bennet decided to tell them the whole story. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner were upset and very sympathetic and could understand why Mr. and Mrs. Bennet did not want to let anyone know about what had happened. They promised they would keep their silence on the subject until after the wedding, and then at that time, they would provide any help they could in the search for Lydia.
Despite the fact that the next day was to be a very joyful event for Elizabeth, it was a somber group that sat in the Gardiner’s parlor that night. They all hoped word of this tragedy had not somehow reached Elizabeth and put a damper on the day’s festivities. To try to raise their spirits, Mrs. Gardiner spoke to them at some length about the floral arrangements she had designed at the church, Matlock House, and Monttard House. Everyone was astounded at the amount of money she had been allowed to spend on these arrangements and marveled once again at the wealth of the families of which Elizabeth was now a part.
Chapter 20: The Wedding
Elizabeth slept very little the night before her wedding. She was both excited and worried. She knew all the arrangements have been handled in magnificent fashion. She had seen what her aunt had done with the flowers at Monttard House and could not believe how beautiful they looked. She was assured by Georgiana that Matlock House looked just as fine, and Lady Monttard told her she would be amazed at how the sanctuary in St. James Church had been transformed by the greenery and the flowers. Her grandmother could not say enough about what an artist her aunt was.
She was also excited about the beautiful gowns she and her bridesmaids would wear. Mme. Tellier had outdone herself. She had taken Elizabeth’s dream for her wedding gown and turned it into a gown more beautiful than anything Elizabeth had ever seen. It had cost a fortune, but her grandfather had assured her he would have spent twice that for the reaction he saw on her face when she saw the final product. Also the gowns that Mme. Tellier had designed for her bridesmaids were the perfect complement to her gown. And then there was her wedding ball gown, which she had left totally up to Mme. Tellier, and if it were not for her wedding gown, she would have said it was the most beautiful gown she had ever seen. All in all she felt it was going to be a wedding fit for princess.
Her worry was her wedding night with William. She knew he was experienced and would be loving and gentle with her. She had heard from her aunt and her grandmother how wonderful the intimate relations between married people could be if the couple truly loved and cared for each other. She felt both she and her William were truly in love. But still she worried that somehow she would disappoint him. She knew it was somewhat irrational, but nevertheless she could not help but worry about it.
She did manage sleep a few hours in the morning, but was awake and ready to start the day at 6 o’clock. Leila came in at 6:15 to awaken her and found her sitting at her dressing table brushing her hair. Shortly after that the bath was ready and she took a quick, but very refreshing bath. Leila then started working on her hair. Just before 8 o’clock, her grandmother and Jane entered the room to help her with her wedding dress. They were both already dressed and looking very grand. Elizabeth could hardly believe how beautiful Jane looked in her bridesmaid dress and hoped she looked equally lovely in her wedding gown. It was decided they would leave the house in the carriage at 8:30 in order to arrive at the church shortly after 9:00. When she came down the stairway to join her grandfather who was waiting to ride with her in the carriage, he could scarcely believe what he saw.
“Elizabeth, everything looks perfect and you are the most beautiful bride, other than my own, I have ever seen. I hope Mr. Darcy appreciates what he is about to receive.”
“Thank you, Grandpere. When I looked in the mirror, I hardly recognized the woman looking back at me. I truly feel like a princess and know it is going to be a glorious day.”
They entered into the beautiful open landau her grandfather had rented for this occasion. It was white, with beautiful velvet blue seats, and it was drawn by four matched white horses. Luckily, it had turned out to be a decent, partly cloudy day, so they were able to ride all the way to the church with the top down. Elizabeth was amazed by the number of people on the street near the church waving at them as they went by. Her grandfather told her the papers had reported their wedding was to be a very grand event, and he had anticipated there might be some people, as well as servants of the three houses, to see them when they were near the church.
Darcy was at the altar of the church with Col. Fitzwilliam, patiently waiting for the woman he loved and whom he had not seen for over a day. When he saw the church doors being opened, he could hear people cheering, which surprised him, for he had not expected such a response to their wedding. However if Elizabeth looked even half as beautiful as he expected her to look, he could understand why the people outside would be cheering.
When the wedding march began, Bingley and his other two groomsmen joined him up front, and then Georgiana came in and started down the aisle. He was very impressed with her composure and how beautiful she looked. Suddenly he realized his little sister was not so little anymore. She was then followed by Margaret, who looked more beautiful t
han he could ever remember seeing her, and then finally Jane, and once again he was struck with how beautiful the elder Bennet daughter was. She was almost ethereal in her beauty. He noted the reactions of Col. Fitzwilliam and Bingley and smiled to himself, knowing what they were thinking. And then all his thoughts stopped, as his Elizabeth entered on the arm of her grandfather. His breath was literally taken away with what he saw coming toward him. He could barely restrain himself from going to meet her. He was absolutely certain she was the most beautiful woman in the world and even he could recognize the incredible beauty of her gown. When she reached him and her grandfather put her hand in his, he looked in her eyes and knew that he was absolutely the luckiest man in the world.
The wedding ceremony was somewhat anticlimactic to both Darcy and Elizabeth. It went very smoothly and in what seemed like no time at all, they found themselves exchanging vows with one another, pledging their unending love for each other, and he was able to put his mother’s ring on her finger. After going with the Bishop to the church office to sign the wedding documents, they returned to the sanctuary and made their first walk as newlyweds. When they went out the front doors and down the front steps of the church, there was still a sizable crowd around the church, many of the servants of the Carlson, Dumont, and Darcy families, who cheered them and gave them good wishes. Waving to them and smiling their thanks, Darcy and Elizabeth entered the landau and departed for Matlock House and the wedding breakfast.
As they had expected, the wedding breakfast Lady Matlock had prepared was an event to be remembered. As Darcy and Elizabeth greeted those who came to the breakfast, they were surprised at the dignitaries who had attended the wedding. It attested to the importance of the three families involved in this wedding. Even a representative of the Royal family, Princess Sophia, had attended and had come to the wedding breakfast. Elizabeth was particularly happy to see the Bennet family and the Gardiners when they arrived, and was especially happy she had been able to buy them gowns for the affair. She thought they all looked like they fit in with the other guests and was particularly pleased at how attractive both Kitty and Mary looked. She was sad Lydia could not be there. She could hardly thank her aunt enough for the magnificent job she had done with flowers and assured the Gardiners she and Darcy would visit them before they left town.
Darcy and Elizabeth sat down only briefly to eat, spending most of their time greeting their guests and thanking them for their participation. She was pleased to learn from Princess Sophia that the Queen had sent Elizabeth her congratulations and wanted to assure her she had no trouble finding an appropriate gift. Obviously Lady Monttard had shared Elizabeth’s jest the day she and Darcy had announced their engagement. Shortly after 1 o’clock, Darcy and Elizabeth said goodbye to all the guests and departed for Darcy House to rest and prepare for the ball.
Elizabeth had spent much time in the Darcy House, but had never seen the mistress’ suite. Because it had not been used for so many years, Darcy had decided to renovate it to some extent before the wedding. He had not wanted Elizabeth to see it while it was unfinished. When he led her into it, she was very pleased with the decor.
“I hope you like it,” he said. “You can, of course, change anything you want. It is your house now and you can change anything you like, except for those rooms I consider mine.”
And then leading her over to a door in one of the walls, he opened it and let her into a beautifully decorated sitting room with a large, handsome marble fireplace fronted by a large and comfortable plush sofa. It had two writing desks, a small dining table and chairs, and two large wingback chairs on either side of the fireplace.
“This is the room where I expect us to spend much of our time. At least I hope you will agree to spend time here with me. My room is just through that door over there, and, “he continued, giving her a light kiss, “I hope you will want to spend a lot of time with me in there, starting tonight.”
Elizabeth looked around the room and walked over to the sofa, and said, “I think I would like to spend a lot of time with you on the sofa.” And then walking over to him, she took his hand and kissed it and said, “You know we do not have to be at the ball until 8 o’clock. That is over six hours away. I believe I would like to have Leila help me out of my wedding gown, and I think I would like try on my new night gown.” Then giving him a big smile, she stepped on her tip toes and gave him a kiss. “Do you suppose we could meet in here in half an hour to discuss why you would like me to spend time in your room?”
Darcy was delighted. Somehow he had expected her to be nervous and tentative about beginning with their marital relations. He had decided not to rush her, and had even thought, if she was uncomfortable with making love the first night, he would just try to lie with her and hug her and get her used to intimate contact with him. Her forwardness at this point seem to indicate she had developed high expectations for the love they would share and was just as anxious as he was to discover what they could about one another.
He picked her up and gave her a deep kiss, to which she responded with all the passion he had hoped. When he finally put her down, she said, “Every time you kiss me, I have feelings and desires I have never had in my life and which I do not fully understand yet, but my aunt and grandmother have assured me there is no greater pleasure in the world than I am going to share with you. So I want you to know I am just as anxious as you to explore our new world. But I am afraid, as beautiful as this dress is, it is definitely an impediment to what we want to do next. So I will see you again in half an hour.”
So saying, she put her on her arms round him and hugged him again, and then pulled away and went back through the door into her own room. There, Leila, having anticipated she would be needed, waited to help her undress and showed her to the dressing room where she had a warm bath waiting. Half an hour later, washed and refreshed and smelling of her favorite lavender scent, she returned to the sitting room and found Darcy already on the sofa, waiting for her.
The next two hours were revelation to Darcy and Elizabeth. The joining of husband and wife was all, and even more, than her aunt and grandmother had promised her. And she could not believe the passion Darcy could bring out of her. It is true that there had been some initial pain, but the ensuing pleasure soon made her forget it. He in turn experienced making love as he had never experienced it before. He had had experience in the act of sexual union, but now he realized how different that was than making love. He had never made love as they had done, and it was almost as much a revelation to him as it was to Elizabeth. When they finally had to get out of bed at 6 o’clock to have a light snack and prepare themselves for the ball, it was the last thing either wanted to do. They would have much rather have stayed at Darcy House all night and stayed in each other’s arms and made love as often as they could.
As Darcy and Elizabeth walked the short distance to Monttard House, Elizabeth remembered her aunt had warned her that because of the difference in size between her and her husband, she might have some discomfort for a while after the first time they made love. It had not bothered her while she was lying in bed with him, but she could certainly feel it on this walk to the ball, and had a feeling she would not want to dance all the dances that evening. But she would not have changed a thing. For the first time in her life she felt truly loved. She knew the Bennets had loved her and that she and Jane had a very close sisters’ love, and that her aunt and uncle loved her, and that her grandparents loved her, but it was not the same. This was a totally encompassing love that made her feel warm and safe and wonderful, and she knew for the first time in her life that she absolutely, without reservation, loved someone. She did not know how to explain it, but love to her before had been as much a mental thing as an emotional thing. But the love she felt now for William, and the love she felt coming from William, was a deep-in-the-soul love which could not be analyzed or evaluated, it was just something that filled her whole being and made her feel complete. As they turned to go up the steps of Monttard House,
she just had to squeeze her husband’s arm and say it with as much emotion as she could, “Fitzwilliam Darcy, I am the happiest woman alive and I love you more than I ever imagined I could love anyone.”
Darcy could see the emotion in her eyes and hear it in her voice, and it filled him with a peace he had never known before. Somehow he had known from almost the day he first saw her she was the one, and this day and these last few hours had proven to him without a doubt he had been right. “You do not know how many times I wanted to hear you to say that to me, and you can never say it enough, and you know I will tell you how much I love you every day of our life. I am not sure how I could have endured the rest of my life if you had not accepted my offer of marriage.”
They had arrived about 20 minutes before the first of the guests were to arrive, so they found her grandparents, the Gardiners, and Jane, who was still staying at Monttard House until she returned to Hertfordshire, in the parlor. Mrs. Gardiner had insisted on coming early to ensure the flower arrangements met her exacting standards and helped Lady Monttard instruct the staff how to act around some of the guests who were expected. When Darcy and Elizabeth walked into the parlor arm in arm, it was clear to everyone there they were a happy couple deeply in love.
There was no formal greeting. Everyone acted as if Darcy and Elizabeth had just left the room and returned. Lord Denby was the first to speak, asking to the room general, “Who is this smiling young man I see before of me? Could this be the very serious Mr. Darcy we know so well? What do you suppose could have brought on this amazing change in demeanor? And look at the blush on Elizabeth’s face. What do you suppose they could have been up to?”
“Oh hush, Howard,” said Lady Denby, “you will embarrass the poor girl to death.” Looking at Elizabeth she said, “You look absolutely stunning, Elizabeth. Once again Mme. Tellier has produced a masterpiece. That dress is absolutely gorgeous and is perfect for you.”