by Lauren King
There are not enough words to describe Elizabeth’s extreme happiness at this point in her life; she is going to have the most wonderful husband in the world, forever. She cannot say that enough times. How is she this fortunate to have been blessed with William? She will thank God every day.
Elizabeth goes to retrieve her jewels that she will be lending to her sisters for today. “Jane, Mary, and Kitty you all should put on the jewels before you forget.”
Mrs. Gardiner volunteers, “Here, I will help Jane put on her necklace. Mary, do you want to help put on the bracelet for Jane?”
“Yes, Aunt.” Mary is very happy to be included in all the bride’s preparations. She feels more confident since Elizabeth’s warm talk with her and Kitty. She has always known that Elizabeth cared about her sisters, but she never knew how much. She figures that due to the hardships that they all had to face, it became more apparent. Mary is thankful for it. She will endeavor to better herself just as she and Elizabeth talked about. She has to do it for herself. She does not care to be in the unwanted position of spinsterhood. She has seen how loving and considerate William and Elizabeth are to each other, and she wishes for that too. She hopes that she will be fortunate enough to attract a decent man.
“I will help you with the necklace, Kitty, and then I will help you with the brooch and hair combs, Mary.” Elizabeth smiles at her two younger sisters who seem to be more willing to listen and learn.
Mary and Kitty gleefully thank Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is happy with their progress. Mary does not continually lecture about following what the bible teaches; she is less rigid in her assessment and is more reasonable and sensible. Kitty has come from the other end of the spectrum to meet in the middle. Without Lydia’s influence and with more proper understanding and realization, Kitty is acting more like a proper young lady. Mary’s and Kitty’s influence on each other with help supplement them to become more interesting, proper young ladies.
Elizabeth has not seen her Mother at all this morning. She does not expect that her Mother will fuss over her hair and her wedding gown. The most that her Mother has said in the past about her looks was that she looked pleasant. Oh well, as long as William loves her and finds her attractive that is all she cares about. Elizabeth is dreading that her Mother may try to talk to her about her wifely duties, but she is glad that her Mother has not done so; hopefully, she will not.
“The bride looks stunning in every way just as everybody can clearly see. I am so very happy for you, Lizzy. Mr. Darcy is a lucky, lucky gentleman.” Mrs. Gardiner marvels with a loving smile.
“Thank you, Aunt.” Elizabeth responds shyly but most happily. She is so thankful to her Aunt and Uncle for all that they have done for her these past years.
“And you three young ladies do make quite a sight. The bachelors will be beside themselves. Mr. Morgan will need to stick to you the entire celebration, Jane.” All the ladies giggle delightedly. “Alright, I will go check on the children and your Uncle. I think we will all leave for the church in a half an hour – at one o’clock. Jane, do you want to go let your Father know?”
“Yes, Aunt.”
Lydia grimly appears at the door to say, “Aunt, Mama wants Mildred to help her with her hair.”
“You can go get her, Lydia; she is done with Lizzy so she should be free now. Would you like to see how pretty Lizzy looks in her wedding gown?” Mrs. Gardiner says nicely. She wants all the sisters to get along and support each other, but Lydia has been outrageous. Lydia will regret it when she has no sisters who are willing to put up with her bad attitude. She has even managed to alienate Jane who has always been serene, forgiving, and optimistic about everybody’s potential goodness.
Elizabeth understands that her Aunt is trying to mend things, but this is not something that a simple apology will fix. She does not want to deal with Lydia anymore, especially today.
“No, thank you, Aunt. I have no interest. I am already married.” Lydia answers conceitedly.
Elizabeth was right. Lydia is beyond her help. She refuses to hear her anymore. “Aunt, do you mind if we close the door? I do not want any loathsome, envious noise today to ruin my peace.” Elizabeth asks nicely.
Mrs. Gardiner does not answer Elizabeth because she is compelled to correct Lydia immediately. She can no longer tolerate Lydia’s insolence either. “I have to say, Lydia that you are unbelievably impolite and provoking. You will not endear anyone to you if you continue down this path. No one wants to associate with an unpleasant person. I say all this to let you know what others see. You all are family, thus you should support and help each other not be mean and spiteful. It does not feel good to end up with no family, Lydia.”
“Lizzy is the one that is always yelling and reprimanding me. I do not need a sister like her.” Lydia states irritably.
“You are so wrong, Lydia. Until this day, you still refuse to understand and realize your mistakes. Not once have you acknowledged your mistakes much less apologized for them, and there have been plenty to apologize for. I cannot believe that you are this blind to them. Your sisters have only tried to point out and help you with your mistakes, but you refuse.” Mrs. Gardiner sighs heavily before continuing. “Well, I have tried to talk to you but it seems that you will do what you want. This is a happy day; I do not want there to be any arguments. I will get Mildred to attend your Mother. Come, Lydia; I do not want you here to upset Lizzy.” Mrs. Gardiner closes the chamber door and walks away.
While walking away Lydia says mockingly with jealousy and envy. “You would think that she is the queen or somebody.” Lydia is a nice person, but why does everyone always listen to Lizzy and side with Lizzy?
Mrs. Gardiner does not want to correct Lydia, but she must; Lydia is too obnoxious. “You see what I mean, Lydia? You are disrespectful and petty; your snide remarks are rude and crass. No one will want to know you when you are like that. Do you see any of your four sisters wanting to associate with you, now? I pity you, Lydia. It is not of good character to be like that.”
“Aunt, I do not care if my sisters want to associate with me or not. I have my husband, now. He cares for me.” Lydia states smugly. She does not want to be around her mean sisters; she does not need them.
“Then why did you come to Lizzy’s wedding? Why not stay at home and be with your caring husband?” Mrs. Gardiner asks frankly because she is simply tired of Lydia’s blatant foolishness.
“I wanted to come and have fun in town without having to pay for anything.” Lydia tells the truth. It will not be very often that she could go to town without great expense on herself and her husband; therefore, obviously, she would come if her family provided everything. Who would not take advantage of that circumstance? Moreover, it is not like her Father could not afford it anyways. She did not even get to go to any fun places because everyone was busy with Elizabeth’s wedding stuff. She only got to go shopping once! On top of that, she had to endure all these arguments with her sisters. They are all against her now. Well, she does not need them; she will have her friends and the other soldiers’ wives to be with.
“Oh goodness, Lydia; I was going to excuse you because of your young age but with a comment like that, I know that you are purposely malicious towards your sisters and you do not really care about any of your family members. You only care about yourself. That is a pitiful way to live. I wish you luck with that.” Mrs. Gardiner says solemnly; she is very disappointed and surprised at how devious and calculating Lydia truly is. She will need to let her husband know so that Lydia will not be welcomed back to their home and possibly influence their young children.
Mrs. Gardiner walks off to the children’s playroom without any further acknowledgment of Lydia. “I will send Mildred over.”
Lydia walks into the bedroom chamber that she shares with her Mother and tells her Mother that Mrs. Gardiner spoke meanly to her while protecting Elizabeth. A few minutes later, Mildred comes to help Mrs. Bennet with her hair. Lydia whines that everyone is against he
r. She hates being here with all these mean people. Mrs. Bennet states that she will have a talk with Mrs. Gardiner.
Fifteen minutes later, Kitty informs her Mother that they need to leave for the church in half an hour. Kitty sees that Lydia seems to be dressed as if she is attending the wedding also. She is surprised by this because it is very clear that Elizabeth is not allowing Lydia to attend her wedding. Did Lydia forget? Will there be more arguing and trouble before they leave for church? Goodness, she hopes not; she is so strained by all of Lydia’s mean arguments.
As Elizabeth and Jane walk into the drawing room, everybody is there except for Mrs. Bennet and Lydia. Everyone praises the bride’s beauty. Mr. Bennet is especially proud of his favorite daughter’s goodness. He will miss her being around their home and being able to discuss things with her. However, he is very happy that she will have such an admirable husband that will love her unconditionally. They deserve one another.
A couple of minutes later, Mrs. Bennet walks in with Lydia, and she curtly says, “I think it is ridiculous that Lydia is excluded from Lizzy’s wedding. What will she do at home? What will people think if she does not attend?”
“Mrs. Bennet, she knows why she has been excluded from Lizzy’s wedding.” Mr. Bennet tries to be reasonable because it is a happy day for Elizabeth; he does not want any problems today. Mrs. Bennet is stirring up trouble right now, and he will not allow it.
“Well, I refuse to exclude her.” Mrs. Bennet says obstinately and with entitlement.
There is the trouble that he was trying to avoid. He sighs heavily before saying, “This is not for you to decide, Mrs. Bennet. It is Lizzy’s wedding.” Mr. Bennet states firmly with a stern glare at Mrs. Bennet, but she looks away.
“Well, I do not think it is right that Lydia does not attend. If she does not attend…then I will not attend either.” Mrs. Bennet states openly. That should show everyone how serious she is about Lydia not attending. Why should Lydia be excluded just because Elizabeth is upset? They argued; that is not a big awful matter. Why does Elizabeth always have to get her way?
Inconceivable! Elizabeth has had it! Today is not the day for all of this ugliness to come out, again! Elizabeth refuses to be rattled by her Mother or Lydia. She REFUSES to be down or upset on her wedding day. If they want to put her in a difficult position on her wedding day, then she will make the ultimate decision. She will make it, and it will forever adversely affect her relationship with them. They will never be able to turn back on this. This is Lydia’s revenge; if this is how she wants to deal with their problem, then Elizabeth does not need to have these kinds of family members. This is it! She sees that everyone else is also staggered by her Mother’s declaration.
Looking directly at her Mother, Elizabeth states serenely, “Mama, I refuse to have Lydia at my wedding; therefore, if you feel that you would rather stay at home with her, then I will not force you to attend.” Elizabeth’s expression is firm and aloof as she turns towards her Father to say, “Papa, I think we better leave now; I do not want to be late for any reason.”
“Mrs. Bennet, you and Lydia will stay indoors until we all return after the wedding breakfast. You will not want the servants to gossip and look down upon us and shame your own brother’s family, now, do you?” Mr. Bennet says gravely. “We will leave for Longbourn tomorrow morning, so I suggest that you have your things packed and ready.” Mr. Bennet is tired of what all this has become with Lydia and his wife. He will take action.
Mrs. Bennet is fuming and Lydia is livid, again. They were planning to do some shopping and go about town for some fun for the next couple of days, but now Mr. Bennet is very angry and is forbidding them of any activity and shortening their stay.
“Fine, I will come to the wedding, then.” Mrs. Bennet might as well calm down so that she can attend this lavish wedding breakfast. It is better than nothing.
“No, you will not. You have made your decision; you must live with it.” Mr. Bennet asserts calmly.
“Mr. Bennet! I said I will attend the wedding. I have a right to attend.” Mrs. Bennet proclaims.
“Mrs. Bennet, do you want to stand here and debate this with me? Are you listening to yourself right now? This is your daughter’s wedding day. I can no longer believe that you have come this far.” Mr. Bennet stares unflinchingly at Mrs. Bennet as he says, “You will not attend Lizzy’s wedding.” Mr. Bennet glowers at her as if he is possessed.
“Edward, do you see what I have to deal with at home?” Mrs. Bennet cries out.
Mr. Gardiner shakes his head with great disappointment and then readily says, “Frannie, you are too much. I cannot believe all the things I have heard myself.” Mr. Gardiner affirms. How can his sister act this way? She has always been silly, but this is beyond that now. How does she think that anyone will want to have anything to do with her if she is like this? Goodness; is this what Thomas has to deal with everyday?
Mrs. Bennet thought that she would get support from her older brother, but she did not. She is angry now which reminds her that Lydia told her that her sister-in-law had spoken meanly to her. Since he is not going to support her then she will speak her mind about his wife. “Edward, I would appreciate it if you would tell your wife not to be mean to Lydia. She is not her Mother. She should stick to her own children.”
“What?!” Both Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner exclaim at once. Mrs. Gardiner cannot believe what she is hearing. How dare her sister-in-law lie like this? Did Lydia tell her Mother that she was mean to Lydia?
His sister is too much! How dare she say that about Madeline? His wife told him everything that she has witnessed, and it all points to his own sister and youngest niece being ridiculous and absurd or rude. Must he ban her from visiting his home in the future?
Simultaneously, Mr. Bennet exclaims. “MRS. BENNET!”
Mr. Gardiner states severely, “How dare you, Frannie! This is a happy day for Lizzy, so I will ignore your ignorant remark about my wife. I will also ignore how Lydia has lied about what was said between her and my wife. You both are a grave disappointment!” Mr. Gardiner grits through his teeth. “You are my own sister, but I just cannot even fathom how you became like this. Remember this, Frannie; you both will no longer be welcomed to my home if you persist on lying about my wife.” Mr. Gardiner stares at Mrs. Bennet, unwaveringly.
“You must stop this foolishness, immediately, Mrs. Bennet! I will not tolerate it any longer! I have no more words for you! Come everybody; we must leave, now.” Mr. Bennet will deal with all of this when he is back from Lizzy’s wedding breakfast. It will be the definitive talk with Mrs. Bennet.
Mrs. Bennet ignores everyone and turns to quit the room first with Lydia following closely behind her. Everyone else shuffles out the door to the awaiting carriages.
Darcy and Richard are standing in their positions at the altar. All the families and guests are sitting at the appropriate pews. All of Darcy’s family and close friends are in attendance. Elizabeth’s side only takes up a small portion of two pews on the left side of the church. He does not see Mrs. Bennet anywhere. Mr. Gardiner is seated at the first pew next to where the Father and Mother of the bride will sit – Mrs. Gardiner is absent. Mary and Kitty are seated at the second pew along with the three Gardiner children and their nanny. Maybe Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Gardiner are helping Elizabeth get ready in the back? A minute later, Mrs. Gardiner takes her seat next to Mr. Gardiner – still no Mrs. Bennet, yet. Curious.
The church’s harpist begins to play the harp at exactly two o’clock and the doors to the church opens. Everyone including Darcy turns to see Jane walk down the aisle holding a bouquet of colorful flowers that Elizabeth adores. Then, Mr. Bennet proudly steps up with Elizabeth on his arm. All Darcy can see at this moment is his betrothed; she looks absolutely ravishing – breathtaking. The décolletage on her cream colored wedding gown is alluring but tasteful. The sleeves are puffy and off-the-shoulder which lends her entire neckline bare. Her sapphire and diamond wedding jewels are gleaming with elegance sit
ting exactly where they belong – on her ivory, smooth, soft skin. Her beauty is accentuated by her admirable personality and her commendable attitude. He loves her beyond anyone he has ever imagined. Finally, in half an hour he will have his wife forever.
Mr. Bennet walks Elizabeth down the aisle, and all Elizabeth can see is William standing tall, proud, and handsome at the altar. His dark blue wedding outfit is very becoming of him; he had it made especially for their wedding. The blue reminds her of her wedding jewels. He is very handsome on a normal day, but today, he is astonishingly striking. He is the handsomest gentleman she has ever seen, anywhere. Not only is he attractive but he is charming and charismatic too. He is just shy and proper; that is why not many people see those sides of him. He has to be comfortable with a person in order for those aspects to reveal themselves. She is delighted and privileged to be the lady who sees those characteristics. She loves him with everything that she is – nothing less.
Finally, her Father places her hand on the palm of William’s extended hand after he kisses her cheek one last time. Elizabeth smiles gently at her Father, and he looks at her with fatherly love and pride before stepping away to let her go unite with her betrothed. Elizabeth can only see her William, now. Their eyes lock as he walks her towards the Archbishop. The ceremony proceeds and she hears everything while she is thinking of William. Time passes like a gentle breeze, and soon, they are saying their vows. Afterwards, William slips her wedding band onto her left wedding ring finger. At last, they are pronounced husband and wife. She is William’s wife, now. It is true! When the Archbishop says that Darcy may kiss the bride, they gaze at each other lovingly, and then William kisses both of her hands at once without taking his eyes from her. Elizabeth beams with pure joy. She feels so much happiness right now that she is afraid she might become light headed. What a glorious feeling it is to be married to William.
Darcy puts Elizabeth’s hand on his arm as they turn to take their first steps as husband and wife. He is exultant, elated, jubilant, overjoyed, and thrilled! Euphoric! He has to find more words to describe his current state of happiness. They sign the church’s registry, and then step out of the church into the sunlight. Darcy kisses Elizabeth’s hands again. He cannot wait to show her his love, but this will have to do for now. Undoubtedly, he is impatient for tonight.