Just then his father stuck his head through the door,“Time to head to the church!” he commanded.
In the end, Andrew’s worries were for naught. His bride looked radiant as she walked toward him on his best friend’s and about to be brother’s arm. The service went as smoothly as any before it and before either knew it they were signing the register.“Lady Hilldale,” Andrew relished calling his wife by her new title.
“Yes, my Lord husband,” she returned with a pert smile which he wiped off her face with a toe-curling kiss. They would have taken more time to kiss except Richard knocked on the door and after clearing his throat pointed out that the family was awaiting the newlyweds in the church.
The new husband and wife exited the rectory into the loving arms of their family. Perry gave his new brother a bearhug while Elizabeth hugged her new sister tightly. Marie then hugged Anne and whispered in her ear,“You are one of my sisters now as well, Anne.” That caused Anne to beam with joy. It had been decided last night when the family met in the family sitting room that Andrew would address Lady Rose as Mother Rose, while Marie would call Lady Elaine Mother Elaine and Lord Reggie father, as she used to call her departed father Papa and no other would be granted that title by her.
After the well wishes, hugging, and kisses were competed, the family mounted their coaches and headed back to Longfield Meadows for a sumptuous wedding breakfast. Once everyone was in the ballroom, the butler announced the Viscount and Viscountess of Hilldale, Lord Andrew and Lady Marie Fitzwilliam, to loud applause as the newlyweds basked in the glow of the well wishes of the large crowd. The royal cousins were acknowledged with a bow and curtsy and then the revelry began.
Three hours later, their family stood and waved as their carriage and retinue of servants and outriders disappeared from view to head to the lake district. Most guests stayed overnight and then departed the following morning, the Darcys and Fitzwilliams included. The Bingleys and Hursts were invited to break their journey south at Pemberley where they would stay for a week before heading home.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Sam Hodges had attempted to extract funds from the girl’s father on his own, but that had yielded no results, so he decided that it was time to involve the Younges in his quest to make money from the knowledge of who Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam really was. He had learned that the Earl and Countess were looking for a companion for their daughter. He had overheard two servants talking in the town of Matlock when he was on one of his aborted spying missions for his employer, information that he did not pass onto Mrs Fitzpatrick. When he wrote to the Younges, they had agreed to assist him for fifty percent of whatever he was able to earn, to which he agreed.
Clay had sent his sister Karen who was currently staying at the inn in Packwood. Sam knew that his employer would not be happy if he were to do anything without her knowledge and approval, but the potential profit was too good for him to ignore the opportunity. Karen Younge was very crafty, and she had fashioned herself as Mrs Younge, the widow of an officer killed in the Cape of Good Hope. She had characters written by some of her cronies and one that she wrote herself, being a good forger, that would impress anyone, as long as they did not check the validity of the references.
The plan was for her to apply for the position at Snowhaven and then once she gained the child’s confidence, she would take her for a long walk without any but herself for company and Sam and one of her brother’s men would be waiting to take her. They would then demand fifteen thousand pounds from the Fitzwilliams and another unnamed family that Sam was not ready to share the name with his cohorts yet.
“This will work,” Karen Younge opined,“she is but a child so I will be able to get her to do anything that I require.”
“I‘ope so Miss Younge,” Sam replied.“There be a lot o’money ridin’on this caper!”
“It will not be a problem, I am very good at pulling the wool over people’s eyes, especially rich useless ones like these toffs that we are going to pay us a lot of money!” Her avarice made her over-confident.
“The ol’bat‘ll be missin’me. I better get back to‘er.” Sam could not get away from the imperious know it all too fast for his liking.
He made his way back to Mrs Fitzpatrick’s house where he ran into George Wickham chopping some firewood.“Where have you been disappearing to, Hodges,” Wickham asked.
“Aint none yer business‘ouse boy,” Hodges shot back.
“If you are up to something and the old bat finds out she will have your throat cut…” Before Wickham could finish the sentence Hodges had his knife at the young man’s throat.
“One more word from yer boy, an’it‘ll be yer last. Do ya un’erstand?” Wickham nodded slightly worried that too much movement would cut his throat. Hodges stalked off as he was added to the growing list of those that George Wickham needed to get revenge on.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The three families arrived at Pemberley after the overnight outside of York on the return from the wedding. After changing out of her travel attire, Elaine sat with her sister-in-law in the family sitting room.“As happy as I am for Andrew, I cannot believe that one of my sons is married already. I know that he and Marie will have a loving and felicitous union; he could not have found a more perfect wife had he searched the four corners of the known world,” Elaine stated wistfully.
“You will see them often Elaine; Hilldale is less than ten miles from Snowhaven and in Town it is barely two miles between Grosvenor and Berkley squares,” Anne replied understanding her sister’s ambivalence, happiness for her son and new daughter but sadness as her son moved into the next stage of his life that would be mostly independent of his parents, as it should be.
“I am being silly,” Elaine judged,“I should not have any maudlin thoughts when this is such a joyful time.”
“Yes, it is a time to be happy, but I understand your feelings. William is still relatively young, but it will not be too many years before he will marry and then things will change; and I do not want to think about how it will be when Georgie takes that step, and one day Alex too will find his match. As much as I want my children to be happy, our relationships will change, like yours has just done with Andrew and change is sometimes hard to live with; but we will, and everything will be as it should be.” Anne and Elaine sat for a few minutes before they joined the rest of the party in the drawing room.
Elizabeth was making sure that she did not repeat Will’s error from six years ago when he distanced himself from her. She took her mother’s words to heart and told herself that no matter her feelings, Will was her cousin and her friend, and until she was older that is all they would be. Like she had been told, no one can predict the future; her soul mate may still be an unmet someone that was out in the world waiting to meet her. With her determination that there would be no awkwardness between them, she entered into their debate on the latest works they had read as spirited a manner as ever.
William was also fighting his attraction, but he would not repeat the mistakes of the past. He told himself that although older, his cousin was still too young to be the object of his affection, but he was not sure how he would be able to hide the attraction that he was feeling as she got more and more beautiful in body and mind. He resolved that until she was of an age that it would be appropriate, he would make sure that he behaved as her cousin and friend and no more. Neither was aware that they were battling the same attraction and had come to almost identical decisions on the way forward.
Elizabeth and William were seated in the vast Pemberley library playing chess while Charles Bingley watched the game as the two seemed to make their next move just as soon as the other’s hand was lifted from the piece that had been moved as if they had their next ten moves planned in their minds already.
Elizabeth moved her bishop into the desired position.“Checkmate, Will!” she said triumphantly. Will looked at the board and knew that she had bested him again and tipped over his king.
“Well played, Lizzy. How many moves ago did you know that you had me beat?” He asked.
“After the fifth move I could see how I would win,” she stated matter of factually. It was not a boast; it was a simple statement of fact.
“How do you two see your moves so far in advance?” an astounded Bingley asked.
