"We will host the wedding breakfast at Matlock House. A wedding breakfast at our home will show the world that we support your marriage. Madeline, I do not mean to overstep, but I do believe this is best."
Mrs. Gardiner nodded, while Darcy groaned. "Please keep it small, Aunt. You know very well that I despise being the centre of attention."
“I will keep your preferences in mind, nephew,” his aunt replied, grinning at him and watching him squirm slightly in his chair.
Elizabeth leaned against him, drawing his attention to her. "William, you are mistaken. You will not be the centre of attention; I, as the bride, will be. You are just a … an accompaniment." She grinned up at him pertly.
“An accompaniment,” Lord Matlock barked. “That is telling you, lad.”
Darcy laughed as well, sliding his hand around her waist to pull her into a quick hug. “Yes, you will, and I do not doubt you will be radiant, my love. Thank you for reminding me of my place.”
She slipped her free hand into his and squeezed, resting her head against his shoulder. Conversation flowed around themwhile they were lost in each other for several minutes. It grew late, and soon, the Gardiners departed for home.
Chapter Nineteen
Monday morning and the wedding arrived quickly, and Elizabeth dressed in the wedding gown she had chosen at the modiste a little over four months before, even before Darcy had proposed. While she had not thought she would need it so quickly, she was thrilled that it had been ready in time, despite the change in their wedding date.
"Aunt Maddie, thank you so much for all that you and Uncle Edward have done for me. If you had not taken me in when you did, I am uncertain where I would be today without your love and your guidance."
"Hush, Elizabeth, we have adored having you with us. You have been a tremendous help to us, a big sister to your cousins, and we will all miss you dreadfully when your new husband takes you away. Of course, we adore him too, and we will still see you often. I am only sorry that we have had to rush this day due to your father's sudden insistence that you visit him."
Elizabeth sighed heavily. "While I prefer not to think of the Bennet family too much today, I cannot complain that his interference means that I will marry my Fitzwilliam that much sooner."
Her aunt pulled her into a hug. "You are loved, Elizabeth, very much, by so many. Do not worry about what the Bennets may say to you when you go to Longbourn. Rely on Fitzwilliam to support you through this and everything else you will face inyour married life. He is a very good man and will do right by you."
"I know, Aunt. Now, let us finish getting ready so I might finally be wed to him. I feel that I have waited years for this moment," she said with a grin.
Laughing, her aunt moved to help finish arranging her hair before assisting her with the jewellery Fitzwilliam had given her to wear for their wedding. It was a lovely pearl necklace, interspersed with emeralds, with a matching bracelet and earbobs. She had exclaimed over the set when he had given it to her Saturday evening and had reprimanded him for spoiling her with his purchase.
"Not at all," had been his reply. "I was not the one who purchased it, but my father. He had it commissioned the last winter he was in town and told me to give it to my bride. Recall that he hoped my bride would be you, and know that it was chosen specifically for you."
Elizabeth had been uncertain how to respond to that, and so had only pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Then I thank your father," she finally managed, tears pooling in her eyes. She had not seen her intended again since Uncle Gardiner had decreed that he could not visit on Sunday, allowing the Gardiner family one final day with her before he carried her off. He had laughingly agreed, for after this day, she would never be parted from him again.
The wedding wentoff without a hitch. A handful of close friends and family gathered to watch the nuptials take place. Darcy's cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, acted as Darcy's witness, and Mrs. Gardiner signed as Elizabeth's. Georgiana stood up with her, delighted to be gaining a sister, but she was too young to sign the register as a witness.
As soon as the couple signed the register affirming their marriage, they quickly departed the church, with Darcy assisting his new bride into the waiting carriage. Few words were exchanged as the carriage made its way to the Matlock home near Grosvenor Square, and half an hour later, a slightly dishevelled pair laughingly excited the carriage.
After enduring the wedding breakfast, the newly married couple were finally free to return to their home and to finish what they had begun on the earlier carriage ride. Likewise, they took advantage of their week of solitude at home, rarely venturing from their apartments, although they did make a couple of trips to visit the library to find something to read to each other. Several books from the top shelf of the library were relocated to a locked bookcase in their private sitting room, and the couple were occasionally found studying them intently.
While they ignored most correspondence during this time, they did spend a bit of time in the study, discussing where they could stay for a few nights when they went to see Mr. Bennet. Uncle Gardiner had sent a letter to his brother Phillips, asking him about lodging in the area and he highly recommended a dower house near Longbourn that was available to be let for a few nights. Uncle Gardiner put Darcy in touch with Mr. Phillips and Darcy had been communicating with him almost daily to make the necessary arrangements for the house to be ready.
The dower house was on a nearby estate, located on the other side of Meryton from Longbourn. Fortunately, it was far enough away that no gossip had reached the town of its expected inhabitants. Darcy's servants had already been dispatched to begin preparing it for the couple's arrival. It would be ready to be occupied on the Monday following the wedding.
So it was, that exactly a week after their wedding, the couple boarded a coach to head north into Hertfordshire. Neither was particularly looking forward to the visit; Elizabeth dreaded meeting with her parents, and both were feeling a little anxious about their reception by Elizabeth’s family.
Regardless of what they might suffer on this visit, Darcy was thrilled to have Elizabeth by his side on the journey. She was sleeping, snuggled against him, with his arm draped across her shoulders and her hand resting on his chest. Darcy smiled, kissed her forehead, and fell asleep himself, realising they both needed to catch up on some of the sleep they had lost over the last week.
They arrived at the dower house shortly after two in the afternoon. It was on the small side, though the manor house was significantly large and well maintained. Darcy had a passing acquaintance with the family who resided there, but they were away from the house at present, visiting their primary estate near Northampton.
For the first day of their visit, the couple spent their time acquainting themselves with the house and peeking into rooms. The largest suite was prepared for the two of them to occupy, though, as a dower cottage, it had only one bed chamber. This suited the couple well, for they had decided immediately after their wedding to share one bedchamber, shocking the housekeeper of the manor house who had come to greet thecouple. That lady apologised for the lack of separate bedrooms and had been scandalised when they told her it was unnecessary.
Laughing, after being shown into the primary rooms of the house, they took up residence on a comfortable sofa in the well-stocked library and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying each other’s company.
The following morning, the Darcys rose late, or at least late for them, and requested breakfast delivered to their shared sitting room. Just after eleven, the couple mounted the horses that had been sent ahead of them and travelled the countryside. After their engagement, they had explored much of Pemberley together on horseback, accompanied by a groom for propriety. As with so many other things, Darcy was thrilled to be able to go for a ride without the chaperone and took advantage of his wife’s sole company.
After a brisk ride and a picnic atop the highest spot they could find, they returned to their leased home where they readied themselves for a visit to the Bennet family.
“Mr. and Mrs. Darcy to call on Mr. Bennet,” Darcy said to the housekeeper when she answered the door.
