Chapter Thirty-Four
Longbourn had never held so many guests. Jane’s wedding breakfast had been well-attended, to be certain, but today was different. No one in the neighbourhood would miss the opportunity to gawk at the Earl and Countess of Matlock! And given Mrs. Bennet’s reputation as a hostess, even those who might have turned up their noses at the notion of mingling with the aristocracy were unwilling to miss the bounty certain to be offered at Mrs. Bennet’s table. As a result, it was all one could do to squeeze into the dining room to load up one’s plate.
Elizabeth was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in the house, all of whom wished to speak with her. Jane and Aunt Gardiner stood beside her, helping to move people along after they had wished her well. As the Earl and Countess of Matlock approached, the other guests hung back, knowing better than to crowd such personages.
To Elizabeth’s complete shock, it was apparent that the Matlocks and the Gardiners were acquainted; indeed, they were on a first-name basis! The Matlocks thought it amusing beyond anything that Elizabeth’s relatives in trade had turned out to be the very wealthy and influential Edward and Madeline Gardiner.
“Henry has invested with Edward Gardiner for years,” the Countess explained. “And Madeline and I are both on the board of directors of a charity called the London Residence for Girls. The Gardiners have dined with us at Matlock House more times than I can recall. Imagine you being their niece, Elizabeth!”
Mr. Darcy managed to finally elbow his way through the crowd to appear at his bride’s side, just as his aunt finished speaking. She turned to him and scolded, “You told us your Elizabeth had no connections, but she is the niece of Edward Gardiner!”
Mr. Darcy’s eyes opened wide; he turned to his bride. “You are related toEdward Gardiner?”
“I am certain I mentioned it,” Elizabeth said, flustered. “It is likely I just said Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.”
“Perhaps, as I would certainly have noted the name Edward Gardiner. Mr. Gardiner, I am Fitzwilliam Darcy.” Mr. Darcy extended his hand, which Mr. Gardiner gladly took. “I wrote you some months ago, asking if I might invest with your company, but have not yet received a reply.”
“I am indeed sorry, Mr. Darcy; I receive many such letters every day and even my overworked assistants cannot answer them promptly. But of course, now you are family, and I would be happy to speak with you further on the matter.”
“Elizabeth and I will leave for Pemberley after the wedding breakfast, but perhaps we might speak when we are in Town?”
“Of course, at your convenience; and I will have my clerks hunt up your letter.”
The Matlocks stepped away now, so that other guests might come to offer their best wishes.
Finally, the guests began to take their leave, until only the family remained. Mrs. Bennet packed up the piece of wedding cake she had set aside – as there was certainly none left at the table – and gave it to Elizabeth to take with her. “There is enough rum in it that it will not spoil for a decade or more,” she said, sniffing back her tears. “Eat it at Pemberley and remember us here at Longbourn.”
“Oh, Mama!” Elizabeth threw her arms around her mother and wept, the tensions of the entire day making themselves evident in those tears. Her father appeared at that moment, and Elizabeth opened her arms further yet, to encompass him. And then Jane, Mary, Kitty and Lydia appeared, and the entire Bennet family stood together, arms intertwined, murmuring words of love and farewell.
Chapter Thirty-Five
As Mr. Darcy’s carriage pulled away from Longbourn, Elizabeth twisted around and watched out the window until the house was out of sight.
“Are you sad, my love?” Mr. Darcy asked, gently.
“Sad to be leaving my family, yes; sad that we are married, no.” Eager to reassure him, Elizabeth put a hand on his arm and looked into his eyes.
“You will see them again,” he said, and then, unable to wait any longer, he pulled her close and kissed her. She promptly forgot her family and returned his kiss.
Some half an hour later, she pushed him gently away, gasping for breath. “William! We must stop, surely!”
Mrs. Bennet had given Elizabeth “The Talk” prior to the marriage. Happily, Jane had added to Elizabeth’s understanding from her own experience, as a result of which Elizabeth was not dreading the event. That said, she sincerely hoped William did not intend to consummate their union in the carriage.
“Why must we stop?” he asked, smiling as he pulled her close again.
“Because – because – the carriage is not the right place for – oh, please, not in the carriage!”
He immediately understood her concern. “Oh, Elizabeth, believe me when I say that I have no intention in all the world of making you my true wife in a carriage. Nor, for that matter, at an inn. You may rest easy, as I have reserved two rooms in every inn on our way north.”
“Thank you, William,” she breathed. “How kind you are!”
“Kind? Elizabeth, I want you to have wonderful memories of our first time together. The inns we will occupy are fine establishments, but they are not suitable locations for such an important occasion.”
“We will be four days on the road, is that right?”
“Yes; we could make it in three, but I thought it best that we take our time. I have planned for us to stop several times during the day for meals and just to stretch out our legs, but you must let me know if at any time you need a rest from traveling.”
“It seems odd that just sitting in a carriage is tiring.”
