Chapter 23 #3
“Here here. I second that thought wholeheartedly,” the Earl professed.
“Bennet and I have been like brothers ever since our days at Trinity College.
Mary is my daughter now too, and Lizzy, Jane, and Kitty are my nieces and the twins my nephews in fact but have always been daughters and sons of my heart.
“Marie was an only child, so I am sure she likes having gained so many sisters and brothers today. William and Georgie have always been treated like they were our children, and now they are brother and sister to my boys. And Anne, our niece held from us for too long, now will have family visiting her and helping with whatever she needs. What a great day.”
“No need for one of your House of Lords speeches now, Reggie,” Bennet ribbed his friend, “I suggest we all go to the house so we can toast each other’s happiness with champagne.” At Bennet’s suggestion, the party started to make its way toward the house, the newlyweds bringing up the rear.
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As they walked Bingley turned to his wife and met her eyes for a moment and once again watched where they were going as he guided her towards the manor house.
“I give thanks to God on High every day that you decided to love me and accept me as your husband. The grace and class all of you have demonstrated in the way you have treated both Louisa and me is unfathomable, and so much more than most other members of the Ton would have done.” He raised his hand to stay Jane’s protestation they had done nothing special.
“That is why you and your family are so very special, each of you judge a person by who they are, by their actions rather than arbitrary and capricious societal dictates. For that, I will be forever grateful my dearest wife.”
“You are my one and only. The more I got to know you, the more I fell in love with you and saw I would never be happy unless you were my husband. I love you so very dearly, my Charles,” Jane promised softly, holding his arm slightly tighter to punctuate her words and Bingley in turn drew her closer to his side so they were as close as possible while they walked.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Mary, I am so very glad your parents relented and allowed us to marry without waiting the original six months. You have been my love for many years now. You are the love of my life, my darling wife. My soul’s mate,” Richard spoke quietly to his wife, for while the other couple was a few paces away, the moment was hers alone.
“I feel exactly the same way about you, Richard. And I am so very excited we will be going to the Lake District for our wedding trip. I have always wanted to see it. How long will we be with Lizzy and William at Pemberley on our way home?” Mary inquired.
“As we will be returning there in December, we will rest there for but three days before we make the journey to Netherfield Park. I still cannot fathom that your parents gifted us with the estate,” Richard admitted.
“It will be good to see Pemberley again. And we will see Jane and Charles on their trip from Seaview to Pemberley when they break the trip at Longbourn. When all three of us married Bennet girls are back together, we will have to compare notes to see who is the happiest,” Mary replied teasingly.
“My father was so right, I am beside myself that William and I are finally brothers, and now look at all of the sisters and brothers I have gained.” He gazed out over the group making their way to one of their homes, this time Longbourn.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The two newlywed couples were announced to the assembled crowd celebrating their nuptials as they entered Longbourn’s ball room. Both brides glowed when they heard themselves being announced with their married title as Mrs., leaving behind the appellation of Miss forever.
About three hours into the celebration, Mr. and Mrs. Bingley and Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam changed into travelling attire, and after some tears and many hugs and kisses, departed for their wedding trips.
The Bingleys made for the new Bingley House, two houses down from the Gardiners on Portman Square in Town, and the Fitzwilliams headed north to the first inn of the three and one half day journey to the house owned by the Darcys.
It overlooked Lake Windermere, the largest of the lakes, and had a good view of both the small Esthwaite Water and the larger Coniston Water.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After waving goodbye until the carriages were no longer visible, the family returned to the ball room with the Bennet parents bringing up the rear.
Fanny had tears in her eyes and her husband knew, as happy as she was for her girls, saying goodbye to three of them as they left home in the last month was not easy.
He too felt the loss acutely and understood well what his wife was feeling.
“I know you are forlorn sending Jane and Mary to their new lives with their husbands. We can rejoice all three of our married girls have made love matches, just like we did Fanny. That is a rare thing for any parents and comes with so many joys we will share with them in the future.” He gently pulled her to his side as he wrapped his arms lovingly about her.
Bennet looked down at his Fanny with the same love he had since their marriage, love that had only grown deeper with time, and because of their follies had the strength that few experienced.
“I am more than happy for them Thomas, but I will still miss them. Kitty is departing with the Darcys on the morrow, and on Monday you will be taking Tom and James back to Cambridge When you return it will be just the two of us in this huge home,” Fanny replied forlornly.
“Do not forget, Fanny, that subsequent to Twelfth Night when we return from Derbyshire Georgie and Kitty will be with us and remain until they start preparing for their coming out next year.
Tom and James will be with us as well until I have to return them to university, and do not forget once they return from their wedding trip that Richard and Mary will be but three miles away at Netherfield Park.” Bennet reminded his wife of several of the positive events in her near future.
“I know all of that Thomas; I am just being silly,” Fanny smiled sadly.
“Do not say that about yourself, Fanny. You are the least silly woman I know. It is expected to miss one’s daughters when they marry and leave home, most especially when you lose three in four weeks as has just occurred for us.
I have no doubt you are as happy for them as I am.
Do you not think I am sad to see our girls leave Longbourn as well? ” he looked down into her eyes.
“Not for one second do I believe that! As long as I have you, I will always feel safe and loved,” Fanny promised.
“And while I am taking the boys to Cambridge, I think you should look at what is needed in the nursery. I do believe the sooner you renovate it with all the grandparent allowed indulgences you can fit into it, the better,” Bennet suggested.
Bennet took his wife’s hands and kissed them and then walked with her back into the ballroom to celebrate the weddings with their friends and ever-expanding family. At least the Darcys would still be with them until the morrow.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As they were supervising the packing of their trunks, Elizabeth Darcy turned to her husband and said, “I would like to invite Charlotte Lucas to join us at Christmastide, William.”
“You are the mistress of Pemberley, my love, you are free to invite anyone your heart desires,” Darcy responded as he kissed his wife on her cheek. “To tell the truth, I was going to suggest it myself.”
“You were? Why? You hardly know her except as my friend,” his inquisitive wife asked.
“Have you not told me many times what a good person she is? How she is of unimpeachable character? If she has your affection and respect, there is not much more I need to know about her.”
“I agree, she is one of the best people and friends I know. That been said, why is it that you were going to make the suggestion?”
“Two reasons, my love,” he said with one of his dimple-revealing smiles that always made his wife go weak at the knees, “Firstly, I know she is your very good friend and you have told me how seldom she has a chance to travel outside of Hertfordshire. Secondly…”
“Yes, William, secondly?” Elizabeth’s curiosity was peeked now, what could her handsome husband be planning?
“You have heard me talk about our clergyman, a good friend of mine from school, who holds the livings of Kympton, Lambton and Pemberley, Mr. Patrick Elliot?”
“I have; you have given him a glowing character. He was married and his wife died five years ago, and he has a very sweet daughter of five years, Grace?”
“Yes, all correct, well I know recently, after so many years in mourning for his beloved wife, he has started to talk about the possibility of considering a new wife and mother for Gracie.”
“William, you are a matchmaker at heart!” his impertinent wife teased.
“Not a matchmaker my dearest loveliest Elizabeth, all I want is to facilitate a meeting, what they do after will be entirely up to them.” How he loved it when his beloved wife teased him.
“I think it a fine plan, William, I will send a note to Charlotte now inviting her for Christmastide, and as long as she would like to stay with us afterward.”
Mrs. Darcy wrote her note telling her friend they would send a carriage to collect her or organise things so she could ride with one of the groups travelling from Longbourn to join them for the holidays and sent it to Lucas Lodge with one of the Longbourn grooms who was instructed to wait for an answer.
About a half an hour later he returned and handed a note to the former Miss Lizzy from Charlotte Lucas. She opened the reply and read it aloud to her husband:
My dear Eliza, I thank you and your husband for your very welcome invitation.
I would be happy to join you at Pemberley.
I will be available to leave after Christmas as I want to celebrate the day with my family.
If that is acceptable to you, I would love to see you in your new home.
When I see you at your home there is a particular subject, I would like to address with you regarding my future.
With my best regards and thanks, Charlotte
A note was sent back to Lucas Lodge informing Charlotte a Darcy equipage with an appropriate chaperone would arrive at her home the day after Christmas.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and the twins waved to the departing Darcys with Kitty accompanying them as their carriages headed up Longbourn’s drive to eventually join the Great North Road.
In another day or two, Bennet would take his sons to Cambridge and then for the first time since before Jane was born, the Bennet parents would be alone.
At least they had Frank and Hattie Philips to visit and commiserate with them as well as a very good group of friends. They would be alone, but not lonely.