Chapter 43 Richard and Isabella Marry
Richard handed Isabella into the carriage and then took his seat beside her.
Their trunks were packed and secured, and the carriage was one he had borrowed from Darcy.
The week had dragged by, but now they were at last on their way to the Lambton church.
Darcy and Elizabeth rode in Darcy’s carriage a short distance ahead.
It was a fine summer morning, and years of waiting were about to end.
Isabella would soon be his wife, and their new life together would begin.
He had given notice to his tenant, and the estate would be vacated by late September.
They would need to view the house, refurbish the kitchens, paper the walls, and likely repair the stable.
After the wedding, they would remove to Matlock.
The Earl was in London, frequenting his club and gambling with his companions, and Phillip was at a house party in Surrey until early November.
The couple would have Matlock House to themselves, along with his mother, whom Isabella already loved.
Richard smiled to himself. Isabella had been watching him. “What do you smile about, sir?”
His eyes danced. “Darling, we have waited a long time, but we shall be married at last. We have succeeded in keeping it from your brother, and now there is nothing to stop us.”
She laughed softly. “Oh, Richard, I love you. I have missed you so much these past years. I can scarcely believe our good fortune.”
He leaned in and kissed her. Soon she was on his lap, her arms around his neck. He pulled back and said with amusement, “Darling, take care with my cravat, or the rector and Darcy will both know what we have been about.”
She laughed again and, lowering her arms to his shoulders, kissed him more carefully. They were thus occupied when the road changed beneath them and the carriage rattled over the cobblestones. Isabella moved back to her seat and looked at her husband-to-be.
“Is my hair in place?”
“Yes, darling Bella, it is.” His gaze was intent. “Let us spend the night at an inn somewhere between here and Matlock, to have at least one night together, to ourselves. My mother will be glad we are wed, but I would prefer to be away from family for one night.”
She smiled, showing her white, even teeth. “Let us take three nights to ourselves, provided we find a clean, quiet inn.”
He kissed her again. “We shall. There must be a suitable inn in Rowsley or Darley. We will get lost, Isabella, just you and I.”
He straightened. “But first, we must announce our marriage to your brother.” His face grew grave, the joy fading.
She placed her hand on his arm. “It will be well, Richard. Darcy and Elizabeth will be with us, and Mary too. They do not leave Pemberley until eleven, and we shall be gone by nine.”
The carriage stopped before the church, and he handed her down. Darcy and Elizabeth were already entering. The rector was present, having received Darcy’s note the day before. Richard produced his marriage license.
“Pastor, here is the license I purchased last week.”
The rector examined it and said nothing. All was in order. He looked to Darcy.
“My wife and I stand as witnesses this morning, sir.”
The rector nodded. “Very well, Colonel, let us begin.”
All five walked up the aisle and stood before the altar. The rector’s voice filled the sanctuary. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God…”
Richard said his vows, and then Isabella repeated hers in a clear, steady voice.
She was smiling and tearful, radiant with happiness.
When Richard placed the ring upon her finger, and the rector pronounced them man and wife, Elizabeth shed tears as well.
The sight of the colonel drying his eyes touched her deeply.
She looked up at her husband, who was also dabbing his face with his handkerchief.
When the ceremony ended, Darcy clapped his cousin on the shoulder and embraced him. “Congratulations, cousin. It has been a long time coming.” He then turned to Isabella and waited until Elizabeth had released her. “Congratulations, Mrs. Fitzwilliam. You will be a very happy woman.”
Outside, by the carriages, Darcy said, “Richard, perhaps the two of you should drive out from here. I will speak with Lewis and announce your marriage.”
Isabella said quickly, “Yes, let us do that, Richard. Let us not allow my brother to mar our wedding day.”
But Richard shook his head. “I will not drive away like a coward. I will face your brother and tell him we are married. Whatever comes, we will meet it together.”
She took his hand. “Very well. Let us go forward then.”
He helped her into the carriage, and the Darcys followed behind in theirs.
When Richard made the announcement, Lewis was livid.
“You did what? You were married this morning? To this man? Isabella, how could you? I warned you about him. I forbade you. We will have this marriage annulled as soon as possible.” His face was red, his fists clenched, his whole stance that of a man ready for a fight.
Isabella stepped in front of her husband, their hands still clasped.
“James, this is my life, and I will live it as I choose. I am of age, and we are in love. We have loved each other for as long as I can remember. You know how I suffered all the years he fought on the Peninsula. I spent hours on my knees begging for his life, and now, you will not come between us.”
Her words halted him for a moment. Then his gaze shifted past Darcy and Elizabeth and fell upon Mary. He pressed his lips together and consciously eased his shoulders as he unclenched his hands. When he spoke again, his voice was more controlled.
“Isabella, I did not tell you why I forbade this union. That was my fault. This marriage would never have taken place if I had told you what I hold against this man.”
Richard straightened. “Be careful what you accuse me of, Lewis. I am a decorated colonel in service to the Crown. Keep silent unless you are certain that what you believe of me is the truth.”
“You impregnated a woman and abandoned both her and her child,” Lewis said coldly.
“Who knows where that child is now, perhaps growing up in an orphanage, or raised by strangers. If the child was fortunate, it was taken in by its mother’s family and passed off as a ward. You left her to bear her shame alone.”
Richard tried to move forward, but Isabella held his arm.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke first. “I refuse to believe this lie. You have contrived that falsehood to drive me from my husband, but I will not leave him. I know Richard. He loves me as I love him. He is an honorable man. He would never have treated a woman so, nor abandoned his own child. What you say is vile.”
Lewis lost control. “Isabella, you do not know the nature of men. That woman is a seductress. If she turned her charms upon a man, he would fall easily to her wiles. Surely you saw her yourself on Saturday, how she threw herself at Fitzwilliam?”
“You speak of Christiana?” Isabella said.
“She is nothing and nobody. Richard has never liked her. We were used to mock her between ourselves for her vanity and loose manners. She has ever been one who allowed liberties. But Richard and I have always loved each other, first as children, when he was my protector, and later as two parts of the same heart, saving ourselves for one another until the day we could marry.”
Lewis turned to Richard. “What do you have to say for yourself? Speak, man. Do not hide behind a woman.”
Mary stepped back, startled by his tone. Lewis saw her movement and turned at once. “I beg your pardon, Mary. I forget myself. I forget that I was bred a gentleman. My only excuse is my fear for my sister, whom I have tried to protect since our father’s death fifteen years ago.”
Richard said quietly, “I never looked at that woman except to find fault. She never held any attraction for me. Her manners were too bold, too contrived. I do not believe she feels anything for anyone but herself.”
Lewis searched his face and saw truth there. “Then who? She was seduced here, in her own neighborhood. If not you, then who?” His gaze turned to Darcy. “We all knew you were courting her. What happened? Or did she fall to your seductions, did you tire of her and leave her to her shame?”
Darcy remained perfectly still, stunned by the sudden and unexpected assault. No word escaped him; he made no move to defend himself, nor did he yield to anger. He merely regarded his accuser in shocked silence.
Elizabeth watched him, willing him to protest, to deny the accusation, to declare that he would never abandon his own flesh and blood.
When no such words came, a faintness washed through her.
The room dimmed, and she reached out, catching his arm to steady herself, but her strength failed, and she sank down, down into the darkness.
Darcy caught her before she struck the floor and knelt beside her. “Elizabeth, darling, can you hear me?” She did not stir.
He looked up at Lewis. “You are in mixed company, Lewis. You accuse first Richard, then me, of things you do not know. You fling accusations without care for the harm you cause. I did not impregnate Christiana, nor abandon her. She turned her back on me for another. She knew it was my wish to marry her. I thought her perfect, and when she fell, I was destroyed. I turned my back on women for years. No, I did not bring her down. She brought ruin upon herself. I warned her, but she would not listen to reason. She called me jealous, and when I caught her, it was too late.”
He looked at Lewis. “You will remember that day. We were all fishing when she was missed, and I went in search of her. Wickham was there. He, too, was gone. I found them in the meadow. She was laughing, and they were teasing. Then I saw her lying with him in the grass. Her bodice was undone, her undergarments cast aside. It was clear what had occurred. Later, she claimed to her father that she had been forced, but it was not the truth. All that transpired that fateful day was done of her own choosing.”
Darcy lifted Elizabeth in his arms and asked Richard to send Mrs. Reynolds to her bedchamber with smelling salts.
Lewis turned to Mary, who was hurrying from the room, her face buried in her handkerchief.
He moved to follow her, but Richard stopped him.
“She has seen and heard enough. Let her be. Once Elizabeth has recovered and learns the truth, she will help her sister think better of you than you deserve. If you believed such a monstrous tale about me, you should have spoken years ago instead of letting it fester. I know you are protective, but learn from this. Your sister is now married and no longer in need of your protection. But your future wife will be, as will your children. Learn from this. Ask questions and seek the truth instead of believing you already know everything.”
He turned to Isabella. “Come, my dear, we must be going. The carriage is waiting.”
Isabella reached into her reticule and handed her brother a letter. “Give this to Mamma. Tell her I would have married in our parish church had it been possible. Tell her I am very happy and will visit in two weeks.”
She took Richard’s hand, and he looked at her with longing. “Come, my dear. We have waited long enough.”
Lewis remained, wondering how he might make things right with Mary.
He had been harsh, angry, and reckless with his accusations.
He had not behaved as a gentleman should.
His lips twisted in self-reproach. He had never been mild-mannered, but perhaps he could change.
He would do it for her, for love of his gentle wife.
He craved peace and serenity. Now that Isabella was married to an honorable man, and not the blackguard he had once believed Richard to be, he could at last begin to rest.