Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER 1811
COLDSTREAM, SCOTLAND
E arly Sunday afternoon, Darcy and Elizabeth crossed the border into Scotland. They had made good time the previous day and managed to get within thirty miles of Coldstream before stopping for the night. The second coachman was sent ahead with funds to make the necessary arrangements for a church wedding and to cover lodgings for the night. When they arrived in the small town, they were greeted by not only the coachman, but Darcy’s cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam.
“Richard, whatever are you doing here?” Darcy asked when he saw his cousin. He was wary, for how could his cousin have arrived there ahead of him and what did he mean to do?
“You need someone to stand up with you as a witness, someone who can verify that you have not been trapped into this marriage,” Fitzwilliam replied.
“Yes, but how did you know I was here?” Darcy asked.
Fitzwilliam grinned broadly. “I will tell you what I know after you introduce me to the young lady with you. I presume this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet, for I cannot imagine any other woman would have tempted my staid cousin into eloping.”
Darcy nodded and performed the introduction. “Now tell me, how did you find me here?”
“Apparently London is in an uproar for they somehow learned that Fitzwilliam Darcy had been tricked by a fortune hunter and eloped to Gretna Green. Knowing that I was in Newcastle on business, my father sent me an express demanding that I stop you. Since I know you would never do what was expected, I decided that you would have journeyed to Coldstream, for they see nearly as many elopements as Gretna, and that the only one who could persuade you into eloping would have been the one who got away,” Fitzwilliam said, with far more showmanship than was necessary.
Exasperated, Darcy scowled at his cousin. “I suppose it is good that only you know me quite so well. I have written to Georgiana, but if ‘all of London’ knows of my elopement, then Georgiana might have heard of it from your parents and possibly Aunt Catherine as well.”
“Did you tell Georgiana with whom you were eloping?” Fitzwilliam asked. “I do not think you need to worry about her reaction, for she will understand that it was necessary and very unlike her own abbreviated love-affair. You have held a tendre for Miss Bennet since she left you in Derbyshire, and your sister has missed her nearly as much as you have.”
Slowly releasing his breath, Darcy looked at his cousin earnestly. “Do you think so? I confess the thought has troubled me. She remembers Elizabeth from that summer and was terribly disappointed when I returned home unmarried and no longer engaged. However, I wish I could have explained to her why it was acceptable for me to elope when we have only recently condemned her for considering the same.”
“They are completely different situations, Darcy, and well you know it. You should not worry about Georgiana, for she will understand. You and Miss Bennet ought to have married years ago, and I look forward to hearing the reason why you did not,” Fitzwilliam replied.
“What has been said in London?” Darcy asked, ignoring the implied question for now.
“Far less than my parents would claim,” Fitzwilliam answered, still grinning. “Father was at your solicitor’s office when your messenger arrived. He overheard something one of the men said and then, I gather, he snooped until he learned more. That was not exactly what his letter said, but I read between the lines of your letter. He would not want it to be known throughout society, so I doubt he has shared it with anyone other than Mother.”
Darcy scowled as he contemplated this for a moment. “I had not realised your father used my solicitor as well. I would have also expected the man to be more discreet. However, what is done is done. Can you ride to Pemberley once Elizabeth and I are wed? Tomorrow is the Sabbath, but in your uniform, no one would question you ignoring that particular stricture. I sent a letter to Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds asking them to turn visitors away, but I am uncertain what they would do if your parents arrived and demanded entry. I would not hesitate to turn them away if I were home, but my servants do not carry the same authority.”
“My parents are firmly ensconced in their house in Mayfair. They expect me to ‘manage’ this situation because Father still believes I am loyal to him rather than you. I would be more worried about what Aunt Catherine might do or say,” Fitzwilliam replied.
“Is that the aunt who believes Fitzwilliam should marry her daughter?” Elizabeth asked. Both gentlemen nodded in reply. “Instead of standing here talking, we should go into the chapel and get married. Then we can begin our journey back south. The colonel can ride towards Pemberley, and we will simply ignore the restriction about travelling on the Sabbath. We cannot know if Lady Catherine has already heard about our intentions, so we need to hasten to Pemberley to protect Georgiana.”
Darcy captured Elizabeth’s hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “You deserve a leisurely wedding trip, not this rushed journey. But I had not expected my relations to learn of our plans so soon. We will do as you suggest and pray my coachman does not curse me for making him travel yet again today.”
“Will it take us three or four days to reach Pemberley?” Elizabeth asked.
“If it were summer and we could travel longer each day, it would be possible to make the trip in two days. However, as it is autumn, it will likely take us three. We could be there by dinner Wednesday night. On horseback, Richard can likely be there by noon on Tuesday, perhaps a little after,” Darcy replied.
“Let us stop wasting time then, and we can begin our journey immediately. Colonel, if you join us in our carriage we can answer all your questions. Tomorrow, you can begin your ride to Pemberley,” Elizabeth directed.
Without hesitation, both gentlemen followed her lead. Darcy extended his arm to Elizabeth, who accepted it with a bright smile. Walking behind the couple, Fitzwilliam could not help but smile broadly himself as he watched his cousin finally seize his own happiness. He also appreciated how his soon-to-be cousin had taken charge and proposed a plan that alleviated their concerns while sacrificing some of her time as a new bride to protect her sister-in-law. Though he had never met the lady before that day, he was impressed with her and felt she would be a positive influence on his cousins.
The group proceeded to the small kirk in the centre of Coldstream. Its stone walls were weathered, but Elizabeth thought the building lovely. Inside, the minister and his wife awaited the couple near the altar, having been informed by Darcy's servants of their arrival. If they were surprised by the addition of a soldier, they did not show it.
As Elizabeth took in the lovely but unfamiliar building, a small pang of sorrow pricked her heart. She had always envisioned being married in her own church in Meryton, surrounded by friends and family. Instead, she stood here in her best day dress—a modest, well-worn gown of soft blue muslin—not the fine new wedding gown she had once imagined. A maid had helped her dress that morning, her sisters and mother absent from the moment she had always thought they would share. She missed her sister Jane most of all, but still as she felt the reassuring presence of her intended beside her and the warmth of his hand resting comfortably atop her own, peace settled over her. She was exactly where she wanted to be.
Darcy’s gaze softened as their eyes met. There was an intensity in his expression, a reflection of the years they had been kept apart. His dark coat was simple but impeccably tailored, if a bit mussed from their journey, the stark black a contrast to the rich green hills outside. With an understanding smile, he led her forward, his grip firm and reassuring, as if to remind her that this moment was theirs, at long last.
Moving to stand beside the minister, Colonel Fitzwilliam, the sole witness aside from the minister and his wife, gave Darcy a slight nod. His cousin had always been his confidant, and there was no one Darcy would have preferred by his side on this day.
The minister, a kind-looking man with a gentle voice, began the ceremony in soft tones, his Scottish accent lending a sense of solemnity to the proceedings. His wife stood at Elizabeth’s side, offering a warm smile to the bride and groom. While Darcy’s servant had told them little, the couple understood that this was no usual elopement, a fact made all the more obvious by the expression on the faces of both the bride and groom.
Elizabeth’s heart raced, not out of fear but anticipation. She glanced again at Darcy whose eyes never left hers. In that moment, it was as if the years of separation, the misunderstandings, the obstacles, and the heartache all faded away. Here, in this quiet kirk, there were no objections, no disapproving family members, no expectations beyond their own.
"Fitzwilliam Darcy, Wilt thou have this Woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?" the minister asked, his voice echoing slightly in the empty space.
“I will,” Darcy answered in a voice that was low, steady, and filled with emotion.
Elizabeth's breath caught at the tenderness in his tone as he spoke those two simple words. When the minister turned to her, she could barely contain her emotion when faced with the same question. She met Darcy’s gaze, and in that moment, she felt nothing but certainty. "I will,” she said softly.
Darcy slipped a ring on Elizabeth’s hand. It was the ring he had given her all those years before when he first proposed to her. The day before, before departing from the inn, Elizabeth had handed it to him, having removed it from where it was sewn into her stays.
After signing the register, Darcy led Elizabeth down the aisle of the kirk to the foyer for a private moment. He cupped her face gently, leaning in to share their first kiss as husband and wife. The kiss was tender, filled with love and promise.
Fitzwilliam cleared his throat with a grin as the newlyweds pulled apart, his amusement evident. “I suppose it is time to congratulate the happy couple,” he said, stepping forward to clasp Darcy on the shoulder and give Elizabeth’s cheek a kiss. “I have rarely seen my cousin so content. You must be quite the woman, Mrs. Darcy.”
Elizabeth blushed at the title, her heart swelling with happiness. “I shall try to live up to it,” she replied with a smile.
Darcy wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. “You already do, my love,” he whispered in her ear, causing shivers to run down her spine.
They exited the kirk to where their carriage awaited them. Darcy helped his new wife inside, his hand lingering in hers as if he could not bear to let her go even for a moment. He followed immediately behind and took the seat next to her. Though they had often travelled this way on their way north, it was different now, for she was finally his.
Richard climbed in behind them, taking the opposite seat with a satisfied grin. “Well then,” he said, leaning back, “I suppose I shall forever be remembered as the cousin who assisted in a grand elopement.”
Darcy chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving Elizabeth as he leant down to place a lingering kiss to her hand. “A grand elopement, indeed. But one that was well worth the wait.”