Chapter 16
“Will you not tell me where you are taking me for our wedding trip, husband? We are about to board Perry’s ship in Southampton. Please tell me where we are going, Will,” Elizabeth beseeched her husband, her excitement his undoing.
“I suppose it will do no harm now that you know we are to sail to a destination. We are going to the Kingdom of Sicily and the Papal States on the Italian peninsular, my love,” Will informed his bride.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Will!” she looked up at him in perfect joy.
“I have wanted to travel to some of the lands that you described while on your Grand Tour for the longest time so that I could see the same sights you did. You could not have planned a better trip for me if you had tried!”
The Darcys were shown to the owner’s cabin, a most spacious area that abutted the ship's stern.
It encompassed the entire width from port to starboard and was more than one-third of the vessel's length.
There was a cavernous dining/sitting room area, a large cabin with a bed not much smaller than the one at Rivington, and two small cabins for the personal servants.
“I cannot wait to make love to my wife as we sail towards our destination,” Will growled in Elizabeth’s ear, sending chills down her spine.
“Unlike Oxford, hopefully, we actually get to see some of the sights in the countries we are to visit and not just the inside of our chambers,” Elizabeth teased him.
“I would desire to never leave our chambers, but we will see as many of the sights that you wish, my love.” Will silenced her reply with a kiss that made her knees weaken, then stepped back, looking quite pleased with himself.
“Mayhap, you want to put yourself to rights so we may stand on deck and watch the sights as we sail.”
“As it was you that caused the state I am in, you smug man, you are tasked with assisting me!” Elizabeth replied pertly.
A few minutes later, the newlyweds found a spot on the port side next to the railing where they watched as the men on the quay slipped the ships lines, then the jib and two smaller sails were raised, and they caught the seaward wind which pulled the ship from the quay.
Once clear of the dock, Will and Elizabeth watched as the crew climbed up the rigging as surely as one would walk on solid ground and released the mainsail, which billowed as it caught the wind.
The vessel started to gain some speed as she pointed toward the open sea and their destination beyond.
July 29, 1809
Elizabeth rested against the solid chest of her husband as the ship sailed up the Thames towards the dock where they would finally disembark, and then the wedding trip that would forever be an extremely happy memory for both would be over.
Will had kept his word; they had explored and seen as many sights as Elizabeth desired.
Elizabeth had loved exploring Rome and all the churches of the Papal States. She had found St Peter’s Basilica fascinating and loved exploring the catacombs below the city. The highlight was seeing the Sistine Chapel and marvelling at the work of Michelangelo on the magnificently painted ceiling.
The ship was tied up to the dock, and they smiled when they saw the Darcy carriage waiting for them on the street above the dock.
It was less than five hours to Broadhurst in Essex, where their family was currently staying.
With Biggs and Johns carrying most of their trunks between them, the Darcys were soon ready to set foot on England’s soil after almost six weeks of traveling abroad.
Before disembarking, they thanked the captain profusely, then made their way to the quay.
Both laughed at the feeling that the ground was moving under their feet, for when they had reached Licata on the Island of Sicily after six days at sea and felt the sensation for the first time, both had been concerned until the smiling captain, who had accompanied them ashore, explained that it was a natural occurrence when one who had been on a ship for any length of time walked on dry land again.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When the conveyance halted at Broadhurst, Elizabeth and Will had barely alighted when the family mobbed them, with Georgiana leading the charge.
“Were you surprised, Lizzy?” Georgiana gushed after she hugged both her brother and sister.
“I was, Gigi. It was the best of surprises,” Elizabeth told her sister.
“How well you look, Lizzy,” her mother said as she enfolded her daughter in a hug. “It seems that married life agrees with you.” By the blush that her daughter answered with, Lady Elaine did not doubt the veracity of her supposition.
“Welcome home, sister and brother,” Alex said as he shook his brother’s hand and kissed his new sister’s hand as a young gentleman might; then the boy re-emerged, “Did you bring many gifts home?” he asked hopefully.
“We did, little brother. Mayhap you will allow us to change and wash before you demand your presents?” Will said as he ruffled his brother’s hair, who scowled back as he tried to flatten it back into place.
Next, they were hugged by Lady Anne and George Darcy. “Welcome back to England, Son, and Daughter,” Lady Anne kissed both on their cheeks while her husband hugged his son and bestowed a kiss on his new daughter.
“This dullard is treating you well, is he not?” Richard drawled as he looked at his brother-in-law.
“Itch! I mean Richard, Will could not treat me better if he tried. And you, brother? How are you and Retta with only three days to go before you join the blissful state Will and I now inhabit?”
“We are both excited, Lizzy,” Loretta said as she gave her betrothed a warning look that it was enough teasing—for now. “I am so pleased that your arrival was not delayed, and you are here to be with us for our wedding day.”
“As we are happy to be here, my soon-to-be sister,” Elizabeth promised.
“Andrew and Marie! I almost did not see you hiding there. My, how much bigger little Reggie is, and Tiffany also. We were away for less than two months, and my niece and nephew…oh, I am so ashamed I did not ask sooner; did Jane she deliver her babe safely?”
“She did, Lizzy,” Marie informed her sister.
“But it was babies, not babe, and Jane, their son, and their daughter are all well and healthy. They will arrive on the morrow with the Bennets, who have been at Longfield Meadows since little Sed and Beth made their entry into the world, on the day of your wedding by the by.”
“The day of our wedding and Beth?” Elizabeth asked in wonder.
“Elizabeth Marie Rose Rhys-Davies,” Andrew added. “For some reason, Jane wanted to name her daughter after you. Jane sent an express to the inn near Bedford; I assume that by your questions, you did not receive it.”
“We did not,” Will confirmed.
“Mayhap, it is time to allow Will and Lizzy to repair to their chambers,” Lady Sarah de Melville suggested. “They will be here until after the wedding, so there will be ample time to see them.”
“Is Bingley coming?” Will asked Richard as they made their way into the manor house.
“Unfortunately, his wife has been having a tough time with illness associated with increasing, so he will remain at Netherfield; being in a carriage exacerbates her symptoms,” Richard explained.
“Let us hope that all will be well for young Mrs Bingley and the babe that she is carrying,” Will replied.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The Bennets and Rhys-Davies arrived before midday the next day.
Elizabeth could not wait to hug Jane and see her niece and nephew as they entered the drawing room.
After the sisters hugged for a long while, Jane turned to a nursemaid holding a squirming bundle and handed little Beth to the aunt after whom she was named.
“She is perfect, Jane. She has your blond hair and eyes and so much hair!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “We never received your express; I am so sorry. I would have loved to have known before we sailed.”
“She seems to have claimed all the hair that was available for the both of them,” the proud papa joked as he held his son close by, allowing the sisters to reconnect and take a moment with his daughter.
If she were even half as amazing as her mother and aunt, she would be a force to be reckoned with indeed. “As you can see, Sed is still bald.”
“He has Jane’s eyes as well!” Elizabeth gushed as she held her niece.
“Do not forget, Lizzy, that a babe’s eyes can change up to the age of six months, so we will not know the true colours until they pass that milestone in a little more than four months,” Lady Rose said.
“Father Bennet and Mother Tammy, it is good to see you again,” Will welcomed them while his wife was lost in the world of babies.
“When did you inform my daughter where you were taking her for the wedding trip?” Bennet grinned.
“The day we sailed from Southampton,” Will shared.
Elizabeth did not relinquish her niece until she placed her into the waiting cradle in the nursery. “How did they do on their first carriage ride, Jane?” Elizabeth asked as she walked with Jane to show her which suite was hers and Perry’s.
“They did surprisingly well; I believe it was the way that Perry planned the trip. We stopped often and did not travel as far as we could have each day. Rather than two, the trip was four days. My husband is a doting and most considerate father,” Jane informed her younger sister.
“Now tell me, how did you enjoy your honeymoon, sister dearest?”
“It could not have been better, Will chose the perfect thing as he knew how much I wanted to travel,” Elizabeth told Jane.
“And how is the, well, the rest of your marriage?” Jane asked as delicately as she could.
“With nothing to compare to, I would still say that the personal part of our union is as good as it could be,” said the blushing bride. “Luckily, my mother and Mother Tammy let me know that desiring my husband did not make me a wanton and was, in fact, perfectly natural and right.”