Chapter 28
Louisa had been having the most pleasant dream of her and Thomas enjoying each other when she was gently shaken awake.
As the fog of the vivid and exciting dream faded, Louisa was sure that certain parts of the dream were directly connected to the information Maddie had imparted to her the previous evening.
She blinked her eyes open, and before her was a smiling Aunt Hildebrand standing next to a maid who had a tray in her hand.
“You do not want to be late for your wedding, do you, Lulu?” Hildebrand said cheerily.
Even though Lulu was not the daughter of her body, she felt like she was her offspring in every way that counted.
Until Charles had been directed by the hand of God to lease this estate, Hildebrand had believed that, like herself, Lulu would remain a spinster because there was no man good enough for her, a man who would see past her birthmark and see the wonderful woman behind it.
The difference was that she was happy not to be married, but she had long known that Lulu had wanted a husband and children of her own.
Until she met Thomas Bennet, that had seemed like a distant, unattainable dream.
Then, even when Hildebrand saw affection growing on both sides, Thomas would not let go of his resolve not to marry again.
That was until he had been forced to reevaluate things because of that buffoon of a cousin of his.
With the love Hildebrand felt for the daughter of her heart, as soon as she had seen the absolute pleasure Lulu felt after accepting Thomas, Hildebrand had thought her heart would explode from the happiness she felt for her niece.
“No, Aunt Hildebrand, the last thing I want is for Thomas to think I am not coming to meet him at the altar. I have been waiting for this day for two and thirty years.” Louisa swung her legs over the side of the four-poster bed and slipped them into her slippers, and she donned her warm robe, even though the fire had been built up already.
“May we enjoy the tray in the sitting room?”
“Of course.” Hildebrand told the maid to take the tray to the mentioned room. “Come Lulu, while you break your fast, the footmen will fill your bath.”
Aunt and niece followed the maid into the sitting room and directed her to place the tray on a low table between the settee and two wingback chairs. The maid did as instructed, before bobbing a curtsy to the mistress and Miss Bingley, and slipping out of the sitting room.
There were pots of tea and hot chocolate, pastries, muffins, warm rolls, jam, and butter on the tray along with plates, cups, and saucers.
Knowing Lulu as she did, Hildebrand poured her a cup of hot chocolate and a cup of tea for herself.
She watched as Lulu broke open a roll, and with a knife took some butter and spread it on the inside of the roll.
It melted into the bread almost immediately.
Then, her niece selected some gooseberry jam for her roll and added a muffin to her plate and sat back.
“Aunt Hildebrand, this may not be the best day to be thinking of her, but I have been asking myself whether our late mother is the only reason Caroline is like she is, or was there something inside of her that would have come to the fore even without it being encouraged by Mother?” Louisa articulated.
“I know it is too late to redeem Caroline; she is too deep in her insanity, but it does not stop the questions.”
“Only you could be so compassionate as to be thinking of this on the very day you are to marry,” Hildebrand opined.
“Considering the way Caroline tried to treat you and manipulate Charles, I think there is something inside of her which made her a supremely selfish creature. What my late sister-in-law did was feed whatever it is that already resides within Caroline. That being said, in the end Caroline would still have been who she is; Mavis only accelerated things.”
“That makes sense. I will concentrate on much more pleasant things, like seeing Thomas in the church,” Louisa decided as she licked some drops of jam from her fingers.
“I understand that Thomas also likes gooseberry jam, and the cook at Longbourn always makes sure there is a good supply on hand. They make more than enough jam for the rest of the year from the fruit picked from May until July. You will never be in want of your favourite jam in your new home.” Hildebrand smiled.
“Thomas and I both love gooseberry fool for dessert. We have more in common than reading, chess, and intellect,” Louisa said dreamily.
“He is your perfect match,” Hildebrand stated. “Lulu, dear, as much as I appreciate you asking me to be your maid of honour, are you sure you would not have wanted one of the pretty Bennet sisters to stand up with you?”
“No, Aunt Hildebrand, I have the absolute right person who will be with me when I marry Thomas. You and Charles have been my support these many years, and I do not think I could have asked him to be my maid of honour. He will give me away, and that is more than enough.” Louisa drank the last few drops of the delectable hot chocolate.
She replaced the empty cup on the tray and sat back, sated.
“Come, time for your bath. After your maid has helped you to dress, I will come to help with your hair.” Hildebrand rang for a maid to come collect the tray. Once it was removed, she kissed Lulu on the forehead and slipped out of the sitting room.
Louisa stood and floated towards the bathing room.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The previous afternoon when he arrived at the Blue Bull Inn in Hatfield, Collins had paid a man to discover what time and where the wedding of Mr Thomas Bennet would be in Meryton.
The man had accomplished the task that Collins had paid him for, returning as dusk was falling.
He reported that it would be at half past the hour of nine at St Hugh’s Church in the Longbourn Village.
That evening, Collins had a nice large meal at the inn as he imagined how much pleasure he would have on the morrow when he would succeed with his plan.
He thought about the threats his cousin had made during that terrible visit to Longbourn.
Collins was sure that his cousin could not have his heir arrested for trespassing on the estate which would belong to him one day, and besides, as far as Collins knew, the village was not on the estate’s land.
As his coachman had told him it was a two-hour drive to Meryton, he was in bed even earlier than was his wont and had a very restful night’s sleep as he dreamt about how he would succeed and would soon be able to claim his birthright.
Like he did every night before he climbed into the bed, Collins prayed that Thomas Bennet would not be long for the mortal world.
Because of his being a clergyman, he knew his prayers would be answered sooner rather than later.
In the morning, Collins enjoyed a bountiful meal much earlier than was his wont at the parsonage. Afterward, he dressed and left his chamber wearing a blond wig as a disguise. He did not want to be recognised until it was time to act.
Before seven that morning, Collins was on his way to the church.
His rented carriage arrived minutes before nine, and the coachman halted it near the church, but not too close.
As no one in the area had ever seen him in the conveyance, he was not worried it would be recognised before he put his plan into action.
He alighted, very pleased not to see any of his cousin’s brutes, entered the almost empty church, and took a seat in the last row of pews on the left. He sat in the seat closest to the wall. Collins pulled his hat over his eyes and waited.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By the time Bennet arrived at the church, fifteen minutes before the time of the wedding, the pews were already close to full.
He, his family, and guests walked from the manor house as it was a dry, but cool day.
It was a little more than a half mile from the house to the church.
The village was on Longbourn land just across the lane from the gateposts and the drive which led to the manor.
Mr Phillips, the Bennet sisters, Maddie, her children, and her cousins filled up the first two pews on the right.
Phillips would return home to be with Charlotte after the ceremony, even before the meal.
Three of the sisters regretted that they could not be seated with three of the men from Netherfield Park.
As he was standing up with Bennet, Gardiner accompanied the groom to the waiting room just to one side of the altar after they greeted Mr Pierce.
Darcy and Fitzwilliam were with Anna in the first pew on the left. They had left the first seat on the aisle open for Bingley to be used once he had handed his sister to Bennet. The two men could not help stealing looks at their preferred Bennet sister.
He could have sworn Miss Elizabeth had been looking at him longingly, but Darcy was not sure.
Perhaps, he needed to be bold like Richard, who on the morrow planned to request a courtship with Miss Mary.
He supposed that until he put the question to her, he would never know.
As Darcy thought back over their recent interactions, he became more certain that Miss Elizabeth was not indifferent to him.
He admonished himself. He was not usually a timid man, so perhaps it was time to grab the bull by the horns.
He decided that he too would ask to speak to a Bennet sister on the morrow.
During the time the newlyweds would be sequestered at Longbourn, Darcy was aware that Gardiner or Phillips had the authority to approve of any courtships for the older Bennet sisters.
Thoughts of the lady Darcy was now sure he loved were pushed aside when he could tell everyone was standing thanks to the rector signalling them to do so.
Mr Pierce nodded and both inner vestibule doors were swung open.