Chapter 15
The newlywed couple left the church a few minutes after the rest of the carriages to give the family time to get to the ballroom ahead of them.
They were in an open chaise pulled by a matched set of white horses decorated with many white ribbons; the picture it made was completed by the sight of Biggs and Johns riding on the back.
The two would eventually go with their mistress to her new estate; but first, they would be two of the footmen who accompanied the couple on their wedding trip.
The only change for the two huge men would be the colour of the livery.
The road was lined in places with Snowhaven’s tenants, who had come out to wave to Lady Elizabeth and Mr Darcy on their ride back to the manor house.
When they arrived under the portico, they were met by a footman and Mr Smythe, who looked indulgently on the bride he had known for the last seventeen years of her life.
Will and Elizabeth followed the butler to the ballroom's doors, and Mr Smythe nodded to the two footmen who were posted to open the doors wide.
He then marched a few feet into the room and struck the floor with his staff three times.
“Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Darcy,” Smythe announced with pride.
The glowing couple walked into the ballroom to rousing cheers as the butler exited and the doors were closed, and it was but seconds before well-wishers inundated them.
As was their duty, the next hour was spent walking around the room accepting well wishes and saying a few words to each who offered them.
At some point, Loretta and Richard took pity on the newlyweds and led them to where the family and close friends were congregated. Loretta sat down with them and was soon joined by Georgiana, Kitty, and Amy. Richard returned with two plates and some glasses of lemonade.
“Eat and drink!” he commanded. As soon as he said it, both Elizabeth and Will realised that they had not eaten anything yet, only a little to drink in their excitement. They were grateful for the selection of pastries and little meat pies that Richard had chosen for them. Both ate hungrily.
“Slow down, Lizzy,” Loretta advised, “or you will be wearing more cake than you are eating.”
“I am going to miss you and Will so much,” Georgiana owned. “It will not be until Retta and Richard’s wedding that I will see you again.”
“We will be there a few days before the wedding, Gigi, so it will not be that long,” Elizabeth teased her newest sister, and Georgiana affected a fake pout.
Feeling refreshed after eating, the bride and groom struck out once more into the crowd to make sure that no one would leave feeling slighted or overlooked.
Toasts were offered first by Andrew and then by Bennet.
After the toast and before Elizabeth went up to change, her birth father had a word with her.
“Being at your wedding is one of many things that I did not dare to dream would ever happen for me. And walking you down the aisle, even sharing the duty with Andrew, was a pleasure that is hard to describe in mere words,” Bennet told his daughter.
“Just because I am married does not mean that you will not see me, Father Bennet. Besides, we can still play chess by post, and I promise not to play as hard as I can,” Elizabeth teased her birth father.
“What a wonderful young woman you are, Lizzy; you are a credit to your mother and late father.” He offered quietly.
Mention of her beloved papa warmed Elizabeth’s heart as she believed with all her being that although she could no longer see him, that he was always with her. “I am sure that Papa would have loved today,” Elizabeth said.
Bennet kissed his second daughter on the forehead, and she went up to the chambers of her youth for the last time to change into her travelling attire as Bennet rounded up his children, save one.
When the newlyweds departed, they, the Gardiners, and the Phillipses would all hie to Longfield Meadows.
William would make the ride on the morrow.
As the large and comfortable Darcy carriage stood ready, Elizabeth farewelled her family members until she arrived at her mother, the last in line to talk to her before she was to board the equipage. “I will miss you, Mama,” Elizabeth owned.
“And I will miss you, Lizzy, but you are to have a wonderful honeymoon, and I promise that you will miss none of us as much as we will miss you. Just remember what I told you and let the love that you have for one another guide you,” Elaine told her daughter and kissed both cheeks.
“Now away with you two. Will, look after my baby,” Elaine reminded him.
“You have my promise, Mother Elaine,” Will replied. Then he followed Elizabeth into the carriage and tapped the roof, and with a little bit of a jerk, they were off. Elizabeth had opened the window and leaned out, waving until the family was out of sight.
“Alone at last,” Will said as he reached around Lizzy to help her slide the window closed and replaced the curtain. The natural arching of her head to look at him was too much an invitation to ignore, so he kissed his wife.
“Will, you did not tell me where we are to go, or at least our destination today, Will?” Elizabeth asked when he pulled back and again looked down at her.
“Yes, my love, we are for the Golden Cock Inn outside of Birmingham, which is about forty miles distant,” he disclosed.
“I have the whole floor reserved, so we will not be disturbed by any other guests—nor will we disturb anyone,” Will murmured, his look heated as he soaked her in, and she blushed in expectation of all that was to come, appreciating his thoughtfulness anew.
She rewarded him with a kiss, revelling in the fact that they did not have to hold themselves back from all they had longed to share.
His hands roamed over his wife’s body, and he swelled with pride when he heard her gasp of pleasure as his hands grazed her pert nipples through her thin day dress.
She pressed into it in a bid for more, so after pulling the dress off her shoulders, he slid his finger under both the dress and chemise to cup her breast. He groaned at the feel of it, both firm and pliant, and that it filled his large hand, giving her what she asked for when his thumb pad slid over her nipple, and she arched her back in enjoyment, unconsciously offering him more.
Long aware of his need of her, she wanted to gift him the same, so her hand slid along his length, his trousers unable to save him from the feel of her exploration, which caused her husband to groan even as he kissed her deeper in response to the pleasure.
“What you do to me, Lizzy,” Will’s ragged breath made her smile.
“As impatient as I am to consummate our marriage, I do not want it to be in the coach for the first time. Mayhap we can talk about something that will not arouse our passions so that we can make the Golden Cock with our clothes on.” Seeing the disappointment in his wife’s eyes, he kissed her quickly and grinned.
“After tonight, all bets are off, so long as we have privacy. I want only me to ever see you so impassioned.”
His promise made her smile as she wanted no other woman to see him thusly. They disentangled themselves, leaned against the squabs holding hands, and began to discuss their wedding.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The group that departed Snowhaven for Longfield Meadows arrived some three hours later.
They were met by Perry, who stated that the doctor and the midwife were with Jane, as were their mothers.
Maddie Gardiner and Hattie Phillips made their way up to the birthing suite, while the rest of the family kept Perry distracted as much as they were able.
“This is all Perry’s fault,” Jane yelled as a massive pain wracked her body. “He did this to me!”
“It will not be too much longer, your Grace,” the midwife promised Jane, understanding that she just wanted that huge babe out of her body. The doctor waited in the attached sitting room just in case he was needed.
“All will be well, Janey. It will be like it has been for women throughout time who have come through the travails of childbirth and eventually able to tell the tale with a rueful smile,” Tammy soothed her daughter.
“I have brought four children into the world, Jane, and I am mostly the same as I ever was,” Aunt Maddie told her sweetest niece.
“When you were in the throes of labour, I am sure that is not what you wanted to hear, now was it?” Jane replied curtly as the next pain tore through her body.
“I see the ‘ead, your Grace. On the next pain, I want you to push for all you are worth,” the midwife ordered. When it started, Jane bore down with all of her might. “Again, your Grace, as ‘ard as you can, the babe’s shoulders are out!”
Jane complied and was rewarded with the lusty cries of her new-born babe. “What is it?” Jane asked as she lay back, thankful that the ordeal was over.
“He is a healthy boy, Jane,” Lady Rose reported as she assisted the nursemaid to clean her grandson, the new Marquess of Birchington.
“‘E is not as big as I would ‘ave expected, given ‘ow big your belly was, your Grace,” the midwife puzzled.
“Have you picked a name as yet?” Hattie Phillips asked.
“We have not, Aunt Hattie.” Jane sighed in relief. A son or daughter had not mattered, just that she and Perry were able to share the joy of parenthood. “We wanted to wait and see what we were gifted with before…Ohhhhh! Why are the pains starting again?” Jane asked fearfully.
“That would be the after…” The midwife froze in midsentence, as on further examination, she saw a head crowning. “Push, your Grace, push with everything that you ‘ave,” she instructed. The second babe took far less effort than the first, then a higher-pitched cry was heard in the birthing chamber.