A Royal Bennet (30 page)

“No, Mrs Hill, I have already sent to Netherfield to
have it readied for us.” Bingley announced. “Miss
Darcy is generous enough to act as hostess for me
until after the wedding.”

“Very good. The cottage near the house, which
had been used by Mr Lane, the steward, has been
cleaned up and made readied. It has three
bedchambers, and I thought it would be perfect for Mr
and Mrs Gardiner and their children. Or Lady
Margaret and her younger children. The nursery here
has been prepared, in case the Gardiner children
would prefer staying in it.”

Mr Bennet nodded his head as he listened. “Did
you clean out Lydia’s room, as well as Mrs Bennets?”

“Yes, Sir. And we moved your belongings, as you
requested. You stated you would take the room
which had been Miss Lydia’s.”

Jane and Elizabeth looked at their father strangely.
“I did not think it fair for me to keep the set of rooms
for the Master and Mistress. After the wedding, Jane
and Bingley will be the married couple living in the
house. Therefore, they should have the rooms. I also
desire a change of rooms, as I do not wish to have the
memories associated with those chambers. Hill has
had the rooms cleaned, painted, and new furnishings
put in them. Much more fitting for newlyweds.”

“That was not necessary, Papa, but I am grateful.”
Jane said, as she embraced her father.

 

“It is generous, Mr Bennet.” Bingley said, shaking
Mr Bennet’s hand.

 

~~ ** ~~

The days leading to the double wedding of
Elizabeth and Jane Bennet to Fitzwilliam Darcy and
Charles Bingley were filled with activity at Longbourn
and Netherfield. Guests began arriving three days
before the wedding, including the Gardiners, Lady
Margaret and all of her children, Elizabeth’s uncle,
Albert, Lord and Lady Matlock, and Colonel
Fitzwilliam. Mr Hurst arrived the day before the
wedding.

Hill had made many of the arrangements before
the family had arrived, seeing to the flowers,
decorating the church, seeing to the wedding
breakfast. All the things which Fanny Bennet would
have loved to arrange were handled by the
housekeeper, and were handled with the Bennet
sisters’ preferences rather than Fanny’s preferences.

The only thing which went wrong in the days
before the wedding was the arrival of Lady Catherine
de Bourgh, and her clergyman, Mr Collins.

“The wedding of Fitzwilliam Darcy cannot happen.
He is engaged to my daughter, Anne. It was the
fondest wish of his mother and me, agreed upon when
they were babes. What have you to say to that, Miss
Bennet?” Lady Catherine demanded of Elizabeth.

“If there was an arrangement, then why has your
brother given us his blessing for our wedding?”
Elizabeth said, not allowing the vulgar woman to
make her angry.

“My brother has always been jealous, not wishing
for Anne to marry Fitzwilliam. He would prefer one of
his sons marry Anne, for she is quite the catch. With
her bloodlines and her natural beauty, Anne would
make any man the perfect wife. But my sister and I
planned the marriage and Fitzwilliam will do what is
right by my daughter.”

“I will do no such thing, Aunt Catherine.” Darcy
said as he entered the room. “I am not bound to any
agreement, especially one which my mother had no
part in, nor did she desire it. As a matter of fact,
Mother wrote me a letter, which was given to me by
the solicitor when I was last in London. In the letter,
Mother informed me she had no desire for me to wed
Anne, and that it was all you, for you feared no one
would ever wish to marry Anne. Mother stated you
feared for many years, as no one offered for you until
you were near thirty years old.”

“I chose to wait, as I had not found the proper
match for the daughter of an earl. I could not marry
just anyone.” Lady Catherine stated, stammering
through her words.

“And why is this fool with you?” Darcy asked,
pointing to Mr Collins.

“Mr Collins is aware of his cousin’s desire to marry
you for your connections and wealth, and he has come
here to speak with her. She turned him down, which
would have been a brilliant match for her, as she
wished to aim for someone far above her station in
life.”

It was clear to Darcy that his aunt had not heard
any of the news from Town. “Actually, Aunt
Catherine, I am the one who is beneath her, if truth be
told. Lady Elizabeth Bennet is the great, great
granddaughter of Duke Ferdinand Albert of
Brunswick. May I introduce you to her aunt, Lady
Margaret, and her uncle, Lord Albert? Perhaps you
would care to explain to them how their royal
bloodlines are beneath those of a wealthy, but
untitled gentleman such as myself.”

“But…but, my cousin is not related to royalty.” Mr
Collins spat. “Your words are lies, Mr Darcy, as Miss
Elizabeth is not a member of any royal family.”

“Forgive me, whoever you are, but I beg to differ.”
Lady Margaret said, her hands balled up and resting
on her hips. “I am the great granddaughter of Duke
Ferdinand of Brunswick, as was my sister, Constance.
Constance is Elizabeth’s mother, not Fanny Bennet.
Elizabeth is my niece, by blood, acknowledged by our
family. I would suggest you read the newspapers
from Town, for there was a formal announcement
made recently. Now, you little toad of a man, I would
suggest you apologize to my niece immediately. Your
behavior towards her is offensive and you should be
ashamed of yourself.”

“I…I…I…please…Miss…I mean Lady…Elizabeth,
please…please forgive me. I had no knowledge you
were not Mrs Bennet’s child. I believed you to be a
twin to Miss Jane. I meant no disrespect. Please
forgive me.” Mr Collins nearly threw himself at
Elizabeth’s feet, groveling and attempting to kiss her
hand.

“Mr Collins, control yourself.” Darcy declared. “I
will ask you to refrain from touching my fiancé
anymore. You are slobbering on her, ruining her
shoes and the bottom of her gown, not to mention the
disgusting mess on her hand.”

Mr Collins pulled a handkerchief from his pocket,
attempting to wipe Elizabeth’s hand.

“I said not to touch her anymore, Mr Collins. Do I
need to call you out, to demand satisfaction for the
insult you have laid at my betrothed’s feet?”

“No…no…oh, no, Mr Darcy…I meant no
insult…please, Mr Darcy…I meant no insult to your
betrothed.”

“Then leave this house immediately. I am certain
my future father in law has no desire to have you here
any longer, and my aunt will be leaving soon. You
should wait for her in the carriage.”

Mr Collins groveled all the way out of the house,
bumping into items as he refused to turn his head
away from those he was pleading with for
forgiveness.

“You may dismiss my clergyman so simply, but I
will not be easily sent away.” Lady Catherine
announced.

“You will leave my home, Madame.” Mr Bennet
declared. “I have no fear of you, for you are of no
importance to myself or my family. I will not stand
here and allow you to treat my family rudely,
especially my daughters. Elizabeth is marrying Mr
Darcy, and that is final. If you wish to contest it, then
you will be barking up the wrong tree. Mr Darcy has a
special license, the blessing of his aunt and uncle, his
cousin, his sister, and has my consent, as well as
Elizabeth’s approval.”

“You are no one of importance, Sir. Now, where is
my brother? I demand to speak with my brother. He
has been hoodwinked and needs to learn the truth of
the harlot. She is not worthy of marrying Darcy.”

“CATHERINE, YOU WILL STEP OUTSIDE THIS
VERY MINUTE!” Lord Matlock had just entered the
house. “You are leaving immediately.”

For another hour, Lord Matlock and Lady
Catherine continued to argue, though it was done
outside the house, chalking up one battle won by Lord
Matlock. Finally, Lady Catherine entered her carriage
and was driven away at top speed. It was clear that
she was furious, but she finally gave up fighting the
issue.

~~ ** ~~

The Longbourn chapel had not looked so beautiful
in many years. Mrs Hill had seen to the cleaning and
decorating of the chapel. Ribbons were tied about,
with flowers placed tastefully.

Elizabeth and Jane were dressed in gowns of
elegant cream colored silk. Both were modestly
styled, nearly identical, except for the ribbon each
wore. Jane wore pink ribbon, while Elizabeth wore
blue. Mr Bennet had presented Jane with a necklace
and earbobs which had belonged to his mother, made
of perfectly matched pearls. He had another necklace
with a single, large pearl in a silver setting, on a chain,
which had also been his mother’s, which he gave to
Elizabeth. He knew that she planned to wear the set
which had belonged to her mother for the wedding.

“I wish to have a part of Mamma with me as I
become a wife.” She explained. “I have never met her,
but I know she loved me, and that I was formed from
her love of you, Papa. Knowing of her love for you,
and that she wanted me and loved me, fills me with a
sense of belonging I never realized was missing
before. Fanny hated me, and I guess I just accepted
that that was the way my life was. Now my life is
filled with people who love me and care for me.”

“Your mother would be so proud of you, Lizzy.
She was always filled with love and kindness, much
like you. I am so proud of the young lady you have
turned out to be. And I know Constance will be with
us today.” Mr Bennet replied.

The trio made their way to the outer vestibule of
the chapel, waiting for the vicar to announce their
entrance. Both of the sisters were nervous, as their
lives were about to change forever. As the door
opened for Mr Bennet to escort his daughters into the
chapel, they stopped at the sight of Sadie, wearing
blue ribbons tied around her neck, and with a small,
white pillow fastened on the back of her neck. On the
pillow was a golden ring, fastened with a smaller blue
ribbon. Just then, Darcy whistled, and Sadie walked
towards the altar. Elizabeth began to giggle at the
sight of her beloved dog being a part of the wedding
ceremony, carrying her wedding ring to her
betrothed.

Smiling at the creativeness of her beloved, all of
her worries evaporated. She walked towards her
destiny with confidence and strength, knowing her
life would be filled with love.

Sadie stood beside Darcy until Elizabeth arrived at
his side, then Sadie laid down between the two. She
remained there throughout the service, as if she were
a part of the marriage. Elizabeth was touched by the
loving way Darcy had included the beloved dog,
making Sadie a part of their family, rather than just an
animal from the estate.

When it came time for the wedding ring, Darcy
knelt before Sadie, who sat up and handed him her
paw. Darcy smiled and removed the ring from the
pillow. The ring was gold, with a diamond center,
which had been his mother’s ring, and his
grandmother’s before her. Once the ring had been
removed from the pillow, Sadie walked over to where
Georgiana was sitting, and laid down on the floor
beside Georgiana’s feet.

The vicar pronounced the couples to be wed,
introducing Mr and Mrs Charles Bingley and Mr and
Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy to the audience. The
newlyweds made their way to the back of the chapel
to sign the registry, before stepping outside the
building to greet their family and friends.

When they were outside, Elizabeth leaned over to
her husband. “You have been spending time with
Sadie, I see.”

“She is a quick learner. And I thought you would
like having her a part of the wedding. In a way, she is
like our child, a part of our family, so it is only natural
she be with us on the most important day of our
lives.”

“Thank you, William. I was thrilled that you
thought of her and included her.”

The guests of the wedding began to exit the chapel
and make their way to the newly wed couples. Mr
Bennet made his way to his daughters, giving each of
them a kiss and welcoming his new sons to the family.

Everyone then made their way to the main house
at Longbourn to enjoy the spectacular meal which had
been prepared for the celebration.

Elizabeth was overwhelmed with the number of
people who came to wish her well in her new life. Sir
William and Lady Lucas brought their younger
daughter, Maria, and their two sons to congratulate
Elizabeth and Jane. Lady Lucas took a moment of
Elizabeth’s time to slip a letter into her hands.

“Charlotte wished she could be here, but you
know how difficult it would have been with her
husband.” Charlotte had married Mr Collins several
months before, and she lived at the parsonage at
Hunsford. “Lady Catherine forbid even a mention of
your wedding, and Mr Collins was quite upset when
he returned from his journey here last week. But
Charlotte asked me to give this letter to you, and to
tell you how happy she is for you. We all are. You
deserve some joy in your life.”

“Thank you, Lady Lucas. Would you be willing to
pass on any letters I send you to Charlotte?”

“Of course, my dear. I know Charlotte would be
grateful to hear from you. You were always such dear
friends.”

Many of their other neighbors came to wish the
couples joy. Mrs Long and her nieces, Mr Calden who
owned the bookshop in Meryton, Miss Weber who
had been the seamstress in Meryton, and many more.
Even Mr and Mrs Phillips, Fanny’s sister and her
husband, came to wish Jane and Elizabeth well.

“I do not understand Fanny’s behavior.” Mrs
Phillips stated. “She was a fool all her life, and she is
paying for it now. In her last letter, she informed me
that she has been quite ill. And Lydia has run off with
some sailor, and has not been heard of for more than
a fortnight.”

Elizabeth did not wish to be rude to the woman
she had known as her aunt, but hearing of Fanny and
Lydia was not what Elizabeth wished on her wedding
day.