Elizabeth and Jane both sat in front of a mirror, each watching their reflection as Mrs. Bennet, Kitty, Lydia—now fully recovered and pardoned for the day from her lengthy punishment—and Hill twisted, curled and arranged their hair.
Jane sat in front of the mirror that had been in the eldest Bennet girls’ room for as long as either could remember. Elizabeth sat in front of the mirror Mrs. Bennet had brought in from her own dressing chamber. Both sisters had insisted upon getting ready for their wedding together.
“Oh my,” Mrs. Bennet sobbed, looking at Jane in the mirror. “I cannot believe I must part with two of my daughters at once.” She dabbed her eyes with a lace handkerchief. “At least I know that you both go to good men and good homes.”
“Men of fortune?” Elizabeth teased, smiling at her mother in the reflection. Lydia was carefully weaving purple buds into her hair and Elizabeth did not want to move her head.
“Well…” Mrs. Bennet looked flustered. “It is most unfair to insist that I care more for fortune than character!”
“I know, Mama, I only jest,” Elizabeth said with a laugh. “It is quite good luck that Jane and I have both discovered that good character and fortune are not always incompatible.”
“Indeed, they are not,” Jane agreed with a wide smile.
“I just hope that the rest of my girls will be as lucky,” Mrs. Bennet said, beginning to fret over Mary, Kitty and Lydia’s prospects already. “Do you supposed that Mr. Bingley or Mr. Darcy might have some eligible friends in attendance?”
Elizabeth exchanged an exasperated look with Jane.
“Mama, you have done naught but worry about our marriages since Jane came of age!” Elizabeth said. “Could you not take a moment to celebrate your accomplishment before you begin your worries anew?”
Mrs. Bennet walked around Jane’s chair and laid a hand on each of their cheeks.
“My dear girls,” she said, looking back and forth at each. “I pray daily for you each to have strong, healthy daughters and sons. But until you have five daughters unwed, you cannot possibly tell me to cease my worries.” Mrs. Bennet patted their cheeks affectionately. “Someday, you will be mothers and understand.”
“I suppose you are right, Mama,” Jane said, standing and kissing Mrs. Bennet on the cheek.
“You’re finished as well, Lizzy,” Lydia said happily. She was not quite adept at hiding her jealousy over her two elder sisters’ getting married, but her joy at having the day outside of the house was as genuine as anything. Elizabeth knew Lydia was happy for them, in her own way.
Luckily, for Lydia’s sake as well as all the well-bred girls of the county, Wickham had not been heard of since that disastrous night. According to Lieutenant Denny, Wickham’s best friend in the regiment, Wickham had resigned his commission in the militia and was off to the Americas to seek his fortune. Elizabeth was glad that she would never again be forced to think about the horrible man. Instead, she could simply focus upon the joy that was coursing through her veins.
She stood and kissed Mrs. Bennet’s cheek as well. Their mother took a step back and took each of them in. Elizabeth was dressed in a dark green dress, with lace along the edges. It was new and fit her beautifully. Jane was dressed in a light pink dress, the same cut as Elizabeth’s and fitted to her as well. Each colour was exactly right for each sister.
“Oh, Jane. So pretty,” Mrs. Bennet gushed. “And Lizzy, beautiful as well.” She smiled at both. Elizabeth smiled back, glad that her mother had, for once, not mentioned how much more pretty Jane was. But as Elizabeth looked at her elder sister, she thought that if she were even half as beautiful as Jane, she would be more beautiful than she had ever been.
“Well, Jane.” Elizabeth looked at her sister. “Shall we get to church?”
Jane blushed, but nodded. Elizabeth felt a heat creep onto her cheeks as well, knowing what was to come. Both sisters gave a last glance at the room of their girlhood before turning to leave it behind. Together.
Elizabeth, Jane and Mr. Bennet stood at the back of the church, waiting for the old vicar to give the signal for them to walk to their grooms. Elizabeth saw the church was full of friends, family and acquaintances from Meryton. She happily noted that Aunt and Uncle Gardiner had been able to come from London. With a less satisfactory note, she saw that Lady Catherine had indeed also come to the wedding.
The woman had not seemed to accept the reality of Darcy and Elizabeth at first—indeed, even after she had stopped coming to Longbourn, Darcy had reported that she had not yet given up her quest to marry Darcy to her daughter.
But now, she sat stiff and proper beside Georgiana, dutifully staring forward, with no hint of a smile on her face. In the end, Darcy had told Elizabeth his aunt had promised to witness their marriage without further complaint. Elizabeth thought they were lucky to receive that much of a promise, but at least it seemed she was keeping to her word.
“My dear girls,” Mr. Bennet said, affectionately squeezing each of their hands. “I give you into the hands of men with strong character and compatible personalities. I do not think I could give either of you up to lesser people.”
“Thank you, Papa,” Jane said, tears in her eyes. Elizabeth quickly wiped her own tears away before standing on tiptoe to kiss Mr. Bennet on the cheek.
“Well now, that is quite enough,” Mr. Bennet said with a chuckle. “Look, your grooms are standing right there and the reverend is already beckoning us forward. All that is left is for us to provide the brides. Come now.”
Mr. Bennet started walking and, for the first time, Elizabeth allowed herself to look up at Darcy.
When she saw him at the altar, she gave soft laugh—he wore a jacket in the same shade of green as her dress. She had once told him that the colour matched his eyes, and it seemed he had remembered. He wore a cream-colored waist coat over trousers of the same colour. Soft black shoes completed his outfit, and Elizabeth could see his gold buttons glinting as she walked. His hair was pushed back, out of his eyes, except for a few unruly curls. But most of all, she saw his smile: even from the back of the church.
Suddenly, Mr. Bennet was not walking quickly enough. She fought down a sudden urge to rush to the front of the church and instead enjoyed taking in the memory of slowly walking towards her groom. She felt her heart pounding in her chest; she was not nervous, but the anticipation and joy of the moment filled her and made her quite breathless.
Darcy stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes not moving from hers. Out of the corner of her eyes, Elizabeth saw Bingley bouncing on his toes, his gaze obviously full of Jane. But Darcy stood solidly, no errant movement taking away from his proud stance. As she drew nearer, she noticed that his calm was betrayed by a fine sheen of sweat on his brow. No one but her would have noticed, but she was relieved to see that he was not as imperturbable as he seemed. Elizabeth drew comfort from the fact that he was feeling as nervous as she.
Mr. Bennet stopped in the front of the church, and for a moment Elizabeth felt a flash of annoyance. Why had they stopped? She was not yet standing next to Darcy, her hand was not yet entwined with his—so why had they ceased their walk?
“Dearly beloved…” The minister began reciting the ceremony, and Elizabeth blushed: She had attended many weddings before, of course, but in her excitement, she had forgot that Mr. Bennet’s last task for his unwed daughters was to present them to their new husbands.
Elizabeth saw Darcy draw in a deep breath, and his eyes finally moved away from hers as he took her in from head to foot. He blew out his breath slowly as his gaze moved, and when his eyes once again met hers, she could see they were shining with tears. She blushed, and glanced away, hoping that it meant he was pleased with her appearance. Glancing back up, she saw him mouthing a single word: Beautiful.
Elizabeth knew the reverend’s words were important: they were the holy words of the church that had bound couples together for hundreds of years. Yet, she found that she could not hear a single word he said, her attention was so focused upon the man who would become her husband. It was not until she saw Darcy open his mouth and utter the words: “I will” that she realised she would be required to speak.
“Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honour, and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”
Every eye, she knew, was upon her, waiting for her response. Elizabeth smiled broadly before speaking. Her eyes were still locked with Darcy’s but she spoke with firm resolve.
“I will.”
The minister repeated the same phrases for Jane and Bingley before turning to face Mr. Bennet. “Who giveth these women to be married to these men?” He asked, looking expectantly at Mr. Bennet. Elizabeth heard her father whisper a response, but even though she stood right beside him, she could not hear his words.
Startled, she turned and saw tears running down her father’s cheeks. Her heart surged with affection for the wonderful man she was blessed to call father. She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek gently, and realised that Jane was doing the same. He closed his eyes, and squeezed both their hands very hard. Mr. Bennet first looked to Jane, then to Elizabeth, before he cleared his throat and tried once more.
“I do.” This time, his words were heard by all in the church.
“Thank you, Papa,” Elizabeth whispered, her own tears staining her cheeks now.
Moments later, Darcy was moving towards her. Tears still fell, but they were the marks of her deepest joy. Mr. Bennet had taken hold of Darcy’s hand, and gently he moved Elizabeth’s so that they were clasped together. The first touch of his hand in hers sent a wave of warmth through her. She knew this was the mark of the beginning of their life together. Never again would she be forced to be parted from him or cede his attentions to another. He was hers, and she his: Forever.
“Well, my love, are you ready to see your new home?” Darcy gently shook Elizabeth awake. The journey North had been long, and the swaying of the carriage had put Elizabeth to sleep rather quickly. But now they were coming up on Derbyshire and Darcy was obviously excited to share his home with his new bride.
“Of course,” she said, smiling up at him.
“I know you will just love it,” Georgiana said from the seat across from them. She had travelled North with them as well, and would spend a few weeks at Pemberley before returning to London for the season.
“I’m sure I will,” Elizabeth said. Darcy had been talking of his home for weeks. The tender care with which he described the woods, cliffs and moors told Elizabeth more about his home than anything else. Darcy loved this place, and so she would love it too.
She saw Darcy begin to become more excited and anxious as they drove on. Elizabeth was amused to see her serious husband behave like a young boy. She took his hand into hers, and he smiled broadly at her.
“Just around this bend,” he said, pointing out the window. “Here, let me move so you can see better.” Elizabeth changed seats with him, despite the moving carriage, just to make him happy. She was certain she would get a good view no matter where she sat, but his excitement was contagious.
“Oh, look, there it is!” Georgiana pointed out the window, and Elizabeth gasped as a beautiful house came into view. From the road, it was impossible to tell exactly how large it was, but the windows flashed in the sunlight, and marble statues greeted anyone who came near. A pond stretched out in front of the house and the park was obviously large and well-tended.
“What do you think?” Georgiana asked with a wide grin.
“It’s wonderful,” she breathed, unable to tear her eyes away. She felt Darcy lean near to her ear, and she shivered with joy as he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear:
“Welcome home, Mrs. Darcy.”
THE END