The wedding between Sir Jonathan Strallan and Lady Elizabeth Kempell took place in London in the beginning of August 1863.
Elizabeth's parents hadn't been able to come all the way from India on such short notice to attend their eldest daughter's very unexpected wedding. So Elizabeth's brother Henrik had the honour of leading his sister up the aisle, just as he had wished to do.
Her parents had sent a telegram to congratulate the couple. They had also given Elizabeth a dowry that would give her a very small yearly income of her own. And, of course, they had told Elizabeth and Henrik that they were going to pay for all the wedding expenses.
...
Lady Elizabeth and Sir Jonathan had discussed the question of a trousseau some weeks earlier. He had said that there was no need for her to bring any linen or bedding or such things, there was plenty of these already both in London and in Locksley. And if she thought anything was missing, they could buy it later on, no need to let her parents pay for that.
"You can get some new clothes for our wedding trip, if you think you need any, that's all. Once we are married you will have all you need."
"You have so much and I have nothing", she sighed. "You must think I take you for your money."
"I honestly don't care why you take me. As long as you do", he had said, looking very earnestly into her eyes.
"But really, what have I got to offer you? Nothing!"
"Of course you have! Your love! Your own sweet self! There is nothing I want more than that."
"But I want you, and I get you. And your love. You get me, I get you, that sort of evens out. But I also get to share your London house and your estate and your money, and you get nothing at all from me."
"Don't even think such things! You are the love of my life. You give me so much by just existing. By wanting me. If you only knew how much better my life is since I met you. Don't worry so much!"
He had been quiet for a moment before he continued.
"Besides, you do have something that I get to share, something worth a great deal. Your family. I don't have a single living relative. And all your relatives are very nice and friendly. I look forward very much to be related to them."
...
Weddings in those days took place in the mornings. It was not until 1886 that the law changed to allow weddings in the afternoons. Sir Jonathan's and Lady Elizabeth's wedding was scheduled to 11.30, wich was about as late as was legally permitted at the time.
After the wedding there would be a wedding breakfast in Henrik's and Louisa's home. They had discussed whether or not to have a dance after that, but Elizabeth had been against it. She didn't like to give her parents the extra cost of an orchestra. Jonathan had pretended to agree, but secretly he had arranged with Henrik to have dancing after the meal to an orchestra that Sir Jonathan himself had paid for. He enjoyed dancing very much and just couldn't give up the chance to dance with his new bride.
In the evening they planned to go to their London house for their wedding-night. Paris, where they were going for their honeymoon, was far away and it would take quite some time to get there. So they had decided that it was better to start their wedding trip the following day, and begin their married life with an undisturbed night in their home.
...
The wedding was a fairly small one. The guests were limited to Elizabeth's family, a few friends on each side and some neighbours from Yorkshire and London. Celia and Christin were bridesmaids. They were both beautiful in their new dresses, but for once none of them outshone their dear elder sister.
When Henrik first saw Elizabeth dressed in that gown with the veil and the tiara he had wondered why people ever could consider her plain. She just looked stunning, he understood why Sir Jonathan had fallen so madly in love with her. He himself felt very proud to lead his beautiful sister up the aisle.
Sir Jonathan had been waiting at the altar. He didn't know how he had expected her to look, but this surpassed all his expectations. She simply took his breath away. Had there ever been a more beautiful bride? She looked absolutely ravishing.
"Hello, my darling", she said when she came up to him.
"Hello, my sweetheart", he answered. "You are so very beautiful!"
...
The wedding-breakfast was a very big meal, as was the custom. It was more like a dinner than a breakfast. There were almost twenty different dishes, although Elizabeth had tried to keep the number of courses down.
Everybody seemed happy though, and the congratulations and toasts were many.
Sir Jonathan kept looking at his bride with a mixture of tenderness, pride and incredulity. How on earth had he ever managed to get this woman as his bride? But he had, he really had! And tonight...
...
Elizabeth wasn't at all pleased when the music started to play after the wedding breakfast was over. Hadn't she said that she didn't want any orchestra?
"Don't worry, your parents won't have to pay for it! I have paid the orchestra already", Jonathan whispered to her.
She wasn't really happy about that either, she found it a little too extravagant. But she knew what a wonderful dancer he was, so she didn't say anything more about it.
Sir Jonathan took Lady Elisabeth's hand and led her into the adjoining room, that had been cleared out for dancing.
"Well, you see, I just have to dance with you on our wedding day. I haven't danced with you since that wonderful evening when I first met you. So please, my darling wife, will you dance with me?"
"Yes, of course. You know that I just promised to obey you", she said with a wry smile. "So I might as well start to get used to it."
...
They had discussed the part of the wedding vows where the bride promises to obey her groom. It didn't sit well with Lady Elizabeth's independent soul to promise such a thing.
"How can I promise a thing like that?" she had asked Jonathan. "I have my own free will. Why should I give up that to get married?"
"Well, maybe you should just promise to obey me sometimes. It doesn't say anywhere in the text that it has to be always."
"But the other things I will promise I want to do always. To love you and to cherish you. I hope I will always be able to do those things. But I can't promise to obey you always."
"Well, we are not allowed to change the ceremony, but I will try not to listen when you say those words", he said with a smile. "Anyway, I will never hold it against you. I want you as my wife, not as my slave."
"But it is strange. Why should I say words I don't intend to keep?"
"Well, I guess you have to try to obey me from time to time, then?" he ventured. "Maybe I will sometimes manage to tell you to do things that you will like to obey? Who knows?"
"Like what?" she said, looking very sceptical.
"Come here and kiss me now! At once! Stop talking so much!" he said, in a slightly irritated tone but with a new smile.
She didn't know if it was an example, or if he really had a very bad need for her to kiss him. But she had no problems whatsoever to obey him.
And that was the end of that discussion.
...
So on their wedding day they danced together. They were just as enchanted by each other as they had been on that very first evening, forgetting everything around them.
And she was glad he had hired this orchestra, even if it had been against her will. There would be other things to remember from this wedding and the night that was to follow - of course there would. But dancing with her handsome new husband on the day of their wedding was one of the things that would make this day perfect.
...
AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for all the kind reviews! I really appreciate them!
They usually didn't dance at weddings in these days. But Sir Jonathan loves to dance, so I let him have his way. I can't deny that man anything.
I just found out that there was no telegraph line between Britain and India until 1870, although telegraphs had existed for quite some time in 1863. But let's just pretend that the line was opened in 1862 instead! I am sure it is not the most unreal part of this story anyway.
This seems like a suitable chapter to publish on the International Women's Day. I don't think English women have to promise to obey their husbands any longer.
