The next morning was cloudy, but there was no snow. Instead, it rained a cold light drizzle, barely enough to melt enough of the snow so they could rescue the carriage from the lane. Charlotte received a note from Mr. Carlyle that he had arranged for the church the very next morning. All that day the ladies fussed over Charlotte and decided which gown she would wear to this most important event. She asked Elizabeth to stand up with her. Charlotte hesitated, but finally asked Mr. Darcy if he would stand in place of her father to walk her down the aisle. To this he gladly agreed. How could any gentleman refuse such a heartfelt request from a lady on her most important day?
Elizabeth spoke to Mrs. Greeley and the cook to arrange for a wedding breakfast. She sent word to Mr. Carlyle telling him her plans and enquired how many guests might attend the ceremony.
The next morning, the ladies made sure that Charlotte looked her best and the five of them went in Mr. Darcy's carriage to the local church which was not far away. It was old and small, but when Elizabeth entered it, she saw that it had beautiful stained-glass windows and many more flowers than she expected. She wondered who managed to find flowers at this time of year. Someone must have a conservatory; someone who thought a lot of Mr. Carlyle.
She also noticed that more people were in the church than she had expected. She recognized only Sir Donald and Lady Collingwood. They smiled their greetings at her. Elizabeth thought that Mr. Carlyle must be quite well known in the area for so many to have come with such short notice. Mary and Georgiana went to sit in the pews while Elizabeth went to wait with Charlotte and Mr. Darcy at the door. She saw that Mr. Carlyle was standing by the altar with another gentleman whom she did not know. The parson was standing behind them, waiting.
When they had walked down the aisle and were ready, the parson began, "Dearly beloved …"
After the ceremony, The Collingwoods greeted them and were introduced to Miss Darcy and Miss Mary. Elizabeth ensured that they would come to Hinckston Abbey for the breakfast and raised her voice to let everyone there know that they would all be welcome to come as well. The bride and groom were surrounded by many people who were meeting the new Mrs. Carlyle and congratulating the happy couple. Elizabeth hoped that their constant touching each other was not deemed to be improper. Sir Donald introduced the parson, Mr. Harcourt to everyone.
When they arrived at the Abbey, Sir Donald undertook to introduce as many of his neighbours as he could to the newcomers. Elizabeth was pleased to see that the staff had organized the breakfast very well and the largest dining room was looking very fashionable. Both her staff and Darcy's footmen were serving, so no one had to wait for anything once they sat down.
Elizabeth saw that Mary had gone to sit beside the parson and was engaged in a serious conversation with him. While she was not impressed by his appearance—he was short and thin and fairly homely—she noticed that this did not seem to bother Mary. She chuckled to herself wondering what biblical passage they were discussing. Whatever it was, it seemed to be holding their attention.
She wandered among the guests, greeted each in turn and was warmly welcomed into the neighbourhood. Many people expressed their pleasure at seeing the Abbey reopened and expressed their hope that Lady Elizabeth would be in residence much of the year. She repeated that she was still bringing the Abbey back up to a livable standard and still had not decided how much time she would spend here. She did learn that Sir Donald was only a baronet, so she, as a baroness, was the ranking peer in the immediate area. She also had to explain how the Darcys were here as they sought refuge from the blizzard and would not be remaining long. She was impressed that several of her neighbours knew of the Darcys by reputation.
Lady Elizabeth received several invitations and had to decline most of them as they were so busy with their work in the house and they would be leaving in the not-too-distant future. She felt she had to accept two dinner invitations after Sir Donald explained that they were from two of the leading residents in the area. She did not want her residence here to be damaged by offending important people.
When everyone had taken a seat, Lady Elizabeth welcomed everyone and then asked the parson to give his blessings for the new couple. After his invocation, which fortunately was not too long, conversation was lively and she was pleased to learn that her neighbours appeared to be quite sociable in nature.
After everyone had eaten, Elizabeth went to Mary and quietly asked if she should invite the parson to come to dine with them. Mary recognized by her raised eyebrows what she was asking. She blushed and said yes.
"Mr. Harcourt," Lady Elizabeth asked, "we would like to ask you to come to dinner this week. What would be a good day?"
"My Lady," he almost stammered, "that is very gracious of you. I would like to come to get to know you. I have been having a very interesting discussion with Miss Mary. She is surprisingly knowledgeable about biblical passages and their meanings."
Elizabeth suddenly realized she must be taking after her matchmaking mother as she took some credit for Charlotte's happiness by inviting her to come with her a second time. Now, she saw a chance for Mary to find someone compatible for her.
They set the date and Elizabeth continued to circulate as the guests were departing. She noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Carlyle seemed especially impatient to return to their home as well. After what Charlotte had told her, she understood their eagerness.
After everyone had left, Elizabeth, Mary, Georgiana and Mr. Darcy were relaxing in the drawing room over tea. The main topic of discussion was the wedding and they all exclaimed how pretty Mrs. Carlyle was with her constant smiles. Only Elizabeth knew what was causing her smiles and blushes.
Mr. Darcy appeared to be serious. "My Lady, the roads south should be passable in a day or two if the weather continues to co-operate, so Georgiana and I will be leaving soon. I hope the mail is operating so I can explain our delay to our housekeeper in London. Again, I must thank you for saving us from the blizzard and for your gracious hospitality during our stay."
Georgiana seconded his gratitude. "In spite of how we arrived, I am so pleased to have met all of you. The wedding was a completely unexpected bonus, but a pleasant surprise. I would like to meet your other sisters as well. Mary has told me how lively they are."
Lady Elizabeth smiled at her. "I hope you do not think you have to rush away. We are enjoying your stay here. We will be here for another week or so, then we will be returning home. I will not be there long as I will be going to town for a month or two. I also hope that the roads are in decent shape so we can get home. Our parents are expecting us."
Darcy looked at Georgiana and knew that she would rather stay here than go to town. She was obviously enjoying her new friends. However, he thought that it would not be proper for him to be here longer than was necessary as there was no one to act as a suitable chaperone. While he was greatly tempted to stay, he did not dare compromise Her Ladyship. He knew the Prince would not be pleased.
"Georgiana, if the weather stays like this, we should be able to leave the day after tomorrow. I know that you would like to stay in the company of these ladies, but Lady Elizabeth will be coming to town by the end of the month, so you will see her there.
"My Lady, may I request that you send my sister a note letting her know when you arrive in town? We will leave our directions with you before we leave."
The weather continued to be favourable and the Darcys left as planned. All three ladies shed tears and gave friendly hugs on their departure. Georgiana expressed her sincere desire to see them again. "Lady Elizabeth, may I correspond with you? I would like to know as soon as you arrive in town so we can go shopping together. While Fitzwilliam does come with me whenever I ask, I know that shopping is not his favourite pastime." Elizabeth had no trouble agreeing with this request.
Elizabeth was particularly sad to see Mr. Darcy leave, which told her that her appreciation of him was growing. From what had begun on such a rancorous note, she was beginning to appreciate almost everything about him. While he had appeared to be so haughty in Meryton, here he was much friendlier to everyone. She was not sure of the reason for this change in him.
It was that night that Mr. Harcourt came to dinner and they learned more about him. Lady Elizabeth was pleased to find that he was the third son of a landed gentleman from Essex. She expected that this was the reason his manners were exemplary and he did not appear to be overwhelmed in the presence of a baroness.
During dinner, Lady Elizabeth did not say much but allowed her sister and the parson to talk freely. While the conversation began with a discussion that centered on religious topics, she managed to steer it to more general matters. From the interest both of them seemed to have for each other, she knew she would have to bring Mary back here when she returned.
After dinner, they did not separate but went to the music room to entertain their guest. Elizabeth noticed that he appeared to prefer Mary's playing to hers. She thought that a promising sign.
Before they left Leicestershire, they went to dine with the two neighbours who had invited them. At both houses they were introduced to more of their neighbours. Elizabeth was pleased at the warm reception they received from everyone.
The day before their departure, Elizabeth met with both her steward and housekeeper to ensure they both knew what she expected them to accomplish prior to her return, which she expected would be in April at the latest.
Just before they left, the senior footman, James Curtin, asked to see her. She had been expecting that this would happen. "My Lady, I believe that Mrs. Greeley mentioned that we had been walking out at Pemberley before we came here." Elizabeth nodded her awareness of their relationship. "I would like to marry her fairly soon, but would appreciate your approval on this before I ask her."
"James, my permission is not necessary, but I appreciate your asking. I will say that I am pleased with the work that the both of you have shown me you can do. I give my permission and blessing on your union and will tell you that you may marry her whenever you choose. When I return, we will talk about your role here. You know that I need a butler and so far you are the leading candidate. We will talk about this when I come back."
Elizabeth sent a note to Charlotte telling her their plans to leave, so she and her new family came to see them later that day. The only description Elizabeth felt fit her friend was 'glowing.' Married life certainly seemed to agree with her. Charlotte gave her a letter for her parents telling them about her marriage and promising that they would travel to Meryton in the spring. Elizabeth promised to tell them what a wonderful husband she had found. She was not sure what she should say if they asked why the wedding was so rushed.
Their trip to Hertfordshire was slow because of the snow that still lying everywhere they went, at least for the first day on the road. The roads were not in great shape, but they made steady progress and arrived late in the afternoon of the second day. Elizabeth first stopped at Lucas Lodge so she could deliver Charlotte's letter and explain why she was not with them. Needless to say, the Lucases were completely amazed at the news of Charlotte's wedding as they had not heard anything about Mr. Carlyle. Both Elizabeth and Mary had to assure them how happy Charlotte was in her new situation. They were careful not to mention that Charlotte and Mary had been stranded with him at his estate for several nights.
They finally managed to leave for Longbourn, where their reception was much louder and more boisterous. When they told their family about Charlotte's marriage, the first thing Mrs. Bennet bemoaned was that neither of her daughters had found a husband there as well. Elizabeth did not dare mention Mr. Harcourt's name. For some reason, she did not mention anything about the Darcys.