January – February 1814

After six years Colonel Barton returned from America. He left when he was barely twenty-three years old, and at that time, he had many illusions of knowing the world and dreams of glory. Life was very hard in America, plagued by conflict and political instability, and hostility. Several soldiers died in battles, and the young woman he courted for several months grew tired of his absences and the risks of his profession and married another. He was subsequently badly wounded in battle, and after he recovered, he was transferred back to England.

He was tired of fighting battles, seeing men die, seeing women and children suffer… what he wanted most in the world was to live in peace. At his request, he had been granted at least three months' leave, as he had served the Kingdom for many years without a break.

When his mother told him that his cousin Frederick Harrington was getting married and they had been invited to the wedding, he decided to surprise him. In the past his cousin had been very generous to them; he helped his mother financially when his father died and was even the one who gave him the money to buy his commission in the army.

In the last week of January, he went with his mother to visit his cousin at 'Redstone' – Mr. Harrington's estate. Frederick was surprised to see his cousin and was glad he was alive.

Victoria Maxwell was delighted to resume their friendship with Mrs. Barton, Maria; they had been close friends since they were children. For this reason, she invited Maria and her son to stay a few weeks at her estate, and she insisted so much that they finally accepted.

In the following weeks, Colonel Barton had several occasions to meet the future Mrs. Harrington and her sister. He was very impressed with both: Jane was a beautiful and sweet young lady, and he perfectly understood why his cousin was in love with her... but he preferred her sister. He had never seen a woman like her: intelligent, brave, kind, honest, and with an iron will to get ahead in the face of adversity, and she was also very pretty.

Late February 1814

Three days before the wedding the Gardiners arrived at Ramsgate. At Mr. Harrington's insistence, they stayed at Redstone. The marriage settlement stipulated that Jane contributed £3,400 to the marriage, and Mr. Harrington another £5,000 for Jane and their future children.

Unfortunately, Redstone could only be inherited through the male line and as long as Mr. Harrington did not have a male child, it would be inherited by his brother with whom he did not have a good relationship. The reason for the dispute was they both fell in love with Frederick's first wife.

The day before the wedding, Mrs. Gardiner had a long conversation with Jane and explained to her what to expect on her wedding night...

"Jane, Mr. Harrington is a good man and he loves you very much, but there are some you need to know before your wedding night."

"Aunt there is no need to talk about this. I love Mr. Harrington and I trust him…"

Mrs. Gardiner smiled and gestured for Jane to listen, "I'm sure you can fully trust him. But it is likely the first few times you will feel pain and even bleed. You shouldn't be scared, it's normal."

Jane blushed, she had a low tolerance for pain, and despite not wanting to admit it, she was nervous about her wedding night, "I remember several times hearing my mother, Aunt Phillips and Lady Lucas say it was a duty they would gladly not perform."

Mrs. Gardiner nodded, "I know many women would rather not be intimate with their husbands. Also, unmarried women are better off thinking this way and are less tempted to anticipate their vows." with a big smile she added, "I tell you from my experience that when two people love each other like you and Mr. Harrington is a beautiful experience…"

After the conversation with her aunt, Jane fell asleep peacefully and the next day was radiant for her wedding. She was dressed in a new light blue dress with silver embroidery that highlighted the color of her eyes and a matching bonnet.

About thirty people attended the church and agreed they had rarely seen such a beautiful bride, and the couple seemed very happy. Although Mrs. Maxwell had offered her house, the wedding breakfast was held at Redstone and attended by the same thirty people who went to the church.

The Gardiners stayed two more days with Elizabeth at the cottage, and only a week after the wedding Lizzy moved to Redstone, and the Bartons after nearly three weeks at the Maxwells', much to Victoria's sadness, at the insistence of the parents. Harrington went to stay a few more weeks with them.

Colonel Barton as the days went by, and he got to know Elizabeth better, felt more attracted to her and was falling in love with her. Unfortunately, there were rumors that the conflicts on the continent were escalating, and he knew he would surely have to return to the front lines at any moment.