The Wedding Chapter! Thank you all for reviewing, I hope you like this next chapter as well. The story still has a lot of major plot lines coming up, like meeting Georgiana, the fate of Mr. Collins, etc, etc. I posted links on my profile of Jane and Lizzy's dresses. Tell me what you think!
The morning of the wedding dawned bright with a cloudless blue sky, and plenty of sun. Lizzy stirred from her light sleep, feeling as she had all week. Since the attack, she had been plagued with horrifying dreams. She had not slept properly since then. She could not eat, she could not sleep, and reading did not even provide the escape it once had.
"Good morning Lizzy" Jane chirped from beside her. "This shall be our last morning waking up beside one another" She commented sadly. Lizzy nodded in agreement. Tears welled in her eyes.
"Oh Lizzy, please do not cry! You shall be very happy with Mr. Darcy, I know it!" Jane assured her, hugging her tight. Lizzy fought back the tears again, managing to dry her eyes.
"He is a good man," Lizzy whispered, looking at the wedding dress hanging on her door. Mr. Darcy had sent it over a week ago. The local seamstress had fitted it to her. It needed surprisingly little alterations.
"Tis a beautiful dress" Jane told her. And it was. It was a beautiful gold and creme gown, with mid length sleeves, and flowered embroidery down the front. It had a matching veil as well. (Picture Pirates of the Caribbean Wedding Dress) The material was silky and light.
"We should get up," Lizzy stated. Jane helped her bathe and brush out her hair, before their maid, Betsy, came up to style it.
"Twist is there, no actually plait" Jane was dictated her mothers strict orders. Lizzy tried her best not to wince as they tucked and pulled and twisted her unruly locks in an acceptable style. The younger girls maid, Arabel, came in to help Jane dress.
"That looks so lovely on you Jane" Lizzy murmured as Arabel laced up the black of Jane's light blue dress. It had lace trim, with nav blue ribbons adorning the front. Jane's eyes mirrored the color perfectly.
"I shall have to thank Mr. Darcy" Jane said gently. "It was kind of him to think of me"
"Oh Jane, you look darling my dear" Mrs. Bennet stated as she waltzed into the room. Jane flushed. "You are much too thin Lizzy," She complained. "No bosom at all" She complained as she nipped and tucked at Lizzy's dress. Betsy waited to finish tying the stays as to not pinch Mrs. Bennet's fingers.
"Mama, Lizzy looks beautiful," Jane said. "Doesn't she?"
"Indeed. It is a lovely dress. You look well Elizabeth" Mrs. Bennet stated, backing up to admire her "work". "Now Jane, go downstairs, I wish to speak with Lizzy on a private matter" Jane blushed, she knew what was coming, before rushing out the door.
"Sit down Lizzy" Mrs. Bennet sat next to her on the bed. "Now, it is a mothers duty to inform her daughter of the marriage bed. I will not lie; it will not be a pleasant experience. Mr. Darcy is a powerful gentleman; he will be so in all aspects of his life Lizzy, including the marriage bed. Now the first time will hurt a lot, tis best to just lie still and think about other things. He will come to your room the first night, and many after until you have given him an heir. After he has his heir, the visits will occur less. Do you have any questions?"
Lizzy was shocked silent. Mrs. Bennet nodded, and begged her to make haste, lest they be late to her own wedding.
20 minutes later she was walking down the small aisle, shaking. He was stunned into silence by her beauty. She was simply breathtaking. He smiled as she approached. The pastor began his mass, but Mr. Darcy was too enthralled by his bride to take notice of anything. When his part came to speak, he nearly stuttered.
"Fitzwilliam Darcy, do you take Elizabeth Bennet to be your wife and your spouse and pledge to her the faith of you body, that you will be faithful to her and loyal with your body and your goods and that you will keep her in sickness and in health and in whatever condition it will please the Lord to place her, and that you shall not exchange her for better or worse until the end" The priest asked.
"I do"
The priest repeated the vows for Elizabeth.
"I do" She replied.
The priest took the rings from Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennet.
"Repeat after me, with this ring, I thee wed"
"With this ring, I thee wed" He told her, slipping his mother's ring onto her slender hand. It was a perfect fit. Compared to most of the Darcy family jewelry, the ring was the simplest of them all. His father had it commissioned for his mother on the day of his birth. The band was gold, the diamond was heart shaped. It was rather thick, and appeared to have bands around the diamond. Smaller diamonds were inlaid around the gold. Her hand trembled as he slid it past the last knuckle, to its final place.
The priest handed her the other ring.
"With this ring, I thee wed" She repeated, sliding the thick gold ring over his finger. The crowd clapped as they made their way, arm and arm, to the awaiting carriage. Colonel Fitzwilliam and Charles took great pleasure at pelting the duo with rice.
The wedding breakfast was short, as the new Mr. and Mrs. Darcy had to be on the road soon if they wanted to reach Derbyshire by nightfall. After a tearful goodbye to her family, Elizabeth and Darcy left Longbourne, Colonel Fitzwilliam staying the night at Netherfield. He hand her up into the carriage, and they began their journey. She watched as her home disappeared into the distance. Tears flowered freely down her cheeks.
After several minutes of silence, Darcy could stand it no longer.
"Elizabeth?" He called softly. He could not tell if she was awake or not with her head against the window. She looked up at him, with tears in her eyes. He sighed. "Elizabeth, what is it?" He asked.
"Tis nothing" She murmured. They were sitting across from each other in the large carriage. He deliberated for a second, before moving across the seat to sit next to her. She stiffened minutely.
"Please, tell me" He begged. "I cannot bear to see you cry anymore"
"I shall miss them," She admitted. "Even mama and Lydia"
"They are always welcome to visit Elizabeth," He told her. "You should try to get some rest, it will be a long ride" She nodded. They lapsed back into silence. Neither one slept.