Okay, this is it. The final chapter - Extra long, but still the last to this story. Thank you all so much for sticking with me throughout the journey
You are all great and I will inform you as soon as I post the sequel on which I'm working already, that is if you are interested in reading it.
Here goes. Thanks for all your reviews, so far.
My heart was pounding in my chest and I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. Even though it had never happened to me before, I actually felt like fainting.
I sat in front of the mirror, while one of the maids finished to pin my hair up. It looked wonderful, but I was so nervous that I couldn't really care about it.
I would be married within the hour, to the man I loved. And maybe even more important, the man who loved me back.
"You look beautiful." Lizzy gushed, sitting behind me on my bed.
"Thank you." I smiled nervously and couldn't help but ask.
"Were you this nervous before your wedding with Mr. Darcy?"
"Don't tell anyone, but I felt like fainting." Lizzy admitted with a smile and I sighed a little. Because that made me feel better.
"But it feels incredible once you are married. Believe me it is worth all the nervousness." Lizzy continued and I smiled brightly. I was sure of that. I only wished, we were already married.
I looked up, when the door opened and my mother hurried into the room, followed by Kitty and Lydia.
"I cannot believe this. Only one daughter left. The rest married to respectable gentlemen." She said, her face bright red from the excitement. I looked at Lizzy who actually had to bite back a laugh.
I felt the same, but I could somehow enjoy it, due to the fact that they would leave the next day.
Lydia and Kitty didn't seem as excited though. Quite the contrary. They were actually pouting, which didn't really surprise me. After all, their jealousy was not surprising for me. Especially Lydia's. With a husband like that I would be envious, as well.
I thanked god for finding someone like Henry. Someone I could love. Someone who loved me, despite all my faults. Not matter how many there were.
"I think it is almost time…" Lizzy smiled at me and as if this was some kind of cue, we heard a knock on the door.
Shortly after, my father entered the room.
"You may now go to the hall and wait for us, there is something I would like to tell my daughter, before she gets married." He said and even though my mother looked like she wanted to argue. She didn't. Which probably had to do with the fact that Lizzy took hold of her arm and led her from the room. Followed by my sisters.
"You want to talk to me about something?" I asked, curious what this might be.
"I just wanted to tell you that you might get married today, but you will always be my daughter. So if you ever feel unhappy or sad you have a home at Longbourn Manor." I smiled at him through the tears that had gathered in my eyes. I loved him very much for the proposal he just made.
So with a watery smile, I thanked him, before he pulled me into his embrace.
"Don't cry. Not on your wedding day." He whispered into my ear. And I nodded at his shoulder. He was right. I wanted to be happy. This was a joyous day I would never forget.
"Very well. Shall we go then? I am sure your fiancé is already waiting for us." I couldn't help but smile at that. I couldn't wait to see Henry in the church and then finally being married to him.
So I placed my hand on my father's arm and allowed him to lead me out of my room, down the stairs and through a long hallway towards the private chapel in which everyone was waiting for me.
I could hear the murmur of voices, when we got closer and felt my heart speeding in my chest.
I had never felt this nervous before, I could barely breathe. I just hoped it would get better as soon as I saw Henry.
When the doors of the chapel were opened for us, I heard music starting to play, followed by the shuffling of feet, when everyone got up.
I walked into the chapel and smiled, it was decorated with wonderful yellow flowers. My family was sitting in the first row, as well as my soon to be mother-in-law. There were dozens of people in the chapel I didn't know. All of them important, I guessed.
But that didn't matter at all, when my eyes fell on the handsom man waiting at the end of the aisle.
Henry was dressed in a simple white dress shirt, with a black vest and a black overcoat to his black pants. When our eyes met, he smiled a breathtaking smile at me, which made my knees go weak. I couldn't believe it that I was about to marry this man.
My father lead me closer to him and I could already feel tears in my eyes.
We stopped in front of Henry and the minister.
He saw my tears and after my father kissed my cheek he took hold of my hand and whispered:
"Don't cry my love."
"I'm just so happy." I smiled back through my tears.
Henry squeezed my hand shortly, before the minister started to speak and we turned to look at him. Just like everyone else inside the room. Though I couldn't find myself to care about anyone but Henry and I.
"We are gathered here today to witness the coming together of two people, Mary and Henry, whose hearts and spirits are entwined as one. They now desire to profess before all the world their intention henceforth to walk the road of life together.
Dedication, love, and joy can grow only when you nourish them together. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, having faith in your shared destiny just as strongly as you have faith in yourselves and in one another today. Only with this spirit can you forge a union that will strengthen and endure all the days of your lives."
I bit my bottom lip, my heart pounding in my chest. This really was it. I would be married very soon.
The minister turned to Henry and looked him straight in the eye:
"Henry CharlesHoward 3. Earl of Suffolk, will you receive Miss Mary Benett as your wife? Will you pledge to her your love, faith and tenderness, cherishing her with a husband's loyalty and devotion?"
Henry wasn't looking at the minister though. I could feel his eyes on me and smiled. The tears from before forgotten. How could I cry, while marrying the man I loved?
„I will." He finally said, smiling at me. The smile that made my knees go weak.
The minister turned to me, looking pleased. When his grey eyes met mine, I felt my heart speeding even more.
„Mary Benett, will you receive Henry Charles Howard as your husband? Will you pledge to him your love, faith and tenderness, cherishing him with a wife's loyalty and devotion?" Was there even another way, than to answer with yes? As I wanted nothing more than to be married to him and spending the rest of my life with him.
"I will." I smiled and looked into Henry's wonderful blue eyes. I could see his happiness and the love he felt for me and I knew I would never grow tired of looking into those eyes.
"The rings…" I heard the minister saying and I knew that someone stepped up to us, but I couldn't care. I was just looking at Henry. At least until he took a simple golden ring from a white cushion.
His bigger hand took hold of mine and he smiled at me before he said:
"I take you, Mary, as my friend and love, beside me and apart from me, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and tranquility, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find us." I remembered the first time Joana had told m about the vow. And it was just as wonderful as I remembered it, even though it sounded much better coming out of his mouth. It actually made a shiver run down my back.
He obviously felt it, because his smile widened and he placed the ring on my finger.
"I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you."
I knew that I needed to take his ring now, but I couldn't move. Somehow. I just wanted to keep standing here like this, looking up at him.
He nudged me softly and whispered:
"I think we should proceed."
I felt myself blushing, when I nodded and took his ring and then his hand.
"I take you, Henry, as my friend and love, beside me and apart from me, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and tranquility, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find us."
It seemed that the words spoken by me had an effect on Henry as well, because he squeezed my hand a little harder and his eyes turned a shade darker. That once again made me go weak in my knees.
I placed the ring on his finger, continuing with the vow:
"I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you."
"With this statement made of love and trust, which we have just heard, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
My heart skipped a beat at his words. I was married. I was a married woman. Mary Howard, wife of Henry Charles Howard. The thought alone made me feel faint.
It was wonderful and frightening at the same time.
And while I looked up at my husband I knew that I wanted nothing more than for him to kiss me right now. Right here.
But I knew that we couldn't do this. Even now it was not proper to share such intimacies in front of other people. So I knew I would have to wait until later.
I smiled, while looking into Henry's eyes because it was obvious how frustrated he was about this.
So he did the only thing he could do. He leaned down and pressed a short kiss on my forehead, but I was sure that I heard him mumble:
"Later."
And this one word sounded so much like a promise of something, I wasn't completely sure what it was, that goosebumbs broke out all over my body.
Not long after I was pulled into a whirlwind of congratulations and hugs, from my family and then followed by people that I didn't know, but Henry obviously. He introduced them all, but I didn't hear one word of what he was saying. Or of what I was saying, because I knew I was speaking from time to time. All I could concentrate on was Henry being so close to me, feeling his warm body next to me. His hand on the small of my back and his eyes finding mine more often with an expression that made my stomach feel queezy.
Hours later I found myself grow tired. The festivities were going on for hours and all I wanted was to curl up in a soft bed. With Henry next to me. I thought with a smile.
As if my husband -gasp- could read my thoughts he placed his hand on my elbow and said:
"It seems as everyone is preocupied. How about we go to our room and find some quiet?"
I nodded happily, allowed him to take my hand and lead me out of the ballroom. No one seemed to see us exiting the room and I smiled at that. I didn't want to answer any more questions tonight.
Henry lead me up the stairs to a part of the house I had never been to before. But he had also told me about our rooms and that Joana didn't want me to see it until we were married, as it was supposed to be a wedding gift. When I looked at the broad shoulders of the man in front of me though. I couldn't find myself caring about rooms and gifts.
He ended my thoughts, when he opend a double winged door to our right an pulled into a small salon. It was beautiful, that I knew. But soon after that was forgotten, because the door closed after us and Henry turned to look at me.
Suddenly I found myself unable to breathe, remembering what Lizzy and my mother had told me shortly before the wedding. Of what I should expect of the wedding night. The thought alone my my heart race.
Henry must have sensed my nervousness, as he smiled at me and raised his hand to cup my cheek.
"Do not be nervous my love. Everything will be perfect." He promised runing his other hand soothingly over my back.
"I know… I love you…. I trust you." I said, which was nothing but the truth. How could I doubt him, or even be afraid, when I had a loving husband like him?
"Good, because I have been waiting all night to do this." He grinned, before leaning down and kissing me.
And if I was completely honest with myself, then I had been waiting for this as well.
His hand on my back pulled me closer to him so that our bodies were touching, which made me gasp into our kiss. The feelings running through my body made it impossible for me to think and I liked to think. I always thought, I had never expected that one day I would find myself unable to form one thought.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and enjoyed the kiss until we had to end it in order to breathe.
"I love you." his whispered his voice hoarse, when he pressed his lips to my jaw. "Forever." he continued and this time he kissed my neck, just below my ear, which made a soft moan escape my lips.
Before I knew what was happening he had scooped me up into his arms and carried me through the salon towards another door, of which I assumed that it lead to the bedroom.
Somehow I wasn't afraid, nor even nervous. I knew I loved him and I knew that whatever would happen between us would be just as perfect.
The END