Mr. Darcy soon had word again from Lord Matlock that he would be delayed longer than expected. He asked that Mr. Darcy please make his apologies to Kitty. He could not move forward into matrimony without feeling totally confident that his affairs were in order. Darcy suspected this delay had more to do with the anniversary date of the accident which killed the old Earl and his heir, than with Lord Matlock's affairs, but allowed his cousin the excuse. It was important that Lord Matlock finish his year of mourning on his own terms.
Since their last correspondence Lord Matlock had written to Mr. Bennet and Mr. Bingley and it was settled that the wedding would take place from Longbourn. Lord Matlock's mother was eager to meet Kitty's family and this would be the most convenient to all parties. Therefore because of the delay Lord Matlock would meet his bride again at Longbourn and not Pemberley. He and his mother would stay as guests of the Bingleys at Netherfield, and Kitty could be married out of her child-hood home.
Kitty was at first upset that she would not see Lord Matlock sooner, but felt much better once she realized the postponement meant she could have the more intricate lace on her wedding gown. The fitting had taken place at Pemberley soon after Mrs. Bennet's departure with Elizabeth in attendance as her sister and advisor. The dressmaker was local to Lambton. She was a kind and creative woman who Elizabeth relied on for most of her daily-wear dresses. The fast approaching wedding necessitated the use of a local modiste for the bridal clothes. Kitty ordered her gown and several other dresses to be made for the days following her marriage. She would order her complete wedding clothes from some fashionable dress-makers in London once settled there.
The sisters had not been in agreement on the style of dress most complimentary of Kitty's figure. But the dress-maker, a woman who had experience diffusing disagreements between hundreds of brides and mothers, quickly did so between the sisters and provided a compromise suitable to both in which Kitty's neck line would be cut not quite so low as to "completely expose her bosom," and not quite so high as to "choke her to death."
The Darcys and Georgiana planned to escort Kitty to Longbourn once the gowns were complete. As soon as they were the trunks were packed and the group was on their way. The trip was an easy distance, especially in a quality carriage like that of Mr. Darcy's. He rode on his horse, but not before ensuring Elizabeth was comfortably situated inside the carriage with pillows, blankets, novels, a picnic basket and two hot bricks. Luckily the carriage was spacious enough for what Mr. Darcy considered necessary for Elizabeth's comfort as well as the object of affection herself, Kitty and Georgiana.
The three ladies had a pleasant ride, but sitting all day is exhausting under any circumstance and once they reached Longbourn Kitty was dropped off, and Elizabeth and Darcy refused tea in order to settle and rest at Netherfield. Mrs. Bennet accepted their refusal without any argument. Elizabeth had never been her favorite daughter and she was eager to fuss over Kitty, to see her gowns and to generally spoil the future Lady Matlock.
Lord Matlock was expected the next day. A tea was planned for the afternoon at Longbourn, a dinner for the evening at Netherfield and the wedding set following morning. Kitty felt a general sense of nervousness about the wedding activities and especially for meeting her mother in law. Her eagerness to see him greatly outweighed her nervousness over meeting his mother. Thinking of him generally soothed her nerves and so she focused on memories of his smiling face and their shared romantic moments at Pemberley. She continued to tell herself that these were feelings of admiration of friendship only. Love was certainly out of the questions. It was in this manner that her thoughts where occupied when she heard Lord Matlock's carriage pull up for the tea the next day. She looked out of a window to catch a glance of her mother-in-law. She was rewarded with a glimpse of a slight woman of about fifty, whose face she could not clearly see as it was obscured by a very fashionable hat. Their carriage was quickly followed by two others, containing her sisters and the Lucases. Kitty glanced in a mirror for one last inspection and ran to greet the guests.
In the entry hall Lord Matlock was already introducing his mother to Mr. and Mrs. Bingley when Kitty entered. He looked up upon seeing his bride and beamed. His mother turned too, and Kitty saw her very beautiful face a top a small but sturdy frame.
"Miss Bennet. I'd like to introduce you to my mother, Lady Maria. Mother, this is Miss Katherine Bennet."
"So nice to meet you Miss Bennet," Lady Maria said with a smile that reached her eyes. Kitty knew immediately that the characters she had been forming in her mind of potential mother in laws were very off base. This was a woman who was truly kind. Lady Maria was genuinely happy to meet Kitty. She had made a love match herself and cared not who Kitty's mother was or under what circumstances Lord Matlock was marrying Kitty, she was just happy to see her son settling down and taking his responsibilities head on.
Kitty smiled and welcomed Lady Maria. She did all that was proper and Lord Matlock watched, pleased with the poise she was showing. He took both women in either arm and walked them into the drawing room where tea had been laid out. There the family and guests spent a pleasurable hour. Kitty asked after Lord Matlock's sister in law, who had chosen to stay in London, but looked forward to meeting Kitty once she was settled in her new home there. Mrs. Bennet and Lady Maria although possessing very different natures were truly pleased to meet each other. Kitty observed that Lord Matlock must have inherited his charm and easy conversation from his mother. Although a slight woman she had a large and charming presence. Kitty was relieved. This woman would not make unreasonable demands on her or be jealous of her son's feelings.
The tea party passed in a strange combination of time for Kitty. The hour passed like a moment but each moment felt like an hour. It was like dreaming of moving through water. The sun shone in to the tea room and she focused on a few pieces of dust reflecting, floating in the air. Was she really to be married tomorrow? By this time the next day she would be Lady Matlock. This room which she'd taken tea in thousands of times would feel completely different after today. After today she would have her own tea room. In many different homes. How many homes did Lord Matlock possess? How many homes would she be responsible for as Lady Matlock? Lady Matlock…
Kitty was still in this reflective state when the tea-party broke up. The mood lasted even through dinner that evening at Netherfeild. She was keenly aware that her life was changing wholly and completely the next day. It was not an uncomfortable feeling. She did not feel scared, or panicked. A bit nervous yes, but each time she felt such, she would glance and Lord Matlock, and there he would be – looking back, smiling, raising his glass to her and giving her a wink. Yes, she thought, everything would change tomorrow. Everything would change for the better.