All Hallow's Eve (38 page)

“
You look perfect to me,
William,
but i
f you would feel more comfortable, you should.
”

“
I would be
just as
happy if you we
re dressed
as
simply as
you are
now.
”

Elizabeth laughed
.
“
B
ut
I
would like to be
wearing
something other than
trousers
at
my wedding!
”
Glancing
down the hallway, she saw the footman was facing the opposite direction.
Smiling
impishly
, Elizabeth s
tepp
ed
up onto her toes
and
stole a
kiss.
As she moved away, an expression of awe fell over her features,
and she
whisper
ed
,
“
Today is our wedding day!
”

He stood captivated by her glowing countenance for several moments.
“
I am reluctant to be parted from you, my love, but the sooner we are
appropriately
dressed, the sooner we can be married.
”

Opening her chamber door,
Elizabeth
spoke briefly to
Hanna
as
the maid
approached
and
then
turned
back to him, her eyes glittering with happiness
.
“
I shall see you soon, William.
”

After
the door close
d
behind her,
he
gave directions to the footman to stand
watch
outside her chamber
and then
hurried off to
w
ard
his own
rooms
to dress
.

~%~

Elizabeth was not surprised to hear a knock upon her door b
efore
much time had passed, though she was a little taken aback when it was not all of the female Bennets admitted to the room, but her mother
alone.
Mrs. Bennet
even dismissed the maid.

“
Mama?
”

“
Lizzy, I
understand
we are to witness a wedding this morning!
Your father and I are so happy to hear of this!
”
Wearing a wide smile,
Mrs. Bennet
crossed the room and
wrapped
her
second daughter in an embrace.
Several moments passed
,
and then she
held
Elizabeth
at arm’s length, taking a long look at
the young lady
before speaking again.
“
Your sisters will join us in a few minutes
to help you dress, but first,
”
she hesitated as
her expression changed to one more serious,
“
first
I must speak
.
A
s your mother, it is necessary that I dispel any fears you might have
about
tonight
.
”

With a bit of hemming and hawing at first, and
with
reddened faces
on
either
side, the subject was
well
covered
before
the
maid
’s
return
, to the satisfaction of one and
the
relief of the other
.
Shortly thereafter, t
he remaining Bennet ladies
rushed in, finding a still-blushing, but
glowing
bride
.
For several moments,
all stood perfectly still,
and then
t
he room burst
forth
with activity—
flowers
were
woven into
Elizabeth’s
hair, a number of ribbons
were
tied
and lace was tucked i
nto the best gown that
she
had brought
along
with her
.
Q
uite a bit of giggling
could be heard
from
the hallway where
two trusted
Bennet
footm
e
n w
ere
now
standing guard
.

~%~

E
ven
though it was early in the day,
the gentlemen
were
gathered in
Bingley’s
study, each
with a glass of port to toast
William’
s
last
hour
of
bachelorhood.
When
something in a bookcase across the room caught the
eye of the
father
of the bride
,
William’s cousins
quietly
bestow
ed
a bit of
good-natured
teasing
upon
the groom
.

Another
tribute
was made after Mr. Bennet received a note from the vicar
confirming
that
he was
indeed
available
to perform the
wedding c
eremony
today
whenever
it was convenient for the couple
,
as long as
it
took place
before
the clock struck
eleven.

Bingley was
late
in
join
ing
the
others
,
giving
no explanation
for
the
delay
to anyone
except
William.
“
I have directed
your man
to move
whatever
of your
belongings
are not to be packed in
to
the master’s suite.
Elizabeth will be relocated to the chamber adjoining
it
.
”
Bingley winked at his friend and walked away before William could respond
,
thankful for the
kn
ock on the door which interrupted the natural direction his thoughts had taken.

T
he butler entered
, bowed, and spoke softly to Mr. Bennet
.
Mr. Bennet smiled and announced,
“
Gentlemen
,
I have received a
message
from the ladies
. It
is now
time for you to leave for the church
. W
e
shall follow you shortly.
”

William smiled widely
and
placed his barely touched glass of port down upon the nearest table
. Crossing
the room to shake his soon-to-be father-in-law’s hand,
he
was the first man out the door.

~%~

Fitzwilliam
George
Darcy had
felt
that he was the luckiest man
ever to live
since the moment that his beloved Elizabeth had accepted his proposal
in earnest
, but as he saw his bride enter
through the rear of
the church, he knew
for certain
that
he
would
feel this way
for the remainder of his life
.

It mattered not that this wedding was not
as he had imagined it would be or
that
he had not had the time to send for a variety of flowers from the hothouses at Pemberley and London for
the church.
It mattered not that there would be
no
elaborate
wedding breakfast
, or that many among those counted
among
his
famil
y
and friends would not be present
.
It mattered not that he had seen the dress she wore countless times before.
The only thing that
did
matter was that, in a few minutes,
t
he
loveliest, wittiest, bravest lady that he had ever met
would be
pledged to him
for
all
eternity, and he to her
. H
e was giddy with this knowledge.
It took a herculean effort to hold back from rushing
headlong
down the aisle to meet her, waiting for her to join him standing before the altar instead.

Elizabeth Rose Bennet’s smile widened as she walked toward the man she loved so dearly. She would soon be his wife!
If her father
had
not h
e
ld her hand
firmly within his own
upon his arm
, she might have r
u
n the remainder of the distance, enabling her vows to be said that much sooner.
She was trembling ever so slightly—not in fear
of what was to come
, but in anticipation.
T
heir natures would not allow for every moment of their future to be
spent in
perfect
bliss
,
but
she expected
to
find happiness every day
, for
,
no matter what happened
,
they would be together, promised to each other forever.

As they repeated their vows, all those present, of this world and of the Otherworld, felt
honour
ed to be able to witness the historic occasion—the marriage of the High
Priestess
to her
Soul Mate
.
All
souls were filled with
 
joy at seeing those they cared for so deeply, Elizabeth and William, joined together, each clearly completing the other.

The only person doubtful of his luck in being present was the
vicar
.
While
overjoyed
to
perform the ceremony that would join a
couple
who
were
obviously
so much in love,
he
was
more than
a little overwhelmed by the horrid stench of
the
herbs that hung around the necks of all
those
in attendance.

Chapter 11

The
wedding
party returned to Netherfield in good time for
the mid-day meal, during which a few speeches were made.
The newly married couple were either teased or
honour
ed by those in attendance
, and
sometimes
a little of both in the same breath.
Towards the end of the meal, Mary spoke up,
“
It seems that
it
was common knowledge that today would
be your wedding day in the Otherworld
, even
before William thought of it!
I was informed of your impending wedding last night as I slept, but I did not wish to spoil the surprise for anyone else
!

“
But n
ow, it is
regretfully
my duty to inform you
all
that
this union
must not be
made public
—
not
at the present time at least.
Everyone outside of our party must
continue to believe
that
Elizabeth and William are
only betrothed.
”

Elizabeth sensed her husband stiffen in the chair beside her
.
R
uffled
by the news
,
still
she had to smile
slightly
at
the newness of
calling William her
husband
, if only in her thoughts
.

“
I wish
this restriction had been
mentioned
before
I
had
informed my staff!
”
Bingley exclaimed
.

“
It does
make
sense that t
hey
would have
to be told, Charles
.
T
hey would
have
recognize
d
that
something
about
Lizzy and William’s
behaviour
was
different
from
the way
it should be between a betrothed couple
.
They would
speculate
,
”
Jane said gently as she blushed,
“
possibly
spreading stories
to those
working
within
other
household
s.
That would not do well for
anyone
.
”

Mary
looked
uncomfortable
for several moments before saying,
“
I
hope this will not upset you,
Charles,
but I
had
a few words with
the
housekeeper and butler before we left for the church, as well as Longbourn’s footmen who are here with us
.
The servants
have
be
en
told that this is to be kept in the strictest confidence
, and that they will receive a
handsome
bonus if word
of my sister’s marriage
does not leave this house until they are
given permission to speak of it
.
Upon our return, I was informed that
all in your employ had agreed to the scheme
.
Longbourn’s
servants
are
quite accustomed to such requests as this, and no doubt
our footmen
will pass on to Netherfield’s
staff
that
,
as long as they follow
our
instructions
closely, they may depend upon the Bennets’ promise
s
.
I also spent a few minutes
speaking
to the vicar
after
the ceremony.
He was confused, and though he will not lie if asked directly whether Elizabeth and William were wed today, he
has
agree
d
not to speak of the matter publically for now
.
”

“
Did the
Otherworlders
give you any
indication as to
why we must keep this
a
secret, Mary?
”
Elizabeth asked.

“
I
only
know
that
Wickham
must not yet
know of your marriage.
T
he only way to ensure that he does not
is to with
hold
the
intelligence
from
everyone
.
”

Nodding,
Elizabeth
could not prevent a small sigh from escaping her lips as she slid her hand into William’s beneath the table.

Seeing that Elizabeth’s eyes were
wet
enough that it
would not
go unnoticed by the others,
William
gave
her hand
a light squeeze
before he
released it and
stood.
“
Please
excuse us
.
I wish to
discuss
this most recent development
privately with
my wife
.
”
He emphasized the last two words, hoping that by doing so
,
his dissatisfaction with this rule would be clearly understood.
William helped Elizabeth with her chair and
quickly
escorted her from the room.
The moment the door to the dining room had closed behind them, without a thought to where they were or who might see them, he turned and kissed her soundly.

After a minute, or perhaps it was two, William pulled back to look deeply into Elizabeth’s eyes.
“
It seem
ed that
you needed a kiss almost as much as I did.
”

“I am sorry, William; this is the first I have heard of
this.
Are you certain that you wish to be married to a lady
whose dowry includes
a necessity for so much deception?
To the point that
you cannot even admit to my being your wife?
”

William caressed her cheek, wiping away the tear that had escaped her attempts to suppress her emotions.
“My Elizabeth,
without weathering any and
all
of the storms,
how else
c
ould
I
deserve
the
honour
o
f
experiencing
all of
the good
moments
by y
our
side?
I would not wish to
exist
under any other circumstances
.
Besides, it is only temporary.
Before long,
we will prevail, and I shall have leave to
shout it from the rooftops!
”

Elizabeth smiled.
“
I think we had best move along; we have put poor John through enough
embarrassment
for one
day
.
”
Elizabeth tilted her head towards the door to the dining room where a footman stood with his back to the newlyweds, his hand holding the doorknob ensuring that nobody
from the dining room would leave and
interrupt their tender scene.

“
John!
When
you see
Mr. Bingley
, you
will
inform
him
that Mr. and Mrs. Dar
cy have retired.
We shall join the others for their morning meal.
”

John could not stop hi
mself from raising his
eyebrows
slightly
b
efore
he bowed
, voicing
understanding
of his instructions
.

With a startled squeal from Elizabeth, William swept her
off
her feet and headed towards the staircase.

“
William!
It is only mid-day! How will we explain our absence?
”
Alt
hough Elizabeth’s words might have sounded disapproving, William was heartened by the fact that she smil
ed
, had wrapped her arms around his neck, and nuzzl
ed
closer to him
as he carried her
.

He smiled rakishly.
“
We
were
married this morning, Elizabeth.
I doubt very much that an
explanation
will
be
expected
.
”

Elizabeth blushed prettily, but her
expression
—reminiscent of the night
she
had
danced for him
in the ballroom—encouraged him to continue
speaking
.
“
Longbourn
will be much more crowded
than Netherfield
.
Now
may be
our only chance for
time alone
until we are able to journey to our townhouse in London
.
”

A
s
he
reached the landing of the living quarters,
William
paused to examine Elizabeth’s
exquisite
countenance
. T
he passion in her eyes took his breath away. She
ran the fingers of one hand through his hair
,
and
then,
whil
st
pull
ing
his head toward her,
rais
ed
her lips to his
,
initiat
ing
a kiss that
William
hoped meant
she
was as eager as he to begin their marriage in
every
way.
When the kiss ended, he leaned
his
forehead against h
ers
and closed his eyes
.
After
regain
ing
his breath
enough to speak, he whispered
huskily
,
“
I warn you
now
, my wife, that
I intend on taking full advantage of
this
privacy
whil
st
we have it
.
”

Elizabeth pulled away to
gaze upon
him.
His expression was so full of yearning that she could not help but blush again at the sensations
he
stirred within her.
Her eyes wandered to his lips, and she was about to
sample
another taste when she remembered where they were and smiled.
“
Are we to
spend the entire
afternoon
at the top of the stairs, my love
?
”