Family (a Pride and Prejudice fanfiction)

The Morning of the Wedding

The morning of the weddings dawned clear and sunny. Not that anyone had time to look at the weather in the flurry of dressing and hair-curling and finding lost pins that was taking place. Georgiana felt utterly useless, having spent a lifetime having these things done for her. She was in awe of Jane and Lizzie, who somehow managed to keep their nerves—and fingers—steady enough to manage each other's hair, not to mention Kitty's and their mother's. Mary stood by watching the proceedings, her own hair smoothly drawn back in her accustomed style. She appeared to be wondering why there needed to be such a fuss.

Georgiana had been invited to stay the night before the wedding at Longbourn, that her belongings might be there ready for her longer stay after the nuptials had been concluded. She'd been torn as to which was best—would Fitzwilliam want her close by, his nearest relative, as he prepared for the arrival of his bride, or would she, a young and innocent girl, cause him discomfiture as he approached the married state? In the end, the prospect of getting dressed in the bustle of the Bennet household, with everyone getting ready at once, had proved too tempting, and Fitzwilliam had given her his blessing to take up her abode at Longbourn the night before the wedding. It had been odd sleeping in such a little house, with so many noises outside her door all night as various people got up and moved around and tossed and turned in their creaky beds and giggled and whispered beneath their covers. Georgiana had been given a room to herself, and only silence came from the room Kitty and Mary shared, but Lizzie and Jane appeared not to sleep a wink. Georgiana was kept awake for a while wondering what they were saying to each other, but eventually the happy voices acted as a lullaby, and she turned over beneath the quilt and allowed herself to fall into slumber, feeling surprisingly cosy and safe.

The following morning, the noises resumed anew, as Mrs. Bennet rushed through the rooms calling out orders to her daughters at the top of her voice. Georgiana could tell Mrs. Bennet meant her to be allowed to sleep in, but who could in all that din? Nor did she want to. This was the kind of scene she had imagined and looked forward to.

"Oh, Jane, look at you," Mrs. Bennet was cooing, hanging over her eldest daughter's shoulder. "He will be positively entranced."

"I do hope not," Lizzie murmured. "We wouldn't want him to trip and fall over her train while he gazed at her. A very poor way to start off married life, indeed."

"Hush, Lizzie." But Jane smiled at her sister in the glass.

Mrs. Bennet appeared to hear none of it. Her eyes were misting over as she stood by her daughter, patting Jane's shoulder. "Oh, if only we could all be together today. My poor dear Lydia, so cruelly far from her family. How I wish she could be here to give you both the benefit of her experience."

Jane smothered a smile. Lizzie hurriedly stepped forward to put her arm around her mother. "Dear Mama, I should think Lydia is quite happy enough to be the first one married. I am certain she would rather be enjoying her married life than here—didn't her latest letter say that she was becoming quite indispensable to the other wives?"

Distracted, Mrs. Bennet nodded emphatically. "That was always certain to be true. I knew my Lydia would take to marriage well. I always said so." She squeezed Jane's shoulder. "As will you, dear. And you, too, Lizzie. And such amiable gentlemen for your bridegrooms! They will look so well standing there in the parlour at Netherfield!"

"They certainly will," Jane said, quietly and with satisfaction. Her smile warmed her whole face.

The special license to be married at Netherfield had been one of the few things all the parties concerned could agree upon whole-heartedly. All four of those being married preferred the quiet privacy of Charles's home to any more public location where their intimate moment might be under the scrutiny of those outside their intimate families. The Gardiners would be there, of course, and the Philipses. Mr. Bingley's married sister Mrs. Hurst had pled ill health and declared her intention of hosting the married couples next they were in London—a specious offer, since of course both Charles and Fitzwilliam had their own establishments in town. Caroline Bingley would be in attendance; she had arrived at Netherfield the night before. Georgiana felt a certain pang of guilt at not having been there to greet Caroline, but not enough to have made her stay and actually do so. The Bennets were, in toto, warmer-hearted and more welcoming, and Georgiana never felt there was any sort of hidden scheme in their words. Of course, she considered now, Caroline's brother was no longer an eligible bachelor, so perhaps Caroline would have nothing more to say to a mere younger sister of a married nobleman. She certainly hoped that might be the case, at any rate. Colonel Fitzwilliam had promised to be there later in the week, but could not manage to arrive in time for the actual ceremony. And naturally, Lady Catherine deBourgh had not even been invited, much less given any thought to attending. Poor Anne would be shut out of yet another family event. Georgiana pitied her.

"There." Jane's voice interrupted her thoughts. "That looks quite well, don't you think, Lizzie?" Her smiling face was more than enough to make up for any shortcomings in the style of her hair, not that there were any.

"Very good," said Mrs. Bennet. "Now, Georgiana, your turn, dear."

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly take up the time," Georgiana protested.

"Nonsense. I shall sit here and Jane will finish my hair, and you will sit there and Lizzie will take care of you. Kitty, do go and make sure your father is ready, will you? And Mary, see to the flowers."

The younger two girls scurried to do as their mother asked, while the elder two took on the task of the hair. Georgiana found it strange and amusing to have the two brides performing such a task, but neither of them seemed to see anything amiss with it. They exchanged smiles, no doubt considering that this would be their last morning under their mother's roof and subject to her whimsy.

Georgiana couldn't fault Lizzie's quick hands and deft touch; sooner than she had expected—sooner than her maid at Netherfield would have managed—her hair was neatly and prettily arranged and she was ready to go. Mrs. Bennet fussed a bit more over hers, but took only a little longer to be ready. They put the final touches on the brides' ensembles, and then went down the narrow stairs one at a time.

"Now, Jane, do be careful!" Mrs. Bennet said anxiously. "We would not want you to fall and sprain an ankle."

Jane paused with one foot in the air, glancing at her mother. "When was the last time I stumbled on the stairs, Mama?"

"It only takes the once."

"I shall keep that in mind." Jane slowed down and continued down the stairs in exaggerated state. "Better?" she asked at the bottom, with a smiling look at her mother.

"Much! Now you, Lizzie. Oh, how proud Mr. Darcy will be of you today."

Lizzie blushed and smiled, descending the stairs with the same care that Jane had. She caught Georgiana's arm at the bottom, as Mrs. Bennet took Jane's train and followed her out to the waiting carriage. "Will he be proud, Georgie?"

"How can you doubt it? He may burst the buttons on his waistcoat when he sees you, his heart will swell so with pride. I am certain of it," Georgiana assured her soon-to-be-sister. "Now, let us hurry, please. I cannot wait to see you Mrs. Darcy."

"Oh, don't say that. Not yet," Lizzie said quickly. "Not until it is true."

"Then let us go and make it so."

The first carriage, with Mr. Bennet and the younger two girls, had already gone. Mrs. Bennet and Georgiana helped Lizzie and Jane into the second carriage, which had been sent from Netherfield by Charles, and they were off. It would have been hard to tell who was most excited amongst the four of them, but Mrs. Bennet certainly wore her exuberance most on her sleeve, barely able to sit still as she strained to look out the windows as though by the pressure of her gaze she could urge the horses to greater speed.

Georgiana was content to sit back and enjoy this happiest of days as it unfolded. The joy in the faces of the two brides was infectious, and she could only imagine the matching emotions of the bridegrooms as they waited at Netherfield.