The beautiful service continued; and finally the witnesses, Mr. Bingley and Miss de Bourgh, happily added their signatures to those of the relieved minister and the ecstatic newlyweds into the marriage register while Hugh Wickham performed Bach’s Arioso. 

When chapel bells began to chime, servants from the great house, Pemberley’s tenants, and its workers gathered outside the little church for a quick glimpse of the three happy couples and to offer their best wishes before scurrying back to their duties; and neighbours and friends from surrounding estates and from Lambton began to arrive for the celebration. 

As the brides and grooms exited the church, a covey of six white homing doves was released by the gamekeeper, while strains of Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring followed the human flock outside. Ancient and revered symbols of peace, purity and innocence, new beginnings and hope for the future, white doves remain loyal to their mates for life and are devoted partners and parents and also represent unending love, fidelity, and fertility. 

Lady Anne Darcy had thought it would be a clever idea for birdseed to be tossed at the newlyweds. The kind-hearted woman was, after all, a nurturing soul who was concerned about her fine-feathered friends as the weather turned colder. However, the flock of doves, the very embodiment of peace and harmony, decided to stage a coo. As the seeds were flung upward at the newlyweds, the gesture attracted a flurry of avian activity over the congregation of finely attired guests; and Mrs. Caroline Wickham was the fortunate recipient of the intestinal contents from several of the released covey. It was, perhaps, not universally acknowledged that good luck would follow such a fowl deed; but some people did have faith in such a belief. The tangerine-togged woman shuddered as a white dove circled, dove, and then perched on her shoulder. As jubilant Colonel Fitzwilliam passed by, he said, “My dear Mrs. Wickham, do not kiss birds; for you might get an untweetable canarial disease.” 

While Dust Bunny and Pug-Nacious yipped, yapped, and ran circles around the congregation’s feet, the young hawk that had been perched atop a nearby tree was not after birdseed but rather the fascinating little morsel on the ridiculous bonnet worn by Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The bird of pray was disappointed to find an ornamental canary on the bonnet was most certainly not worth two in the bush. The raptor also discovered Lady Catherine de Bird had a rather fowl mouth for someone who had just been in a House of God … her language being more suited to a warship than a place of worship. 

Chapter VI

Marital Elations and Relations

It was an afternoon of no common delight to them all. The satisfaction of the newlyweds gave a glow of such sweet animation to their faces as made the brides look more beautiful than ever and the grooms the handsomest young men that ever were seen.

The gentlemen in attendance pronounced Fitzwilliam Darcy to be a fine figure of a man and admired his wife’s fine figure. The ladies declared that Elizabeth Darcy had a very agreeable countenance and counted her husband amongst the most agreeable of men, and the newlywed couple was looked at with great admiration for the whole afternoon. As the joyous Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy mingled with the crowd outside the chapel, the groom worried his proud, loving heart might actually rupture with rapture. His eyes scarcely strayed from his wife; and the ladies, as well as the lady herself, sighed at the adoring, lustful looks he bestowed upon his bride.

As they strolled toward the house, hand in hand, Fitzwilliam smiled down at her and said, “Words utterly fail to express how ardently I love you; for love you I do, Elizabeth Darcy, with all my heart and soul, and always will.” 

Her eyes shone back at him as she teased. “Hmm, I have heard almost those exact sentiments before, have I not? Perhaps you are employing another man’s words. Regardless, I assure you I return equal measure of what you feel. In fact, my cup runneth over with love for you, my husband.” 

“I have heard almost those exact sentiments before, have I not, madam? Still and all, they sound even sweeter today than on the night of the ball, for I esteem my new title of husband very much, my wife.” 

Elizabeth squeezed his arm and gathered her thoughts. “Fitzwilliam, I am exceedingly elated, enthralled, ebullient, enamoured, euphoric, ecstatic, effervescent, excessively exhilarated, enthusiastic, enchanted, eager, exultant, and earnestly excited.” She gave her husband the saucy grin and arched eyebrow combination. 

Darcy’s own eyebrows shot up. “Egregiously and embarrassingly effusive also! Your elaborate, embellished and exaggerated elocution and euphonic enunciation are eloquent, my exquisite Elizabeth. You exude exuberance; and I entirely, emphatically, and energetically empathize and shall endeavour to emulate your exceptional encomium until enervation exhausts and enfeebles my effectiveness.” Darcy smirked as the sassy smile was wiped from his wife’s face. 

She gazed at him in astonishment. “Egad! You, my esteemed esquire, are the very epitome and embodiment of enriched and enhanced erudite encyclopaedic enlightenment. Equality in education is not encouraged; and while you are emboldened, equipped, and empowered, my English is embryonic and effete. It encumbers me in this entertaining exercise and entirely enables you to effectively emerge from this extemporization in exclusive eminence.” But surely you are done now, husband. 

Fitzwilliam Darcy was nonplussed but allowed it to neither show nor discourage him. “Elizabeth, you enliven, enrapture, and enkindle me and also upset my equilibrium and equanimity. Enough, I expostulate and entreat you! This extraordinary exhibition is evoking an extreme exigency, and I may explode. Let us eschew this epic, exasperating, esoteric embroilment and employ our estimable efforts elsewhere to essentially escape and engage in an enjoyable embrace and exchange explicit expressions of endearment ere our evening is encompassed by everyone else extravagantly expounding on, exulting, exalting, and extolling our enviable espousal.” His wife was then on the receiving end of an infuriatingly challenging look. 

“Elude and elope … excellent!” exclaimed Elizabeth. They exited the elite estate without explanation, etiquette, or excuse and executed an expeditious excursion to expel and eliminate extraneous elementary emotions. Ensconced under an enshrouding elm engraved with “EB & FD,” they were encased, enveloped, entwined, and encircled in each other’s arms; and exactly eleven exemplary, engrossing minutes elapsed ere they eventually and elegantly made an entrance as each envisioned an enticing, erotic, and early encore.

The exquisite Mrs. Jane Fitzwilliam was practically giddy with excitement and happiness as she walked arm-in-arm with her gorgeous, red-coated husband across the very lawn where she had first secretly admired his handsome face and masculine physique. Jane felt an overwhelming passion and caring for that exceptionally special man, and tears of happiness suddenly welled in her blue eyes and threatened to spill upon her rosy cheeks.