“Yes. Cassie found material and a pattern, so she was pleased as well.”
“It sounds as if you’re off to a good start.”
Lizzy smiled at his understanding, even as she wondered if they could marry sooner. She didn’t want to exhaust herself, but in truth she was just as eager as he was.
“Tate is here,” Edward opened the parlor door long enough to say.
Lizzy thanked him, and the two went out to greet him. A short time later, they all went in to dinner.
“Has a date been set?” Henry asked over the meal.
“Not quite.” Morland took the question. “But we’re looking at the end of August or early September. We plan to settle the matter directly after dinner.”
“Will that give everyone enough time to prepare?”
There were nods all around before Henry lobbed his next question.
“Where will you and Lizzy live, Morland?”
“I’m still working on that. There are two properties in the area. I’ll probably take Lizzy to see them next week.”
“Tate?” Henry moved to him next.
“I’ve asked my aunt if we can use Pembroke for the first ten months of our marriage. I think that will give us time to decide where we want to be.”
Cassandra did not know this and found herself smiling. Tate caught her eye and winked. Cassandra bent her head over her plate to cover her blush, but her grin still stretched across her face.
And she just kept smiling, even after the meal. The four of them met together around the calendar, and in short order chose August 28, 1812. They informed Henry before settling down to cards. In everyone’s estimation, the evening passed much too swiftly.
“Are you still awake?”
“Yes, Cassie, come in.”
Cassie climbed onto Lizzy’s bed, her own gown and robe in place, and settled against the headboard with her. Lizzy set her book aside and turned to her.
“Are you pleased with the date?”
“Yes. It won’t be so warm in late August, and that was my only concern. Do you think Morland is happy with it, Lizzy?”
“Yes. His aunt explained things to him, and he was very understanding.”
“I’m glad.”
Lizzy waited, wondering what was really on her mind. She soon found out.
“Lizzy, do you think about your wedding night very often?”
“Almost every time I climb into this bed.”
“Do you truly?”
“Yes. Did you think you were the only one?”
“I guess I did. Are you at all nervous?”
“A little. It’s hard to imagine after the kissing.”
“I can’t even imagine the kissing.”
Lizzy smiled.
“Has Morland kissed you?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Lizzy laughed a little. “At first I was so surprised that I barely knew what was happening, but then I realized I enjoyed it very much.”
Cassandra thought about kissing Tate and felt herself blush.
“I’m going to blush the entire service, Lizzy,” Cassandra whispered, quietly outraged. “And every moment of my honeymoon. I’m certain of it.”
Lizzy laughed. “I don’t think you will, and besides, you won’t have eyes for anyone but Tate, so you won’t notice who sees your red face.”
“Where will you and Morland honeymoon?”
“I haven’t asked him yet. Has Tate told you?”
Cassandra nodded. “Just tonight. For a few nights we’ll be at the home of friends—the owners will be in London—and then on to Weston-super-Mare.”
“To the sea! How fun.”
“We’re going to sea bathe.”
“That will be wonderful.”
“I shall have to add a bathing costume to my list of clothing.”
In a moment, the women were talking about their trousseaus and the fact that Lizzy still had to find a wedding dress pattern that she liked.
They did not speak on the subject of wedding nights again, but as each woman settled into her own bed for sleep, it returned as an issue in both of their minds.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Thornton Hall
“A double wedding, Mari!” her sister-in-law announced with enthusiasm. “Isn’t it marvelous?”
“Yes. I can just imagine the activity at Newcomb Park.”
Oliver, the youngest of the Palmer clan, came looking for his mother just then. He toddled along wanting into Lydia’s lap, his cousin Catherine not far behind him. Once the little ones were comfortably ensconced in their mothers’ laps, thumbs in place, the women continued to talk.
“How is Judith?” Marianne wished to know. “Has everyone in the church family figured it out?”
“They would have to have poor eyesight not to notice. She’s beginning to think she’s carrying twins.”
“I had a dream of that sort when I was expecting Catherine. One was a baby and the other was a pig. It was the most horrific sight. I was afraid to go back to sleep for hours.”
Lydia found this highly amusing, and her burst of laughter startled her young son, who had been falling asleep in her arms. This made the scene even more amusing, and both women shook with their efforts to hold in their giggles.
Marianne glanced down at Catherine, who was smiling around her thumb, finding her own amusement over her mother’s shaking and laughing. Marianne’s smile was very tender for her daughter, and she bent her head to press a kiss to the soft, tiny brow.
Another one like this, Lord. I hope you give me another one like this.
Richmond
“Did you see the dress?” Penelope asked her nephew three weeks before the wedding.
“Yes. It’s perfect.”
“I’ve worn it before, you know.”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t matter, of course, but I thought you should know. Everyone is to be looking at the bride on that day in any event, and on your wedding day they’ll have two brides to stare at.”
Morland only nodded, not certain why he was hearing all of this.
“I think it’s wasteful to have more clothing than you need,” Penelope went on, even as Morland knew she had dozens of dresses. “I don’t need a new dress. I don’t go out much anymore, and I can’t see having a new garment for one day.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Morland suddenly asked pointedly, even knowing it might upset her.
“I just thought you should know,” she said, her voice becoming quiet.
“Do you know,” Morland began gently, “that you are all I have? And do you know that I don’t care what you wear to my wedding, as long as I have your blessing and you are there in the church with me?”
“I can’t stand for very long.”
“You may sit for the entire service.”
“I’m going to miss you so much,” the old woman admitted, her face a mask of pain.
“I’m not going far. Lizzy fell in love with Ludlow. We’re staying in Collingbourne so we can be near you, Lizzy’s family, and the church family.”
Tears filled the old, tired eyes.
“It’s bad luck to cry at weddings.”
“You don’t believe in luck.”
The tears would not be stopped.
“Come here, Morland.”
In an act much younger than his years, Morland went to her chair and knelt on the floor. Her arms went around him and held him close as she cried. Morland held her back, thanking God for this strong woman. Sometimes cross in her old age, she had been the first one to talk to him about Christ.
Morland had things to do, but he postponed as much as he could to spend most of the day with her. It was one of the most precious times he’d ever known. And in his heart he determined that he and Lizzy would visit often. As he’d reminded his aunt: Until he married Lizzy, she was all he had.
Brown Manor
Drenched with sweat and gasping for air, Anne Weston listened to the tiny cries of her
very small daughter and fell back against the pillows with relief. The pain had been nearly unbearable, but the baby was alive. She was early and tiny. But she was alive.
“How is she?” Anne asked, still with very little breath to talk.
“She looks fine.” Dr Smith’s voice was calm. “She’s no larger than a loaf of bread, but everything is there.”
“Weston? Where is Weston?”
“He was looking pale. I sent him out of the room. Are you ready to see him?”
“Please.”
Weston, who had also heard his daughter’s cries, was frozen in the hallway. He stared at the door, his heart beating furiously, but he couldn’t move.
“Robert,” his mother, Lenore, asked from his side. “Are you all right?”
“The baby cried.”
“Yes,” she agreed with him, her heart filled with tenderness and compassion even as she realized she’d never seen him this way.
The door opened suddenly and Jenny appeared. With that Weston broke from his trance. He went forward into the room, eyes only for Anne, who was smiling at him and speaking. Lenore was close behind him, looking for a sign of the baby even as she waited and let her son go alone to his wife.
Within minutes, however, the four of them huddled together, the baby in Anne’s arms, and looked in wonder at what God had given them. Already asleep, tiny and perfect, Sarah Anne Weston had come into their lives.
Newcomb Park
Charlotte and Barrington had arrived. The wedding was only two weeks away, and Charlotte showed up at the door, announcing her intentions of helping. Her sisters were delighted to see her, and between the three women, plans had shaped up nicely.
On one of her first days there, Charlotte asked her sisters to come to her room and approve her dress for the wedding.
“Try it on,” Lizzy urged her, and the women chatted while she did the honors. They loved the dark plum color and the detailing on the sleeves, telling her it was just right for the season. Charlotte didn’t stay in the dress but changed back into her muslin gown and joined her sisters where they’d made themselves comfortable in the chair and on the bed.
It didn’t take long before conversation shifted to the wedding night.
“I wasn’t afraid, but I was nervous,” Charlotte told them openly. “So was Barrington.”
“Barrington was nervous?” Cassandra clarified.
“Yes.”
Lizzy and Cassandra exchanged surprised looks. Charlotte watched them. It was clear by her sisters’ faces that it had never occurred to either of these women that their husbands might be nervous about this new experience as well.
“Charlotte.” Cassandra all but whispered the next question. “Did everything work properly?”
Charlotte found the question and her sister’s doubtful eyes hysterical and began to laugh.
“What did I say?” Cassandra asked.
But Charlotte was red in the face for laughing and couldn’t answer. She had to put a pillow over her mouth to muffle the sound.
Cassandra looked to Lizzy.
“Why was that funny?”
“It just was, Cassie.” Even Lizzy chuckled a little. “The wording. You might wonder if a carriage would work properly, but not the relationship between a husband and wife.”
Cassandra laughed too, but both younger women waited until Charlotte was in control before expecting her to answer. She hadn’t meant to make light of the situation, and she knew she was the perfect person to help, so she searched her mind for what would have comforted her and spoke seriously.
“I think if I could give you one word of advice, I would tell you to enjoy yourself. Ask questions if something isn’t completely clear to you. If your husband doesn’t know, you can figure it out together. Don’t be frustrated and have high expectations of yourself or your groom. Think of it as an adventure and laugh your way through it. It’s only one night among a lifetime together. Don’t take it too seriously.”
“Thank you,” Lizzy said, now confessing that she’d been doing just that. “I’ve been reminding myself that God planned this very special time for husbands and wives, and we should enjoy His gift to us, but I can tell I’ve been seeing it as a project.”
“Morland is sure to enjoy that,” Charlotte teased her gently.
The women would have talked longer, but Barrington came looking for his wife not long after. Lizzy and Cassandra vacated the room, and when the door shut, Barrington’s brows rose in question.
“Did I interrupt something important?”
“No, I think I put their minds at rest.”
“The wedding night?”
“Yes.”
Barrington smiled. “They’ll be fine.”
Charlotte put her arms around him.
“If Morland and Tate are half as loving as you are, they’ll be more than fine.”
Barrington’s arms encircled her as well, their lips meeting in a kiss. There was much he could have said to that comment, but right now it was more satisfying to act out his feelings.
“Dearly beloved,” Pastor Hurst said as he began the service on a sunny Friday morning. “We are gathered today in the sight of God and in the company of this assembly to unite this man and this woman, and this man and this woman, in holy matrimony.”
Tate tried to hear the rest, but he was completely distracted. Cassandra stood beside him, ready to become his wife. He didn’t know when his heart had felt so light.
Morland was in no better shape. He listened to Pastor Hurst, but every fiber of his being wanted to turn and look at the beautiful woman beside him: the woman who loved him, the woman who filled his heart until it threatened to overflow.
The service didn’t last overly long. For all the preparation, the ceremony was rather swift work. Soon Pastor Hurst presented Mr and Mrs Morland and Mr and Mrs Tate to the church family and townsfolk who attended. The congregation was quick to wish them well and send them on their way.
The foursome shared a carriage back to Pembroke, where Tate and Cassandra exited Morland’s carriage and went their own way.
The sisters hugged, their eyes alight with happiness.
“I’ll see you when you get back,” Lizzy said.
“Yes. We won’t stay away as long as Charlotte did.”
“No, indeed.”
A final hug and a wave, and the two families separated. Having sat and visited in the coach, each couple was now alone, free to hold each other and dream and talk until they arrived at their destinations for the night.
The couples gone, Walker caught up with Henry outside the church, wanting to offer his congratulations to him personally.
“Well, Henry, all three sisters married in one year.”
“Yes, Walker.” Henry was smiling. “And to men I count it a privilege to know.”
“Do you never yearn for yourself, Henry? Do you never wish for a wife and companion of your own?”
Henry’s smile grew. “Walker, you should know better. She might expect me to talk to her.”
James Walker laughed and turned back to where the coach had departed. Though long out of view, he prayed for the two new families, feeling utterly content that they would be staying in the area. He hoped they would be among them for a very long time.
“That was a lovely meal,” Lizzy told Morland hours later, just as he reached for her hand across the dining table they shared at the inn.
“You didn’t eat very much.”
“I find I’m suddenly all aflutter, Morland. We’ve known each other for years. Why would I feel that way?”
“This is new. This is foreign and exciting.”
“But it’s with you. Not some stranger, but you, my friend, and the man I love.”
“I think,” Morland’s voice dropped, “that I would like to finish this conversation in our room.”
“Do you think someone will hear us?”
“No. I think I’m going to end up chasing you around the room, and I want to increase my chances.”
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Lizzy’s hand came to her mouth to keep from laughing, but she wasn’t about to argue. When Morland rose to help her with her chair, she stood and tucked her arm in his. Rather taken with each other, that they made it up the stairway of the inn to their room above was something of a miracle.
“Do you know what my sister told me a few days ago?” Cassandra said when they were finally alone at the home they were staying in their first night.
Tate shook his head no, stepping very close to wait for her answer.
“She said to see this night as an adventure and to laugh my way through it.”
Tate smiled, his hands finding hers.
“I like that idea,” he whispered. “Will you go on an adventure with me, Mrs Tate?”
“Anytime you ask.”
Mrs Tate went into his arms, all doubts fleeing. His first kiss sent her pulses racing, and she found herself with one final thought: You were right, Charlotte. This is going to be a most wondrous adventure.
Epilogue
Ludlow
“We’ve a letter, Lizzy,” Morland said as he climbed back into bed on a lazy Saturday morning. “It’s from Henry.”
“Oh, please read it, Morland,” she begged, snuggling close in the large bed they had shared for several weeks.
Dearest Morland and Lizzy,
We are arrived safely. It was raining when we got to the house, but nothing torrential. I can feel the heat that Edward spoke of, although I think the weather may have cooled some.
I never in my life thought to see a live elephant, but I can tell you that I have. He was huge. A bull with several females. When he trumpeted, I shook in terror but would not have missed it for the world.
Morland had to stop. His wife was gasping and laughing with such delight that he had to stop and watch her.
“Can you imagine?” Lizzy exclaimed. “I almost wish we could go.”