Chapter 17: Wedding Bells

“Dearly beloved,” the priest intoned, “we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted of God in the time of man’s innocence, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church; which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee; and is commended of Saint Paul to be honourable amongst all men: and therefore is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy men’s carnal lusts and appetites, like brute beasts that have no understanding; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God; duly considering the causes for which Matrimony was ordained.”

The priest now got into the flow, and his speech picked up verve.

“First, It was ordained for the procreation of children, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praise of his holy Name.

“Secondly, It was ordained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication; that such persons as have not the gift of continency might marry, and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ’s body.

“Thirdly, It was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity. Into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. Therefore if any man can shew any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter and for ever hold his peace.”

Of course, nobody spoke up, but the priest waited a full minute before he continued.

“I require and charge you both, as ye will answer at the dreadful day of judgement when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, that if either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in Matrimony, ye do now confess it. For be ye well assured, that so many as are coupled together otherwise than God’s Word doth allow are not joined together by God; neither is their Matrimony lawful.

“Sir Anthony Carter, thou have this Woman to thy wedded Wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?”

“I shall,” Tony answered in a clear voice that echoed from the domed ceiling of the church.

“Harriet Abigail Palmer, thou have this Man to thy wedded Husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honour, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”

“I shall!” Harriet proclaimed proudly.

“Who giveth this Woman to be married to this Man?” the priest asked.

“I do,” Sir Richard Lambert, resplendent in his full Admiral’s uniform, declared.

The priest nodded, and Tony spoke the marriage vows.

“I, Sir Anthony Carter, Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, take thee, Harriet Abigail Palmer, to my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.”

Harriet took his right hand and, looking into his eyes with deep love, spoke her vows.

“I, Harriet Abigail Palmer, take thee, Anthony Carter, to my wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth.”

They exchanged the rings, and both felt each other’s warmth when their hands touched. This was their moment! Tony spoke again in the prescribed words he had practised over the last week.

“With this Ring I thee wed, with my Body I thee worship, and with all my worldly Goods I thee endow: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

Harriet and Tony knelt before the priest to hear the prayer. The priest joined their right hands together, and intoned.

“Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.”

Then the priest turned to the congregation.

“Forasmuch as Sir Anthony Carter and Harriet Palmer have consented together in holy Wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a Ring, and by joining of hands; I pronounce that they be Man and Wife together. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

“God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favour look upon you; and so fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye may so live together in this life, that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen.”

The bright light outside the church blinded them briefly, and Tony tried to get his bearings. A hundred sailors from HMS Clyde stood to either side of the entrance and cheered the couple as they exited the church. That was really nice of Fortescue! He knew that the Clyde’s crew had served under their former captain for years and had allowed a select group to attend the wedding. Other officers were there as well, some of his brother captains on leave in London, and of course, friends and comrades in arms of his father-in-law. Harriet beamed at all of them and waved her hands at the many people who had gathered outside.

Behind them, the three bridesmaids exited the church, and the couple turned to hug each of them to the cheering of the guests.

“Imagine, you are next,” Harriet beamed at Moira, hugging the black haired beauty with feeling.

“Don’t be so sure,” Lucy whispered into Harriet’s ear when she hugged her friend.

“Really?” Harriet gushed.

“He proposed yesterday!”

Throwing dignity to the wind, Harriet hugged Lucy again.

“I’m so happy for you!”

Next came Anita.

“Anita, you made this dream come true for me. You will always be a part of us.”

Anita nodded, not trusting her voice, and simply hugged Harriet back. Then she turned to Tony.

“You treat this woman right, or else!”

Tony simply smiled at her and gave her a hug.

The crowd screamed with delight, and Tony and Harriet turned. Carried on two long spars and by at least thirty sailors led by John Little, the captain’s gig of HMS Clyde was presented to them, thoroughly cleaned and shining in its fresh paint.

“I thought you would like to use it one more time on this occasion, Sir Anthony,” Captain Fortescue grinned.

Tony gripped his hand.

“Thank you, this is a wonderful idea!”

Lifting Harriet up in his arms — to the amusement of the crowd — he placed her in the stern sheets of the gig. Captain Fortescue helped the bridesmaids into the boat as well, and Tony had to sit beside his bride whilst the sailors picked up the boat. Followed by the other guests, they were carried away from the church and toward the Golden Cross inn where the reception was held. The people in the streets looked up with amusement at the merry procession and cheered the couple. In front of the inn, the boat was lowered, and Tony helped Harriet out of the boat whilst Captain Fortescue took great pleasure in assisting the bridesmaids.

Once inside, Tony and Harriet stood by the entrance to greet their well wishers. Harriet knew most of the people well, but for Tony, a lot of the well-wishers were strangers. There came another man in admiral’s uniform, a very young woman at his side. Tony guessed the man’s identity.

“Lady Carter, Sir Anthony, my felicitations! I am Sir Pierce Fallon.”

“Thank you for coming, Sir Pierce! We were afraid that our invitation would be on too short a notice.”

“Thank you, Sir Pierce,” Harriet smiled. “Oh my, it’s been so many years.”

“May I present my wife Amanda?”

“My felicitations,” the young woman said haltingly.

“Thank you, Lady Fallon,” Harriet smiled. “I am looking forward to your company on our journey.” She hugged the young woman impulsively.

The open friendliness of Harriet Carter surprised Amanda Fallon. She knew Harriet Carter to have been married to the son of a Peer, and she was very much a young woman of the society. Her experience with young ladies her age had not been pleasant. Amanda was the only daughter of a Manchester wool and cloth merchant who had come to wealth during the war. She had been born in a wooden hut behind her father’s store house, and although her father was rich now and owned a huge mansion in Manchester, and whilst she had been sent to excellent schools, she had been an outcast amongst her age mates, the daughter of an uncouth upstart. She had been apprehensive about this wedding, fearing another day of humiliation. A genuine smile broke out on the young woman’s face, and she hugged the bride back.

“Yes, I think it will be exciting, but aren’t you afraid of the dangers?”

Harriet laughed and hugged her husband.

“I’ve been through a hurricane with this man already. I trusted him then and I trust him now to bring me safely to any destination. Have you ever travelled by sea, dear?”

Amanda Fallon shook her head, feeling stupid.

“We shall be gone for a week, but maybe in two weeks, would you like to come and visit me? I shall give you a few pointers as to what a woman needs on board a ship.”

“Oh, could you? That would be so nice!”

The Fallons had to move on for the next well-wishers to take their place. When Tony and Harriet had finished shaking all the offered hands, they felt quite drained. It was fortunate that the banquet was ready. Tony and Harriet were escorted to their place at the top of the table. There were no relatives from Tony’s side which allowed for the bridesmaids and the best man, Captain Fortescue, to sit with the couple. Sir Richard and Lady Lambert framed them from Harriet’s side. Over the five courses of the wedding dinner, toasts were exchanged across the table, but Tony drank very sparingly. Tonight would be a high point of his life, and he we was not about to spoil it by being drunk.

Finally, before dessert was served, Captain Fortescue stood to deliver the customary speech of the best man.

“Dear Lady Carter, Sir Richard, my dear guests. As the best man, it is my solemn duty at this point to toast the couple. As you know, I have sailed under Sir Anthony on two cruises. On the first journey, he proved to be a perfect knight errant, saving a noble Spanish lady from traitorous captivity, and escorting her back to her husband’s care. I admired his tact then, and I thought that the woman who would find a way to his heart should be counted lucky. After our second journey, when he was severely wounded, this wonderful young lady rushed to his side and she spared no effort or sacrifice to see him back to health. It was then that I realised that my original assumption was wrong. It is indeed he, who must be counted a lucky man. Therefore, I raise my glass. May their luck never end!”

Tony and Harriet shook Fortescue’s hands whilst the guests voiced their approval. Dessert was served, and after that, the first guests took their leave. It was known that Tony and Harriet would leave London in the afternoon to spend a week on the High Matcham estate near Maidenhead, Harriet’s dowry. Nadine Blacket had already left for the place a week before, to get the manor house cleaned up and ready for the new owners.

Lucy left at the arm of Mr. Wilkes. When they said their good-bye to Harriet and Tony, they chatted briefly about Harriet’s plan to accompany Tony to Barbados.

“I envy you, Lady Carter,” Mr. Wilkes admitted. “I have never been outside of England, and the Caribbean must be wonderful. I am somewhat of a naturalist on the side, and it would be heaven for me to see those foreign lands and their fauna.”

“Well, I can offer a position as a ship’s surgeon in Asia,” Tony joked, knowing that Mr. Wilkes had a large and lucrative practice in London. He was astonished, therefore, when Mr. Wilkes took the offer seriously.

“That is something to ponder,” he mused. “Were it not for Lucy, I think I would go at once. You should know that I proposed to her, and she accepted. I would not leave her now for all the specimens of the Caribbean.”

Lucy and Harriet stared at each other.

“Harriet, are you thinking the same?” Lucy asked, taking both Harriet’s hands.

“Yes! Oh, it would be so wonderful! Think about it, Mr. Wilkes. We could have a wonderful time.”

Tony realised that he had started something with his jest.

“My dears, this is not something for Mr. Wilkes to decide on the spot. He has responsibilities to observe. Personally, I would be happy to have a truly skilled surgeon on board, and to have you, Lucy, with us would be wonderful for Harriet and me. Yet, take your time. We shall not return to London for a week.”

It was three o’clock in the afternoon before the newlywed couple boarded the comfortable coach that would convey them to Maidenhead. The thick blankets and cloaks had been warmed with heated bricks for the three-hours journey, and the coach was escorted by two armed horsemen. Being held up by highwaymen was not a rare occurrence, and Sir Richard had thought it best to have the couple escorted. John Little sat with the driver, wrapped in a warm sheep skin coat, and Tony himself had his sword and two double-barrelled pistols.

Darkness set in shortly before five o’clock, and they were still an hour away from their destination, when indeed something unexpected happened. Without warning, the coach lurched frightfully and came to a jolting halt, throwing drivers and passengers off their seats.

“Ouch! What was that?” Harriet asked weakly, groping about in the darkness to orient herself.

“I have no idea. Are you hurt, Harriet?”

“I bumped my shins, but not badly. How about you?”

“I should be all right. Let us try to get out.”

He felt for the latch of the door. There it was. In the dark, he also felt for the pistols and his sword before he opened the door. He still did not know what had happened. In the dim light of the coach lanterns, he could see the two escorts who tried to calm the frightened horses. There came John Little. He limped, favouring his left leg.

“What the hell happened, Little,” Tony asked irritably.

“Damned if I know, Sir. The blasted coach just stopped and I was thrown.”

“What’s with your leg then?”

“Bruised my shins, Sir. Nothing broken or so I think, but it hurts like hellfire.”

“Harriet, please come out of the coach. This may take a while to sort out.”

Tony helped his wife out and wrapped her coat around her to protect her from the biting cold.

One of the escorts had found the coach driver who was holding his head, blood dripping from a head wound.

“Nigh on cracked me scull, Cap’n.”

He went to examine the damage.

“Muckin’ wheel came off, Cap’n. Be a while ter fixit.”

Indeed, the left front wheel had come off. Using a torch, one of the escorts searched the underbrush to the left side and found it. Luckily, there was no damage to it. After examining the wheel and the axle, the driver declared they could fix the coach. The two escorts and John Little applied to the task of lifting the left front of the coach, but it was too heavy.

“Stand here to our side, darling. I’ll help them, or we’ll have to spend the night here.”

He threw his cloak into the coach and, bracing his back against the coach, took a good grip. The heavy coach was still barely manageable, but suddenly the weight diminished by a fraction. Surprised, Tony looked sideways to see Harriet with her back against the coach and heaving with the men. She grinned at him in the faint light.

“In good times and bad, remember?”

“Got it!” The driver shouted, and they were able to rest their backs.

Harriet then insisted on binding the driver’s head wound, making the man mute with astonishment, and it was another twenty minutes before the coach ride resumed. The horses had cooled out, and they could not go fast at first. Thus, it was after 8 o’clock when the coach finally drew up before the manor of High Matcham, Harriet’s dowry.

Harriet was tired and frozen, not feeling an appetite at all. She wanted to forego the dinner prepared by Mrs. Blacket and go to bed right away, and Tony brought her up into their bedroom.

“Harriet, darling, you were very brave today,” he coaxed her soothingly, “but you are cold now, and there is no fire up here in the bedroom. I want you to come down with me, and sit by the fire. One of Nadine’s hot chocolates ought to bring back the colour to your cheeks. We shall have our dinner, we shall drink a glass of sherry, and then I shall bring you to bed and warm you with my body. Will you come, love?”

Reluctantly, Harriet consented. She had to admit that the roaring fire in the living room was a blessing for her frozen limbs, and the hot chocolate she was served renewed her spirits. It tasted strange to her, but good; and at first she did not notice that it had been spiked with a generous helping of Navy rum.

The rich chicken soup served for dinner added further to the feeling of warmth, and after the pot roast, Harriet had to concede that this was better than lying in a cold bed. An excellent Madeira wine added to the comfort they felt, and when Tony led her upstairs a little after ten o’clock, Harriet was almost herself again.