Saturday, 23rd May 1733

The final notes of a Bach prelude reverberated from the harpsichord, and a hush fell over those gathered in the salon as they turned to focus on the three at the front. Bishop Smallbroke opened a leather-bound copy of the Book of Common Prayer and held it in front of Aldrick, pointing to the lines, then he looked up and said, "May God be our witness."

Aldrick faced Elizabeth and took her hands in his as he read, "I, Aldrick Bartholomew Montford, take thee, Elizabeth Anne Leigh, to be 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 depart, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth."

Aldrick smiled at Elizabeth as the Bishop turned the book to her.

She returned the smile, then read, "I, Elizabeth Anne Leigh, take thee, Aldrick Bartholomew Montford, to be 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 ob..." She paused and looked up into Aldrick's smiling face, then she continued. "And respect, till death us depart, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth."

The bishop suppressed a laugh as he said, "The ring."

George stepped forward with a small red velvet pillow. Aldrick picked the ring from it, and as he slid it onto Elizabeth's finger, he read from the Book, "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."

The bishop made a sign as he said, "May God bless your union."

While Mary played a quiet Handel suite on the harpsichord, the guests rose from their seats and formed a receiving line to greet the newly-wed couple. Aldrick and Elizabeth moved slowly along, pausing at each to receive their congratulations and well wishes and to share a few words.

When they reached the end of the line, Elizabeth led Aldrick to the staff gathered at the back of the room, and they continued the greetings there. The assembled nobility and gentry looked on in amusement, and some, perhaps, with disdain as they slowly filed out of the salon and into the great hallway to talk among themselves. 

Elizabeth lingered a long while with the staff, many of whom she had known for years, some of them her entire life. Finally, with a promise to return from time to time, she led Aldrick out into the hallway to see it empty, all the guests having disappeared around the corner. She squeezed Aldrick's hand and giggled as they followed. "Mother will explain that our tarrying is to allow us to make an entrance." 

"In the dining room?" 

"No, first in the ballroom for wine and more greetings while the staff arrange the food. It was the only way we could do it so all could attend the ceremony." She sighed. "You may need to prod me; I quickly tire in the company of the disingenuous."

"As do I. Did you notice the frequency of comments on the novelty of marrying for love? It seemed almost as an insult from some." 

Elizabeth shrugged. "Defending their sacrifice to continue the family lineage and fortune. They have been convinced that love leads to unwise breeding, which begets but common people."

Aldrick nodded as he guided her around the corner. "A few of them appear to have grown to love each other. Your parents certainly share a fine affection."

Elizabeth laughed. "They are like us, in love, and they have been since they met while attending a play in Coventry. Unfortunately, her hand had been arranged many years prior, so finding no permission, they slipped away on an extended tour of the continent."

"With what means? That is not an inexpensive undertaking."

"Father had succeeded to the title and the estate that year."

"When was that?"

"An easy date to remember. It was 1710, the year before I was born." Elizabeth giggled as she rubbed her abdomen. "Mother has told me I travelled with them from Paris to Venice, before we sailed back to her family's reluctant permission, followed soon by a wedding and my birth."

He chuckled. "Thus, your adventurous spirit."

"Yes, I am sure, but it has not spread to Thomas. Father has long argued among the Lords that succession should fall to the eldest, regardless of sex."

"As it has been done with royalty since the first Queen Mary."

"Indeed! And that has been his argument." Elizabeth shrugged. "He also argues that if the Lords want true lineage, they must consider it comes through the woman, not the man. There is no way to prove the father, but the mother bears witness."

"That argument would win him no support from the patriarchal among the Lords." Aldrick laughed. "But that is most of them."

"Yes, it is most." Elizabeth sighed as she pulled him to a stop and wrapped her arms around him. "Shall we give each other courage before we face them?" She rose to her toes as Aldrick bent, and their lips met to gently tease before continuing into a deep kiss.

A passionate while later, after they had parted, he rearranged her bodice, and she repositioned him from his breeches leg to stand beneath the left front of his waistcoat. Satisfied with their appearance, they continued along the hallway to the dining room.

At the door, the butler announced, "Sir Aldrick and Lady Elizabeth Montford." The murmur of quiet conversation changed to applause as they continued into the room, receiving more congratulations, now less formal and with questions. When asked whether they would follow the fashion and undertake a grand tour, Elizabeth replied, "Yes, we depart the middle of August." 

A small crowd had gathered around them by this time, and a pompous lady looked up from her wine glass to say, "You will love Pariee, but don't dally long Frawnze." Then in an attempt to sound Italian, she continued, "Turino, Firenza, Venetia and Roma have so much to offer." 

Elizabeth smiled at the Countess. "Thank you, Your Ladyship, but we have included none of those in our itinerary. We are venturing farther."

"Oh, but you must do Italia, my dear. One can spend only so much time looking at piles of stones in Greece before it becomes wearisome."

"On our later voyages we will visit Italy and Greece," Aldrick spoke up. "But our first one will take us to Bordeaux, Oporto, Madeira —"

A loud laugh interrupted him, "A wine tour."

"If you will. We are having a —"

"So, the Saint James pilgrimage to Compostela," another interrupted.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, we will be —" 

The Earl spoke over her. "I was sent on that when I was young, and I despised Father for it ever after. It is little but bleak countryside, bland villages and boring peasants."

An old man laughed, then asked, "And what of difference from that have you around your Shropshire estate?"

Elizabeth slowly withdrew, guiding Aldrick as she sidled across to her parents who had moved away when the conversation began turning. Arriving at their side, she rolled her eyes. "Your timing was better than ours."

"This is often the manner of debates among the Lords in the House, and I know the signs." Edward patted her arm. "You had not told us you have planned a tour."

"I wanted to keep it as a surprise until after we were wed."

Anne smiled. "That is sweet of you. Where have you planned to visit?"

At Elizabeth's pause, Aldrick replied for her, "The Caribbean Islands."

Edward nodded. "Yes, your family has a long-established trade there, so you can easily voyage in one of the company ships,"

"No, they lack the grand comfort I wish to afford Elizabeth, so I have commissioned a new one."

Edward pursed his lips. "But why to the Caribbean? Why not sail to the Mediterranean, to Italy, the Aegean, the Greek Isles, Constantinople?"

"We would love to explore all those, and we will. " Aldrick paused. "But first, we have a duty to the family."

"Duty? Family?" Anne tilted her head. "Pray, tell more."

Aldrick examined their surroundings to ensure no other ears were near. "We must keep this close among us." Then in a low voice, he continued, "Grandfather had been granted a letter of marque by the second King Charles to help rid the Caribbean of pirates."

He paused to confirm no one was near, then in a whisper, he continued, "Homeward-bound in 1679 with three ships, he wrecked onto unknown islets during a storm. He had to leave behind twenty-five tons of gold and —"

"Tons!" Edward interrupted, his eyes growing round.

"Yes, and twelve tons of silver."

"And it is still there?" 

Aldrick nodded. "And I have finally determined where it is." He put a finger to his lips as people approached. "We will talk of this later." 

They were again surrounded by wedding guests, many of whom seemed more interested in self-aggrandising and strutting than in sharing, so the newly-weds listened to sequential monologues. They were finally rescued from this by the butler's call for attention.

When the room had quieted, Anne announced, "Our celebratory luncheon will be ready in a short while, and for it, we bring to Warwickshire a fashion which is spreading in London. At the end of the Season last year, the Earl and Countess of Burlington presented a splendid table in their Piccadilly house."

She paused to observe the response, then continued, "Rather than sitting in small company remote from most others along the sides of the table, we will stand as we are here and avail ourselves of the huge variety of foods ranged on the table in the centre of the room, selecting at our whim."

A voice from the crowd said, "Like hogs at a trough."

When the short outburst of laughter had subsided, Anne continued, "You may if you so desire, but the genteel will make selections onto our small plates, then circulate among the others, enjoying not only a broad variety of bite-sized savouries and sweetmeats, but also of people."

While Anne paused, Aldrick whispered into Elizabeth's ear, "Allowing us easy excuse to move away from the boorish to find better company."

"Exactly! We had delighted in watching the selection..."

She paused when her mother resumed. "This also obviates disputes about seating position. We are all equally here to celebrate the union of Elizabeth and Aldrick." She raised an arm toward the door. "Shall we continue our celebration in the dining room?"

Within ten minutes, the boorish were on their own or congregated with others of similar disposition, while the remainder of the guests delighted in each other's company.

An hour and more later, Elizabeth had the butler call for attention, and when she had it, she took Aldrick's hand and spoke to the gathering. "We thank you for celebrating with us, and while we delight in your company, we now have matters to which we must attend in private."

She rose to her toes as Aldrick bent, and they joined in a passionate kiss to the cheers and applause of the guests.