Lydia’s wedding day arrived. Jane and Elizabeth felt more nervous for their sister than she felt for herself. The carriage was sent to bring the new couple back to Longbourn for dinner. Jane was especially worried; she imagined how ashamed she would feel if she were in Lydia’s place, and she expected Lydia to be just as upset.
But when the carriage arrived, Lydia was not ashamed at all. She ran into the house, shouting and laughing. Mrs. Bennet welcomed her with open arms and huge smiles, while Mr. Bennet stayed quiet and looked very serious.
Lydia had not changed. She was still loud, noisy, and fearless. She went from sister to sister, demanding that they congratulate her. She looked around the room and laughed, saying how long it had been since she was last there.
Wickham was just as relaxed as his new wife. He still had his charming manners and easy smile. Elizabeth was disgusted by how comfortable they both felt. She and Jane were blushing with embarrassment, but Lydia and Wickham looked perfectly happy.
During dinner, Lydia could not stop talking. She wanted everyone to know she was now a "married woman." She even told Jane to move to a different seat. "Ah, Jane, I take your place now," she said proudly. "You must sit lower down the table because I am married and you are not."
After dinner, Lydia went to find the servants to show them her wedding ring. She told her mother how much her sisters must envy her. "They should all go to Brighton," she said. "That is the place to find husbands. What a pity you didn't all go!"
Lydia also talked about her future in the North of England. She promised to invite her sisters to balls and find husbands for them. Elizabeth thanked her but added quietly, "I don’t particularly like your way of finding husbands."
Wickham and Lydia stayed at Longbourn for ten days. Elizabeth noticed that while Lydia loved Wickham very much, he did not seem to love her nearly as much in return. She suspected he had only run away with her because of his money troubles, and he only married her because he was paid to do so.
One morning, Lydia was sitting with Jane and Elizabeth. "Lizzy, did I tell you about my wedding?" she asked. "Are you curious to hear how it went?"
"No, really," Elizabeth replied. "I think the less said about it, the better."
"Oh, you are so strange!" Lydia laughed. She began to tell the story anyway. She talked about the church in London and how nervous she was that the wedding might be delayed.
"My uncle was supposed to give me away," Lydia explained. "But he was called away on business at the last minute. I was so scared! But luckily, he came back in ten minutes. I realized later that even if he hadn't come back, the wedding could still have happened. Mr. Darcy could have given me away instead."
"Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth cried, completely shocked.
"Oh, yes! He was there with Wickham," Lydia said. Then she stopped and looked worried. "Oh, no! I forgot! I promised faithfully not to tell anyone. It was supposed to be a secret. What will Wickham say?"
"If it was a secret, don't say another word," Jane said quickly.
Elizabeth was burning with curiosity, but she didn't ask more questions because she knew Lydia would probably tell her everything anyway. Instead, she ran out of the room.
She couldn't stop thinking about it. Why was Mr. Darcy at the wedding? He had no reason to be there. He didn't even like Wickham. Elizabeth needed to know the truth. She sat down and wrote a letter to her aunt, Mrs. Gardiner.
"Please explain why Mr. Darcy was at the wedding," she wrote. "He is a stranger to our family. Why was he there at such a time? Please tell me the truth, unless there is a very important reason to keep it a secret."
Elizabeth finished the letter and sent it, waiting impatiently for an answer. She felt that her life depended on finding out the truth about Mr. Darcy's role in her sister's marriage.