After dinner, the party retired to the sitting room at the back of the house. They had enjoyed a lavish dinner with many toasts to the happy couple, and there had been much laughter and jovial conversation.

“Friends, friends!” Lord Pembrooke said, tapping the side of his glass. The room grew quiet, and they all looked up at him and Henrietta, who stood beside him. “We are so happy that you came to visit us. We are so looking forward to our wedding, and we are so thankful that you have all agreed to come and witness our marriage.”

There were murmurs of agreement from everyone and smiles from all around the room.

“We also would like to share something very special with you,” Lord Pembrooke said. “My family has a very special wedding tradition that has been observed for the last few generations, and we are keeping that tradition alive with our wedding.”

He turned from them to the cabinet they had been looking at earlier, and he swung the doors open, revealing the jewelry.

The guests all got up and surrounded the tiny cabinet, gazing down at the jewels.

“Lord Pembrooke, where did your family come by these jewels? I have not seen their equal,” Lord Wingfield said.

It was Lord Pembrooke’s brother, Lord William, who answered, rather assuredly. “Our grandfather, the Duke of Hallington, was given these precious jewels from a member of the royal family, his cousin in fact.”

Lord Pembrooke nodded his head, and continued where his brother had left off, “He had done some great service for the royal family and been given the jewels for his wife as a sincere thank you. He passed it onto my father, who allowed my mother to use it in their wedding ceremony, and now they have given us permission to use it in ours.”

“That’s simply wonderful,” Lady Mary said.

“They are absolutely stunning!” Lady Charlotte said, smiling up at Henrietta. “What a beautiful bride you will make.”

“The most beautiful,” Lady Mary agreed, beaming at her friend.

"Such rare and precious jewels," said Lord Wilds. "They are truly a splendid family heirloom." He smiled down at them, as he stood nearly a head taller than Lord Pembrooke. “Thank you for sharing these with us, friend.”

“Certainly,” Lord Pembrooke said, ensuring the cabinet was closed tightly. “We are just so very excited for the wedding, and we cannot wait for the day to arrive.”

“You won’t have to wait long now,” said Lord William, smiling at Henrietta.

She smiled at him in return. Her heart was warmed by all the love that she felt from everyone in the room. She felt incredibly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who were as excited for them as they were for themselves.

As they settled back down into their seats, Lord Wilds spoke up. “So you have been betrothed for many years now, have you not?”

Lord Pembrooke nodded his head in response. “We have. Since I was nearly ten years old and she was…what…six?”

Henrietta nodded her head. “I was six, wasn’t I? It feels as if I have known I was to marry you for my entire life.”

“Do you remember when your parents told you?” Lady Wilds asked, getting comfortable for what she assumed was going to be a story.

“We were together, actually,” Henrietta began, looking over at Lord Pembrooke, smiling. “Your family had come to visit mine at our country home, and our parents had been in discussion all day. Not that any of us children noticed; we were far too busy playing in that wide field behind our home.”

“If I remember correctly, it had snowed the night before, right?” Lord Pembrooke added.

“I don’t think it had, brother,” Lord William chimed in. “I think it snowed the following night.”

Lord Pembrooke shook his head. “No matter,” he replied, still smiling. “What I do remember is that we had spent a great amount of time outdoors, and our parents had called us inside, just the two of us, and left our siblings outside to play.”

Henrietta nodded. “My mother was the first to speak, knowing that it would probably startle me.”

“She had said, ‘Children, we have something very important to discuss with you. Something that you won’t quite understand, but we believe it will be the very best thing for you.’” Lord Pembrooke said.

“And I remember just looking at one another, confused,” Henrietta said, laughing. “She went on to say that as a group they had all come to this decision, and that while we may not like it now, one day, we would be happy with it.”

Lord Pembrooke looked at Henrietta, and suddenly, the two of them felt as if they were simply talking to one another, and that they were entirely alone in the room together. He smiled tenderly at her. “My father took over the conversation and told us very plainly that they had decided they we were to be married when Lady Henrietta turned twenty-one years of age. The union would benefit both of our families and ensure both of us would be taken care of and have a comfortable home.”

“Not that we understood what most of that meant,” Henrietta added, brushing the hem of her dress smooth. “We were far more concerned with being able to return to playing with our friends and siblings. To us, the future was far away, not something to be concerned with. How quickly it surprised us.”

Lord Pembrooke added, “And now, looking back on it, I couldn’t have been more pleased with our parents’ choice. There was no need to spend night upon night at social events, pretending to laugh at jokes that were not amusing, making flatteries that meant nothing, and dancing with those who we had no desire for.”

“So you are both pleased that you didn’t have to seek out your own mate?” Lady Charlotte asked, studying her friends.

“Absolutely,” Henrietta said. “I agree wholeheartedly with Lord Pembrooke. All of the confusion, heartache and frustration have been removed for us. We were able to spend our time together getting to know one another before our wedding. It has been quite an amusing experience.”

"So did you often think of the fact that you were engaged? When you were young?" Lady Mary asked.

Henrietta shrugged her shoulders. "I probably thought of it more frequently than he did, since most young ladies often dream of love and marriage when they are young. And as I said, it certainly was quite the relief to know that my husband was to be a person that I already knew and found to be quite amiable."

Lord Pembrooke raised an eyebrow. "Quite amiable? Is that how you perceived me as a child?"

"There are many things that I could have perceived you as; be grateful that I was as generous as I was! If only I had known what sort of man you would become!" Henrietta replied, a playful tone in her voice.

Lord Pembrooke smiled wide, his smile softening Henrietta's heart. The rest of their guests laughed, and the whole night felt as if it were out of a story. Henrietta's heart was full, and she longed for the evening to last forever. There was nothing more precious to her than the company of her friends, and to have them all in the same place felt like a dream she had long cherished had come true.

Lady Wilds stifled a yawn, and with a sinking heart, Henrietta smiled at her friend. "We do not wish to keep you any later than you can stay, dear friends."

Lady Wilds' eyes grew wide, and she waved a hand in the air, dismissing Henrietta's words. "Oh, do not worry about me, Lady Henrietta. The journey today simply seemed to have been more tiring than I had anticipated."

Lord William got to his feet and nodded at his brother. "It is getting late, brother. We should allow our guests to retire for the evening. We will have plenty of time together this week."

Lord Pembrooke nodded his head, setting his goblet down on the ornately carved table beside him. "Of course. We do not wish for you to feel as if you have to tarry here; we would not be the friends we claim to be if you faint of tiredness because you stayed at our expense." He bowed his head to the group. "It has been an absolutely brilliant evening, and we are both so glad that you are here to help us celebrate our wedding."

The group gathered their belongings and said their goodbyes, which turned into more conversations, embracing, and well wishing. Eventually, when the moon was high in the sky, the Wilds and the Wingfields called for their carriages to take them to the Inn in town where they would stay for the short time left before the wedding.

Henrietta and Lord Pembrooke waved as their carriages disappeared down the long drive, and shortly after returned indoors where their remaining guests waited.

Lady Charlotte and Lady Mary smiled at Henrietta from inside the doorway, and they found Lord William and Lord Boyle conversing beside the door to the drawing room.

"What a lovely dinner party," Lady Mary said, her eyes glimmering in the lamplight.

Lady Charlotte nodded, clasping her hands together. "There are few greater pleasures in this life than spending an evening such as this one with friends such as we have."

Henrietta smiled. "I couldn't agree more."

"We should retire for the evening," Lord Pembrooke said to the group. "Tomorrow will come early, and I must admit my weariness."

"Good idea, brother," Lord William said. "A good night's rest would do the future bride well," he said, winking once more at Henrietta, who laughed in reply.

Lord Pembrooke embraced Henrietta, and only released his hold on her when his brother cleared his throat rather loudly. Henrietta's brother laughed.

"All right, come now, you have a marriage to prepare for!" Lord William said, grasping his brother's arm. "My apologies, Lady Henrietta. My brother is such a passionate man."

Lord Pembrooke smiled at her. "All right, good night ladies. I do hope you all sleep well."

"Thank you," Henrietta said, smiling up into his face. “You as well, my love.”

"And thank you for allowing us to stay here as well, Lord Pembrooke," Lady Charlotte added, inclining her head.

"Yes!" agreed Lady Mary. "You are most kind, my lord."

"Think nothing of it; I knew how much help you would be to my betrothed in this busy time. I am glad you are here."

The group retired to their rooms, Lord Pembrooke and his brother to their individual rooms, Lord Boyle to a guest room, and Henrietta, Lady Charlotte, and Lady Mary to a guest suite prepared for her by the Marquess and Marchioness of Crettingham, Lord Pembrooke's parents. The night ended quietly, with nothing to trouble them but a chittering owl outside, bathed in the light of the moon.