The midwife had been sent for to ensure that all was well with Elizabeth, and after the young mother and infants were proclaimed to be in perfect health, Lady Anne finally wrote a note to be sent express to her son.
Darcy arrived to his townhouse after meeting with his solicitor on some business matters. He was anxious to return to Pemberley, as he missed his wife dearly. He had received a letter from her the previous day telling him how much she missed him and of her day with his mother.
Stepping to the sideboard in his study, Darcy poured himself a glass of port. He took the glass with him to his desk, sitting down to do some work. He hoped to finish everything by the following day, as he had no desire to remain in London any longer than necessary. Picking up a letter from his desk, he opened to find it was from Alex.
William,
I pray that this letter finds you well and soon to be returning to my sister. I know that she is missing you terribly, as she is loathed to be away from you. I look forward to Charlotte and me coming to Pemberley in a fortnight. We are pleased to be able to be with you when your child is born.
I have heard from Uncle Edwin that you have some of the best fishing locations to be found. I plan to take advantage of your knowledge of these prime locations as well as some of your fishing gear.
Will see you soon,
Alex (and Charlotte)
Smiling, Darcy took a sip of his port. He had received word from Bingley as well, with a similar message. The Bennet siblings and their spouses were all to be at Pemberley for the first time in a few weeks.
As he finished his work and prepared to move to his rooms for the evening when a knock was heard on the study door. “Enter” he called out and the door opened to allow one of his post carriers nearly running out of breath. “Joshua, what has happened? Is my wife well?”
Joshua held up the letter to Darcy who quickly tore the paper from the young man’s hands. He opened it immediately, finding it was in his mother’s handwriting did nothing to calm his fear.
William,
Calm yourself, Elizabeth is well and very happy. A son and a daughter. All look forward to your return. All are healthy and strong. Lizzy sends her love.
All my love, your mother
Darcy sat down in his chair quickly, as his knees felt weak. Two children, a son and a daughter, and all were well. Elizabeth had given birth. It was too soon, they were not due to be born for a month.
Quickly he wrote a message he would send express to Alex, knowing he would pass the word to the Bingleys as well as Charlotte. Once that task was done, he began calling out orders to his staff to prepare for his departure immediately. Speaking with his driver, he insisted that two extra men join them so that each could take turns driving the team. He had no desire to stop at night; he knew that he would not be able to sleep comfortably until he was home, holding his wife in his arms. The trip was normally made in three days, two if pushed until late each day. He wished to shorten the journey as much as possible. The babes had arrived two days prior and he disliked the thought of not knowing of their safety and the safety of their mother.
The carriage was made ready within the hour and his staff had outdone themselves. A basket with food and drink, enough to supply a small army; was loaded on the carriage, as well as blankets and pillows. The men who were to make the trip were to take turns riding inside with Mr Darcy and his valet so the men could rest until their turn driving. The only plans to stop were for changing teams and to answer the call of nature. Everyone knew their Master’s desire to be with his wife, his fears for their well-being. Very little was said through the travels. The closer they came to Pemberley, the greater Darcy’s agitation grew.
As the carriage slowed in preparation to stopping in front of the main house, Darcy opened the door and jumped from the carriage, nearly running up the stairs. Mrs Reynolds saw her Master coming into the house. “Master William, we had not expected you until at least tomorrow.”
“Where are they?” Darcy demanded. “Where are my wife and children?”
“They are in the Mistress’s chambers. All is well; the physician was just here to check on them and pronounced them healthy.”
Darcy took the steps two at a time until he arrived on the landing of the second floor. He ran down the hallway to the door of the Mistress’s bedchamber, and as he reached to take hold of the doorknob, the door opened and Darcy rushed inside. His mother had been preparing to go down the hall to retrieve a book for Elizabeth and was quite shocked that her son rushed past her.
“Welcome home, William.” Lady Anne stated with a chuckle. She quickly made her way from the room after motioning for the nurse maid to follow her.
Stepping to the edge of the bed, he saw the most delightful sight of his life. There was his beloved, his Lizzy, safe and looking quite well. In her arms was one infant, suckling at her breast. The other infant was sleeping soundly, presumably after having already been fed, at Elizabeth’s side on the bed. A great sense of relief came over Darcy when he knew that they were safe and sound.
Darcy leaned over and placed a kiss on his wife’s head before moving down to kiss her lips. “I should never have taken the trip, Lizzy. Please forgive me for not being here when your pains began.”
“Your mother was at my side the entire time, as was Mrs Reynolds and Cook. They were such comfort to me through the event.”
Darcy lifted his child from the bed and placed the infant on his chest as he reclined on the bed beside his wife. It was not long before fatigue overtook him and Darcy was fast asleep. A smile graced Elizabeth’s lips as she watched her beloved husband as he slumbered. Now she felt complete and soon, she joined Darcy as he slept. Mrs Reynolds and Lady Anne peaked into the room an hour later and carefully lifted the infants from their parents, placing the tiny bundles in the bassinets near the bed and covering the parents with a nearby blanket. Then the two elder women made their way from the rooms to allow the young family to rest.
Chapter 31
Hearing a strange noise, Darcy opened his eyes a crack to see where the noise was coming from. The sight before him was priceless. Elizabeth was awake and the sound was one of their babes nursing from her. Seeing his eyes were somewhat open, Elizabeth laughed. “Welcome home, William. I believe that our earlier welcome was delayed due to lack of sleep the past few days.”
“Indeed. I do not believe I slept more than an hour at a time during the entire trip. Remind me later that I owe our staff a great deal of praise and some bonuses for all they have done this week.”
“I could not agree with you more. If it were not for Mrs Reynolds and Cook, your mother would have had her hands full.”
Confused, Darcy looked at his wife. “What do you mean? What happened?”
“William, I was at the pond with your mother and Georgiana when the labor became overwhelming. I could not make my way back to the house and there was no time to send for the midwife, so Cook delivered the babes with assistance of Mrs Reynolds. Mother held my hand and spoke with me, attempting to calming me and telling me when to push.”
“Lizzy, you all could have died. Outdoors, no midwife or physician, I am amazed at your surviving such an ordeal.”
Laughing, Elizabeth gently caressed her husband’s cheek before he took hold of her hand and placed it against his lips gingerly. “William, women have had babes outdoors for generations. I was well taken care of. Have no fear of that. Mother made sure that everything that could be done was done. The midwife came later, and she assured us that all was well and that she could have done no better herself. As a matter of fact, Cook has helped birth a good many children, including Mrs Reynold’s son. The physician came that evening, and has come each day since the delivery as he knew you would wish such attention. He has found nothing wrong with me or the babes.”
“I cannot tell you how relieved I am to hear this. I have been frantic since I received Mother’s message. The staff has worked a miracle in getting me here so quickly. I know that they must think I
was a madman in my insistence that we arrive here as quickly as possible.”
“I am certain that they all knew how concerned you were for me and our little ones.” Elizabeth looked down at the tiny bundle of joy that was nearly finished nursing. “Would you like to meet your children, Mr Darcy?”
Darcy nodded his head. “This, Sir, is your daughter. A very beautiful young lady if I do say so myself. And the young man over there, sleeping soundly, is your son.”
“You have not named them?” Darcy asked.
“It would not be right for me to name them before you arrived and were able to assist me in choosing the names.” Elizabeth looked at her daughter and her husband with a sense of fulfillment in her heart. “What name do you find would be fitting for this young lady?”
“Amelia Jane Darcy. If I remember correctly, Amelia was your grandmother.” Darcy looked up into his wife’s eyes.
“Thank you, William; it was my Grandmother Bennet’s name. And what of our handsome young son?” Elizabeth lifted her son from his bassinet and carried him to meet his father.
“He appears to be a Thomas. Thomas Gerald Darcy.” Elizabeth had tears welling up in her eyes at the generosity that her husband showed in naming their children after her side of the family.
“I believe that my father would be honored to have this child be his namesake. I pray that your family will not be offended by this.”
“No, they will not be. As Richard and Anne will most likely use Fitzwilliam family names, there will be no difficulty from us choosing the same family names.”
Little Thomas began to fuss and his father took him in his arms. “My dear boy, you gave me such a fright, coming so early. You must never do so again.” Lifting the infant to his face, Darcy placed a gentle kiss on his son’s forehead. He then turned to his wife and daughter. “And that goes for the two of you as well. No more making my heart stop beating as I worry for your welfare. I cannot begin to think about what life would be like without you.” Tears were pouring down his cheek.
“We love you, William. It was not intentional. I was quite surprised when they arrived early and even more surprised that there were two children rather than a single infant. Though I believe your mother had anticipated the dual birth. And it appears to run in the family as Anne and Richard suspect that she is carrying twins.”
“I believe that my mother’s mother was a twin, and there were other twins on the Fitzwilliam’s side as well.”
Lady Anne had just opened the door and looked inside. “Indeed, twins are not uncommon in my family, though the only twin in my generation was Catie’s twin who died when they were a year old and she took a fever.” She walked over to the side of the bed. “Well, my dear son, what do you think of your children? Are they not the sweetest little cherubs?”
“I have not taken much time to examine them, though I find that their being here, cradled in my arms, to be a great pleasure. I cannot thank you enough for being at Lizzy’s side through the delivery.”
“It was an honor, William. And I must tell you that your wife was brave through the entire ordeal and hardly even cried out. The birthing was quick; we did not have time enough to send for the midwife. Cook has birthed babes before as well as tended to many types of injuries over the years, so I was confident that she would be able to manage.”
“I will be sure to give Cook a bonus for her work. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that they are all safe.” Darcy stated as he pulled his wife and children close to him. “All the way here I imagined the worst and blamed myself for not being here when they needed me most.”
Elizabeth squeezed her husband’s hand. “William, do not be foolish. Even if you had been here, there was nothing you could have done. You came as soon as possible, and that is all that is necessary. The babes are thriving, I am regaining my strength, and all is well.”
Lady Anne held out a letter. “This express just arrived from Rosings. Anne gave birth to twin daughters two days after your children. Anne and the children are well and Richard is recovering after he fainted from hearing his wife’s cries during the birth. He received a cut on his forehead from the fall, as there was a table near where he had been standing.”
Laughter began as a small chuckle from Elizabeth and grew into full fledge laughing by all three of the adults in the room. Thomas squirmed and his eyes opened with all the noise while his sister slept soundly in their mother’s arms. Finally Elizabeth stopped laughing enough to ask if the Fitzwilliam girls had been named.
“Clara Elizabeth and Catherine Anne are their names. Clara was my mother’s name.” Lady Anne stated. “And what of my grandchildren, have you named them?”
“Amelia Jane and Thomas Gerald are the names we have blessed our children with.” Darcy stated proudly. “Do you approve of our choices?”
Peering at her grandson, Lady Anne smiled. “I believe that both of his grandfathers would agree with having a handsome young namesake. And Amelia; I assume that it is a Bennet family name.”
Elizabeth nodded. “My grandmother was Amelia, and I was very fond of her when I was a child. She died before my ninth birthday and was the only grandparent I ever knew.”
“And of course Jane for your sister; it is very fitting for this youngster.”
“Jane was also my mother’s middle name.” Elizabeth stated. “Francine Jane Gardiner Bennet was my mother’s full name.”
Lady Anne smiled. “Well, I just wished to share the news with you. I will leave you all to rest some more. Shall I have trays sent up for you or will you dine downstairs tonight? Georgiana and I have been dining with Elizabeth each evening, but now that you are home, William, we will return to the cottage.”
“That is not necessary, Mother. I am certain that my wife and I would enjoy having you and Georgiana to dine with us tonight. Perhaps we should have dinner served to us up here, as I believe that Elizabeth should not move too far from her bed.”
“We could have the dinner set up in your private sitting room.” Lady Anne stated. “I will notify the staff if you approve.”
Both Elizabeth and Darcy agreed, and Lady Anne went to speak to the staff of the preparations. A light knock on the door announced Georgiana had arrived. Squealing softly, she came towards her brother. “Are they not precious, William? Can you believe how tiny they are to begin with and then grow to be adults? Mother said that you were larger as a baby, though you were only one infant compared to these two. It has been amazing to me to watch them.”
Elizabeth smiled as Darcy looked totally confused at his quiet sister being so transformed into this chatterbox. “Georgiana has become completely taken by your children, as she has spent a great deal of time with me and the babes since they were born.”
“I love them, William.” Georgiana said as she blushed. “They have made me laugh as I watch them wiggling. Mother says that I was a very peaceful baby, not at all like Amelia and Thomas. They are very…active.”
This brought Elizabeth to laughter. “In other words, they are outspoken in their way of letting us know their needs?”
Blushing, Georgiana nodded her head once. “But that is not a bad thing, Lizzy. It is just different from what Mother says I was as a babe.”
“Georgie, it only means that they take after their mother rather than our side of the family. As we all know, Lizzy is…outspoken…in letting us know of her needs and feelings.” Darcy was attempting to keep from laughing aloud.
“FITZWILLIAM DARCY, how can you say such a thing in front of our children?” Elizabeth said in mock dismay as she tried desperately not to giggle.
“I am speaking the truth, my love, and it is not like our children will never discover this trait in their mother.” Now both husband and wife began to laugh aloud.
Lady Anne came into the room and she inquired as to what was so humorous. As she learned, she began to laugh as well. “I came bearing more news.” She said as she held out the express which had arrived for Elizabeth.
Quickly accepting the let
ter from Lady Anne and opening it, Elizabeth read it quickly. “It is from my brother. Alex and Charlotte are on their way, and should be here in 3 days’ time, as they were to stop at Charlotte’s aunt’s house on their way here. Her aunt wished to meet Alex and they will stay overnight at her home one night.”
Noticing Elizabeth’s eyes light up as she continued to read, Darcy inquired as to what else was written. “It seems that my brother and his wife had a bet on our child, or should I say children. Charlotte was of the opinion that we would have twins and Alex stated no, only a single child. The bet was that if Charlotte won, Alex had to take her to a sea side city for a month. Oh, my goodness, Alex will detest such a trip. If he had won, Charlotte would have had to make his favorite meals for a week. Some of my brother’s favorites can be difficult to make, as they take a great deal of time to prepare them.”
“Why would Charlotte believe you were carrying twins?” Darcy was interested in how his sister in law would know such a thing when even Elizabeth did not suspect.
If Only In His Dreams Page 22