Elizabeth’s only concern was that she hoped it wasn’t twins again. He laughed and squeezed her close, telling her that if it was, they’d survive.
Chapter Eighty-one
…I could give her anything and yet…
After William and Amanda’s wedding, Fitzwilliam pushed to get his family moved to Pemberley by August. He and Elizabeth wanted to go back to the Cumberland Plateau for the birth of Charles and Jane’s baby, now confirmed to be a girl.
After several weeks of hard work, the Lambton office was finally opened, and the move complete. As things settled into a routine, Fitzwilliam came home from work early one day and found Elizabeth in her study. With a broad smile, he approached her. “Elizabeth, I have a surprise for you. I have been planning this for a long time. Come along, and I’ll show you.”
Rising from her desk, she followed him out the door and along the graveled pathway towards the stable. As they approached the entranceway, she could hear the whimper of puppies. When they came to a certain stall, he opened the door and stood back to gauge her reaction. There they were—two Black and Tan hound puppies snuggling together on a heaping pile of straw, whimpering and sniffing. She ran to them, immediately scooping both up at once and raising them to her face as she kissed them and breathed in the sweet scent of puppies mixed with straw.
“Oh, Fitzwilliam! You remembered… you remembered! I love them so much. May I please take them to the house? I’ll keep them in the kitchen until they are housebroken, or as you would say, house-trained. I want to train them myself, as I now have the time, and they must go with us to Tennessee!” she said, reaching up with her one free hand to caress his face and place a kiss on his cheek.
He chuckled and pulled her close as he kissed her forehead. Her expression was priceless. He could deny her nothing, he thought to himself as he looked fondly upon his wife with two hound puppies, squirming, sniffing and licking her blouse while Elizabeth cuddled them, spreading little kisses from one to the other.
“Yes, Mrs. Darcy, you may bring them to the house, and I think it can be arranged for them to go with us. We really are a family now, complete with two tiddlers, two dogs, and a baby on the way. The travel arrangements keep getting more and more complicated.”
Elizabeth caught his playful look. “Thank you so much for being so thoughtful. You are truly the best of men. I can’t believe you remembered when I had forgotten,” she said with a broad smile. “I intend to train them to track like I did Old Dan and Lady Beth. They will be loyal protectors of all I hold dear.” She stepped up on her tiptoes to touch her lips to his while holding the puppies to her heart.
“I’m sure they will, and I’m glad you like them. Now, what will you name them?” he asked with a smile while his hand stroked the soft heads of the two little bundles.
“They will be called Gentleman Jack and Lady Jillian—otherwise known as Jack and Jill, after my uncle’s bloodhounds.” She gazed lovingly on the two precious pups snuggled in her arms.
Fitzwilliam put his arm around her waist as they walked back to the house. “Now, Elizabeth, there is one other thing I want to give you.”
She glanced up. “What more could you possibly give me? You’ve given me everything.”
He looked down and chuckled. “Not quite everything, not yet,” he said. “I want to build a replica of the cabin at Longbourn. I was thinking of putting it on that rise of ground just above the falls in Pemberley’s cove. What do you think?”
“Oh, I would love that, but could we make it a little bigger? I’d like to develop and expand the loft into a second floor for the children, and I would like to have a modern kitchen. You can include a wood-burning cook stove if you like, but I want running water and a bathroom.”
“Whatever you want, love. We’ll draw the plans together, and then I’ll contact my building firm. We’ll have it ready by next summer. It’ll be our little getaway when I can’t be too far from home.”
“Fitzwilliam, I do love you so.”
“I know.” He looked at her tenderly, watching the sparkle in her eyes …I am a lucky man. I could give her anything and yet… she prefers the simple things.
Chapter Eighty-two
…Their words nearly brought him to tears…
The week before Jane’s baby was due, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth, accompanied by Georgiana, returned to Walnut Grove. Struggling with the load of two infants, two puppies, and all the paraphernalia that went with them, Fitzwilliam began to wonder if their trip had been such a good idea after all. He felt overwhelmed at times, but when his little girl smiled with her arms extended toward him, all else was forgotten. He couldn’t resist lifting her up and showering her face with soft butterfly kisses, causing her to release peals of laughter and giggles as she squirmed and wiggled within his arms.
“Darcy, you sure have changed! I never thought I would see you labored down with domestic duties, and now you’ve got another baby on the way. It’s most becoming of you, but I guess you’re relieved it’s only one this time.” Bingley laughed as he helped his old friend unload the rental car and bring all their belongings into the house.
Fitzwilliam chuckled. “I have to admit that I am happy Elizabeth’s pregnant, but you’re right, I’m glad it’s not twins. These two have me on my toes constantly, not to mention what it’s like for their mother. But don’t worry, Bingley. Your day is coming, and coming sooner than you think,” he said with a knowing smile as he walked up the sidewalk with the last load in one arm and his baby daughter in the other while Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Jane followed behind, chatting away with Alex and two puppies in tow.
Once everything was taken into the house and the children settled down for a nap, the ladies regrouped in the kitchen to talk while the men went to the front porch.
“Robert and Tana said to give you their regards. Linda has an earache, so they won’t see us until tomorrow,” Bingley reported. “And David called. He will be here after the baby is born. They can’t stay long. It seems he has an important business trip to attend to.”
“Yes, he has to travel for a month. Georgiana is going back to stay with Cecilia whilst David is away. I think they have plans to sightsee, and Georgiana is going to help Cecilia with sewing for the baby.”
“Sewing? When did Georgiana start sewing?”
“When she met Elizabeth and Cecilia,” Fitzwilliam laughed. “Georgiana has developed quite an assortment of diverse interests since Father’s death. I think Elizabeth and Cecilia have been good for her,” Fitzwilliam said as the two gentlemen settled into the wicker chairs beneath the veranda to relax with a cigar and a glass of wine. They talked for nearly an hour before being called in for dinner.
~*~
Sometime during the night, Jane went into labor. Charles caused quite a stir trying to get his wife to the hospital. Baby Rebecca Jane was born the next day at eleven a.m. Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam were there for the happy occasion. Bette and Johnny, Sam and Florence, and Robert and Tana all met them at the hospital. David and Cecilia left Charleston the next morning, arriving in the early afternoon.
The Darcy brothers shook their heads in amusement watching Charles, beside himself with delight, passing out cigars to any and all. Jane was her usual serene, genteel self while Elizabeth, Cecilia, and Georgiana declared that Rebecca Jane Bennet Bingley was a beautiful angel, just like her mother.
Fitzwilliam was truly happy for his friend, but he couldn’t help feeling a little empty for having been cheated out of the birthing experience. David noticed it and came to console him.
“Feeling out of sorts, Brother?”
“Does it show?”
“Not to anyone else but me. I know you, remember?” David smiled softly. “Fitzwilliam, don’t look back. You can’t change what happened. The only thing you can do is look forward.”
“Elizabeth has told me the very same thing.” He sighed as he turned and caught his brother’s gaze. “But you’re probably right. They have a saying in these mountains. It goe
s something like this—don’t cry over spilt milk or there is no use in closing the barn door after the horse is out. I suppose those fit here, but I can’t help regretting what I’ve missed. Bingley was there for his firstborn, and you’ll have that experience, too, but I will not. ‘What’s gone is gone.’ That’s another saying I have learnt from the people here. However, I will be there this next time.” He grinned. “Nothing could keep me from it. As Cecilia would say—‘Come hell or high water,’ I will be there.’” He softly laughed while giving his brother a slap on the back.
~*~
Since David had to return to Charleston for his flight to Indonesia on Monday, he, Cecilia, and Georgiana left for the return trip to South Carolina two days after Rebecca’s birth. At David’s insistence, Cecilia was now working half-days. This pregnancy had proven to be more difficult than she had anticipated, leaving her exhausted at the end of every day. Nevertheless, she spent many hours with Georgiana, conversing and forming a closer bond of friendship.
Although happy to have Georgiana with her, Cecilia longed for her husband, and the nights of sleeping alone were hard, especially the first week. Because of the time differences and their work schedules, he only called her for a few minutes, but she knew to expect an email every day, and every day she was not disappointed. He kept her informed of his progress, and more importantly, he reassured her of his love and concern for her and their child.
In his absence, Cecilia had one special project she was overseeing along with training three top assistants. She was having Lawton & Co. restructured to Lawton & Darcy, LLC, thus beginning the steps to take the company public. At first David balked about the name change, but she explained that, as they were now a partnership, the name change was essential since, in the next generation, it would pass to a Darcy… her son.
~*~
Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam stayed on until the christening as they were to be the godparents for baby Rebecca. They stayed in the Bennett townhouse so Elizabeth could help Jane while Charles was away at the university. Tana and Robert were there as often as they could be, and Florence and Bette, along with Johnny and Sam Henry stopped by every day after work. Even Randy and Lydia came by to visit.
While Elizabeth spent her time with Jane, Fitzwilliam used his time to visit old friends at the university and reminisce over his courtship with his wife. They had met and fallen in love here while he was doing what he had always wanted to do. Reflecting back, he felt a sense of pride in what he had been able to accomplish within the short time he had taught at the university. He had always believed that, as a professor, his obligations and responsibilities lay with his students. This conviction was reinforced when a group of his former Latin students stopped him while he was in Morton Hall to express their gratitude for his work. Many had decided to go on to higher levels of study purely because of the desire to learn he had instilled in them. Some were even applying for admission to Leeds, Oxford, and Cambridge. Remembering how hard they had worked, he promised to help them with a letter of recommendation. Of all the things his students shared with him, what touched him most was when they told him that his example as a good and honest man had made a significant impact on their lives. Their words nearly brought him to tears.
As he walked across campus to the Bennett townhouse, Fitzwilliam thought about the past few years of his life. In such a short time, so much had changed. The years were bittersweet, and except for his separation from his wife, he wouldn’t have changed them for the world. Here he had met and married Elizabeth Bennett, the love of his life, and he had found the lost branch of his family and fulfilled an ancestor’s promise. Yes, his experience in the Cumberland Plateau had been a turning point—one that made him glad, but at the same time, he felt torn between the two worlds in which he had lived—academic and business. He knew his destiny was in England. This had been his one chance to pursue a life he had longed for. He would never teach again, and the thought tore at his heart.
Chapter Eighty-three
…I will ride over the stream and rest under the tree…
The cool winds of early November whipped through the Derbyshire hills as Fitzwilliam rode through the deer park, surveying the moorlands. The fallow and red deer were plentiful to the point of being overpopulated and were damaging the woodlands, crops, and gardens. The herd needed thinning. With the move of Pemberley, PLC from London to Lambton completed and his family settled into Pemberley House, he would host a shooting party. Turning his horse back to the great house, he noted the darkening sky. The cool chill meant that rain was coming. No, not just rain—a storm.
Trotting into the stable yard, he threw his leg over the back of his stallion and dismounted, releasing his horse to the care of a stable boy. He reached down and ruffled the ears of Elizabeth’s Black and Tans as he instructed the youth, “Hansen, rub him down well, and put a blanket over him. It looks like the temperature might plummet to freezing. Then give him some sweet feed, and check his left front hoof. I think that shoe might be loose.” Fitzwilliam turned to leave with Elizabeth’s hounds in close step, following him to the house.
Briskly walking in the direction of the back entrance to the manor, he contemplated the progress he’d made since taking control of Pemberley. His cousin, Richard, having replaced David, was doing an exceptional job in the wholesale contract division. And after much coaxing, he’d finally convinced Stephen Darcy to replace the retiring Henry Edwards on the board of directors. With these changes in place, the board was now rock solid in his camp. He had secured the future of the corporation for his son as well as for any future sons. Future sons, he smiled to himself. The doctor had confirmed only yesterday that he and Elizabeth were to have another boy in late February. Even as the clouds darkened around him, sunshine reigned in his heart.
To make things even more complete, he’d heard from David just the other day. He and Cecilia were to have a son, too, due February 22nd, five days before Elizabeth’s due date. Another smile curved his features. It would be a contest to see who was born first, James Samuel Lawton Darcy of South Carolina or George Andrew Bennet Darcy of Derbyshire. Either way, it was a joyous occasion for both brothers. Quickly bounding up the steps of the courtyard leading to the Great Hall, he entered the house along with the dogs and went in search of his wife just as the heavens opened up, releasing a torrential downpour. Thunder clapped in the distance, and lightning streaked across the sky as clouds thick as pea soup rolled in.
Finding Elizabeth in the library crocheting baby booties while Alex and Emily scooted across the floor, he couldn’t help but smile. The sight of her hair fighting the confines of the clip holding it in place and his children playing at her feet warmed his heart. He sat down beside her and gave her a kiss on the cheek and then gently patted her well-rounded belly. “I’ve really enjoyed these last few months watching you and little George grow.”
Elizabeth gave him a sharp look of feigned horror. “Watching me grow indeed! If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was twins again. I’m bigger than before.”
He chuckled as the dogs curled at his feet. “I’m rather glad it’s not twins,” he said, glancing at their two young children guiding themselves along a table. “Those two are a handful now that they’re beginning to walk. But seriously, Elizabeth, you are a woman in full bloom—a beautiful, expectant mother.” Alex had made his way over to his father and raised his arms to be lifted up. A gurgling laughter escaped his throat as he reached to pat his mother’s stomach just like his father had done, causing Fitzwilliam to laugh even harder. He playfully poked Elizabeth’s belly with his index finger and looked at Alex. “You see this, Alex? I did that, and I’m proud of it. You’re going to have a brother soon.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’re teaching him awfully young about the birds and bees, aren’t you?”
“What? I’m only telling him he’s soon to have a brother.” Fitzwilliam grinned.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and poked him back. “Yeah, right! I’v
e never seen anybody act so foolish about a baby coming along. Every day, you’re making plans for your sons and playing with my stomach.”
Fitzwilliam threw back his head and roared with laughter. “I’m totally fascinated by it—the shape of it, the feel of it, and especially the way he kicks. I even have his ultrasound picture framed on my desk at work. And yes, I’m making plans. I’m going to enjoy every day as if it were my last. Carpe diem—seize the day! Yesterday’s gone, and tomorrow may never come. I’m going to live life to the fullest, and that includes watching little George grow.”
“You’re impossible!” she laughed and shook her head. “Now, you’ve got something else on your mind. I can tell by that boyish look, so out with it.”
He heartily laughed. Giving his son a kiss, he said, “Alex, you mustn’t underestimate the power of women. They are very perceptive and quick to learn how to read you like a book.” Alex gurgled again as Emily made her way to them, lifting her leg in an effort to climb up and join the party. Helping her up, Fitzwilliam settled her in his lap next to Alex before he turned to his wife. “Liz, you know me too well. How would you like to have company for a week or possibly two? I’d like to host a shooting party. I’ll invite my cousins, William, Benson, and Richard, and Charles and David as well as our uncles. Also, I’d like to invite some of David’s new friends. They’ve been taking him shooting, and I’m sure he’d like to return the favor.”
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