by Greer Boyd
“Yes Ma’am,” they said in unison and chuckled as they headed off in two different directions.
Entering Jane’s bedchamber, Gabby pulled the bell cord and a maid appeared almost immediately. “Will you help me change Mrs. Bingley into her nightgown and dressing robe?”
Elizabeth arrived only minutes later and, seeing Jane in her dressing robe, guessed that the time was very close for the baby to come. “Lizzy, I have been feeling very uncomfortable all morning. Since Jonathan came so quickly, I thought that I should be prepared.”
“Has the doctor been summoned?” Elizabeth asked quickly.
As Jane nodded her head, Elizabeth heard a knock on the door and opened it to find the doctor accompanied by the midwife.
“Is it time?” Dr. Crawford asked, with his ever-patient, fatherly smile.
“Not at the moment,” Jane admitted, “but I am feeling increasingly uncomfortable. I only thought to be prepared. You know quite well that Jonathan came very quickly.”
Over the next hours, all of the ladies of the house came to visit Jane in her bedchamber. And, just as she had predicted, she indeed proved to be gifted with another short delivery time when she delivered her daughter within four hours.
Miss Isabella Elizabeth Mary Bingley was born on July 15, 1820, with such a minimum of effort that it immediately brought happiness to the entire household. When Charles held his daughter for the first time, remarking at her limpid green eyes, he smiled so broadly that anyone who saw him could only smile along with him.
Within a day, Jane was able to move from her bed to the chair situated beside it to feed little Isabella as the maid changed the linens on the bed. A few days later, Bella came with a book, intending to read to Jane for a while. When she saw that Jane was nursing her baby, she sat in a chair nearby and watched as the child fed. “Jane, when my time comes, I certainly hope that I deliver as quickly as you did,” Bella said, moving slightly to reposition herself in the chair.
“I admit I have been blessed. When Lizzy had Thomas, she delivered within six hours. And Mary, even though her time was only seven hours, had the longest delivery time of the three of us,” explained Jane. When she noticed Bella squirm and reach around to press her hands along her back, she added softly, “Do you have pain in your lower back?”
Bella looked at her and replied matter-of-factly, playing down her distress. “Yes . . . a bit . . . but not much. I had it when I awoke this morning, but it went away after my bath. It started again just before I came into your room. I have so many aches and pains lately. This is just one more.”
“Helen,” Jane addressed the maid sitting in the corner, “please ask Lady Eleanor and Lady Elizabeth to come to my room please.”
“Right away Ma’am,” replied the young woman, closing the door softly behind her.
“Jane, do you need something? I will be glad to get it for you,” Bella inquired earnestly.
Trying to be as soothing as possible and not frighten the young woman with her suspicion, Jane stated calmly with a slight smile, “No, Bella. Please stay seated right where you are. I do not want to startle you . . . but I think that your baby may be coming. I had similar back pain before Isabella was born.”
Bella’s face grew pale when she suddenly experienced a rather severe pain, just as Elizabeth and Aunt Eleanor entered the room. Seeing her sister walking through the door, Jane fluttered one hand in the air excitedly, while the other nestled her nursing daughter. “Lizzy, I think Bella is entering labor.”
Elizabeth was quick to concur, all too aware of the fact that Bella was more than three weeks early should not, after recent experience, surprise any of them. She dispatched the young maid to fetch Dr. Crawford and the midwife, and with her aunt’s help accompanied Bella to her bedchamber, hoping to get her changed and comfortable before the doctor arrived.
Within minutes the midwife joined them in Bella’s room. “I am so sorry, but Dr. Crawford rode over to Mr. Quartermain’s with the rest of the gentlemen just a little while ago. He was to check on Mrs. Quartermain while the others looked over a new group of horses. He is not expected back for several hours.”
Aunt Eleanor, ever the organizer, took charge, asking Mrs. Reynolds to summon the Lambton doctor and sending a rider to Furlong Estates with a note for Dr. Crawford as well.
Soon Bella was changed into her nightgown and dressing robe and began to walk about the room, accompanied alternately by Aunt Lilly and one or more of her sisters. Suddenly as the pain became intense and her water broke, the midwife hurried her into the birthing chair. When she was seized by another pain almost unbearable in its intensity, the midwife cried, “Push as hard as you can.” Soon the
Tillman heir was born followed so quickly by his brother that for a moment the midwife held both children in her hands. Aunt Lilly reached for the first born, as Aunt Eleanor grasped the second. So focused were they on their responsibilities, the women bumped their heads together above the head of the midwife when they reached for their respective charges, prompting a cascade of laughter among the assembled women.
On July 21, 1820, the fifth set of twins had been born at Pemberley. Aunt Eleanor smiled as she thought, “Those many months ago, when Annabel made us aware of the possibility of twin births in the family, who would possibly have thought that there might actually be so many?”
When the Tillman heir was placed in Bella’s arms, she caressed his tiny cheek with her thumb and ran her fingers through the plethora of dark brown curls on his perfectly round head. “Oh mon bébé. You are so beautiful. Welcome to our family Master Piers Jacob Daniel Tillman.” As Bella gave him his name, he continued to sleep quietly, only occasionally moving his tiny pursed lips as though nursing.
Elizabeth gently took him from his mother’s arms, as the wet nurse placed his brother in the spot he’d made quite warm. “And you mon bébé.” Bella murmured, “Master William Julian Thomas Tillman. You are as beautiful as your older brother.” She looked up at Elizabeth. “They look exactly alike. Are they identical?”
She smiled at her cousin, “So far it appears so. But, they fell asleep almost immediately, so no one has seen the colour of their eyes.”
Happily Gabby and Lin reached for their nephews. “We will take these two gentlemen to the nursery,” Lin announced. “Sleep now, Bella. Soon, they will awaken and demand to be fed. Take your rest while you can.”
Paulie took Bella’s hand and spoke lightly. “I will stay with you until you fall asleep.”
“And, I will stay with you until you awaken,” insisted Jo.
Bella had only been asleep a few moments when the Lambton doctor softly knocked on the bedchamber door. The midwife had been anticipating his arrival and immediately told him the details of the twins’ birth. Knowing that the midwife was more than capable, he looked at the sleeping mother and her attentive sisters. “I will not bother her now but I will await the arrival of Dr. Crawford in the sitting room on the first floor.”
“May I walk with you, Dr. Seal?” asked Aunt Eleanor as she took his arm
As they started down the corridor, he commented, “So many twins . . . quite extraordinary. Who would have ever thought of the possibility?”
“My daughter, Lady Annabel, as a matter of fact. She brought the possibility to our attention late last fall.”
“Remarkable, quite remarkable.”
“I have always thought that she was. So Doctor, would you care for a brandy or some fresh tea?”
“Tea would be appreciated,” he replied quite cheerfully.
When Jacob arrived a couple of hours later, he rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and only stopped a moment to regain his composure before knocking on the bedchamber door. Paulie opened the door, and he could see Bella as she slept. Stepping out of the door and closing it behind her, she took Jacob by the arm. “Shall we go to the nursery and let you meet your sons?”
“Sons? Oh my. Bella told me she would do her best to provide me with an heir.” Then, he as
ked, “How many sets of twins does this make?”
“Five. Our family is expanding at a record pace,” she giggled as she gently pulled him along.
As they entered the nursery, the wet nurses and maids were gathered around the cradle containing the newest arrivals. Paulie dropped Jacob’s arm and ran to the cradle. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh no, ma’am. We were just admiring the babies’ eyes. It is truly not often that you see young men with lavender eyes. As they grow older, the young ladies will certainly admire them. What a wonder it would be if they grew up and fell in love with Miss Eleanor and Miss Anne.”
“Well, please do not marry them off quite yet,” Jacob laughed as he came to the cradle and looked at his sons. He stood for a few more minutes just looking at them, before going to his bedchamber to write to his parents of the wonder that was his children. The Earl and Countess Pinewood were scheduled to arrive the first week in August, but he bade them come as soon as they desired.
The senior Tillmans arrived five days later, after traveling for three days from their home near Bath. They had married later than most of their contemporaries, but they had waited for love . . . something that they had shared freely with Jacob and his older sister, and now gave willingly to Arabella and their two grandchildren. They stayed for a little more than a week, choosing to limit their time in residence so that they would not be an additional burden on the Pemberley staff. Jacob knew that the real reason for their short stay was the constant activity within the house, something that they were unaccustomed to at their estate near Bath.
Less than a week later, Stanley Fleming returned from London. When Elizabeth saw him in the foyer, she walked quickly to him. “Oh Stan. I am so glad that you came back.”
“I should never have left. My family is here. I will not abandon them again.” Soon he had been greeted by the entire household, including Mr. and Mrs. Quartermain, who had come to Pemberley House the first part of August. Elizabeth’s mother was not due until the middle of September, but she had grown to gigantic proportions and Dr. Crawford did not want to take any chances.
Although Mrs. Quartermain had told him that she was eight and thirty, the doctor knew her to be closer to five and forty. He hoped that he would not lose either the mother or child or both. A good percentage of the deliveries that he had experienced with older mothers had not ended well. Still, she had had five uneventful and successful deliveries before, so he chose not to worry any more unless the circumstances warranted it.
With four women having the same potential delivery date, everyone was watching them very carefully. The doctor from Lambton, Dr. Seal, and Mrs. Hedgeley, the local midwife, had been in residence at Pemberley House since the tenth day of August. They took as much care with the expectant mothers as did Dr. Crawford and Mrs. Jolly.
After dinner on the eve of their potential delivery date, both Gabby and Lin retired to their bedchambers early. Henry Grove and his brother-in-law, Gerald Georges, soon followed their wives to their bedchambers.
Henry had been reading for nearly three quarters of an hour with Gabby lying on her side snuggled to him with her arm around his waist, when suddenly she gasped in pain. Extracting himself from her arms, he tugged on the bell cord and immediately a maid entered the room. Taking one look at his face, she stated pointedly, “I will call for the doctor and midwife.”
As she left the room, she saw the maid assigned to the Georges exiting their room as well. The Georges maid nodded her head. “You get the doctors and midwives while I get Mrs. Reynolds and Lady Eleanor and Mrs. Gardiner.”
“I think that everyone is still in the sitting room.”
“I will go there first. Go ahead back to Lady Linette’s room.”
Sure enough, the persons they sought were all listening as Georgiana played the piano in the music room. The maid was direct, “It is time for both Lady Gabriella and Lady Linette,” before she hastened off to locate Mrs. Reynolds.
Elizabeth and Aunt Eleanor followed the Lambton doctor and local midwife to Gabby’s bedchamber, while Georgiana and Aunt Lilly led Dr. Crawford and the London midwife to Lin’s. They were soon followed by the remaining family members, except for Paulie and Jo. Mr. Folkes and Mr. Lively assisted their wives to their bedchambers to await news of the births since their wives were themselves due at any moment.
“Gabby. You and Lin have always been very close,” laughed Elizabeth as she entered Gabby’s bedchamber. “It appears that you will be having your babies at the same time.”
“How is Lin?” asked Gabby, truly concerned for her sister.
“Aunt Lilly and Georgiana are with her right now, along with Dr. Crawford and Mrs. Jolly. I will go check on her shortly. In the meantime, how are you feeling?”
Gabby explained without elaboration, “The pain in my back is increasing, but is still bearable.”
“Then, I will leave you in Dr. Seal’s hands and go to check on Lin,” offered Elizabeth, as she gently squeezed the hand of her good friend. She did not have to go far, since the sisters’ bedchambers were side by side.
As the maid opened the door to admit her, she heard Aunt Lilly ask Lin how she was feeling. She chuckled, then began to laugh out loud when Lin answered, “The pain in my back is increasing, but is still bearable.”
“Lin,” she chortled, “Gabby just said the exact same thing. I believe that you both are going to deliver close to the same time.”
For the next few hours, the series of events that had become familiar to all in the house were once again repeated. The sisters were encouraged to walk about within their bedchambers until their water broke, then coached through the birthing by doctor and midwife, with an anxious husband looking for some way to help.
The Groves heir was a big baby, and he cried loudly enough to echo through the house. An answering cry came from the adjacent bedchamber.
Hearing the cry, Gabby started to giggle. “Lizzy, please go to Lin and let her know we have a boy.”
In the hallway, Lizzy met Georgiana exiting Lin’s bedchamber having been sent on the same mission. “A boy,” they said in unison.
On August 15, 1820, Master Alexander Henry William Groves and Master Julian Gerald William Georges were born. Both, in fact, were big babies, almost as big as Charlotte’s baby, who continued to dwarf all the others in the nursery.
The next morning Paulie and Jo went first to Gabby’s bedchamber and then to Lin’s just as the babies were being delivered to them to be fed. If the sisters had not known that the infants were single birth babies, they would have thought them to be twins. Both had dark brown hair and rich golden eyes, the only difference being that Master Alexander’s hair lay in waves, while Master Julian’s hair was an almost tangled mass of curls.
Paulie and Jo spent most of the day moving from Gabby’s bedchamber to Lin’s and back again. The next morning Paulie breakfasted with Gabby and Jo with Lin. Both women had awakened with a nagging pain in their lower back, to which they confessed only when the sister they were visiting asked about their distraction.
By late afternoon, both Paulie and Jo were ensconced in their bedrooms with their nervous husbands trying diligently to calm and support them. Soon, the doctors and midwives again moved between the two bedchambers throughout the night. On August 17, 1820, with only minutes remaining of the day, Jo delivered the Lively heir. She was as happy as she could be, until Lawrence’s body made a soft thud on the floor as he fainted. Then, she started to giggle when the midwife directed two maids to move him to the maid’s chair in the corner of the room, saying, “Big strong men indeed.”
At Jo’s request, Aunt Eleanor went to check on Paulie’s progress and returned only minutes later. “Her water has yet to break. I suspect it will be a while yet.”
Jo was bathed and redressed with the aid of Elizabeth and Aunt Lilly while Aunt Eleanor took the smelling salts offered by Mrs. Reynolds and ran the small vial under the nose of Mr. Lively. He jerked and awakened. Suddenly realizing what had happened, he l
ooked into Aunt Eleanor’s face. “Are they both all right?”
“They are doing very well. Would you like to meet your son?” She directed his attention to the bed where Jo lay resting against the pillows placed behind her on the bed with their baby in the crook of her arm.
Standing up from the chair, he went to the bedside and looked at both his wife and son. “I am so sorry I was not stronger for you.”
She smiled up at him as she patted the bed beside her. He walked to the other side of the bed and crawled across until he was at her side. “What shall we name him?” Jo asked as she took his hand and squeezed it affectionately.