Mary Bennet
Elizabeth cried when she read the letter. When William found her in the drawing room with tears in her eyes, his lips quirked up slightly as he frequently found his wife in tears these days. He approached her and kissed her cheek before sitting next to her.
“What is this?” he asked, picking up the letter beside her.
“Mary was able to sneak out some letters to me. She says Mrs. Bennet and Lydia are on their way to Ireland, and she is desperate to get away from Longbourn and hopes to join us in town,” Elizabeth explained. “She will write to Aunt Gardiner to see if they will help get her and Kitty to town so they might visit with us for a time.”
“They would be welcome, and it may benefit them both to have some distance from Longbourn, even with Mrs. Bennet and Miss Lydia gone. Or perhaps more so now,” William agreed.
“How do we get them to London, and what can we do if Papa, I mean, Mr. Bennet, will not agree to let them come?” she asked. “Aunt Gardiner was to come to tea tomorrow; perhaps we might send a note inviting them to dinner instead. Mary sent a note to our aunt as well.”
William agreed, and a note was sent to Gracechurch Street to invite the Gardiners the following evening. After briefly discussing what they had each been doing that morning, William escorted Elizabeth upstairs for her afternoon nap. He stayed with her to help her relax before falling asleep. Since there were no plans for that night, the two decided to share their dinner in their rooms and spent the evening in each other’s sole company, as Georgiana was to stay with Lady Matlock that night after attending a musical with them.
Sometime in the early hours, when William had woken up Elizabeth again, and they were again sated and exhausted, she felt that tiny flutter in her stomach that both of their aunts had told her about. She stilled suddenly and sat up, waiting for it to happen again.
“What is wrong, Elizabeth?” he asked, worry lacing his voice.
She felt the flutters again. “Oh, William! I felt him; I felt the baby move.”
He looked at her in awe. “Are you certain, dearest?”
“Yes, Papa, I am certain,” she said happily.
His grin spread from cheek to cheek. Sliding down her body, he kissed her stomach and then spoke to it. “Well, hello, little one. You are not even born yet, and you are already intruding upon your Mama and Papa’s private time, but we look forward to meeting you in a few months.” He looked up and into Elizabeth’seyes as he continued to speak. “I hope you are a precocious little girl with dark hair and green eyes that match your Mama’s. I also hope you are just as beautiful and mischievous as your Mama.” He kissed her belly again before moving back up to claim his wife’s lips. “I love you so much, my dearest Elizabeth. I am anxious to meet this little one or at least be able to feel him or her for myself.”
“Soon, Will,” she said. “You will be able to feel him move soon enough, and before you know it, he will be in your arms. And I want you to know I am hoping for a precious little boy who looks like his Papa with his black hair and clear blue eyes. If we do not have him this time, we will pray for him next time.”
“One child at a time, dearest,” he said dryly.
“It could always be twins, William,” she suggested, then laughed at his wide-eyed look of terror.
Chapter Nineteen
After dinner the following evening, the Darcys and the Gardiners, along with Georgiana, discussed the plight of the two Bennet girls who remained at home. “Mr. Bennet has not written again since he asked us to help fund Mrs. Bennet’s sojourn to Ireland, and we never responded to that missive. I do not know what he would say if I were to finally write to ask about having Mary and Kitty visit here. Once they were with us, we could simply not send them back to him since I doubt he would stir himself to do anything about it,” Elizabeth proposed.
The heads around the table nodded their agreement. “I wonder if I were to write and ask them to visit if he would allow them to come,” Gardiner offered. “It is unlikely he would notice their absence, and I wonder how long he will leave his wife and daughter in Ireland after the baby is born.”
“With no one there to bother him, I wonder if he would even leave the library. Would the servants remain for long after that? What do you think would happen to Longbourn in that case? “Mrs. Gardiner wondered.
“Gardiner, I agree that the best solution is likely that you should write a letter inviting them to stay with you for a time. Then we can go from there,” Darcy offered. “If they come to London, we can invite them to join us at Darcy House for a time and wait and see if Bennet even notices when they do not return. Eventually, they could accompany us to Pemberley if they desired.”
After discussing a few more details, including what steps to take if Bennet refused his permission, the two couples turned to happier matters. “We are glad you could be here tonight because we also have news to share. We expect an addition to the family in June. I felt the quickening last night,” Elizabeth told them all. Her aunt was aware of her suspicions, having been told at Christmas, and her uncle probably did as well, but they feigned surprise for the sake of Georgiana, who did not know.
Georgiana was ecstatic. “A baby?” she cried, jumping up and clasping her hands. Then, her face slightly downcast, she said again, “June? So long?”
The two couples laughed. “Yes, sweetling,” William answered. “It generally takes about nine months.”
Georgiana blinked her eyes at him, staring blankly for a moment. “Oh, I knew that,” she replied after considering it momentarily. “I am just so very excited, that is all.” She reached to hug first Elizabeth and then William. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. “Aunt Rebecca already knows, does she not? That is why you are leaving for Pemberley around Easter, and I am staying in London with her.”
“It is, Georgiana,” Elizabeth soothed. “Aunt Rebecca guessed at our suspicions, but we were waiting for the quickening to confirm it. You were the first we told after discovering it was for certain.”
“I would like to return to Pemberley with you in March,” she said. “I do not want to miss the birth.”
William shook his head. “It is better for you to stay in town with our aunt. You are not yet out, but she can still begin to introduce you to other young ladies attending events as quietly as you are. And you can become accustomed to social events and begin to know a few people, so you will feel more comfortable when you are officially introduced.”
Georgiana scowled at her brother. “I do not want to miss my niece or nephew being born,” she protested.
“Oh, yes, you do, Georgiana,” Aunt Gardiner inserted. “A maiden like you has no business at her lying in. It is better to wait until the baby is delivered and then return to Pemberley.”
