“Do not worry, my love. Would you like me to join you?”
She smiled at him. “Of course. Especially if you keep that up,” she replied, moaning as his hands found a sore spot on her back. He stopped to remove his coats and cravat and then toed off his shoes. She was asleep in mere moments, but he remained, watching her for some time.
When he heard her steady breathing, indicating she was sleeping deeply, he moved his hands from her back to her abdomen, where a slight swell had begun to grow. “I love you too, my child. I look forward to the day you join us and promise never to treat you with disdain. Boy or girl, I promise always to love you and treat you with respect, just as I will your Mama. Your mama is an exceptional woman; did you know that already? She will love you immensely, and you will have the best mama in the world. She is a dream come true for me and I have no words to express how much I treasure our life together,” he said softly to his as-yet-unborn child.
Sleepily, Elizabeth murmured, “I think you mean to say, I am a dream fulfilled. I believe there were dreams that you would prefer not to have lived through.”
Darcy shook his head as he smiled fondly at his wife. “Yes, my darling girl, and now I will always have you by my side. And that is every dream of mine fulfilled.”
THE END
Epilogue
Elizabeth awoke with a start. At first, she was uncertain what had caused it, but truthfully, the closer it came to the time for the babe to come, the more difficult Elizabeth found it to remain asleep at night. However, it was something other than the child within her that caused this restlessness, and Elizabeth moved to sit up, leaning against the headboard.
Her husband was asleep beside her. He had been busy upon their return to Pemberley after Christmas at Rosings. With the baby expected in late March, he was trying to complete his usual tasks dealing with the spring planting at both Longbourn and Pemberley.
Thinking of Longbourn made Elizabeth recall their brief visit to the estate early in the new year.
Their journey to Pemberley from Rosings had taken almost a fortnight to complete due to Elizabeth’s need for frequent stops. Between that, and the shorter days in early January, they had travelled first from Rosings to London, where they spent a few days to finish packing their things, including the purchases Darcy had made for the coming child. When they were readyto travel once again, they chose to leave early on a Monday morning, allowing themselves plenty of time to arrive.
After only a brief stop to rest the horses and Elizabeth’s legs, they arrived at Longbourn shortly after noon on that first day. They had not alerted the Bennets of their arrival, though the steward and housekeeper had known.
Elizabeth was hesitant to enter Longbourn again after swearing to never do so again. However, with her father’s almost apology and his ill health, she decided she would stop to see him this once, to see if anything could be done to recover their relationship. The visit was just as awful as she expected.
Her mother had been delighted to see her married daughter— until she realised that Elizabeth and Darcy did not mean to stay and would not be paraded around Meryton. Nor did any of her sisters accompany her, and none would be convinced to remain at home with her. Her mother had briefly visited with them in London in the autumn, and she had been annoyed then to discover that Kitty and Lydia both wanted to attend school and could not be convinced otherwise. Additionally, Mary had been at Rosings, and Jane was being courted by someone their mother did not think suitable, mainly because he was neither titled nor extraordinarily wealthy. That Jane appeared to like the gentleman mattered not.
These topics were discussed for the half hour while Elizabeth and Darcy took tea with her mother. Her father did not leave his study to join them during this time, so the couple went to seek him out.
Their interview with him was unsatisfying. Elizabeth remained quiet, observing as her husband tried to engage her father in conversation. The gentleman steadfastly ignored her, clearlyholding a grudge against her for leaving him. Elizabeth gathered from the few things that were said that he considered any break in the family to be her fault. After ten minutes of this, she stood, and said her peace.
“Father, I spent my entire childhood believing you loved me and wanted what was best for me. I did all that you ever asked of me, and far more. It was not you; it was my grandmother who taught me to love Longbourn, and I learned much from her. You did encourage me to continue my learning, and when you realised that I was capable of debating and discussing topics with you, you used me to provide the company my mother could not. For years, I believed you valued me, loved me even, and that my status as your favourite meant something.
“How wrong I was! The only value I had was that my taking overyourresponsibilities allowed you to be idle and lazy. You valued no one and nothing; the only thing that mattered to you was your books. The only reason you cared about my leaving was that it would require you to exert effort to manage the estate on your own. Once that objection was removed, you willingly signed away the care of my sisters and me. You swore to have nothing to do with me if I married William and, apparently, I should have ignored the letter you sent, since I incorrectly viewed it as a sign of your thawing. I said once I would never enter this house again. Reluctantly, I thought to see you one more time, hoping for a reconciliation, but I see that was an empty hope. Nevertheless, this visit has demonstrated that there is absolutely no chance of restoring our relationship and I will not make any further efforts.”
She drew in a deep breath before finishing what she wanted to say. “Charlotte Collins will give birth soon. If it is a boy, I will recommend you invite her to live here to learn the managementof the estate. If you and Mama cannot manage that, I will ask Mr. Johnson to prepare the dower cottage for her. Anne and Richard do not mind her remaining at Rosings, but I know she would prefer her own home. Mr. Johnson can help her with learning what she needs to, and William and I will continue to advise from a distance. Since you are nothing but a figurehead anyway, it will make no difference whatsoever to you.”
Darcy, who had known what she wanted to say, held her hand through her speech. Her father merely looked at her, his mouth in a tight line as he forced himself to focus on her words. The flicker of emotion that rose as she spoke was just as quickly snuffed out. “Do as you want” was all he said.
Elizabeth stared at her father for one long moment, before nodding once, and then departing out the front door, not speaking to anyone.
They were settled in the carriage and several miles away from Longbourn before Elizabeth finally finished releasing the emotions that had overwhelmed her. It had been a tempest of emotion—anger, sadness, frustration, and hurt—and it was all too much in that moment.
Those same feelings threatened to overwhelm her as she lay in bed, but then she remembered what had woken her up.The dream!It was the dream that woke me.
In her dream, Darcy was holding a little girl in his lap, a book in his hand as he read a story. At his feet were two identical little boys. The girl in his lap was probably two or three, while the boys were a little older, perhaps five. Into the room burst two more boys and another girl, ranging in ages from seven to perhaps eleven or twelve. Suddenly, she saw herself enter the room, and she was with child, at about the same size she was now, meaningthat the baby was probably expected in a month or so.Seven children?she thought, her wonder in the situation evident even in her mind.
She compared her husband to her own father. Both she and Darcy strove to avoid the favouritism that pervaded her own childhood. Obviously, Darcy spent more time with the older boys than the younger, at least right now, but he intended to ensure all their children were educated in whatever they wanted to learn. They would all be taught the basic skills, but they would be encouraged to learn whatever they wanted, regardless of their sex.
Most importantly, they would all be cherished and loved. Elizabeth already knew that Darcy would be an excellent father based on how he was with Georgiana, and even with her own sisters. But her dream brought it all into focus and impressed the truth on her in a visceral way.
Beside her, her husband stirred. He reached for her, and not finding her as expected, he sat up and joined her, leaning against the headboard. “Are you well?” he asked as he draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him.
“I am,” she said, pressing a light kiss to his cheek before whispering. “I … I had another dream.”
He turned to her, surprise written on his face. “Of seven children?” he asked, his voice just as quiet as hers had been.
Elizabeth turned a brilliant smile to her husband. “Yes. Four boys, including a set of twins, two girls, and one more on its way.”
