“William has not been happy about Mama’s letters to me. She is still angry with me for all the changes at Longbourn, but at least Papa is now making something of an effort on the estate. I do not know if he has realised several people at Longbourn are reporting the goings on there, but he is taking more interest in the estate and attempting to restrain Mama’s vehemence towards me.”
“I truly hate that you must endure this,” Mrs Gardiner told her. “It was good of your Mr Darcy to loan your father the money, and I am very pleased it was a loan and not a gift. I know the two of you came up with these conditions for the loan and that you intend to make things better for them all in the long run, even if they do not understand it right now. Mary is doing very well with us, and she is much improved under the instruction of the music master. I think you will enjoy hearing her play.”
“Mary just needed someone to pay her some attention. I know I did not do enough, but she craved the attention of our parents, not her sisters,” Elizabeth admitted. “She told me she appreciates your allowing her to live with you and plans to stay as long as you will let her.”
“We are happy to have her with us,” Mrs Gardiner replied. “Now, I do not know how long we will remain alone, and I have a particular topic of conversation I want to broach with you.”
“Yes, Aunt, what is it?” Elizabeth asked, growing concerned at her tone of voice.
“It is nothing to worry about, my dear girl. I just have a few questions to ask you,” Mrs Gardiner said. “I notice you are only picking at your food, especially at breakfast, are sleeping later than usual, and appear tired in the afternoons.”
Elizabeth sighed. “William has noticed the same, and he is worried about me. I think I am well, although, at times, my stomach does not tolerate food well. I have felt like I needed to cast up my accounts a few times, but I have not done so, and the feeling eventually passes. Dry toast sometimes helps with that feeling.”
“Elizabeth, I think you are forgetting some of our conversations before you wed. Can you tell me, when was the last time you had your courses?” Mrs Gardiner asked gently.
Elizabeth thought for a moment. “Not since before we left for the Lakes. We deliberately waited until after that event so we could enjoy ourselves fully.” Elizabeth smirked at her aunt. “That was nearly two months ago, which means I have missed an entire month. Do you think …?” she trailed off.
“Yes, I do,” her aunt replied.
“Oh, William will be so happy!” Elizabeth cried. “But how will I know for certain? Should I tell him now, or is there something I should look for so I can know for sure?”
“Right now, you only suspect it, but it is likely,” Mrs Gardiner told her, then thought for a moment. “If what you say is correct, you will likely give birth in mid-April. In another two months, you should feel the quickening. You can wait to tell him then, or you can go ahead and let him know what you suspect. Hemay begin to notice changes to your body, especially if you are intimate as frequently as you hinted.”
Elizabeth blushed. “What changes should I anticipate? Other than the obvious, I mean.”
They spoke for a little while longer before the others interrupted their conversation. Elizabeth decided to tell her husband what she suspected that very night.
Chapter Twenty
Fitzwilliam Darcy was a man torn. Last night, he had been elated to learn his wife of five months believed she was with child, and they only had to wait for the quickening to be sure. This morning, he was standing beside her as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the wash bowl after startling him when she leapt out of bed and rushed to her dressing room. He knew enough to believe this was related to her condition and immediately began worrying about her health.
He handed her a wet cloth to wipe her face when she was done. She cleaned her teeth with toothpowder and took a sip of water from the cup he produced before he led her back to their shared bedroom and eased her back onto the bed.
“Are you well, Elizabeth?” he asked, concern lacing his face and voice.
“I believe so, William,” she replied, reaching up to trace the worry lines creasing his forehead. “My aunt told me this might happen, especially in the mornings, and it may continue at least until I feel the quickening. Every woman and every pregnancy is different, so I cannot predict how long it might last. Although Ihave experienced queasiness several mornings of late, this is the first time I have felt this biliousness. Perhaps my aunt or Mrs Reynolds will have some suggestions for settling my stomach.”
Darcy nodded in reply. “Do you need to rest more, my love? Or is there anything else you might need? More water? Tea?” he asked anxiously.
“Dry toast might help,” Elizabeth said and then thought for a moment. “And peppermint tea. Mrs Hill always brought those when any of my sisters were ill.”
After arranging for a servant to bring dry toast and peppermint tea to his wife, Darcy held her as they lay in bed and spoke about the future. Elizabeth’s stomach eased by the time her tea and toast arrived, and she was hungry now and suggested they go down to breakfast. Darcy was surprised but agreed, and they went to their dressing rooms to prepare for the day.
The couple arrived in the breakfast room and, after fixing their plates, joined the Gardiners at the table and discussed plans for the day. Mrs Gardiner wanted to visit friends in Lambton, and Mr Gardiner preferred to fish at Pemberley. Darcy would join him, and Elizabeth, Jane, Mary, and Georgiana would accompany Mrs Gardiner for some shopping. While they were talking, the other girls joined them, and the conversation drifted to additional plans for the Gardiners’ stay. A picnic was planned in a few days, and Darcy had a few ponies ready in the stables for the children to begin learning to ride.
After breakfast, Elizabeth spoke to Mrs Gardiner, who confirmed peppermint or ginger tea and toast would help settle her stomach in the mornings and suggested Elizabeth keep something beside her bed to nibble on before she got out of bed in the mornings.
The Gardiners’visit passed quickly, with everyone enjoying their time together. Elizabeth and Darcy appreciated spending time with different members of the family, although the plethora of females in the house left Darcy and Gardiner frequently seeking out each other’s company. Darcy enjoyed speaking to Elizabeth’s uncle; he was knowledgeable, and the two had much in common. In particular, they spent several afternoons fishing, a favourite pastime of Gardiner’s but one he rarely enjoyed.
In addition to the fishing expeditions, they enjoyed picnics at various locations on the estate, and Mrs Gardiner fulfilled her wish of travelling the circumference of the Park in a little phaeton. As Elizabeth had not yet learned, Georgiana drove her, and Darcy was reluctant to teach her while she was with child. They both recognised his reluctance as nonsensical, but Elizabeth realised his fears were due to his mother’s death in childbirth.
Having not spent much time with children since Georgiana was younger, Darcy found he enjoyed the Gardiner’s children’s company. The four ranged in age from four to 12, and the youngest, in particular, attached himself to “Cousin Will”. He delighted in riding with Darcy on his huge horse and was in raptures about riding his own little pony, purchased especially for the visit. This led Darcy to imagine himself teaching his children to ride, and his inattention resulted in a more exciting ride than little Eddie had anticipated. In fact, of all the Gardiner children, little Eddie hadthe best adventures at Pemberley, having hooked himself while fishing, missed when attemptingto jump on his pony, and fell into the lake once and out of a tree or two. Only his older sister came close to his adventures, and the two were almost always together. Having heard tales of Elizabeth’s childhood adventures, Darcy hoped their child would be a little less adventurous than Elizabeth and Eddie, but somehow he doubted it.
Elizabeth’s morning sickness was slightly better when she nibbled on biscuits before she left the bed in the morning, but the queasy feeling still occasionally lasted throughout the day. She and her husband had not informed anyone else of their suspicions, but the others noticed Elizabeth ate less and seemed more tired than usual. Jane attributed these to the presence of company and nervousness over the Darcys’ upcoming house party.
Georgiana and Mary became fast friends during the visit, and she nearly begged Mary to remain with her so they could continue their friendship. Mary readily agreed, and permission was obtained for her to remain at Pemberley. Both girls would travel to London with the Matlocks after Twelfth Night, where the girls would work with music and language masters until Darcy and Elizabeth returned to London at the beginning of the summer.
The time between the Gardiners’ visit and the house party passed in a flurry of activity as the house was readied for their guests. Darcy invited several of his friends and their wives, a few single friends, and a few older couples who were friends of his parents or the Matlocks and would bring their unmarried daughters. The Matlocks, with Colonel Fitzwilliam and Anne de Bourgh, arrived the afternoon before the party began.
