Chapter 55 Death At Pemberley #2
Miriam must have read the alarm on Elizabeth’s face, for she said, “Mrs. Darcy, there is nothing to concern you. The placenta shall soon be delivered. Everything has gone better than we could have hoped. Though the little ones are small, they are well developed. I have no fears for them.”
Elizabeth heard a weak cry. Another followed, stronger than the first. She drew near to Mrs. Harwood and the second-born infant. He was kicking and flailing his tiny arms. Relief swept through her. Mary and her two babies appeared to be doing well.
After cleaning him, Mrs. Harwood wrapped the infant in a blanket and placed him in Elizabeth's arms.
“Tap his heels, Mrs. Darcy, if he appears to stop breathing,” the midwife instructed.
Elizabeth nodded and looked down at the tiny face peeking out from the blanket. He seemed impossibly small. She brushed the back of one finger across his cheek.
Elizabeth sat down and kept a vigilant watch over the infant. She must not allow him to slip away for want of breath.
An hour later, Mary had been washed and dressed in a clean, dry gown. She sat propped up in bed, nursing both her sons. Once the midwives had gone downstairs to take a meal, Elizabeth broke the news of her husband's death to her sister.
“Dearest, how do you feel? Shall I send for the doctor?”
“No, Lizzy. This news has come as a great shock, but I am not overset by it, for I can scarcely believe Mr. Collins is dead. I must see his body before it is transported to Meryton for burial. Otherwise, I do not think I shall ever believe it to be true.”
“Yes, of course. But he must be sent as soon as the coffin is completed. There is a carpenter here at Pemberley, and all the necessary materials are already at hand. I am certain Fitzwilliam will travel into Hertfordshire later today.”
Mary was silent for a moment as she looked down at her sons.
“When may I see him, Lizzy?”
“As soon as his body has been prepared and the midwives allow you to leave your bed.”
“I feel terribly guilty. You do not know how often I wished him elsewhere, nor how often I wished I had never married him. Yet, whatever our differences, he was my husband, and he was the father of my children.”
Though you may have entertained such thoughts, you did not wish him harm, nor did you wish him dead. Nothing you did caused this terrible accident. You are innocent,” Elizabeth said.
She propped another pillow behind Mary’s back and then said, “By the by, Mrs. Reynolds knows of a woman who may be willing to serve as a wet nurse. Shall we send for her?”
“Yes, Lizzy. Please see that it is arranged. I have no money, but I am certain Papa will cover the expense until my husband's affairs can be settled.”
“Very well. I shall ask Mrs. Reynolds to make the arrangements.”
“Lizzy, I am not so innocent. What woman, other than myself, would wish her new husband to spend most of the day away at his work? Do you know, I came to feel that the resolution of the entail came at too high a price? I am an ungrateful creature. How shall I ever live with myself?”
Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed and took her sister’s hand.
“I am certain you are not the first wife to think such thoughts. I thought them myself, and I was not even married to the ingrate. Yet I witnessed his manner toward you and toward me. Perhaps he behaved so toward all women, believing men to be the superior sex and women incapable of reason. And do you not think he bore some responsibility for leaving his wife in labor while he went out to amuse himself on a hunt?”
Mary did not fully dress when it was time to view her husband's body. Instead, Elizabeth helped her into a heavy cloak so that propriety might be observed. Then she slipped an arm around her sister's waist and accompanied her downstairs to the small room where the body lay.
When the two women entered the darkened room, they stood together staring at the form laid out upon the bier.
It scarcely looked like Mr. Collins. His face had taken on a gray, waxen cast. His cheeks appeared hollow, and his lips were colorless.
Mary reached out and touched his arm. Even through his fine coat, she could feel the unnatural stiffness beneath the cloth.
The gray cast of his skin and the rigidity beneath her fingers made her understand that he was truly gone.
The two sisters remained with the body for nearly half an hour. At last, Mary rose.
“I feel unwell, Lizzy. I must return to my bed.”
Elizabeth stood and took her sister's arm. “Have you eaten today?”
She watched her sister pause to consider the question.
“No. I have eaten nothing since yesterday.”
“Come, sister. Let us return to your room before you faint from want of nourishment. I shall send for a tray immediately.”
Later that day, Elizabeth and Kitty stood beside Mary at the front of the house as Mr. Darcy and Robert Miller departed with the coffin secured upon a wagon.
One of the Pemberley carriages followed behind with Mr. Darcy’s valet, while Mr. Darcy and Robert Miller rode alongside.
They intended to travel day and night so that Mr. Collins's body might reach its final resting place as quickly as possible.
Before he departed, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth stood together in his study.
“I am leaving Peter Miller here with you, Elizabeth. I have also sent word to Fletcher and asked him to remain at Pemberley while I am away. He oversees much of my business and will assist you should any necessity arise.”
“How long shall you be gone, Fitzwilliam?”
“It will take us three days to reach Meryton, traveling day and night. We shall take turns sleeping in the carriage. Once the burial is concluded, I must go on to London to attend to some business. I expect to have everything settled within a week. I should be back with you in ten days, perhaps a fortnight at most.”
“Thank you, Fitzwilliam, for managing everything on behalf of my sister. I should not know where to begin.”
“Do not concern yourself, Elizabeth. Mary is family. She is my sister as surely as if we shared the same blood. I dislike leaving you behind, but you are needed here. If you have need of me, send word. If the matter is urgent, send an express. You may depend on Fletcher and Walters to see that everything is properly managed until my return.”
“Do you have Mary’s letter to my father?”
He patted his breast pocket. “Yes, it is here. I have yours as well.”
He kissed her then, long and tenderly. Holding her close, he rested his cheek against the crown of her head.
“Take care, darling. Do not go out alone. The gamekeeper is watching for animals afflicted with hydrophobia. Within a few weeks, we should know if any others have contracted the disease.”
“I shall take care, sir, and I wish you safe travels. Please do not expose yourself to any unnecessary danger.”
Reluctantly, he released her. Neither wished to part, but duty called him away.
Her eyes filled with tears. He withdrew his handkerchief and gently dabbed them away.
“Come, darling, I must be on the road.”
Together they walked to the entrance hall and joined the others gathered with Mary.
He kissed Georgiana and bid her behave herself.
“Take care, brother. Return to us as soon as you are able.”
He bowed to Mary and offered his condolences once more before mounting his horse.
Elizabeth’s gaze was fixed on him. He looked exceedingly handsome atop his black stallion, clad in his greatcoat against the threatening clouds. He turned to her one last time and smiled, his heart in his eyes.
The four women stood in the doorway watching as the little cavalcade departed. They remained there until the riders reached a bend in the drive and disappeared from sight.