Chapter 20
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 I have 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 had the best adventures at Pemberley, having hooked himself while fishing, missed when attempting to 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.
Although she was now officially the mistress of Rosings and Lady Catherine moved to the dower house, Anne remained with the Matlocks following their visit to Rosings Park.
The paperwork to formally transfer the estate into Anne’s name was filed, and after this house party and a brief visit to Matlock, the Matlocks would spend the rest of the year in Kent assisting Anne.
Matlock would remain involved in helping Anne run the estate, as would Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Anne decided her cousin would be her heir since she had no intention of marrying.
The Colonel protested that he did not need or want an estate as he did not intend to marry, but his father convinced him to consider the option.
“You are nearly thirty, my son, and you may not always wish to wear the uniform. At least consider Anne’s gift—the doctors believe she may live for at least a decade yet, so you have time to consider your options.
If nothing else, you can leave the estate to Darcy’s second son or a child of your brother’s, should the Viscount ever deign to find himself a wife,” the earl argued, convincing Fitzwilliam to agree for the present.
Lady Matlock refreshed herself, and then she and Elizabeth reviewed the plans for the house party. She praised Elizabeth’s efforts, suggesting only two or three minor changes, to which Elizabeth readily agreed.
Various entertainments were planned for the party, including picnics, rides, fishing, and games.
Georgiana would not participate in many of these, particularly the evening entertainments, and Mary decided to keep company with her.
Both girls were still somewhat shy in large groups and preferred to remain out of sight.
Darcy and Elizabeth agreed to this, although Lady Matlock attempted to persuade Georgiana to participate more since she was soon to be out.
“Aunt Helen,” Darcy said after dinner that first night. “Georgiana will not come out next spring; she has decided to wait until she is a little older before she is presented. My wife and I agree with her, and you will accept her decision.”
Lady Matlock was not happy, but after Elizabeth quietly informed her she and Darcy would likely not participate in the following season, Lady Matlock agreed to support their decision to delay Georgiana’s presentation.
The following day, Elizabeth, Lady Matlock, and Jane spent time with Mrs Reynolds finalising the preparations while Darcy, Lord Matlock, and Colonel Fitzwilliam met in the study to discuss business and plans for the harvest. Darcy shared some investment opportunities he learned from Gardiner, knowing Richard intended to sell his commission before much longer.
Georgiana and Mary spent the morning in the library selecting books to read in their rooms in the evenings while the guests were in residence or in the music room practising the pianoforte.
After a light luncheon on the terrace with their family, Elizabeth and Darcy greeted the first guests to arrive, Lord and Lady Warwick and their son, at the door.
“Welcome to Pemberley!” Darcy said as they exited their carriage.
“We are pleased to have you join us. Our housekeeper, Mrs Reynolds, will show you to your rooms. We will gather in the yellow drawing room at four in the afternoon. Please let the staff know if you need anything.”