Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Afew days later, the Darcys departed from town to return to Pemberley.
Elizabeth felt the quickening just before they left, confirming the new life growing within her, and the two had been jubilant when they shared their news with the Gardiners and the Matlocks at dinner two nights before their scheduled departure.
Jane was still in bed and could not attend, so Elizabeth had visited her a few days earlier when she knew their mother would not be about.
“Oh, Lizzy,” Jane said when Elizabeth entered her room. “You just missed Mama. Our aunt called earlier and took her shopping for a few things.”
Elizabeth was aware of this, planning the visit with her aunt to avoid her mother.
“That is too bad, Jane. But I came to see you and my niece and to take my leave from you. We are returning to Pemberley in a few days, and I will be quite occupied as we prepare for our departure. I have a gift for little Amelia and hope to present it to her before chatting with you for a few minutes. I do not want to tire you by staying too long, but I did want to be sure I saw you once more before we left.”
Jane rang the bell, and the nurse brought the baby in for a few minutes.
Jane was determined to follow her mother’s and the midwife’s advice and was not nursing her child, so she only saw her for a few minutes each day.
After Elizabeth held the baby for a few minutes and gave her the little dresses and blanket she had made for the child, Jane called the nursemaid back to take the baby out of the room.
“Mama has been rather quiet this visit,” Jane said. “I am surprised at how different she has been since the first call she paid on me after Amelia was born.”
“Jane, I prefer not to spend my visit discussing Mama,” Elizabeth said, causing Jane to frown. “Tell me how you are doing. I worried about you when you developed a fever, but you seemed to recover quickly. Do you intend to remain in this room like this for another fortnight?”
“It is what the midwife recommends,” Jane replied. “I will do all she says so that I remain well. Frederick disagrees, and I know you did not follow the midwife’s strictures, but I feel more comfortable doing so.”
Elizabeth sighed at the petulant tone her sister used.
“I was not criticising, dear Jane, merely asking. You know me; I am a terrible patient and struggle to remain in bed for longer than a day or two, even when it is needed. With Alex, I was walking about within our rooms in just a few days. William protested and attempted to keep me in bed longer than I was willing, but eventually, he gave in as he saw that I was determined. The midwife supported me so long as I was reasonable in my demands, and William tolerated my stubbornness well. It was different since we were not in London then, giving me more freedom to do as I wanted.”
Jane agreed, and the conversation returned to Amelia and eventually to Alex.
Elizabeth was reluctant to share the news of their expected child with her sister while their mother was visiting, so after a short time, Elizabeth stood and hugged her sister as best she could before taking her leave.
“It will probably be next spring before we return to town, as I doubt we will come again in the autumn. I do not know if it would be possible for you to visit at Christmas, or perhaps sooner, depending on Mr Hastings’ schedule. You are welcome any time.”
“Thank you, Lizzy,” Jane replied, and Elizabeth departed.
Just as Elizabeth stepped out the door of Jane’s home, Mrs Gardiner’s carriage arrived. The two ladies looked at each other, and Mrs Gardiner looked at her niece apologetically. The two women greeted each other with a hug, but Mrs Bennet remained frozen inside the carriage.
Elizabeth drew upon all her strength and greeted her mother. “Good afternoon, Mama,” she said quietly. “It is nice to see you.”
Her daughter’s voice jarred her, and Mrs Bennet stepped down from the carriage. “Good afternoon, Elizabeth,” she whispered.
Struggling not to roll her eyes, Elizabeth moved to end the awkward encounter.
“Well, I must depart for home. We will be leaving for Pemberley in a day or two. Mama, Aunt, I am certain you will both write, but I really must be going.” She immediately stepped up into her carriage.
Mrs Gardiner watched her for only a moment before she walked up the steps and into the house.
However, Mrs Bennet stood there for several more minutes until the butler’s voice roused her from her imaginings, and she also entered the house.
The journey to Pemberley was uneventful.
Alex remained an excellent traveller, and shifting him between the carriages that contained his parents and his nurse allowed everyone else to travel comfortably and rest occasionally.
Alex was inquisitive and vocal at fifteen months of age, although little of what he said could be understood.
The Darcys deliberately travelled slower than they might have liked, but they used frequent stops to explore the areas where they stopped.
Darcy and Elizabeth scoured the bookstores in small towns they rarely visited and discovered several new treasures.
Each morning, they requested a picnic lunch for their travels to allow Alex time to explore the area around him when they placed the blankets on the ground for the meal.
Despite these additional stops, the trip to Pemberley only lasted an extra day. Once again, the Darcys’ time was immediately consumed for several days as they caught up with what had been occurring on the estate while they were from home.
Darcy rode out with his steward several mornings, and although Elizabeth could not ride in her condition, he took her out to visit their tenants over several afternoons in a pony cart.
The couple enjoyed this time together, something that had been in short supply in London, and often took refreshments and a blanket with them on these trips.
Nearly a fortnight after their return, after all the major concerns from the housekeeper and steward had been addressed, Elizabeth and Darcy finally settled into their preferred routine while at Pemberley.
While her nausea was diminished by this time, she felt a bit queasy if she did not eat something first thing in the morning, and she slept later than usual most mornings.
Darcy would rise early to take a short ride and, upon returning, would request tea and toast be delivered to their shared sitting room.
By the time he washed up from his ride, Elizabeth was usually just beginning to stir.
He would sit in the bedroom near her until she woke, attending to his correspondence or his ledgers if she were not yet awake.
After this light breakfast, they would dress for the day and visit their son in the nursery.
They had moved him to the upstairs nursery upon their return from London as it gave the boy and his nurse more room for play.
The Darcys still spent much more time with their child than was considered ‘fashionable’, and it was not uncommon for someone to come above stairs to find the adults on the floor playing with Alex or reading to him with the child in one parent’s lap.
Often, he would alternate between the two as one read, and they enjoyed their time with him tremendously.
Eventually, their duties would call to them, and they would separate for a time, usually returning together by noon to indulge in a heartier repast, as by then, Elizabeth was ready for a more substantial meal. They would enjoy this in their study while attending to their business.
After their brief meeting outside Jane’s home, Elizabeth had not written to her mother again.
Mrs Bennet had sent her daughter a note the day after the difficult conversation between that lady and the Gardiners, but it was full of excuses and explanations for her treatment of her least favourite daughter.
“She is finally being honest with herself,” Elizabeth told her husband upon receipt of the letter.
“She has never understood me—never bothered to understand me—and finally, her honest thoughts and ideas are being expressed.
She did not recognise her poor treatment of me because she did not consider it inferior; she was blind to the fact that she favoured some of her daughters while nearly reviling others.
It is easy to see how, in her ignorance, she could not understand that she treated us differently.
“Not that I excuse her behaviour by any means, and I am astonished how anyone could be so wilfully blind that she cannot see how she treated her daughters so differently. Jane was the treasured one who was constantly praised for her beauty and expected to marry well. Lydia was favoured for her similarity to her mother—she was pretty and lively and, as the youngest, was spoiled. Kitty was treated well enough as she was nearly always in Lydia’s shadow, although she was occasionally reprimanded for disturbing Mama’s nerves.
Mary was largely ignored, and I, well, I was not a boy.
And I was despised for it. Nothing I did was ever enough, never good enough for Mama.
Papa appreciated that I was intelligent and interested in learning and gave me more opportunities to learn than he did the other girls, but that was because I insisted on it.
And in the end, he gave me to you willingly but with an ulterior motive in mind.
When he agreed to your request for my hand, he knew you would rescue him from failing to provide for his family.
” She had sighed deeply and snuggled deeper into Darcy’s lap. He had not replied but merely held her.