Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
The rest of the summer and autumn passed with the Darcys ensconced at Pemberley.
They celebrated the harvest with the tenants in a similar fashion to the previous two years, with a picnic lasting most of the afternoon, full of games for the children and adults to participate in, and ended the evening with a dance and a kiss shared between the Master and Mistress of Pemberley.
Their tenants and servants were pleased to see the mistress heavy with child once more, as it was well known in the area that Mrs Darcy would give birth sometime in late November or early December.
Many debated if their dates were not somehow off, as Mrs Darcy looked much further along than she was purported to be.
Several family members were scheduled to descend upon Pemberley in mid-November to be present for the birth.
However, one morning, a few days before anyone was to arrive, Elizabeth awoke to the sensation of her water breaking.
Almost immediately, her pains were upon her, and she immediately was concerned—it was too soon.
“Fitzwilliam,” she cried as she tried to rouse her husband. “Fitzwilliam.”
His wife’s pained voice cut through his dreams, and he startled awake. “Elizabeth?” he asked. “What is it, dearest?”
“Rouse the servants and call for the midwife,” she said breathlessly after a moment. “My waters have broken, and I am afraid my pains have begun. We must have estimated our dates incorrectly.” Concern etched her voice, which spurred Darcy into action as much as her words.
He leapt from the bed with an alacrity that surprised her, causing her to laugh for only a moment before another pain took away her breath.
Darcy glanced at his wife in concern before pulling the bell cord to summon a servant and then moved towards his wife’s dressing room.
Meeting the maid as he crossed Elizabeth’s rarely used bedchamber, he sent her to fetch the housekeeper and rouse other staff that might be needed, including a footman or two who could go to Lambton to fetch the midwife and doctor.
He was unsure which would be required or available and felt it worthwhile to send for both.
With these tasks done, he returned to his wife, finding the housekeeper already with her.
“Mr Darcy,” she said when she saw him. “Help me move your wife into the birthing chamber. I believe it will not be long—second children often arrive much faster than the first.”
“You are not concerned it is too soon?” Elizabeth asked the older housekeeper. “We did not expect this child for almost another month.”
“You were merely guessing on the date he was conceived, and things had not gone back to normal after the loss you experienced. It is possible you had the dates wrong. But I have also seen babes come this early and survive well enough,” Mrs Reynolds offered reassuringly.
“He might be a bit small, but he comes from sturdy stock.” The smile she directed at the parents-to-be belied her worry.
Mrs Darcy was so much larger with this child than she had been with young Master Alex, so their dates might have been off, she thought to herself.
As he had done during her lying-in with Alex, her husband supported Elizabeth as she paced between their bedchamber and the bathroom that had been hastily arranged.
There were pails of water keeping hot by the fire that had been built up, and the chill was slowly fading from the room.
Stacks of towels were warming in a chair by the fire, and another rack held several blankets prepared to receive the new master or miss.
Several nightgowns were ready to receive the child as well.
Elizabeth’s pains were intense, but she did not feel that familiar sensation of needing to push. Darcy aided her as she paced the room, stopping occasionally when a pain took her breath. After less than a half hour, the door opened, and the midwife rushed in, followed by the local physician.
“Your footmen were most insistent that we both attend the birth, Mr Darcy,” the physician said, amusement winning over annoyance at having been dragged from his bed. “You are not a new father, but perhaps …” The scowl on Darcy’s face ended his speech.
“We had not expected Mrs Darcy to enter her confinement for several more weeks yet and wanted to have you on hand,” Darcy said in his Master of Pemberley voice that brooked no complaints.
Both the physician and the midwife nodded, the midwife being familiar with Mrs Darcy’s anticipated time.
“Second children often keep to a different timeline than the first. It often seems the first child is in no hurry to appear, but the second … well, a second child likes to surprise everyone. I do not fault you for your concern, sir, but I trust it will be unnecessary. Can you help your wife recline on the bed or the chaise so I can check her progress?”
Darcy assisted his wife as the midwife did what was necessary.
The physician, Mr Marshall, followed and, after observing Mrs Darcy and listening to the conversation about the timing, asked if he might listen to see if he could hear the child’s heartbeat.
Darcy was taken aback at this request, but Elizabeth touched her hand to his and nodded at the gentleman.
After listening for a moment, the physician sat up and made a pronouncement that surprised them all.
“I think I know why Mrs Darcy’s labours have started earlier than you expected—she is carrying twins.
Judging from their heartbeats, they are strong and healthy, but twins often come earlier than expected. ”
Both Elizabeth and Darcy were surprised at the physician’s words. After a long moment, where the couple seemed to speak to each other without words, Darcy finally found words, or rather a word: “Twins?” he whispered hoarsely.
The doctor smiled at the surprise that lingered on the faces of the two expectant parents. “Yes, you will welcome two children this day. Now, Mrs Pattinson, when do you anticipate the children to make their appearance.”
Having been equally stunned by the doctor’s announcement, the midwife took a moment to respond. “Mr Marshall, Mrs Darcy could give birth at any moment,” she said, redirecting her attention to her patient, where it should be. “Mrs Darcy, your pains are quite close together; are you ready to push?”
The pains were also rather intense, and Elizabeth could not speak and merely nodded.
Those who attended her helped to arrange her into a comfortable position, or as comfortable as she could manage, with her husband behind her to support her.
He whispered words of encouragement and comfort, and quite before she realised it, she gave birth to another son.
Unlike her time with Alex, the pain did not cease but continued, growing stronger as she waited for the second child to follow.
Within the next half hour, the second child appeared, a girl.
“Oh, William,” she sighed later as both the children were placed into her arms and everyone else departed from the room, “we have been so blessed. They are small, but look at them; they are beautiful.”
“Two children at once,” he said in wonder. “I will see about hiring a wet nurse to assist you in feeding them both, my dear.”
Elizabeth sighed resignedly. “Yes, I believe it to be wise, Mr Darcy,” she replied and then moved slightly to look up at him. “What shall we name them? We had discussed using your mother’s name for a girl, so Anne? What shall we give her for a middle name?”
“We could name her Elizabeth or Victoria for her mother. I doubt you would choose your mother’s name?” Darcy suggested.
“Or Madeline?” Elizabeth replied.
“Anne Madeline Darcy, then?” Darcy repeated. “And for this young man?” He touched the second bundle in his mother’s arms.
“William,” Elizabeth insisted.
Darcy arched his eyebrow at his wife. “I thought we discussed that before with Alex.”
“We did, but still, I want a son named after you. I know Alex is named for you, but I do love the name William. Perhaps we can name him William Edward–Edward for my uncle.” Elizabeth suggested.
“My aunt and uncle might protest at their exclusion,” Darcy teased.
“The next child can bear the name of the Matlocks. At this point, we have had three children in just two and half years of marriage, and I am certain we will manage at least one or two more,” Elizabeth teased back.
“Of course, if we continue as we have, I may have to begin sleeping in my own chambers at some point.”
Darcy scowled at her words, but they did cause him to think.
“We will need to be more careful, perhaps,” he said, “Once you have recovered from the twins … you can speak to the midwife or our aunts to ask about ways to prevent pregnancy for a time. I could not bear not loving you as we have been. I need you too much to …”
“And I need you as well, William, nor would I want you to not be with me and to love me. The wait until I am recovered will be difficult, as it was after Alex. “Of course, there are other things we can do …” she trailed off, leaving her husband to imagine, and he leaned down to kiss you.
“You are a temptress, my darling wife,” Darcy said, then barked a laugh. “You gave birth to twins only hours ago, and we are already discussing the next. We are both ridiculous.”
“We are happy, my dear, and I am so glad we are wed. Time and time again, you have shown yourself to be a wonderful husband, father, and genuinely good man. I am so happy that I overcame my initial resentment towards you. Did you know that I despised you for the longest time after we met after you declared me ‘merely tolerable’?” she asked.
“I did not know it then but realised it during our time in Kent. I did not know you had overheard my dreadful words, and never did I feel so ashamed as I did then,” he replied.
“You have proven time and time again that I should not have allowed those words to colour my impression of you,” she told him. “As I said just a moment ago, you have proven to be a responsible and dedicated man, something I did not truly understand until I saw how diligent you always were.”
Feeling overcome by her words, he merely leaned down to kiss her forehead.
A short time later, Elizabeth and the twins were dozing, his arms around her and the children keeping them secure. At a knock, Georgiana entered the room carrying Alex and sat him on the bed to meet his new brother and sister.
“They are lovely, William,” she whispered. “I cannot believe Elizabeth gave birth to twins, and no one realised it until they came.”
“A few commented on her size, but I confess, I was surprised when the doctor made the same observation,” Darcy replied. Alex looked at the babies wrapped snugly in his mother’s arms and made a face. He crawled to his father and sat in his lap as best he could. “Papa?” he asked.
“Meet your brother and sister, William and Anne,” he told his son, moving one arm from around his wife to pull his son to the other side.
“Pay?” the little boy asked again in a barely understandable manner.
“Not right now, they are too small to play, but soon, my son,” he told him.
“For now, perhaps I can tell you a story.” Alex nodded his agreement and snuggled into his father’s side.
Georgiana sat at the end of the bed and listened and watched her brother interact with his eldest son and how his eyes constantly returned to his wife beside him.
After some time, Georgiana offered to call the nursemaid to take the babies and Alex.
Darcy agreed, and soon, only he and his wife remained, a situation he was aware would not often happen for a while as the twins would surely demand to be fed constantly.
He was delighted and wondered, as he often did, at his good luck in winning such a wife and then creating such beautiful children with her. He was truly blessed.