Chapter 1
Ramsgate
Kent
Richard Fitzwilliam, husband of Anne, master of Rosings, looked out over the swelling seas and took in a deep breath of contentment.
He was delighted because the breeze, though cold, was invigorating, and he was relieved because he no longer faced arduous journeys across the water to Europe, where even now armies were forming and shifting as the Allies prepared to battle Napoleon for supremacy after the Corsican had fled Elba, marched across France, and taken the throne from the hapless Louis XVIII.
Fitzwilliam feared that the upcoming war would result in great loss of life, but his only part now was to pray.
He was a husband, a father, and a master of a great estate. His duties were in England.
“Seez!” a little voice squealed. “Dada, seez!”
Richard wandered a few yards farther down the beach to where his two Darcy cousins were watching over Miss Arabella Darcy, a robust child of almost two years old.
“I see the seals, darling,” Mr. Darcy said, crouching down next to his small daughter. “They are so big and gray!”
“Bi!” Arabella agreed, waving one chubby fist toward the dozen seals lying on the sand some fifty feet away, looking like so many plump lumps.
“I think we ought to retreat a little,” Georgiana said. “I see pups among the seals, and we would not want to disturb their feeding.”
Darcy nodded and hoisted his little girl up onto his shoulders, which caused her to shriek in delight. “Where would you like to go, Georgiana?”
“Let us walk toward that marsh over there,” his sister answered, pointing toward the south. “I see spoonbills hunting for food, and I think I glimpsed a curlew flying in that direction a minute ago.”
“Very well,” Darcy said, deliberately bouncing his daughter to make her giggle. “We should return to the carriage in about thirty minutes, as Bella will be getting hungry.”
Georgiana smiled up at her little niece and said, “I will also be hungry.”
“Me too,” Richard agreed.
/
London
“Has Lydia left her bedchamber yet?” Kitty asked eagerly as she bounced into her eldest sister’s favorite sitting room.
Jane Bingley looked up from needlepoint and shook her head. “It is not yet ten o’clock, and you both were up late last night at the ball. She is almost certainly fast asleep!”
Kitty wrinkled her nose and said, “She promised me that she would get up in time so that we can both go to the British Museum with Mr. Banfield.”
Jane set her work on a nearby table and said, “Kitty, do sit down, please.”
Kitty obediently did so, though she looked puzzled and nervous.
“Kitty,” Jane said carefully, “you have been spending a great deal of time with Mr. Banfield, and many of our friends are taking notice. Do you care for him?”
Kitty looked at her sister as if she was insane. “Care for him? I love him! He is wonderful! He is kind, and generous, he loves art, he is godly, he…”
“Is a second son,” Jane finished. “I do not mind that, of course, I promise you. Mr. Banfield receives a reasonable allowance from his father, and he has taken Holy Orders, so if he can find a position, that will bring in additional income.”
“He was just awarded a position as a curate in St.Albans,” Kitty declared, “which will bring in an additional seventy pounds per year.”
“That is wonderful, and it is likely that, if you wed him, Mr. Darcy can find a more valuable living for him in time. I merely wish to be certain that you have thought through the financial aspect of a possible marriage with Mr. Banfield. You will not be able to afford a house in Town, nor will you be able to purchase as many gowns as you are used to.”
“Mary wed a clergyman, and you said nothing to her about money!” Kitty said truculently.
“I did not, but Elizabeth did,” Jane said calmly.
“Mary is very happy with Mr. Allen, and while their income is not great, at least Mr. Allen was awarded the living in Meryton after his father retired. Truly, my dear, I am not trying to discourage you. I merely wish you to be certain of the situation.”
Kitty glowered in a way that was quite adorable on such a pretty face. “I love Mr. Banfield. I adore him. I would go in rags in order to be his wife!”
“I am certain that will not be necessary,” Jane said affectionately.
“Kitty, I think you have chosen a fine young man. But it is vital that you are prepared to live on far less than you are accustomed. It would not be fair to Mr. Banfield if you accepted his offer of marriage and then complained about having little money.”
Kitty considered this gravely and then said, “I understand, Jane, and I promise you that I will be content. I am not like Lydia, you know. I do not need an exciting life, nor do I need expensive trinkets and the like. I wish for an honorable husband who shares my interests, and I have found that in Mr. Banfield. Of course,” and here she sighed piteously, “he may not offer for me.”
“I believe he will, and soon,” Jane replied, picking up her needlepoint and returning to her work. “He spoke to Charles only yesterday on the matter.”
“Oh!” Kitty cried out in joy just as the door opened and Lydia entered with a nursemaid and young Adam Bingley at her heels. Following them all was a black puppy, who began cavorting eagerly around the room, barking enthusiastically.
A few minutes later, Charles Bingley stepped into the doorway of the sitting room with young Mr. Banfield at his heels.
The room was a cacophony of noise and movement, with Jane helping their noisy little son build a tower of blocks, Lydia petting the wiggling, yipping dog, and Kitty sitting back with stars in her eyes.
“Kitty,” Bingley said with a smile, “Mr. Banfield has requested the honor of speaking with you in private. Are you willing?”
“Oh yes!”
/
London
May 2, 1815
My dear Amelia,
Yes, I am fixed in London for the present.
Lord Hayward is spending a few weeks in Brighton as a number of his friends are there, along with the Prince Regent, of course.
My sister, Louisa, is delighted to host me here in London for the Season.
As the wife of a baron, many doors are open to me, and she is most pleased to have opportunities to meet with such exalted company.
My brother Charles is also in London, though he and his wife have not attended many parties this Season. Jane is increasing again and has been making a grand fuss about it. I saw her last week, and she said she was feeling somewhat better.
Louisa, too, is increasing again. I hope this one is a boy, though I will say that my little niece, Emma, is quite an attractive child.
I expect you are enjoying yourself in Scarborough. I have heard that the waters are excellent, and the sea waters most healthful, though of course the company cannot be as elegant and refined as here in Town.
Sincerely,
Lady Caroline Hayward
There was a soft tap at the door, followed by the entrance of Louisa Hurst with her little daughter Emma in her arms.
“Caroline,” she said cheerfully, “I have been going through my wardrobe, and there are so many gowns that I know I will never fit in again, or at least they will be entirely out of fashion by the time I am thin enough. My dresser is going through them, and we wondered if you would care to see if there is anything you would like.”
Caroline sucked in a pained breath but managed a grateful smile. “Yes, Louisa, that would be wonderful. Thank you.”
“Excellent. Now I need to take Emma upstairs for a nap, but I will join you in my dressing room in ten minutes.”
Louisa rushed away and Caroline stood up and walked to stare into a nearby mirror.
To her relief, her outward facade was calm in spite of the turmoil in her mind and heart.
It was utter humiliation that she, the highest ranked female in her family, was currently dependent on the financial support of her sister and brother.
She, Lady Caroline Hayward, married to an actual baron…
A childless baron who was forty years old and had made her his second wife after his first wife died in childbed and the babe with her.
A baron who was a spendthrift and a gambler, who had run through all of Caroline’s dowry in short order, and was even now drinking and carousing with the Regent while she stayed in Town with her sister.
A baron who was always selfish, and, when in his cups, cruel.
A tear formed in Caroline’s right eye, and she wiped it away.
/
Ramsgate
“Miriam is finished, Mrs. Darcy,” Ruth said, wrapping her baby daughter in a blanket and placing her in a basket at her side.
“Will you please feed Andrew?” Elizabeth requested, gesturing toward her four month old son who was lying in his cradle, his hands eagerly grasping his little feet.
“Of course, Madam,” Ruth said, standing up to fetch the heir to Pemberley.
Elizabeth looked down at her younger son, Stephen, who had been born twenty minutes after his brother, and pressed a kiss on the fuzzy head.
Her pregnancy with the twins had been challenging, and she was thankful that both she and the babes had survived the delivery.
It was unfortunate that she was not able to provide quite enough milk for both infants, but together she and Ruth, her wet nurse, were managing to keep the twins and Ruth’s little daughter well fed and healthy.
“When you are finished with Andrew, I can take him,” she said to Ruth, who nodded as she brought the little Darcy to her breast.
The door to the nursery opened and Anne de Bourgh entered with her own infant son in her arms. She greeted her cousin by marriage, sat down, and began to suckle her own child.
“How did you sleep last night, Anne?” Elizabeth asked once Baby Lewis was feeding well.
“I slept very nicely,” Anne responded brightly. “There is no doubt that Ramsgate agrees with me. Lewis was also kind to his Mama and slept a full eight hours.”
Elizabeth lifted Stephen upright, patted his little back until he burped copiously, and then handed him to a nursemaid so that his nappy could be changed.
“That is very kind,” she said with amusement. “My little ones woke up at two hours after midnight and were determined to be fed. Miriam also slept through the night, so it was only my rascals keeping us awake.”
“They were born a little early, Madam,” Ruth said in a propitiating tone. “It is not surprising they need some extra nourishment in the middle of the night.”
“Oh, yes. The twins are effectively younger, though they were born a week earlier than Lewis and Miriam,” Elizabeth said, walking over to take Andrew from the wet nurse.
The two had discovered that while neither had enough milk to feed two babies, together they could feed three, and thus all three infants were satisfied.
The door opened and a maid slipped in to say, “Mrs. Fitzwilliam, Mrs. Darcy, the gentlemen and Miss Darcy asked me to inform you that they have returned from the beach.”
“We will be downstairs in a few minutes,” Elizabeth assured her.
/
“Mama!” Arabella squawked. “Mama! See seez! See seez!”
Elizabeth handed Andrew to her husband and reached down to swing her daughter into her arms. “What did you say, darling? See…?”
“Seez! Seez!” her daughter burbled.
“Seals, my dear,” Darcy said at Elizabeth’s bewildered look.
“Oh, seals! How wonderful, Bella! You saw big seals?”
“Yes, and there were some pups too,” Georgiana said gravely. “They are not very lively creatures, but it was quite interesting.”
“I am certain they are!” Elizabeth declared. “Have you seen seals here before?”
“Yes, though never their young,” her sister-in-law explained, walking over to take Stephen from a nursemaid.
Georgiana kissed the baby on the nose, who gurgled happily, and then continued, “I am thankful that you were not well enough to stay in London for the Season, Elizabeth. We have never been at Ramsgate so early in the year, and I am so excited that I was able to see seal pups!”
Three years previously, Anne Fitzwilliam would have been horrified at such a speech, but she knew Georgiana well now. Her cousin did not mean any harm, though sometimes her words sounded impolite.
“I think,” Elizabeth said gently, “that you mean that you are enjoying being here in Ramsgate in the spring, and that you are also thankful that I can rest and recover here by the sea, which is most healthful.”
Georgiana’s brow furrowed, and her lips moved as she silently repeated Elizabeth’s words, and then she said aloud, “I understand. It is unkind to say that I am glad you are unwell. I did not mean to be rude.”
“I know,” Elizabeth said fondly as she turned to her husband. “Shall we not take the children into the drawing room and have some tea?”
Darcy, his heart full at the sight of his wife, his sister, and his three precious children, could only nod in happy agreement.