Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
“Louisa, I am … I am with child,” Jane sobbed into her new sister’s arms. “It … it … oh, Louisa, I am so afraid.”
Louisa continued to hold her in her arms, uncertain of what could be so awful about Jane being with child … unless the child was not her husband’s.
“Jane,” Louisa hesitated. “Is the child … is it Charles’s?” Jane only sobbed harder, confirming what Louisa feared. “Does Charles know?”
At Jane’s nod, Louisa sighed deeply. “The doctor came this morning to examine me because I have been so sick. The doctor told him the babe was due at the end of April, and Charles knew immediately. He did not say anything in front of the doctor, but he was so angry. I cannot blame him at all for that.”
“Whose … who is the father?” Louisa stammered.
“George Wickham,” Jane said. “It was only once; I encountered him on a walk into Meryton, and I was still so sad about Charles, and well, he paid me attention and flattered me, and before I knew it, I was … well, he had taken his pleasure with me. I was not unwilling, but neither did I fully understand what had happened until it was over. Then, Charles came back a few weeks later. I did not know I was pregnant when I accepted his proposal of marriage; honestly, I did not. I was so happy that he had returned and still loved me. And … I do not know how, but Caroline knew and threatened to tell everyone. She wanted Elizabeth to be unhappy and knew that ruining my relationship with her would cause her grief. Caroline hoped that my treating her poorly and telling everyone all these rumours about her; well, she believed it would cause Mr. Darcy to set her aside. She has been so angry that nothing has worked. And well, I have been miserable about it all as well. And now I have been so sick with this pregnancy.”
“You should have told Charles about it before you married,” Louisa chided.
“I do not know what he would have said, but I dare say it would not have made things as bad as they are now. You have alienated him from his best friend; you have alienated yourself from your sister and created all manner of issues in your life and marriage. What do you intend to do? What does Charles mean to do?”
Jane sobbed harder. “I do not know what to do,” she wailed.
Louisa remained where she was, trying to calm her, as she became hysterical.
When a maid entered, she was able to signal her to come closer and request a glass of wine with laudanum in it.
It arrived in short order, and Louisa helped Jane to drink it before allowing a maid to lead her to her room.
That done, she went in search of her brother.
“Charles?” she asked cautiously when she approached him in his study. He looked up, and she could see the grief on his face.
“What do you need, Louisa?” he said crossly.
“I have just talked with Jane,” she replied.
He shook his head. “I do not even know what to think, much less how to act,” he told her.
“I could divorce her and be totally justified in it. I could send her to Ireland and leave her with her mother and sister. I could pretend that nothing has happened and raise her bastard as my own. If she had told me from the beginning, I … might have … I could have … I do not know what I would have done.” His head dropped into his hands. “I do not know what to do.”
Louisa approached him and put her hand on his shoulder. “Do you love her?” she asked.
“I did; I think I do,” he cried. “I have loved her since we first met in Hertfordshire. If I had not allowed myself to be persuaded, if I had not asked everyone for advice, if I had followed my heart in the first place, this could never have happened. Not that I completely blame myself … but she should have trusted me enough to tell me before we were married.”
Louisa only stood there, her hand on his shoulder, providing what comfort she could.
“I would suggest that you do not make any rash decisions; that you think things through carefully before making any decisions that will impact your lives. Perhaps she could have this baby far away, and it could be raised as someone else’s, and then you could begin your life together again. ”
Charles nodded in response, and after some time, Louisa left to return to her own home and to speak to her husband about events.
Late that evening, messages were received at both the Darcy and the Hurst households asking for their immediate attendance at Bingley’s home. Both couples arrived within minutes of each other to find Charles there, distracted and upset.
“Jane is having the baby now. It is far too soon! The doctor is already in there with her, but she has asked Elizabeth and Louisa to attend to her. She said she would like to speak to both of you,” Bingley said as soon as they were there.
Darcy was reluctant to let his wife go, but something in his friend’s eyes made him put aside that feeling and grudgingly release his wife.
Elizabeth allowed Louisa to guide her up the stairs to Jane’s bed chambers. Jane was lying in bed, very pale and obviously in pain. Most concerning was the blood staining the bed at Jane’s pelvis, causing Elizabeth to rush to Jane’s side.
“Oh, Jane, how are you?” Elizabeth said soothingly as she approached.
“Lizzy,” Jane said weakly. “I am so glad you came. I … I need to apologise for what I have caused. I was … I never should have listened to Caroline or trusted anything she said. I have … I have hurt you beyond what you should forgive. Instead of being happy for you … I have made such a mess for everyone.” She began sobbing once again and then cried out with pain as another contraction came.
Elizabeth took her sister’s hand in hers. “I forgive you, Jane. I cannot say I understand why you have acted as you have, but I do forgive you.”
Jane looked at her sister in appreciation. “Thank you, Lizzy,” she said weakly. “Thank you.”
Elizabeth could do nothing but sit beside her sister and hold her hand.
Quietly, she asked the maid for a cool towel, which she used to wipe her sister’s brow as she continued to labour and struggle.
Louisa, on the other side, spoke to her sister-in-law soothingly, as well as the doctor and the maids continued as they had been.
There was honestly little to do for anyone except to change the towels being used to absorb the blood.
It became apparent that Jane was growing steadily weaker from the loss of blood.
Elizabeth and Louisa continued to dab at her face with the cool towels until Charles entered.
Jane woke at the voice of her husband, so the two ladies exited the room. “I am so sorry, Lizzy; I love you,” Jane whispered as they left the room.
Elizabeth immediately went to her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist. He embraced her shoulders and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
“Oh, Will,” she sobbed into his chest. “She apologised; I still have no idea what was behind everything, but she … she looks … oh, Will!” Once again, she burst into tears and sobbed into his waistcoat.
Recognising that she was close to losing control, he picked her up in his arms to take her into another room and sat down with her on his lap. Attempting to comfort her, he continued to whisper words of love and comfort into her ears as he rubbed his hands up and down her back.
When the tears subsided, she tried again. “I do not know if she will survive this night. She has apologised for how she has treated me, but I still do not understand.”
“Can you forgive her?” he asked softly.
“Of course, I can forgive her. I forgave her long ago, but I was still so hurt by her treatment of me. And now we may never be able to repair any part of our relationship if she does not survive,” she whispered into his chest.
“Charles spoke to Hurst and me while you and Mrs. Hurst were with your sister,” William told her as she calmed.
“She and Charles spoke earlier today after the doctor had come to see her. The doctor’s news revealed that the babe was not Charles’s, and Jane confessed that it was the result of an encounter with Wickham,” he said the name with great distaste.
“He seduced her in July, right before the militia left when she was feeling particularly low and missing both you and Bingley. She was terrified to tell anyone as it had not been against her will, although she had not understood what he had persuaded her to do until it was too late. She realised she had been stupid and na?ve and had allowed things to go too far. She was too afraid to tell Charles, and she did not realise that she was with child until after he returned and proposed to her. I am still not certain about some of the rest of the details, except that somehow Miss Bingley was aware and was threatening her. Jane’s behaviour toward you was at her direction, as some sort of blackmail.
I do not know what Miss Bingley thought she would accomplish with any of this; the woman truly is fit for Bedlam, and Charles means to see her put away. ”
Elizabeth continued to try to control her tears and her breathing. When she had gained a semblance of control, she picked her head up from William’s chest. “Will she die?” she asked in a tiny voice.
William did not know how to respond. Based on what Charles had said the doctor had told him, it appeared likely.
Jane had not been able to eat much in several weeks, even before they arrived from Netherfield, and had been steadily growing weaker.
That afternoon, she had begun having pains, and the doctor had been called when she had started to bleed.
His silence was answer enough for Elizabeth, who took a deep shuddering breath. They both stood when they heard the door open and saw Charles standing there. “Jane is asking for you again, Elizabeth. She asks that both you and Darcy come to see her. It is … it is almost over,” Charles choked.