Epilogue Two
"For goodness' sake, William, will you stop pacing? You are going to wear a hole in the rug. And if not in the rug, certainly in my patience!" Elizabeth said, gesturing towards him with her teacup.
Darcy turned an irritated look upon his wife but continued to move. "I do not know how you can simply sit there like that." The brandy in his glass sloshed dangerously as he pivoted on his heel, and Elizabeth placed a hand over her mouth, apparently concealing a chuckle.
"Is this funny to you, Elizabeth? Our daughter lies upstairs in pain, Lord knows what is happening, and you can laugh?"
She smoothed her expression and caught at his hand with her free one as he passed, forcing him to stop.
"I do not think it is funny, and I am just as worried for Bella as you are.
But she is healthy and strong, George is beside her and she has the finest doctor and midwife money can provide.
I believe she will be well. And if I raise a smile, my husband, my dear, dear, silly husband, it is only because you are stalking around as though the world is ending.
This will be a joyous occasion, my love. She is well, I promise."
Elizabeth finished her tea and placed the cup carefully on its saucer before standing. "Now, I shall return to her and let you know the moment there is any news."
Darcy squeezed her hand, but the moment she left the room he resumed his pacing. Mina and Kate quickly replaced their mother as his companions, and Darcy tried very hard not to listen as Kate gave her younger sister a far too anatomically precise explanation of childbirth.
"I am quite sure that is not appropriate, girls," he said at length.
Kate looked genuinely puzzled. "It is a natural scientific process. Would you prefer your daughters to remain ignorant of the mechanisms of their own bodies?"
"No, no," he said, absently stroking her hair as he passed behind her chair. "It is merely that perhaps this is not the time."
Mina looked up from where she had curled herself into the corner of the sofa. "It is exactly the time, Papa. It is what Bella is doing right now. What I want to know is why it takes so long. She has been at it for an entire day. She must be exhausted."
"Yes, she must," Darcy said, his chest tightening at the thought. "Although I dare say we are all exhausted."
"I saw George in the passageway earlier," Mina added. "His hair was standing on end and he looked as though he had suffered a terrible fright."
"Mina, that is precisely the sort of information I do not require."
At that moment, Elizabeth appeared again in the doorway. "Come, William. Come now," she said, gesturing urgently.
Fear shot through him like lightning. Mina and Kate immediately rose to follow, but Elizabeth held out a gentle hand. "Girls, I shall come for you in a moment. Just your father for now. Come, William."
With that, she turned, lifted her skirt and hurried through the house.
Darcy followed after her, his heart beating hard in his chest and blood pounding in his ears.
He did his best to keep pace as she travelled through the halls and into the quieter wing where Bella and her husband had made their home.
"Please tell me all is well, Elizabeth," he said desperately as they reached the door.
She looked back at him then, and the glorious smile that spread across her face made his heart leap.
"All is well, Grandpapa William."
Elizabeth pushed open the door. His daughter lay propped against a mountain of pillows, her face pale and drawn with exhaustion, her dark hair braided simply over one shoulder. George sat beside her with an arm about her and, nestled between them, was a tiny bundle wrapped in white.
Darcy had been through this process three times before, and he remembered only too well the fear and excitement that had accompanied each of his daughters' births.
He had thought the wellspring of love that opened within him at each of their arrivals was beyond comparison, but now, seeing Bella holding her own child, his first grandchild, his heart seemed to overflow all over again.
"Bella, sweetheart, you have done so well." His voice cracked and tears rose unbidden to his eyes. He made no attempt to hide them. "May I meet the little one?"
His daughter looked up at him, her own eyes shining. "Of course, Papa."
Darcy came forward and carefully took the tiny, squirming infant from her.
The baby had a mass of dark hair, just as Bella herself had possessed when she was born, with perfect rosebud lips and a tiny nose.
The babe’s eyes screwed up as though deeply suspicious of this new addition to the family party.
"It is a boy," George said, placing a hand gently upon Darcy's shoulder. His own face was pale with exhaustion, but it shone with pride and wonder. "I have a son, and you, sir, have a very fine grandson."
"Very fine indeed," Elizabeth whispered, coming to stand close beside her husband and resting her cheek against his arm as they both peered down at their grandson.
"And does this fine young gentleman have a name?" Darcy asked, unable to tear his eyes from the infant. He had forgotten how small they were at this age, how terribly light and fragile they felt in one's arms.
"He certainly does," Bella said, exchanging a glance with her husband. "His name is William Darcy Harwood."
Darcy looked up at his daughter, momentarily rendered speechless. "You do me the greatest honour," he managed at last, his voice rough with emotion. "Both of you. And you have brought the most welcome addition imaginable to our family."
Elizabeth reached across and took Bella's hand. "You certainly have, darling girl. We shall love your beautiful boy every bit as much as we have loved all of you. He is the finest baby boy I have ever laid eyes on."
"We could not lumber the poor creature with Fitzwilliam, of course," Bella said, laughing through a fresh wave of tears. "But I suspect he will prove a Darcy through and through, and cause you no small amount of trouble, Grandpapa."
"Grandpapa," Darcy repeated softly, looking back down at the sleeping child in his arms. A smile slowly spread across his face. "How very well that sounds. How very, very well."
He looked towards Elizabeth, her eyes were still bright with her own tears. She leaned over and pressed a delicate kiss first to the dark head of their grandson and then to her husband's cheek. "Oh, William," she whispered. "How lucky we are."
The End