Epilogue 2 #2
Anne gulped, and her eyes, already swollen with exhaustion and grief, leaked tears which flowed down her face.
“What of Mrs. Darcy?” she asked a moment later, panic clawing at her throat. Her mother was dead, and her cousin by marriage was delivering early. Would there be more deaths today?
“She is well, as are the twins,” Mrs. Jenkinson said softly.
“Twins?”
“Indeed, a son and a daughter, both of whom are healthy.”
Anne leaned back against her pillow, a smile shining through her tears. Her mother was gone, but two new precious children had entered the big wide world.
Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
/
Rosings
Three days later
“Go along, Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth murmured, lifting a hand to run it down her husband’s cleanly shaven cheek. “I plan to take a nap now, and I know that Anne wishes to consult with you.”
“Are you quite certain?” Darcy asked worriedly. The doctor had assured him that Elizabeth had done well in birthing the twins, but he was still anxious.
“Absolutely certain,” she responded. “Indeed, my love, I wish for you to go. The babies are asleep now, and Jane’s family will arrive with Arabella in a few hours. I will want to spend time with our daughter when she arrives, so I ought to sleep now.”
Darcy nodded and leaned over to kiss her, though gently to avoid her hurting lips, which she had bitten until they bled during labor. He was thankful that her toil had not been as long as with Bella, but he knew she was greatly fatigued.
“I will see you soon,” he assured her. He blew out the wax candle on a nearby table and exited into the adjacent sitting room, which had been fitted up as a nursery for the twins, with a crib and nappies and the like.
Two nursemaids were seated on chairs within, one to look after little Alexander Darcy, the other to look after Baby Susanna.
Both women rose to their feet, but Darcy, quietly so as not to wake the sleeping infants, gestured for them to sit back down.
He walked over to peer down at his son and heir, who was sucking on one tiny fist, his little eyes screwed shut in determined slumber.
Susanna, lying swaddled next to her brother, opened one eye partway as if vaguely curious, before closing the eye again to show off delicate little eyelashes.
They were so beautiful, so perfect, and he would happily hover over them for hours, but Lady Catherine was dead, and Anne needed his advice. Regrettably, it was necessary for him to go.
/
Rosings
Two Hours Later
The door to the great house opened, and Darcy, who was closeted in the study with the steward of Rosings, tilted an eager ear toward the closed door. A moment later, he was out the door and rushing toward the vestibule, where three adults had arrived, each with a child in his or her arms.
There was a shriek of delight, and Georgiana Darcy lowered her niece onto the floor. Arabella dashed toward her father, her dark ringlets bouncing in her enthusiasm, and a moment later, Darcy swung his older daughter high in the air.
“Papa! Papa!” the child squealed, her blue eyes bright with excitement. “Missed you!”
“My darling Bella, I missed you too!” he answered, lowering her in order to kiss her on the cheek.
He turned his attention on Georgiana and the Bingleys, who were standing in the foyer with numerous servants swirling around to relieve them of their outerwear.
Charles put his son David, almost three years of age, on the floor while Jane held their two month old daughter Helena close to her chest. Darcy noted with surprise that a snowstorm had arrived while he was meeting with the steward, and the window panes were spattered with large white flakes of snow.
“Bingley, Jane, thank you for collecting Arabella from the Gardiners and Georgiana from Darcy House,” he said, stepping forward to clasp hands with his closest friend, even as Arabella wiggled out of his arms and began hopping around the large entry way along with her male cousin.
“It was our pleasure, of course,” Jane said, though her brow was furrowed in concern. “Is Lizzy...?”
“She is well,” Darcy assured her. “Tired, of course, and still weak, but she is well, as are the babes. I am certain you wish to refresh yourselves, and the children need attention, but afterward I know she would love to see you.”
/
An Hour Later
“Oh, they are both beautiful,” Jane murmured, planting a kiss on her newborn niece, who was slumbering in her arms. “Lizzy, I am so happy for you.”
“I am too,” Elizabeth said, smiling down at her son, who was also asleep in her embrace. “I am still rather astonished by it all. I knew I was larger than with Bella, but it did not occur to me that I might be carrying twins.”
“Are they feeding well?”