Chapter 23
“Elizabeth, wake
up.” Darcy sat at the edge of the bed and gently touched his wife’s
face. “We are expected at Longbourn for breakfast.”
“Mmmmmm.”
Elizabeth
groaned and rolled to her side, with her back to him.
Darcy chuckled at
his wife’s newly developed ability of sleeping like a rock, condition
that had become more noticeable since their arrival at Hertfordshire. Perhaps
it was the hot and humidity of the weather, he imagined, as she had been
perfectly normal while they were still at Pemberley. He climbed onto the bed
and lay by her side, propped on his elbow. “My love, your mother is
expecting us. She will lecture us endlessly if we are late again.”
He gave her a soft
kiss on the shoulder, extracting no visible response from her. Realizing that
he was not having the desired response he changed his tactic.
“Eliza
Bennet. Wake up!” he said firmly.
“That was
very ungenerous of you, Mr. Darcy.” Elizabeth
did not move or open her eyes.
“Lizzy, I beg
you, please wake up,” he continued dramatically.
Elizabeth turned to face him
with an amused expression. “You never called me Lizzy before.”
“Then I shall
use it more often. I managed to wake you up.” He smiled at her.
“I am so
tired,” she rolled onto her back. “And it is your fault, you know
that.”
Darcy smiled self
sufficiently, perfectly aware that it was his –their-- newlywed carnal
appetite what usually kept them awake until late in the night. He admitted his
fault on this matter, surely he never wasted the chance of engaging his wife in
long sessions of lovemaking before going to sleep, but Elizabeth also shared the responsibility for
their sleeplessness. When the act was not initiated by him, he would receive
some sort of inducement from his passionate wife. It was her endeavours which
resulted in last night’s wakefulness and he, being the devoted husband he
was, could not but oblige.
“You never
complained before.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “And you also
know that,” he said as he brushed his lips over her cheek, “I would
wake you up much earlier in the mornings if I didn’t make love to you
every night.”
“You do it
all the same,” She sighed before his mouth covered hers.
Albeit he was fully
clothed and ready to leave, Darcy did not stop his seduction. His lips
travelled all the way down her neck to her chest, and after proceeding to undo
the ties of her night gown, he went directly to her breasts where he indulged
himself for a moment. But for some reason, a moment later, he stopped abruptly
and lifted his head to study her bosom with frowned brows.
“What?” Elizabeth enquired.
“Am I wrong or these
have grown larger?”
“Have they?” Now
that he mentioned it, her breasts had become more sensitive lately and there
were moments when they ached. Perhaps her monthly course was about to start. It
always made her feel awkward a few days earlier. But now that she thought of
it, she had not had her courses since …
“Absolutely.” He
stared at her breasts with a new found reverence.
“I cannot imagine how
you can tell the difference.”
“Well,” he replied
with a cheeky smile. “I have been a fervent admirer of your cleavage
since I first lay eyes on you.”
She gasped in astonishment.
“You said that you were bewitched by my eyes!”
“Those too, and your
lips. But these two …” he planted a kiss on her nipple
“… have fascinated me from the beginning of our
acquaintance.”
Once her husband
was settled on the matter of lovemaking, he wasn’t easily dissuaded yet
nonetheless she reminded him of the early engagement at Longbourn of which he
had been so insistent several minutes before.
“Mr. Darcy, I
thought you said that we were late for breakfast.” Elizabeth sighed with pleasure.
Darcy was already
getting rid of some garments. “Do not worry. I know how to deal with your
mother.”
“Mrs. Bennet,
please forgive us for our late arrival. I have been busy attending some urgent
business that could not be delayed,” Darcy apologized to his
mother-in-law on arriving very late for breakfast at Longbourn.
“Oh no, Mr.
Darcy, do not distress yourself. I sincerely hope that no serious matter has
occurred,” replied a very concerned Mrs. Bennet.
“No, Madam,
not serious, but important enough as to require my personal and immediate
intervention. I must say that I am fortunate that it has been readily resolved
to my satisfaction.” Darcy said this with such conviction that Elizabeth had to bite her
lip in order to not blurt out a chuckle.
“Lizzy,”
said Mrs. Bennet as they took their seats at the table. “Now that you are
married to a gentleman of great consequence, you will have to learn that you
come second to his obligations.”
“Yes, Mama.” Elizabeth hid her smile behind a napkin.
Hill and one of the
maids brought a basket with warm toasts to the table, slices of fresh meat and
boiled eggs. Elizabeth
realized that something was upsetting her stomach because she became dizzy the
moment the food was served on her plate. The first one to perceive her
discomfort was Jane.
“You look
pale, Lizzy,” the eldest Miss Bennet declared. “Are you
unwell?”
All eyes were now
on the Mistress of Pemberley. Darcy looked preoccupied; Jane seemed to share
his concerns while Mrs. Bennet studied her daughter carefully with curious but
knowing eyes.
“I am
perfectly fine,” was Elizabeth’s
reply, although her tone did not transmit much security.
“Are you
sure?” Darcy touched her hand. It was unusually cold. “Perhaps we
should call a doctor.”
“Please, do
not distress yourself, I am perfectly well.”
The afternoon
brought more guests to the house. The Gardiners had come to attend the wedding
and were to stay at Longbourn for the following fortnight. Once they changed
from their travelling clothes, the family moved to the garden to enjoy the sun
of that lovely summer afternoon.
The gentlemen
remained under the shade of a large tree while the ladies walked the gardens
and chatted about the wedding to come. With enamoured eyes, Darcy followed his
wife’s steps until a comment from Mr. Bennet redirected his attention to
his party. When he turned his eyes to his wife one more time, he saw something
that was distinctly wrong with Elizabeth.
She was not facing him directly, but from the expression that appeared in
Jane’s and Mrs. Gardiner’s faces, his wife was unwell. Her head was
bowed, her hand pressed against her forehead and she had reached out to find
support in her sister.
“Elizabeth!”
Darcy ran towards her. “My goodness! What is the matter?”
“I am fine
now.” The weariness was not leaving her and she held his forearms in an
attempt to steady herself. “I …. I am well.”
“No, you are
not.” Darcy’s voice was charged with concern. There was no colour
in her cheeks and he saw that she could barely stand on her own.
“Perhaps I
have been in the sun for too long. That is all.” Elizabeth showed him a
weak smile.
Darcy put his arm
around her waist to hold her upstanding. “Let us go inside the house. Are
you sure you can walk?”
“I can,
yes.” She leaned against him and
everyone entered the house behind them.
Elizabeth was taken
to the parlour, the freshest room in the house while a servant was sent to
Meryton to fetch the village’s apothecary. Mrs. Bennet remained locked
with her for some time, not allowing anyone else in. On the other side of the
door, the anxious husband awaited with the others, overwhelmed by the deepest
concern for his wife’s condition.
When the doctor
finally arrived, Mrs. Bennet left her daughter’s side so she could
converse with the physician in privacy. She was surrounded by the other members
of the family, who readily enquired after Elizabeth’s health, but she
said nothing, just that Mrs. Darcy was well and that she would be herself soon.
Darcy’s distress was such that he didn’t notice the placid smile
Mrs Bennet exchanged with her husband as she linked her hand with his forearm.
The doctor only
stayed for half an hour. He addressed the family before leaving.
“She is
well,” said the good doctor, and then, lifting his eyes to the tall
gentleman that was standing behind the others, he added, “Mr. Darcy, may
I have a word with you?”
Darcy’s
stomach made a turn, but his exterior remained immutable.
“Certainly.”
The doctor led the
anxious husband slightly apart from the rest. “Your wife is perfectly
well, sir. Some dizziness is expected to happen on occasion. The hot weather
obviously does not help much, under the circumstances, but I am certain that
this condition will be improved during the course of the following
weeks.” Darcy’s heart skipped a beat after this intelligence but the
physician continued, unaware of the distress his words were producing on the
young gentleman. “She should drink a lot of liquid but not if she feels
too ill. If she feels tired, she must rest although I would advice you that she
doesn’t stop her morning walks, of which I know she is very fond. That
You may see her now.”
Darcy had never
heard such an amount of nonsense in his life yet, he expressed his gratitude
for the recommendations. “I thank you, Sir.”
The doctor said his
farewells to the others. “Good day to everyone.”
Elizabeth was
sitting in an armchair that was placed near the window when Darcy finally
entered the room. She was smiling calmly at him and her eyes transmitted a
serenity he had not seen before. Even though she was not as pale as earlier in
the day, Darcy could see that her complexion was too languid to believe her
completely recovered from whatever was affecting her and the doctor’s
comforting yet utterly confusing diagnosis had done very little to settle his
turbulent spirits. He walked towards her and pulled up a chair for himself.
“How are you
feeling?” he sat in front of her.
The seriousness in
his tone startled her. There was concern in his voice but also another
sentiment that Elizabeth had never imagine she would see reflected in her husband’s
eyes: fear. Darcy seemed terrified.
“I am
now.”
“I am glad to
hear it,” Dracy struggled to appear calm, he even attempted to smile but
it did not linger in his lips long enough to be convincing. His eyes dropped to
his hands, where they remained as he tried to think of what to make of this new
and very distressing circumstance.
Fitzwilliam Darcy
was a man of fortune and a great fortitude of character, too used to having his
own way in everything. Usually, when a situation was not progressing to his
satisfaction, or was completely beyond his control, he tended to detach himself
until he could fully comprehend the extent of what was happening. He had also
suffered the loss of his parents at a young age, an event that had rendered him
irremediably anxious in the face of illness so whenever anyone close to him
fell prey of a malady, he was prone to expect the worst. His wife was ill and
there was nothing he could do to remedy it. He was beside himself with worry,
feeling helpless and unable to comfort her. Incapable of controlling
his distress anymore, Darcy went to the window, where he
stood observing the landscape, away from his wife's watchful eyes,
not wishing to scare her with fears that might possibly be ill founded,
but that nonetheless he could not repress.
Elizabeth sensed
his predicament, his inability to deal with this sudden fear he was now feeling
for her sudden indisposition. She could not keep him in such misery for so
long, so she called him.
“William,
will you please come here?”
He came but
remained standing a little afar.
“Will you not
sit down?”
He obliged but
reluctantly.
“Have you
talked to the doctor?”
“Yes.”
“And what did
he tell you?”
“Nothing that
I could understand clearly. He said something about the hot weather, liquids
and some other things that could not be related with what happened to you
earlier in the day.”
“So
that’s all you know? My mother did not talk to you?”
Darcy swallowed.
“Is there something more I should know?”
Elizabeth was
grateful that her mother, who was usually very indiscreet, had been able to
keep the secret. “Yes.”
Darcy bolted from
his chair and started to pace the room. “I should have never allowed a
country doctor to see you. I shall send a servant to London directly to bring
my personal physician …”
Elizabeth rose and
walked towards him. “William, there is nothing wrong with my
health.”
“Elizabeth,”
his voice betrayed the anguish he felt. “You nearly fainted and you look
very ill.”
“My
dear,” she took his hand. “I am perfectly fine. We are perfectly
fine.”
“We?”
“Yes. I
believe I am with child.”
There was a moment
of silence before he parroted, “With child?”
Her nod confirmed
it. “My mother suspected as much, and the doctor agreed with her.”
“But he is
not certain.”
“Well, almost
certain. He said I must wait until the
baby starts to move to be sure, but he told me he has seen this so many times
that he can positively assure that I am with child. So does my mother. After all,
she has been in this condition six times.”
An expression of
heartfelt delight diffused over Darcy’s features. He raised his hand to
cup her cheek as his smile became broader. Nothing else was said then, they
just stood there, closely embraced, both too happy to express what they felt in
words.
“Should we go
to announce the news to the family?” Darcy kissed the top of his
wife’s head. “That is, if your mother did not inform them the news
already.”
Elizabeth lifted
her face to him. “Yes.”
On the other side
of the door, Miss Darcy, the entire Bennet clan and half a dozen of servants,
all sporting happy smiles, were waiting for the couple to emerge and express
their happiness for their good fortune.
Two days
later.
On one sunny day of
July, Miss Jane Bennet and Mr. Charles Bingley were united in Holy Matrimony.
All the family and friends were gathered in a lovely ceremony that married the
third Bennet girl of that year.
“Dearly
beloved ...” Reverend Hopkins began his sermon.
As the bride and
groom recited their vows, overlooking every rule of propriety, Mr. Fitzwilliam
Darcy reached out for his wife’s hand and raised it to his lips. Mrs.
Elizabeth Darcy looked up at him, a smile of happiness brightening her face as
she slid her hand through the crook of his husband’s arm and leaned her
head on his shoulder. The ceremony was evoking so many memories, some of them
painful, some of them of pure joy as the couple recalled the promises they made
six months ago, under so different circumstances. They glanced at each other
and they both inwardly re-recited their own vows, knowing that this time they
were sincere and heartfelt. They thanked God that, together, they had been able
to overcome all the obstacles that were presented to them and that they had
been able to grow to love and respect each other in the way they did now. When
the ceremony ended, the Darcys left the church arm in arm with the conviction
that now they were better persons because of the other and that their lives had
been blessed with the joy that only true love could bring.
“Oh, Mr.
Bennet!” Mrs. Bennet observed the newlyweds as they left the church.
“Three daughters married and a grandchild. God has been so good to
us.”
“Yes, indeed He has.”