Netherfield Park Quarantined (30 page)

“Will, can you hear me? Are you injured?” Bingley cried out as he
attempted to reach his brother.

The men found Darcy, unconscious, with blood seeping from a wound
on his forehead. Everyone began searching for a way to move the tree off
Darcy, and finally determined to hitch two horses to several branches and
have them pull. With the horses pulling, Bingley and three other men lifted
some of the limbs to keep them from thrashing Darcy as they were pulled
from his body.

Once he was freed, the men quickly carried him to the stable area,
loading Darcy into a carriage before Bingley jumped inside. The carriage was
quickly on its way.

Just prior to their arrival at Pemberley, Darcy regained his senses.
“Where are we?” He asked as he looked around.

“We are on our way to Pemberley. You need to be looked at by the
physician, and there is no place at Thornhill to take care of you.” Bingley
replied.

Feeling his forehead, Darcy saw the blood on his hand. “No, you cannot
allow Lizzy to see me until I am cleaned up. She will be panicked if she sees I
have been injured.”

“William, we have no alternative but to take you to Pemberley. Lizzy
will be fine, she is strong, and your injuries do not appear to be life
threatening. A knock on the head and a few cuts which will need tending is all
that we have found so far.”

“I feel as if a house fell on top of me.” Darcy exclaimed.

 

“No, only a tree. And not even the full tree, though it was a large enough
section to do some damage.” Bingley smiled as he replied.

 

“Did the dynamite explode as planned? Was the river blockage
cleared?”

“We were so busy with you that I did not even notice. I will send
someone to Thornhill after we make sure you are going to be well. You scared
the daylights out of me, Brother. Do not ever do something like that again.”

Darcy smiled vaguely. “Forgive me, in the future, I will do my best to
stay away from trees which may be struck by lightning.”

The carriage came to a complete halt and the door opened, with two
footmen stepping forward to assist the inhabitants. The driver of the carriage
called out that Mr Darcy had been injured, causing the Pemberley staff to jump
into motion. One footman was sent to Mrs Reynolds, to inform her of the
situation, as the other assisted Bingley in aiding Darcy to walk up the steps of
his home. Once inside, Darcy realized there was a commotion happening on
the second floor. Mrs Reynolds came rushing downstairs with the footman
close behind her.

“Master William, what have you done to yourself? My goodness, you are
quite a mess.”

 

“Yes, Mrs Reynolds, and I wish to keep this from my wife until I have
had time to clean up. I do not want Elizabeth to be upset.” Darcy stated.

A sudden look on his housekeeper’s face chilled Darcy. Mrs Reynolds did
not know what to tell her employer. “Well, I…I believe we can take you to your
rooms…Mrs Darcy will not see you there…you will be able to clean up and…I
will send the physician to you.”

“Mrs Reynolds, what is going on? Where is my wife? Is something
wrong with her or the babe?”

 

“Oh, ahh…well…”

A chilling scream could be heard, coming from his wife’s bedchambers.
Unable to walk on his own, Darcy began barking orders to be taken to his wife
immediately.

“Master William, your wife will be terrified if she sees you in such a
state. You do not wish to frighten her, not at this moment. Please, Sir, it is best
for you to go to your rooms and be cleaned up.”

“What is happening?” Darcy nearly screamed as he heard loud, painful
moans.

 

“Mrs Lizzy is in the midst of delivering the babe. Her labors came upon
her just a few hours ago.”

Darcy shook his head, causing himself pain. “It is too soon, we have
weeks before the babe is due. It is too soon. Something is wrong, please, I
must see her.”

“Sir, in her condition, if you were to enter the room, she would be in
such a tizzy, you would do more harm than good. Mrs Bingley and Mrs
Phillips are in the room with her, as is the midwife. The physician is in the
hallway, he has not been needed, which is a good thing.” Mrs Reynolds led the
way up the stairs as the men aided Darcy. Just outside his wife’s door, Darcy
heard more moaning.

Seeing the physician standing in the hall, Darcy begged the man for
information.

 

“Mr Darcy, from the looks of things, I had best attend to your needs
while I await word from the midwife.”

 

“It is too early for the babe. Something must be wrong. You should be at
my wife’s side, I cannot lose her.” Darcy begged.

“Sir, if I am needed, the midwife will let me know immediately. So far,
there has been no need for me in the room. Babies are born on their time
schedule, not when we expect them. As large as your wife is, I would say she
might have been further along than was believed.”

The men entered the Master’s suite, placing Darcy on the bed. Mrs
Reynolds and Foster assisted Bingley in divesting Darcy of his clothing, while
fresh water, towels, and bandages were brought to the room. The physician
insisted on stitching the cut on Darcy’s right forearm and one on his forehead,
so, after they were cleaned, the physician went straight away to work. All the
while, they could all hear the cries from Elizabeth in the next rooms. Darcy’s
attitude was progressively becoming worse, with his barking orders. Mrs
Reynolds went to check on Elizabeth’s progress, and was gone for quite some
time, adding to Darcy’s temper.

What seemed like an eternity later, Mrs Reynolds entered the room,
tears visible streaking down her cheeks. Instantly, Darcy made to leave his
bed and go to his wife, fear overwhelming him. Bingley and Foster grabbed
hold of Darcy’s shoulders, keeping him on the bed while he was screaming for
his wife.

“Master William, calm yourself. I was coming to tell you your wife
wishes to see you. She is worried for your well-being and is fretting
something fearsome. The midwife is concerned for Mrs Lizzy as the strain on
her is not good.”

“She is alive?” Darcy calmed slightly. “She is well?”

“As well as any woman can be in the throes of delivering a babe into the
world.” Mrs Reynolds chuckled. “But if she is worrying about you, she is not
concentrating on what she needs to do to expel the child. You must refrain
from shouting and crying out, for it is causing distress for your wife.”

“Please, may I go to her? I wish to see her for myself.” Darcy begged.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances. Finally, Mrs Reynolds spoke.
“Since you have been cleaned and stitched up, let us get you into a fresh set of
clothes and then you may see your wife. It will do both of you a world of good,
and you will both be able to calm yourselves.”

~~~~~~~ ** ~~~~~~~

 

Chapter 24

Darcy was quickly dressed in shirtsleeves and breeches, and was
assisted to the door of his wife’s room. Mrs Reynolds accompanied him into
the room, leaving the other men in the Master’s bedchambers.

Elizabeth was in throes of another contraction, crying out in pain, as her
husband entered the room. Mrs Reynolds felt her master cringe when he
heard his wife. Softly she spoke to him. “Tis natural for a woman giving birth
to cry out, it helps to strengthen her to push the infant out of her body when
the time is right. Have no fear.”

Nodding his head, Darcy continued forward, his eyes never varying from
his goal. Seeing Elizabeth on her bed, the midwife checking her progress, with
Jane and Mrs Phillips seated on either side of the bed, Darcy could tell she was
exhausted. Perspiration was beaded on her face, as she endured each wave of
pain. After one painful experience, Elizabeth was gasping for air.

“Jane, please, tell me if William is well. I am so worried. I am sure he is
worse than anyone will tell me.” Elizabeth spoke quickly.

“My love, I am well.” Darcy stated, garnering his wife’s attention. “There
is no need to fret over me. All of your strength needs to be spent on you and
our babe. Are you well?” Mrs Phillips vacated her chair, allowing Darcy to
take her place at Elizabeth’s side.

“William, oh, look at you. You are injured.” Elizabeth began to speak as
another contraction took hold.

 

“I am well, my dearest love. And much more so, being here at your
side.”

 

“Mr Darcy, you should leave the room now. It is not proper for you to be
here.” Mrs Rook, the midwife, declared.

 

“I will not be leaving my wife’s side, so you had best accept that
decision.” Darcy continued looking into his wife’s eyes as he spoke.
As the pain eased, Elizabeth agreed with her husband. “Please stay with
me. I do not want you to be in the other room.”

“You have my word, my loveliest wife. Have no fear, Lizzy.” Darcy
kissed her hand as he held it. Suddenly her grip tightened, as she felt another
pain.

Another hour went by before Mrs Rook declared it was time for
Elizabeth to push with her next pain. With Darcy holding her hand,
encouraging her to push with all her might, Elizabeth bore down, and finally,
her babe entered the world.

Mrs Rook handed the infant to Mrs Reynolds, who took the infant to a
nearby table where she and Jane began to clean the babe. Hannah stood
beside Mrs Rook as the midwife worked to deliver the afterbirth. “Oh, my. I
did not expect this.” The midwife said with a startled voice.

Darcy’s eyes instantly turned to the midwife. “What is wrong? Do you
need the physician?”

 

“No, no, I was just startled. It appears that there will be another
member of the family joining you today.”

 

“Twins?” Mrs Reynolds asked as she turned towards the activity at the
bed.

“Indeed. I never found any signs of another child when I examined Mrs
Darcy, though it explains her size and the early delivery. One of the babes
must have been hiding behind the other during the examinations.” A moment
later, Mrs Rook encouraged Elizabeth to push again, and it was not long before
the second child followed the first.

“Are the babes well?” Elizabeth asked, exhausted from her experience.

Jane and Mrs Phillips each carried one to the bed, as Mrs Reynolds
fussed over cleaning up the area. Jane handed the first babe to her sister.
“Here is your daughter, Lizzy.”

“A daughter, just as I stated.” Darcy proudly declared. “And the other
babe?”

 

Mrs Phillips smiled. “Another daughter.” She handed the infant to Darcy.

Both parents were pleased, though fatigue was soon overwhelming
them. The family was soon resting peacefully on the bed, husband and wife
wrapped in each other’s arms, and the infants resting on their parents’ chests.

~~ ** ~~

Life took on a routine in the following days. Darcy was rarely far from
his wife’s side, and the babies were with their parents regularly. Elizabeth
had insisted on nursing her baby, though with twins, Darcy was concerned
with her overwhelming herself with such a task. A compromise was made of a
wet nurse being hired to assist at night and when the demand of the infants’
need became too great for Elizabeth to handle. The family members at
Pemberley visited each morning, after breaking their fast, and again in the late
afternoon. The new parents dined most days in the comfort of their rooms, as
Darcy did not wish his wife to be overtaxed.

The rains continued for two days after the birth of the Darcy twins, and
then took quite some weeks before the waters receded enough for the estates
to begin to clear up the damage. Bingley would daily ride to Thornhill, leaving
his wife and aunt at Pemberley until the water was no longer invading their
home.

One of the positive results of the rain was that Mrs Bennet was unable to
arrive in time for the birth of her first grandchildren. She was also displeased
with the babes being girls. Mr Bennet was pleased with the outcome, as he
had privately bet with Denny that Elizabeth was carrying twins and they were
both girls. Afterwards, Mr Bennet made a habit of betting on all of his
grandchildren as his daughters had their own families. To Mrs Bennet’s
frustration, her husband was always correct in his predictions. Since the rain
waters left a mess behind, and it would be weeks before everything was
cleaned up, the Bennets decided to wait until December to join their two
eldest daughters and their families.

The Darcy daughters were named Patricia Rose Anne and Madeline
Elizabeth Jane. Patricia and Rose were for Darcy’s grandmothers, while
Madeline and Elizabeth were for Elizabeth’s grandmothers. Both of the girls
looked like their mother, with her dark curls easily wrapping around their
father’s fingers as he held them and watched them in amazement.

The sparkle in their tiny brown eyes was the same as their mother’s,
and Darcy was sure he would have his hands full with his daughters as they
grew up. But he was thrilled with his dream coming true. One night, as the
family was settling in for the evening, Darcy began to chuckle.

“William, what is so funny?” Elizabeth asked, her eyebrow raised in
confusion.

“Now I have reason to order even more items for the baby, as there are
two babies. And you gave away so many of the items I had purchased for one.
The shops will be pleased to learn we have had twins.”

Elizabeth picked up Patricia, placing a kiss on her daughter’s cheek.
“Girls, prepare yourselves now, your father is planning to spoil you every day
for the rest of your lives.”

“Indeed, I do.” Darcy lifted little Madie up in his arms. “And I intend to
spoil your mother and any other siblings which come our way. Who knew
that when Netherfield Park was quarantined, my life would finally find such
joy and pleasure? I never thought I would be so grateful for an epidemic.”

The End