The Darcys of Pemberley (15 page)

“It be a little girl, ma’am. Smallish, but
she looks ‘ealthy. Let me clean ‘er up a mite and ye can ‘ave a
look at ‘er.” The experienced woman set about her business.

Jane and Elizabeth breathed sighs of deep
relief that the ordeal was finally over. Both were exhausted, one
from real exertion and the other from empathetic endeavor.

When her daughter was swaddled and laid in
her arms, a look of profound joy overspread Jane’s face, banishing
all evidence of the pain so recently displayed there. The infant’s
noisy cry testified to her vigor, and it begot smiles and happy
tears from her admiring mother and aunt. But their rejoicing was
soon cut short by a sudden return of unpleasantness. Jane winced
and groaned in pain once more.

“What is the matter?” Elizabeth asked
her.

“I do not know. The pangs have started again.
Is that to be expected?” she questioned the nurse.

“Often they’ll be afterbirth pangs, but let
me see …” She examined Jane. “Well, glory be! We got more work to
do milady; there’s another’n awaitin’ to get out!”

“Twins?” Elizabeth exclaimed.

“Yes ma’am. Only this ‘un looks to be turned
wrong way round. Don’t ye fret none, though, Miz Bingley; just
leave everythin’ to me. Many’s the babe I’ve introduced to the
world backside first.”

“Perhaps we should send for the doctor,”
suggested Elizabeth.

“No time for that, ma’am.”

Jane looked as if she could not settle on
whether to laugh or cry at the prospect of twins. There was no time
to dwell on the question, however. She quickly passed the baby girl
to a maid for safekeeping, and steeled herself to continue her
travail. With the valiant effort of another half an hour, she
produced a fine son to keep her daughter company. Jane then
collapsed back against her pillow, too weary and full of emotion to
speak.

The nurse kept watch for any sign of
complication and declared the new mother as fit as could be
expected after such a trial.

When Jane was enough recovered to receive her
husband, Elizabeth shooed everyone else from the room and went to
summon him. She paused at the door, looking back to see the
charming picture of maternal contentment her sister made, her
serene countenance finally restored and a sleeping baby cradled in
each arm. Elizabeth tucked the image away in her mind and went to
fetch Mr. Bingley.

She found him waiting downstairs with the
others, his face tight with anxiety. “Have no fear,” she told him
at once, laying a hand on his arm. “All is well. You may go up
now.” She left to Jane the pleasure of revealing the rest.

In his excitement, Mr. Bingley took the
stairs two at a time and was soon with his wife. Mrs. Bennet would
have followed directly after him had Elizabeth not prevented her,
insisting that the new parents be allowed some time to
themselves.

“You will see Jane soon enough, Mama. For now
you must be content with the knowledge that she is well. It was
difficult for her, to be sure, but she has come through without
harm.”

“And what about the baby?” demanded Mrs.
Bennet. “Do not keep me in suspense, child. My nerves will not
stand for it. Is it healthy? Boy or girl? ”

Since Mr. Bingley was by then with Jane and
had seen his twins, Elizabeth felt at liberty to tell the others
the happy facts as well. “Yes and no,” she answered with a
laugh.

“What nonsense is this, Lizzy? Do not torment
me so. Answer my questions!” insisted Mrs. Bennet.

“My apologies. I confess that I am feeling a
bit giddy. The answer is yes, everyone is healthy. And no, it is
not a boy or a girl; it is a boy
and
a girl – one of each,
Mama. Jane has twins! Is that not wonderful news, Darcy?” she
asked, trailing off weakly.

Darcy caught and supported his wife as she
began to sink in prostration. “Yes, excellent news. But now you
really must rest, my dear. You have overtaxed yourself.”

With her responsibility to Jane discharged,
Elizabeth acknowledged her own profound fatigue and allowed herself
to be conveyed to the sofa. Meanwhile, the shock that had
momentarily stunned Mrs. Bennet into silence expired. She launched
into rapturous effusions forthwith.

“Twins! A boy and a girl! My goodness
gracious! What a surprise! Is this not delightful, Lizzy? Lord
bless me, I can scarce believe it. What will Mr. Bennet say, I
wonder, when he finds out? Two grandchildren at once, and another
one due in a few months! My friends will all envy me my good
fortune, I daresay. I can hardly wait to see the look on my sister
Phillips’ face when I tell her. Dear, dear Jane. What a good mother
she will make, always so patient and kind. Who should be blessed
with many children if not Jane? Oh, I am so happy!”

Before long, to make her joy complete, Mrs.
Bennet was called upstairs to see her grandchildren and Jane.
Thither also went Kitty, willing to return now that the
unpleasantness was over.

Elizabeth turned to her husband. “I told you
weeks ago that Jane was enormous. Now we know why. Do you not wish
to go up and see the new arrivals, my love?”

“No, no. There will be time enough for that
later. No one wants me upstairs now; I had much better stay with
you until I know you are well. Your service to your sister is
admirable, but I hope it has not been to the detriment of your own
health.”

“I am tired, that is all. And if
I
am
this weary, consider how Jane must feel! I knew childbirth would be
difficult, but it was more grueling than I had imagined. I pray I
am up to the task when my turn comes.” As if in response to this
line of thought, her own infant made its presence known more
decidedly than ever before. Elizabeth felt a definite quickening as
the new life shifted and wriggled within her. She gasped in
surprise and instinctively put her hand to her belly.

“Is everything all right, Elizabeth? Are you
in pain?” Darcy asked, concern clouding his visage.

“No, not pain. I felt our baby move! A few
other times I thought perhaps I had, but now there can be no doubt.
Oh, Darcy, I wish you could feel it. It really is quite
incredible!” she said with tears welling up in her eyes.

She took his hand and placed it where the
flutter of activity had been a moment before, and they sat quite
still for some time. Although Elizabeth could perceive additional
stirrings, now that she knew what to watch for, they were of
insufficient strength for her husband to discern. Instead, he
enjoyed the gratifying alternative of watching his wife’s
expressive face, experiencing the thrill vicariously through
her.

Presently, Mr. Bingley returned downstairs,
his eyes shimmering and a grin spanning from ear to ear. Mr. Darcy
rose to congratulate his friend, pumping his hand enthusiastically
and soundly rapping him on the back. “Congratulations on your
exceptional good fortune, Charles. You must be very proud!”

“Thank you, Darcy. On the contrary, though, I
feel quite humbled. Why I should be so blessed is a mystery to me,
I assure you. I am convinced that I have done nothing to deserve
it. My sweet wife, on the other hand, is worthy of every kind of
joy.”

“You will get no argument from me on that
last point at least,” said Elizabeth. “I wonder that you can take
yourself from your new family so soon, though. I hope it is not on
our account that you do.”

“Not at all. It was just that, when the
ladies came in, I could no longer imagine myself needed. They were
determined to make a fuss over Jane and the babies, and I thought
it best to leave them to it.”

“Very sensible of you, Bingley. I should have
done the same,” said Darcy. “These things are clearly in the
purview of women. Men cannot be of much use with infants. Now, once
a child is old enough for rational thought, the father can enter in
– setting an example, teaching, admonishing, and so forth.”

“Perhaps, but surely…,” said Mr. Bingley, for
once in doubt of the sagacity of his friend’s advice.

“Please, Mr. Bingley,” Elizabeth interjected,
“
do
let my husband continue. This is highly instructive. So,
Mr. Darcy, you do not expect to have much interest or occupation
with our son or daughter until at least the age of four or five. Do
I understand you correctly?”

“Now, Lizzy, I did not mean exactly that. It
is only that men in general – and I am no exception – seem to have
very little idea of what to do with an infant. I expect to be most
useful and most interested with what will come later, when the
child is old enough to follow me about and learn from my knowledge
and experience. From a man’s point of view, do not you agree with
me, Bingley?”

“If you had asked me yesterday, I might have
done so without scruple, but no longer. After seeing my own son and
daughter upstairs just now, my opinion is that those two infants
are the most fascinating creatures I have ever encountered. I could
hardly take my eyes off of them, Darcy. Perhaps you will be
likewise converted when your time comes.”

The Darcys stayed the night at Heatheridge.
As they prepared for bed, Elizabeth revisited the subject. “What
interesting ideas you expressed about fatherhood this afternoon,
husband. I was quite surprised by them.”

“Why should you be? I did not relate anything
the least bit shocking or even out of the common way. As far as I
can ascertain, the vast majority of men leave the tending of their
small children entirely to the female sex. Even my own excellent
father, from what I remember, had little use for me until I was old
enough to ride and shoot. He had even less time for my sister. Yet
I would never be persuaded that we were neglected or unloved,”
Darcy said defensively.

“No, of course not.” After a pause for
reflection, Elizabeth continued in a more playful tone. “It does no
good, however, to tell me what ‘common’ men, or even ‘most’ men
consider normal and reasonable practice, because I could never
think of
you
in those terms. I hold you to a higher
standard. I have long since learnt that everything about you, Mr.
Darcy, is entirely exceptional,” she said, running an appreciative
hand and lingering eye over some of his especially fine
attributes.

This having the desired effect, he gathered
her into his arms. “You have the most charming way, Mrs. Darcy, of
transforming any discordance between us into an invitation to
something infinitely more agreeable. The result is that I can never
seem to remember what we quarreled about.”

“It is terribly clever of me, you must admit.
I wonder if I am the first woman to discover this secret to total
harmony in marriage.”

As her outstanding husband proceeded to
accept her invitation, Elizabeth was momentarily diverted by the
thought that, despite apparent indifference toward their own
infants, men seem to have no lack of interest in the activity that
leads to their existence.

Making for London

Next morning, Elizabeth’s first thought was
for her sister. She threw on her dressing gown and slipped down the
hall to look in on Jane, to satisfy herself that no serious ill
effects had resulted from the ordeal of the previous day. To her
supreme relief, she found Jane in the bloom of health – good color,
no hint of fever, and appetite intact.

“I would not have thought it possible, Jane,
that you could appear so totally unscathed this morning after all
you went through yesterday. More to the point, how do you
feel?”

“My complaints are not worth mentioning,
nothing I regard at all when I hold those two little darlings in my
arms. I cannot describe the feeling, Lizzy; ‘tis too much for
words. How shall I bear such happiness?”

“And who deserves it more than you and
Bingley, I should like to know? Besides, I am convinced that the
twins are the lucky ones, to have such parents. You will indeed
have your hands full, though.”

“I am sure to have all the help I could
possibly want. Our mother will see to that. She has insisted all
along that we hire a nurse for the baby. Now that there are two, I
find I must agree with her.”

“How long is Mama staying?”

“For a month she says, although I doubt it
will be as long as that. I think it very likely the sound of two
babies crying will soon wear upon her nerves, and she will cut
short her visit.”

“Indeed, it is a wonder to me that she was
able to manage at all with the five of us girls in the house. Of
course, then she had no choice and now she does. I think you are
correct, Jane. Mama may well decide that the greater felicity is to
be found in boasting to her friends about her grandchildren from a
safe distance. And Kitty, does she return to Longbourn with
her?”

“Yes, though I shall be sorry to see her go.
She has been good company for me these last weeks. Still, she has
been away from home for a long time now. I believe she misses Papa,
Mary, and all her friends.”

“She shall have her visit home, then, and we
can collect her on our return from London if she pleases. I daresay
we will stop in Hertfordshire in any case.”

Day by day, Jane steadily regained her
strength and spent more time out of bed and downstairs with the
others. Little Frances Jane and Charles Emerson, as they were soon
christened, made multiple appearances as well, to the delight of
all their family. They were passed from mother to grandmother to
aunt to father and back again. Even Mr. Darcy, despite his initial
protestations, relented and took a turn holding his niece and
nephew.

After five days at Heatheridge, the Darcys
took leave with the promise to visit again as soon as they returned
from London. They might have stayed longer but for the fact that
other house guests were presently expected – Mr. and Mrs. Wickham –
and on no account did Mr. Darcy wish to keep company with his old
adversary.