For several long moments, Mrs. Bennet inspected her as if looking for signs that Elizabeth suspected did not exist, even insisting she rise. After a time, Mrs. Bennet sat again, pulling Elizabeth down with her.
“There is no sign yet, but for your courses to be so late, I suspect youarewith child.”
“So early?” asked Elizabeth, a hint of a plaintive note in her voice.
“It only takes once, Child,” said Mrs. Bennet, appearing amused. “It might have happened the first time you came together with your husband, or it may have taken a year or even more. We do not know exactly how a woman conceives, but the speed of it may depend on many factors. I did not fall with child with your elder sister until I had been married for six months.”
“What happens now?” asked Elizabeth, facing the uncertainty.
“Now, the child will grow within you.” Mrs. Bennet smiled. “Childbirth is always a time of peril for the mother and the child, but you come from hardy stock, for I carried you and all your sisters without difficulty. As it is your first time, it will take sometime for it to become obvious, but within the next seven months, you will present your husband with a little one in triumph.”
Mrs. Bennet smiled. “With your husband’s wealth, his ownership of Netherfield, and the end of the entail on Pemberley you will never need to endure the certainty of your future. Do you know if William prefers an heir at once?”
“We have never discussed it,” said Elizabeth, “but I do not think he is particular about it. If we should have naught but daughters, William will cherish them and not repine the lack of a son.”
“Then you are fortunate, my child, for not all women are in a position where they can look forward to the birth of a child without consideration for the sex.” Mrs. Bennet smiled. “Had matters been different, we might have repined the lack of a son, but I dare say it has all turned out for the best; I would not give any of you up in favor of a son.”
Mrs. Bennet grinned and added: “However, I would not have opposed a sixth child if it were a boy.
“Now, let us speak of the practicalities,” said Mrs. Bennet. “I shall be nearby to assist, and together with Victoria, we will guide you in what to expect. It is customary to wait to inform your husband of the news, though you may do as you see fit, of course.”
Curious, Elizabeth could not help but ask why.
“Because,” explained her mother, “though the lack of your courses is a sign, nothing is certain until the babe quickens within you, and that will not happen for another three months. Before that happens, you may even lose the child to a miscarriage.”
“You did not miscarry,” observed Elizabeth.
“No, I did not, but every woman is different. It is your choice, but at the very least, I would not announce it to the company or society at large. If you must tell your husband,” Mrs. Bennetgrinned, “and I cannot but suppose William would be pleased to hear it, then let it be your secret until you feel the quickening. With your permission, I shall inform Victoria, but shall say nothing to anyone else.”
“Of course, Mama,” agreed Elizabeth. “I should be happy for William’s mother to know.”
“Excellent.” Mrs. Bennet drew her in for another embrace. “My first grandchild! How pleased I shall be to gaze on your child’s little face!”
True to her promise, Mrs. Bennet told no one other than Mrs. Darcy, who hastened to offer Elizabeth her congratulations. Soon, Elizabeth’s mood was high enough that she thought she was floating on clouds, the anticipation building even though the child would not arrive for several months yet.
It was this feeling of elation that resulted in William knowing her condition soon after her conversation with her mother. Elizabeth had resolved to wait at least a short time before informing him, but her unrestrained good spirits betrayed her.
“Well, this is amusing,” said William as he watched Elizabeth twirl in the sunlight as they walked in the gardens. “There is something different about you, Elizabeth, for I have never seen you this carefree.”
“Do I not have a reason to be happy?” asked Elizabeth. “I am at my beautiful home with all my family and a doting husband. Who could not be delighted with such circumstances?”
William regarded her for several long moments. “You have always been a joyful sort of woman, but this is beyond anything I have ever seen.”
“Yes, I must suppose it is,” said Elizabeth.
She skipped to her husband and playfully reached up on tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. “The reason for my bright spirits is that I have cause to believe that I am with child.”
Frozen at her confession, William gazed at her with wonder. Then he found his voice and breathed: “With child?”
“It is not yet certain—”
Then Elizabeth found herself lifted in the air as her husband took hold of her and whirled her around, laughing like a madman, Elizabeth’s mirth mingling with his. When he placed her on the ground again, he inspected her, much as her mother had.
“You said it is uncertain?”
“Mama said we can only be sure when the quickening comes, and that will not happen for some time yet. Even so, we believe it is true; we may welcome a child around Christmastide.”
“That is wonderful!” exulted William.
