The groom chuckled as he made another ride to deliver very happy acceptance of the invitation. He and the other footmen on both estates had a pool for how many times a week they would be making the ride between estates to deliver missives from one sister to the other.
Another groom rode west to Birchington to deliver the invitation to the Marquess and Marchioness.
Chapter 37
On the morning of the visit to Brookfield, Darcy became alert when he heard his wife retching. He had just started missing the warmth of her body next to his in their bed and had been half awake when he felt her leave the bed. On hearing her expelling the contents of her stomach, he sprung out of the bed and had his robe on in record time. He first went into his wife’s bedchamber and rang for her maid. As soon as he had pulled the bell pull, he walked into the bathing room attached to his chambers and found his wife wiping her mouth with a towel that she had dipped in the basin of water.
“Are you well, my love?” Darcy asked, his concern very evident in his voice.
“I am well, William. I am sure that my stomach will settle. I normally love fish, but in the last few days I feel my stomach turn whenever I smell anything with the odour of fish,” she sighed as she finished wiping her mouth.
There was a knock on the door and on being bade to enter, Elizabeth’s maid did so.
“Miss Arseneault, please help your mistress clean herself up and dress,” Darcy requested carefully so that his concern did not become anger directed at either his wife or her maid.
“Oui,my Lord.” She helped her mistress back to her chambers to carry out the master’s orders while he rang for Carstens to assist him with his ablutions and dressing. As soon as he was dressed, a worried Darcy entered Elizabeth’s chambers, finding his wife’s maid buttoning up a pale-yellow muslin day dress. Her hair in a simple bun except a few stray curls hanging down her neck he knew he would play with all day long if he could.
The Darcys were sitting in the breakfast room where the new Earl noticed that his wife, who usually had a full breakfast to start the day, had very little on her plate and was pushing her food around more than she was eating. “Do you still feel unsettled, Elizabeth?” he asked, trying not to scream for the doctor when the answer was so obviously yes.
“A little, William. I am sure that by the time we get to Jane’s and Richard’s I will feel much better,” she opined hopefully.
When it was time to depart for Brookfield the Countess did feel much better, so much so that she had a strawberry pastry and some tea before they departed. Both Darcys regretted that Mary and Hugh had too much to do on their estate to join them.
After a short ride they were met by a stunningly beautiful Jane and an obviously content Fitzwilliam. It would be just the four of them as the Hilldales had returned to their estate the previous week. Jane had a particular glow about her that was more than her normal almost ethereal beauty, which her sister privately noted as one of the things that they needed to discuss. For the two day stay, the Darcys had only required one trunk between the two of them.
After they refreshed themselves, they met Richard and Jane in their private sitting room. The men departed to ride the estate as Darcy had never seen Brookfield before and the sisters were glad for some time alone after months of none.
“Well Jane why is it that you look like the cat that got the cream. You were never able to hide things from me.” Lizzy looked directly at her sister as soon as the door closed.
“I, no we, are so happy. I am with child, Lizzy. I should feel the quickening in about two months.” Jane’s news spilled out and she was so glad to have her dearest sister right there to tell. “So far, I have been very fortunate and have not had the sickness in the morning which Mama had very early in each of her pregnancies much earlier than is the norm. I do not know if you remember, but Mama was sick almost from the moment that she becameenceinte. I remember when she was pregnant with Lydia and I thought she needed a doctor almost every day for months until she finally told me the truth to help me sleep. I have missed two months’ worth of courses now and you know how regular all of us Bennet girls are.”
When her sister looked distressed, Jane took her sister’s hand. “I will be well, dearest,” Jane promised.
“I would take God himself to task were that in question,” Lizzy’s heart constricted at the thought of spending years without her Jane.
“Then why were you concerned…” Jane frowned.
“I-I think that I am in the family way. For the previous two mornings I have felt like I wanted to be sick, and then this morning I was. You just reminded me that Mama was wont to get sick much earlier than others when she was with child. It has been a week since my courses should have started, and I cannot abide the smell of fish now. Can I be with child so soon in my marriage, Jane?”
“Lizzy, you are like me. Your courses have been regular since the first time you got them when you were fourteen. You know as well as I do there is no fixed rule about when you will begin to increase. Our mama was in that state within a month of her marriage to Papa, and we are very much our mother’s children,” Jane told her younger sister. She relaxed as happiness again suffused her. “Just think, our children will be born within a month or two of each other, and with us living so close to Pemberley they will be the best of cousins!”
“We could be placing the cart before the horse, Janey. I may not be with child. It is easily possible I am late because of all of the…activity we enjoy.” Lizzy blushed but met her sister’s eyes as Jane had done so calmly when she had been questioned by Mary and herself at Longbourn. It would be much more of an issue were she not yet his wife in every way.
“I do not think that is a side effect of marital relations Lizzy, unless one is with child. It sounds like you followed the advice that Mama and I gave you and Mary before your wedding,” Jane teased.
“Your advice guided me to expect that I would enjoy the marriage bed, but oh, Jane, it is wonderful. I spoke to Mary on the wedding trip, so I can assure you that our younger, shy, even retiring, middle sister is no longer shyorretiring. From the little that she was willing to say, she seems to enjoy the marriage bed as much as you seem to, and I do myself.”
“Not ourpiousMary!” Jane pretended to be taken aback by the news.
“You well know that Mary stopped her preaching ways before she turned seventeen. As both of us share a deep passion with our husbands, do not be surprised to learn Mary is that way, too.” Lizzy smiled playfully, knowing that Jane was not truly shocked.
“I confess I know you have the right of it. I had no doubt that you and William would have a passionate relationship, but Mary is more like Mama and me in temperament. You got her playfuljoy-de-verve, we got the famed Gardiner drive or emotional reserve, as she calls it. Kitty is very quiet but is quick to smile and help, so we shall see, but Lydia seems to have the perfect blend of the Bennet intellect and the Gardiner emotions that were close to carrying her away. Too smart has occasionally gotten you into trouble, dear sister.” Jane laughed with Lizzy as her sister admitted that was true. “But Mary could not conceal her emotions so she hid from the world to keep them under good regulation until she was ready to find her preferred method. She is a force that closely resembles Mama, and we have had to capitulate to her more than either of us like to admit.
“Hugh, Dearest, may have the most fun of all our husbands. There was a rumour that when Hugh and Mary went to explore a small grove of trees,” Jane gave Lizzy a look that said neither would be able to list a single type of tree in it, “Hugh was spotted on his knees waiting for Mary to kiss him so she was the one controlling the moment. Helen made it official that she hopes to emulate Mary more than us now. Hearing that secret when I was at Longbourn the day after we talked told me that there is nothing and no one that will ever come between them. He would be powerless without her and that takes a very special woman.” She gently reached out and picked her sister’s jaw up for her, helping Lizzy laugh.
“I think I will take a page out of our Mary’s book. That sounds like much fun I might have missed out on.” Lizzy grinned as she replied. She then started imagining what was truly possible. “I think we will require a nap before dinner, should the men get home,” she said with nonchalance and she and Jane fell into laughter that made a servant walking by smile.
“I too am happy our younger sister has such felicity in her marriage and is willing to give us little pearls of wisdom from time to time. I am looking forward to hearing yours,” said Jane with an arched brow.
