Imperative: Volume 2, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (42 page)

“Well said, Mrs. Collins.”  He nodded vigorously.  “I have no intention of wasting our funds.  I only wished to placate your mother at this sad time.”

“That is kind of you, but I think that it will set you up for regret.  Mama will take advantage of you.”  She looked at the portrait.  “Papa gave her money so he would not have to listen to her.  He saved nothing and neglected our education.  I do not want our daughters growing up hearing endlessly that they must marry young and very well to save the family from the hedgerows.”

“My dear, the entailment ends with me.  Your father had no son to resign it with.  Mr. Philips suggested quite strongly that we prepare a new entail, but your father kept pushing it off.”  He looked at the portrait.  “It will wait for our son, one day.”  He sent her a sidelong glance.  “An olive branch for your mother’s happiness.”

“Mr. Collins.  It is Sunday.” 

“Of course, Mrs. Collins.”  He lifted his chin.  “I am well-aware of that.”

Mary blushed and looked back at her father’s portrait.  “What shall we do with this?”

“Your Mother has not left her rooms for a month; perhaps that is the best place for it?  She may talk to Mr. Bennet as much as she wishes?”

“I am afraid that it will drive her from her rooms.”  Mary shrugged and sighed.  “I suppose that it is time.” 

“A CHRONOGRAPH?”  Mrs. Dickson said admiringly as Elizabeth watched the time between Georgiana’s contractions.  “I have never seen such a thing in a lady’s timepiece.”

“My husband had it made for me.”  She smiled and looked at the ruby roses in her hand fondly.  “It is a sort of private joke.”  She felt Georgiana begin to grip her hand.  “Another?”

“Yes.”  She whispered and closed her eyes. 

“Breathe, Miss Cargill.”  Mrs. Dickson ordered.  Georgiana pressed her lips together and tried to suppress her cry as the pain washed over her. 

“Hang on, Georgiana, hang on.”  Elizabeth whispered.  As the pain receded, Georgiana let go.  Susan and Elizabeth both silently shook the circulation back into their hands.  Elizabeth moved onto the bed and sat with her arm around her sister’s shoulders. 

“How much longer?”  She gasped. 

“It could be hours, dear.”  Susan smiled gently and wiped her forehead. 

“
Hours
?”  She leaned against Elizabeth.  “But it has been hours already.  I just want this to be over.  Please . . .” 

“That is something you hold in common with every woman I have ever known to be in your position.”  Mrs. Dickson folded her arms and looked down at her. 

“There you go.”  Susan fixed the pillow behind Georgiana’s back and fussed over her blanket.  “Will you believe me when I promise you will not remember this in a few weeks?”  

“Nooooo.”  Georgiana cried and curled into a ball as another pain arrived. 

“Each woman is different.”  Mrs. Dickson said matter-of-factly.  “But one thing is inevitable, what you can bear is immaterial.  The baby will be born no matter what you want.”

Susan sat back in her chair as the contraction receded and looked thoughtfully around the room.  “I remember my first time.  Mother insisted I give birth in London, and of course Harding happened to be working there then.  Well, there I was in a position similar to yours, Georgiana, with a parade of our friends and relatives going through the room.  I felt like an attraction at Vauxhall Gardens.”

Elizabeth rubbed Georgiana’s back, “Oh, how terrible!  You were expected to entertain?” 

Mrs. Dickson shook her head disgustedly. “I do not hold with that. They say it is for moral support.  I say it is a way for the old mothers to scare the new one a last time before she knows all.  They did not come around with the next did they?”

“No, but then I had the next at Pemberley,” Susan smiled, “I learned my lesson.”

“Did any men deliver you?  I know that is the new fashion.  Personally, I do not think that Fitzwilliam would allow another man to see . . . me.”  She blushed.  “He would sooner deliver me himself.”

“Oh Elizabeth, he would faint dead away!”  Georgiana managed a grimace.

“I think that he might rise to the occasion.”  She added with a smile, “But that does not in any way mean that I want to find out.” 

“Men!”  Mrs. Dickson spat.  “We poor, weak-minded females cannot possibly understand our own bodies.  Fine, do not train me to use forceps.  I never needed them anyway.” 

“I will have my children at Pemberley.”  Elizabeth said decidedly.  “Perhaps you will come for my lying in, Mrs. Dickson?”

The woman finally smiled.  “Well, I am honoured by the thought, Mrs. Darcy.  But I think that you and Mr. Darcy have some work to accomplish before any midwife is needed.”

“Mrs. Dickson!”  Susan laughed with her hand to her mouth.

“Tell me how it happens by itself?”  She said with a pointed sniff.

“How do you think Fitzwilliam will be?”  Georgiana asked.

“Getting her with child?”  This time Mrs. Dickson was smirking and all of the ladies were blushing and laughing. 

“Enough of this all of you!”  Elizabeth hissed.  “Knowing him, he is outside of the door right now!”

SNAPPING CLOSED his pocket watch; Darcy ran his hand through his hair and stared up at the ceiling when there was another thump.  “What is happening up there?  It sounds as if they are rearranging the furniture!”

“They are, most likely.”  Harding observed calmly.  “I saw some men carrying in a birthing chair.” 

“They have not come back down, yet.”  Samuel stood at the study door, looking out at the staircase.  “That man of yours, Ferguson, was awfully eager to help.”

“Naturally, he is Darcy’s steward!”  Richard laughed.  “Come away from the door.” 

“I will when they come down.”  Samuel stayed at his station.

“They probably came down the servants’ stairs into the kitchen.”  Darcy murmured as he passed by, returning to his steady circuit of the room. 

“All of this panic and then nothing for hours.”  Richard poured another glass of port.

Darcy snatched the bottle away from him.  “That is enough.  You are no good to me drunk.”

“It will take a great deal more than this to make me drunk.”   

The two men stood staring at each other eye to eye.  “There are times, Cousin, when your damned good humour is extremely uncalled for.   Do not pretend not to be worried.”

“I
am
worried, but I have no desire to become bald in the process of expressing it.”  He nodded at Darcy’s hand running through his hair again. 

“No, you are too busy expressing other things to the world.”  Darcy snapped.  “Your loose tongue has already threatened our  plans.”

Harding saw that Richard’s face was reddening, “What did you do?”

“Never mind.”  Richard growled.  Darcy was about to bring up Wickham when a prolonged, anguished cry echoed through the house.  All conversation halted and the four men looked up at the ceiling.

“Good Lord.”  Darcy set down the bottle and was gone. 

Richard and Samuel looked at each other and away.  Harding nodded.  “I think that we are at a turning point in the process.”

“How do you know?  Forgive me, of course you know.”  Richard downed his drink and picked up the abandoned bottle.  “I witnessed a birth once during a battle.  I had managed to forget it until now.” 

“When it is the woman you love, you never forget.”  Giving his son’s shoulder a squeeze; Harding left the room and started up the stairs.

Samuel rubbed his hand over his face and refused the port that Richard offered.  Instead he sank onto a chair and hung his head.  “I thought that I would miss all of this.  I thought that I would come for a little visit, bring her some cheer and . . . escape.”

“What are you escaping?  That baby is moving into the house where you live.”  Richard sat down heavily beside him. 

“Mother is so happy.”

“Is your father?” 

Samuel sighed.  “My father is so difficult to read.  He has learned well the art of keeping his emotions hidden.  But I think that he is expectant.  I am happy for them both.”

“That sounded almost sincere.  Are you happy for you?”  Richard studied him.  “You know, you were trying so hard to establish yourself as independent from your father, this baby coming will surely take the focus away from you.”

“How many subjects have you brought up there?  I am at last independent, and at the time when my father is finally retired and has the time to spend with me . . .” Samuel clasped his hands.  “I am not jealous of this baby that I rejected.”

“So what is this escape you speak of?  Do not tell me that you are feeling guilty for not marrying her months ago?  I saw you watching Ferguson watching her.  Did he spark something in you?”

Samuel bristled.  “A steward?  Marry Georgiana?  William would never allow that!” 

Richard smiled.  “There you go.  Let’s just survive this birth first.” 

“Surviving the birth is all that is on my mind.”  They looked up as another cry rent the air. 

“What is that?”  Richard sat up.

“Our cousin suffering because a bastard seduced her.” 

“No!  Outside, I swear that I saw . . .” He jumped up and ran to the window. 

Samuel joined him and looked out and around.  “Is it that steward hanging about?” 

“Will you forget Ferguson?”  Richard barked.  Running to the door, he yelled, “Come on!” 

DARCY CROSSED HIS ARMS and stared down at his boots.  He was leaning against the hallway window, listening, as he had been for endless hours.  He was glad to be away from the study drinking port and listening to Richard’s outrageous, questionable tales of life in the army.  Even Samuel’s new stories of neighbours and the law as practiced in Lambton did nothing to distract him. 

Upon arriving upstairs, he went to Georgiana’s chambers and was instantly alarmed to find them empty.  Parker quietly informed him that a spare chamber was being used for the delivery. 

“Why?” 

“Sir, it is a . . . messy business, giving birth, I understand.”  Both men turned when they heard Georgiana crying.  Elizabeth’s voice, gently, soothingly drifted down the hallway as she sang to her.  “Judy tells me that Miss Darcy is resting in Mrs. Darcy’s arms. 
Your
Mrs. Darcy, sir.” 

“Miss Cargill.”  Darcy said numbly.

“Yes, sir.”  Parker observed his left hand flexing.  “Perhaps it would be best to return downstairs?”

“No.”  He drew himself up.  “I will remain here.  In case . . . anyone should need me.”

“May I bring you some of the tincture, sir?  Mrs. Darcy would surely be offering it to you if she could, and I know that she would be most unhappy to see you so worried.”

“I can hear the worry in her voice, Parker.  She and I are very much alike.”  Licking his lips, he resisted rubbing his chest, and looking to his man, nodded.  “I know it would make her happy, bring me the potion when you have time.  My sister comes first.” 

“The ladies have it well in hand, sir.  I am just hovering . . . should anyone need me.”  The two men exchanged glances.

“How much longer, do you think?”  Darcy took out his watch and seeing Parker’s lips lifting, cleared his throat and put it away.

“I do not know, sir.  This is my first time, as well.” 

“Yes, of course it is.  I suppose that this is practice for my own journey to fatherhood one day.”  Trying not to imagine the voice crying as Elizabeth’s, he drew himself up. “We are approaching the end of a very long road.  Thank you for staying with me through it all.”  Darcy gripped his shoulder and nodding, walked to the wall and slumped against it as Parker disappeared down the staircase.  “Ten, nine, eight, seven . . .”   He breathed, trying to relax.  Georgiana sobbed and his heart clenched when she screamed.  “Lord, help her.”  He whispered.  “
Please
help her.”  

Hearing footsteps approaching, he thought that it was Parker and did not open his eyes.  He started when the deep voice asked, “Do you think it is better being closer?  Richard and Samuel are happier in the study.  The way they run on with their stories belies their fears.  That surprises me to be honest with you.”

“Why is that?”  Darcy regarded his uncle, matching his stance and leaning on the other side of the window.

“Well, the colonel is quite honestly afraid of little, and he was unforgiving of your sister’s situation.”

“We have all expressed those opinions over the past year.”  Darcy sighed and looked down at his boots when she cried out again.  “But anger in a drawing room is not the same as hearing her facing the pain of her actions.” 

“No.” 

“What of Samuel?”

“He, I am afraid, is feeling the guilt of refusing her.” 

“Come now, it was the most clear-headed decision any of us made.  He was absolutely correct; he is too young as is she.  I know how he wrestled with it, and with you.  To go against your wishes was an enormous show of maturity on his part, was it not?”

“Indeed, of course at the time I did not view it that way.”  Harding looked towards the door as Elizabeth sang again.  “It is lovely.”

“She is everything lovely.”  He said protectively.

“I apologize for being so cruel to you, when you saw Elizabeth clearly.”  Harding looked over to Darcy who just nodded.  “The things I have done are unforgivable.”

“What have you done, Uncle?”  Darcy asked softly.  Before Harding could respond, Darcy continued,  “And what does it matter now?  Here we are, standing in a hallway, listening to a child give birth to another.  There are some in this house who feel that she deserves the pain she is feeling, and no doubt there are thousands more like them in the world.  I stand here wishing that I could feel it for her, as punishment for failing her and my father so badly.  In the end, it is not the pain, but the result that matters.  All of us came into the world the same way.  All of us were born while a woman cried.  Whether it was a moment of joy or regret depends entirely on the people who surround the woman and child.”  He nodded to the doorway.  “My sister made terrible, stupid mistakes.  She is suffering now, but she is surrounded by love.  As is this baby.”

“And why do we stand here in fear, both of us terrified of what is happening just beyond that door?”