First Christmas at Pemberley

by Grace Sellers

  She brushed her head against his hand and purred loudly. When he didn’t move, she batted his hand again with her head, this time harder, until she nearly forced his hand to pet her.

  “My, you are persistent,” he said and allowed her to rub against his hand.

  Next to him Adam held the other kitten, who toyed with a piece of fabric from his shirt. “I believe that is Muffin, but I have dubbed her Mrs. Murderbritches.”

  Darcy couldn’t help it, he smiled at the small thing, eager and unafraid. What a remarkable thing nature was, producing a perfect version of the adult cat in miniature. She turned her small furry backside to him and curled up in a ball on his thigh and closed her eyes, her body reverberating with each ragged purr.

  The door to the lying-in room opened, and Georgiana exited, closing the door before Darcy could see inside.

  She stopped and looked at the two large men, Adam and her brother, who both sat by the fire with a kitten in each lap. Her brows shot up at the sight.

  “What is happening?” She looked at them in wonderment.

  Adam struggled to pick up his cat and stand, and she waved him down again, laughing. “Oh, please don’t stand and ruin what may be the most entertaining moment of my life so far. I was coming out to see my brother, but he seems to have been replaced by St. Francis of Assisi.”

  To Darcy’s annoyance, Adam laughed heartily.

  Darcy scowled. It wasn’t that humorous.

  “Very droll, G. How is Elizabeth?” Darcy said, shifting in his seat without upsetting Muffin.

  Georgiana walked to Darcy, not wanting to share intimate news in front of Adam. “She is as to be expected. There is discomfort, but she seems to be carrying it well.”

  He dropped his voice low. “Is Mrs. Bennet irritating her?”

  “Not so far. The physician has given her license to choose who may be in the room, but she is quite tolerant.”

  “Any idea how much longer?”

  Georgiana shook her head, and her eyes then turned back to Adam. Darcy could see her mannerisms shift. She suddenly looked shy.

  “Mr. Merriweather, I do want to thank you for your service to our family. It was a very kind thing you did riding out in the snow for the physician.”

  Blimey. Georgiana was gone.

  Darcy could see it in the tension in her slender shoulders as she conversed with Adam. She was suddenly formal and oddly careful, not the satirical girl she usually was. If he had been replaced with St. Francis, she had been swapped with any number of ballroom flirts he’d observed. It was amazing to watch his sister alter into a young woman in front of his eyes.

  It was then Muffin decided to stretch, leap from Darcy’s lap, and trot to Georgiana.

  “I must say it is reassuring to see how easily my affections are replaced,” Darcy said, finally standing.

  Georgiana picked up the kitten and smiled. “You were naught more than a warm lap to her.”

  Darcy eyed the door to the lying-in room and sighed. “Yes, seems to be my lot in life.”

  Georgiana was more charmed by Adam and her brother’s antics than she revealed. She was surprised by how her heart sped up seeing Adam again, and she felt color rise on her face.

  She considered this as she and a maid collected the kittens and carried them to her room. Fatigue hung heavily over her, and she realized how tired she was. She hadn’t slept at all, and it was nearly dawn.

  In her room, she meant to return her shawl and quickly change into a lighter dress to accommodate the warm air in the lying-in room. But her bed looked very soft and comfortable, and she couldn’t help slipping into her sheets after she undressed. She promised she would only lie for a few minutes before she changed and returned to Elizabeth’s chamber. She yawned and found herself snuggling into her soft sheets more deeply. She was supposed to return to help divert Elizabeth. Oh, but her bed was so soft. Just a moment of sleep.

  Her last thought was of Adam’s warm eyes and how delicious she felt when they looked at her.

  Georgiana opened her eyes.

  She was in her room, looking out from her warm bed. A kitten purred near her.

  Elizabeth!

  How long had she been asleep?

  She sat up, grabbing the dress she had taken off earlier.

  Georgiana spun out of her room, nearly running down the hall. She turned a corner and almost ran into someone.

  Ninnywit, she almost said, although she knew she was equally at fault.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, looking up.

  Hugh stood in front of her, freshly shaven and dressed in morning clothes. Was it so late the guests were up already? She looked to the window to see if the sun was up, but it was an indistinct winter gray that could have been before or after sunrise.

  “Miss Darcy!” Hugh said, sounding equally surprised.

  Georgiana didn’t have time to explain herself to him. Nor did she want to.

  “Excuse me,” she said and darted past him.

  “Miss Darcy, wait!” she heard him call, but she didn’t slow down or look back.

  When she got to the room outside Elizabeth’s bedchamber, she finally slowed down. She saw her brother slumped in the chair, stripped to his vest and holding his head in his hands.

  “Elizabeth! How is she?” Georgiana stood panting, out of breath.

  Darcy looked up at her. He had bluish circles under his eyes, and he looked older than she’d ever seen him. His hair was disheveled and his sleeves rolled up as if he had been working.

  Her breath caught.

  “Is she unwell?”

  William exhaled, then reached a hand for her.

  “G. Where have you been?”

  He grabbed her and held onto her waist. She realized he was crying.

  “Lord, what’s happened?”

  “Her pains slowed. The doctor came out and said he was having trouble keeping her awake. He thought her womb was swollen.”

  Tears blurred her eyes and she couldn’t catch her breath.

  She put a hand to her mouth in shock. “No, no.”

  Georgiana waited for her brother’s words, but he said nothing more. She peered at his red-rimmed eyes.

  “I don’t know any more. I’m still waiting,” he said finally.

  “So you don’t know—?” she couldn’t finish her thought.

  William shook his head, his dark curls trembling.

  Georgiana looked at the door, her stomach clenching. She’d have to go in and find out herself. She swallowed hard, willing herself to summon the strength. Dear God, what if I walk in and see something terrible? You must stand it, G. You’ve lived a sheltered life so far. Now you have to be strong. You must do this for William. She leaned forward and touched his cheek. They’d lost their parents young, and he’d always taken care of them both. This was her chance to do something for him.

  “I will tell you when I learn more,” she said, sounding more calm than she felt. William said nothing, only let her pull away from him as his hands went back to cradling his forehead.

  Georgiana turned the doorknob, wondering what she’d find behind it.

  Chapter 6

  Elizabeth was swimming.

  She was so tired, her limbs were heavy that she wanted to let go and slide under the heavy silk of slumber. The voices around her grew dim—she could still hear them, just beyond her—but she needed to rest for a few moments. She would come back after she closed her eyes for a bit.

  Everything was so heavy, as though she were moving through thick molasses.

  She stopped moving and let herself sink.

  She slid underneath, where it was quiet and dark and cool. The pinching pain drifted away. She sank into numbing coolness. She was weightless and floating, moving away from the pain, where it was quiet and soft.

  Then something pulled at her.

  No, let me sleep. Just a bit longer.

  It pulled again, this time hotter and sharper, rousing her uncomfortably.

  She wanted to tell them she
needed to sleep longer. Sensation bit into her limbs, everything was heavy. She was so, so tired.

  Please, just let me sleep.

  Elizabeth?

  Now.

  Push now.

  She surfaced and gulped air, her body filling with light and searing heat, burning through her center. She wanted to move away from it, but couldn’t find the strength.

  Voices suddenly grew loud and insistent.

  “Elizabeth…”

  “Mrs. Darcy—”

  Dr. McBride, Harriet and two maids fluttered around Elizabeth, who lay quietly on her side on the bed under layers of linens, her eyes closed. She appeared very white and tired, with dark smudges under her eyes. For a moment, Georgiana caught her breath.

  But no, Elizabeth’s chemise rose and fell on her chest. She was breathing! She was alive. But she looked very unwell.

  A low moan came from across the room, and Georgiana could see Mrs. Bennet, her cap askew, reclining on the love seat, her eyes shut, a cloth folded on her forehead. “Smelling salts,” she murmured as though she were in the thralls of a swoon.

  So much for maternal instinct.

  Harriet met her gaze as Georgiana approached.

  “Miss Darcy,” Harriet said. “It’s good that you have come.”

  Georgiana’s eyes threatened to fill again. “I’m sorry. I lay down for a moment. How is she?”

  Dr. McBride’s mouth fixed in a tense line as he held her wrist and looked at his pocket watch. “Her pains have slowed down instead of increasing. I am fearful the child may not be advancing as it should.”

  Georgiana’s vision blurred with tears, but she swallowed. She needed to be strong.

  “How may I be of service?”

  The doctor glanced at her as if seeing her for the first time. “You may sit and speak to her. Ask her to engage with you. I have given her a tincture to reduce the swelling and increase her pains again. She needs to push, if she can.”

  Harriet stood and allowed Georgiana to sit on the bed near Elizabeth. She grasped Elizabeth’s limp hand in hers.

  “Elizabeth, it is Georgiana. I am sorry I was absent. I’m here now. William is outside and very worried about you.”

  The doctor shook his head at her. “Stay cheerful. Be gay,” he whispered.

  Tears streaked down Georgiana’s face, and she felt warm and foolish and utterly inadequate as a midwife companion.

  This time in a cheerful voice, she started again. “I lay down on the bed and was fast asleep in minutes. La, if I am so tired, I can imagine how you must feel.”

  The doctor retreated behind the sheet to examine her again.

  She held her hand tighter. “Can you hear me, Elizabeth? We are all so excited to meet your baby. I know you wanted to get William something special, but I am surprised you have decided that giving birth on Christmas Day is your gift. That is dedication!” Georgiana sniffed and forced herself smile.

  “The kittens slept with me too. I woke to one on my neck and one under the crook of my leg. Of course, as soon as I fell asleep, they chased each other around the room, and then when I rose, they were exhausted, poor dears.”

  Georgiana tried to think of what else to say. Harriet brought a fresh basin of water and a linen, which Georgiana used to blot Elizabeth’s forehead. Georgiana focused on her pale face and dropped her voice into a whisper.

  “I wanted to tell you, Elizabeth, that there is someone who I look on with particular affection. You will have guessed this already, for you are so clever about these things.” Georgiana pressed the cloth to her forehead and forced her voice to be light. “It is Adam Merriweather. At first I wasn’t sure about him, but—as you know—he has been helpful lately.”

  Georgiana wet the cloth and wrung it. What if Elizabeth never came back to them? She couldn’t focus on that.

  “I must reveal something to you, Lizzie,” she said, using her family’s nickname for her. “Adam Merriweather kissed me! We were standing at the front door, and we huddled together to stay warm. I know—that may seem improper—but the kitten was shivering so, she was so cold. I was wearing Mrs. Reynolds’s coat. Adam found a flask of brandy, and we tippled a bit to stay warm, you see. But he was very proper. He asked permission, and his hands did not roam disrespectfully. He is very tall, and I had to stand on my tiptoes to do it. I enjoyed it, I must be honest. I admit I have not had many kisses, but it was the best one yet.”

  Elizabeth’s wan face jerked from one side to the other. She moved her lips, but said nothing. Georgiana swallowed, pressing the cloth to Elizabeth’s cheek and neck.

  Please get better.

  “You’re doing so well, Lizzie. William is so proud of you.”

  The doctor looked up at them. “Mrs. Darcy, can you push now?”

  Georgiana held her hand more tightly into hers. “Elizabeth, the doctor wants you to push now. Can you do that?”

  The room was warm, but Elizabeth was cool to the touch, her skin pale and waxen. She seemed not to hear them speak, though her eyelids fluttered. Was she diverted with pain? Was she caught between this world and the next? Georgiana looked at the doctor and hoped he’d tell them what to do next.

  “She’s not pushing. She must push,” the doctor said, his brows creased in a fearful way. For the first time, he sounded afraid.

  Harriet looked at Elizabeth. “What if we get her to sit up against the bed, might that help delivery?”

  Georgiana’s stomach tightened. Is that what they were left with? Propping her up like a rag doll? Fear pressed into her.

  “Elizabeth, you must push. You must! I know you’re tired, but you only need push more and then your baby will be out and well.” She touched Elizabeth’s soft face. “Do you hear me? Please try, Elizabeth.” Her throat caught as she spoke her name.

  She couldn’t tell William Elizabeth was gone.

  Georgiana watched her eyelids flutter again. Was there movement there? She pressed her hands into Elizabeth’s cool face. “Dearest sister, you must stay. If you go, I have no one to gossip about Lady Catherine with, and you know she’ll marry me off to some horrible Lord-Do-Nothing. And because I’ll be too grief-stricken to object, my life will be ruined. And poor William will turn bitter and he’ll become a peculiar widower that children run away from to avoid. It will be terrible for both of us. You must stay here with us and push! Please!”

  Tears fell down Georgiana’s face. She held Elizabeth’s small hand in hers and squeezed it tightly.

  “I cannot tell William you are gone.”

  Georgiana took her hands from Elizabeth’s face, and her dark head fell to one side.

  And then it stirred.

  Elizabeth shook her head in a weak, deliberate no. “No,” she said weakly, her eyes still closed. “Too tired.”

  Georgiana was stunned.

  “Elizabeth! Can you hear me?”

  Elizabeth’s pale lips tightened, and she nodded once.

  “She can hear me!” Georgiana stood up and called to the physician. “She can hear me!”

  Harriet scurried to Elizabeth’s side.

  “Mrs. Darcy?” She gently pressed the cloth to her neck and face. Finally, her eyes opened.

  “Mrs. Darcy, you must push now,” the doctor raised his head and called from behind the sheet.

  “Elizabeth, can you push? The doctor wants you to push.”

  Her eyes opened again. “Too weak,” her voice rasped.

  “I know you’re weak and tired, but you just need to push a little more and then it will be over,” Georgiana said.

  Harriet came to Elizabeth’s other side and grasped her arm. “Mrs. Darcy, it’s time for you to push. We’re going to put pillows behind you to sit you up.” She turned to Georgiana. “Let’s pull her up so that she may be in a position to deliver.”

  Georgiana pushed pillows behind Elizabeth’s limp, damp back. She expected the doctor or Harriet to ask her to leave, but no one seemed to be paying her any mind. She wrung her hands nervously and waited.
r />   “Should I leave?” Georgiana finally asked Harriet, who frowned and shook her head.

  “No, if Elizabeth responds to you, please stay. You are useful here.”

  Georgiana’s heart fluttered. What if she fainted? She’d never seen a lot of blood. She hoped she could be of service to her sister-in-law. At the same time, her stomach tightened. She’d not been called useful very often. It was thrilling.

  Elizabeth moaned quietly.

  Harriet leaned toward her and nodded at Georgiana. “Mrs. Darcy, you need to push now.”

  Elizabeth exhaled and scrunched her face with effort for several moments.

  “No. I can’t,” she said after a minute.

  Georgiana grasped her hand and lowered herself so she was face-to-face with Elizabeth.

  “You can do this. I know this is hard, but you can do it,” she said calmly. Harriet nodded at her.

  The doctor nodded. “Push now.”

  “Just push this once and you’ll be done. And you’ll have your baby.”

  Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at Georgiana. They were bloodshot and tearful.

  “I can’t,” she said, and tears streamed down her face.

  “You can, Elizabeth. I promise. Gather your strength and try again.” Georgiana wasn’t sure where her confidence and words came from, but she embraced them.

  “Push now, Mrs. Darcy,” the doctor said again.

  Harriet touched Elizabeth’s shoulder. “You are strong enough to do this.”

  Elizabeth inhaled deeply and bore down again. A guttural moan came from her throat.

  “Keep pushing. Scream if you need to,” Harriet said.

  Elizabeth’s moan grew louder as she pushed harder.

  “That’s it! Keep pushing,” the doctor called.

  Elizabeth’s hair and face were almost entirely damp and dripped sweat onto her chemise. She was barely recognizable as the woman Georgiana knew. She looked like a fierce ancient warrior in battle. She wondered if she’d ever be able to go through this herself.

  “Awwhh,” Elizabeth called. “It hurts, it hurts…”

  “That’s the shoulder. Keep pushing,” Dr. McBride said.