“Fitzwilliam, he does not cry,” she forced out, gripping his hand fiercely as they both looked over to the midwife, who was cleaning the baby and wrapping it.
“Mama,” Elizabeth sobbed as her mother came closer to Mrs. Sandrington and placed a kiss on the infant’s head. “No, Mama. No, please, no.”
Hysterics consumed her as another contraction came to deliver her placenta. She loudly cried to God for a miracle.
“Quiet,” Mrs. Sandrington soothed as she came over. “Look.” She pointed to the baby’s chest. “She breathes. She lives. A miracle.”
Relief flooded Elizabeth, and tears poured from her anew.
“What do we do?” Darcy asked.
“Pray,” she answered honestly. “A physician might be able to help, but getting good food will help the most. She came just a little too early.”
“Have you seen others like this?”
“A few,” Mrs. Sandrington said. “See how she is yellow? She will need sunlight.”
Darcy nodded as he took the tiny bundle from the midwife. Elizabeth ignored the pain in her body and leaned over to kiss her daughter. “I am sorry,” she sniffed as tears poured down her face again.
“What for?”
“Because...because we do not know if she will live. You deserve a strong heir, a son, and look at what I did.”
“Elizabeth,” Darcy said sternly, “you are exhausted and insensible. She is already my pride and joy. Do not torment yourself like this. I was sickly at birth.”
“You were?” she asked.
“For many years, I was weak. Richard still likes to tease. So did...others.”
Although he had not said the name, Elizabeth knew he meant Wickham. By agreement, they had not uttered his name since the day he boarded the ship. To speak it now at the birth of their child would be an unforgivable travesty.
“What happened?”
Darcy shrugged. “One day, I grew. It was as if all my growing caught up with me all at once. Mother was carrying Georgiana, actually. I was happy she got to see her frail son turn into a healthy boy.”
“And were you ever ill?”
“I seemed to catch every childhood disease and was in bed with colds all winter. I did not go away to school until I was sixteen.” Darcy shrugged. “By then the boys all had their own friends, except Bingley.”
“Why did you never tell me this before?” Elizabeth asked.
“I did not think about it. I am certain I do not know everything about your childhood.”
Elizabeth blushed. She meant to keep it that way.
“I suppose it has been a day of many miracles and blessings,” she said when she had been cleaned up and moved to her chamber.
“Indeed,” Darcy said as he sat on the edge of the bed and stared at his daughter.
Elizabeth looked over at the small crib her baby rested in. She had cried, eventually. Not the loud wail of her cousins, but a sound distinctly her own. Others might call it frail, but to Elizabeth, it was music to her ears.
“We never decided on a name for a girl,” Elizabeth said as she gently stroked her daughter’s soft cheek before scooping her up.
“That is because someone was convinced she was a he,” Darcy chuckled.
“My chances of being correct were just as good as yours.” She gave him a saucy look. “Anne? After your mother?”
“Elizabeth, after hers,” Darcy suggested.
“No, no.” Elizabeth shook her head. “Despite the many shortened forms available. What did you say earlier? You called her your pride and joy.”
“Surely you are not suggesting we name our daughter after my greatest flaw.” Darcy smiled.
Elizabeth smirked, knowing he could follow her train of thought but that he could never resist exchanging barbs with her. “I meant Joy, of course.”
“Joy Darcy,” he tested it out. “It feels too short.”
“You only think that because Fitzwilliam is so long.” Elizabeth yawned halfway through the name.
“Elizabeth is hardly shorter.”
“Yes, but I am called Lizzy and Eliza by many.”
“Felicity?”
A slow smile curved over Elizabeth’s lips. “Felicity Joy Darcy.”
“Perfect,” Darcy said and kissed her forehead. “I love you so very much,” he said, recalling a time when he would not even confess it in a dream.
“Oh, Fitzwilliam.” Elizabeth stroked his cheek. “I love you so very much, too. I am so thankful for the Christmas miracle which brought us together and for the one I now hold.”
“Now, get some sleep,” Darcy said as he took the baby. “I will watch over my ladies.”
Elizabeth fell asleep with a smile on her face. When she awoke to the hungry cries of Felicity, she smiled to see her husband sleeping beside her. She had chosen not to employ a wet nurse and instead provide the baby with nourishment herself. Latching was still new but going well.
As Elizabeth fed her baby at her breast, she hummed a lullaby and thought over the strangeness of the day. Instead of enduring repeating calendar days, they each had a baby. Who knew what the future held? Despite the worry directly following Felicity’s birth, Elizabeth believed her daughter had inherited her parents’ strength of spirit. She already seemed stronger.
When she finished nursing, Elizabeth continued to hold her newborn and sing:
“Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.
Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.”
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Pemberley
Ten years later
December 23, 1822
“That’s mine,” Natalie cried as she ripped a doll from her younger brother’s hands.
“I was playing with it first!” Charlie retorted and grabbed for the doll.
“But you didn’t ask! You will break her.”
“Nat, you can come play with mine,” Felicity, now tall and robust with a healthful complexion, said and offered her own dolls.
“It’s the principle of the thing.” She stomped her foot.
“Charlie, return your sister’s toy,” Jane said patiently.
Her son handed it over and ran off to play with his cousins: David, Ben, Tom, and Jack.
She sighed and shifted her newest daughter on her hip. “Girls, Olivia is going to sit with you.”
She placed the baby, just old enough to sit upright on her own, on the carpet and returned to her seat with Mary and Elizabeth.
“Remember when I said you would have a dozen?” Elizabeth asked as she stirred her tea.
“Bite your tongue.” Jane smiled wearily. “Just over half that amount will do for me, thank you.”
“Admit it,” Elizabeth teased, “you feel like Mama with five daughters underfoot.”
“I certainly understand her more than I ever did.” Jane smiled and sipped her tea. “Although I was not the one who had no compassion for her. It would be much fairer for you to be the mother of five daughters.”
“Oh no,” Elizabeth smirked. “Imagine Fitzwilliam with five girls with Bennet blood!”
“And now Papa spending so much time in the library makes sense,” Mary answered and patted little Rob on the bottom. “At least Richard has an outlet with the fencing club. The older boys ask to visit often.”
“Are there still plans to expand from Manchester to Birmingham?” Jane asked.
“Yes,” Mary laughed. “I apologise if it means you will see less of Charles when it opens.”
Jane smiled. “I do not think I will complain about some separation.”
Considering the eight children she had in ten years, some time apart might be in order.
She turned to Elizabeth. “Will you try for a boy?”
“Well, I have news,” Elizabeth said and smiled as she placed a hand on her midsection. “Obviously we cannot know yet, but there will be a new Darcy baby in the spring. Felicity and Anne would like a brother. Of c
ourse, Cate does not care yet.”
The youngest Darcy daughter, named after her great aunt as well as her maternal aunt, toddled over to her sisters and cousins.
“Honestly, though,” Elizabeth said, “Fitzwilliam says he does not care. The estate is not entailed, so he can leave it however he likes.” Of course, if no son came, they would rewrite the will to keep each well-funded while also protecting Pemberley from being sold off.
“What do we have here?” Elizabeth asked as many others entered the room.
The grown men, the boys, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, the Gardiners and their unmarried children, and the trio of unmarried aunts—Georgiana, Kitty, and Lydia—came in.
Darcy kissed Elizabeth’s cheek and sank into a chair. Cate toddled over to him, and he scooped her up to bounce on his knee, making her squeal with laughter.
“We were told to come for a concert,” Richard said.
“How delightful!” Jane beamed and applauded as some of them gathered around a makeshift stage.
“Lydia,” Georgiana called.
Kitty closed the curtains while the children lined up on stage. Georgiana dashed to the pianoforte. Playing a simple melody, she nodded as her nieces and nephews began singing.
“We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
Elizabeth and the adults applauded the first verse, then were treated to a second.
“Oh, bring us a figgy pudding!” the children cried in tune to the first verse.
Another one followed: “We won’t go until we get some.”
After solemn vows from the adults that they would, indeed, have figgy pudding with dinner, they gave the last verse.
“Good tidings we bring, to you and your kin, good tidings. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
As the thundering herd of children clamoured to the dining room, Elizabeth smiled. Since the fateful Christmas ten years before, her heart had been full of love and joy. Each year had brought a truly merry Christmas, and each year brought more happiness.
Darcy had hung back with her and now gathered her in his arms before kissing her deeply.
“What was that for?” Elizabeth asked with a laugh.
“Do you ever wonder if we are still in an alternate reality?”
“If we are,” she said and stroked her husband’s cheek, “then I wish for no other than the one I have right now with you.”
Darcy squeezed her close again. “What if there is a version of me living without you?”
“Impossible, Fitzwilliam, impossible.” She kissed him and poured all her love for him into it. “We were meant to be, whether by Christmas magic or fortunate decisions. We were meant to be.”
“Come on,” Felicity called.
Felicity and Anne ran back to their parents and tugged on their hands. Cate half-walked, half-crawled towards them as well.
“The figgy pudding!” Anne cried.
Darcy and Elizabeth’s eyes met, and laughter filled the room and their hearts before they allowed their children to direct them to the dining-room for a shared birthday celebration and more Christmas festivities.
The End
Sample of Once Upon a December
Holiday Tales of Pride and Prejudice
Christmas with Jane Book One
A Sleigh Ride for Two
Fitzwilliam Darcy and his guest and best friend, Charles Bingley, looked to the clock on the mantle in the dining room of Darcy House. Agreeing it was time to re-join the ladies, and after rousing Bingley’s brother-in-law, they returned to the drawing room and greeted their sisters.
“Ladies!” Bingley declared. “I have the most exciting news. Darcy has found an estate for sale, which should meet my needs. It is only thirty miles from Pemberley!”
In a rare moment of shared emotion, both gentlemen observed the calm smiles and restrained happiness of the ladies and were reminded of a family of women with much more irrepressible feelings. Their thoughts on the Bennet family differed entirely, though. Bingley never minded the exuberance of Mrs. Bennet and the younger daughters; the angelic, if cryptic, smile of Jane Bennet could make him tolerate anything. Darcy could only repine the absence of Elizabeth Bennet.
“I hope you are not planning to move there now, Charles,” said the eldest of the Bingley siblings.
“Whyever not, Louisa?” the younger sister, Caroline, asked.
“Think of how cold it must be in winter!”
Darcy hid a smile at Caroline’s concerned look. “I was told in the last letter from my steward that there is already a heavy blanket of snow.”
“But surely that is of little consequence to us. We would winter in London, as always.”
Bingley deferred to his friend’s knowledge. “I usually spend the worst months at Pemberley, actually,” Darcy said. “Roads need repair, and tenant houses must be secured against the cold and snow, among other matters.” Not that he would mention the increased demand on his mines during the winter. Caroline did not need to know that he had even more than ten thousand pounds per annum.
“Yet you remain here now,” she purred with a knowing look.
Darcy bristled. He would prefer not to think about why he was not wintering at Pemberley, ridiculous fool that he was. “Your brother’s estate is thirty miles to the north of Pemberley.” He hoped that knowledge would make her less enamoured with things North.
“Fitzwilliam is remaining in London because I wish it,” Georgiana intervened. She did not care for Caroline’s criticism of her brother, and even worse, he was unknowingly encouraging her again. She knew he thought he was persuading her that Pemberley was unlikeable, but what Caroline likely heard was him giving her every reason to stay in London—where he was.
Her brother was very intelligent but a ridiculous dunderhead when it came to ladies. She sighed; sometimes she truly feared Pemberley would fall to her line. Of course, that would mean her brother would allow her to grow up and marry. No matter how well deserved his anger was over her ill-advised attempt at an elopement this past summer, she was rather certain he meant to keep her a child always.
Surprisingly, it was Louisa who turned the conversation back to its origin. “I imagine you are quite homebound in the winter. What carriage can go through all that snow?”
“Oh! We have sleighs!” Georgiana replied and belatedly realised she was far too enthusiastic. Not only was it unladylike—and clearly astonished her brother—but the setting could be quite romantic. The last thing Fitzwilliam needed was Caroline attempting to get him alone in a sleigh with her. She shuddered at the thought and almost burst out in laughter as she saw her brother do the same. Then his face took on a softened look that intrigued her immensely. She glanced to Mr. Bingley, who shared the expression.
“Darcy, is there anyone in London who sells sleighs?”
“Of course...” He would have said more but was interrupted by Caroline.
“I am certain they are vastly superior here than in the country towns.”
“I could acquaint you with my favourite shop tomorrow,” Darcy continued, ignoring Caroline.
“Excellent.”
“Do you know any more about the estate, Mr. Darcy?” Caroline attempted again to garner his attention. She had beauty, wealth, accomplishments, and her brother was his best friend. She only needed patience and persistence. She had every confidence she would win her gentleman.
Georgiana tapped her shoe against Darcy’s, their arranged cue that she would deal with Caroline. “Georgiana actually would know more about the kinds of things that would interest ladies.”
Looking at Hurst, Darcy arose to refresh the glasses of his male guests and made his escape. Georgiana managed to keep Caroline’s attention for a few minutes and then invited her to perform on the pianoforte. Soon Hurst was falling asleep, and Caroline and Louisa fawned over Georgiana’s performance. Darcy and Bingley discussed their plans for meeting on the morrow. They would meet at the shop and return to Darcy House together. Their respective sisters
had need of the carriages, but they could hire one.
Leaving Darcy House, Caroline was more confident than ever that she may soon become Mrs. Darcy. Louisa was determined to become better acquainted with her in-laws, who lived in a mild climate, while her husband prayed Darcy would never run out of his good port. Their brother was forming a desperate resolution. Georgiana went to her chambers dissatisfied with the evening. Her brother was in a testy mood and had been for weeks. She allowed him to ruminate alone in the library, where he wondered if he would ever cease to long for a pair of fine eyes.
Blurb:
Indulge in sweet romance that brings holiday cheer.
Re-imagine Jane Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice. The well-known story changes seven times when snowfalls and the Christmas messages of goodwill and love to all warms and transforms hearts. Discover the magic and wonder of true love, first kisses, and forgiveness with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth, Jane, and Mr. Bingley in Once Upon a December.
Featuring
A Sleigh Ride for Two: Darcy returns to Hertfordshire armed with a sleigh and a plan to clear his good name.
Thawed Hearts: Inspired by In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti, Darcy seeks happiness in a world of cold memories.
Fitzy the Snowman: The Gardiners’ youngest daughter witnesses love spark between Darcy and Elizabeth during a day of snow games.
The Force of Love: Relatives present logical reasons for Darcy and Elizabeth to reconsider their understanding of themselves, but true change is born of love.
Home with You: Jane knows her heart belongs with Mr. Bingley, but despairs of ever feeling at home again.
Fortune Favours the Bold: Regency era propriety dictates letters between unwed ladies and men taboo. Sometimes, breaking the rules is worth the risk.
Mr Darcy's Miracle at Longbourn Page 16
