At three o’clock, Jane came downstairs to tell him that things were progressing nicely and to chide Bingley for not having ordered some sandwiches.
“If you are going to sit up all night, you will need something to eat,” she said.
“And so will you,” said Bingley.
He made her sit down, for she was looking tired, and he ordered some soup and sandwiches for all three of them. It was just what they needed. Jane was clearly revived and Darcy at least had something to occupy him for a quarter of an hour. Having finished her soup, Jane went upstairs again and the two men were left together. They talked in a desultory fashion and from time to time indulged in a game, and the night dragged on until grey light started to filter through the curtains, and they realised that morning was on its way at last.
The silence was broken by the church bells ringing and when Darcy wondered aloud why they were ringing so early, Bingley said, “It is Christmas morning.”
“Of course!” said Darcy. “I had quite forgot.”
A cry came from above.
“And what a Christmas it is turning out to be,” said Bingley with a smile.
Darcy sprang up and was out of the door before Bingley could stop him. He met Jane on the stairs, coming down to tell him the news.
“How is she?” he demanded. “How is Elizabeth?”
“She is well, very well,” said Jane.
“And the baby?”
“Well.”
“And?”
“And a girl. As bonny a baby as I have ever seen,” said Jane, adding, “apart from little Charles, of course!”
Darcy caught her hand in thanks and then turned his steps towards Elizabeth’s room.
“Go quietly. She is sleeping,” said Jane.
He nodded, then went on. He was excited but also a little apprehensively too, for although Jane had said that everything was well, he would not be content until he had seen that it was so with his own eyes.
He turned the handle softly and went in. It took his eyes a few moments to accustom themselves to the gloom, for there was only one candle lit. The nurse was dozing in a chair by the fire, and in the bed, Elizabeth was sleeping. Her hair was spread around her on the pillow. Her colour was healthy, and there was a smile playing about her lips. He went over to her and kissed her. She stirred a little but did not wake.
His eyes moved across her to the cot beside the bed. In it was a baby, red and crumpled, but for all that, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.
He heard a slight stirring beside him and turned to see that Elizabeth had awoken. He went over to her and kissed her again. She sat up and he put the pillows behind her to make her more comfortable, then she reached towards the baby. Eager to prevent her overtiring herself, he picked up his daughter and then wondered what he had done, for he had no idea how to hold her and he was suddenly afraid she might break. But she settled into his hands trustingly and he carried her over to Elizabeth. As he put her into Elizabeth’s arms, he thought he had never known a moment so perfect.
“There remains just one question to be answered,” said Elizabeth with a smile. “Is she your Christmas present to me, or is she my Christmas present to you?”
* * *
Darcy remained with Elizabeth all day and, despite the protestations of the nurse, he refused to move. Elizabeth further scandalised the nurse by talking of going downstairs after dinner. Her robust constitution had stood her in good stead and she had recovered quickly from the birth, so that Jane had no qualms about seconding Elizabeth’s determination. And so it was that Elizabeth joined the rest of the party that evening.
Lady Catherine declared herself scandalised and Mr. Collins agreed with her, saying that his own dear Charlotte had remained in bed for every day of the accustomed lying in period.
Elizabeth, knowing Charlotte’s nature, doubted it, but she was too happy to argue with him.
“Well, Lizzy, this is a joyful Christmas,” said Mr. Bennet. “Two daughters married and two cribs by their sides.” He turned to Mary, who was playing the pianoforte. “Excellent, my dear, a wonderful sonata, but today we want something different, I think. Play us some carols if you please.”
Mary determinedly finished her sonata, but once it was done she obliged the company by playing a selection of carols and the festive strains mingled with the crackling of the fire to create a cheerful scene.
“Another grandchild,” said Mrs. Bennet, smiling dotingly at the new baby.
Kitty and Maria were cooing at the two babies.
“And have you decided on a name?” asked Mr. Bennet.
“Something festive, in honour of the occasion,” said Caroline. “Carol, perhaps, or”—as though she had just thought of it—“Caroline. That would suit the occasion very well.”
Mr. Hurst said, “Humph,” from his place, reclining on the sofa, but Mr. Bennet said, “An excellent idea!” He twinkled at Elizabeth. “Or perhaps Catherine,” he added.
Lady Catherine looked graciously pleased.
“Oh, yes, a most illustrious name,” said Mr. Collins at once. “If I may say so, any child would be fortunate, nay graced, by so noble a name.”
“Or Lady Catherine,” said Mrs. Bennet.
Elizabeth laughed, but her father, never slow to indulge his wife’s follies, remarked, “True, Lady Catherine would be a fine name. But I believe there might be some little difficulty about christening the child with a title she does not possess.”
Darcy put a stop to their guesses by saying, “We have already decided on the name. She will be Elizabeth, like her mother, but we will call her Beth.”
“Well, to be sure, that is as good a name as any,” Mrs. Bennet conceded. For, having given it to her own daughter, she could hardly disagree. She gave a happy sigh and looked around the room with glossy sprigs of holly tucked behind the mirrors and red berries glowing in the candlelight, then letting her eyes come to rest on the cribs. “What a Christmas this is turning out to be. Three daughters married and now two grandchildren. If only Captain Collins should happen to call in the next few hours and ask for your hand, Kitty, my dear, my happiness would be complete.”
Sharon Lathan
A Darcy Christmas
Prologue
He set the painting onto the sofa, assuring it was well supported before stepping away. He gazed at the canvas, a smile spreading as he looked upon his family. His family. The family created by him and his wife, just as he had dreamt for so many lonely years. They stood on the portico of Pemberley flanked by their precious children on the steps. All of them were smiling at the artist. A sentimental man by nature, he silently examined the newest portrait of his family and lost himself in happy memories. Unsurprisingly, since it was Christmas Day, his reminiscences focused on holiday celebrations of the past. So lost was he in quiet contemplations that he did not hear his study door opening. But he did smell the lavender water habitually worn by his wife and extended his arm without averting his attention from the painting. She slipped under his arm, nestling against his side as naturally as a bird takes to its nest, her arms encompassing his waist.
“I plan to hang it there,” he nodded toward the wall above the settee. “As much as I love Gainsborough’s landscape, I would prefer to have you and our children watching over me as I work. Someday it can join the others in the Portrait Gallery, but not yet.”
She nodded in agreement. “I concur. We look wonderful here. It is an amazing portrait, arriving at a perfect time.”
“How true. It induced me to reflect on Christmases past. All of them have been wonderful since you came into my life.” He looked at his wife then, his blue eyes tender and inundated with love.
“All of them?” she repeated, teasing and meeting his eyes with the same intense emotion.
“Even those Christmases that were sad or difficult were special, my heart. My life is complete since we married and I would change nothing. This Christmas is the most recent in a long line of incredible memories.”
“It is not over yet!” she reminded him, both of them laughing as they returned their gazes to the painting.
Silently, in sweet harmony, they admired the canvas testimonial to what they, through God’s grace, had achieved in the long years of their marriage. They studied the painted images, each beloved beyond measure. The portraitist had easily identified the individual characteristics, capturing them brilliantly. Especially manifest was the love, unswerving commitment, and supreme happiness verily shining from their faces as proud parents to the next generation of Darcys. Memories of Christmases together flowed through both their minds, time seeming to halt as they reminisced.
She broke the quiet contemplation, tugging gently on his waist. “Come, love. Our family awaits and I have a special present for you.”
“I thought we were finished exchanging gifts this year.”
“It is something special I have held in reserve.”
“Secrets?”
“Of course! It is Christmas after all!”
With laughter and a final glance at the mute and fixed images, they exited the parlor to rejoin the boisterous reality.
Christmas Loneliness
The snowflakes drifted slowly downward. They were enormous flakes and floating so delicately on the air that, even in the inky darkness behind the thick glass with only the faint glow of lamplight reflecting, Fitzwilliam Darcy could visualize the minute crystals and unique geometry of each flake. It was mesmerizing and oddly calming to his tumultuous thoughts. He sipped the cocoa that was now lukewarm, watched the snow fall and gather into piles on the panes, and struggled to stir up the Christmas cheer one was supposed to enjoy on Christmas Eve.
It was not working.
He couldn’t readily recall the last Christmas that was truly joyous. Surely it was before his mother died, but the memories were faded and supplanted by so many years of forced gaiety. Oh, they exchanged presents and decorated the house and went to church and delighted in a lavish feast. Often they visited Rivallain for the day, the estate of his uncle and aunt, the Earl and Marchioness of Matlock, and once or twice they had dwelt at Darcy House in London for the holiday activities there. But like all festivities since his mother’s passing, and now his father’s, the celebratory atmosphere was muted.
Of course he strived to celebrate the day for his sister Georgiana’s sake, understanding that a child needed the merrymaking. And lauding the birth of their Savior was indeed a commemoration he took very seriously. Yet personally, he often felt that the entire season could easily pass by without him noticing or caring.
Darcy had grown so accustomed to the attitude that it hardly registered any longer. Even while plotting and planning for Georgiana and purchasing gifts—that a delight he truly did enjoy—his internal zeal for Christmas was dim. He did not dread the holiday nor was he particularly gloomy over it; he just did not care all that much.
So why was this year so different? Why did he feel a melancholy blanketing his soul? And why did the dreams continue to invade his sleep? Why was she persistent in burrowing into his mind and hea…? No! He refused to even think it! This Christmas of 1815 was no different than the previous twenty-seven.
He sighed unconsciously and continued with his rapt contemplation of the falling snow and abstracted sipping of the cooling cocoa.
Georgiana Darcy sat on the sofa near the fire. She had been reading aloud but halted several minutes ago when it became clear that her brother was not listening to her. Now she studied him in perplexity. Georgiana was well aware that Christmas was not exactly a period of crazed jubilation for her brother, but he usually showed some enthusiasm. He never failed to create a special atmosphere for her and showered her with expensive gifts. Since she knew no different, it honestly never occurred to her to yearn for more. Georgiana was a girl quite complacent and content in her life. Her only desire was to please her family, that being primarily her adored older brother. Thus, she was disturbed by his current distraction and somberness.
None would refer to Fitzwilliam Darcy as gregarious or buoyant, but the private man was one of tender humor and affection. That he was overwhelmingly devoted to his sister could be denied by no one, especially Georgiana. She held him in tremendous awe and respect, but also took his love and playful teasing for granted. Yet ever since his return from Town and the sojourn in Hertfordshire with Mr. Bingley, he had been… odd.
She shook her head. It made no sense whatsoever. Naturally it distressed her. Not for her sake but because she loved him too much to think of him as being in pain. Yet, with the overconfidence of youth and the towering admiration of a worshipful younger sister, she shrugged it off. In her mind, her brother was fearless and capable of solving any dilemma.
So she smiled and rose to bid him goodnight. He smiled genuinely in return and held her close for several minutes, wished her sweet dreams and gave a teasing reminder not to wake him at the crack of dawn, and after a tender kiss to her cheek, she retired to her room no longer fretting over her complicated sibling but losing herself in dreams of presents.
Darcy watched her gracefully exit the parlor, his heart surging with happiness as it always did when considering his sister. But as soon as she left, seemingly taking the light and music and laughter with her, the pensiveness drenched him once again. It was late and he felt simultaneously weary and jittery. He stared at the faint light beyond the doorway, imagined the shadowy corridors between this chamber and his suite of cold and empty rooms—Where did that thought come from?—and actually shuddered.
Then, just as abruptly as the sadness, he was jolted by a flare of anger. He muttered a harsh curse, strode briskly to the low table where the tea and snacks sat, and placed the drained mug onto the silver tray with a plunk. He squared his shoulders, straightening to his full and considerable height, and marched purposefully from the room.
His thoughts were darker than the illuminated hallways. What was it about Elizabeth Bennet that had bewitched him so? He truly felt as if under a spell that consumed him and made no sense whatsoever. She was so completely unsuitable! She was infatuated by George Wickham, for goodness sake. That spoke volumes. And her family? He shuddered anew.
Oh, but she was beautiful. Indeed, so very beautiful.
He paused outside his dressing room door, one hand on the knob as his throat constricted and heart lurched with longing. He cursed again, a habit that was quite unlike him normally but lately seemed to be occurring frequently, and reached to loosen the cravat that was strangely now choking off his air supply. He pivoted and entered his bedchamber. For tonight, he would manage to undress himself. Facing the calmly professional presence of his valet Samuel while he was in what could only be termed “a mood” was intolerable!
Yet as he resisted slamming the door violently behind him with tremendous restraint, he discovered his steps slowing. He halted in the middle of his room. He gazed at the comforting surroundings, savored the warmth of the crackling fire as it seeped into his chilled skin, and awaited the peaceful relaxation that inevitably washed over him when alone in his sanctuary.
It did not come.
Rather he recalled the dreams that had, in one shape or another, been haunting him nearly from the moment he encountered a vivid pair of brown eyes within the crowd at an obscure dance assembly in Meryton.
He wanted to be angry.
He wanted to be disgusted with himself.
And he wanted to forget her.
At least that is what he told himself. But even now, as he remembered his dreams and remembered their conversations in Hertfordshire, he knew a smile was spreading over his face and heat was flushing through his body.
Some of that, he knew, was due to the nature of many of his dreams. It annoyed him to a degree, and he was embarrassed to a degree. But he logically deduced that it had nothing to do with Miss Elizabeth personally. No, indeed not! It was simply that he had reached the point where needing a woman, a wife, was a physical necessity. Surely that was the primary reason why increasin
gly erotic musings were causing him to bolt awake in a sweat of unfulfilled desire.
If it was always Elizabeth Darcy—Bennet!—who brought him to such a state, well that could be logically explained as well. Right?
Of course! It was because she had enchanted him in some way that he could not comprehend. Her passionate personality, her fire as she argued with him, her intelligence as she countered every last one of his held beliefs, her teasing smile and sparkling eyes as she laughed at him—At him! Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley!—drove him virtually insane until he no longer controlled his faculties. Until his dreams, both day and night, were invaded by her.
Yes, that was it.
And if he was beginning to dream of her as the mother to his children?
Well, that was more troubling.
He again scanned the room, only now he was seeing it as in the recent dreams. Elizabeth curled up in his chair, wearing a soft gown of blue with a baby at her breast. He and Elizabeth reclining on the bed with several children jumping on the mattress as they all laughed. The door to the unused dressing room once belonging to his mother ajar with Elizabeth brushing her incredible hair and smiling at him via the mirror while he held a child in his arms. Elizabeth pregnant and standing before him while he caressed the swell of her belly with his hands. Elizabeth…
He shook his head to clear the strange and disturbing visions that had started in earnest these past two weeks.
Since returning to Pemberley.
Since preparing for Christmas.
He passed a hand over his face.
You are lonely, Darcy, he thought. Admit it. You want a wife and a family.
Of course this was not a huge revelation. He had longed for a family of his own for most of his adult life. He had envisioned the silent halls of Pemberley echoing with the noise of childish laughter and running feet. He had desired a relationship as his parents possessed. He had searched endlessly for a woman to love.
A Darcy Christmas Page 14
