Lydia tried to breathe in between sobs as she held tight to her sister’s hand, “Oh please, please make it stop!”
The doctor examined Lydia again and felt the baby’s head as it began to crown. “All right, now you must push, Mrs. Wickham! you must push very hard!”
Lydia moaned and cried, “I cannot!” she yelled out. “Lizzy, help me, please! I cannot push, it hurts!”
The doctor snapped at her, “Yes, yes we know it hurts, but you must push, Mrs. Wickham!” he told her again in a very stern voice. “You must push through the pain! Do not fight against the urge to push your baby out! Now bear down and push as the pains grow stronger.”
Mrs. Gardiner lifted Lydia’s shoulders and pushed her forward some. “Lydia, you must push for your baby!” she told her firmly. “Now breathe in, and when the next pain comes, you must bear down and push, it will all be over very soon!”
Lydia took in a deep breath and pushed as she was told, but stopped suddenly as the pain intensified, she screamed and cried, “Oh help me!” she begged as the pain ripped through her body.
The doctor examined her again. He looked at Elizabeth and then to Jane, his face filled with concern. “The babe is stuck!” he told them bluntly. “I can feel the arm is wedged, if she does not push, both the baby and your sister will be lost!” he warned them.
Jane began to tremble as the reality of what was happening washed over her, with fresh tears in her eyes she whispered softly. “Lizzy, what do we do?”
Faced with the prospect of losing her younger sister, Elizabeth looked at the doctor, “There must be something that can be done! Tell us what to do, and we will do it!”
As the next pain came on the doctor ordered Elizabeth, “You must do all you can to help your sister push this baby out,” he told her. “I will attempt to dislodge the head and shoulders, but you must get her to push. I cannot safely deliver the baby if she does not help.”
Elizabeth nodded her head as she looked back to her sister. Lydia’s pain was increasing again. She leaned down close and looked directly into Lydia’s eyes. “You will do what you are told this minute,” Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears as she told her in the sternest voice she could manage. “For once, Lydia, you must do what you are told and push! Do you hear me, you will push this baby out right now!”
Lydia bit her bottom lip and cried harder. She looked into Elizabeth’s eyes and nodded her head. “I…I will...” she said as she kept her eyes locked on Elizabeth’s.
Elizabeth held her younger sisters hand and forcibly told her again. “Push, Lydia, keep pushing! You must do as I say!” Both Jane and Mrs. Gardiner did their best to encourage her as well.
Lydia screamed in agony as the doctor carefully manipulated the baby’s shoulder while freeing the head. Moments later the baby was safely delivered and could be heard vigorously crying throughout the house.
Mrs. Gardiner allowed Lydia to lay back on the bed as the pains began to subside slowly. She cried and moaned as the worst of the pain was over. “Will I live?” she cried out. “Is it finally over!?”
Mrs. Gardiner patted her gently on the shoulder. “Yes, my darling girl, you will live,” she told her. “The worst of it has passed,” she assured her.
Elizabeth tenderly kissed her sister’s hand, “You did it, Lydia, you did it! Your baby is well!” she said as tears streamed down her face. “Thanks be to God, both you and your baby are well!”
Jane grabbed the damp cloth and wiped the sweat from her sister’s forehead. “Oh Lydia, you have a boy!” she told her as tears of sorrow turned to those of joy. “A very beautiful baby boy!”
Mrs. Gardiner went over and helped Beatrice care for the infant while the doctor tended to Lydia. “He is a beautiful boy, Lydia,” her aunt said to her. “Well done, my dear!”
Elizabeth looked back at her sister who was now breathing easier as the pain slowed. “I am so proud of you,” she told her.
Lydia sniffled in as Jane helped wipe away her tears. “Oh Lizzy,” she said pitifully, “Jane, that was dreadful!”
The doctor finished tending to Lydia. “Very well done, Mrs. Wickham, very well done, indeed! You have come through just fine,” he said as he took a clean linen and wiped his own brow.”
Both Jane and Elizabeth moved over to help care for their little nephew. Mrs. Gardiner handed him to Jane, “I believe you will want to speak to Lydia,” she whispered softly. “As you both can see, this little fellow was most certainly not early in coming. If I were to guess, he arrived exactly on time,” she told them before moving on to instruct the servants with tending to her niece.
Jane looked at the little baby she held in her arms. She furrowed her brow as she saw how big he was. “Oh Lizzy, this explains so much!” she said as she sniffled in and wiped the last few tears from her cheeks. “Our aunt is right; this little man is not at all early in his arrival…”
Elizabeth looked down at her nephew and smiled. He had chestnut brown hair like Lydia, and his nose looked just like Mr. Bennet’s. “Oh Jane, how foolish I have been,” she began to laugh. “I believed Lydia was so big because she was always eating, but that was not it at all. She was so big because she was so much further along than any of us could have suspected.”
Jane’s eyes opened wider as she realized, “This means,” she did some calculations. “This means Lydia was with Mr. Wickham long before she ran off with him from Brighton. She was with him while she was still at home, at Longbourn!” she said in a hushed voice.
Elizabeth nodded her head, “She must have been with him while he was engaged to Miss King,” she told her. They both looked over at Lydia, who was being fussed over by the servants and their aunt, “Oh poor Papa, what will he say?”
Lydia called out to Jane, “Will you bring him to me?” she asked as she held out her arms. “I want to meet my son…”
Jane walked over and carefully placed the baby in her sister’s arms. “He is very beautiful, Lydia. Truly, you are very fortunate,” she told her. “And despite having a bit of a struggle coming into this world, he appears by all accounts to be in excellent health.”
Elizabeth smiled as she gently caressed the little baby’s head, “Yes, Lydia, you are very blessed indeed,” she said as they waited for the servants to leave.
Lydia looked down at her little boy and smiled, “He looks very much like father, does he not?”
Elizabeth nodded her head, “I believe he has papa’s nose,” she remarked.
“And your lovely brown hair,” Jane commented.
“Funny how he hardly looks anything at all like Wickham,” Lydia giggled.
Mrs. Gardiner smiled, “That will most likely change as he grows older, my dear,” she told her. “I have found that babies very seldom look the same as the day they are born once they are older.”
Lydia smiled, “I should like him to keep my hair coloring,” she said as she played with his finger, “And if he should have my Wickham’s eyes, I would be very happy.”
Mrs. Gardiner smiled, “Well then, I believe I should go down and inform your sisters and parents of the good news,” she said, “Although, with how loudly he greeted this world, I do not think there can be any doubt to his well-being.”
Elizabeth called out to her, “Aunt, could you wait a moment,” she asked her.
Mrs. Gardiner walked back over to them. “Of course,” she said.
The doctor looked over at Lydia and the baby, “You should remain in bed for the next few days at least, Mrs. Wickham. I will call on you later this evening and then again in the morning. I do not recommend any travel right away,” he said. “I think for at least a week.”
Lydia looked up at the doctor, “But my sister is to marry in two days’ time, I must be there!” she complained. “And my new gown, I must have my new gown to wear! Oh, this is so very unkind of you! I cannot possibly remain in bed.”
The doctor sighed, and he looked over to Elizabeth. “Mrs. Darcy, since you seem to know how to get your sister to lis
ten, could you please help her to understand that she has just come through a rather difficult birth? We were very fortunate that things went our way,” he said rather soberly. “It really is for the best, Mrs. Wickham, that you remain in this bed for at least several days. I am sorry that you will miss your sister’s wedding, but that is my best advice if you hope to make a full recovery,” he turned back to Elizabeth. “I leave it to you, Mrs. Darcy, to ensure she does as she is told,” he said before leaving the room.
“I will be sure that she does, Doctor,” Elizabeth assured him.
Lydia was just about to protest when both Jane and Lizzy shook their heads, “You must do as you are told,” they both warned her.
“Very well!” she pouted. “But where is Mama, and Papa? I want them to see my son…” she looked up at her sisters rather smugly, “You know, Jane, not only was I the first to marry but now I am the first to have a baby as well.”
Elizabeth looked at her aunt and Jane, then back down at Lydia. “Before Mama comes in and before we tell Papa,” she began to say. “Lydia, I think you had better tell us. Is this baby Mr. Wickham’s child, or is there another that you spent time with before you went away to Brighton?”
Lydia held her baby closer, “Of course he is Wickham’s son! What a perfectly awful thing to ask me,” she said as the baby began fussing. “See, now you have upset him.”
Jane took the baby from her sister and held him in her arms to calm him down. “Lydia, when were you first together with Mr. Wickham,” she asked as delicately as she could manage.
Lydia giggled and shrugged her shoulders, “Oh, that,” she said. “I guess I cannot hide it any longer, can I?” she giggled again. “I was with him before,” she admitted.
“Before when, Lydia?” Elizabeth asked her.
Lydia shrugged her shoulders as she played with the bed sheets. “Before the regiment went away, back in March. We met secretly. I told Mama that I was going to see Mrs. Forster and went to see Wickham instead. It was all so romantic and exciting!”
“Oh Lydia, how could you do such a thing?” Mrs. Gardiner asked, shocked by her niece’s conduct.
Lydia shrugged her shoulders again, “It was nothing,” she laughed. “Just a bit of fun that got a little carried away! Although I believe it was a very good thing I went to Brighton to be with Wickham. I confided in Mrs. Forster about Wickham and me, and she agreed to invite me to come. She really is a very dear friend to me.”
“Lydia, you foolish girl!” Elizabeth said as she shook her head disapprovingly.
“Well, it hardly matters now!” Lydia snapped at her sister. “After all, I am married. I knew my Wickham loved me. I knew he would marry me. Besides, it only happened that one time. At least, until Wickham and I were together again at Brighton. You have to believe me, Lizzy. I did not know I was going to have a child. I did not know until Wickham, and I ran off together. Then I realized it must be,” she giggled.
The baby began to fuss and cried louder. “Give him to me, Jane,” Mrs. Gardiner said as she reached out her arms. She looked at the baby, his face was red from crying, “He is probably hungry, Lydia; you must feed him now,” she told her as she placed the baby in her arms. “I will help you,” she said as she turned to Elizabeth. “Go and tell your parents. Prepare them for the shock this news will surely cause them while I tend to your sister and the baby.”
Elizabeth sighed, she and Jane walked over to the door. Before she opened it, Lydia called out, “Lizzy, I do not want anyone to know about this. I think we will just say he is a big baby,” she said as she laughed. “It will be our little joke, for they shall never know the truth about when he was conceived.”
Elizabeth shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Oh Lydia,” she said, feeling sorry for her sister, “you really are just a silly, senseless girl!”
Lydia ignored her comment, “I am going to name him Bennet, for Papa, and we can call him Ben. I think Papa would like that very much,” she said. “Oh, Lizzy, you will promise me that you will have Mr. Darcy share this news with Wickham? He will want to meet his son before he must return to Newcastle.”
Elizabeth did not say anything more as she left her sister in the care of her aunt and walked down the stairs. “Oh Jane, what now?” she whispered softly.
Chapter Nineteen
Elizabeth and Jane stepped out into the hall, “I will go and speak with Papa, you go and speak with Mama,” Elizabeth told her.
Jane nodded her head. She was just about to go when she stopped and turned back to her sister, “Lizzy,” she said as her eyes filled with tears again. “Does it really matter so very much when little Ben was conceived?” she asked her. “What I mean to say,” she sniffled in. “When you consider how very close we came to losing both Lydia and the baby, I find I really do not care that the baby was conceived before Wickham married her.”
Elizabeth smiled, as she wiped her own eyes, “Yes Jane, I feel exactly the same,” she told her before they parted. Jane went into the parlor while Elizabeth made her way down the stairs. She saw William waiting there for her in the doorway to the drawing room, “The baby is well,” she told him as she walked up and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Darcy had been expecting the worst, “But how?” he asked her. “I thought…”
Elizabeth took in a small breath, she smiled sheepishly and said. “He is healthy, Lydia is well, and as for the how of it all,” she paused and laughed just a little. “Lydia would only say that he is a very big baby.”
Darcy could see the emotional turmoil she had been through. He knew now was not the time to discuss it further, so he smiled, “Then I am very thankful that both mother and child are well,” he told her as he pulled her into his arms. “Your father is waiting for you in the study, I believe. He seemed upset, so I thought I would give him his privacy. A letter has been dispatched informing Wickham that he should come at once.”
Elizabeth smiled, “Thank you, William,” she said as she pulled free from him. “I must go and speak with my father now, but will return soon.”
Darcy nodded his head. “Very well, I will be here waiting,” he told her.
Elizabeth kissed him softly on the cheek and then went to the study. “Papa, may I come in?” she called out.
Mr. Bennet sat behind the desk, “Yes Lizzy, come in,” he called out to her.
Elizabeth stepped inside. “Lydia has had the baby,” she told him.
Mr. Bennet nodded his head, but did not look up at her, “Yes, so I have heard,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion just a little.
“Papa, Lydia is well, as is her son,” she assured him. “But there is something that you should know…” she began to say when he held up his hand to stop her.
“It is all right Lizzy,” he interrupted her. Mr. Bennet took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. “I am a grandfather,” he said, his voice filled with emotion. “That is all I need to know,” he said softly as he looked up at her. “Truly, that is all I need to know.”
Elizabeth could see the joy in her father’s eyes. She realized all at once the fact that Lydia’s baby was born now and not later mattered little. She realized that her father had already dealt with Lydia’s conduct and this new revelation would change very little. She had prepared herself for the worst but now realized that joy was the only logical response to a situation so wholly unexpected as this. “Yes, Papa, you are a grandfather.”
It was just before they were all to sit down to dinner when Mr. Wickham arrived. After several awkward moments and some rather subdued well wishes of congratulations, Elizabeth led Wickham upstairs to see his wife and child. As they came to the door, she stopped for just a moment and turned to him. “Mr. Wickham, you should know my sister does not know the details of your secret missions for Colonel Wellington, and she never will, at least not by me,” she told him.
Wickham swallowed just a little and said in his most diplomatic manner. “Sister, I promise you, the details of my business here in London have been gro
ssly exaggerated. I promise you now; I would never even think of doing anything that would hurt my beloved Lydia.”
Elizabeth breathed a heavy sigh and arched her brow. The look she gave him was a mixture of both skepticism and disdain. “Mr. Wickham,” she said in a very determined voice. “My younger sister almost died giving birth to your son today while you were,” she considered her words carefully. “While seeing to your personal affairs, so please, spare me the fake promises. We both know you are incapable of ever keeping them,” she told him. “I have not told my sister the truth about you because doing so would cause her great heartache. For reasons I cannot comprehend, she truly loves you, so for her sake, I will say nothing more on the matter. However, I would greatly appreciate it if you would not do me the disservice of trying to deceive me with your lies. Lydia may believe what you say, but I am not as naïve as my sister. And from now on, please address me as Mrs. Darcy,” she told him.
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