Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth

by Greer Boyd

  Darcy had just entered the stable and carefully watched the reaction of the two new young people. Hearing Oliver’s question, he asked in a voice slightly louder than normal, “And what colour would you think unusual?”

  Startled by the loud voice so close behind him, Ollie whirled around to face Darcy. “I . . . I do not know,” he replied.

  “Cousin William,” queried Annabel brightly, “do you have a horse with stripes or polka dots?”

  With Darcy in the lead, they walked from the main stable to a slightly smaller one behind it. As they approached, the liver red head of a horse poked out of the stall window. “No,” he replied in answer to Annabel’s question, “but I do have two that are an accidental cross between an Arabian and an American horse called a ‘pinto.’ The colouration is called ‘skewbald’ or ‘tobiano.’ It is a white horse that has large areas of colour over its body, and although the mane and tail are black, its lower legs are white.”

  “Mr. Darcy, do you think that Rissa and I could ride the skewbald horses tomorrow?” asked Ollie. His eyes never left the head of the horse, and when it came close enough, he eagerly ran his hand over its nose.

  “Absolutely,” answered Darcy, “weather permitting, of course. It can get quite cold here in a hurry during the winter. Sometimes it snows so much that we are unable to get out of the house for days.”

  “Oh, my,” Clarissa piped up, trying to hide a giggle behind her hand. “Is that why we bought so many books before we left London?”

  “Only partially,” chuckled Darcy.

  The next day, the young people rode out over Pemberley Estate for a couple of hours, followed by a groom and an armed outrider, until the wind began to grow exceedingly cool. The following morning an extremely cold wind, a harbinger of the Derbyshire winter to come, descended upon the estate just as quickly as Darcy had told them it could, sending a chill through Pemberley House, and making it unpleasant to venture outside for any extended length of time.

  When Annabel came down to the dining room for breakfast that morning, she was almost ravenously hungry, not having eaten very much the night before because of a slight headache. Still, she did not really feel like eating. The headache had gone away only to be replaced by a persistent, nagging pain in her lower back. It had started during the night and still continued to make her feel uncomfortable. She took a cup of hot chocolate from the sideboard and went to sit on an ornate stool, with her back close to the fireplace, to await the others as they came in to breakfast.

  When Elizabeth came in, she also made herself a cup of hot chocolate and went to sit by Annabel. “You seem distracted this morning. Has something happened?” she asked, concern in her voice.

  “Oh no,” Annabel replied. She rubbed her hand over the lower part of her back, and then absent-mindedly held it in place over her stomach. “It is just that I had a slight headache last night, and now I have a sort of nagging ache in my lower back and a bit of unease in my stomach. I thought that I might have gotten a chill while we were riding yesterday, but this feels different somehow. If I did not know better, I would think that it is getting worse.”

  “Does your stomach feel tender in this area?” Standing, Elizabeth indicated the area by placing both of her hands on either side of her abdomen just above her hip bone.

  “Yes,” responded Annabel, “how did you know?”

  Taking Annabel’s cup from her hands, Elizabeth simply smiled knowingly and, turning to leave the room, said, “We should go upstairs, and I will explain.”

  Annabel stood up quickly and just as quickly started to swoon and suddenly went limp. Before Elizabeth could react, Nathan had run across the room to catch her before she fell to the floor. Anxiety and uncertainty flushed colour to his face, “Annabel, what is wrong?”

  Darcy was only a few steps behind Nathan. Elizabeth caught his arm and stated quickly, “Wills, please help me get her to her room.” Then to her companion, “Katie, please ask Mrs. Reynolds to meet me in Lady Annabel’s room with her apothecary teas.”

  “Right away,” responded Katie, as she hurried from the room.

  “Nathan,” Darcy pled as he extracted the girl from his arms, “if you will release Annabel to me, I will take her to her room.” The stricken look on Nathan’s face betrayed so much love that Elizabeth was almost embarrassed to have witnessed it in someone so young.

  “I will look out for her,” soothed Elizabeth, drawing his attention to her and away from Annabel. “Do not worry.”

  When the trio entered Annabel’s room, Darcy deposited her on her bed and turned to leave the room as a concerned Mrs. Reynolds asked urgently, “Mrs. Elizabeth, what happened?”

  “Well, if I am correct, Lady Annabel is about to become a young woman,” replied Elizabeth.

  Smiling, Mrs. Reynolds asked Carolyn, Annabel’s maid, to help get her undressed and in bed. “I will have some tea ready to be prepared to help ease the pain,” she explained. “Miss Elizabeth, was it in her back or in her abdomen?”

  “Both,” Elizabeth answered. “She said that her back started hurting her last night and has continued to worsen this morning and that her abdomen is tender.”

  “She is going to be just like Lady Georgiana,” remembered Mrs. Reynolds, with a motherly smile brightening her slightly wrinkled face. “The first time was the worst and never a complaint after that time.”

  Shortly afterward Clarissa’s maid, Sharise, came to Elizabeth to tell her that her charge was not feeling well this morning either and mentioned a persistent ache in her back since the night before.

  Looking at Mrs. Reynolds’ stunned face, Elizabeth’s eyes widened, “Do you think that both of them are starting their menses at the same time?”

  Mrs. Reynolds said briskly as she chuckled, “I would not even begin to guess, but I think that you will be sending letters to mothers before too many days.”

  Elizabeth left Mrs. Reynolds to stay with Annabel while she went to reassure her cousin. Clarissa had complained not only of abdominal discomfort, but also of tenderness in her nipples. She however had surmised what might be happening based on an earlier conversation with her mother.

  “This has happened to every woman since the beginning of time,” Elizabeth pointed out tenderly brushing a stray curl behind the young woman’s ear. “At least Aunt Lilly spoke to you about what to expect. Mama never spoke to me at all. When I started to notice the changes in my body, I became very frightened and went to Jane.”

  Clarissa laughed, “Somehow I cannot envision Jane felling comfortable enough to speak to you so openly.”

  “Well, she did not have much of a choice,” Elizabeth replied with a laugh of her own. “I asked questions that she could not avoid answering. By the way, Annabel was suffering from some of the same symptoms that you mentioned. She fainted in the dining room and almost scared Nathan to death.”

  “Oh, poor Nate,” Clarissa shook her head. “You know that he loves Annabel, do you not?”

  “Yes,” Elizabeth said, “we are aware. How did you know?”

  “I can see it in his face when he looks at her,” Clarissa acknowledged, “just like how Papa looks at Mama.”

  Elizabeth stood up, “Well, I must go look after Annabel, but I will be back shortly. In the meantime, I will ask Mrs. Reynolds to bring you something to help with your discomfort. If you are like me, the back pain will be abominable for the first couple of days but not after that. Unfortunately, my breasts hurt for more than six months and were exceedingly tender for most of that time.”

  Looking at Elizabeth’s face and then at her breast and back, Clarissa asked in a very quiet voice, “Do you think that I might be so much like you?”

  “Well, we will have to wait and see. But, we will prepare just in case,” smiled Elizabeth as she leaned down to hug her niece.

  Clarissa returned the hug before allowing Elizabeth to cover her with the duvet. “Thank you, Lizzy.”

  After Elizabeth had taken a few minutes to look for Nathan and couldn’t
find him, she asked one of the footmen about his whereabouts and learned that he was currently in the study with Mr. Darcy. Nathan had gone to Darcy when no one would tell him what was wrong with Annabel. “Your Grace,” he begged plaintively, “I am worried about Annabel, and no one will tell me anything.”

  “Nathan, I am not positive as to the nature of her indisposition. I will have to wait until Elizabeth tells me for certain, but I think I might guess at what is wrong.” Seeing concern flash across Nathan’s face, he continued, “When you ceased being a boy and became a young man, did Uncle Edward speak to you about changes that would take place in your body?”

  Looking a bit embarrassed, Nathan straightened his shoulders and replied, “Yes sir, he did.”

  “Did he then also tell you about some of the changes that take place when a girl begins to become a young woman?”

  “No sir, he took me to Mama and sat with me while she explained.” Suddenly, Nathan’s face brightened and he understood. “Women certainly have the worse end of things, do they not?”

  Darcy smiled at the young man as he walked from behind his desk to take a chair close to where Nathan sat, “They certainly do and they deserve a large degree of understanding from those of us who love them.”

  Truly feeling for the first time like an adult, Nathan looked respectfully at Darcy and replied plainly, “Yes, they do. Thank you for speaking so openly with me Your Grace.”

  “Nathan,” offered Darcy, “Call me Darcy from now on when with the family.”

  “Thank you, Darcy,” replied Nathan, pleased with the request. “Shall we go in to breakfast?” Darcy asked grasping the young man’s shoulder, and nudging him toward the door, as Nathan shook his head in the affirmative and smiled widely showing his very straight white teeth.

  Both Annabel and Clarissa were “indisposed” for the next four days. On the morning of the fifth day, both had bathed and dressed and were walking down the hallway toward the stairs when they saw Nathan waiting for them. He had two white rosebuds with their stems wrapped in ribbon that he had asked Mrs. Reynolds to procure for him. He gave one to each of the young women as he offered an arm to each. “May I escort both of you lovely young ladies to breakfast?”

  “Why, Nate,” Annabel all but cooed, as a slight blush pinked her cheeks, “It would be our pleasure.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Elizabeth had waited until the girls’ indisposition was confirmed before writing to their mothers. The letters had been sent by Darcy’s routine express courier and had arrived in London two days later. Lady Matlock was very excited for Annabel and had gone to Madame Claudine’s to purchase something special for her. As she walked into the shop, she saw Lilly Gardiner and went directly to speak with her.

  “Lilly,” inquired Aunt Eleanor, “what do you think about our girls?”

  “Wonderful, simply wonderful, Eleanor,” smiled Aunt Lilly. She ran her hand down the front of one of the “readymade” dresses on display. “I had come here thinking to purchase something for her; but then I realized that her form is going to change, and I do not have the faintest idea what might fit her now or in the foreseeable future.”

  “I came to do the same thing,” mused Aunt Eleanor, “but you are absolutely right. I do not know what will fit either. I wish Gabby were here. She would know what to do.”

  As the two women continued to talk, Aunt Lilly turned to Aunt Eleanor, “Eleanor, I have some happy news.”

  Tilting her head so that they would not easily be overheard, Aunt Eleanor inquired, “When are you due?”

  “The middle part of April. How did you know?”

  “Why, Lilly Gardiner, I knew you were with child before you confirmed that you were expecting Oliver, and I knew long before you told me when you were expecting Wallace. Let us leave for Pemberley tomorrow or the day after. Bring Wallace, and we can see our girls and spend the winter at Pemberley. That way you can have your little girl right along with the wedding babies. Besides, we can be helpful to our Lizzy at the same time.”

  “I suspect that the reason for the children going to Pemberley was a distraction for her,” offered Aunt Lilly as she shook her head knowingly.

  “Before, with all of the planning for the weddings and so many people in residence, it was easier to be distracted and not as tempted. I think we need to help distract her as soon as we can,” acknowledged Aunt Eleanor, with a lilt of shared expectation in her voice.

  One of the young seamstresses approached the two ladies, “Lady Matlock, Mrs. Gardiner. Would you come with me please? I have something that you might be interested in seeing.”

  As they walked behind the young lady, she motioned for them to follow her up the stairs. When she opened the door at the top of the stairs, she stepped away so that they could see Gabby waiting to embrace them.

  “Gabby, you truly look happy,” Aunt Eleanor exclaimed.

  “Aunt Eleanor, Aunt Lilly. I truly am very happy,” smiled Gabby unconsciously letting her hand linger over her stomach.

  “We have news for you,” began Aunt Lilly, eager to tell Gabby about Annabel and Clarissa.

  “You are enceinte . . . no?” asked Gabby.

  “Yes, but how did you know?” asked Aunt Lilly somewhat surprised.

  “Aunt Lilly, I am a dressmaker,” replied Gabby with a laugh.

  Aunt Eleanor told Gabby about their two daughters’ beginning their first menses at the same time and then expressed her concern for Annabel’s clothing needs over the next few months. Aunt Lilly looked at both women and explained, “Clarissa is my daughter, but she could be an exact duplicate of Lizzy. When Lizzy started her menses, she grew into the shapely young woman we see today in a mere four months.”

  Seeing the surprised look on their faces, she continued, “You see my reason for concern. If Clarissa fills out as quickly as Elizabeth did, she will not have anything to wear.”

  Smiling slightly to herself, Gabby handed Aunt Lilly the letter she had received from Elizabeth as she reminded her, “You know that Elizabeth will never allow that to happen.”

  Lady Gabriella Grove

  Madame Claudine’s Modiste

  Bond Street

  London

  Dear Gabby,

  I asked Mrs. Upton to select clothing in pastel colours from my wardrobe and pack them to be sent to your modiste. My niece has just become a young woman, and I fear that her form may begin to develop quickly and will be more like mine than like my Aunt Lilly’s. If you will see what is needed to update the gowns and bring them when you come for Christmas along with four of the remarkable stays that you make for me, I will be forever grateful.

  We can all work on the alterations while we await the births of the new babies. I am somewhat ashamed to say this, but making alterations to gowns will also help to keep my mind occupied with things other than my growing desire for William.

  I hope that you have found true happiness with Mr. Grove and that he has fulfilled your desires.

  Love always,

  Lizzy

  Gabby then handed a second letter to Aunt Eleanor. The letter was addressed to Gabby but written in Jane’s hand.

  Lady Gabriella Grove

  Madame Claudine’s Modiste

  Bond Street

  London

  Dear Gabby,

  Elizabeth wrote telling me that not only has my niece just become a young woman, but that Lady Annabel has also. She asked me to go through my wardrobe and select clothing in pastel colours and pack them to be sent to your modiste.

  She believes that Annabel’s form may develop to be more like mine than like Lady Matlock’s, and that she may even become as tall as I am. Please see what is needed to update the gowns and bring them to Pemberley when you come for the Christmas holiday.

  Lizzy says that we all can make whatever alterations are needed while we await our confinements and recoveries. I look forward to seeing you again at Pemberley.

  With sincere best wishes,

  Jane Bingley

 
; Aunt Eleanor and Aunt Lilly traded the letters they had been given, and after reading them both, handed them back to Gabby, as the three of them shared a hearty laugh. “Well Lilly,” proclaimed Aunt Eleanor, “I can see that Elizabeth has taken away our immediate concern for our daughters.”

  “I do not know where she got the protective instinct and the foresight, but she has had it since she was quite young,” declared Aunt Lilly with unconcealed admiration.

  “Aunt Eleanor,” asked Gabby with a bit of wonder, “why does Elizabeth think that Annabel will be so much like Jane?”