Sorrow and Second Chances

by E Bradshaw

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  In early February Richard called upon them one last time to inform them that he had been ordered to depart once more for the Continent, where the allied forces were once again uniting in an effort to push the pretender Bonaparte back into France. Naturally, the whole family were very distressed to hear such news, though they all endeavoured to appear as upbeat as possible as they made their farewells to their beloved cousin. Darcy was particularly affected by the news, for though he understood that his cousin was a man of honour who earned his living by his sword, he had nevertheless hoped that – after already completing two tours of duty in Spain and Portugal against the French – Richard had now done his duty by his king and country. However, Richard was not fooled by the uneasy smiles and excessive cheeriness of his loved ones, for he knew all too well how they felt about him going once more into harm’s way. Nevertheless, he assured them with all sincerity that after fighting against the tyrant Bonaparte for all these years, he wanted to be there and in the thick of it during such a critical moment in history, when he was sure they would finally defeat the villain who had overturned most of Europe. Thus, with heavy hearts, Darcy, Elizabeth and Georgiana made their farewells to Richard, and made him promise to write to them whenever he could, just as they would write – and pray – for him.

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  They left London two days before Mary was due to marry Mr Richardson, and since they made good time to Meryton, it was not long before all the family were once again reunited at Longbourn. Mr and Mrs Gardiner had travelled in their own carriage behind the Darcy’s, whilst Mr and Mrs Phillips had made sure to call at Longbourn in anticipation of their arrival, and so it was a very loud and boisterous family reunion as they all greeted one another and caught up on one-another’s news. And whilst Mrs Bennet led the ladies into the sitting room for tea and more intimate conversations, the gentlemen withdrew to Mr Bennet’s study.

  Darcy was pleased to see Charles and his father-in-law once more, though he soon found himself defending poor Mr Richardson from everyone else’s teasing banter. As the newest person to be joining the family, Mr Richardson was the prime target for everyone else’s teasing jocularity, but the poor young man was simply too earnest to properly understand the playful jibes flying around at his expense. He blushed several times and stammered as he answered, until finally Darcy took pity on him and told the other gentlemen to go easy on him, whilst explaining to Mr Richardson that he must always ignore the foolish things that his new male relations might say to him – and especially anything that his new father-in-law might say. Though Mr Bennet spluttered as if indignant and though he commented rather ominously about the impudence of the younger generation, he nevertheless soon afterwards patted young Mr Richardson on his back and made him feel more welcome.

  The day of the wedding dawned auspiciously with bright sunshine, and both Mary and Mr Richardson looked overjoyed when they finally met one another at the altar. They made a very sweet, well-matched couple, and even Mr Bennet was heard to grudgingly agree that he was glad to see Mary getting married when he could see that it made her so happy. Neither Mary nor her new husband were extroverted people and so the wedding was a quiet family affair, and though they held a wedding breakfast for their guests after the church service, the celebration had concluded by the early evening. In fact, the newly married couple left the party before their guests did, for Darcy had lent them a carriage for their journey to Derbyshire, and though they were due to stay that night at a coaching inn, they were keen to make a start on the long journey ahead and reach their marital home as soon as possible.

  Darcy, Elizabeth, Georgiana and little Thomas stayed only a few days longer in Hertfordshire, before they too, bid farewell to their family and travelled onwards towards Derbyshire. They had been away from their beloved Pemberley lands for well over three months and thus they were all eager to return home. Darcy always had plenty of business matters awaiting him after a lengthy absence, and he liked to be back at Pemberley to oversee the spring planting, if he could possibly be. Elizabeth and Georgiana, meanwhile, were keen to pay a call on Mary and view her new home, though naturally they would wait a while until she had had chance to settle into her new state of married life.

  Besides, they were soon to expect a visit from their cousin, Anne de Bourgh, and so Elizabeth wanted to be ready for their much-anticipated guest. Much to their surprise, they had unexpectedly heard from Lady Catherine in early February, and though her letter had been rather grudging in tone, Elizabeth had urged Darcy to accept the olive branch which his aunt had offered and attempt to build a better relationship with her. Darcy had been under no doubts that his aunt’s sudden change of heart was all down to his Uncle Matlock giving his sister a stern talking-to, rather than it being anything to do with Lady Catherine experiencing any sort of remorse, but it was his desire to see more of his cousin that finally swayed Darcy to write a suitably diplomatic response. Further letters had been exchanged, and as a result, Lady Catherine had finally agreed that Anne might come to visit them at Pemberley for a short while that spring. And since Darcy and Georgiana had seen so little of their overprotected cousin over their years of growing up, they looked forward to her visit with great eagerness.

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  Spring quickly rolled into summer, and life at Pemberley continued to be very eventful. Elizabeth was as busy as she always was in organising the household, in taking care of little Thomas, and in learning the new skills of making and administering home remedies which Mrs Reynolds continued to teach her. Darcy, meanwhile, was always kept occupied with the business of the estate, though he made a particular effort to spend time with his family every day. It seemed that little Thomas reached new milestones every week and Darcy didn’t want to miss out on any of them. Fortunately, Georgiana was a devoted aunt and provided Elizabeth with invaluable help in taking care of Thomas. She occupied much of her time in playing little games with him and singing songs to him, and she was always happy to walk around the gardens with him in her arms as she pointed out new things for him to see.

  But Georgiana also began to feel the urge to become a great deal more independent, and so she often rode about the countryside or went calling upon friends on her own. They had all enjoyed Anne’s visit in March, but after she left Georgiana began to feel somewhat restless, and she began to feel the need for more company and diversion. It was not that she was bored in Elizabeth’s company – far from it, for the two of them had grown very close. It was simply that now she was eighteen, Georgiana wished to be more independent; she wished to have more say on the day-to-day decisions that ruled her life, as well as the right to choose what she did with her time. To this end, she gave up her lessons in languages, and she began instead to show an interest in creative writing. She stopped doing embroidery (a task that she absolutely loathed), and instead she began to perfect her riding skills – and in particular, to learn how to jump increasingly higher fences.

  At first Darcy had been rather concerned to see his typically-biddable sister changing in so many ways, but Elizabeth had reassured him that it was natural for a young woman to want to assert her own will and to establish a little more independence for herself. Indeed, she had reminded him with a winning smile that it was exactly these traits – of having an informed mind and an independent spirit – that had first attracted him to her. Darcy had nodded wryly and agreed that she was right, but still it had been rather difficult for him to accept and get used to the same rebellious traits in his younger sister as he had always admired in his wife. As a thrill-seeking horseman himself, he wasn’t so concerned about his sister taking high jumps on her horse, though as an anxious brother he was concerned about her somewhat wilful streak, and most especially about her insistence on going out to visit her friends without any chaperone whatsoever.

  Indeed, since Georgiana’s paid companion was getting old and was losing her sight – and seeing as Georgiana insisted that she no longer needed an attendant constantly shadowing her
every step – Darcy had awarded the lady with a pension and had sent her to live a peaceful retirement with her family by the coast. However, when he had tried to discuss employing another companion for his sister, Georgiana had forcibly insisted that she didn’t want or need another – and nothing he could say would persuade her otherwise. In truth, there had been a lot of sense to her reasoning, for Georgiana had argued that since she spent the majority of her time with Elizabeth, and since Elizabeth always chaperoned her at social events, she had no need any longer for a paid companion, and so Darcy had been forced in the end to concede.

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  Apart from these occasional concerns and differences of opinion, the Darcy family lived in relative harmony from week to week. They heard frequently from their friends and family with all the usual news, and in turn they wrote back to give their own updates. In this way they heard all about the things going on in their loved one’s lives; they heard from Jane how baby Charlotte was changing each month, and they heard from Charles how he was investing time and funding into his estate and was learning to be a responsible land-owner. They heard how Kitty and Lydia (undoubtedly under the influence of their step-mother) were now following a new routine of education – including a greater amount of reading, languages, arithmetic, and a more disciplined schedule of music practice. True to his nature, Mr Bennet wrote rather more irregularly than his daughters did, but even so he sounded very happy, and since he continued to make jests at everyone’s expense, both Darcy and Elizabeth were reassured that he was just as he always was.

  In contrast, Mrs Bennet wrote more often to give them updates on all that was occurring in Meryton, and so Elizabeth never felt that she was missing out on anything that was happening in her home county. They likewise received updates from their friends and relatives in other parts of the country, and so they were always kept informed of what was occurring in other parts of England. Elizabeth was relieved when her friend Charlotte Collins wrote (though she apparently did so against the instructions of her husband) to say that she wished to continue their friendship, no matter what had occurred between Mr Collins and Elizabeth’s father; whilst Anne kept a regular correspondence with them all and seemed to be making determined efforts to soften her mother’s attitude. And finally, after receiving a triumphant letter from Richard to inform them that the allied forces had captured Paris at the end of March and then forced the pretender Bonaparte to officially abdicate in April,[6] they received another letter (delayed as usual by the uncertain passage of ships over the Channel) that Richard was well and was finally making his way back home.

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  Otherwise, life in Derbyshire continued on in the same patterns. Elizabeth and Georgiana visited Mary quite often, and it was evident to them that she was very content as a vicar’s wife, for she talked with great enthusiasm about all the responsibilities that now filled her life. It was clear that she loved helping her husband in writing his sermons, and that she gained a great deal of satisfaction in giving support and aid to the poorer members of her community. Both Elizabeth and Georgiana admired Mary’s fervour for doing good in the world, and so they often supported her in her charitable work. To this end, they helped Mary in setting up a small school for the children in her local village so they could be taught the basics of reading and writing, and Mary also began teaching music to some of the older children who showed particular aptitude for the subject.

  Similarly, Elizabeth’s time was frequently occupied with her own charitable endeavours. She had long since established a cordial relationship with many of the tenant families on the Darcy estate, but over time she gained a well-deserved reputation of respect from many of the people in the wider community as well. Mrs Darcy was often seen out and about in the local area, and since she was pleasant towards everyone, no matter their situation in life, and since she was always willing to give aid to anyone who was in need of it, the admiration felt towards her only grew as word of her many kindnesses spread. And it was because of her affable and forthright nature that many of the working women of the area – both those who were tenants and those who lived in the local community – felt that they could appeal to her whenever they were in need of particular help.

  Though Darcy sometimes wondered how his wife came to learn more than he knew about the personal circumstances of his tenants and of the local poor – and though he was sometimes dismayed to learn that Elizabeth had heard some rather more scurrilous details than he would have wished for her to hear – he nevertheless could not deny that she did a lot of good for the people in the local parishes, and especially for womenkind in general. Although he sometimes wondered if it was entirely proper for his wife to be told of such scandalous matters as misbegotten pregnancies, or of drunken, abusive husbands, or even of unwelcome advances from young men, he was nevertheless always persuaded by Elizabeth to listen to her appeals and to provide his help whenever she entreated him to support her efforts. And as she always reminded him, the scandal was not that she had heard of such outrageous goings-on, but rather that they were going on at all. Since Darcy agreed with her, and since, as a newly-appointed magistrate for the local area he wished to set an example of moral integrity, as well as to instil high expectations of the people in the local districts, he always made an effort to support Elizabeth’s charitable work. He only asked that she always told him where she was going whenever she went out on her visits and errands, and moreover that she was always accompanied by a servant – and since she always complied with his requests, he could not bring himself to object. For as he told himself, hadn’t he fallen in love with her exactly because of her unusually forthright and independent nature?

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  Life at Pemberley continued on in this pattern, with nothing of great import or calamity disrupting their days. But then, in late June, they received news of the most unexpected nature; Mr and Mrs Bennet wrote to tell them that they were expecting a baby! It was quite obvious from their letters that they were both just as shocked at this news as everyone else was, though they sounded very happy, nonetheless. The baby was due in early November and Mrs Bennet wrote to ask Elizabeth if she would mind travelling down to Hertfordshire to be close-by in time for her confinement. It was her first pregnancy and she admitted to feeling somewhat daunted at the prospect of the birth and of motherhood in general.

  Mrs Bennet also confided in her private note to Elizabeth that she did not like to worry Mr Bennet unduly by revealing her secret anxieties to him, and nor did she wish to burden Jane, since she tended (as Elizabeth well knew) to fret a great deal about anyone whom she loved. But Mrs Bennet entreated Elizabeth to come, for she declared that she trusted Elizabeth’s common sense more than anyone else’s, and she was eager to gain her advice on a long list of topics relating to her impending motherhood. Moreover, she knew that Elizabeth would help her to deal with her anxieties and help her to feel prepared for the birth.

  After such a heartfelt appeal, Elizabeth could do nothing else but reply to her father and step-mother with her most warm and sincere congratulations, as well as to privately reassure her step-mother that she would do all she could to help her in her time of need. Elizabeth well remembered the anxieties that she had experienced during her own pregnancy, and considering her step-mother’s age, Elizabeth guessed that pregnancy could be something of a trial for her. With this in mind, Elizabeth gave her some tips on how she had managed during her own pregnancy, and she invited her step-mother to send her a list of any questions which she might have, stating that she hoped this would help to alleviate some of her worries during the coming months until they would be reunited and at liberty to talk in private.

  Naturally, letters were exchanged between Elizabeth and her family (and most especially with her step-mother) with regular frequency over the coming months, until finally the Darcy family journeyed down to Hertfordshire in late October and once again set up residence at Netherfield Hall. Much to Mrs Bennet’s relief, Elizabeth and Darcy had arranged to stay at Netherfie
ld for the next several months, for Jane and Charles had insisted that they and Georgiana (along with little Thomas, of course) must stay for the next few months at least, including for the Christmas season. Thus, the ladies often spent their days together at Longbourn as they caught up on all their latest news and helped their step-mother to sew little baby clothes for their future sibling. The gentlemen were frequently instructed to keep out of the way and so they often went riding or else they took part in the winter sport. Nevertheless, the family frequently spent their evenings gathered together in easy familiarity, dining together and then chatting around the fire in the sitting room at Longbourn.

  Consequently, with so much company and support gathered around her, Heather Bennet was much calmer than she had expected to be when she felt her first spasms of pain and realised that her labour was finally upon her. And as she had promised she would be, Elizabeth was there to support her step-mother throughout her ordeal, whilst Jane carried supplies to and from the bedroom and ensured that her younger sisters were kept well out of the way. Meanwhile, knowing from their own experiences just how terribly nerve-wracking such an event would be for Mr Bennet, Darcy and Charles kept their father-in-law company and did their best to comfort him through the long, tense hours of his wife’s labour. For this Mr Bennet was most grateful, and though he told them both how he had waited with the same acute tension and had bitten his nails down on each occasion before when all of his daughters had been born, he assured them that the strain of hearing the women he loved suffer through such pain had never got any easier, despite him going through the same experience on five previous occasions.