With her lavender lace parasol shading her from the heat of the July sun, Estella sat on the wicker garden chair, delicately sipping her tea from the china she had received for her wedding, and carefully eating her crumpet so as to make sure none fell onto her lap. The sky was a clear blue and only a solitary white cloud would glide past to shelter the gazer from the bright sunlight. Estella was warm in the garden but not uncomfortable; her linen dress was light not only because of the weather but because of her condition. The fourth Pirrip child was expected in only a few weeks-an August child, just like its father. Estella smiled at the thought of him: him, her husband, Pip. A more loving, kind, generous, sensible man Estella could never have hoped of marrying. She had been afraid, apprehensive almost, at the beginning of their marriage; not that Pip wouldn't make her happy and love her, for Estella had long discarded the idea that he would ever stop loving her; no, it was the idea that she wouldn't be enough for him, that she wouldn't turn out to be all he had imagined. Pip had always had an almost mythical notion of what Estella was: "Like a warrior queen, or an ice maiden, or an evil sorceress" she had teased him once. "Yes indeed, my dear, I have considered you all of those things at one time", he had replied with a smile, "but now I realise you are only one thing really". "And what is that, pray tell?" Estella had asked with a cheeky grin. "Only old Mrs. Pirrip, a matronly woman with three children and a cantankerous old husband to contend with!" That comment had earned him a smack on the arm, but was quickly followed by a peck on the cheek.
Yes, Estella was Mrs. Pirrip (she wasn't quite inclined to be considered old yet!) with three beautiful children and a cantankerous but wonderful husband all the same. And I couldn't ask for any more, she thought as she watched the children play among the flower beds with a ball Pip had brought them back from London last week. And with the love and devotion Pip showed towards her, she was certain that she had fulfilled her duty and made Pip the happiest man alive- as he so often whispered in her ear at night. The children were racing around and screaming, so full of energy and joy. How Estella wished her own childhood had been the same; but she and Pip had both promised that if they had children, they would have carefree and loving childhoods, unlike the ones they themselves had endured. Estella's dreams were disrupted by a thumping sound and a wail which floated to her ears immediately after. Oh no, she thought, someone has fallen! Raising herself out of her chair, she waddled (she hated the phrase but she had to admit she was rather big this time around) to where the children had been playing and where one of them now lay, crying his eyes out. "Mama, Mama, Joseph has fallen!" squeaked the youngest of the children, Georgiana, who was but three years old. "Yes darling I see that" replied Estella as she bent down to her crying son's level. "Hush, Joseph, hush. Mama is here now. Don't fret and let me see your leg". She carefully lifted Joseph into a seated position and examined his knee. His wails as she touched it showed the agony he was obviously in. "It's all right Joseph, it is only a graze. Mama will bring you to the kitchen and mend it and Peggy might even find you a toffee to make it feel better". At the mention of toffee, Joseph's wails decreased to sobs and eventually he was able to hobble up to the house. "You have an awful sweet-tooth, Joseph Pirrip, just like your father" Estella remarked with a smile as she smoothed down Joseph's hair. "Yes, but Papa says I'll only loose my teeth if I eat too many sweets and I can always get more of those" Joseph replied matter-of-factly. "Some of the things your father tells you beggars belief. Now run along with your brother and sister and ask Peggy for the bandages and cream, like a good boy". Joseph ran on after his siblings, his wounded knee remarkably healed. Estella laughed quietly to herself as she retrieved her parasol; the tea things could be tidied up later. "Whatever will that boy do when he is older, I cannot comprehend!" she said. Joseph was a precocious child, full of questions and equally full of quick answers. He was a tom-boy, the scourge of clean floors and tidy rooms and his greatest mission in life was to persuade his papa to get him a dog. "The day a dog comes to Oakwood will be the day I leave", Peggy, the housekeeper, grumbled anytime the hint of a dog was mentioned. Everyone knew she wouldn't leave though; she adored the children too much and her tidy pay packet. Despite that, Estella had to admit that life at Oakwood without Peggy would be difficult; she was like the children's grandmother and had lived with them since her marriage to Pip.
Estella was now at the back door of the house called Oakwood, the marriage home of herself and Pip and the home they lived in when not in London. Peggy had found the bandages and cream and the children were helping themselves to a wad of toffee each. "I told them they'd only spoil their dinner, but none of them would listen, not even Little Miss" Peggy said with a hint of surprise in her voice. Little Miss was what the servants and Pip called Georgiana, the little lady of the household. She was a lovely child, with golden hair and dimples, the pride and joy of Peggy, who spoiled her incessantly, and the most obedient of the three. Georgiana hated to be scolded and was extremely moral for her tender years. "Mama said we could have some, didn't you Mama?" asked Philip, the eldest, knowing right well she hadn't said anything of the sort. "Yes, I do believe I did" she replied, giving Philip a sly wink. "In fact I think I shall have a bit myself". She broke off a chunk and popped it in her mouth. Peggy returned to the pantry, making an audible sigh as she went. Estella smiled at all the children and they all started laughing. "Poor old Peggy, we shall all be the death of her" Estella remarked, picking Georgiana off the table where she had been sitting and placing her on the floor. "But she is right-you will have spoiled the lovely dinner Mrs. Macy has planned for your father's arrival tonight. You might just have to miss it altogether if you eat anymore and your father so wants to see you tonight". She said this just as Joseph was reaching for another piece but Philip quickly batted his hand away. "Is Papa really coming home tonight?" he asked, excitement evident in his voice. "Yes, my dear, he was able to get away from business with Uncle Herbert a day earlier so he shall be home by seven. Now, away with you upstairs and clean your faces; it is already five o'clock". The children didn't need to be told twice, and there was a scuffle at the door as they each raced to the staircase.
Estella laughed again to herself. She had never laughed so much since her marriage to Pip and the arrival of the children. She thought of herself as having lived two lives: the life she led before she married Pip, when she was cold and heartless, and when she had been married to that monster, Drummle, and the life she was living now, full of love and warmth and laughter. She flinched at the memory of her previous existence. When Pip had asked her to marry him, she had promised herself that this was a new beginning and that from now on, with Pip's help and love, she would be a new Estella. She felt satisfied that her marriage to Pip had changed her greatly, and definitely for the better. Pip made her feel special and wanted, something she had never really felt before; she only hoped she gave him as much happiness as he gave her every day. Not only was Pip loving and caring, he always let Estella be herself: try as she might, she had resigned herself to the fact that, no matter how much she had changed, she would always be head strong and opinionated, and Pip respected that. Her joy in her married life was only increased by the birth of the children. When Estella had been younger, and married to Drummle, she had never wanted children, fearing that they would be a nasty combination of herself and her brutish husband. However, from their earliest days as a married couple, Estella knew she wanted children with Pip; she was certain he would make a marvellous father and she wanted to have his children. Therefore, when Philip was born, Estella was over the moon. She relished motherhood and all it entailed and was surprised at how easily she adapted to it, having had no real previous experience with babies or children. Nevertheless, Estella felt she now had a purpose in her life. A year and a half later Joseph was born and three years after that Georgiana. Now number four was on its way and Estella couldn't be happier. She patted her stomach and grinned. "Not long now, little one" she murmured quietly. Picking her parasol up from the table, she made her way upstairs to get ready for dinner.