Disclaimer: I don't own S&S, Jane Austen, or Emma Thompson, and I would be too frightened to if I could.

A/N: This is, unfortunately, based on the movie version of S&S. The 1995, Emma Thompson/Ang Lee version, of course.

Chapter 3

Elinor and Edward fell into step easily, her arm curled around his waist and his around her shoulders. Their feet carried them, without much thought, down a gently sloping path to a stone bridge, overlooking the creek that fed the horses' pond on the northern end of Delaford. Just past the bridge, Edward guided them left towards a copse of trees which shielded a well lit clearing.

Their walk was not tense, though Elinor's mind was spinning with doubts; he pressed a kiss to the side of her head and she smiled briefly. She sighed inwardly when she recognized the direction he was taking their stroll, knowing that this particular place on the Delaford estate was her husband's favorite spot to think. He spent a lot of time in the clearing devising sermons, and had brought her occasionally when a parishioner's troubles became difficult for him to respond to and he wanted to bounce ideas off of her. If he was headed to the clearing now, he had something on his mind.

She sat on the grass with some difficulty, leaning on his arms for support. Her limited mobility during pregnancy rarely frustrated her, but in addition to her current self-consciousness, it was almost unbearable. Settling deeply into the lush grass, she watched he husband pace before her and wished that she had the freedom to join him in his anxiety.

"My love," he began suddenly, tearing Elinor's gaze away from the circle of clear, blue sky above their heads. His voice trailed off quickly, however, and he resumed his pacing with more ferocity, before pausing again. "Darling, I…"

Elinor swallowed thickly, praying that she could keep the tears at bay. She had cried enough for a hundred women, and was sick of the emotions which so seldom broke free of her tight reins of control. She felt sure that Edward had to be feeling the same worry that consumed her waking thoughts, certain that he understood how imperative a son was for their comfortable yet poor family. She was so lost in her own assumptions that she failed to notice when Edward finally sat beside her in the grass, and only looked up to meet his gaze when he cradled her hands in his own.

"Elinor, I love you. And I am," here, he broke off again, looking quite distressed. "I am very worried. About you." This was not what Elinor was expecting, and the surprise must have registered on her face. "I do not wish to pry, my love, but a husband must ask… Are you quite well?"

"Well?" Elinor's voice was thick and rough with the effort it took to keep her feelings at bay. She was confused; surely, he meant to inquire as to the suspected gender of their third child, or perhaps the reason behind Marianne's frantic visit to their corner of the estate.

"What I mean to say is, are you in good health? I know you have spoken to Mrs. Palmer recently, and your sleep during the past weeks has been fitful at best. Are you in any danger? This child, is it not safe?"

And then it was simply too much for Elinor to maintain her façade of strength around her husband's sincerity any longer. Large tears began to course gracefully down her reddening cheeks, and she tore a hand away from her husband's grasp to cover her face in embarrassment. Her sobs were quiet, with none of the passion she had possessed on the fateful day of their engagement, but they shook her lanky body ferociously.

Edward was immediately alarmed. Fearing the worse, and caring little for propriety, he scrambled closer to his wife, pulling her to sit between his legs so that she leaned sideways against his broad chest, and pressed the side of her face into his lapel. His arms encircled her waist, which had grown with their child, and her shoulders, warming her and gentling her cries until she was calm enough to speak. She spoke before the tears ceased, gulping at the air and clutching him to her as if he could vanish into the breeze as easily as her breath.

"Why do you love me?" There were several questions before this one, which were muffled and garbled by sniffles, but this one struck him deeply and tightened his arms around her. "I couldn't give you what you needed," sob, "before we married, and I can give you even less now." Her tears were soaking through his light cotton shirt but her hardly noticed. "It is another girl, Edward." She buried her face more deeply in his chest. "Another girl who will have nothing and give you nothing and my body fails me again. I am so sorry. God, believe me, I am sorry."

For a few more moments, Edward could not find the words to respond to his wife's declarations, and she continued to apologize through her tears. Realizing, however, that he needed to quickly set aside his own verbal insecurities lest his wife make herself entirely sick, he gently loosened his embrace and slid his large hands up her arms to cup her face. HE gently shushed her, pressing chaste kisses to her eyelids and forehead, and soothing her chapped cheeks with his thumbs. He spoke softly to her, encouraging her to breathe and relax, and repeating that he loved her. That much he knew for certain, as it had been true since their first meeting at Nordham, and he relied on the simple truth of it as he searched himself for the words to ease her fears.

"Elinor," he began slowly and quietly, as if speaking to a skittish colt, "I am so relieved to know that you are safe and that our child is well protected within you. There is no greater fear for me in this life, than that some harm could come to you or our beautiful children. No, hush, love." At his assurances, fresh tears had begun to leak from her swollen eyes. "Shh, my love. I would rather speak in a London cathedral than face the possibility that you could be in danger."

"I am," she choked out, desperate to assure him. "I am not in danger." This glimpse of his usual Elinor made Edward smile despite the fact that her eyes were still filled with terror.

"Sweetheart, I did not realize that you desired a son as deeply as it seems you do. Surely, you must understand that I care more for your happiness, and the happiness of our three," he emphasized, "beautiful daughters, than for any rank or social position that might come from our having a son." Elinor shook her head and reached up to clasp his hands in hers.

"Edward, I know what it is to grow up in a family which has no sons. I know what it is to watch daughters lose all hope in being allowed to love as they are blessed by God when a father's death leaves them with nothing. You deserve to have a son. I want to give you a son, with your name who will learn to be a gentleman, and to ride horses with his sisters so that they can pamper him and he can protect them." Her lengthy confession surprised both of them, as neither were generally prone to talking about themselves easily, but Edward recognized the genuine truth in what she had said.

"I won't pretend that our daughters will be guaranteed a future as beautiful as ours, my love. Neither of us are that naïve. But you must remember that you and Marianne certainly found love despite your brother's incompetence." Elinor smiled at Edward's jab at her half brother; it was definitely justified but also unlike him. "I love you, Elinor. I know that I do not always express myself in the ways that I should, but I do love you."

"As I love you, my husband," Elinor responded, her eyes the clearest they had been in several weeks.

"If you want to have a son, we will have as many daughters as God sees fit to give us until we have a son, Elinor. I would give you half the world if I could. But it matter little to me if Belle, Beth, and this child are the only Ferrars welcomed at Delaford." For a few moments, Elinor simply sat within the protective circle of her husband's limbs, allowing his words to seep through the doubts that had been festering in her mind. When Edward leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips, she allowed herself to relax into his embrace fully, and returned his kiss more deeply. She would have a girl, and he would choose another name which was graceful and gave him a nickname to go with Belle's and Beth's. They would continue to teach their girls to love as deeply as they could, and to ride horses while keeping their petticoats clean. And, someday perhaps, they would have a son.

A/n: Don't worry, this is not the end of this! I promise that there will be more chapters, although the update will most likely take just as long as this one. College does that to a girl. :D MANY thanks to NMKK for his/her/per ff. net PM encouraging me to continue this story, and to all of the fabulous authors who have left reviews/added me to their update lists. Your words of support and your love keep me going!