Elizabeth, John, and Mrs. North took turns nursing Darcy for the next ten days until his obvious symptoms were finally gone. During his recovery, Elizabeth could not stifle her curiosity but found a moment when she was alone with Darcy while he was sleeping to pull up his nightshirt to look at his affected parts. They did seem to be quite large, but she realized that she had never seen them when they were normal, so she was not sure what they should look like. This problem was never mentioned among his caregivers, but she asked Dr. Rushmore to return to talk to Darcy when he was finally over his worst symptoms. After that discussion with the doctor, Darcy did not mention anything about this potential problem to her, so she just had to hope for the best.
At the end of two weeks, Darcy seemed to be over the illness, so he was ready to get out of bed. Elizabeth was with him and he took her hand and said, "Elizabeth, I have heard how you stayed with me almost every minute while I was sick. I admit that I was surprised when I heard this as I was not kind to you at the beginning of our marriage. I cannot understand why you did that for me."
"William, when we married, I promised to honour and obey you. You are my husband. How could I have done anything else?"
He noticed that she did not mention 'love,' which was also included in their marriage vows. "I can only thank you for your attention and care. I will try to be a better husband to you from now on."
Georgiana returned to Darcy House and they planned when they would go to Pemberley. They finally left and made that long trip north. Darcy endured the trip quite well, but they went slowly so as not to tax his reduced energy or hurt his parts that were still quite tender. They all noticed that he was not as energetic as he had been. Elizabeth was glad that Georgiana did not ask why her brother was moving very gingerly; she was not sure how she could have explained his problem to her.
Elizabeth was delighted with Pemberley, the manor house, the fine gardens, and the extensive woods surrounding the house. While she thought that Darcy House was grand, it was nothing compared to Pemberley. She wondered how she could learn to be the mistress of such a grand estate. She was pleased, when she was introduced to the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, to see that this was a pleasant woman who appeared to be quite capable of managing the staff and the house, as she had been doing for many years. She quickly formed a good relationship with her when the older lady said how pleased the whole staff was that Pemberley finally had a mistress. While Mrs. Reynolds did not mention it, she had heard from Mrs. North about how happy she was with their new mistress. She was especially pleased that he had not married Caroline Bingley or anyone like her.
Elizabeth spent the first few days at Pemberley just trying to learn about all the rooms in the house, the staff, and their regular routines. It seemed a daunting task, but she was eager to learn her new role. Darcy's energy was still not back up to what it had been, but he spent many hours in his office with his steward sorting out problems that had accumulated while he was away. Elizabeth spent a lot of time with Mrs. Reynolds, who was very patient with her.
Finally, one night after the three of them had been there for a week and seemed to have settled into a comfortable routine, Darcy tapped on the connecting door to her bedroom and he came in. He seemed to be very hesitant and not his usual confident self. "Elizabeth, the doctor told me that he mentioned the possible problems that I might experience because of the mumps that I had. The only way we will know how serious its effects are is if I try."
He climbed into bed with her and moved over close to her. He pulled up her nightgown as he always had, but this time he did not just climb onto her, he began to stroke her leg. She could tell that he had put his other hand under his own nightshirt and was moving it, but she could not tell exactly what he was doing. After a few minutes, he said, "It is no use. There is nothing. No reaction at all. The doctor warned me that this could happen."
She could feel his despair. She put her arms around him, held him close, and tried to soothe him. "William, do not give up. It might get better. We can give it some time. In any case, I have some good news that I have been waiting to tell you. I believe that I am with child."
"Truly? Why did you not say anything? I have been so worried."
"I was not completely sure. I have not felt it quickening yet, so it is still not definite."
"I only hope that it is a son. I need an heir."
"I hope so too."
Darcy did not stay with her long but he went back to his own room.
They spent that whole summer fairly quietly at Pemberley. Elizabeth tried to spend as much time as she could with Georgiana, either practicing with her on the piano or just talking about many things that were important to her. They made a number of shopping trips to Lambton, which she noticed that the local residents appreciated very much. When Elizabeth mentioned that her Aunt Madeline Gardiner, nee Barrie, was from Lambton, her esteem rose dramatically as many people remembered her family. Darcy did not enter her bedroom again.
They had several dinner parties when they invited neighbours who had estates not too far from them, and, in return were invited to their homes for small parties. Georgiana participated in all of these parties, even though she was still not officially out. Elizabeth enjoyed these dinners as she was easily accepted by their neighbours. It seemed that they had all wanted to see Darcy marry and were pleased with his choice of a wife.
They also were visited by the Fitzwilliam family as they were also spending the summer at the Earl's estate, which was only a day's ride from Pemberley. Only Richard was not there as he was spending the summer with his new wife at Rosings, learning more about how to manage the estate. The Earl and Countess stayed for a full week, with the men often out fishing, shooting, or riding on the estate while the ladies kept busy, either in the house or out in the gardens. The ladies also used Darcy's open carriage for several delightful tours of the area. They were very pleased to hear that Elizabeth was increasing.
In the evenings, their dinners were merry and full of conversation, as their spirits seemed to be at their liveliest when they were all together. While none of their visitors asked her explicitly how Darcy was treating her, several times they hinted that they hoped that they were getting along better than they had been. They were all aware of Darcy's illness, but they approached this topic very carefully; none of them asked about the after-effects that Darcy experienced. When the family left, Amanda asked to stay with Georgiana, which she did for several extra weeks. Elizabeth was pleased with this as she wanted Georgiana to have more companionship than she was able to give her. She was finding that being the mistress of such a large estate took a lot of time, looking after the house, the staff, and the tenants.
Jane and Bingley also came to stay with them for a full month as they had given up the lease of Netherfield. Even though they were both so easy-going, they found that the almost daily visits from Mrs. Bennet were simply too much for their marital harmony. They decided to look for an estate farther away from Hertfordshire, preferably within a reasonable distance from Pemberley. They made a number of visits to estates that were available within a day's ride from the Darcys. Elizabeth was most pleased that they had not brought Caroline with them, but had left her with the Hursts. Jane hinted that her husband was upset with his sister as she continued to make cruel remarks about the Bennets, especially about Elizabeth. They all made a visit to one estate that the Bingleys were considering to purchase. Upon receiving their enthusiastic approval, he decided to buy it. Elizabeth was especially pleased as the estate was within an easy distance from Pemberley.
In August, when Pemberley was quiet again as all their guests had left, Darcy spoke one evening at dinner about what he and Georgiana had done in the past. "In past years, we spent a month or two in town in the autumn, and then returned here for Christmas. After Christmas, we went back to town for several months before returning here for the summer after my annual visit to Rosings. Now with Elizabeth increasing and due in December, do either of you have any suggestions on what we should do?"
Elizabeth was pleased that he was asking for their input. "If we want to travel, I suggest it has to be soon before I get too big. I am due in December, so after Christmas, I will not be able to go anywhere until the baby is at least a couple months old. I would like to visit my family as I have not seen anyone besides Jane since she was married."
Darcy said, "I have been thinking the same. If we are to travel, it should be soon or not until late next spring. I would like to get to town for a few days as I have some business I need to sort out there. I would also like to see how Richard is doing at Rosings. We could go to town, then Rosings, and then stop in Hertfordshire on our way back." Darcy did not say what he was thinking, that he would much prefer not to visit her family ever again. He would never welcome being with them, especially her younger sisters or her mother, but they were her family so he had to tolerate them for her sake. "Elizabeth, I assume that you would like to be here for your lying in? Who would you like to have with you then? Jane and your mother?"
"Heavens no! My mother is far too excitable and would only upset me. Jane and Mr. Bingley should be settled in their estate by then, so she could come to be with me. She just mentioned in her latest letter that she believes that she is also increasing, but she is not due until next spring, so it should be easy for her to come here then. The only other person I would like to have would be my Aunt Madeline, but they usually spend Christmas at Longbourn, so they would not want to come here in December.
"William, I like your travel plans. I would like to see Rosings and meet Richard's wife. I would not want to spend much time at Longbourn; just a couple of days would be quite enough. Georgie, what do you think?" Elizabeth wanted to include her new sister in their plans.
"I agree with your plans. I would like to visit Rosings and also get to know your family."
"Well then, if we all agree, I will send an express to Mrs. North to be ready for us. I will also send one to Richard too let him know that we will be there. Elizabeth, you have more time until we go to Hertfordshire, so a letter from you to your mother should be all that is needed. Will there be room for us at Longbourn?"
"Certainly, as both Jane and I are not there. I assume that my sisters have taken our rooms, but there is a nice guest room that is not used very often. My mother will not be happy when I tell her that we will be there for only a couple of days as she will want to take us to all of her friends, but I will be firm with her."
They made their plans accordingly and left Pemberley just three days later. They used two carriages; the second for their personal maids, Darcy's valet, and their luggage.