When they arrived at Darcy House, it did not take them long to settle in. The housekeeper, Mrs. North, had made sure that the nursery was ready for baby Anne. She was surprised when Darcy told her that Richard and his son would be coming to stay, so extra room in the nursery was made for the baby and his nurse. The housekeeper was even more surprised when her master told her that he wanted Richard to have a room close to his rather than his usual room. Being a good servant, she did not question his orders, but she did wonder the reason for this change.
Richard and his son Edward arrived just a few days later. When the two babies were put on a blanket on the floor, Anne, who was crawling all over and even beginning to walk while holding onto furniture, quickly crawled to her new playmate. Edward was just beginning to crawl, but it was obvious to everyone watching them that he would get better as he had such a good role model. They appeared to be comfortable with each other right from the very first. As they both had their own nurses, their parents were not worried about leaving them. Anne was babbling, so she kept up a conversation with her new friend, even though he did not reply to her.
Elizabeth was worried about meeting Richard while in the presence of her husband, but they managed not to show their excitement. They had both been surprised when Richard was given a room close to the master suites, but they quickly realized that this was an indication that Darcy accepted that they might be getting together at night, even if his services were not required for the same reason as before. They thought that Darcy did not want Richard to feel the need to go looking for another outlet for his physical relief.
That first night, when Emma helped Elizabeth get ready for bed, she had brought out one of Elizabeth's finer nightgowns. She asked, "Would you like me to guide you through the servants' hallway to his room?" She did not need to say 'Richard's room' as they both knew who she meant. Elizabeth only nodded.
They went out by the servants' door and down the hall for the short way to his room. Jones was waiting at the door and opened it for Elizabeth. She went in shyly, but was immediately engulfed in her lover's arms. "Oh, Elizabeth, I missed you. Every night I wanted you." He wanted to say more, much more, about his feelings, but he restrained himself as they passionately showed each other how much they had missed the other. He quickly took off her robe, but she hesitated before he was able to remove her nightgown.
"Richard, you may not like me now as I am definitely beginning to show. I am fat!"
"You look lovely, never lovelier." He rubbed his hands on her stomach, oh so gently. "I hope it is a girl so we have to try again."
They did not waste any more time as he just picked her up to place her in his bed. Their first joining was frantic, but he managed not to put his weight on her middle. That night, they made up for the months they had been apart, repeatedly showing how much they had missed each other.
In the morning, Jones quietly poked his head in Richard's room to ensure that she had gone back to her own room.
When Elizabeth went down to breakfast, she found that Richard and Darcy were both there. "Good morning!" she said to them. "It looks to be a beautiful day. William, will you be able to come for a walk later? We can take the children to the park so they can get some fresh air."
"I will make time for that. It is a good idea. Tonight, we are invited to the Fitzwilliams' for dinner, but I do not have anything else scheduled; just the usual business correspondence."
When they went to the park, Darcy carried Anne and Richard carried Edward, while Elizabeth and Georgiana walked behind them, followed by the nurses. They met people who knew either Darcy or Richard or both, so they were constantly stopped so their friends could admire their children. The fathers even set the children down in the grass so they could experience feeling something different. The nurses expressed their concern that their charges' clothes would get dirty, but the parents were not worried about that; after all, they did not do the washing of their clothes.
Dinner that night went very well, even though Richard's parents were not too pleased with him for not agreeing to stay with them. Richard's excuse was that he wanted the children to get to know each other as they were quite close in age. The Earl and Countess had asked that the children be brought with them so they could be admired, with they did, very effusively. When the adults sat down to dinner, the nurses took the children back to Darcy House. The dinner conversation was mainly about Georgiana's coming out. After dinner, Georgiana and Elizabeth entertained everyone by showing their proficiency on the piano.
Their weeks in town went by quickly as they were invited to a number of dinners, teas, and other entertainments as soon as their presence in town became known. Every night, Elizabeth went to Richard. They found that her rapidly increasing size made their joining awkward, but they found, by experimenting with different positions, they each managed to reach their complete satisfaction, although less energetically than before. Richard was even gentler with her than he had before.
Elizabeth still could not understand why Darcy had asked Richard to come to stay with them, as he had to have known that they would get together. She watched him carefully, but his relationship with Richard appeared to be no different from what it had always been. She even discussed this with Richard, but neither of them could understand Darcy's actions. Richard did not mention his belief that Darcy simply did not feel any love for Elizabeth and did not believe that the physical act of love was anything special. He thought that he did this so Richard would have a source of physical relief, although he did not voice this aloud. Even though Darcy did not seem to need this relief, he likely thought that other men may need this. Elizabeth had discussed Darcy's condition with him, which he already knew about. He personally could not understand why Darcy did not feel any jealousy for such a wonderful woman. He knew that, if their positions were reversed, he could never do this.
At the end of November, the Darcys left town to return to Pemberley and Richard moved to his parents' house. Even though Elizabeth complained that she was 'as big as a house,' they managed to continue the Christmas traditions they had started the previous year. Elizabeth was pleased that Georgiana undertook many of the duties that were properly those of the mistress.
The second week of January, Darcy and Georgiana returned to town, leaving Elizabeth at Pemberley. She was not concerned about being left alone as Jane, Bingley, and their son would soon be arriving to stay with her until she delivered. In addition, Darcy would return at the middle of February so he would be there for such an important event.
Elizabeth was not alone for long as the Bingleys arrived when they were expected. Jane's baby was only six months old, and was just beginning to crawl. Jane and Elizabeth were constantly together, but Bingley did not find much to do as he was the only man in residence. This situation lasted for a month until Darcy returned, having left Georgiana with her aunt and uncle to continue to enjoy her first season.
"Georgie is proving to be very popular," Darcy bragged, "she never sits out even one set at any ball. She has plenty of admirers, but I told her not to rush into anything."
Bingley was his usual teasing self. "I suppose you just stood against a wall, glowering at every man who approached her. How did she manage to find dancing partners with you there?"
They all laughed at this. Darcy tried to show anger, but even he had to smile. "I just might admit that only the bravest of them managed to dance with her. I hope my uncle will be a good protector for her, although I doubt he will be as diligent as I am."
Elizabeth felt her pains begin at the end of February and the midwife was called. The men were shooed away by Mrs. Reynolds. They were happy to leave Elizabeth in the women's capable hands as neither of them could tolerate listening to Elizabeth's cries of pain.
As with her first birth, her labour did not last for an inordinate number of hours, although it felt like forever to her. Mrs. Reynolds was given the task to invite the gentlemen to come up to see the baby. When Darcy went into the birthing room, Jane was holding the baby. She had the honour of giving the baby to Darcy, saying, "Mr. Darcy, here is your son."
Everyone there saw his face break into the biggest smile they had ever seen on him. He held him very gingerly and did not take his eyes off him.
Bingley broke the silence, "Look at all that dark hair! He is going to look just like his father. Poor boy!" They all laughed at this friendly sally, although his words served to reassure both Darcy and Elizabeth that no one would question the child's paternity.
When the baby began to cry, the midwife took the baby and said, "The boy is hungry and needs his mother, so you gentlemen had best leave." She gave the baby to Elizabeth.
Just before they left, Elizabeth said, "William, what should we call him?"
"You know the Darcy tradition of giving the first son his mother's family name, so Bennet William Darcy is what he will be called." Then he and Bingley went out to enjoy a celebratory drink or two. Elizabeth thought that Bennet Richard Darcy would have been a more appropriate name, but she knew that she could not suggest this.
Darcy stayed at Pemberley for just over a month before he decided that it was safe for him to return to London to be with Georgiana. They stayed there until the season was just about over, and then they returned to Pemberley for the summer. Elizabeth teased her about how many conquests she had made, which resulted in scowls from Darcy. "She was much too popular, with all those young, so-called gentlemen, constantly seeking her attention. I had to run interference for her every day; otherwise she would not have had a moment's peace."
"Now, William, you know that one of them will win her heart, if he has not done so already. If not yet, then this coming season, or the next. Your job is to make sure to keep those that are not worthy of her away from her. But please, do not be too particular; it is important that she sees the good as well as the bad so she can learn to tell the difference."
Georgiana loved her nephew right from her first sight of him. His poor nurse was not able to hold him whenever his Aunt Georgie was around. Baby Anne, who was now a toddler, was often with them as she seemed to have bonded with her aunt. She had learned how to get around quite quickly, so her nurse was often seen chasing after her.
That summer was spent mainly at Pemberley, except for visits to the Bingleys and the Matlocks at their estate, which was also in Derbyshire. In turn, they received visits from these same relatives.
Near the end of summer, Darcy asked about their plans for that autumn and winter. He led off by saying, "I know that Georgie would like to get back to town as soon as possible so she does not miss anything or any potential conquest. Our aunt is already asking when she will go back as she enjoyed sponsoring her so much. I suggest we leave here in mid-September.
"I would also like to see how Richard is doing with his management of Rosings. Elizabeth, we can leave Georgie with our aunt and take the children to Kent for a month or so. How does that plan sound to you?"
Of course, Elizabeth wanted to see Richard; she had missed him. She knew that she could not look too eager. However, she wondered why Darcy wanted to go to Rosings. Surely, he knew that they would get together, or was this what he wanted? He had his heir, but he had always said that he wanted a large family. "That sounds fine to me. I would like to see how his son is coming along. It will be good to have the children get to know each other again, but they likely will not remember each other; they are far too young."
That evening, she found a chance to talk to Darcy alone. "William, I was surprised when you suggested that we spend a month at Rosings. We already have a son. Do you want another child?"
"You remember that we had talked about having a large family who were close in age to each other? Our two children are wonderful; I love them both, but I would like to have another one or two. There is another consideration why we should get together with him as soon as possible—I would not be surprised if Richard might want a family of his own. If he decides to marry, I would expect that he would not be available to help us again. If that happens, would you be willing to consider finding someone else?"
"No! William, I am your wife. This has been difficult enough for me. The only thing that makes me willing to be with Richard is just thinking of how much I love our children and how lucky we have been. I would also like to have another one or two children, but I will settle for even our two, if that is all we end up having." She knew that this was not completely the truth, but she did not dare ever suggest that being with Richard was so wonderful for her. Her husband's words made her think about Richard marrying; this even made her feel a bit jealous. She had not thought that Richard might want to look for a wife, but when she thought about it, she knew that it was actually highly probable that he might want more children of his own. She certainly knew how passionate he was; she now wondered if he had a mistress when he was not with her, in spite of Darcy making her available to him so he could continue to enjoy his physical release with her. She hoped that she was more to him than just this. However, she now began to realize that her time with Richard was likely coming to an end.