Author's Note:

Hi, guys! Happy new year! I hope your 2021 is going better than last year! Sorry for the long way, but this chapter is a little longer to make up for it. As you know, I have run out of prewritten chapters, so I just finished writing this one! I hope you like it!

Stay safe!

Jen


"I think we can agree that Bennet is the spitting image of his father," Mr. Bennet smiled, "with his mother's attitude."

"Papa!" Elizabeth complained, chuckling. "You cannot betray me!"

"I cannot say you did not warn me," Fitzwilliam replied to his father-in-law as he watched his wife with tenderness in his eyes.

"Yes, well, you cannot give her back now," Mr. Bennet laughed.

"I would not dream of it."


58.

July 24, 1815

"Take a deep breath, my child," Elizabeth heard her mama say as the older woman brushed the curls away from her daughter's damp forehead. "You are so strong, Lizzy."

The pain was just as intense and overwhelming as it had been two years ago when her first child was born. She could not make out Mrs. Bennet's words, but she did feel her mother's love and support and she realised, among the fog of pain and confusion, that she had never thought her mother could be so tender to her. To Jane and Lydia, definitely, but not to her least favourite child.

She cried out and felt Jane clutching her right hand, whispering comforting words in a soothing voice just as their mother was doing. She also became aware of a gentle kiss on her left hand and saw Lady Anne smiling at her. Unlike the first time she had given birth, it was daytime now and the bright summer sun was shining through the curtains, making the birthroom look bright and beautiful despite the horrible agony she was going through. How could she notice all this, she did not know, but time was moving so slowly, it was surreal. How long had she been trying to push this child out? Hours? It certainly felt like days.

And it was so very hot. Her hair, which had come loose, was sticking on the back of her neck, her shoulders, her face. She felt she was drenched as she took another deep breath of scorching, humid air. This is hell, she thought as she pushed again and again. Her chemise was up to her waist, baring most of her body to everyone who cared to look and as modest as she usually was, she found she could not care less at that moment. She wanted the soaked chemise off of her completely.

She suddenly felt a wet and cold cloth on her forehead and looked up to see Mrs. Bennet wiping her face and the back of her neck. She wanted to thank her mother but every time she opened her mouth a string of moans and whimpers came out.

"It is almost over, my love," she heard her mother say, with more tenderness than she had ever used with her.

"Push, Mrs. Darcy!" Dr. Johnson said. "Your babe is almost here!"

Elizabeth closed her eyes and pushed as hard as she could and felt like every bit of her strength was drained from her body. She lay back, exhausted and sleepy, confused and disoriented. The pain was gone, but so was all her energy.

A piercing cry broke the silence.

"Ah! A good set of lungs like your brother's!" Dr. Johnson said as he cleaned the babe. "You will not believe this, Mrs. Bennet," he chuckled and handed the child to the maternal grandmother.

"Oh, such a handsome child!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed as she peered at the screaming babe. "What will I not believe, Dr. Johnson?"

"Lizzy?" Lady Anne said, shaking her gently. "Lizzy, wake up!"

Elizabeth felt a hand on her cheek and made an incredible effort to open her eyes. She saw her mother-in-law's worried expression and tried to smile.

"Do not go anywhere, young lady," Lady Anne warned her. "Fitzwilliam would lose his mind."

She chuckled faintly and finally became aware of the sound of a screaming child followed by his mother's exclamation.

"Mama," Elizabeth said and extended her arms. "My babe."

"Oh, Lizzy! You are doing it on purpose to try my nerves!" Mrs. Bennet complained and walked to her daughter.

"What, Mama?"

"It is a boy!" Mrs. Bennet explained and handed the child to his mother. "You are doing it on purpose to vex me!"

Elizabeth chuckled and looked down at her second son. "Yes, Mama. It was my plan all along, and fortunately, Fitzwilliam was reasonable and cooperated."

"I am sure your father was in it, too," Mrs. Bennet bemoaned, but there was a spark in her eye, very much like Mr. Bennet's that showed that her mother was very amused by the sex of her grandchild.

"He is perfect," Elizabeth whispered as she watched the way the face of her child, red from the strain of birth, relaxed as he opened his dark eyes and looked around. "You have your father's eyes."

"He does, does he not?" Lady Anne smiled and offered to take the babe as Elizabeth expelled the afterbirth.


She was breastfeeding when everyone left the room and finally allowed an extremely nervous Fitzwilliam to enter. He walked to the bed and sat next to her before cupping her cheek and making her look at him.

"You are well?" he asked as if he could not believe it.

"I am," she smiled.

"Oh thank God," he sighed and pressed his forehead against hers. He kissed both her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, and mouth while trembling.

"Did you think I was not?"

"I was as close as our fathers allowed me to be and I heard Mother calling out your name and telling you to wake up. I almost fainted then. I thought I was losing you! I cannot describe my despair."

"I am sorry for scaring you. I was exhausted and only wished to sleep. I still do," she smiled.

"And who is this little child?" he finally asked, looking at the curious face suckling on his wife's breast.

"Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, allow me to introduce you to your second son."

"A son?" he asked, surprised and then burst out laughing. "Oh, my love, your father will love this."

"I do not know why but I was sure it would be a girl."

"Bennet was right, it seems. He shall be extremely happy, and you, my son," he said gently as he brushed his finger on the babe's cheek, "shall have the best big brother, I am sure."

"Are you disappointed?" Elizabeth asked.

Fitzwilliam turned his face to hers. "Of course not! I have loved him since I discovered he existed."

"I know, but you have said a few times that you wished to have your own Little Lizzy."

Her husband grinned. "Is Bennet not mischievous enough for you, my dear? Do you think this little gentleman shall be like his brother?"

"Perhaps," she smiled.

"When I said that, I meant to say that I wanted a child full of joy and laughter; mischievous and funny, witty and intelligent and perhaps a little impertinent like his mother. I wanted bouncing curls and sparkling eyes, an expressive face and a carefree attitude. I was not talking about the sex of the child. Bennet is all that and more so I am satisfied." His hand, which was still caressing his son's cheek moved to brush the thin brown hair on his small head and he could not help but smile as his child closed his eyes when he felt his father's touch. "Our children shall be a combination of that and maybe some might surprise us and be completely different and I shall still love them because they are ours. A part of you and a part of me. No child of yours can be anything but perfect."

With her eyes filled with tears, Elizabeth leaned forward and kissed her husband, trying to transmit all her love for him in the kiss.

"I love you," she whispered against his mouth just in case she had not been clear enough.

"And I adore you. Thank you, my darling, for another perfect child. And who knows? Maybe we have a dozen children and some of them might be girls or we might have two boys. Either way, I am the happiest of men."

"What shall we name him?"

"We had thought names for girls," he smiled.

"What about Matthew? It means 'gift of God' and we could call him Matt or Matty."

"You do love nicknames," he chuckled. "I like it, what do you say we use Steven as his second name and make my cousin his godfather?"

"I think it is very fortunate that I convinced the Fitzwilliams to stay here so he can meet his godson. Steven is a good man, he shall care for him and it shall also be very good for Matthew to have the future Lord Matlock as a godfather."

"Elizabeth!" Fitzwilliam said, faking shock. "I do not care about his connections! Such a mercenary statement! What kind of woman did I marry?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Maybe Mary can be his godmother. She is the eldest of our sisters, except for Jane."

"That is a relief!" Fitzwilliam smiled. "I thought you had turned into Miss Bingley."

His wife shook her head and turned to the small babe in her arms. "You have a very silly father, Matthew Steven Darcy."


The youngest Darcy was introduced to the rest of the family and was declared a perfectly healthy and extremely adorable child by all. Lord Ashton was surprised but delighted with the offer to be his godfather and Mary was equally pleased. But it was Mr. Bennet who was overjoyed by the source of amusement his new godson's sex brought. He teased his wife mercilessly, declaring that the Bennet girls were now doomed to have only boys to compensate for the previous generation's lack of gentlemen. Fortunately, Mrs. Bennet took it all in good humour, proclaiming she was glad that she now had three boys to spoil.

Bennet rejoiced in being right about his little brother's sex and begged to be allowed to hold him, which he was finally permitted to do while sitting down after he promised he would be very careful. His smile could have lit the room when his mother placed the babe in his arms and sat next to him followed by his father on his other side. If the sight of their children apart had been heart-warming, the vision that their two boys presented was absolutely bewitching to their parents.

"Hello," his family heard Bennet say as he held Matthew closely to his chest. "My name is Bennet. I am your brother."

A few aww sounds could be heard coming from everyone in the room as they took in the endearing scene.

"Mama," Bennet turned to his mother. "Can we play?"

Elizabeth could not help but laugh. "He is only a babe, my love. He cannot play with you as you play with Charlie yet."

"When?"

"When he is bigger."

That he was disappointed by the wait it was clear, but he was still happy that he could now at least see the babe as it was no longer in his mama's belly.

Elizabeth was promptly ordered to go back to bed where she was joined later that night by her husband.

"Was Bennet so very small when he was born?" Fitzwilliam asked as he lay down next to his wife.

"Yes. Dr. Johnson says he is a normal babe, but perhaps you have forgotten how very small they are when they are born."

"He feels tiny, but maybe that is because Ben, in only two years, has become a force of nature," he argued as he wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer.

Elizabeth chuckled against the crook of his neck. "He was very happy today."

"As was I. Have I thanked you already for giving me another perfect child?" he asked and placed several small kisses on her hair.

"A time or two, I think," she smiled up to him and he took the chance to kiss her lips this time.

His lips caressed hers for a long time, enjoying their softness and the comforting and familiar feeling of her body in his arms. He thanked the Lord silently, again and again, for hearing his daily prayers and keeping her safe. All too soon, she pulled away and the look on her face and the little sigh that came from her mouth made him worry.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, only a little sore and tired."

"Do you want me to call Dr. Johnson?"

"No," she smiled. "It is nothing. I need only sleep and I shall have to wake up soon to feed Matthew."

"We can hire a wetnurse," he offered again.

"I shall let you know if I think we need one," she replied. "You know, Mama surprised me today."

"Did she?"

"Yes. I always knew she loved me, of course, but she has never been very patient or tender towards me."

"Well, she does not have to help her daughter give birth every day."

"No, but I misjudged her. I did not want her to be with me when Bennet was born because I thought her nerves would be too overwhelming when the time came, but she was calm and collected."

"You must remember, Lizzy, that she brought five children to this world. I daresay she knows what happens inside the birthroom."

"But it was more than that. She was loving and tender. She said sweet things to me, gave me strength, and tried to keep me comfortable. Of course, so did Jane and Mother, but I had not expected it from Mama." She sighed. "I am a terrible daughter."

"You are not," he said and brushed a kiss on her forehead. "Your mother surprises me every day. She is very different now than she was when I first met her. She shall always be a... boisterous woman, but she has calmed down considerably since we have married."

"She is not frightened anymore, I think."

"You told me once that she did not become a nervous woman until Jane came out and she realised the consequences of the entailment. Now with three daughters married and two well-connected, she knows there shall always be a home for her or any unwed daughter."

"I am glad I allowed her to be here this time. I think it will make us closer."

"So am I, my love. With Ben's birthday so close, the Bennets can remain here until then."

"'Tis almost two months away! Are you sure it is a good idea?"

"You shall be able to recover your strength surrounded by the warm, and sometimes overwhelming, love of your family. I think it is an excellent idea!"

"Two months with my family and a newborn babe! You must be insane! It is very fortunate that I love you so dearly that I will not send you to Bedlam!"

"Quite fortunate indeed," he smiled and kissed her. "Think about it this way—both our children shall be constantly entertained and shall be easier for their parents to get accustomed to the new addition."

"Or we shall lose our minds."

"That is another possibility," he conceded and received another kiss from his laughing wife.


I do not own any Pride and Prejudice properties, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story.

Characters and situations, created by Jane Austen, are taken from Pride and Prejudice and from the Pride and Prejudice (1995) adaptation created by Simon Langton and distributed by BBC.

This story is released under the GPL/CC BY: verbatim copying and distribution of this entire work are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided attribution is preserved.