Chapter 42
"Here's some water for you," the voice of the nurse spoke.
Fitzwilliam was eased up from his position but he willingly sipped the water which was offered to him. He closed his eyes as he swallowed and it was a peaceful, soothing feeling he felt. For the first time and his memory wasn't clear in this moment, he was able to drink something without coughing up blood. When the cup was lowered, eyes still closed, he asked.
"What happened?"
When he opened his eyes, he heard the nurse answer.
"You'll find out in a moment, sir."
Before she left, Fitzwilliam asked, before sleep came.
"Where… is… my wife…?"
The land of snow seemed to her to be soft and gentle. His soothing voice could be heard when he spoke.
"Right behind those trees, my loveliest Elizabeth, is where my kingdom of sweets is and if one has a heart, they will be able to see for it themselves the gateway into the kingdom where peace, love, and happiness dwell outside of a world where mockery, scorn, hate, and evil lurk."
She wasn't dreaming when she glanced up and met her Nutcracker Prince's eyes. They possessed in them a tender gaze and she saw that he meant it with all his heart that he loved her and for her reward, he was going to take her to the kingdom of sweets where his heart was for her and where their castle of gingerbread, decorated with all the elaborate colors, which dominated their kingdom and distinguished theirs from the rest of the world, would contain a place where others around them would look up to them as examples for leadership and Elizabeth felt his arm wrap around her upper waist and she inhaled before she too, reached out and wrapped her arms around his chest.
She felt no opposition when he spoke.
"Ah, my dearest, loving Elizabeth, become my queen and rule with me in the Kingdom of Sweets forever!"
"Where shall we venture to, my Nutcracker Prince?" she asked as the snowflakes started to fall. The trees around them glowed with a Heavenly fragrance and the feeling of love and security entered Elizabeth's heart when she realized she hadn't answered her Nutcracker Prince's question to become his queen. She felt her cheeks heat and her heart beat when he met her eyes and she turned away, feeling more heat enter her cheeks. He was patient, loving, and gentle but his determination in his expression informed her that he didn't want her to "leave him in the kingdom of sweets alone," no in indeed!
Feeling his touch on her back, she answered softly.
"Yes, my Nutcracker Prince! I shall happily be your queen and delight with you in that forever kingdom where love dwells and peace reigns!"
"Prisoners have answered all the questions and they've been taken away" the sidekick announced as he dusted his hands. When he was making all this noise, all eyes turned in his direction and Jim, who only blinked, asked.
"What?"
The sheriff only laughed when he replied.
"Well, Jim? How does it feel to not be the assistant for Mr. Darcy but rather the undercover cop that was sent over to help him throughout his learning experience here in Charleston?"
The young policeman answered, as he folded his arms.
"Much better to be back to where I know I belong than having to endure all those teeth cleanings! You should have witnessed how Mr. Darcy managed to clean them! Yuck!"
The sheriff shook his head as he answered.
"Just like Fredrick, you too have a hoot of a sense of humor!"
Jim dusted a piece of fluff off his sleeve as he replied.
"And I always admired him! Thank goodness for prayers and miracles!"
The other man nodded when he answered.
"Yes, answered prayer and miracles every day my son."
The door to the police station opened and another of the officers announced, loudly.
"More of them by the second! They were all over the place!"
"In they go," the sheriff responded and he returned his attention back to his paper he was writing on. He had to wonder how crafty Henry Kingston had been but he was thankful that most of the rats, as they were called, had been captured and their whereabouts were easily detected and when they had been rounded up, one of officers had written down notes and set the case file. He shook his head when he remembered how brave Fitzwilliam Darcy had been when he had attacked him after being shot and fired at that evening. It was only now that reports from the hospital were being sent that his operation on his left lung, which had been the cause for all his coughing and loss of blood, was successful and he was only now in recovery. He started to pray when he remembered that his wife, Elizabeth, was also taken there because she had endured a knockout blow to her forehead and he remembered how she had suffered from that concussion not too long ago and then he remembered how she had conceived and lost their first baby. He swallowed and when the other men pulled the other "rats" to their locations, the sheriff started to pray as he'd never prayed before. He knew that Mr. Darcy and his wife had grieved the loss of their baby and but he also knew that feeling of not having hope where there was none.
He prayed a Hail Mary, he was a Roman Catholic, and in his prayer, he prayed that Our Blessed Mother would answer his prayer and grant the new couple a gift of a new infant.
He remembered how Elizabeth had appeared after she'd gotten that blow from that butler, Oliver, and his prayer became.
"Blessed Mother! Ask Our Lord, I humbly beseech you, to allow a miracle to happen and may the Darcy family be blessed with peace, love, and happiness, as well as healing, they've never before had in their lives! I ask this in Jesus' Holy and Precious Name!"
Fitzwilliam was in the hospital for several days when the news reached him that Henry Kingston was in jail for murder as well as that butler, Oliver. He swallowed that morning when the nurse stepped into the hospital room and handed him the paper. The young woman was gentle and sweet but she also knew that Fitzwilliam always liked to be alone and after the doctor had informed him that his operation with his left lung had been successful, he would be permitted to leave and return to Hawkswood but he hadn't seen Elizabeth in days. He thanked her for the report but who he really desired to see was his wife and his heart beat when he remembered having witnessed Oliver picking her up and sending her that blow to her head that day when their fight had happened inside Hawkswood.
The sun was outside and the weather was gorgeous as Fitzwilliam peered over to his right, raised a brow, before he returned his attention back to the newspaper and read the paragraph on how Henry's capture was the talk of the town, the discussion on how he had managed to slip inside and frighten the jellies out of the Darcy couple, and he narrowed his eyes when he read the sentence about him being shot but he felt better when he read that he had tackled his enemy and startled Oliver out of wits when he had summoned the courage, with prayer, to help him fight his enemy to protect his wife and keep her safe. He read on and he applauded the person who had written the paragraph and his thoughts were,
"No doubt that the discussion of Charleston will be speaking about this nonstop."
Fitzwilliam smiled and gave a thanksgiving prayer to Our Blessed Mother as well as Our Lord when he remembered how he had arrived to South Carolina, met Elizabeth at that Christmas party, which felt more forever ago, how he had assumed he would only cross paths with her as a mere acquaintance to acquaintance, then arrived the surprising and unwelcome announcement from his father about "his arranged marriage," with no questions asked, how enamored he'd been with Elizabeth's sexual attraction, then how her Faith drew him out of the darkness of his own Luke warmness, how his devotion to Our Blessed Mother arrived, how he learned through prayer how to love her as God did, the event of losing his baby girl, who he didn't doubt was up in Heaven with Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother, how his love for Elizabeth increased with his constant prayer life, where he was now…
He paused when he thought.
"Our of something strange and odd, God worked and made this strange marriage turn into one of love and peace, where if I wasn't blinded to the truth of my Faith, I would have stepped away and never returned to her or even returned to my Faith because of this." He peered down at his wedding ring and the gold glowed up at him and in this moment, instead of a ring, Fitzwilliam pictured the image of a child, gazing up at him with arms, only this one, would be a little boy, who would be just like his father! He would possess the eyes of his father but would have the complexion and hair of his mother and with all his heart, Fitzwilliam gasped when he remembered having made love to Elizabeth before their encounter occurred and his heart beat. He knew he couldn't run to her and seek her out inside the hospital but he knew that she was somewhere there; he swallowed when he gently closed the newspaper as he started to pray the Guardian Angel prayer. He knew this prayer was powerful and he wished to let her Guardian Angel, as well as his own, know that he wished to have God allow her to conceive his son and he would name after with the direction of the Holy Spirit and his name would be honored with the last name, Darcy and he would honor God with His Son.
He prayed.
"Father in Heaven, hear my prayer and allow Elizabeth to conceive again and may our family represent that of the Holy Family, where Your Son, Our Blessed Mother, and St. Joseph dwelled on earth to fulfill Your Divine Will. Thank you for hearing my prayer and I ask this in Jesus' Holy and Precious Name!"
And he made the Sign of the Cross and felt peace when he did.
One of the maids nodded at the work which make the place shine like a palace.
She smiled when she heard a voice speak.
"They will be pleased to know that their palace is shining like a kingdom where the king and queen return from a journey and discover that their servants were asleep."
She smiled and was happy to know that her mistress would be happy knowing that her work had been accomplished and she hoped that something wonderful would happen and it wouldn't be the return of the king and queen of the kingdom, no! She was as hopeful as the sheriff was to have another miracle happen and she hoped that a little one would appear and running around, probably causing the rest of the servants to pull their hair out as they tried to keep track of the king and queen's heir or heiress. She smiled more when another voice asked.
"Dusting was finished and the rest are setting out welcome home fragrances."
"Hawkswood Manor is more like a palace than a simple manor," she commented but she thanked the other woman for updating her on what had happened already. She was thankful that both the master and mistress were recovering and the image of raising a family entered and she hoped and prayed that their prayers would be answered. She recalled how exited her family was when her little sister had arrived and happily surprised the entire family with her surprise pregnancy and how she had brought the family together. With all her heart, she hoped the same would apply to the Darcy family as she returned to her work.
"Babies always have a way when God allows that," she thought as she returned to her work. "They're miracles in themselves and how God manages to create them is amazing and how He works in precise detail for that individual soul!"
When Elizabeth stepped off the throne, she felt her Nutcracker Prince extend his hand towards her and when he met her eyes, he whispered.
"Welcome, Elizabeth, to my Kingdom of Sweets."
In stunned awe as her eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat when she beheld the sight before her. Surrounded around them were delicious deserts of all sorts: peppermint, chocolate, candy canes, Marzipan, Chinese, but what captured her attention most the gingerbread castle, with the frosting around the edges, the fountain of lemonade with pink, the fragrance she was inhaling like innocence, but the feeling of having her Nutcracker Prince and his hand holding hers touched her most when she glanced over at him and his eyes never left hers. Then in this moment, a lovely woman, decorated more in an elaborate gown she was wearing, gold and white, with eyes that shown like the sun but beyond the sun, approached the two, and with her hands extended, she greeted softly.
"My children!"
Elizabeth met the woman's gaze and her eyes instantly sparkled and she opened her mouth in a happy gestured! Her Nutcracker Prince turned and acknowledged woman who appeared more dazzling and elegant than himself but he reached out and lovingly, tenderly, kissed her hand as he whispered.
"My Queen and Lady."
Elizabeth's smiled beamed and glowed when she beheld how the woman smiled back.
She gently gestured towards a staircase which lead somewhere towards the gingerbread castle as her loving voice softly asked.
"Shall we, my son and daughter?"
"Yes, please!" Elizabeth's voice cried out and the lady didn't oppose to her excitement or how loud she was. Not even her Nutcracker Prince opposed as he returned his attention to her and in his uniform, which Elizabeth could see, it glowed in the light and an even higher voice boomed.
"Well…? What are you all waiting for? Waltz up those stairs and don't lag!"
The lady smiled at little Elizabeth as she femininely gestured for the two of them to follow her and without question, Elizabeth was escorted with her Nutcracker Prince, up the stairs, following the lovely woman up and towards the palace of gingerbread. But for some reason, Elizabeth felt more like she was in Heaven than on earth, where she could clearly hear the voice of God the Father, seated on His throne, alongside His Son, to His right, and St. Gabriel to His left. With her Nutcracker Prince holding her hand in his, Elizabeth followed the woman, who was the Mother of God, up the stairs and towards the palace where the King of the Universe resided and His love for her felt even better compared to those on earth. She felt how He had created her to fulfill His Will on earth and how her Nutcracker Prince also was playing a role with her; she could feel the spiritual connection as he held her hand and escorted her, following Our Blessed Mother, as they ascended the stairs. The peace of Heaven was there and Elizabeth didn't wish for it to end.
"So pleased to know that you're fine!" her voice exclaimed as he walked through the doorway.
Her hands were soon touching him and he had to endure the kisses which came from her mouth when his sister greeted him the minute he stepped through the entrance. He knew how she was when she did this but he didn't care; he knew that when she did this, she was in a grand mood and everything was well for her and she was happy. Simply happy based on how many kisses he was receiving. Fredrick soon was engulfed in his sister's embrace when he entered the hospital room and he only could hear the doctor and nurses behind him as they all turned away, ignoring the fact that Elizabeth was loud with her kissing. She hadn't lost her mind and he was thankful for that greatly; after learning about the blow to her head, his prayer for her had only increased for her to have a miracle and when he was informed that she was fine, he had given a prayer of thanks to God and after he'd been checked, he was given permission to see her and he was so relieved to know that she was alright. He only allowed her to hug him more and kiss him harder when he heard her whisper.
"Where's Fitzwilliam?"