PART 1, Chapter 2

20 June 1817

Mrs. Darcy had always been an avid reader. She had started reading at the tender age of four, sitting on her fathers knees in his library. She had hidden with her favorite book in one of the big apple trees in the back yard when Mama wanted her to practice her needle work at the difficult age of thirteen. She had spent her nights curling up under her blanket and reading love stories when she was fifteen and her older sister had been newly out.

When she got older and had started attending balls herself, Mrs. Darcy had not stopped reading. But she did not read nearly as many new books as she would like. By the age of 21 she had consumed every volume in her fathers study and every novel her best friend Charlotte owned. But still, books had always given her comfort, intrigued her imagination and been an endless meaning of entertaining.

Now, 5 years, one husband, a son and a vast estate in Derbyshire later, Mrs. Darcy still loved to read. Mr. Darcy and her spent many an evening cuddled up in the big library of Pemberley, little Arthur playing on the carpet and sister Georgiana playing faint melodies on the piano.

In the last years these evenings had gotten shorter, as the household (and Georgianas debut in society) had often forced Mrs. Darcy to cut her time with her beloved books short to make room for the wide correspondence a woman of her station had to face.

Her husband, always concerned for his family, had often told her to do less and let the housekeeper take over some of the more mundane matters, but Mrs. Darcy was not one to shy away from a challenge.

Even though she had been raised on an estate not even half the size of her current home, Mrs. Darcy quickly learned how to be the Mistress Pemberley and its people had needed alll time long, maybe without realizing it at first.

But in the last two weeks, things had begun to become a little more quiet around the normally vibrant Mrs. Darcy. Her sister, the Miss Georgiana Darcy, had taken over the rounds around the cottages and had started to discuss the meals with the housekeeper.

One may now ask why such a change was needed. The dear reader may rest easy, it was not because Mrs. Darcy was sick. In fact her bedrest was preparing for a very joyful event that should occur soon! Three years after the birth of her son, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were waiting to welcome their second child into the family.

They were both very excited. Mr. Darcy was sure the child would be a girl, but as he had said the same before Arthur was born, Mrs. Darcy was sure he would be wrong. The other members of their household were a bit torn on what sex they wanted the child to have.

Little Arthur, a serious but very active boy, was wanting for a little brother. Someone to play soldiers with and wrestle around in the muddy grass.

His aunt Georgiana was, as was her brother, set on a little girl. All her live she had longed for a sister and now that she found one in her brothers wife, Georgiana Darcy was even more partial to having a girl in the immediate family. Despite being out in society for about three years now, Georgiana had no intention to marry very soon. It was not a lack of proposals, but more her dedication to finding true love, like her brother had.

And Mrs. Darcy was more than happy, to have her sister stay at Pemberley as long as she wanted. The two had became closer friends than was normally expected in their circles and besides her husband and her own older sister, Miss Darcy was now Mrs. Darcys closest confidant.

Today, Mrs. Darcy was especially glad for her younger sister. Mr. Darcy had been called away in an urgent matter of business in the morning. While he did not want to leave his pregnant wife at home by herself, he had no other choice. Reassuring him that the baby would surely not come today, Mrs. Darcy had sent her husband off with a loving kiss.

But as it sometimes happens, when we are too sure of something, everything had come completely different. Three hours after Mr. Darcy had been gone, Mrs. Darcy had gone into labour. One of the stable boys had been immediately send to alarm Mr. Darcy while another rode to town to get the doctor.

Three hours into her labour, the doctor and midwife and arrived, but there still had been no sign of Mr. Darcy. Georgiana tried her best to ease Mrs. Darcys worries. But even she was worried, that her brother would not make it in time to see his second child born.

It had started thundering outside and five hours into her labour, a summer storm was roaring outside, the rain pouring from the previously blue and sunny sky.

It was a great tumult, when the little babe was finally born. Loud thunder outside, the door to the mistress's chamber being burst open. A wet Mr. Darcy almost falling into the room, just in time to see the baby be born.

After Misses Darcy had recovered a bit from the hectic birth, the baby had been washed and her husband had put one some dry clothes, the little family was set comfortably around her bed.

Little Arthur had climbed on the bed next to his mom. He was softly stroking the babies cheek, a bit shy, but already starting to be the protective and assertive older brother he would become in the following years.

„What will you call her?", Miss Darcy asked.

„I was thinking about Imogen. What do you think, Fitzwilliam?", Misses Darcy smiled at her husband. He smiled back at her, his eyes shining showing more emotion than he could convey in words: „That is a beautiful name, my love."

They had been reading Shakespeare together lately. Not his most popular work, neither of them had an inclination to read Romeo and Juliet again. But they had been reading Much Ado about nothing and Hamlet and lately Cymbeline.

When Georgiana had left them alone, Arthur was asleep next to his mother and little Imogen was sleeping in her crib, Mr. Darcy read aloud to his wife. And while the sun got dark and the rain subsided Mrs. Darcy fell asleep, dreaming of all the wonderful days to come with her beautiful little family.

A big thank you to all of you that are following the story or have saved them to their favorites! And an especially big thanks to my reviewers - it made me so happy to hear back from you. I hope I have done everything right in addressing the married women this time :-) please continue to send me your ideas or criticism - i love to hear what you think about the story!