Dawn came all too soon and Elizabeth found that Darcy was stirring. She was still half asleep in his warm embrace. It was growing harder and harder for her to let him let her go in order to get out of bed. She snuggled against him and was greeted with a loving kiss from Darcy on her cheek. They remained there for a while longer before Darcy pulled the blankets off and slipped off the bed. Elizabeth turned over and looked at him for a moment in the morning light. He stretched his arms above his head, which Elizabeth found quite attractive. Slowly, she slipped over to his side of the bed and put her feet to the floor, which she learned was quite cold. Quickly she pulled her feet back under the covers for warmth. Upon seeing his wife's reaction to the floor, he reached under the covers and picked her up from the bed into his arms. She was shocked at his actions, but pleased all the same. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. This was one of the mornings that reminded her why she adored being a wife. However, their moment was short lived as the wails of their son brought them back to reality. Elizabeth smiled at Darcy as he set her back down on the bed and disappeared for a moment into the next room, the nursery.
He returned a few minutes later with a squirming Bennett in his arms, giggling and happy to see his mother and father. Darcy sat on the edge of the bed and Bennett held out his arms for Elizabeth to hold him. She happily took their son into her arms and kissed his forehead. Bennett's curls were already growing in an unruly manner, just like Elizabeth's did. As the three of them sat on the bed together, Elizabeth came to the realization that today was the last day that they would just be a family of three. In less than an hour, she and Darcy would leave Pemberley to go to Rosings to take Anne's daughter, Emily, and bring her into their family. Bennett would have a younger sister to love and play with. It would be a time of adjustment for everyone, especially for the three of them. Today would also begin the first time of separation from Bennett since his birth. Elizabeth thought of how hard it was going to be away from her son, but she knew it was for the best that he be kept away from Lady Catherine at all costs. Mrs. Reynolds would be caring for Bennett until Jane and Bingley arrived in two days time. Elizabeth trusted Mrs. Reynolds more than any of the other house servants because of the care and guidance she had given during Elizabeth's pregnancy. She was almost like a surrogate mother to Elizabeth, teaching her all the duties of being Darcy's wife and doing so with kindness and patience during her first few months at Pemberley.
Elizabeth's attention drifted back to her son, who was sitting on her lap and clapping his hands excitedly. Bennett was truly her son for he loved to laugh just as much as she did. Darcy found this trait amusing in their son and could not help but smile himself when Bennett began to giggle. He took his son into his arms to allow Elizabeth to get dressed and ready for the journey. All her things, as well as Darcy's had already been packed the night before, so all that was remaining was for them to dress. Elizabeth slipped on her undergown and then her dress for the day. It was a soft blue color with a white ribbon around the waist. Darcy always loved it when she wore blue because it was his favorite color and reminded him of his mother, as she would always wear blue. As soon as she was dressed, Elizabeth took Bennett from Darcy so that he could get ready as well. She bounced him on her hip and spun around in circles with him, inciting laughter and joy from Bennett. For a few moments, she set him on the floor to put something away. When she turned around, he had pulled himself to his feet and was attempting to take a feeble step in the direction of his father.
"Darling!" Elizabeth called out.
Darcy stepped out from behind his dressing fan, half-dressed, with a look of concern on his face. "What is the matter?"
"Look." She nodded downward toward their son.
Darcy looked down just in time to see Bennett take a step and then another towards him. A broad smile spread across his face in pride. "Well, I'll be. Those are the stoutest first steps I've ever seen a young man take."
He bent down to his son's level and urged him to come forward. Bennett looked at his father with a look of uncertainty and looked back at his mother, who smiled at him and pacified his fear. With encouragement, Bennett took three more steps towards Darcy and was praised before taking another two steps to finally reach Darcy's waiting arms. Darcy scooped him up and kissed his forehead, very proud of his son. He walked forward and handed their son to Elizabeth, who also kissed Bennett, and went back to finish dressing, putting on his tie and jacket. Once he was ready, he and Elizabeth took leave from their room and went downstairs. Mrs. Reynolds was waiting at the bottom of the stairs to take Bennett from Elizabeth's arms. Before she did, both Elizabeth and Darcy said their goodbyes to their son. The little boy did not understand what was going on and began to cry in Elizabeth's arms, burying his head into her shoulder. Elizabeth found that she was beginning to tear up as well.
"Shhh..." she whispered into her crying child's ear. "I'm here Bennett."
Darcy watched this with great pain as he too was anxious about being separated from his son. Neither one of them had ever been separated from Bennett since the moment of his birth for longer than a few hours while he slept. This was going to be difficult to leave him for a few days or longer, depending on the situation at Rosings. Eventually Elizabeth lulled him to sleep and kissed his forehead as she handed the baby to Mrs. Reynolds, who promised to take care of him as if he were her own until Jane and Bingley arrived. The Darcys then walked outside and said their goodbyes to Georgiana and the rest of the household before getting into the carriage and beginning their journey. The first hour of the journey was quiet as Elizabeth's mind was elsewhere, thinking of their son and wondering if he would really be alright without her. Darcy respected his wife's worry and allowed her some time to think while he had his own thoughts to dwell upon. He knew that once they reached Rosings, a bitter family battle would ensue for the right to raise little Emily. Lady Catherine would not be so inclined to allow her only grandchild to be raised by the one woman she could not stand, no matter how much better a mother Elizabeth was.
He was brought out of his thoughts by Elizabeth touching his hand. When he looked at her, there were a few tears running down her cheek and a look of concern on her face. From the looks of it, he could tell that she was desperately trying to remain strong for his sake and the sake of the situation at hand. He put his other hand on top of hers to reassure her that they were doing the right thing in going to Rosings. Quietly, she inched closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Finding some comfort, she fell asleep after a few minutes and remained asleep for most of the journey. Darcy stared out the window at the passing scenery and pondered what was about to happen. He and Elizabeth were going to take on a second child and raise her as their own daughter. Silently he wondered if he was ready to raise a daughter. He was still getting used to being a father to a son, but a little girl was an entirely different thing albeit a new challenge that he was eagar to take on. He remembered Georgiana as a child. She was so curious about everything and was always exploring new things in the house when she was not practicing her pianoforte. One of the things he most remembered was her always running after him, her soft blonde curls bouncing along. He looked forward to the day when Emily would run around Pemberley with Bennett.
Also among his thoughts was the promise he made Elizabeth. Even though they were gaining a daughter, he knew that Elizabeth would want to bear another child for him, hopefully a daughter of her own. It was not a selfish request, as Elizabeth was raised with four sisters, and one that he was happy to oblige to his wife that he loved dearly. He thought of how heart-wrenching her miscarriage was and the pain she endured both physically and mentally from it. She would lock herself away in their bedchamber for hours and cry during the day, refusing to allow anyone in, even Darcy. During the weeks that followed, she would constantly insist she was well. Elizabeth did not wish to show sign of weakness to anyone, particularly the house maids. However, at night, when no one else was around but Darcy, he would hear her sobbing next to him and pull her into a tight embrace. He wanted her to know that she was loved and that he was there for her, unlike a lot of husbands of that day and age, who left their wives to deal with all the 'family' matters of pregnancy and miscarriage alone. Darcy was not raised that way. His father and mother loved one another dearly, with his father constantly doting on his mother and the two of them casting loving smiles toward one another frequently. He recalled the devastation it caused his father to lose his mother. That is how deeply Darcy loved Elizabeth. He would keep his promise to her and pray that nothing happened that would hurt either of them emotionally or physically.
The rest of the journey was relatively calm and uneventful. As they neared Rosings, the bouncing of the carriage woke Elizabeth with a start. She sat up and looked at Darcy with concern, to which he gave a look of reassurance that they were still in the carriage. As they pulled into the circle drive close to the door, a footman was there to greet them and assist them out of the carriage. Darcy stepped out and helped Elizabeth down. They were shown in by another servant where they were greeted by Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was solemn and dressed in his best uniform in honor of his late cousin. The two men bowed to one another, as was polite, and Colonel bowed to Elizabeth. After the formalities were passed, Darcy and the Colonel embraced one another as cousins.
The reunion party was short lived as Lady Catherine made her entrance into the grand hall. She had a bitter look on her face, as usual, but mixed with the signs of grief. Elizabeth was relieved to see that Lady Catherine did show some emotion over the loss of her daughter. At many points she thought that Lady Catherine only saw her daughter as a pawn in the social ladder and sought to marry her off to the richest man who would have her. However, now after Anne's passing, Elizabeth did see that Lady Catherine did at least care for her daughter on some level, no matter how small that was. Upon seeing who the guests were, Lady Catherine stiffly greeted her nephew and her greeting to Elizabeth was even less polite, but Elizabeth payed no attention to how she was greeted. It was to be expected from Darcy's aunt, so nothing was a surprise.
After a few stiff greetings, the group was lead to the parlor. Upon entering, they encountered a whisp of a man with wirey brown hair, cynical brown eyes, and a curly mustache that almost reached up to his nose. In an instant, Elizabeth knew that this man had to be Anne's dispicable husband, Arthur. More than once, Anne had written about how distinguising his characteristics were, and not in the flattering manner. She had written that she prayed their child would look less like him and more like her cousins. Now Elizabeth knew why Anne had detested this man so much. His very air suggested his egotistical manner. Upon their introductions, Elizabeth could tell that Darcy did not like him either. Normally he seemed to relax after meeting new people once he warmed up to them, but he remained stiff and formal around Arthur. The party sat down in the chairs provided in the parlor area, remaining silent for a while, no one really sure how to address the situation at hand. Lady Catherine seemed distant from everyone, which was unusual as she was normally already in everyone's business from the moment they stepped into her house. The silence was almost unbearable to Elizabeth as it caused for suspicion to rise within her that something else was going on.
Finally she could bare it no longer. "Where is Anne's daughter?"
"Upstairs in the nursery. Her nurses are caring for her at the moment." Lady Catherine seemed shocked that anyone would ask about the baby, much less Elizabeth.
"May I see her?" Elizabeth was cautious in asking this question.
"Yes, I'll have Sarah, my maid, take you upstairs." Lady Catherine's answer was short and to the point.
Lady Catherine called out to her maid, who came in quickly and curtsied to her mistress. She was instructed to take Elizabeth to the nursery to see the baby. Sarah turned and waited for Elizabeth to follow. Darcy quickly squeezed her hand, letting her know that it was alright for her to go. She looked at him, thanking him with her eyes, and followed Sarah upstairs. The second story of Rosings was far grander than the first, with gold lined walls and ceilings, tapestries of angels on the walls, and candle fixtures mounted into the plaster. Sarah stopped at the third door on the left and curtsied to Elizabeth before leaving. Elizabeth opened the door and found a nurse inside, sitting in a rocking chair near a white bassinet lined with pink ribbons. The nurse stood up and curtsied, knowing that Elizabeth was of importance by the way she was dressed. Elizabeth nodded to the nurse and stepped closer to the bassinet and peered inside. She found the most beautiful baby girl she had ever laid eyes on. Emily was tiny with slight whisps of brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was wrapped in a white blanket with a pink 'E' stitched into it, no doubt done by Anne before she passed away. Elizabeth looked to the nurse for a moment.
"May I hold her?"
The nurse nodded and Elizabeth reached into the bassinet and pulled Emily out into her arms. The baby whimpered for a few moments, but quickly settled and fell asleep. Elizabeth felt her heart connect with the child the moment she picked her up. She had a flashback to when Bennett was a newborn and just as small as Emily. At night, while everyone in the house was sleeping, she would sit in her and Darcy's bed and just hold him while he slept, marvelling at what her and Darcy's love had created. Sometimes Darcy would wake and sit next to her with one arm around her waist and the other hand stroking their son's cheek. Even though Emily was not their biological child, it would be no different for her. They would love her just as much as they loved Bennett. Even now, Elizabeth could feel that love for Emily growing inside of her as she walked around the nursery with the baby. Emily was her daughter, no matter what Lady Catherine would say. She made a promise to Anne and intended to keep it. For now, she was just happy to see that the baby was healthy. The battles would come later, after Anne's funeral.
A/N: Ok...another chapter finished. Next chapter will be the funeral for Anne and some other things. Hope you're enjoying this! Thanks for all the reviews!