That afternoon turned out to be very busy for Jane and Elizabeth. After they were dropped off by their uncle Ed, they were soon out the door again to do the Christmas food shop. Fortunately, the local Aldi and Iceland were within walking distance from their flat and they were able to buy most of what was on their shopping list.
When they got back, they sorted out their shopping and figured out what they needed to prepare that evening in readiness for the Christmas dinner the next day. Jane fixed them a quick meal of spaghetti carbonara with garlic bread while Elizabeth started making her often-requested cheesecake as it needed to set overnight for best results. One would be a Milky Bar white chocolate cheesecake and the other would be a mixed blueberry and strawberry one.
During dinner, their dad barely spoke, not once asking about his youngest daughter and his first grandchild. The two sisters tried to engage him in conversation, talking about Lydia and her cute baby, their frantic food shop, the preparations for the next day, and the setup planned on how to accommodate everyone in the flat. The only response they received were nods, grunts and one- to two-word answers.
Soon afterwards, their two other younger sisters Mary and Kitty arrived. Due to the traffic, they were not able to make it in time to visit Lydia in the hospital as visits were only allowed until 8pm. Mary was studying Religious Studies and Philosophy in uni while Kitty was completing her apprenticeship in Fashion Design. After a quick catch-up session, Jane and Elizabeth converted the sofa into a bed and provided fresh beddings for the newcomers.
Once Mary and Kitty were settled in bed, Jane and Elizabeth still needed to unpack the bags and boxes of baby things that the Gardiners had brought over that morning.
"Shall we continue this tomorrow, Lizzy? I am sure Mary and Kitty can help in the morning. I don't know about you but I am knackered," Jane remarked after some time.
"I am so tired," Elizabeth readily agreed. "We better make the most of using a proper bed tonight. Starting tomorrow, we are sleeping in the recliners."
Jane and Elizabeth had no choice but to share a bed as their dad was in Jane's room.
"Jane?"
"Yes, Lizzy?" Jane turned to face her sister.
"Who do you think is the father of Lydia's baby?" Elizabeth spoke softly.
"I have no idea. Lydia herself does not know."
"We know she was with Denny on and off. But I was surprised when she named George Wickham. That's the name of my boss. My former boss," Elizabeth revealed.
"What? Your ex-boss? Oh my god! How old is he?"
"I am guessing probably about fifty... Lydia would not go for someone that old, right?" Elizabeth wanted to hear some assurance from her older sister.
"I hope not! I know people say age does not matter, but that is a huge age gap. And didn't he make you feel uncomfortable?"
"Hopefully, another George Wickham exists. A younger one."
"And a responsible one who would acknowledge and support the baby," Jane added.
"Maybe now that Lydia has given birth, we can find a way to trace the father."
"Hmm... I am not sure how we can go about that. Lydia would have to give us more information," Jane answered.
"The problem is, she can be so stubborn and self-centred. I wonder who she will listen to or confide in. Maybe aunt Maddie can talk to her."
"Maybe…" Jane did not sound confident.
"Are you still planning to meet Charles and his family for Boxing Day?" Elizabeth switched the topic.
"Not sure if I can with all that is going on."
"I think you should. You deserve to spend the day with your boyfriend. I will be here anyway," Elizabeth encouraged her.
"To be honest, I am a bit nervous to meet his family. I have met Caroline and Louisa before, but not his parents and other relatives. I feel like it is some kind of test. What if they don't like me?"
"Not like you? That's impossible! They cannot fault you for anything. You're beautiful, kind, smart, generous, thoughtful… what else could they want? Charles loves you and that's what matters. He is obviously serious about you so he wants his family to meet you. I suspect it won't be long before he proposes," Elizabeth replied.
"I… I don't know about that… we have only been together for over a year. How about you? Are you ever going to give Darcy a chance?"
"Darcy? What are you talking about?"
"Come on, the poor guy has been waiting for a sign from you. Give him a little encouragement," Jane prodded.
"But… we can't. He told me it's inappropriate…"
"Hang on. Has he said already something to you? Why didn't you tell me? What did he say?"
"He… he asked if I wanted to attend the New Year's Eve gala, but not as his date. He said it's not appropriate. He wanted me to work and help out on the night, even though it's a Saturday," Elizabeth recounted.
"Really? He said that? Maybe he was concerned about what people will think if he dates an employee…"
"He did say something like that and more. We had a big argument about it but he has already apologised so that's all in the past. I'll just forget about it. Pretend it didn't happen. I think it's better that way so things don't get awkward," Elizabeth explained.
"Lizzy, Lizzy, Lizzy… he is clearly not over you. All the things he is doing, it's for you. He cannot openly chase you yet. Not until you finish your contract with his company. Trust me, he is just waiting for you."
"How do you know? Maybe he is just trying to make amends because he upset me before. He probably thinks we are a family of crazies. Mum, dad, Lydia… " Elizabeth continued her denial.
"Darcy loves you and that's what matters. He is obviously serious about you --"
"Hey, you're copying my lines!" Elizabeth laughed.
Jane chuckled but said, "It's true though. He will not put up with all the craziness from mum, dad and Lydia if he did not care about you. Think about it… and be ready because one day soon, he will ask you for a proper date. And I hope you say yes."
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz…" Elizabeth made snoring noises while hugging her cat pillow, though Jane could see her body shake from giggling.
"I know you heard me, Lizzy. But let us sleep now. We have a lot to do tomorrow. Good night."
"Night, Jane."
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"Damn it!" came from a male voice after some loud noises were heard from the kitchen.
Elizabeth grudgingly rose and shuffled her slippers on the way to check on her dad.
"I'll do it," she offered. She then put the kettle on and cleaned up the mess on the floor. Her father had seemingly tried to prepare a cup of coffee and accidentally dropped it.
"Sorry, Lizzy. I am struggling with using only one hand," he apologised.
"It's alright, dad. Next time, just ask one of us to help, okay? Do you want some eggs on toast?"
"Yes, please. Thanks, Lizzy," he sat down on the dining table and sighed.
"Merry Christmas, dad," Elizabeth greeted as she set the food down. "Did you sleep well?"
"Not really."
"Did you take your painkillers?"
"Yes, but they wear off after a few hours," he answered glumly. "Are you not having anything?"
"Later. I'll wait for Jane, Mary and Kitty." Elizabeth kept him company while he ate his breakfast.
"What does the baby look like?" he suddenly spoke.
Elizabeth was surprised by his question given he did not show any interest about Lydia and the baby yesterday.
"She is gorgeous. Fair skin. Rosy cheeks. Very tiny…"
"The hair and eyes?"
"The hair is a shade of ginger, and the eyes are blue. She is adorable, dad."
"Ginger and blue eyes? None of us have ginger hair or blue eyes. She looks nothing like George then," he grumbled the last sentence.
"Have you met George?" she remembered her mum making a similar comment in the hospital yesterday.
"Yes," he admitted then added after a pause, "Two nights ago. I asked your uncle to go with me to the Rose and Crown."
"What? You found George?"
"Yes, we found the man, but he denied he was the father. He said we had the wrong guy."
"What happened after?" she pressed.
"I got angry. I wanted to punch him but I missed. That's how I ended up with this," Mr Bennet held up his injured hand.
"Oh, dad! What were you thinking, trying to start a fight?"
"I wasn't thinking. I just reacted."
"And then what?"
"He walked back into the pub. Then I was taken to the hospital."
"What if news of this reaches your workplace? Will it affect your record with the college?"
"Possibly. But there wasn't really a fight… He was so cool about everything, and it just made me see red."
"Does mum know about this?"
"Oh, she knows. She was there too."
"Dad…" she shook her head. "What happens now?"
"Your uncle has his contact details. He thinks it is wise for me not to get involved yet given my violent reaction last time."
"I see… By the way, what does George look like?" She was curious to know.
"Good-looking, smartly dressed, dark hair, dark eyes. Probably about six feet."
"How old?"
"I would say mid- to late twenties."
"Hmmm…."
So that could not have been my former boss then.
"Sorry I won't be able to help with cooking. My hand," his father said before leaving the table.
Elizabeth reported this news to Jane when she woke up. Resigned that all they could do was wait and hope that answers would come in future, they had breakfast with their sisters then started getting the ingredients ready for the Christmas dinner.
Moments later, they received confirmation that Lydia and her baby would be discharged shortly and that they could arrive in the flat within an hour or two. By noon, everyone was cramped into the small accommodation. Uncle Ed and aunt Maddie expressed their regrets at having to leave their company as their children were also waiting for their return.
To their surprise, Mr Gardiner reappeared a couple of hours later to drop off some presents as well as a small package for Lydia.
"What is it?" Lydia asked.
"A DNA test kit."
"What for?" she frowned.
"To check if the baby is related to George or not. If you want to know. Under 18s need parental consent. You can collect the sample here yourself. It is quite simple. You just need to take an oral swab on the inside of the baby's cheek. You can submit yours too, though this is not required, if you want a more conclusive result."
Lydia opened the package and took a box out from it.
"The box contains instructions and everything you will need. If you want more time… to read the information… or do some research on the internet… or talk about it with the family before deciding, that's fine."
"I… I… how about George?" she questioned further.
"He has already submitted his declaration and sample. That's all sorted."
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Lisa: I've read up about DNA test kits before writing the chapter. Some articles/sites say samples are taken from father and child, and some include the mother. But I've added a sentence in this chapter to say Lydia has the option to submit hers too. Thank you.