"Are you done?" Jane asked as she watched her sister put the finishing touches on the cheesecake.
"Just about," Elizabeth replied and hurriedly topped one cheesecake with Milky bar white chocolate buttons. The other one had already been delicately adorned with mixed berries. As she placed the last piece of chocolate, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.
Merry Christmas, Elizabeth. x
"Is that Darcy?" Jane suspected.
"How did you guess?"
"I can tell from the way you are trying to hide your smile," Jane replied.
"It was only to say, 'Merry Christmas'," Elizabeth stated casually.
"Go on, text him back."
"Later."
"What do you mean later? Don't keep the man waiting," Jane urged.
"Fine," Elizabeth relented and typed the same greeting back. Seconds after, another text arrived.
I hope you are all well.
Jane gave Elizabeth a meaningful look to prompt her to continue the text conversation.
We are fine, thanks. I hope it is the same with you.
Yes, thank you. Have you had your Christmas dinner yet?
Not yet. But soon. Jane has just checked the turkey is cooked and I have just finished decorating the cheesecake, so I think we are all set. :-)
Elizabeth took a few photos of their creations spread out on the extendable dining table then shared these. What they had prepared was probably nothing compared to the luxurious dishes that Darcy and Charles would have for dinner in their respective households, but she was nonetheless pleased with the result of their combined efforts.
Everything looks delicious, especially the cheesecake. ;-)
She smirked after seeing the emoji at the end.
"Come on, Jane! Lizzy! It is nearly three. The king's speech will be on soon," Kitty called out from where the rest of the family were huddled in front of the telly in the crowded sitting room.
"Okay, okay!" Elizabeth shouted back.
Sorry, got to go. We are being summoned. Enjoy the rest of your day. x
You too. x
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Dinner was a merry affair for everyone except for Mr Bennet. He hardly spoke unless addressed directly. The others sensed that he still could not fully accept what had happened to Lydia but they chose to set this matter aside for the meantime so they could celebrate Christmas together as a family. It was their hope that in time, he would get over his initial reaction and start interacting with his youngest daughter again as well as his first grandchild.
"Sorry, I have to take this call. It's Charles. He is probably confirming plans for tomorrow," Jane excused herself from the party and went to the kitchen area.
"Everything okay?" Elizabeth asked when Jane returned.
"Umm, yeah. He is picking me up before twelve. We are having late lunch with his family."
Elizabeth gave her a reassuring smile.
"I am not sure what to wear," Jane admitted.
"You have some lovely dresses, Jane," Elizabeth stated.
"You can show us the choices tomorrow. I can do your hair if you want," Kitty offered.
"Thanks. That would be helpful," Jane replied. "Lizzy, would you mind if I give some of your cheesecake to Charles?"
"No, not at all. I could have made him a whole one if you had told me earlier."
"Oh, no. It's only for Charles. I already bought a selection box from Hotel Chocolat as a gift for his family."
"Let me save a slice of each then. I'll just get a plastic tub to store them in and keep it in the fridge."
"Can he have a couple of slices each? He loves your cheesecake," Jane asked.
"Sure. I made more than enough anyway," Elizabeth readily agreed, knowing Charles often had a good appetite.
Before long, when everyone was full, they moved on to exchanging presents.
"Sorry, girls, your presents are all at home. I did not expect that we will be spending Christmas here," Mrs Bennet apologised.
"Don't worry, mum. We can get them another time," Jane reassured her then started handing out her presents to her parents and sisters.
After her presents had been opened, and hugs and kisses shared, Elizabeth took her turn to distribute her gifts. And this was repeated later on by Mary and Kitty. The presents included various articles of clothing, bags, fragrances, toiletries, books, boardgames and puzzles, gift cards, and some novelty items. No one remarked about not receiving anything from Lydia as they understood that given her condition, spending money on presents was probably the least of her concerns.
Lydia spoke amid the chatter and laughter, "Have you got anything for my baby?"
Her question was met by an uncomfortable silence for a time until Elizabeth ventured to respond.
"Lydia, we did not know ahead of time that you were going to have a baby. And we stayed with you at the hospital…"
"Besides, aunt and uncle already gave you most of everything you need. A Moses basket, pushchair, baby bath, changing mat, beddings, baby clothes… and Lizzy and I bought you some nappies, wipes and bath stuff too," Jane added.
"They were hand-me-downs. And nappies and wipes are not really presents, are they?" Lydia whined.
"I don't have a lot of money to spare, Lydia. I'm still studying," Mary explained.
"Me too," Kitty agreed with Mary.
"I cannot believe that not a single one of you thought to get my baby a real present. Not even a pair of mittens," Lydia sounded petulant. "Darcy could give me a gift card, but my baby didn't even get a Christmas cracker from you."
"Lydia, you must understand that we may not always have extra cash available. We also have some money invested for our retirement and future use. We have helped each of you with your student accommodation and living expenses," Mrs Bennet pointed out.
"Yet you can still afford to spend so much on yourself. On shoes and bags, even your hair! How about your first granddaughter? This is her first Christmas," Lydia continued her grumbling.
"You might not appreciate it but we work hard for a living. We treat ourselves every now and then but we try to keep to a budget too, Lydia. I bought you a lot of new baby stuff in the mall. I even maxed out my card but thankfully, Darcy stepped in to pay for the rest!" Mrs Bennet revealed, much to Elizabeth's horror.
"What we do with our money is none of your concern. You are 18 now and should be wiser and more independent. But look at you, a teenage mum with no prospects! No degree, no job, no source of income, no husband. You do not even know who the father of your baby is!" shouted Mr Bennet.
Everyone was astounded to hear Mr Bennet express his frustration and anger at Lydia. He had not spoken to her since their confrontation at the hospital and now, all the pent-up emotions were threatening to burst out. Staring at her father in shock, Lydia went still and became speechless. Tears started to well up in her eyes, then slowly trickled down her cheeks.
"Oh, now you are going to use your tears to receive some sympathy. Boo-hoo. You think you can always get what you want. Well, young lady, you cannot live your whole life like that. You cannot expect your parents and sisters to bail you out every single time you need money or help. Life does not revolve around you! Start using your brain and being responsible for your actions. Grow up and get a grip!"
"That's enough, Tom," Mrs Bennet intervened and went to Lydia to comfort her. "You are going to wake the baby…" She had noticed the baby stirring in the Moses basket.
"Your daughter is not going to learn if you keep mollycoddling her. She is going to continue being such an ungrateful, spoilt, selfish, entitled --" he was interrupted by the sound of the baby crying.
Without saying a word, Lydia picked up her little one and carried the basket into Elizabeth's room.
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Hi all.
I've managed to post a few chapters recently but I'm back to work tomorrow. I will try to update when I can. I'm glad to see some of you have been paying attention to detail... I've been dropping hints... ;-)
Chris0519: I did read up a bit about baby hair colours and eyes. Thank you for sharing your findings.
Lisa: I looked up DNA test kits before writing the previous chapter. Some articles/sites say samples are collected from the child and the potential father, and some include the mother. But I've added a sentence in chapter 23 to say Lydia has the option to submit hers too. Thank you.