A Better Man
Chapter Eight
Tidings
Author's note: Well, as you can see, I've had ALOT of time on my hands.
"Hill!"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Go find your sister-in-law and inform her of the fact that bedpans do not clean themselves."
Eliza emerged from the water closet, weak with fatigue and the bout of nausea that had just overtaken her. She was immediately spotted by Clara, who waved her down with a frantic look upon her face.
"There you are! The matron just singed my ears, she was so keen to find you... Oh, my dear, are you alright?" Clara linked arms with her sister-in-law, and they headed towards the infirmary
Eliza nodded, fanning herself off with her hand. "I'm fine, Clara, and I overheard what she said; I will get to it."
"Darling, you are absolutely green!" Clara pulled Eliza to an empty bed, urged the girl to sit down, taking a seat beside her when she did.
"If the matron were to see-"
"Oh, hang that old battle-ax!" A chuckle from the neighboring bed brought the girls' attention to a heavily bandaged young man, eyes twinkling with mirth from Clara's unladylike exclamation. She turned her nose up at him, sniffed imperiously, and pulled the curtain in order to shield his view. "I think you had better go home for the day, Eliza."
"It will pass, just as it always does."
Clara eyed her sister-in-law suspiciously. "How long has this been going on?"
Eliza opened her mouth to speak, but the curtain was pulled aside, and the matron stared down at the pair, a heavy eyebrow raised, and nostrils flaring ever so slightly.
"Girls, what is the meaning of this?"
Both women stood up immediately, ramrod straight in the presence of their superior. It was Eliza who spoke up first.
"It is my fault, ma'am. I had a bad turn, and needed to collect myself."
"I made her rest, ma'am," Clara added.
The matron focused her critical eyes on Eliza for a very long moment. Suddenly, the older woman's features softened. "Hill, I want you to go see Dr. Hardwicke immediately."
"But, ma'am-"
"I am not in the mood for objections. Your sister-in-law can take over your duties for the rest of the afternoon." With that, the matron took her leave.
Clara glowered at Eliza for a moment, but then smiled beatifically, and kissed her sister-in-law's cheek. "You heard Madame General, off you go."
Much later, Eliza walked into the bitter February air, unable to help herself from grinning. Oh, the doctor's news was quite a shock, without a doubt - not to mention that fact that she had not even considered being in such a state until Freddy was safe at home, and the flower shop had resumed making a profit, but still...
Freddy would be so pleased. It was possible that the news would even boost his morale considerably. The frost in the air threatened to sink it's teeth into the very tip of her nose, but Eliza did not feel a thing.
It astonished Eliza, that she had not noticed the changes in her body up until now. Of course, her life had gotten quite hectic with the hospital - so much so that she was rarely at home. That would all change immediately. Doctor Hardwicke had made sure that she was to be discharged from her duties at the hospital, claiming that the strain and the sights would be far too much for a women in her condition. Eliza had initially balked, until he gravely informed her of the difficulty that lay ahead. The first time was always the most difficult, he had told her, and the fact that her frame was naturally very small would multiply the danger. However, he assured her that one as young and healthy as herself would most likely recover in no time.
Eliza climbed the icy steps in front of Mrs. Higgins home, imagining everyone's surprise at the news. Ordinarily Colonel Pickering or Professor Higgins arrived at the hospital to escort her home, but they were not expecting to make the journey for hours, and were still at the munitions factory.
Eliza found Mrs. Higgins in the parlour, reading a battered old romance. Eliza smirked at the sight. Eleanor often tried to hide her habit of reading those types of books from her son, knowing that he would deride the whole genre with a sneer.
"Eliza, you are home early!" Eleanor declared, setting her book down and standing up to embrace the young woman. She took a step back, and smiled. "My dear, you are positively bursting with good news - is it about Freddy?"
Eliza waited until they were both seated to reply with, "Yes, in a manner of speaking."
Eleanor gave the young woman a look of polite impatience.
"I am with child."
Eleanor sat back, mouth agape, and eyes wide. "My dear-"
"Oh, I know the timing is not right, and-"
"But this is wonderful news."
Eliza nodded, grinning. "Yes, I think so."
"Well, now you really shall have to improve your needlework."
The pair chatted excitedly until Colonel Pickering and Professor Higgins arrived. Henry observed the beaming expressions of the pair, and was quite astounded. Both had been rather down as of late, with the shortages, Eliza's long hours, and the events of Christmas hanging over everyone like a pall. Where had this renewed show of merriment come from?
Eliza immediately took note of the questions in both men's eyes, and repeated her news. Colonel Pickering gave a jubilant exclamation, and immediately brought up Harrow and Cambridge, declaring his intent to finance the child's education.
"Are you quite well, my dear? Is there anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable?" Pickering fussed like an old hen, or an old, sweet man with no idea how one ought to treat a woman in a delicate situation.
Quite overcome by Colonel Pickering, and Mrs. Higgins' attention, Eliza had quite forgotten about Professor Higgins.
Henry could only stare dumbly at Eliza after her news. Her words I am with child echoed like a mantra in his mind, and he dimly realized that his hands were shaking ever so slightly. I am with child, I am with child, with child, child. Good lord, she was going to have a baby. Freddy's baby. The news went straight to his gut, and then travelled upwards, twisting at his heart, and then catching in his throat, rendering him incapable of speech and making the simple act of breathing an impossibility.
Henry's education in biology had been brief, but he still knew quite well when that child had been conceived - it had been that awful night when the boy had - well, everyone had been struggling to put that incident behind them, but here was a constant reminder. A baby born out of an ugly situation, where it would undoubtedly be put into the arms of a broken, and lost man, barely out of boyhood himself. Eliza had lain with that man. Of course, Henry knew that such things happened in a marriage, but the proof that it had occured within Eliza's marriage...
It was intolerable. Henry did not want to sit and listen to Eliza moon and dream over her future with Freddy Eynsford-Hill and their spawn, not when his heart was hammering with such violence that he was sure it would break his chest. So he left the room, pursued by images of a small, beautiful child with chocolate brown curls and smoky-grey eyes. Images of a life quite devoid of Eliza. She was going to be a mother.
He had lost her irrevocably.
Eliza wrote to Freddy that night, kissing the missive before sending it off. We are to be parents, was all it said.
When Freddy received the message, he held it to his heart, and nearly allowed the tears to flow as he lie in bed. One of his fellow officers, a married young man named Brocklehurst, took note of his highly emotional state, and pulled the letter from his hands.
"Well done, Hill!" The boy exclaimed, clapping Freddy on the shoulder. Brocklehurst let out a shrill whistle, gaining the attention of the rest of the outfit, some of whom had been dozing off. "Hill is going to be a father!"
That night, Freddy's superiors turned a blind eye to the merriment that ensued. News from home was rarely happy for anyone, and the announcement was cause for celebration. After all, this was going to be his first child - a milestone in any young man's life. There was no reason to ignore tradition just because there was a war on.
Freddy woke the next day with a pounding head, bleary eyes, a vague recollection of the night's revels, and a remarkably light heart.