Doctor Perry arrived to a room in chaos, with Mr. Darcy pacing and Mrs. Darcy lying abed with a temporarily calm expression.
"Mrs. Darcy," he began, "what is the matter?"
"My back began to ache while I was walking. I thought it would stop when I got into bed, but the pain continues to come in waves. My maid believes the babe might be coming early." Her calm expression faded and he could see how afraid she really was despite her attempts to hide it.
His lips formed a straight line. "Since your maid is no midwife, I will examine you. Mr. Darcy, will you excuse me?"
Darcy nodded and left the room only to pace the hallway. Surely the babe could not be coming. Bingley and Jane had not returned and they would both be needed. Jane would have to assist his wife, and he needed Bingley to keep him calm during the whole affair. And surely, the babe was too early to be healthy. No, he was certain the babe was not coming. It could not be.
"Mr. Darcy, you may return," Doctor Perry said from the doorway a few minutes later. He breathed a sigh of relief. He would not be allowed back in his wife's room if the babe were coming.
"What is the diagnosis? Is the babe coming?" he questioned.
"The babe is not coming. It should be some months still. What Mrs. Darcy is experiencing is premature labor. It will stop on its own and if it does not, I have tonics for it."
"What is that? Is the babe or my wife in danger?"
"Fear not. Both the babe and your wife are all right. As I told Mrs. Darcy, this has been a complication. In order to relieve or cure it, she must stay in bed until her time comes. Before, she was allowed to entertain guests and take short walks, but now it cannot be risked."
"What is the cause?" he asked, wondering if he had done anything to contribute to it. Since she had been cleared to exert herself, they had taken advantage of the marriage bed and perhaps had been too enthusiastic.
"Her walk this morning overexerted her and sent her into false labor. It should not be dangerous unless she is stimulated again," he said giving Darcy a pointed look.
He ignored it, but understood the full implications. All intimate activities must cease until their babe was born. "Thank you Doctor Perry. I will send for you if anything else goes wrong."
Doctor Perry bid them goodbye and left the room.
"Elizabeth-"
"If you are going to yell at me, please refrain. I do not wish to hear it."
"I am not going to tell at you. I was going to tell you how afraid I was. Do you realize how afraid I was? I thought the babe was coming early. Do you know what happens when babes come early? There are more risks for both the mother and the child. Something terrible could have happened!"
"Do not speak to me like I am a child! Nothing terrible happened. I will remain in bed for the rest of the summer months and I will make no exceptions. I too was frightened. I wanted Jane by my side and to be prepared. We have not even finished the nursery."
"I am sorry. I was scared and I overreacted. You must understand that I feel so helpless when it comes to all of this."
"This is all very frightening to me as well. I feel very helpless sometimes. This is my first experience. I have never even attended to a lady during her confinement. I am going in blind as well."
"Let us not fight. We are both frightened. Perhaps we shall only focus on things that we can control. Let us have some shopkeepers come. We need new linens for the nursery and you need some new nightclothes, especially if you are to be in bed for so long."
"That does sound nice. Perhaps we can get some toys and other presents for the baby. And for me, perhaps we could order some new books."
"That sounds like an excellent plan. I shall talk to the bookseller. Would you like some mysteries or romances?"
"I think a combination of the two would be the best. It shall be some time before I am active again and I fear I will lose my mind without a wide variety of books."
"Then I shall order as many books as I can."
"Thank you my darling. Will you fetch Kitty? I fear she is still worried about me."
He pressed a kiss to her temple and went off to fetch Kitty.
"Oh Lizzy, are you alright?"
"I am fine. I exerted myself too much today and I fear I am confined to a bed for the rest of the summer. I am glad we walked for so long for I shall not walk for some months."
"I am glad you are alright. I must admit I was quite afraid. I had hoped Jane would be present for all of this. I was not sure what I would do."
"You may write to her if you wish, but it will be some time until the baby comes – at least I hope."
"Very well. I do not need to write to her and have her return to Pemberley just yet. I assume this means we will put dinner off until after the babe is born."
"Oh Kitty. I am so sorry. I wished to have a proper dinner. Once the babe is born I shall throw you a ball. But I think we shall host our new parson before the ball so you will meet him before then."
"How shall you host him if you are in your bed?"
"You shall serve as hostess while I am confined to bed. When Georgiana returns, she will take my place, but you must act as hostess until then."
"This is all so overwhelming!"
"It will be good practice for you, for you shall be mistress of your own home soon enough."
"Thank you Lizzy. Is there anything else you would like me to do for you?"
"Would you mind grabbing my book from the parlor? It is on the sofa table. And then, if you do not mind, would you stay and read to me? I do not think I have the strength to read."
"Of course, I shall return shortly."
Kitty disappeared out the door and Lizzy sighed. She was not sure how she was going to last the entire summer in bed. The weather was warm some days and she knew she would feel rather hot lying around. She would lose her mind as well, but it would be worth it. She had no choice, but she thought of the beautiful babe she would have come September and it made the thought of bed rest more bearable.