Author's note: Sorry this chapter took so long. I was having a very hard time writing this. The next chapter won't take nearly as long. Enjoy!
The servants brought out breakfast, but Darcy found he could not eat any of it. Though he knew Elizabeth would encourage him to eat something, he found his stomach too unsettled by nerves to have even a bite of toast and preserves, let alone a richer, meaty breakfast. He sat staring blankly at the coffee in front of him, but made no effort to drink it. He had never felt such worry before, not even when Georgiana almost eloped. It was going to be a long day.
"Good morning, Mr. Darcy," a voice said from behind him.
He was startled and turned around, only to find Elizabeth's sister. "Oh Miss Kitty, good morning."
"Where is everyone? I cannot seem to find a single person this morning."
He came to the sudden realization that no one had informed Kitty of Lizzy's lying in. "In the chaos of the morning, I forgot to send a maid to come and wake you. Lizzy has begun her lying in."
"My goodness!" she exclaimed. "Shall I go to her at once?" He could see a look of mild panic on her face.
"I am afraid I cannot say. I believe she will want to see you. That was the plan all along. It has not been long. Surely Jane or Georgiana will want a break at some point to rest. I believe they will be happy to see you." He was speaking more quickly than usual. It was clear he was distracted, worried about his wife.
"Are you okay, Mr. Darcy?" she asked taking note of his appearance. He was more flustered than normal. His hair was askew and his cravat was disheveled. She had never seen him like this before. Mr. Darcy was always so put together and, in her opinion, often very stiff.
"Please do not worry about me. Elizabeth should be your concern," he said dismissing her concern over him.
She sat down beside him. "Mr. Bingley is not here," she stated. "You are all alone. Would you like some company?"
"My wife should be the focus on your concern," he repeated. He had nothing against Miss Kitty, but he did not want her company. If he were to be comforted by one of Lizzy's sisters, he wished it to be Mrs. Bingley. Charles' wife would be the best to soothe his nerves, but she was needed at Lizzy's side.
"I am sure that Lizzy will be fine for a little longer. You should eat something. Lizzy would want you to eat something."
He looked over at his wife's sister. There was a look of sincere concern on her face. He knew that she would persist until he ate something. "I shall have some toast. Now please," he said, "go to Elizabeth."
"Very well," she sighed. "Promise you will eat. I will tell Lizzy if you do not and she will scold you once she is finished."
"I promise I will eat," he said, the shadow of a smile appearing on his face.
"Good," Kitty said grabbing a roll and disappearing back up the stairs to see what was happening with her sister.
He took a bite of the piece of toast, but only a bite. He was not hungry. He did not want to eat. He wished to be by his wife's side. He wondered how she was doing. He could not bear to think of her in pain. He hoped it would all be over soon and they would have a healthy child and that his wife would be out of danger. He had no preference. Many men of his station were only concerned with getting an heir, but he only desired a healthy, large babe.
He could not remain in the breakfast room, he was too anxious. It was a lovely morning and he wished to get out of the house. He could not just sit around and do nothing while he knew his wife was suffering upstairs.
He set out on a walk, trying to get rid of his nervous energy. As he passed the spot where he ran into Elizabeth when she was visiting with the Gardiners, he smiled. He remembered his heart soaring in that moment, when he determined that fate had brought them back together. The past year had been a very happy one. He could not have imagined he would ever experience such marital felicity. He was happier than he ever thought he could be.
Darcy looked out on the pond where he played as a boy. He could imagine their children running through the grounds. The thought filled him with glee. Elizabeth had brought joy back to Pemberley, joy that had not been felt since the death of his own mother. He thanked the Lord every day for bringing Lizzy into his life.
He did not know how long he walked for. It felt like an eternity, but every moment left achingly long when he knew his wife was suffering. After a while, he returned to the house where he decided to have some tea. Perhaps, he thought, it would help calm his nerves.
As he sat down for tea in his study, Jane Bingley entered.
"Mrs. Reynolds just informed me you had returned home."
"Has something happened? Is Elizabeth alright?" he asked with panic in his voice.
"Everything is going well. Please, do not worry yourself," she said sitting down beside him. Her voice was calm and steady. "Lizzy wanted me to check on you. "
He smiled at his wife's care for him even when she was in labor. "That is very kind of her. Tell her that I am alright, that I am worried for her."
"I do not think there is any need for you to worry. The midwife said things are progressing very quickly and you shall be a father by the afternoon."
He broke out in a huge grin at the news. "You are sure, everything is truly fine and things are going well?"
"Of course. I could never lie to you. She sent me down to soothe your fears."
"I thank you," he said. He was contented. He knew that Lizzy was strong and she would be okay. He felt more at ease than he had since she woke him up with the news of her lying in. "You should return to her."
"I will. I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."
"I am. I am contented to wait until this afternoon. Please inform me if anything changed."
She nodded and went back up the stairs.
He sat and drank his tea with a huge smile on his face, for in a few short hours, he would be a father. They would be a real family. There would be a child in the nursery and everything would be perfect.