A/N - This chapter is unedited. Please let me know if you see any issues or where you think the story might drag.

This is it - just the epilogue left to write. Let me know what storylines you'd like to see continued - or where there are gaps :) I hope you have enjoyed this story very much.

Let me know if you continue to see any issues with consistency, language/usage, or just too much information. This story will be published on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited at some point once it is finished (new target: September 10?).

Chapter 36

The rest of the summer and autumn passed with the Darcys ensconced at Pemberley. They celebrated the harvest with the tenants in a similar fashion to the previous two years, with a picnic lasting most of the afternoon, full of games for the children and adults to participate in, and ended the evening with a dance and a kiss shared between the Master and Mistress of Pemberley. Their tenants and servants were pleased to see the mistress heavy with child once more, as it was well known in the area that Mrs Darcy would give birth sometime in late November or early December. Many debated if their dates were not somehow off, as Mrs Darcy looked much further along than she was purported to be.

Several family members were scheduled to descend upon Pemberley in mid-November to be present for the birth. However, one morning, a few days before anyone was set to arrive, Elizabeth awoke to the sensation of her water breaking. Almost immediately, her pains were upon her, and she immediately was concerned — it was too soon.

"Fitzwilliam," she cried as she tried to rouse her husband. "Fitzwilliam."

His wife's pained voice cut through his dreams, and he startled awake. "Elizabeth?" he asked. "What is it, dearest?"

"Rouse the servants and call for the midwife," she said breathlessly after a moment. "My waters have broken, and I am afraid my pains have begun. We must have estimated wrong." Concern etched her voice, which spurred Darcy into action as much as her words.

He leapt from the bed with an alacrity that surprised her, causing her to laugh. It only lasted a moment before another pain took away her breath. Darcy glanced at his wife in concern before pulling the bell cord to summon a servant and then moving toward his wife's dressing room, where he hoped to encounter her maid. Meeting the maid as he crossed Elizabeth's rarely used bedchamber, he sent her to fetch the housekeeper and rouse other staff that might be needed, including a footman or two who would be tasked to go to Lambton for the midwife or doctor. He was unsure which would be required or available and felt it worthwhile to send for both. With these tasks done, he returned to his wife, finding the housekeeper already there.

"Mr Darcy," she said when she saw him. "Help me move your wife into the birthing chamber. I believe it will not be long — second children often arrive much faster than the first."

"You are not concerned it is too soon?" Elizabeth asked the older housekeeper. "We did not expect this child for almost another month."

"You were merely guessing on the date he was conceived, and things had not gone back to normal after the loss you experienced. It is possible you had the dates wrong. But I have also seen babes come this early and survive well enough," Mrs Reynolds offered reassuringly. "He might be a bit small, but he comes from sturdy stock." The smile she directed at the parents-to-be belied her worry. Mrs Darcy was so much larger with this child than she had been with young Master Alex, so their dates might have been off, she thought to herself.

As he had done during her lying-in with Alex, her husband supported Elizabeth as she paced between their bedchamber and the bathroom that had been hastily arranged. There were pails of water keeping hot by the fire that had been built up, and the chill was slowly fading from the room. Stacks of towels were warming in a chair by the fire, and another rack held several blankets prepared to receive the new master or miss. Several nightgowns were ready to receive the child as well.

Elizabeth's pains were intense, but she did not feel that familiar sensation of needing to push. Darcy aided her as she paced the room, stopping occasionally when a pain took her breath. After less than a half hour, the door opened, and the midwife rushed in, followed by the local physician.

"Your footmen were most insistent that we both attend the birth, Mr Darcy," the physician said, amusement winning over annoyance at having been dragged from his bed. "You are not a new father, but perhaps …" The scowl on Darcy's face ended his speech.

"We had not expected Mrs Darcy to enter her confinement for several more weeks yet and wanted to have you on hand," Darcy said in his Master of Pemberley voice that brooked no complaints.

Both the physician and the midwife nodded, the midwife being familiar with Mrs Darcy's anticipated time. "Second children often keep to a different timeline than the first. It often seems the first child is in no hurry to make his appearance, but the second … well, a second child likes to surprise everyone. I do not fault you for your concern, sir, but I trust it will be unnecessary. Can you help your wife recline on the bed or the chaise so I can check her progress?"

Darcy assisted his wife as the midwife did what was necessary. The physician, Mr Marshall, followed and, after observing Mrs Darcy and listening to the conversation about the timing, asked if he might listen to see if he could hear the child's heartbeat. Darcy was taken aback at this request, but Elizabeth touched her hand to his and nodded at the gentleman.

After listening for a moment, the physician sat up and made a pronouncement that surprised them all. "I think I know why Mrs Darcy's labours have started earlier than you expected — she is carrying twins. Judging from their heartbeats, they are strong and healthy, but twins often come earlier than expected."

Both Elizabeth and Darcy were surprised at the physician's words. After a long moment, where the couple seemed to speak to each other without words, Darcy finally found words, or rather a word: "Twins?" he whispered hoarsely.

The doctor smiled at the surprise that lingered on the faces of the two expectant parents. "Yes, you will welcome two children this day. Now, Mrs Pattinson, when do you anticipate the children to make their appearance."

Having been equally stunned by the doctor's announcement, the midwife took a moment to respond. "Mr Marshall, Mrs Darcy could give birth at any moment," she said, redirecting her attention to her patient, where it should be. "Mrs Darcy, your pains are quite close together; are you ready to push?"

The pains were also rather intense, and Elizabeth could not speak and merely nodded. Those who attended her helped to arrange her into a comfortable position, or as comfortable as she could manage, with her husband behind her to support her. He whispered words of encouragement and comfort, and quite before she realised it, she gave birth to another son. Unlike her time with Alex, the pain did not cease but continued, growing stronger as she waited for the second child to follow. Within the next half hour, the second child made its appearance, this one a girl.

"Oh, William," she sighed later as both the children were placed into her arms and everyone else departed from the room, "we have been so blessed. They are small, but look at them; they are beautiful."

"Two children at once," he said in wonder. "I will see about hiring a wet nurse to assist you in feeding them both, my dear."

Elizabeth sighed resignedly. "Yes, I believe it to be wise, Mr Darcy," she replied and then moved slightly to look up at him. "What shall we name them? We had discussed using your mother's name for a girl, so Anne? What shall we give her for a middle name?"

"We could name her Elizabeth or Victoria for her mother. I doubt you would choose your mother's name?" Darcy suggested.

"Or Madeline?" Elizabeth replied.

"Madeline Anne Darcy, then?" Darcy repeated. "And for this young man?" He touched the second bundle in his mother's arms.

"William," Elizabeth insisted.

Darcy arched his eyebrow at his wife. "I thought we discussed that before with Alex."

"We did, but still, I want a son named after you. I know Alex is named for you, but I do love the name William. Perhaps we can name him William Edward – Edward for my uncle." Elizabeth suggested.

"My aunt and uncle might protest at their exclusion," Darcy teased.

"The next child can bear the name of the Matlocks. At this point, we have had three children in just two and half years of marriage, and I am certain we will manage at least one or two more," Elizabeth teased back. "Of course, if we continue as we have, I may have to begin sleeping in my own chambers at some point."

Darcy scowled at her words, but they did cause him to think. "We will need to be more careful, perhaps," he said, "Once you have recovered from the twins … you can speak to the midwife or our aunts to ask about ways to prevent pregnancy for a time. I could not bear not loving you as we have been. I need you too much to …"

"And I need you as well, William, nor would I want you to not be with me and to love me. The wait until I am recovered will be difficult, as it was after Alex. "Of course, there are other things we can do …" she trailed off, leaving her husband to imagine, and he leaned down to kiss you.

"You are a temptress, my darling wife," Darcy said, then barked a laugh. "You gave birth to twins only hours ago, and we are already discussing the next. We are both ridiculous."

"We are happy, my dear, and I am so glad we are wed. Time and time again, you have shown yourself to be a wonderful husband, father, and genuinely good man. I am so happy that I overcame my initial resentment toward you. Did you know that I despised you for the longest time after we met after you declared me 'merely tolerable'?" she asked.

"I did not know it then, but I realised it during our time in Kent. I did not know you had overheard my dreadful words, and never did I feel so ashamed as I did then," he replied.

"You have proven time and time again that I should not have allowed those words to colour my impression of you," she told him. "As I said just a moment ago, you have proven to be a responsible and dedicated man, something I did not truly understand until I saw how diligent you always were."

Feeling overcome by her words, he merely leaned down to kiss her forehead.

A short time later, Elizabeth and the twins were dozing, his arms around her and the children keeping them secure. At a knock, Georgiana entered the room carrying Alex and sat him on the bed to meet his new brother and sister.

"They are lovely, William," she whispered. "I cannot believe Elizabeth gave birth to twins, and no one realised it until they came."

"A few commented on her size, but I confess, I was surprised when the doctor made the same observation," Darcy replied. Alex looked at the babies wrapped snugly in his mother's arms and made a face. He crawled to his father and sat in his lap as best he could. "Papa?" he asked.

"Meet your brother and sister, William and Anne," he told his son, moving one arm from around his wife to pull his son to the other side.

"Pay?" the little boy asked again in a barely understandable manner.

"Not right now, they are too small to play, but soon, my son," he told him. "For now, perhaps I can tell you a story." Alex nodded his agreement and snuggled into his father's side. Georgiana sat at the end of the bed and listened and watched her brother interact with his eldest son and watched how his eyes constantly returned to his wife beside him.

After some time, Georgiana offered to call the nursemaid to take the babies and Alex. Darcy agreed, and soon, only he and his wife remained, a situation he was aware would not often happen for a while as the twins would surely demand to be fed constantly. He was delighted and wondered, as he often did, at his good luck in winning such a wife and then creating such beautiful children with her. He was truly blessed.

The news of the Darcy twins was announced in London as the Season began, but before the Darcys themselves made their way to London. As was typical, most of the reports in the newssheets were positive, except for one columnist who somehow made it seem that delivering twins was the worst possible outcome. "Only a vulgar, country hoyden would dare to give birth to two children at once. It shows a conceited sort of independence that is most unattractive."

Elizabeth laughed when she read these words while they breakfasted in their sitting room. Darcy did not. "You know as well as I this nonsense is coming directly from Caroline Bingley. I asked my man to find out what he could, and, apparently, since no one would marry her, she has taken a job as the columnist for a gossip rag. She no longer has access to the first circles, so she lives vicariously by sharing gossip she overhears. She lives in rented rooms with a companion just a few streets from your aunt and uncle's home near Cheapside." This last was said with a touch of irony to them. Miss Bingley had frequently belittled the Bennets when they were in company at Netherfield for having relatives in trade who lived near Cheapside.

Still amused, Elizabeth tried to explain her thinking to her husband. "Dearest, why let the rambles of a woman who is clearly bitter and upset ruin your mood? We are happy, are we not, and have three beautiful children. I have given you your heir and spare, plus a daughter to dote on. Why would you let what Caroline Bingley has to say — which is utter nonsense, by the way — disturb your mood?"

As they spoke, she approached him, caressing his hair away from his face. He leaned into her and sighed deeply as he allowed her to soothe his anger. "You are correct, my dear. I should not allow the words of a bitter shrew to affect my mood. I hate the gossip that always follows us and the idea that someone would criticise you for daring to give birth to twins. It is unusual, but it is not as though you had control over it. Nor did I, for that matter. It was merely a matter of providence."

"It is, and you should not allow resentment to overwhelm you. It is laughable that Caroline Bingley seeks to belittle me for this, and nearly everyone in London thinks that column equally foolish. Even my mother and Aunt Phillips recognise her for who and what she is, and I do not think anyone takes her words seriously," she said.

Sighing, he leaned his head into her stomach. "She has allowed her resentment to colour her decisions after failing to compromise me. The news that she had lost her dowry undoubtedly influenced her decisions in recent years. She is nothing to me now."

"We all have opportunities to allow resentment to be created," Elizabeth agreed. "It is what we do in those situations that determines our happiness. Had I not encountered you again in Kent that April three years ago, and had we not spoken openly with each other, it is possible I would have harboured resentment toward you for much longer over the way you had slighted me as I thought of you far more often than I should have when you departed after the ball. I do not know what would have become of my family if Papa's situation had come to light after Jane and I returned to Longbourn. When you married me, you took on the responsibility for not only me but my entire family as well, and you have been so very good not to resent that.

"I have struggled not to let resentment eat at me over the situation with both of my parents. However, knowing that it is their resentment of each other that has made them who they are. I do not want to be like my parents, and I choose to embrace our responsibility toward our children and Pemberley. We are not responsible for them, although we have forced them to make better decisions that, with luck, will force them to take responsibility for themselves as they move forward."

"And they will be better for it," Darcy said, looking up from where he rested his head and pulling her into his lap to cuddle her close. He held her to him for several minutes before he spoke again. "Your sisters have benefited as well; separating them and schooling Lydia will allow them a better chance for happiness in the future. They will both attend events with Georgiana this year, and I would not have been willing to do that had they not improved greatly from how they were when we first married."

Elizabeth's laughter bubbled out of her. "They have, have they not. They were awful when we first married, and although Kitty showed a glimmer of potential, I had little hope for Lydia. I was pleasantly surprised by how well Lydia has done since attending school. For a moment, I had believed that she was beyond the point of redemption, but she has done very well. Getting her away from the influence of Mama helped considerably."

"Your sisters have done well in the last two years and have improved themselves considerably. Jane is well settled, although I do not think she will ever change — she has always viewed things through the most positive lens. Mary is doing well as a vicar's wife, and Kitty and Lydia will make good matches, but if they choose to remain unmarried, they will have a means of support. The money your father has paid to us has been invested with your uncle, and that fund is doing well. I will add to it as necessary to ensure they have whatever they require," Darcy replied.

Tears poured down Elizabeth's face as she hugged her husband. "Once again, you prove you are the ever-responsible Master of Pemberley who I have come to adore. Thank you, my love, for all you do for me."

Copyright 2023 Melissa Anne

Author's Note: Will post the epilogue later. What do you think about the story overall? What about the conclusion?