Many thanks to my wonderful beta reader and co-author Sam. H.
December 1805
It was early December before Mr. Bennet came to terms with Jane's pregnancy. Any further delay in making life-altering decisions would raise the risk of their neighbors finding out. Regardless of how it happened, Mr. Bennet was too ashamed of his own culpability to be much in Jane's company. The Gardiners offered to let Jane stay with them in London for a few months. From there, Mr. Bennet would travel with her to Scotland.
After breakfast, he asked his wife to accompany him to his study so they might speak privately. Mrs. Bennet followed him, and after they were locked in the study and sitting in comfortable chairs, she looked at him expectantly. Seldom did her husband invite her to his domain.
Mr. Bennet took a deep breath and said, "Mrs. Bennet, you must promise me you will not repeat a single word of what I am about to tell you, not even to your sister." He looked her in the eye and asked, "Do you promise me?"
Surprised by the seriousness of her husband's face and tone of voice, she replied, "Mr. Bennet, pray, do not play with my nerves, tell me what is happening?"
"No, Mrs. Bennet. First, you must promise me that you will never speak of it!"
She nodded. "I promise."
"Jane is with child."
Fanny stared at him in astonishment; she was used to her husband teasing her, but this time it was beyond the pale, and responded with a glare. "You are cruel, Mr. Bennet. You should not have your fun and tease me so."
He interrupted her, "Unfortunately, Fanny, I am not being cruel nor having fun. It pains me to say this, but I am afraid Jane is with child. The father is Mr. Willow. He took advantage of our Janey."
Fanny blanched; she looked into her husband's eyes and realized he was not lying. With desperation, she exclaimed, "We are ruined! Who is going to marry Jane and my other daughters... My poor Jane…. My poor beautiful child…! Oh, Mr. Bennet this is terrible...!" Her voice slowly grew in volume.
Mr. Bennet grabbed her hands and gripped them tightly to catch her attention. "Fanny, calm down." He took a deep breath, "After the Gardiners come to spend Christmas with us, Jane will return with them to London. In a few months, I will travel with her to Scotland. After the child is born, I will give it up for adoption. Then, Jane may return to Longbourn."
"I already knew that Mr. Willow was a scoundrel, but such a one, to hurt our poor Jane so. She was our salvation, destined to marry a wealthy gentleman. Now when you die, our daughters and I would be in the hedgerows."
"Enough, Mrs. Bennet! Remember your promise; you shall not say a word of what we have discussed, and you will not discuss this with Jane at all! Otherwise, the reputation of all our daughters will be ruined."
Fanny started to cry uncontrollably; Thomas held her until she calmed down. When she was a little calmer, he made certain she understood Jane was in no way at fault, and she required their care now. He was struck again by how much he was at fault for their current predicament, and he resolved their situation should undergo a drastic change on his return from Scotland.
Mr. Bennet led his wife to her rooms where she could take as long as she required to calm herself. Mrs. Bennet spent the remainder of the day there, crying and soothing her nerves.
That night, Mrs. Bennet had a dream which would change the lives of the Bennet family forever. Excited and agitated, she presented herself at Mr. Bennet's study the next morning, to have a serious conversation with him about their future.
After listening to his wife's plans, Mr. Bennet replied, "Mrs. Bennet, have you taken into consideration the risks of what you are proposing?"
"We shall keep it all a secret, it will be my dream come true. Please, Mr. Bennet."
Mr. Bennet sighed, "It was just a dream, Fanny."
"Mr. Bennet, why cannot I be pregnant? I am only 34 years old! Many women have children at my age!"
Mr. Bennet shook his head. "What you are suggesting is risky. Besides, what would happen if the child is a girl?"
"She would be our daughter, and we would raise her as such."
Mr. Bennet sighed. "What you are proposing is very serious. It is fraudulent! Should anyone find out, they will hang me, and you too, as an accomplice!"
Mrs. Bennet opened her eyes very wide and turned pale, but her dream had been so clear and beautiful. She was in Longbourn's garden playing with a blond boy with blue eyes, who looked like her and Jane. The boy laughed and told her 'I love you, Mama.' She was sure it was a premonition.
"No one is going to find out! Today, I will tell my sister and Lady Lucas of my being in a delicate condition. Yes, I will tell them that I just felt the baby move and I have been feeling unwell. Then, I will go to London with Jane because there is only one apothecary in Meryton and I want a doctor to check me and be with me during the delivery…"
"Mrs. Bennet, stop! The risks are too great!"
"But it is the solution to all my dreams and our problems."
After arguing for another hour, Mr. Bennet promised that he would think seriously about it.
What were the chances of keeping the secret forever? Mrs. Hill already knew that Jane was pregnant, but he trusted her discretion completely. The question was if there was anyone else who might have suspicions. If Jane's secret was ever exposed, he would be in grave peril.
PPP
"Dear sister, do you remember a few weeks ago I told you I have palpitations and dizziness in the mornings?"
Mrs. Phillips nodded. "Yes, Fanny, I remember very well. You should ask Mrs. Hill to make you some chamomile tea before you go to bed, and you should not eat sweets at dinner."
"Do you remember," Fanny dramatically continued, "that I told you two weeks ago that I fainted and felt nauseous?" Mrs. Phillips nodded again. Fanny was often ill — or, at least, she was convinced she was.
"Prepare to hear the most wonderful news." Fanny paused and emphatically added, "Two days ago, I discovered I am with child."
Mrs. Phillips' eyes opened in astonishment and exclaimed, "Oh, Fanny, I thought you could not have any more children. Are you sure you are with child? Maybe you are sick."
"Yes, I am sure!" She paused, "When Lydia was born, Mr. Jones advised Mr. Bennet and I to take precautions for a few years, but he never said I could not have more children." She beamed, "Sister, I am certain this time it will be a boy, is that not excellent news? I am quite beside myself! But I feel unwell most of the time, and still have palpitations and dizziness. It is so difficult for me to remain out of bed."
"Aye, Fanny. There are too many risks for your health; you should not have gotten pregnant again. This is all Mr. Bennet's fault! You were so sick after Lydia was born. I was afraid you were not going to survive."
"I am also scared, Sister. That is the main reason why I told Mr. Bennet that I do not want my child to be born in Longbourn. I want to go to London to have this child. I do not trust Mrs. Smith and Mr. Jones. This time, I want a good doctor to attend to me during the delivery otherwise I am convinced I will die."
"Yes, yes, you are correct. I shall also speak to Mr. Bennet. I am so nervous for you."
In just over one day, everyone in Meryton and the surrounding area knew Mrs. Bennet was with child and that she had been unwell.
At the same time, Jane's body was slowly changing. Her gowns began to fit tighter around her chest, and while her waist had thickened a bit, it could be easily hidden under the current fashion in gowns. Jane was no longer suffering from nausea, but she still ate very little and was quite thin. She was lethargic and could find little reason to care for herself.
The one person most worried about Jane's health was Elizabeth. Elizabeth tried to cheer her up, invited her to walk in the garden, picked the berries she liked, and even used her allowance to buy her sweets in Meryton.
Elizabeth was still too young and innocent to suspect the truth of what was happening to Jane. Furthermore, Mr. Bennet had strictly prohibited Jane from telling Elizabeth she was pregnant, since he did not want his favorite daughter to be involved in what they were planning.
Mrs. Hill was the only servant who knew what was happening with Jane. To prevent any doubts amongst the servants, she constantly talked to them about Mrs. Bennet's pregnancy, and she was the only servant in charge of 'attending' to her. She told Cook that Mrs. Bennet insisted on traveling to London to have the child in the big city because she had been very ill after Lydia was born, and wanted to be attended by a doctor instead of a midwife and the local apothecary.
Fanny, for her part, was confined to her bedroom and constantly complained of palpitations and different types of pain. Even when she received visitors in her room, she pretended to have a growing abdomen.
In late December, the Gardiners arrived in Longbourn to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve. Thomas met with his brother-in-law twice privately, but as he imagined, Mr. Gardiner tried to dissuade him from the plan.
"Thomas, you are an educated and intelligent man, and you are aware your plan is both illegal and dangerous. If it should be discovered, the penalty could be death. I cannot be complicit in this deception and put my family at risk. Please, desist from telling me any further details of your plan."
Thomas sighed, "I understand, Gardiner. I know you are correct. All I ask of you is to take Jane to London for a few weeks, while I look for a better solution to this problem." He took a deep breath, "with winter clothes and a thick shawl, Jane will be able to hide her condition well for a while longer."
After thinking for a few seconds, Mr. Gardiner sighed and nodded. "Very well, she can come with us, but only for a few weeks."
"Thank you, Edward..."
In the first days of January, the Gardiners and Jane left for London. Since Jane had entered society the year before and had previously spent several weeks in London, no one was surprised she did so again. The neighbors were all aware Mrs. Bennet fervently wished that her 'beautiful' Jane would marry as soon as possible.