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“Elizabeth Darcy! Do not even think such drivel,” Lady Anne admonished her firmly.

“Do you know how long I had been married to my dearest George before I was with child with William?” Elizabeth tearfully shook her head.

“It was more than a year and a half!” Elizabeth’s lips formed an ‘O’ as she assimilated to what her mother-in-law had said.

“I thought that all brides become enceinte soon after their marriage like Mama, Jane, and Marie did,” Elizabeth stated as she began to understand that her perceived problem may not be anything more than her impatience.

“It is different for all, Lizzy,” Lady Anne soothed.

“Some are with child within weeks of the wedding, and some take longer than it was for me. I have heard that sometimes stress can be a factor. While the uncertainty of the dastardly plans against you hangs over your head, it could be that God, in His wisdom, has decided that it is not a good time to gift you with that particular blessing.”

“Thank you for reassuring me, Mother Anne,” Elizabeth said as she dried her the residual tears on her cheeks.

“Impatience has long been one of my faults, and even thought I have read on the subject and intellectually know that it can take longer, I suppose that I thought that I would become with child early in our marriage by sheer force of will.”

Lady Anne squeezed Elizbeth’s hands and smiled at her, “It is a hard lesson to learn, not everything happens when we want it to. Besides, it is not the worst thing for a couple to have time together without children for a while at the start of their marriage. In a few days Sarah and Rose will be here, I suggest you ask them for their perspectives, and I am sure that they will tell you something similar to what I have said.” As she concluded her speech, Lady Anne relinquished her daughter’s hands and gave her a warm hug.

“You are the best thing that had ever happened to my William, so never let me hear you start to question whether he would be better off without you!” Lady Anne said firmly.

“I suppose that my disappointment led to illogical maudlin thoughts. You have my solemn oath that I will never allow it to happen again,” Elizabeth promised Lady Anne.

The rest of their conversation was about happier topics, like the arrival of their family. Not long after, Georgie joined her mother and sister for tea and the discussion turned to her favourite topic, her come out.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The Earl and Countess of Matlock and Lady Catherine arrived on Thursday afternoon, and on Friday, a little after noon, the young groom jumped off his horse to inform the butler that a number of carriages had entered the estate.

On hearing that the Bennet and De Melville carriages had been spotted; Lady Georgiana Darcy was particularly excited that she would presently see Lord James Bennet again.

The four Darcys waited on the broad stone steps in the courtyard for their guests to alight from their conveyances.

Loretta, Mary, and Kitty, after quick greetings to their hosts, took Georgiana by the arms and walked into the house chattering away happily.

None noticed the wistful look on their sister and cousin that she for not being able to greet James directly before the girls whisked her away.

Elizabeth and the remaining Darcys greeted her parents, aunts, and uncle.

The last to be greeted were Wes and James.

James gave his sister a bear hug after greeting her husband and mother-in-law.

“You look very well big sister,” He said after looking her over from head to toe.

“Is my brother treating you well, or do I have to call him out?” he asked with a huge grin as he gave his brother-in-law a playful punch on the arm.

“If William allowed you to blind fold him and tie his right arm behind his back, you may have a chance against him, James,” Wes teased.

“When you boys are finished talking nonsense, mayhap we can enter the house?” Elizabeth said with a wide smile.

“If you would like to embarrass yourself again, James, I am sure that William has a spare minute to fence against you,” she teased her younger brother who looked away, chagrined at the memory of his drubbing by Darcy all those months ago.

“Boys do like to play with their toys,” Aunt Rose opined, which garnered laughter from the party as they entered the house.

“Lizzy, you look so very happy,” Lady Sarah said as she walked next to her middle daughter holding her arm. “I detected a sense of melancholy in your last letter, especially your comments about not being with child yet.”

“I spoke to Mother Anne, and she reminded me that everything will happen in its own time,” Elizabeth said with a half-smile, “You know me, Mama, always impatient. As I have learnt over the last year, not everything happens just because I want it to be so.”

Lady Sarah squeezed her daughter’s arm, happy to see her continued growth and maturation.

“It is a great pity that we will not see Tom and Amy as they make their inspections of the Bedford estates,” she said with a far off look in her eyes.

The Bennet matriarch missed all of her children, and only had two left at home, although James was but three miles away.

She was very happy that four of her children had made brilliant love matches, but that did not mitigate the loss that she naturally felt at times.

Having Rose live with them filled some of the hole left by the majority of her children leaving home, but she relished the time that they came together as a family.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Jones, Forester, and Tibbson had never been part of such an incompatible crew.

They followed Younge’s orders begrudgingly.

None were happy that they had not made a smuggling run for months so there were no profits to split.

As much as they would have liked to force, if need be, their attentions on a local maiden, they had no doubt that the captain would make good on his threat of offing them and dumping their body at sea.

The restlessness of the crew was somewhat pacified after the meeting was called for all and the plan going forward was explained.

The three Dennington employees met back in their room at the widow’s house to compose a letter to the Earl of Brookfield, outlining the plan of which Younge had so proudly detailed.

He promised each one of the ten crew members a bonus of one thousand pounds which more than made up for the months that they had not made any smuggling runs.

“They be countin’ their chickens afore they ‘atch,” Forester said as he shook his head, “even ‘ad we not known the plan, this lot woulda failed. They be delusional.”

“That they are,” Jones answered and Tibbson nodded his head in agreement. “You two agree that we wrote all the plan down proper?” Jones changed the subject back to their task at hand and both men nodded.

“Aye, Jonesy,” Tibbson said, “you done covr’d all that ‘e told us. An’ if ‘e lef’ out some details whe ‘e tol’ us ‘is plan, it aint a problem cause we will be there.” The other two agreed with Tibbson as they had no doubt that if they needed to, they could put the miscreants down without much resistance.

The three had quietly rejoiced when the last message from Liverpool informed them that the men that murdered Hamms had met their end, so justice had been done.

They were certain that any of the men, or women, that took part in the proposed plan would meet the same fate as those three.

They would covertly sow some doubt among the crew so that when they reached their destination, they could cause some of the crew to scarper, making Younge’s dependence on them grow.

If the men did not leave willingly, there was always an option to have them meet with an ‘accident’ of sorts that would incapacitate them.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The Duke and Duchess of Bedford were most impressed when they arrived at the Nine Oaks estate in Yorkshire.

They estimated that it was about the same size as Netherfield before any land had been annexed to it.

The manor house was smaller than James’s estate’s house, but more than adequate.

They had been welcomed by the long-serving couple that filled the roles of housekeeper and butler, and were very happy to see that the house was well maintained.

It was easy to see that it received regular cleanings, speaking well of the servants that they took their duties seriously.

While the Duke met with his steward, the Duchess met with her housekeeper. Later that evening after a sumptuous meal, the couple sat in the sitting room attached to their bedchamber. “This is not your first visit here is it, Tom?” Amy asked.

“No, my love,” her husband agreed as he remembered his prior visit.

“I was here once, almost two years ago when Uncle Sed and I made an inspection tour of the four secondary estates,” he said as the memory of his jovial uncle washed over him.

“Uncle and I rode the entire estate, and he introduced me to the tenants and servants as his heir. He was very diligent in his teachings, and it has stood me in good stead.”

“You still miss him much, do you not, Tom?” Amy asked.

“Yes, my love, I do,” he said with a hint of melancholy, knowing that even though they had entered the final month of mourning it would always be part of him.

“However,” he added as he visibly brightened.

“I feel his presence with me, watching over me, us. He is gone from my sight, but never from my thoughts.”

Amy hugged her husband tightly. “Take me to bed and love me, Tom.” He lifted her in his arms and carried her into the bedchamber so he could most willingly comply with her command.

Amy’s tinkling laugh that he loved so very much rang out as he gently placed her on the coverlet.

She had just missed her first courses but would not say anything to her husband until and unless she missed the next month’s cycle.

Four days later the happy couple departed Yorkshire for Dumfries Castle in Scotland.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

It had been resolved that the four young ladies having their come out together would take their curtsy before the Queen at the end of January, and that their combined ball would be at Hertfordshire House on Russell Square, which was rarely used by Lord Thomas and his family.

It had the largest ball room of all of the family’s properties, and it would be needed given the large number of the Ton that would be invited so as not to unintentionally snub anyone.

Not surprisingly, while the numerous women were making plans for the coming out, the men elected to go hunting and enjoy other manly pursuits.

After the planning session that just concluded, where Lady Catherine offered her opinions most stridently, the younger married women retired to the veranda that overlooked the lake to have some of cook’s freshly made lemonade and treats baked that morning by Pemberley’s baker.

The four young ladies who would be the recipients of the planning efforts had repaired to Georgie’s sitting room to talk about their upcoming season and official entrance to the marriage mart.

“Lizzy,” Caroline claimed her attention, “I see that you have made very few changes to your home.”

“With Mother Anne’s superb eye for decorating, there was very little that I felt needed changing,” Elizabeth agreed. “The understated elegance of the house is exactly as I would have tried to decorate, were it required.”

“There was very little that I had to change at either Hilldale or Hilldale House,” Marie said happily.

“Little sister,” a very pregnant Jane said, “you look so contented. Surely it is too soon for you to be with child again?”

“No, Janey,” she replied with a dreamy look, one that the assembled ladies had seen many times from her since they had arrived, “I am a most satisfied wife as we are trying…a lot!” she exclaimed as she blushed a deep scarlet colour from her hairline down at her own audacity at verbalising her thoughts and her companions all smiled knowingly.

“Ooooh,” Jane proclaimed, a hand pressing in on her belly. “She gave a very hard kick right then, mayhap she was not ready to hear about Marie’s ‘activities,’” Jane teased her twin as she explained her reaction.

“You know that you may have a boy, Janie,” Elizabeth pointed out with arched eyebrow.

“I know, Lizzy. I just feel like this is a daughter. At least we are as sure as we can be that I am only carrying one.” At the questioning looks from the ladies she informed them, “When we were in London, Richard took me to be examined by Sir Frederick after Marie saw him. He listened with his conical device and said that he could hear but one heartbeat.”

“Well…I,” Franny started to say. She saw the others waiting for her to continue.

“This is the second month that I have missed my courses.” She was relieved when she saw genuine happiness on all, especially Marie.

“I did not want to make Marie feel badly so I was not going to reveal anything, but seeing you look so happy,” Franny looked at her cousin, “told me that my news would not injure your sensibilities.”

As the women were congratulating Franny, they saw an express rider come to a halt and hand a letter to Douglas who had stepped out to meet him. It was the letter from the three plants in Younge’s crew addressed to Lord Richard Fitzwilliam.