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Tony álvarez was completely reconciled to his decision not to try and contact his natural father.

Besides the reasons that he had stated that day at Pemberley, he also did not trust his mother’s word.

He had no doubts that he was not the son of Juan Antonio álvarez, however, he did not believe that his mother had only seduced one man.

Notwithstanding, Lord Hilldale saying that he saw some similarities with Lord Granville, Tony knew that his decision was for the best.

He had enjoyed his time at his friend’s estate during the short mid-term break.

The Stockton estate was smaller than Pemberley, but they did not want for anything with the estate bringing in a clear seven thousand per annum.

Stockton’s younger sister Alicia, called Ali by the family, was seventeen and a very pretty young lady.

Although he admired her, Tony was under no illusions that her family would ever accept anything besides friendship between them given his antecedents and the fact that his chosen path would make him an employee.

The family had been most pleasant to him, but as friendly as he was with Hastings, he felt that the parents tolerated him because of his contacts to the various peers of the realm and the families that he knew.

Tony was a realist and understood the feelings that Mr. and Mrs. Stockton displayed even though they tried to camouflage their true feelings. His connection with the family would never be more than as Hastings’s friend and he was fully reconciled to that fact.

Even though Tony had not had the same schooling as many of the men at Oxford, he had yet to encounter a problem that he could not master. He sat at his desk and looked at the letter that had been delivered earlier that day and broke the seal.

23 September 1812

Prisoner Transport HMS Enterprise

Mr. álvarez, this letter will be carried back to London by a packet ship that we have met. It is my sad duty to inform you that one Johanna álvarez threw herself overboard barely a week into our voyage.

You were listed as her next of kin, so please accept my deepest sympathy. We tried to recover her, but the sea was not calm, and she was sucked under the surface instantly. She seemed to sink very fast, so I suspect that she had some form of weight in her pockets.

Sincerely,

James T. Kirk,

Captain

Tony was ambivalent at best after reading the letter.

He had loved his mother , but he had come to dislike the person that she had proven to be.

He had not been a party to her death; she had chosen it rather than a life of servitude on the other side of the known world.

He wrote to the Dukes of Hertfordshire and Derbyshire, Lord Brookfield, and Mr. Elliot to pass the news along then returned to his studies.

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

Lady Marie Fitzwilliam asked her husband to take a walk with her to Oakham Mount.

It was a favourite walk of the Bennets and Marie wanted nothing more than to spend some time alone with her husband.

They ambled though the apple orchards and across some tenant fields until they entered the forest at the base of the hill.

They followed the path that wound around as it led them to the flattened summit.

There were some trees at the top, the largest being an ancient oak tree that Marie and Lizzy used to climb when they were younger.

Below the tree was a large boulder that formed a natural bench.

Once they were seated, she turned to her husband.

“Andrew, did you notice that I was not indisposed last month?” she asked in anticipation as she had been bursting to share her news with Andrew.

“I did notice that, my beloved,” Andrew agreed as he lifted her hand and kissed it gently.

“However, I thought it should be up to you to tell me when you felt ready, Marie,” he slowly slid his hand along her back then tucked her into him, kissing the top of her head as he slowly rubbed her back, her sigh of contentment his prize.

She lifted her chin and looked up at him, the invitation one he would be unable to resist no matter the circumstance and fulfilled her request with a kiss that proved her news was important but that he was grateful she was here and his.

“You must know that there is little about you that escapes my notice. Are you with child once more, love?”

“Yes, Andrew, I believe so,” she said as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

“As of a week ago, I have missed my second courses, my breasts are tender, and I have started feeling tired at various times during the day. I pray that this time at the end of my confinement we will hold our son or daughter in our loving arms.”

“My belief is that it will be so,” he said as he hugged her to his chest.

“Until I birth our babe, I will walk downstairs very slowly holding the banister as tightly as I am able,” Marie stated, only half joking.

“That will be a sight to see, Marie,” he grinned.

“Unless one of our family ask, I would like to wait to make an announcement until after I feel the quickening. That should be in about two months, Andrew,” Marie stated as she looked lovingly into her husband’s eyes.

“You will not hear any disagreement from me,” Andrew said. “I suggest that after Sir Frederick arrives to take up residence, we ask him as unobtrusively as possible to examine you so that he may confirm your state.”

“I am glad you suggested that, my love, as I was thinking the same since he will already be here.” Marie leaned against her husband thinking that God had been very good to them. Now all she needed in the world was Him to see her through her confinement and the birth of her babe.

Elizabeth and William were sitting in the music room listening to a duet by Georgiana and Mary on the pianoforte while Kitty accompanied them on the harp.

Lady Sarah stood and watched and when her middle daughter looked at her, she beckoned to her.

Both she and William stood and followed the mistress of Longbourn to the family sitting room.

Lady Anne waited for them, and after greetings, Lady Sarah took her daughter’s hand.

“Lizzy dear, do you know why it is that you seem to be almost as large as Jane even though you are a few months behind her in your pregnancy?” Lady Sarah asked.

“Are you trying to say that I am big as a house, Mama?” Elizabeth asked in jest as she arched her eyebrow.

“No, Lizzy, you know that is not what your mother means,” Lady Anne retorted.

“What do you think her size portends, Mother?” William asked.

“Before you answer that, Mama and Mother Anne,” Elizabeth interjected, “you must allow me to apologise for my churlish response when you spoke to me about your suspicions at Falconwood.” Seeing that her mother and mother-in-law were about object she proceeded.

“I stand by my wanting to tell William first, but that was no excuse for my shrewish response to both of you when we spoke. There is no excuse, please accept my unreserved apology for my behaviour.”

“We too share some of the blame Lizzy,” Lady Sarah said.

“It was a stressful time with the men away and not knowing what was happening, so let us adopt your philosophy, agree that there was blame on both sides, and look to the future. If you will accept my apology, I accept yours without reservation.”

“I second what Sarah just said whole heartedly,” Lady Anne stated.

“I concur as well Mama, and Mother Anne. Now to William’s question,” Elizabeth arched her eyebrow again, “if you wanted to talk to me, then I surmise that you suspect the reason is that I may be carrying more than one babe?”

“You suspected?” Lady Anne said with a look of surprise.

“We did, Mother,” William said. “Do not forget that both Elizabeth and I love to read, and as soon as we saw that Lizzy was increasing at a faster rate than Jane had, we researched the issue and came to the conclusion that there is a good chance that we will be the parents of more than one babe.”

“It seems that we have been supplanted by books, Anne,” Lady Sarah joked, arching her eyebrow just like her middle daughter was wont to do.

“We plan to ask Sir Frederick to examine Elizabeth after he has examined Jane and has some time for us,” William informed the mothers.

“If the accoucheur says that he detects more than one babe, then we will announce the fact to the family,” Elizabeth stated. “Until it is confirmed we do not want to speculate.”

“You know that I will tell your Papa, do you not, Liz-bear?” Lady Sarah stated categorically.

“As I would do the same with William, I would expect that you would, Mama,” Elizabeth retorted.

“How wonderful it will be to have Pemberley ring with the sounds of babes once again,” Lady Anne said wistfully. “God granted me two wonderful children who I could not love more, but I would not have objected to a few more.”

It was not long after that William and Elizabeth returned to the music room, where Kitty was entertaining those present on her harp.

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

A little over a week later, the accoucheur arrived at Longbourn accompanied by two nurses.

After the three were washed and changed, they were shown to the suite that would be used as the birthing room where Jane was examined.

Afterward, Sir Frederick announced that he would be very surprised if she did not enter her confinement before the end of the month.

Once Jane and Richard retired to their suite so that the Countess could rest, Elizabeth was examined.

The accoucheur demanded silence and used a strange looking conical device that looked like a small horn to listen with great concentration. After placing his device on every conceivable position on her belly, he told Elizabeth that she should get dressed and meet him in his sitting room.

“It is as you suspected, your Graces,” Sir Frederick said without preamble as the Darcys seated themselves on a settee. “I can hear two distinct heartbeats, so I concur with you that you will bear twins.”

“Is there increased danger to my wife,” the Duke asked with concern. “I do not know, but we almost lost my mother after she bore my sister.”

“Yes, I know of the Dowager Duchess’s case,” the accoucheur said thoughtfully, “there are however many differences between your mother and your wife’s situations.

If I remember, your mother had a number of miscarriages and a stillborn babe.

” The Duke nodded his agreement. “Her Grace is young, and very strong and healthy, and as such I expect no problems.

“I will not lie to you,” Sir Frederick continued, “there is always a risk in childbirth for both the mother and the babe, and more so with twins. Medicine is not able to mitigate all risks. That being said, every day we learn more and there have been many advances in the science in the last years since Lady Georgiana’s birth.

We have learnt, or most of us have learnt, that cleanliness and a sterile environment helps reduce the chances of childbed fever to almost nought.

My belief is that all will be well with her Grace.

” Both Darcys felt much relieved by the accoucheur’s assurances.

William visibly relaxed as his more rational mind fought to quell the unreasonable fears that may otherwise have taken hold.

“I assume, Sir Frederick, that we would not be able to entice you to come visit us at Pemberley to attend my wife?” William asked reasonably sure of the answer.

“I am sorry, your Grace,” the accoucheur responded, “but that is not possible for me.”

“In that case, William, we will have to ask Mama or James if we can impose on one of them when my time draws near. As long as we get to spend time at Pemberley before we take up residence in Hertfordshire, I will be happy,” Elizabeth smiled sweetly at him knowing that he needed no convincing to take her home, and in this case would need none to bring her back.

Sir Frederick agreed that he would attend the Duchess in Hertfordshire and the two Darcys set off to find the master and mistress of Longbourn to make their request for Elizabeth to have her confinement at Longbourn.

The request was granted with alacrity and joy by her parents.

The couple would return to Pemberley after the presentation and coming out ball, and Georgiana would remain with her mother, her companion, Richard and Jane along with their new babe.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the residents of Longbourn, Marie was examined, and her state was confirmed. Although she did not announce anything, the look of pure joy was not missed, and no one was under the illusion that it was the result of Elizabeth’s and William’s news.

Less than a week later, Lady Jane Fitzwilliam entered her confinement.