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Mrs. Price said not another word to her daughter, and after taking her leave of the Duchess of Derbyshire and her party, she dragged her now wailing daughter down the stairs and into the waiting carriage to take them home.

By the next day the Price townhouse was closed up and the family was heading to their newly acquired estate in Devon.

The good thing is that Amanda Price’s mother took her Grace’s advice and with her husband’s support kept her daughter on a very short leash.

Miss Amanda Price was never seen in polite society again, and ended up marrying a tradesman from the town near her family’s estate.

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

The extended family all congregated at Pemberley for Christmastide.

The Phillips family and the Bingleys had been visiting the Gardiners at Winsglade.

Franny, after consultation with her doctor, had decided that she would join the family as they would return to Phillips House well before her confinement.

Caroline, about a month behind Franny, seemed larger than her sister-in-law.

Sir Frederick had examined her and told her and Graham that she was not carrying twins as far as he could tell, just an inordinately large babe.

She was sorry to have missed joining the others at Seaview, but she had just felt too uncomfortable at that stage to do so.

Lady Amy Bennet, Duchess of Bedford, did not begrudge her sisters and cousins being with child, but she was regretful that she had not yet been able to attain that state.

She smiled sardonically as she thought how much she had been enjoying the trying.

The young Duchess could empathise with her sister-in-law Anne Ashby who had been married longer than herself and had yet to become enceinte .

Amy thought back to the day before when the two had talked about their failure to become with child, or in Amy’s case, again.

“Anne, why do you look so melancholy?” Amy asked as the two conversed in Anne and Ian’s sitting room at Pemberley. “Ever since you married Ian, I have always seen you smiling,” Amy observed.

“It is almost nine months since Ian made me the happiest of woman,” Anne said as she got a brief dreamy look thinking back to her wedding. “I am yet to become with child, and I am afraid that Ian thinks me a failure,” Anne stated as her mood plunged again.

“You must know that my brother could never think you a failure, sister,” Amy said as she squeezed the older woman’s hand. “He loves you like no other and has for many years, even when he believed that he would not be allowed to marry you.”

“Yes, my mother,” Anne said with a smile as she thought about how healthy her relationship with her mother had become over the last number of years.

“There is no other man in the world, known or unknown, for me. How are you Amy? It has been some months since your disappointment; are you well and able to…” Anne blushed as she alluded to marital relations.

“Yes sister,” Amy said with no little embarrassment, “ all is well, in all areas, however I am not yet with child either. I feel the failure to conceive keenly.”

“I pray that it will happen for both of us soon, Amy,” Anne said as she lifted her eyes to beseech help from the Lord on high. Then she added with no little embarrassment, “Here I am complaining about not being with child after your loss, how insensitive of me…”

“No, Anne,” Amy placed her hand gently on her sister-in-law’s arm, “there is no embargo on this subject. I was very sad at the time, but we are moving forward and have adopted Lizzy’s philosophy.”

Yes, I know,” Anne said with a smile, “we have heard her repeat is oft times.”

Amy felt that the conversation that she remembered was very timely, as she should have started her courses and had not. She would not say a word to her husband until and unless she missed the next month’s courses as well, but she was now hopeful, more than she had been since her disappointment.

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

By the Monday before Christmas Eve, Pemberley was brimming with family members who would celebrate the season with the four Darcys and stay until after the Twelfth Night ball before most travelled to London for the opening of the Houses of Parliament and the new season.

Much to Kitty’s delight, her older sister had invited the Creightons to join the family at Pemberley, and even better? They had accepted.

In the days leading up to the celebration of the Christ child’s birth, the men rode when they were able, which was not as much as they would have liked thanks to the blanket of snow that covered Pemberley and the north of the country.

Pemberley had a half a dozen sleighs which were used on a daily basis, along with many warming bricks, thick sable blankets, and hot chocolate.

The pregnant and older woman usually declined rides in the sleighs preferring to sit in one of the well-appointed drawing rooms.

When he was awake, and if his three grandmothers would relinquish him, two-month-old Sed Fitzwilliam was the centre of attention. The three ladies with child could not wait until they were able to hold their own babe in their arms.

The family patriarchs could not be extracted from the library except for the afternoon when the younger men in residence decided to challenge the master of the estate in fencing.

The Bennet brothers had been practicing many hours since the drubbing at the point of William’s foil they had suffered all those months ago, and it showed in their matches.

James lasted three minutes and Tom five, but the results were the same in the end, three hits to none.

Wes had improved markedly; and in fact, was able to land one hit before William landed his third.

Andrew was able to land one hit and Richard two.

Most surprising was Mark Creighton. Not only was their match the longest of the day, but they were tied two hits each and the young Viscount almost made the third hit but at the last second William parried his attempt and landed his own hit, narrowly winning the match.

Mark had been most humble about his achievement, stating that the Duke had many matches before theirs while he only had the one.

None of the watchers, or his opponent, accepted the explanation as they had all seen the skill that Mark had just demonstrated.

William, for his part, was very happy that he had found another that could match, or come close to his own skills as he loved when someone matched his level of skill, and like it had been when Angelo had trained him, he fed off the challenge.

The afternoon before Christmas Eve the younger men went shooting for birds to be included in the upcoming meals.

After the conquering heroes returned with their bounty, the men who had partaken all retired to bathe and change.

Just as Carstens put the finishing touch on his master’s cravat, the Duchess entered her husband’s chambers, though given that they slept there every night it had become more their chambers rather than his.

Carstens bowed to the mistress and slipped out the servant’s door unobtrusively.

“Did my big, strong man shoot all the birds on the estate?” she teased with arched eyebrow.

“Minx!” he growled as he pulled his wife as close to himself as her swollen belly would allow. He proceeded to silence her by engaging her lips in much more pleasurable activities. Elizabeth melted into his arms, the place in the world where she felt the most secure.

“Now that is the type of welcome a wife appreciates, William,” Elizabeth said breathlessly. “Each day as I think that I cannot love you more, I find that is a lie, as my love for you grows day-by-day!”

“As does mine for you,” William responded as he feathered kisses all over her face.

“Your sons…” Elizabeth started to say when he cut her off.

“You mean your daughters!” William returned with confidence.

“Our babes,” she gave him a look of challenge to interject again, “have been very active today. It seems that they wanted exercise like their papa did today.” William kissed her belly through her thick winter day dress in the spots that he imagined that the twins were located.

“Are you sure that you want to travel to town for the season, my love?” he asked with no little concern.

“Yes, William, I am,” she stated firmly but gently.

“I will not miss the come out, and thanks to their being a joint come out ball, there will be little or nothing for me to do. Aunt’s Elaine, Catherine, and Rose will help Mama and Aunt Priscilla on my behalf, so all I will have to do it show up for the receiving line. ”

Although William knew that his wife was very strong and that her mother had born five children without incident, he could not stop himself worrying after almost losing his mother after Georgie as born.

He could not allow himself to imagine his life without his beloved Elizabeth in it.

Elizabeth knew that he was concerned for her well-being and could not know the future, but felt that all would be well.

“We will leave London for Longbourn in early April,” William informed his wife. She well knew the plans, but he found it soothing to repeat. “My mother and Richard will remain with Georgie until they join us in Hertfordshire at the end of April.”

“It is most convenient, William, that we will depart before the three months you set for Georgie to have of her season expire after which James, or any other, can declare himself,” she said as her eyes sparkled with mirth.

“I am sure that never factored into your thinking of when we are to depart Town, did it William?” Her husband changed colours sporting heightened colour in his cheeks as his wife divined his strategy.

He loved that his wife was so smart, but in this instance, he wished she was not so perceptive, and he nodded sheepishly.

“You know it will only defer the request by a few weeks, do you not, William?” she pointed out.

“Yes, my love,” he replied, “I do know that. It is silly, I know, but it allows me to hold onto my sister that much longer.” Seeing that his wife was about to interject, he placed a finger on her lips.

“Yes, she will still be living with us until she weds, but until she is being courted, I can still think of her as a young lady. The courtship is the first step to transfer her allegiance and the responsibility of protecting her to another, so if it is only a few weeks more, to me it is worth it. It will not change the outcome, but it will give me a few more precious weeks.”

“May James not make his courtship request of Richard, love?” Elizabeth pointed out.

“Richard and I have resolved that until both guardians give their permission, no courtship or betrothal shall be approved, so I am still fine,” William said rather smugly as he felt good about the fact that he had thought of every contingency.

“I understand your desire to keep things as they are as long as you can, William,” Elizabeth empathised.

“As hard as it will be for you, it will be even harder for Mother Anne. At least she will still have us for company when Georgie eventually marries and moves to Netherfield. Also, do not forget that you will want a minimum three-month courtship and betrothal, so even though things will change on commencement of an official courtship, she will be with us for more than six months before she is whisked off to Netherfield.”

“You have the right of it, my Elizabeth,” he said with resignation. “I will have to get used to it. Besides,” he stated as he noticeably cheered, “long before then we will welcome our daughters into the world.”

“You mean sons, William, you mean sons,” his wife joked as she led him to the bed. Carsten would have to repeat his efforts, but that was not a consideration at that precise moment in time.