Page 249

The most comfortable of the Darcy coaches arrived at Longbourn sometime after one in the afternoon.

The equipage was luxurious as it was, but the Duke of Derbyshire had the carriage works in Lambton fashion a piece that fit between the seats on one side, creating a bed for his wife who was extremely heavy with child.

Even though his duchess had protested that he was being overly protective, she had come to appreciate and very much enjoy the modifications.

They were met under the portico by Thomas and Sarah Bennet and Aunt Rose.

“My Lizzy!” Lady Sarah exclaimed as she took her daughter’s hands from her son-in-law, “Your babes continue to grow apace. It has been but a month since we saw you, and even in that space of time the difference in your girth is noticeable.”

“Are you calling my wife fat, Mother Sarah?” William joked with his mother-in-law as she kissed her cheeks.

“My Sarah would never say such a thing about one of her children,” Lord Thomas stated with a sardonic grin, “even if it is true…” Whatever else he was about to say was lost in a playful slap on his arm from his middle daughter.

“Papa! How can you say that,” Elizabeth gasped playfully, “even it is nothing but the truth!”

“I think that you are as beautiful as you ever were, Elizabeth,” William stated seriously. “I can think of no better sight to see than my beloved wife carrying our daughters.”

“He means our sons!” Elizabeth stated saucily.

“Are you two still beating that dead horse?” Lady Rose asked with a huge smile, “You will know soon enough what gender the babes are, then you can find something else to argue about.” Both Elizabeth and William had the good sense to look somewhat chagrined.

“Yes, Aunt Rose,” the two said in unison. As much as they liked to banter back and forth about the gender of their babes, they really did not care as long as both were healthy.

“I see my sister is still able to put you in your place, Lizzy,” Lord Thomas smirked. “There were not many who can take you to task so quickly, but your Aunt Rose was, and seems still is one of the few.”

“I have put you in the Lavender Suite so you will be right next to the suite that we converted to a nursery for Jane’s lying in,” Lady Sarah informed the Darcys. “So many babes and babes-to-be in the family of late.”

“We visited both Franny and Caroline just before we left Town. Their daughters are both so pretty. In the end, Caroline entered her confinement only two weeks after Franny, and thanks on High both mothers and babes are hale and healthy,” Elizabeth offered.

As the party entered the home to be greeted by the Hills who never missed an opportunity to welcome their ‘Miss Lizzy,’ Lord Thomas remarked on his grandson’s rapid growth.

Little Lord Sed, now six months old, had started to crawl and did so at such a rapid pace that his nursemaids had to practically run to keep up with him.

He was a rambunctious babe, which according to Lady Elaine was very much like her Richard when he was of a similar age.

He was already the size of a one-year-old, and seems to be on his way to being as tall as, if not more so than his proud papa.

After washing and changing from her travel attire, Elizabeth joined her mother and Aunt Rose in the family sitting room while her husband joined her father in the library.

“Mama and Aunt Rose,” she said as she sat down, “did Amy let you know that she felt the quickening the day after you returned to Longbourn?”

“No not yet, although there is a letter from Amy that arrived just before you and William that is in my study waiting for me,” Lady Sarah remembered. “I am sure that she will share her momentous news in that missive.”

“I am sorry that you and Papa had to leave Town early on our account Mama,” Elizabeth said contritely.

“You have nothing to apologise for, Lizzy,” Lady Sarah said reassuringly, “Mary and Kitty are well taken care of staying at Matlock House with both Elaine and Catherine there, not to mention that Maddie and Hattie are in London as well and see the girls practically every day. Anne and Jane are looking in on them from time to time, their time consumed with making sure that James and Georgie are well chaperoned. And last but not least, Aunt Priscilla is in Town with Retta, so I know all my babies are in good hands.” Lady Sarah paused for a moment.

“I could not be happier for my niece, that she seems to have found her match in all ways.”

“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed, “Mr. Harrison Wright seems to be everything that a young man should be. If he requests a courtship and Retta grants it, and if they end up marrying, they will not live far from Broadhurst as the Wrights have just purchased an estate, Oakmont Court in Essex, not fifteen miles from the De Melville estate.”

“I had met the father,” Lady Rose shared, “he owns a shipyard that builds almost exclusively for our shipping company.”

“She thought that she was in love with a duke and is now certain that she is in love with a tradesman’s son,” Lady Sarah said. “All her parents care about it that he loves Retta, which is obvious for all to see. I can see no reason that my brother would deny his petition if my niece requests it.”

“The Ton knows better than to turn their noses up at the Wrights,” Lady Rose added, “shunning them will be shunning us and our extended family, and by extension our cousins.”

“After the Prince and Princess talked so warmly to the Wrights at the coming out ball, there was no doubt that the family is accepted by the royals, so any who tried to denigrate them does so at their own peril,” Elizabeth opined.

“At least we were there for the curtsies before our cousin and their coming out ball,” Lady Rose said as she returned them to the subject of the first season their younger ladies were having in town.

“All four of our nieces performed with such aplomb! Perfect curtsies, and backing out of the presentation chamber with nary a misstep or fall between them. And the ball! The Ton is still talking about it as the event of the season.”

“Thank goodness that horrid Miss Amanda Price had been sent packing well before,” Lady Sarah said. Mention of the harpy still awoke her extreme motherly protective instincts, but at the same time she felt deep pride for the way that Mary had taken care of Miss Price.

None of the four had had a free set during their come-out ball, and three lucky young men danced three sets with his preferred lady, of which one was the supper set and one the last of the night.

The suitors had not been able to dance the first as that was reserved for father and or guardians, but had each danced the second with his lady of choice.

Any members of the Ton who thought that they would be able to connect themselves to one of the most powerful non-royal families, albeit related to the royals, in the kingdom had their hopes dashed as they had watched three of the four debutantes were very much taken.

The only hope was for one of the sons of an ambitious family to gain the attention of Lady Loretta De Melville, but it soon had been evident that the young lady’s affections had become engaged by the Wright boy.

A son of a tradesman, even a very wealthy one, but a tradesman, nonetheless.

As soon as it was noted that not only did young Mr. Wright have the full-throated approval of all of the extremely powerful family, but the royals as well, any disparagement of the young man, his family, or antecedents died in the throats of those who would have wanted to express them.

At all of the subsequent balls, each of the four young ladies reserved the first, supper, and final set for her beau.

Georgiana’s two guardians and the two fathers of the other young ladies all commiserated that they were soon to lose the right to protect their charges.

All agreed in private, however, that they did not want to give the men involved an overinflated ego by saying that their respective young lady had chosen well for herself, and that all four of the young men were upstanding and honourable to a fault.

The discussion turned to the younger Bennet son and Lady Georgiana Darcy.

“It is most amusing to see my little brother so besotted with Georgie,” Elizabeth said with an indulgent smile.

“He was not happy that William and I departed London before he could request a courtship with Georgiana. They will be joining us in Hertfordshire in a matter of weeks, I am sure that James will survive.”

“If memory serves, once you admitted that you loved William, you wanted to be with him as soon as possible,” Lady Rose said as she gave her niece a pointed look, “I would think that of all people that you would understand James’s desire to be with his ladylove as soon as may be.”

“I fully understand his desire Aunt Rose,” Elizabeth retorted, “but I also understand my husband’s point of view. As you well know he had no objection to James as Georgie’s suitor, it is just very hard for him. When James approaches him here, he will find no objections from William.”

“Why do you think that my Thomas was so keen to cut our time in London short and return to Longbourn?” Lady Sarah asked with a conspiratorial smile, “William was not the only one who wanted to prolong the inevitable.”

“I would not be surprised if William and Papa conspired together,” Elizabeth said as she placed her hands on her belly as her babes made their presence known again. “It would not surprise me if they found a reason to leave Longbourn before the rest return from Town at the end of the month.”

“That is a good idea, Lizzy,” Lord Thomas said, smirking as he and William joined the ladies. “I had not thought about doing that. What say you William, should you and I leave on an extended tour of our estates?” he said only half joking.

“Thomas Bennet!” Lady Sarah exclaimed somewhat stridently. “You will do no such thing!”