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William jumped down from the saddle before the horse had come to a halt at the stables and threw the reins toward the waiting groom as he ran toward the house with all speed.

Taking the stairs two and three at a time, he did not stop until he reached the Lavender suite’s door.

Luckily for him Sir Frederick was exiting as he reached for it.

“How is my wife?” William demanded.

“She is doing very well,” the accoucheur returned mater of factly. “She is in labour, but it is the early stages. It could be eight hours or more before your babes are with us, your Grace.”

“Have her waters broken yet?” William asked, thinking back to some of the information that he had read while he tried to soak up as much knowledge as possible with regards to the state that his wife was in.

“As far as I know, not yet,” Sir Frederick said with calm professionalism. “You do understand that she is not the first woman to experience the travails of childbirth, and the vast majority are well after the process is complete.”

“I do know that,” William said as his breath caught. “But as you know my mother was almost lost after the birth of my sister.”

“It is easy to understand why you would be concerned, your Grace,” Sir Frederick returned. “However, her Grace is young and healthy, and I have not seen a single thing that would be a cause for concern.”

William felt a lot better and thanked the doctor then rapped on the door and opened it without waiting for an invitation to enter.

Elizabeth was sitting on the bed, bent forward while being supported by his mother and mother-in-law.

Both of his married sisters-in-law were present as well as Lady Rose.

He stopped in front of his wife, who lifted her head as soon as she saw him.

“You... came… William,” she said between deep breathes.

“Wild horses would not have kept me away once Biggs informed me that you had started your confinement, my love,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “Is there anything that I can do for you right now?”

“Yes William,” she said as another pain took hold of her body. When it was passed, she continued with “You can help me walk the halls.”

When he raised his eyebrows in question. “Sir Frederick has informed us that walking can help the process along,” Lady Anne informed her son. “Also, my son, you know how our Lizzy hates to sit in one place for too long.”

William stepped over to the bed and replaced his mother at his wife’s right side and gently assisted her to stand. Lady Sarah was replaced by Jane, who took her younger sister’s other arm. In such a manner the three left the chambers and started a slow walk back and forth in the aisle.

“Did you shoot many birds today, William,” Elizabeth asked clearly as she was between pains.

“Is that truly what you want to talk about now, my Elizabeth?” William asked.

“Yes, that or…owwwww,” another contraction hit, and she stopped walking as she dug her nails into her companion’s arms, and when it was over, she continued. “That or any other inane subject to distract me is welcome.”

“Yes, until the point that Biggs arrived to give me the message, I had bagged the most birds,” William said with pride.

“It is a safe wager that my husband was none too happy at your besting him,” Jane giggled as she thought of her competitive Richard.

Just then another pain racked Elizbeth’s body, the strongest one yet. “Ooo, I think I needed the chamber pot,” she said, feeling embarrassed as she looked at the pool of liquid growing between her legs.

“That was not an ablution, Lizzy,” Jane corrected her, “your waters just broke. The babes are getting ready to meet their Mama and Papa, so it is time to return to the birthing chamber.”

William spied a footman in the hall, “Fetch Sir Frederick,” he barked harsher than he intended due to his worry for his wife as Jane and William guided Elizabeth back to the birthing chair.

“That is just like my Lizzy,” Lady Sarah teased to break the tension, “always the impatient one.”

The midwife arrived before the accoucheur and ordered the Duke out of the chambers with no attention to his rank.

When he began to protest, his mother took his arm and guided him out of the room.

“Go join the men in the library,” Lady Anne commanded her son, “there is aught more that you can do here.”

As William exited the chambers Sir Frederick entered. “All will be well, your Grace. You will be notified as soon as the deed is done.”

“Look after her, I beseech you, Sir Frederick,” William begged. “She is my whole world; I cannot lose her.” After some more assurances from the accoucheur, William left and made his way to the library in a daze.

The bulk of the rest of the adults in the family were present and the children had been taken up to the nursery.

William felt like he was in a stupor and found a snifter of brandy thrust into his hand by his father-in-law.

Aunt Elaine led him to a chaise to sit down.

He was yet to take a sip of the libation in his hand and was determined to remain sober.

He did not want to be one of those men who by the time their son or daughter was born was too far into his cups to know what was happening around him.

When he heard his wife’s first scream, it took both Richard and Andrew to support him as he went weak at the knees hearing the sounds emanating from the birthing chamber.

Once he had recovered and calmed, Caroline sat next to her cousin.

“I know how hard this is for you, William. It was for Graham when he heard me scream during my confinement,” she told him.

“As you can see, I am here and well. It was a necessary release of tension for me, and I will not lie for there is much pain, but in his Wisdom, God gave us women, the weaker sex , the ability to give birth and survive the process.”

“On an intellectual level I know all of that,” William said as he took a deep breath as his wife’s scream echoed through the house, “that however does not make it easier for me to hear my Elizabeth in pain.”

“I felt exactly the same, cousin,” Graham seated himself next to his wife.

“No matter how much I wanted to do what I am sure you want to right now, I restrained myself, and not too long after I was next to my beloved wife holding our perfect daughter in my arms.” He added for encouragement and William nodded, unable not to smile at the pride Graham so obviously displayed as he talked about her.

For the next two hours, the family in the library did what they could to distract the soon to be father. When the three couples and Loretta joined the rest of the family after returning from a walk to Oakham Mount, not even James sitting near to Georgie was able to hold William’s attention.

In order to try and keep William’s mind off what was happening with his wife above stairs, the family discussed the expansion of Haven House.

A family endowment had been created, seeded with a good amount from each family.

To start with, an extension of Haven House was being built to in each shire where a family member resided.

In addition to the facility for young ladies, a school and clinic was funded in each location, open to anyone who could not afford their own schooling or medical care.

Elaine Fitzwilliam noted that her niece Anne had taken a leading role with the facilities in Surrey.

Rather than just brood on her own disappointment at not becoming with child yet, Anne decided to do something that would help many.

Once she was physically able, after the birth of her children, Elizabeth would join the board of the foundation, thus joining the other members of the family who were already active with the project.

Elizabeth was in more pain that she had every experienced in her life—even more than the time she had mounted her father’s stallion against explicit instructions and had fallen off breaking her arm. “I cannot do this anymore,” she said as sweat soaked her nightgown.

“We are close yer grace,” the midwife said, “With the next pain, push with everything that you have.” As the pain hit, Elizabeth pushed, and with the push she screamed at the top of her lungs.

A few minutes later a loud cry of an indignant infant was heard, one not at all pleased at being expelled from her warm home.

“A little girl, Lizzy,” her mother told her as she held her hand. “She has Georgie’s colouring, but she is feisty like you were when you were born.”

“Mayhap William was correct, and I have given him daughters, not sons…” Whatever else she was about to say was lost as her body was wracked with yet another intense wave of pain.

She was instructed to push again and felt the babe being expelled from her body.

The ladies all looked at each other in horror.

It was a male babe, but he was fast turning blue as the cord was wrapped around his neck.

Sir Frederick stepped in, not caring who he pushed out of the way.

For Elizabeth, time stood still as she did not hear the cry of her second child.

With speed and deftness that one would not ascribe to a rotund man, the accoucheur cut the cord and rapidly cleared it from the babe’s throat.

He gave a soft breath as he placed his mouth over the Derbyshire heir’s mouth and nose.

The babe pinked up and started to wail, and Elizabeth had never heard a sweeter sound.

The male child was all his father; he was much longer than his sister but not nearly as feisty as she was.

Lady Rose stepped out as the nursemaids cleaned and swaddled the babes while Elizabeth’s maid helped her change into a fresh nightdress and another whisked away the soiled linens and replaced them with fresh bedding.