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Thanks to the fifth of March falling on the sabbath, on the Saturday before that day a huge celebration had been held at Hertfordshire House to celebrate the Duchess’s eighteenth birthday.

The present Hertfordshire had gifted his wife was wildly extravagant, but Elizabeth had learnt to accept his desire to buy her gifts without attention to the cost. And this one had been beyond special to her.

Her Archy had presented her with a house near Ramsgate—at least an artist’s rendering of the structure. He was well aware how much she had loved their time at Seaview House, and no matter how much he had offered, the Darcys had been unwilling to sell it.

He had paid what he needed to in order to ensure the house would be built and completed before his wife’s eighteenth birthday.

The builders had completed their work in January of the current year, and to thank them, the Duke had presented each man with a three-hundred-pound bonus.

He had made sure the house was decorated in a style he knew his Lizzy enjoyed and supervised the purchase of the furniture.

The last touches—employing the staff and servants—had been completed less than a sennight before her birthday.

He and Elizabeth, and Matty, of course, had travelled to the house, which proved the accuracy of the rendering, departing that Monday, the day after the birthday itself, and arriving the next day.

They were to be joined by family and friends in two days.

It was a large, four-storey house built in the Georgian style.

The walls were built with a white rock which blended well with the chalk cliff face below.

The master suite was located on the second floor at the back of the house, where huge panoramic windows faced the sea below.

It was more than a quarter mile to the edge of the cliff, and with obvious thought about their toddler and any other small children, a fence of about four feet in height had been built about fifty yards before the precipice.

The roof was topped with a light-grey-coloured slate, so it blended well with the colour of the exterior walls of the house.

There was a beach below the cliffs, but unlike Seaview House, there was no easy way down, nor was there any privacy on the beach.

To say that Elizabeth loved her present was the understatement of Hertfordshire’s life.

She adored it, but as she told him that night when she thanked him in private, the new house was not loved nearly as much as she loved and adored him.

She had been in awe at how well her beloved had decorated and furnished the house to match her preferences.

He had chosen their staff and servants perfectly as well.

As they walked from room to room, Matty, in John Biggs’s arms, was babbling happily.

He loved his mama’s two huge guards, and they loved little Lord Hertford.

He was just beginning to stand and take a step or two before he would unceremoniously fall onto his derriere .

Rather than cry, he would be vastly amused when that occurred, and then he would pull himself up and try again.

When they walked around the gardens surrounding the house—not very organised, rather unspoilt and natural, just as Elizabeth preferred—Matty reluctantly allowed Biggs to put him on the grass, and he held onto one of his parents’ hands on either side.

He soon forgot his pique at being put down when he was swung back and forth by his Mama and Papa.

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

After spending the rest of the season in London so that Hertfordshire could attend the Lords, Elizabeth and Mary had been invited (summoned) to exhibit for Queen Charlotte and some of her closest ladies-in-waiting.

Towards the end of June, the Chamberlains, Gardiners, Phillipses, Lucases, and the younger Barringtons—with little Hubert, now nine months old—travelled to the house near Ramsgate, which had been named Cliff House by Elizabeth, where they would be until the middle to end of August.

Elizabeth suspected she was with child again, but as she had when she was increasing with Matty, she wanted to wait until she had missed at least two months’ worth of courses.

She had a fortnight to wait. One thing was different; she had already begun to feel nauseous, but thankfully, she had not had any sickness in the morning… yet.

Matty had turned one almost a month past. He was able to walk and had already discovered his ability to run. He had begun speaking just before his birthday. It was as yet only a collection of words, but an ever-growing one. He was, however, adept in conveying his desires.

A day or two before her courses would be expected, Elizabeth sprang up from the bed and ran out of the bedchamber, and cast up her accounts in the flushing chamber pot next to their bathing room.

“Lizzy, are you well?” A very worried Hertfordshire enquired.

“I wanted to wait until I missed this month’s indisposition before I told you,” Elizabeth explained.

Then she washed out her mouth and dried her face.

“I believe I am with child again, and this time I will not be as lucky as I was the first time with regard to sickness in the morning.” She remembered what Mrs Greaves had told her.

“I will have Lettie ask Cook to prepare ginger tea and some plain toast for the mornings. I am told that will assist my casting up the contents of my stomach.”

“As pleased as I am He is blessing us with another child, I will pray you will not be afflicted with the sickness in the morning too much.” He shuddered as he thought of the way his late wife had reacted to being sick and tired while she had been increasing.

‘ Lizzy would never do what that woman did. ’ Hertfordshire berated himself silently for the dark thoughts. She needed him to be strong for her.

“This too will pass. Aunt Maddie and Charlotte have both told me they did not suffer for more than three weeks until the sickness abated.” Elizabeth paused as she took one of his hands into each of hers. “All will be well, and we will have a larger family. I love you so very much, my Archy.”

Two months later, Elizabeth felt the quickening just after they left Cliff House.

Unlike the first time she was increasing, there was already a visible bump in the area of her belly.

By her sixth month, Elizabeth’s belly was almost as large as it had been when she carried Matty.

As her husband was more than a little concerned, she agreed to go see the accoucheur in London.

Knowing the Duke would not leave the room while he examined the Duchess, Sir Frederick did not try and suggest he do so.

With the aid of one of his nurses, the accoucheur examined Her Grace thoroughly, listening, poking, and prodding.

“Your Grace, you may put your clothing to rights, and as soon as you are ready, I will await you in the study,” Sir Frederick requested.

Hertfordshire nodded after receiving a nod from his wife. He assisted her in putting all of her clothing back in place and then offered her his arm.

“Archy, all will be well,” Elizabeth predicted as she patted his arm.

“We will know soon enough,” Hertfordshire asserted. He pushed the door to the study open and followed his Lizzy inside. They took seats before the desk.

“All looks well,” Sir Frederick assured them. “It is good Her Grace is young, fit, and healthy, because I believe she is carrying twins. It is what accounts for her increased size, and I believe the sickness in the morning she had so early in her increasing.”

“TWINS!” the Chamberlains repeated simultaneously.

“As such, I recommend as we get closer to her time that Her Grace rests more. After seven and one half to eight months, I recommend almost total rest. Twins often come earlier than a single babe, and it is my opinion the longer they can remain within their mother, the better for them,” Sir Frederick explained.

“Thank you, Sir Frederick, we have much to contemplate,” Elizabeth said as she led her shocked husband from the room.