Elizabeth huffed. “Mamma shall never learn. But what of Papa? Perhaps he is ignorant of Kitty's flirtations.”
“Perhaps you might take her north with you, Elizabeth? If you stop in Hertfordshire intending to collect her, your mother will hardly refuse you.” Madeline gave her a meaningful look.
“Yes, Aunt. I understand you. I shall speak with Fitzwilliam. I have no doubt Maria Lucas leads Kitty about by the nose, and Mamma has no more sense than to permit it. I wonder why Mary has not restrained her? If Kitty brings ruin upon the family, Mary has the most to lose, for it is her child who will inherit the stain.” Elizabeth paused and then asked, “How is my sister, Aunt Maddie? Have you heard?”
“Yes, your father has written. We are to visit so that I may work with Mary. Her aversion to Mr. Collins has deepened. With every visit to Longbourn, he has become increasingly arrogant. Evidently, the neighbors have come to venerate and esteem himas a learned man and the future master of the principal estate in the neighborhood. It has all gone to his head, and according to your father, Mr. Collins has become an even greater mixture of pride and self-importance than when he and Mary first married.”
Mrs. Gardiner added, “Your sister suffers a good deal. She is painfully swollen. She is also much larger than one might expect for a woman who is only five or six months along.”
“Could she be carrying twins, Aunt?” Jane asked. “To my knowledge, there are no twins within our family line.”
“I do not know, Jane. It seems unlikely. Perhaps Mary is simply delicate. Her husband resents the weakness and declares that such infirmity may be visited upon his progeny. From what your father has written, Mr. Collins has become altogether insufferable.”
When they parted that evening, it was with heavy hearts, for Elizabeth was traveling north while her favorite sister journeyed south. Yet Elizabeth had already resolved that, unless her husband refused her request, Kitty would join the party traveling to Pemberley.
Chapter 51: Longbourn
It had been nearly a year since Elizabeth last visited Longbourn. So much had transpired since she and her father made that frantic attempt to save Lydia from her elopement.
Now the Darcys traveled toward Hertfordshire to collect Kitty. Elizabeth gazed out the carriage window. Fitzwilliam rode just ahead on his black stallion. Two of his trusted servants, the Miller brothers, accompanied them; one sat beside the coachman, armed with both rifle and pistol.
The other rode Ares and also carried arms. Two hours after departing Darcy House, they drew up before Longbourn. Elizabeth saw her mother emerge from the house, and a moment later, her father joined her. Her heart leaped at the sight of his dear face. He had been instrumental in helping Mary endure her difficult marriage, and Elizabeth felt proud of him for exerting himself on behalf of an unhappy daughter. Yet as she studied him more closely, she saw weariness etched into his features, and beneath it, sadness.
Then Mary appeared upon the threshold of the front entrance. Her face was swollen, and she looked both ill and alarmingly large.
Mr. Darcy handed both women down, and together they walked up the drive.
Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised by Mrs. Bennet’s restraint. There had been a time when her mother would have exclaimed over Mr. Darcy’s fine carriage, admired his costly horses and elegant clothing, and questioned him until she had learned the particulars of every estate and every pound of his fortune. Instead, Mrs. Bennet merely invited them to enter for tea with a well-modulated voice.
Elizabeth caught her father’s gaze. The corners of his lips had turned upward, and his eyes held amusement. She drew near and kissed his cheek. “Oh, Papa, I have missed you so,” she said in a low voice. “It is so good to see you again,” she managed, her voice catching.
The family entered the house and settled themselves in the drawing room. Mr. Darcy seated himself beside Mr. Bennet while Elizabeth moved closer to Mary. Tea was brought in, and Kitty was sent for. When the younger sister entered, Elizabeth saw at once that her eyes were red and swollen. She was plainly unhappy to be traveling to the north.
Elizabeth introduced Kitty to the Darcys, after which her mother poured the tea.
“How do you fare, sister? Your hands are terribly swollen,” Elizabeth asked Mary in a quiet voice.
“Lizzy, I am suffering a great deal.”
“Do they believe you may be carrying twins?”
“Doctor Edgerton suspects I may be. As far as Mamma and Aunt Phillips can recall, however, no woman in our family has ever been delivered of twins.”
“Do you walk, Mary?”
“No, Lizzy. I have never enjoyed walking, and the thought of it now is repugnant to me.”
“I believe you would find walking beneficial, though.”
“Yes, Doctor Edgerton has said as much, but I suffer greatly from fatigue, Lizzy. If I sit still too long, I fall asleep.”
“Have you seen the midwife yet?”
“No, she is with child herself and is no longer working. Her confinement is very near.”
Elizabeth said, “Sister, if I knew of a skilled midwife in Derbyshire, I would take you north with me. Doctor Edgerton is a fine physician, but I believe midwives possess the greater expertise where childbearing is concerned.”
Mr. Darcy, hearing this, said, “There are two excellent midwives who practice out of Bakewell, Elizabeth. If you wish for your sister to accompany us, it can easily be arranged. We may delay our departure until tomorrow morning to give Mrs. Collins time to pack.”