Chapter Eighty-two

 

 

…Their words nearly brought him to tears…

 

The week before Jane’s baby was due, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth, accompanied by Georgiana, returned to Walnut Grove. Struggling with the load of two infants, two puppies, and all the paraphernalia that went with them, Fitzwilliam began to wonder if their trip had been such a good idea after all. He felt overwhelmed at times, but when his little girl smiled with her arms extended toward him, all else was forgotten. He couldn’t resist lifting her up and showering her face with soft butterfly kisses, causing her to release peals of laughter and giggles as she squirmed and wiggled within his arms.

“Darcy, you sure have changed! I never thought I would see you labored down with domestic duties, and now you’ve got another baby on the way. It’s most becoming of you, but I guess you’re relieved it’s only one this time.” Bingley laughed as he helped his old friend unload the rental car and bring all their belongings into the house.

Fitzwilliam chuckled. “I have to admit that I am happy Elizabeth’s pregnant, but you’re right, I’m glad it’s not twins. These two have me on my toes constantly, not to mention what it’s like for their mother. But don’t worry, Bingley. Your day is coming, and coming sooner than you think,” he said with a knowing smile as he walked up the sidewalk with the last load in one arm and his baby daughter in the other while Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Jane followed behind, chatting away with Alex and two puppies in tow.

Once everything was taken into the house and the children settled down for a nap, the ladies regrouped in the kitchen to talk while the men went to the front porch.

“Robert and Tana said to give you their regards. Linda has an earache, so they won’t see us until tomorrow,” Bingley reported. “And David called. He will be here after the baby is born. They can’t stay long. It seems he has an important business trip to attend to.”

“Yes, he has to travel for a month. Georgiana is going back to stay with Cecilia whilst David is away. I think they have plans to sightsee, and Georgiana is going to help Cecilia with sewing for the baby.”

“Sewing? When did Georgiana start sewing?”

“When she met Elizabeth and Cecilia,” Fitzwilliam laughed. “Georgiana has developed quite an assortment of diverse interests since Father’s death. I think Elizabeth and Cecilia have been good for her,” Fitzwilliam said as the two gentlemen settled into the wicker chairs beneath the veranda to relax with a cigar and a glass of wine. They talked for nearly an hour before being called in for dinner.

 

~*~

 

Sometime during the night, Jane went into labor. Charles caused quite a stir trying to get his wife to the hospital. Baby Rebecca Jane was born the next day at eleven a.m. Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam were there for the happy occasion. Bette and Johnny, Sam and Florence, and Robert and Tana all met them at the hospital. David and Cecilia left Charleston the next morning, arriving in the early afternoon.

The Darcy brothers shook their heads in amusement watching Charles, beside himself with delight, passing out cigars to any and all. Jane was her usual serene, genteel self while Elizabeth, Cecilia, and Georgiana declared that Rebecca Jane Bennet Bingley was a beautiful angel, just like her mother.

Fitzwilliam was truly happy for his friend, but he couldn’t help feeling a little empty for having been cheated out of the birthing experience. David noticed it and came to console him.

“Feeling out of sorts, Brother?”

“Does it show?”

“Not to anyone else but me. I know you, remember?” David smiled softly. “Fitzwilliam, don’t look back. You can’t change what happened. The only thing you can do is look forward.”

“Elizabeth has told me the very same thing.” He sighed as he turned and caught his brother’s gaze. “But you’re probably right. They have a saying in these mountains. It goes something like this—don’t cry over spilt milk or there is no use in closing the barn door after the horse is out. I suppose those fit here, but I can’t help regretting what I’ve missed. Bingley was there for his firstborn, and you’ll have that experience, too, but I will not. ‘What’s gone is gone.’ That’s another saying I have learnt from the people here. However, I will be there this next time.” He grinned. “Nothing could keep me from it. As Cecilia would say—‘Come hell or high water,’ I will be there.’” He softly laughed while giving his brother a slap on the back.

 

~*~

 

Since David had to return to Charleston for his flight to Indonesia on Monday, he, Cecilia, and Georgiana left for the return trip to South Carolina two days after Rebecca’s birth. At David’s insistence, Cecilia was now working half-days. This pregnancy had proven to be more difficult than she had anticipated, leaving her exhausted at the end of every day. Nevertheless, she spent many hours with Georgiana, conversing and forming a closer bond of friendship.

Although happy to have Georgiana with her, Cecilia longed for her husband, and the nights of sleeping alone were hard, especially the first week. Because of the time differences and their work schedules, he only called her for a few minutes, but she knew to expect an email every day, and every day she was not disappointed. He kept her informed of his progress, and more importantly, he reassured her of his love and concern for her and their child.

In his absence, Cecilia had one special project she was overseeing along with training three top assistants. She was having Lawton & Co. restructured to Lawton & Darcy, LLC, thus beginning the steps to take the company public. At first David balked about the name change, but she explained that, as they were now a partnership, the name change was essential since, in the next generation, it would pass to a Darcy… her son.

 

~*~

 

Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam stayed on until the christening as they were to be the godparents for baby Rebecca. They stayed in the Bennett townhouse so Elizabeth could help Jane while Charles was away at the university. Tana and Robert were there as often as they could be, and Florence and Bette, along with Johnny and Sam Henry stopped by every day after work. Even Randy and Lydia came by to visit.

While Elizabeth spent her time with Jane, Fitzwilliam used his time to visit old friends at the university and reminisce over his courtship with his wife. They had met and fallen in love here while he was doing what he had always wanted to do. Reflecting back, he felt a sense of pride in what he had been able to accomplish within the short time he had taught at the university. He had always believed that, as a professor, his obligations and responsibilities lay with his students. This conviction was reinforced when a group of his former Latin students stopped him while he was in Morton Hall to express their gratitude for his work. Many had decided to go on to higher levels of study purely because of the desire to learn he had instilled in them. Some were even applying for admission to Leeds, Oxford, and Cambridge. Remembering how hard they had worked, he promised to help them with a letter of recommendation. Of all the things his students shared with him, what touched him most was when they told him that his example as a good and honest man had made a significant impact on their lives. Their words nearly brought him to tears.

As he walked across campus to the Bennett townhouse, Fitzwilliam thought about the past few years of his life. In such a short time, so much had changed. The years were bittersweet, and except for his separation from his wife, he wouldn’t have changed them for the world. Here he had met and married Elizabeth Bennett, the love of his life, and he had found the lost branch of his family and fulfilled an ancestor’s promise. Yes, his experience in the Cumberland Plateau had been a turning point—one that made him glad, but at the same time, he felt torn between the two worlds in which he had lived—academic and business. He knew his destiny was in England. This had been his one chance to pursue a life he had longed for. He would never teach again, and the thought tore at his heart.