Chapter 2

During the night, Fanny had felt occasional pains but not the consistent ones she had experienced when she had entered her lying-in before she birthed Jane.

She decided not to say a word to her maid when the girl assisted Fanny to dress, or to Mother when she joined her to break her fast. She did not want to cause an uproar in the house and have someone ride for London to summon her husband to return when she was sure the pains did not signify the commencement of her labours.

The fact Fanny had not experienced any discernible cramps and aching since the early hours of the morning gave her confidence to enter the dining parlour with a smile on her face. The last thing she desired was to cause Mother to be concerned for her.

Fanny lowered herself into her chair slowly in the same manner she had for the last month or so. She acted no differently than she would have on any other day in the last month to six weeks. The truth was she would be pleased once she met her son. He was so active that he danced a merry jig on her insides and woke her a half dozen times each night, not to mention her frequent need for the chamber pot.

“Good morning, Fanny dear,” Beth sang once her daughter had taken her seat. “I have spent time with Janey in the nursery already. She is looking forward to coming down after our meal to see you. For a mite of three summers, she is very understanding about it being difficult for you to climb the extra flight of stairs to reach the nursery.”

“A good day to you mother…” Fanny grimaced as a rather large pain struck.

“Fanny are you having the pains of your labours?” Beth enquired concernedly.

“Only one now and again,” Fanny admitted. “Do you remember you told me when I was carrying Janey you also had the occasional pain before your lying-in which were not connected to your labouring.” Fanny kept her countenance as unworried as she was able. What poor timing for a pain of that magnitude to strike when she was speaking to Mother. All she could hope was there would not be any further discomfort signalling her need to begin her lying in.

“Yes, I do recall that conversation. As long as they are not consistent,” Beth stated. “Are you sure we should not summon Mrs. Brown or Mr. Jones just in case?”

“No Mother, I am sure. I did experience a few during the night, but it was only one here or there, and never more than one when they did occur,” Fanny demurred. “Our son will not arrive in the world before his papa is home.”

Beth decided not to say any more on the subject at that time. She would keep an eye on her daughter and if needs be, she would summon the midwife and the apothecary.

Once they had completed their meal, the two ladies made for the drawing room. Not too long after they were seated, nurse brought Miss Bennet to join her mother and grandmama. Jane ran to Mama’s welcoming arms, and as she did, she placed her ear on the large belly and listened to hear her sister speak to her. Nothing was heard, but Jane was rewarded with some kicks.

During the hour or so Jane was in the drawing room Fanny did not experience another throbbing in her lower back. This was proof for her she was not about to enter her lying-in. She ignored the inconvenient fact she had experienced very similar intermittent pains just before entering the final stage of her confinement when Jane was born. She convinced herself it was not the case on this day as well.

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

Rose and Cilla, although they would hardly admit it to themselves, never mind anyone else, had experienced discomfort through the night. Hence when the Bedford equipages arrived in Grosvenor Square, the sisters who were with child could not depart London soon enough. Elaine looked at her sisters questioningly as she joined them in one of the coaches. They would begin the journey together so they could enjoy one another’s company. The plan was to join the rest of each of their respective families at the first stop in an hour.

The convoy had progressed a little outside of London, about a half hour beyond the edges of the metropolis, before the first of the scheduled stops, when Rose felt an ache in her lower back. She did what she could to ignore it, sure it would be isolated like the others had been through the night.

“Rose, are you well?” Elaine enquired.

“As well as can be expected,” Rose obfuscated. “It is possible we should have left London a month earlier. Travelling when I am this size is not very comfortable. I am sure Cilla is experiencing the same.”

“I am,” Priscilla agreed. She was feeling discomfort as well, but so far there had been two sharp pains in a row, separated by more than a quarter of an hour, and no subsequent ones since then. All she could pray was that things would not progress too much before the convoy reached Woburn Abbey. She was relatively certain she was in the very early stages of her labours. Having experienced the travails of childbirth twice before, she recognised the signs and could no longer dissemble to herself that it was not the start of the process which would bring her son or daughter into the world. She said nothing further and looked out of the window, seemingly very interested in the passing scenery.

Her two sisters looked at one another. Cilla was normally far more verbose than she was being at present. Elaine knew that if Cilla had something to tell she would and Rose held her peace as she did not want to draw attention to her own tribulations.

By the time they arrived at the first rest stop, the two ladies who were with child were able to school their features. It was all the more important now as if either of their husbands suspected anything, they would order the conveyances to return to London and neither sister wanted her babe born among the smells and bad vapours of the capital.

When the footman opened the door, Bedford was ready to hand his wife out, he was followed by Holder who did the honours for his beloved. Matlock waited until his brothers had moved their enceinte wives away from the door before he handed out his Elaine. The latter debated whether she should share her suspicions with Reggie regarding her sisters’ labours beginning, but she decided against it.

“Reggie, will you speak to our brothers and convince them we do not have to rest every hour? It will speed up our arrival at the Abbey,” Elaine requested.

Before her husband could answer, Andrew and Richard, almost ten and recently seven, ran up with Sed and Jamey close behind them. “Mama and Papa,” Andrew called out in his high pitched voice, “Uncle Sedgewick and Uncle Paul said we may all go run in the meadow,” Andrew pointed to the area right next to where the coaches had been halted, “and play for a little while as long as you agree we may join them.”

Both Fitzwilliam parents had to fight to keep from laughing at the pleading looks on their sons’ faces. Elaine nodded. “You may join your cousins, but you must all be back here well in time so you do not delay our departure,” Matlock granted.

“Thank you, Mama and Papa,” the Fitzwilliam brothers chorused.

A few of the outriders kept an eye on the boys as they began to race around the meadow. “The governesses and nursemaids will be very thankful once they tire themselves out,” Bedford observed.

While they were sitting and enjoying tea and refreshments, Matlock put his wife’s suggestion forward. It was given vocal support from the two ladies in the family way. “Is Meryton not a little more than two hours from here?” Rose asked her husband.

“Indeed it is,” Bedford agreed. “If you two would prefer less stops and Holder agrees, I will not oppose it.”

“Cilla would prefer we arrive at the Abbey earlier so if it means sacrificing some stops to rest, I agree,” Holder stated.

“In that case, I will send a rider ahead to reserve a large private parlour for us at the Red Lion Inn in Meryton,” Bedford decided. Within minutes, one of the outriders was on his way to the named town.

Without speaking to one another about their concerns, Rose and Cilla were well pleased the journey would be sped up. Based on what each was feeling, she was sure she needed to enter her lying-in sooner rather than later. Elaine watched her sisters with concern. She was seeing many signs on both their countenances that they were attempting to hide from the men.

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

When they had left the inn, the husbands and wives had ridden together in each of their respective coaches. Rose leant against the one side wall with a pillow behind her head and feigned sleep after about twenty minutes. The truth was she was becoming scared. The pains were no longer sporadic and were becoming stronger and closer together. She hid her distress from her husband for the first hour and a half as they headed towards their stop in Meryton.

In the third conveyance, Cilla could no longer deny her labours had begun. She was fighting to keep her husband from seeing her misery. As hard as she was attempting to keep the truth from Paul, he did not miss the few tears which had rolled down his wife’s cheeks.

Elaine and Matlock were in the second coach. When they were about an hour from the stop at the market town in Hertfordshire, her conscience got the better of her. “Reggie, in my opinion, both of our sisters have begun their labours.”

“Why did you not say something when we were only an hour from London?” Matlock demanded. “We could have returned.”

“That is part of why I said nothing,” Elaine admitted. “I am well aware how much my sisters desire to give birth in the country and not in Town.”

“Do you think we will reach the Abbey, or must we stop in this town upcoming?” Matlock enquired.

“I suspect the latter,” Elaine responded.

In the lead coach, as much as she had tried to hide it, Rose could not but exclaim when a rather large pain wracked her body. Bedford slammed the head of his cane on the ceiling and the equipage came to a very quick halt, as did all of the carriages following them.

“Rose, are you well? You are not losing the babe are you?” Bedford interrogated nervously. His wife had been disappointed twice since Belle’s birth. He did not want her to suffer another loss. He felt guilty because he had suggested, but not insisted, she return to the Abbey a month previously.

“The babe is well, in fact, I think I am close to it being born,” Rose acknowledged. “In my efforts not to worry you, I hid the truth from you. My labours have begun.”

“It is close to three hours to return to London, we will have to make for Meryton and pray there is a competent midwife and possibly a doctor in the area,” Bedford decided. “I will be right back.” He exited the coach to see his brothers doing the same from their conveyances.

“Cilla needs to begin her lying-in,” Holder stated worriedly.

“Rose too,” Bedford averred. “I will send an outrider to Meryton so the midwife, and if there is a medical man, will be ready for us when we arrive.” A minute later a man was galloping towards Meryton to amend the orders regarding the inn and to have the midwife summoned.

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

By the early afternoon, Fanny was fairly certain she had begun her labours. The pains were between fifteen and twenty minutes apart and were lasting for a little longer than a minute.

As much as she knew it was a vain hope, Fanny prayed that the process would stop so she would not have to send a rider to London to inform her husband he was needed at home. She waited another hour or two and rather than stop, the frequency was now less than fifteen minutes and the intensity had increased.

Fanny rang for the housekeeper. “Mrs. Hill, is Mrs. Bennet with Janey in the park?” she asked as she fought to keep a grimace from her face.

“She is, Mistress,” the housekeeper averred.

“Please tell her I need to see her, rather urgently,” Fanny requested.

It was not too many minutes before Beth entered the parlour where Fanny was reclining. “Fanny, it is your labours, is it not?” Beth stated as she fought to regain her breath from hurrying inside. She had suspected this earlier in the day but had decided to wait for Fanny to approach her on the subject.

“Yes, Mother, I believe…” Fanny winced as another pain began in her lower back and travelled around her front and ended at her belly. “They have begun, But Mother, it is too early and Thomas is in London.”

“Fanny dearest daughter, when a babe wants to come, he or she will come regardless of early or late, or who is or is not present,” Beth stated soothingly. “Allow me to have Mrs. Brown and Mr. Jones summoned.”

A groom was soon galloping on his way to the houses of the aforementioned persons. In the meanwhile, Beth rubbed her daughter’s back to help calm and sooth her.

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

By early Thursday afternoon, all of the business Bennet needed to transact had been completed. The meeting at the bank had been shorter than he expected. It was followed by sitting with Gardiner and choosing the best investments for the ten thousand pounds.

At lunchtime a note had been received from Darcy expressing his regrets that due to an illness in the house he was unavailable for chess, but he expressed his desire Bennet contact him when he was in London again. Bennet planned to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with his brother-in-law and good friend. He would seek out his books on the morrow and depart for Longbourn at first light on Saturday.

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

The groom who had been sent to the midwife’s and apothecary’s houses returned with a note from the former. He handed it to the elder Mrs. Bennet.

4 March 1790

Both Mr. Jones and I have been summoned to the Red Lion Inn as two ladies are about to arrive, both in the throes of their labours.

Please come to the inn so that we will be on hand to attend you as well as the two ladies.

Respectfully,

Mary Brown

The groom was sent to their nearest neighbours, the Lucases, to request the use of their carriage as soon as may be.

Within twenty minutes, Fanny was on her way to the inn. As much as she wanted Mother with her, she chose to ask her to remain at the manor house with Janey. Her friend Sarah Lucas had a spring cold, along with her children so she could not attend her either.