/I don't own anything you recognize in this story. /

Chapter Thirteen

Elizabeth snuggled deeper, not wanting to get up. Darcy had left that morning with the dawn. He had come in and said goodbye to her, brushing his lips across her forehead. She had wanted to get up and watch him ride away, but he had insisted that she stay in bed. He would be home before she knew it, Darcy had promised, there would be no need to make a fuss about his leaving.

Elizabeth stretched an arm above her head. But even a few weeks seemed like an eternity and she wished that they would pass with great haste. Her thoughts then turned to Jane. A letter came in the mail suggesting that her older sister would be there by the end of the week. A comforting, yet daunting task and Elizabeth had no idea how to handle it. She hadn't told Jane about the baby yet and wondered how she would take it.

Elizabeth threw the covers off in irritation and rose. Enough! When the opportunity comes, that will be the right opportunity to do so. The door opened and Mrs. Reynolds slipped in, and curtsied her respect. Elizabeth curtsied back, wondering what the older woman's intentions were.

"My dear Mrs. Darcy," Mrs. Reynolds exclaimed, "I have news of your sister. She is to be here sooner than expected."

"How soon? I hadn't expected her to be here any sooner than Friday," Elizabeth said.

"Neither did the staff." Mrs. Reynolds straightened the end of her sleeve nervously. "She is to arrive this afternoon."

Elizabeth blinked in shock. So soon, she thought. So soon, and she had nothing prepared. Not the house, nor the staff about Jane's predicament (other than Mrs. Reynolds, of course). Least of all, she was not prepared for the emotional task that Jane's situation required on Elizabeth's part. She was younger than Jane, this was true, but in the last few weeks or so, it was as if the two of them had switched roles and Elizabeth had become the elder. Jane certainly couldn't handle it seemed, not in the last visit in which Elizabeth had seen the great sadness in her older sister, a retreat into something unattainable.

"My lady?" Mrs. Reynolds looked at her with fear. Elizabeth knew that the woman was worried. "What would you have this household do?"

Elizabeth decided to play her role and take charge. She would worry about Jane's emotional instability when she got here. "Get as much ready as you can, Mrs. Reynolds. Particularly Jane's bedroom quarters and the main rooms that we will be occupied in. And tell the kitchen staff to get dinner ready. Nothing too extravagant, mind you. I daresay Jane won't be up to much extravagance."

"As you wish my dear." Mrs. Reynolds turned to go, then paused. "Have I told you recently, Mrs. Darcy, what a blessing it is to have you in this house?"

Elizabeth smiled broadly. "More than once, if ever, my dear Mrs. Reynolds."

Mrs. Reynolds returned the smile. "I will inform the staff, mum."

Elizabeth's thoughts had already drifted away. Jane would be here sooner than expected. What was the cause of such urgency? Elizabeth shuddered and shook her head. She hoped it had nothing to do with Bingley, but one could never know.

Elizabeth got herself ready, her movements slow. She had become more sluggish of late, every movement deliberate and worn. Glancing down at her stomach, Elizabeth felt a smile flutter across her face as she rested her hand against her stomach. Already, a small bump was beginning to form and for once since the discovery of her pregnancy did Elizabeth feel excitement for the new member of her family. She wondered if the child would be a boy or a girl and then shrugged. It wouldn't matter as long as the babe was born out of love. The babe was Mr. Darcy's, and that was all that mattered.

The morning passed in a haze. The staff was in a flurry, trying to get everything done that needed to be completed. As much as Mrs. Reynolds protested, Elizabeth insisted to be a part of it all, wanting to make sure everything was going the way that she wanted to. By early afternoon, Elizabeth sunk into the chair in front of the fireplace, exhausted.

"You have outdone yourself, Lizzy," a voice called out from across the room.

Elizabeth smiled wearily at Georgiana and beckoned her to come and sit next to the fire with her. "I never expected that the running of such a place would take so much effort."

Georgiana sat down on the settee across from Elizabeth. "It is trying in the best of circumstances. But you are expecting, my dear sister. It is a circumstance that requires much rest. You aren't like you were otherwise."

"And how did you come to know so much?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "You have no younger siblings to base your knowledge upon."

Georgiana chuckled. "When one is under the eye of the great Mrs. Reynolds, you tend to get a scrap of everything."

"But of course."

Georgiana smoothed the seat beside her and sighed heavily. Elizabeth looked at her curiously. She never saw the girl look so serious and wondered what had got her dander up.

"Is there something the matter, Georgiana?"

Georgiana smiled sadly. "How do you think Jane will be when she arrives?"

"Same as she's always been, I gather."

"Do you think so, really? Don't think me to be so daft as to believe that, Lizzy. I have heard you and my brother speak enough times to know that something is amiss. She is almost like a sister to me and I am worried about her, as well."

Elizabeth sat up straighter. "I don't know. I don't know what to think. I don't want to believe that Mr. Bingley could be anything less than pleasant and the perfection of Jane's dreams. But one can often make the wrong assumptions. I know I have. But I hope against all hope that I have not made the wrong assumptions in this case. Jane is too dear to my heart."

"I hope not, either. My brother and Mr. Bingley have been good friends for as long as I can remember. I don't doubt that has made the wrong choice in this matter. Maybe it's all just a misunderstanding."

"Oh, Georgiana, don't you think ill of anybody?" Elizabeth asked.

"I have yet to come to that conclusion about anybody. Except for Mr. Wickham, of course, and that is an affair I do not wish to speak of."

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably. The two of them had never discussed the circumstances of Mr. Wickham, or the ones under which led her younger sister Lydia to her demise in good society. She never knew how to broach the subject.

"Georgiana, I—"

"Mrs. Darcy?"

Elizabeth looked up and rose when she saw Mrs. Reynolds at the door. Beside her, Georgiana also rose; her hands clasped behind her back.

"Your sister has arrived. I would expect that you would like to greet her personally."

Elizabeth smiled. "But of course. You know me too well, Mrs. Reynolds." She started for the door, Georgiana close behind her. Mrs. Reynolds clasped Elizabeth tightly by the arm.

"I would watch your step, Mrs. Darcy. Your sister seems to have a temperament to shoot daggers."

Elizabeth grimaced. "I will take heed, Mrs. Reynolds, but I assure you, all will be fine. She is just road weary and anyway, she is my sister. She will come to her senses soon enough."

Mrs. Reynolds bowed her head. "But of course, madam. Perhaps I was too hasty in judgment."

Elizabeth gave a curt nod. Without another word, she swept out of the room to meet her beloved sister, wondering what sort of mishaps would ensue in the next several weeks.

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Author's Note: I thank all those who have been waiting patiently for me to update. I hope it will get better, but I ask once again for your patience. And thank you for reviewing, it really does encourage a person to keep writing.