It was the sight of blood smeared across Amanda’s apron that finally shocked Darcy back to his senses, roused him from his frozen stance in the doorway, and propelled him swiftly into the room.
“What the devil is going on here, Elizabeth?” An anxious-looking Darcy walked quickly to the side of the bed. “You are not due to deliver for another four weeks.” With that futile objection voiced, he pulled the maid from behind his wife to take her place, supporting Lizzy’s back. Kissing her neck and cheek, he tightened his arms around her.
“Are you all right?” he whispered into her hair. “Please be all right.” He pressed his eyes closed to compose his escalating emotions and prayed that the good Lord would spare him from having a heart attack until he knew his wife was safe.
Amanda gave him a sympathetic look. “Evidently someone failed to inform the baby of the delivery date. I assure you, Mr. Darcy, your child is coming now.”
“William, please calm yourself.” Elizabeth could feel his pounding heart beneath her cheek. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. “I only thank God you are finally here. I love you, William, remember that, whatever happens. Please forgive me.”
He did not like her words. Frightened by what they implied, he roughly kissed her mouth then pulled her firmly back against himself and closed his eyes to fight off his own stinging tears. “Nothing to forgive,” he finally managed to say, his voice thick with emotion. “Love you so much, Lizzy.”
“Did you know that Fitzwilliam and Amanda were coming here this evening?” When he did not respond immediately, she shook her finger at him. “You must tell me things like this, William. I haven’t even prepared a room for them.”
“I could not, Elizabeth.” In his concern for her, he actually had forgotten about Fitzwilliam’s escape, but that was something he would never admit. “Fitz swore me to secrecy. Besides, I…” He looked on in terror as her face began to contort, a sudden scream erupting from her as she stared straight at him. Her hands were clutching and tearing at the sheets. It was a mind-numbing scream. It was ear-deafening. He shook his head at the ringing in his brain.
“Elizabeth, please be sensible. He made me swear.” He realized she was not angry with him, only in the midst of a labor pain, when she squeezed his hands until his fingers nearly popped like little balloons. He tried not to flinch until she relaxed her hold.
“Is everything all right?” he asked Amanda, dreading the response. “Is this normal?”
“Everything appears to be fine, Mr. Darcy. Although she has had a rather rough time of it, she is a strong and brave young woman. I am very proud to call her Cousin. All right, now push again, Elizabeth; we shall soon see the crown hopefully.”
Lizzy began crying and laughing, eager that the end might be within sight. She weakly pressed her head against Darcy’s chest. “Amanda and I have progressed to using our Christian names. We feel we are quite well acquainted by now.” She inhaled raggedly. “Well, here we go again.” She began once more to push and cry and grunt and swear with pain.
“Are the pains always so tremendous? I thought they would build up gradually. Perhaps there is something more happening here since the child is coming so early.” It was less than a quarter hour later, and Darcy was shocked by Lizzy’s grueling labor.
“Actually, the child appears to be full term, so do not be concerned with that. Unfortunately, I think your wife has been having pains for longer than you know. Since they were in her back, she failed to identify them as her labor.” Amanda turned to the side table for a towel, certain the birth was only moments away.
Elizabeth suddenly screamed in pain and clutched at his arms, gripped with panic. Something was wrong, very wrong, the pressure on her back excruciating. She began writhing in agony, these contractions far stronger than any before. “My baby, my baby,” she gasped. “Oh my God, William… my baby.”
“Do not push, Lizzy!” Amanda immediately felt around Elizabeth’s stomach as her mind spun through all her experiences years before at her father’s hospital. “The baby has stopped somehow.”
“Do something… anything… Save my baby.” Lizzy was hysterical. “William, whatever happens to me, save our baby.”
“What is it?!” Darcy demanded. “Please tell me what is going on!” Lizzy’s cries were ripping open his heart. “Where is that damned doctor?!”
Amanda gently felt inside and realized the child was presenting face forward, the back aligned to Lizzy’s back. Her father had spoken of this sometimes occurring, but she had never seen it before. During his lessons, he had explained the grave danger it presented to both mother and child. The need was to open her wider, and there was only one way Amanda knew of to do that.
“Oh, I am so stupid. All the signs have been there! Lizzy, I am sorry, but I believe we must get you into a different position.” Amanda reached out her hand to grab Lizzy’s arm. “Since we have no birthing chair, I think you’ll have to squat or kneel.”
A shocked Darcy had already motioned for the maid to take his place. He was instantly at Amanda’s side and pulled her hand from Elizabeth. “Excuse me,” he said in a harsh whisper, “perhaps we should wait for the doctor to arrive.”
Amanda struggled to pull back her hand from his grasp. “Mr. Darcy,” she whispered, “She is in agony. The child is facing forward, a very difficult and dangerous delivery, especially for a woman so small.” She then spoke in a lower voice, hoping Elizabeth would not hear. “We really have few alternatives. Elizabeth is weak and may not have the strength or the will to take much more.”
The anger on Darcy’s face quickly dissolved into fear, the full impact of what she was saying hitting him brutally hard. Not waiting for his answer, she pulled her hand away and pushed the sheets farther back. “No! Wait! This is barbaric!” he shouted as Lizzy grabbed his arm.
“Please, William, do as she says.” She was growing weaker by the moment. “Remember, if you must choose, choose the child. Please, please, promise me this.” He could see the agony in her eyes.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked Amanda, his voice hoarse.
“Help me get her out of bed. Get behind her—you must support her weight as she kneels over this pillow.” Not really certain of what she was doing, she grabbed one from the bed and threw it to the floor. “If that doesn’t show quick results, you will have to help her walk about. Hurry, please. This should open her more—I will try what I can to turn the child.”
Darcy and Mrs. Winter struggled to bring Elizabeth to the side of the bed, and then he grasped her under her arms, supporting her as she began to stoop. Amanda pulled up Lizzy’s nightdress to massage her belly.
His heart was near breaking. How could she feel so light and look so huge, and still be so small? How could any of this end without disaster? Would she disappear in his arms like a fog, insubstantial, fragile? She had begged him to choose the child if it came to it, but how could he? She was his whole life. He would surely go insane without her, would never want to live, and it would be this damn child’s fault. No, he would choose Lizzy over it if it came to that, without a moment’s hesitation, would never allow Lizzy to die if it was within his power, even if she never spoke to him again. No. His only desire was to stop her pain by whatever means possible. He watched as Amanda knelt before his wife, her hand probing inside, and willed himself not to pass out from the tension.
“I believe it’s moved a bit…” The next few minutes were an eternity as Amanda alternately rubbed and massaged Lizzy’s stomach with one hand while the other felt within for any change. “It is moving! The baby is turning,” Amanda held her breath as she made small, twisting motions with her hand.