Welcome back to Austen Promises!
I have written a long vignette for you. I’ll be posting a few hundred words every week for three to five weeks. This is part two. Part one can be found here.
I hope you enjoy it! <3
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Several hours later, after a long nap and a quick meal, Darcy handed his wife into the sleigh. Despite the cold, Elizabeth insisted on using the open vehicle instead of a closed carriage. Since she had complained vociferously about being too hot for most of her pregnancy, Darcy quickly acquiesced to her desires and ordered the sleigh brought around.
The winter-time equipage had two seats, and since Darcy did not wish to drive this night, he had asked the coachman, Henry, to take the reins. Henry waited until the master had tucked a heavy rug around himself and the mistress in the back seat before he stepped into the sleigh and gathered the straps of leather that would guide the horses.
The trip to the church at Kympton was not a long one, and before Darcy and Elizabeth could become too cold, the sleigh pulled to a stop. Henry jumped down to stand respectfully as Darcy disembarked and then handed his wife down. Elizabeth rubbed her distended belly and breathlessly laughed. “Was that not a beautiful ride, Mr. Darcy?”
Darcy rolled his eyes, but then gave his wife an indulgent smile. “It was, very much so. There is just something about the moonlight glistening off snow that makes everything … magical.”
“Yes!” Elizabeth stumbled as she stepped forward. “Oh, dear. I have done it again.”
Darcy slipped one arm around her back and held his other in front of his wife for her to hold onto. “Easy, my love.” He shook his head. “The child has made you increasingly clumsy in the last few months. Another reason for me to be eager to hold him in my hands.” He smiled into Elizabeth’s upturned face.
The couple had reached the door of the church, so they quieted. Darcy led his wife to the family pew, opening the door for her and helping her in.
Elizabeth looked around with a smile, nodding at the tenants and shopkeepers who smiled and waved, and returning the greetings of those who spoke. Finally, the service began, and her attention turned to the front of the building.
Halfway through the sermon, the uncomfortable feeling Elizabeth had been experiencing all day in her back and stomach became a sudden, sharp pain. She gasped quietly and moved her hand to rest on Darcy’s thigh. As the pain receded, she relaxed a bit, but soon, it was back, causing her to tense once more. The Christmas service was just finishing up, and as the rector and his curate made their way to the door of the church, she gripped her husband’s leg as she fought to keep the pain from showing on her face.
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What do you think? Feel free to leave me a comment, if you like!
I think they had better get back into that sleigh and get home as fast as they can! Oh and send for the doctor!
Oh yes … she’s about to have a baby! Poor Darcy!! <3
That’s new going into labor during Christmas Eve church! I cannot wait to read more. Are you going to publish this when it is finished or wait until next Christmas?
This one was intended as a vignette, not part of a longer story. I’m looking into publishing a bunch of them as one volume, though. Kind of like the short stories one I did. That doesn’t mean it won’t be part of a longer story later, though. 🙂
Oooh….christmas baby!
Yup! <3