Page 112 of A Most Beloved Sister
It took Louisa several long weeks of confinement to heal from the procedure that Dr. Carson performed. Fortunately, the good doctor was willing to remain at Netherfield to personally oversee her care. Whether his decision to do so was influenced by his developing connection with Charlotte Lucas will be up to the reader to determine.
Nevertheless, between Mrs. Fields, Mr. Jones, and Dr. Carson, Louisa recovered with the aid of poultices made specifically for that purpose, as Mrs. Fields commonly treated women who tore in that area during childbirth. “I know ‘tis painful, Mrs. Hurst, but we’ll get you fixed right up,” she would say each time she changed the dressing.
Although she was ordered to remain in her bed for at least two weeks, Louisa insisted on being present to introduce little Emma Jane to her dear Aunt Jane. Hurst gently carried Louisa from her bed to a comfortable chair with a soft feathered cushioned seat that was placed in Jane’s room specifically for this purpose. Once she was settled, the wet nurse followed behind, carrying the six-day-old infant.
Elizabeth and Bingley were also present to witness the special moment. Jane—whose failing health now only allowed her toremain awake for about half an hour at a time, four to five times a day—gave a soft squeal of joy when she saw the baby.
“She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life!”
“Would you like to hold her?” Louisa asked.
“Oh, may I, Charles? May I?”
Bingley chuckled. “Of course you may, my dear. You needn’t ask me!”
The wet nurse began to direct Jane on how to support the baby’s neck, but Jane was already in position. “I held all of the tenant babies while Lizzy talked to their mamas,” she said proudly. “I know how to do this.”
Everyone smiled, and little Emma Jane was laid carefully in her aunt Jane’s arms. As the beautiful woman looked down at her equally beautiful niece, Elizabeth’s fingers itched for a pencil or charcoal to draw the scene—never mind the fact that she had absolutely no talent for art. She only wished she could capture that moment on the page for eternity.
Clearly the same thing was on Bingley’s mind, for he briefly disappeared from the room, returning moments later with Georgiana. He motioned towards the bed, whispering into her ear, and she nodded furtively, her gaze never leaving the sight.
For the next half hour, everyone watched as Jane cooed over her namesake, speaking sweet little nothings to her. Eventually, however, the child began to fuss from hunger and Jane grew weary.
“I think it’s best that we let Jane get some rest,” Bingley said.
“And let Emma Jane eat,” Louisa added.
Elizabeth gave her sister a kiss on the forehead. “I will visit you again tomorrow.
∞∞∞
To everyone’s great sorrow, that would be the only time Jane would get to see Emma Jane. It was as if she had held on to life only to see her niece come into the world, for the morning after Jane snuggled the baby in her arms, she couldn’t be awakened. After attempting to rouse her several times for breakfast, Jane’s nursemaid knocked on Bingley’s door and bade him to attend his wife.
Dr. Carson, who was still at Netherfield overseeing Louisa’s recovery, was immediately summoned. Elizabeth, too, was fetched. She and Bingley watched as the doctor listened to Jane’s heart, counted her breaths, looked at her eyes, and waved smelling salts under her nose. At last, he sat back to look at them and shook his head sadly.
“I fear this is the beginning of the end for Mrs. Bingley. She is still alive, but she is no longer able to regain consciousness. Her heart and lungs simply do not have the ability to provide the energy necessary to maintain her brain in a state of awareness.”
“Then she won’t ever wake up?” Bingley’s voice broke.
“I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid not.”
Elizabeth stared numbly down at her elder sister’s prone body. Jane’s lovely face was paler than she’d ever seen, her lips so blue they were almost purple—but her chest was still rising and falling, only with long pauses in between each breath.
“I must send a note to my father,” she said woodenly. “Please excuse me.”
She walked out of the room in a daze, unable to fully process the situation. She’d known for almost six months that Jane was going to die; indeed, she’d seen her sister grow weaker every single day. But as long as she’d been eating, speaking, laughing…
Without even realizing it, she found herself in one of the smaller sitting rooms on the main floor. She removed a sheet of paper from a small table and began to write.
Papa,
I’m sorry to say that Jane will not awaken. Dr. Carson says that this is the end. She still breathes, but that is all. It is time to say goodbye. Please come.
E.B.
She sanded the paper and gave it to a footman. “Have this sent to Longbourn immediately. They are to wait for a response.”
Once the note was on its way, she sat in a chair near the fireplace, staring at the flames, unaware of time passing. She was so lost in her memories of Jane that she didn’t even hear the footsteps behind her.
