Page 111 of A Most Beloved Sister
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The next sixteen hours were agonizing for both Mrs. and Mr. Hurst. Darcy immediately sent an express to London to fetch Dr. Carson in case the expertise of Mrs. Fields and Mr. Jones was insufficient for Louisa, although there was every possibility the child would be born before he could arrive.
Darcy and Bingley kept Hurst company throughout the awful ordeal. Louisa’s screams of pain could be heard throughout the entire manor. Never before had Hurst felt the urge to drink than he did at that time, but he forced Darcy and Bingley to promise they would not allow him to touch a drop of alcohol, no matter how wretched he felt.
Elizabeth did her best to keep Georgiana and Jane calm. She reassured them that this was a natural part of life, and that most women forgot about the pain as soon as they held the baby in their arms. “Just you wait; she’ll be wanting another one within a year. That’s how Mama always was!”
She neglected to mention that one reason for her mother’s desire to have more children so close in age was due to the entail and the desire for an heir to inherit the estate.
At last, Dr. Carson arrived. He immediately went to Louisa’s chambers, where he was updated by Mrs. Fields and Mr. Jones as to the progress of the delivery. Within five minutes, he came back out to the library where the gentlemen were waiting to speak to Mr. Hurst.
“It appears, sir, that the baby’s shoulder is caught on your wife’s… hip bone, in layman’s terms. Mrs. Fields and Mr. Joneshave done all they can to manipulate the child’s position but have been unsuccessful. With your permission, I would like to do a relatively new procedure where I will cut the opening to make more room for us to turn the baby and for the baby to exit.”
All three men stared at him with wide eyes. Finally, Hurst said, “Cut her? What… what happens if we don’t?”
“Then she and the baby will die.”
As one, the men gasped and jumped from their seats. “Do whatever it takes,” Hurst rasped.
Dr. Carson nodded and rushed back to his patient. The room was silent for a quarter of an hour as the three gentlemen paced the book-laden walls that had been slowly filled since Bingley had initially taken residence. The only sound came from Hurst’s lips moving in hushed prayer and Louisa’s cries of agony.
Then, finally, at long last came the blessed sound of a baby’s wails.
Hurst broke into noisy sobs, and collapsed to his knees on the ground. Bingley slowly sank into an armchair, repeating over and over, “Oh, thank you, God.”
Darcy let out a slow, measured breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He ceased pacing along the shelves and moved to the window, where he could look out over the fields. The noon sun shone brightly, as if in celebration of the new life that had come into the world. Like his mates, he said a silent prayer of gratitude for the child’s live birth.
A knock on the door revealed Mrs. Fields, who gave them a tired smile. “Mr. Hurst, if you are so inclined, your wife and child are ready to see you now.”
Without even responding or taking his leave, Hurst raced from the room and up the stairs to his wife’s chambers. Not even bothering to knock, he thrust the door open. “Louisa! Louisa!”
There she was: his beautiful, brave, marvelous wife. She sat in her bed, looking wan and tired, but in a fresh gown and her hairbrushed and pulled back. Leaning against several pillows, she cuddled a small bundle to her chest.
“Reggie,” she said, her voice weak and scratchy, “come and meet your daughter.”
“A girl?” he whispered, frozen in the doorway, unable to move.
“Yes,” she said, biting her lip. “Are… are you disappointed?”
The hesitation in her voice broke through the haze and compelled him to step forward until he was at her bedside. Falling to his knees, he reached a trembling hand out towards the swaddled babe in her arms. “Not in the slightest, my love,” he said hoarsely.
Her eyes lit with stars, and she gently pulled away some of the wrapping to reveal the beautiful child’s face. As he looked upon his daughter for the first time, he blinked back the sudden moisture that clouded his vision. He didn’t want to miss any part of these precious moments.
“I thought we could name her Emma Jane,” Louisa said. “For your mother and our new sister.”
“What about your mother?” he asked, timidly extending a finger to delicately stroke the little one’s cheek.
Louisa made a face. “Mother wasn’t the most… nurturing of women,” she said. “I would like our daughter to follow the example of women who bring happiness and joy to those around them.”
“In that case, I think she should be called Emma Jane Louise Hurst.”
He lifted his focus from his sleeping daughter to his wife’s face and held it there. She returned his gaze with tear-filled eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Louisa. Thank you for giving me the most wonderful gift. I am truly humbled by your strength and courage in bringing our child into the world.”
He leaned over and kissed her brow, and the new little family basked in the serene glow of the moment, their hearts intertwined in an unspoken promise of love, protection, and togetherness.
Chapter 30
