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As Elizabeth tied the laces of her half-boots, Betsy and Maggie stood on the edge of the dressing table and engaged in a lively dialogue intelligible only to Lily-A
“Lily-A
After Maggie delivered the apology, Lily-A
“Not yet, sweetheart—”
Elizabeth reconsidered. The rain had ceased some time ago; Lily-A
“Yes, Lily. Let us take that walk now.”
Eight
“I venture to hint, that Sir Walter Elliot ca
Elizabeth and Darcy’s second visit to the Lion proved equally fruitless; Mr. Elliot still had not returned. They therefore proceeded to the Harvilles’ cottage. By the time they reached the shore, however, Elizabeth regretted her decision to bring Lily-A
Mrs. Harville was happy to see the Darcys. She, too, had changed her attire and tidied her appearance since the morning’s exertions. “My husband is on his way to your cottage,” she said. “You must have missed each other en route. We thought you would want to know that Mr. Elliot has returned.”
“Mr. William Elliot?” Darcy asked.
“Yes, the gentleman you brought here earlier. He has been preparing his own lodgings to receive the injured mother and child. Poor man! He took the news of Mrs. Clay’s death very hard.”
“Has Sir Walter Elliot been in communication with you?” Elizabeth asked.
“Sir Walter? Not at all.”
While Elizabeth cast a puzzled glance at Darcy—which he returned in kind—Mrs. Harville bent to meet Lily-A
“Our daughter, Lily-A
“I am honored to make your acquaintance, Miss Darcy,” she said with exaggerated formality. “I have a little boy not much older than you. Would you like to meet him?”
Lily-A
Elizabeth turned to Darcy. “Mr. Elliot means to take the baby?”
“Apparently he is ignorant of Sir Walter’s interest in the matter.”
They entered the house to find Mr. Elliot holding the newborn. The child was well swaddled and sleeping.
“Mr. and Mrs. Darcy,” Mr. Elliot greeted them. “I did not expect to see you again.”
“We tried to call upon you at the Lion,” Darcy said. “That is where you are staying, is it not?”
“For the time being. As soon as Mr. Sawyer assures me the child is strong enough to travel, we will remove to my house in Sidmouth.”
Mrs. Harville was in a corner of the room, where she had led the newly acquainted Lily-A
“The undertaker has collected Mrs. Clay.” She sighed. “Poor dear! But I have heartening news, as well. I may have found a wet nurse—Mrs. Logan, a young widow whose husband served as a midshipman under Captain Harville. They were married scarcely a twelvemonth when Mr. Logan died, leaving her in the family way and with little on which to live. Her lying-in was a few weeks ago—a tiny little girl, smaller than Mrs. Clay’s child—and sadly, her baby died the day before yesterday. I went to see her this afternoon and broached the subject of nursing Mrs. Clay’s son. She is amenable, but we did not discuss particulars. I thought the business arrangements would be more properly handled by the child’s rightful guardian, but was not certain who that might be. When I returned home, Mr. Elliot was here and said he would take the child.”
“Indeed, someone must look out for the little fellow,” Mr. Elliot said. “It is the least I can do for his mother.”
The infant released a cry. For all the challenges the baby had faced simply entering the world, he apparently possessed a healthy set of lungs.
“There, there,” Mr. Elliot said matter-of-factly. “Go back to sleep.”
The baby, however, only increased the volume and urgency of his mewing, and strained his limbs against the blanket that swaddled him. Mr. Elliot, discomposed by the suddenly restless creature, tried to shift the child to his other arm, neglecting to support the infant’s small neck. The blanket loosened still more in the process, releasing its captive, who was now a noisy mass of flailing limbs.
Darcy, who stood closest, took the baby from Mr. Elliot before the gentleman dropped him. In Darcy’s firmer hold the infant ceased his wails and thrashing. The baby’s response triggered a memory of holding Lily-A
The baby began to fuss once more, and Darcy did what came naturally to him in such situations. He handed the child to Elizabeth.
“We shall sort this out, little one,” she said as she took the infant.
“There is nothing to sort,” Mr. Elliot said. “The child is obviously hungry and must be fed soon. If Mrs. Harville approves of Mrs. Logan, I am satisfied. Where can I find her? I shall take the child to her now, and settle whether he will board with her or she will return with me to the Lion.” He shook his head. “What a dreadful shock. I had thought I would be bringing both Mrs. Clay and my child home with me.”
“Your child?” Elizabeth said.
“Surely you assumed as much. I confess that I am not proud that he was born out of wedlock—I had intended to rectify that situation before her lying-in. Obviously, the events of this morning caught me unprepared.”
Obviously, Mr. Elliot was unaware that Sir Walter had already “rectified” Mrs. Clay’s marital status. “In searching for you, we met Sir Walter Elliot. He claims the child as his.”
Darcy’s a
“According to Sir Walter, she was under his protection when she died,” Darcy said. “They wed yesterday evening.”
The smile faded. “Indeed? Yesterday, you say? What fortuitous timing that would be, were it true. But Mrs. Clay was here in Lyme yesterday. Neither she nor Sir Walter are residents of this parish, and she was not absent long enough to have traveled to Kellynch and back without my knowledge.”