Elizabeth had to laugh at this absurdity, but inside she was worried. How many children did Mr. Darcy desire? How many did he expect? What if she had daughters; would he insist on continuing until there was a son? What if the effort killed her?

Jane placed a warm hand on her arm. “You will have a son, Lizzy, I’m sure of it.”

Elizabeth smiled at her sister. “How do you know, Jane?”

“I just know. You will.”

“Shall I name him after you?” Elizabeth teased.

“I think a boy called Jane would seem a little odd, but John would not be inappropriate.”

“Oh, yes, call him John! Then I shall call him Jack and teach him how to dance!” declared Lydia. She pulled Kitty up and twirled her about, the two of them giggling and laughing. Lydia then picked up the crowns she had made and skipped about her sisters, laughing as she placed the crowns haphazardly on their heads. Mary was still wearing a bonnet and they all laughed at the picture of her braided grass crown atop her straw bonnet.

Elizabeth sighed. She would miss this, miss them, these sisters. Jane’s companionship and comfort she would miss the most, but in the six months since her father’s change, as she had come to think of it, she had grown closer to them all. She had bonded with Mary over music and singing and had come to appreciate and value her sister in a way she never could have imagined prior to the change. Kitty had become a dear, innocent companion, one that she would miss after she married. Kitty was still a follower at heart and would likely never be an overwhelming presence, or even a strong one, but there was a sweetness, an honesty about her that Elizabeth could appreciate and knew she would miss dearly.

Lydia, quite surprisingly, had become a great source of entertainment and joy, much like she had been as a young child before she had been spoiled so dreadfully. She was still exuberant and likely always would be, but she could curb her tongue in public now, a feat neither of her eldest sisters thought she would ever accomplish, and her need to have her way all the time had greatly diminished. Elizabeth thought it due largely to her no longer being out. As angry as Lydia had been, the change had done her good. She was now in a category of her own, almost, and the lack of competition had calmed her. Kitty was not out either, but only Lydia wore the dresses and hairstyles of a young girl and as much as she had balked against it in the beginning, the change suited her.