Mrs. Bennet sighed and pulled herself together to finish her letter. Elizabeth would be more successful than she had been, she knew it. She was fortune’s child, that girl. To be so wild and still catch such a man as Mr. Darcy, she had to be very lucky. There was no point at all in giving her tips—she did not need them.

Agnes Bennet looked down at her own traitorous body. The sunlight from the window above the desk where she sat illuminated her clearly and she sighed. Her bosom was lower than it had been, and her midriff was almost painfully flat. She would not flush with new life or swell with a child ever again. Lydia’s difficult birth had made sure of that.

She sighed once more. Her daughters would do better than she had. She knew it.

~

After a fortnight of glorious weather and excellent company, Elizabeth sat in their private sitting room, finishing her breakfast and looking over her letters. Darcy had gone for a morning ride and she was enjoying a few moments to herself. She had learned her new patterns well enough now to know that while she needed this time to remain equable, she would begin to miss him after an hour or two spent in solitary pursuits.

She opened the letter from Jane, nearly shrieking when she read of the engagement. She was thrilled for her sister. She experienced many thoughts and feelings but was surprised by the lack of one she had been expecting. Loss.

Elizabeth had been sure Jane’s marriage would remind her of the sacrifice she herself had made and that she would be both happy for her sister and a little sad for herself. But she did not feel so. Yes, she was happy for Jane, but to her very great surprise, she was glad her sister would also have a good marriage with a man she esteemed.

Choosing not to dwell overlong on that thought, she opened the letter from her mother. Slightly shocked by the content and its delivery, she was surprised at how helpful and informative it was. There was no talk of lace or advice on how to keep her husband happy—just womanly advice from mother to daughter, and good advice at that.

She knew not what to make of it, but sat down immediately to respond.

As she was writing, she thought about having a baby. Specifically, having a baby with Mr. Darcy. Of course, she had known for some time that if she had children, he would be their father and the likelihood of having them was extremely high. But still, it was a very different thing to think about after the wedding than it had been before.