The Compromising of Elizabeth Bennet: A pride and prejudice variation

Epilogue

Darcy paced the hallway relentlessly listening to his wife's screams with increasing concern. Surely this wasn't normal? It seemed to be taking far too long and Elizabeth seemed to be in far too much pain. Unable to take it any longer, and at a particularly loud cry from his wife, Darcy dispensed with any sense of propriety and burst into his wife's bedroom.

The sight that greeted him filled him with utter terror. Elizabeth was laying on the bed deathly pale and covered in sweat. There was a noticeable pool of blood covering the bed sheets. Mrs Reynolds was holding up one leg and urging her to push whilst her Lady's maid had the other. The midwife was positioned at the end of the bed. Elizabeth was sobbing.

Suddenly noticing her husband's presence she desperately reached for him, "William."

In an instant he was at her side, taking her hand in his and trying to reassure her, despite his own fears. The midwife briefly protested but a fierce glare from the master of the house had her shutting her mouth pretty quickly.

It was another fifteen minutes of excruciating agony for Elizabeth before she finally felt a release and collapsed back on to the bed with exhaustion. The babe had been born but there were no cries. For a full minute Darcy could have sworn his heart stopped beating as he watched the midwife try to bring his babe around. For the rest of his life he would swear that the sweetest sound he ever heard were the first cries of his daughter who finally decided to alert them that all was well. Both Elizabeth and he breathed out synchronised sighs of relief. Exhausted but elated, the couple beamed at each other, their eyes full of love as their daughter was placed into Elizabeth's waiting arms.

Thankfully the births of Elizabeth's sons, born two years and then five years later respectively, and their fourth child, another girl, born less than a year after that, were much easier affairs. The four Darcy children, Isabelle, James, Edward and Sophie, grew up in the happiest of homes with a set of parents whose love never wavered. 

The End

Thank you for taking the time to read my Pride and Prejudice variation. Please leave a comment letting me know your thoughts - feedback is so helpful as I'm always trying to improve and if you have any ideas/requests for my next book then please let me know.

Also if you enjoyed this book then please check out my other completed stories - 'Finding My Luna' and 'The Escaped Princess'.

Happy Reading :)