Aspire - Kanthony's continuation story

Chapter 20 - February 6th

NOTE: Content warning for a (very non-graphic) scene of childbirth and some animal abuse (fishing).

The story will continue in the usual timeline in the following chapter, after the flash forward scene at the end of this one!

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Aubrey Hall, February 1816

New Year's Eve had passed as joyfully as Christmas had. Anthony had arranged fireworks to the village, much to the delight of his youngest siblings and every child living there. The snow still lay heavily on the grounds, as it had snowed even more in early January, making the banks rise almost a metre tall. During the second week of January the wonderful news reached Aubrey Hall that the Duke and Duchess of Hastings had received a healthy little daughter and decided to name her Belinda. That same week Anthony's expensive and prestigious obstetrician had arrived at Aubrey Hall. Kate had been afraid that he was some horrid self-righteous old vulture who understood nothing about women, although he was supposed to be 'the best' at his work in all of England, but instead Doctor Wright proved out to be a short and sturdy man in his early fifties with a sympathetic appearance and even quite radical medical ideas. In advance, Kate had thought it was a terrible waste of money having him sit around in the house already a month before the child was due, but instead she found the doctor's company most invigorating and educational. Doctor Wright was writing an risque essay on the female ​​hymen, how it was mostly a myth constructed by men and that there in fact was from a medical perspective no certain way to ensure that a woman was 'intact' before a marriage. It went without saying that Kate was impressed, also it felt safe to have someone around who could answer all the hundreds of questions she had popping up in her head as the childbirth drew closer for every passing day. And now, it was finally the week Doctor Wright had carefully calculated out as to be the most possible time of arrival for the child.

"I assume that you are going to nurse the child yourself, Viscountess Bridgerton?" Doctor Wright asked as he was once again sipping tea on the sofa opposite Kate in the drawing room, patiently answering her endless questions.

"Why would you assume that?" Kate grinned, thinking that surely she had not been that obvious with her quite liberal approach to raising a future viscount amongst English high society.

"Well, it just seems that there is some sort of frenzy going through the young mothers in London, they have all suddenly begun to read Wollstonecraft and demand to nurse their children themselves." The doctor replied. "I simply assumed that you shared their enthusiasm."

"Oh, how curious..." Kate smiled and thought about the letter Eloise had received at Christmas, telling that the sales of Wollstonecraft's works had gone up after Lady Whistledown had written about Kate's speech in Bloomsbury. Perhaps she had actually managed to make the world - just ever so slightly - a better place? "But yes, I will nurse the child myself, anything else is out of the question. My mother-in-law nursed all her eight children herself as well, so it is nothing new in this house, most fortunately."

"How brave of her, considering that she is from an older generation." Doctor Wright pondered. "Are there any other questions that you need an answer to, my lady?"

"Well..." Kate sighed and stirred slightly on the sofa, trying to find a better position while crossing her arms over her enormous belly. "Just tell me how to get this baby out of my body, surely it is time already..." She muttered. "I have felt like a stranded whale for weeks."

"Of course. There are a few good methods you could try in order to set the childbirth in action. Like you told me yesterday, you have already suffered from slight and occasional birthing pains, so I believe the long-awaited moment is not far away now. But you could try going on a walk -" The doctor began, but was soon interrupted by Kate.