Mrs Darcy (Complete)

Chapter 29

Lady Catherine was always a sucker for jokes of King George and his mad household and Fitz and I had become a customer to creating our own jokes about him as well. But in that room then and there all I wanted to do was to walk up to Fitz and kiss him, tell him how much I loved and missed him as suggest our daughters name. But I couldn't do that until our fathers had come over and asked how I was and how the baby was, to which I replied that we were both fine and happy to finally be out of bed.

Fitz came over to me and gave me a cheeky wink before his eyes landed on our daughter and he stopped in front of us, looking down at her tiny body in my arms. "Shall I?" He asked me and indicated holding her in his arms. I smiled and passed her gently to him before both of us turned and started walking out of the room, turning our backs on Lady Catherine as we left.

"How have you been while away?" I asked my husband as I walked by his side and turned a right out of the room and along the long and wide hallway.

"Fine, thank you, darling" Fitz replied as both of us seemed to feel an awkwardness rise between us for some reason. Maybe something was off. "What about you?" He questioned politely.

I clasped my hands in front of me as I usually would and felt the muscles in the crooks of my elbows strain as I had them bent so much. "I feel as though I am as strong as I can be so soon after" My response was awkward as well as I flexed my muscles. We walked for a couple of minutes through the house until we came to the ballroom and Fitz said After you dear, which he knew I loved the sound of and the two of us stopped at the edge of the huge room where the huge French windows opened onto the gardens. "I have been thinking a lot about baby names, Fitz. And nobody thought you'd like them when I told them that I wanted to give you some" I told Fitz as I felt the cool air around the windows touch my bare hands.

"I'm sure I'll love them all, Eve" Fitz responded as he gently bounced our baby in his arms and gently smiled back and forth at us. "I have a few of my own as well" He added.

"Oh, then you go first" I decided.

"No, no, no, darling" He replied. Why was this such an awkward feeling that I had between us? Was I feverish? Should I have stayed in the wheelchair?

I gave in and retrieved my thoughts, clearing my throat. "Rose or Rosa. Um, Emily or Emilia. Rachael. Sarah. Destiny" I watched Fitz' face as he gazed down at his baby and his eyes seemed to light up at the first and final two. "What do you think?" I questioned.

He paused for a second before raising his head and looking at me. "Rosa was one of mine, as was Destiny or Delilah" He told me in a gentle voice as I glanced down at the child in his arms, settled and asleep. "Or my mother's name"

I made eye contact and my heart fell instantly as I recognised the image above one of the staircases in my mind as being my deceased mother-in-law. "Mary" I whispered before my mind lit up with an idea. "Mary-Rose?" I spoke with an optimistic smile.

Fitz thought for a moment. "Or Rosemary" He spoke. "I like the idea of naming her after a flower" He told me as I nodded in agreement. "Daisy. Briar-Rose. Poppy"

"Violet" I threw into the cluster of names that we already had in the air. "Olive. Iris. Hazel or Holly. Annabelle's favourite flower is a Calla Lily" I said and placed one hand on Fitz' shoulder and the other on my heart.

"We're never going to decide like this" Fitzwilliam spoke and shook his head doubtfully. I agreed in my mind but didn't say anything. "I think we should-"

I interrupted because I knew what he was going to say. "Draw names out of a hat"

"Yes!" He responded with excitement and a slight hint of relief in his eyes. "And what about the christening ceremony? We should give our daughter the best start in life, darling" I nodded my head and thought for a second about the prospect of a christening for my baby and gathered the thoughts of standing by the pastor with my baby in my arms. But I stopped and looked down at the floor as dark thoughts of an attack clouded my mind and dizzied my vision. Fitz noticed and came up to me, standing right in my face with one hand on my shoulder and the other on the arm supporting our child. "Eve- what is it? What's wrong?" I heard him ask me, before I lifted my head and let him look at my eyes. He saw instantly that they were full of fear and worry that he already knew what I was thinking. "Nothing will happen. I promise" He said with a reassuring look on his face.