All Hallow's Eve (66 page)

Frightened by Elizabeth’s expression,
Georgiana
asked,
“Elizabeth, are you well?”

Elizabeth
replied,
“I have never been better, Georgie!
The vibrations emanating from
t
his
Thin Place
are
even stronger than the
meadow
in Hertfordshire
!”

“Is that good?”

Elizabeth nodded.
“It is excellent.”

Georgiana followed her sister-in-law around the outskirts of the meadow and then into the
centre
, where a tree stump sat
in the
exact
location that it should be
. “The
Sanun
has been performed here before. I can feel it.”

“Elizabeth, it is growing late,
” Georgiana said worriedly. “
We are closer to
Pemberley
than we usually
are when we
walk, but it is still quite a distance.
We should head back to the house, do you not agree?
If
we should be delayed past dark
...
”
she trailed off.

Elizabeth laughed. “You are correct, of course.
William
would probably send out a search party consisting of every one of the servants and tenants. He might even send
a message
to Lambton
asking
for more men!”

Georgiana
giggle
d
and led the way home.

~%~

October 31, 1812
- All Hallow’s Eve

In consideration of Elizabeth’s condition,
William
insisted they
start out
well before dark
. He drove the cart into the woods in the direction of the
Thin Place
, the path now well-worn from the many trips they had made back and forth since
the day
several
months earlier when
Elizabeth and Georgiana had found it. The Bennets and the Bingleys had joined the Darcys at Pemberley nearly a week before in order to help Elizabeth make preparations
, among which
altering her ritual gown to fit around her ample figure
was a priority
.
Alt
hough Elizabeth had told
William
that he need not come along to attend her, he refused to allow her to go alone, especially since he had been witness to her fall the year before.

“Are you certain that other
Sanun
rituals have been performed whil
st
the High
Priestess
has been with child?”

Elizabeth was lying in the back of the cart, sufficiently cushioned by several blankets and pillows
placed there in response to
her husband’s
careful
instruction. She tried not to laugh as she answered, “Yes, William
,
a
s I have mention
ed perhaps
two or three
hundred
times in the past
few
months
,
w
omen have performed the Sanun annually for centuries. It is very likely that many
of
them have been in varying stages of carrying a child.
”

“Am I really that bad? My
only wish
is
to protect you and my
son
from harm
.”

“I
understand
, my love.
” She reached up and touched his elbow, and he extended his hand to meet hers. “
Your
daughter
and I do appreciate your caution, but I think th
e
subject has been sufficiently explored.
Tonight,
I will perform the
Sanun
.
”

William stopped the cart as close to the meadow as he could
and
insisted on carrying his wife the remainder of the distance. Along the way, he stopped several times to collect the herbs that Mrs. Bennet and Jane had shown him
would be necessary for the
special brew to
help Elizabeth revive
after the Songs. Arriving at the
Thin Place
, he
placed
Elizabeth on the tree stump
close to the large pile of wood that
t
he
i
r sisters had gathered
during the previous
week. He
then
occupied
himself with
the business of gathering the
remainder of the
leaves
from plants that
grew
c
onveniently around t
he outskirts of this meadow
and brushed the ground with a large pine branch.

“Very efficiently done, my William!” Elizabeth commented as he approached her. “You
have
completed
all
the
required
task
s
with plenty of time to spare.”

“Then perhaps you should eat a little something to keep up your strength?” He pulled a package from his pocket and unwrapped the cloth, revealing several slices of bread and cheese.

“How thoughtful of you. I
am
always hungry of late.”
She offered to share her meal
with him
. He took a slice of bread
, knowing that
she did not like to eat alone.

William answered, “It is understandable since you can eat
only
a small amount at a time.”

A few minutes later, Elizabeth turned her head as if someone had called her name. “It is time.”

William helped her to stand
,
and
they
walked toward the wood stack. She
expertly
lit the fire with only two pieces of wood
, and b
efore long, the bonfire was burning brightly
.
Elizabeth began the Opening Song.

Sitting
upon the tree stump to keep out of her way,
he
watched his wife dance, amazed at how she could
move so gracefully when
so large with child. The sight was even more beautiful than the first time he had witnessed the
Sanun
.

After a time
, the Song and D
ance slowed. Elizabeth halted and raised her face and arms up to the sky. As the last note faded, his wife’s frame began to glow with a bright, white light. Pieces of the light
separated from its core
surrounding her and travel
l
ed
through the air around the meadow, each piece taking the shape of a person when it
s movement ended
. The light would fade,
and
the
person standing
there in its place
would
bow to
Elizabeth. Soon after, it would
transform again into
a
tiny light
and
float
away
into the sky
as
another would take its place.

As the
volume of spirits
passing through her lessened
,
a
woman
whom
William recognized as
Elizabeth’s grandmother, remained next to her
.
He
stood,
bowed
,
and
began to
introduce himself, but she
interrupted
, “Good evening, my dear
William. It is such a pleasure to finally meet you
in person
, so to speak
.”

“Good evening, High
Priestess
. The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. Elizabeth has told me so much about you that I feel as if I know you.”

Elizabeth’s grandmother turned her head suddenly and looked at Elizabeth. “It is almost time, William, do you wish to catch her, or shall I?”

“I will take care of
my wife
, High
Priestess
.”

“As you have done
very nicely
this past year.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Thank you, William.”

“It has been a
privilege
to serve
her
, madam.” William moved
close to
Elizabeth so that he
would be prepared when she fell, and s
he did so only seconds later.
Cradling her against his chest
, he lovingly helped her to drink the brew that he had
prepared
for her. Soon after, her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled up at him.

“Can you stand, Elizabeth, or would you like to sit?”

“I think I am well enough to stand—at least
for a little while
. These hours in between
the
Songs are my
favourite
part of the ritual. I am happy to share
this time
with you, William. You will learn to treasure it as much as I do!
”

He helped her into a standing position
, one arm remaining around her waist so that he would be near to steady her if required.
When he
looked up,
he
realiz
ed
that he had been so involved with Elizabeth that he had not noticed
that
some of the other souls had
already
returned—including his own parents
, smiling widely
.

Lady Anne raised her
arms and ste
pped forward,
embrac
ing
both William and Elizabeth at the same time
, turning her head to kiss each on the cheek
.
When his wife moved away, Mr. Darcy came forward, kissed Elizabeth’s hand and shook his son’s.

“You have done a marvelous
job in ridding the Earth of the
Olc
.
We are so very proud
to be
counted
among your relations
!
”

Lady Anne
added, “And now you give us a grandchild! We are truly blessed. May I speak to you alone, High
Priestess
?”

“Lady Anne, I am your daughter—please call me Elizabeth.” Lady Anne nodded a
s she
took Elizabeth by the hand, leading her a few steps away from the gentlemen to gain a bit of privacy. “I see your opinion of William has changed over the past year.”

Elizabeth chuckled. “So it has
.
”

“I will
acknowledge
that he needed to be turned in the right direction, my dear
. H
is father and I
began the process, and
you
accomplished
the rest. He had
had
no personal experience with love,
as
our circle within British society does not expect
it
.”

“I do understand that now, Lady Anne, but at the time
I did not
.”
S
he
shrugged her shoulders. “
T
hinking that I had overheard his
true
opinion
of me at the Assembly ball, I was afraid to trust his words
when he confessed his interest
.
I must also
concede
to being too stubborn to admit my feelings for him—even to myself.
”

Lady Anne smiled.

“I love him now so deeply that it is difficult to believe that at one time I felt otherwise.”

“I am very glad to hear it, my dear. I could wish for nothing less.”

Elizabeth asked, “Lady Anne, if you
care to
share some stories about William’s childhood
,
you will find a willing audience in me.”

“Has Mrs. Reynolds told you nothing of William’s youth?”

“She has, but I am interested in your perspective.
” Elizabeth blushed. “
I was also hoping that you would have advice about motherhood in general.”