Monday 3 October 2022

Civil Contract Part VII

 Adam is concerned about Jenny but welcomes Mr Chawleigh to Fontley to be there for the birth.  News from Europe is disquieting, since Napoleon escapes from Elba at the end of February not long before the Lynton baby is due. As a former soldier Adam wishes he could be with his regiment and preparing for a possible war, but he knows that he is now a farmer and a husband and can't do that. 

Mr Chawleigh believes that Napoleon will be restored to his throne and be a nuisance to the peace of Europe again, but Adam is confident that he can be stopped. Lady Lynton comes to the house as well, to welcome her grandchild, and Adam has to try and keep his mother and father-in-law at peace with each other.  Lydia is due to come out in Society and because Jenny is going to be confined, Lady Nassington has undertaken to be her chaperone.  Charlotte who lives nearby is also pregnant now but not due until the Summer. 

Jenny's baby takes a long time to be born, and during the labour, Mr Chawleigh, worrying, loses his temper with Adam and tells him that if anything goes wrong, it will be his doing for taking her away from London.  Adam manages to refrain from snarling back, because he knows that as she is his only child, he is really worried and afraid of losing her.  But he keeps his temper and Mr Chawleigh apologises. Finally, the 2 men reach an understanding, and the baby arrives, a boy.  Adam finds that he is only minimally interested in his son right then; he is more concerned about Jenny.. who has had a long labour but seems to have come through it well.  

He tells Jenny he would like to call the child Giles after his own grandfather who was more of a country squire than his father had ever been and Jonathan after her father.  Mr Chawleigh is delighted.....

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