Posted on Tuesday, 1 February 2005
The day was bright yet mercifully devoid of heat, an unusual occurrence for August. However, the lady was well prepared and there was a large canvas, providing shade for her as she picked strawberries. All in all, the scene would have been a charming picture indeed; yet the look on her face was one of clear discontent.
"I do not believe Jonathan would do." Emma stated with a pained look on her face.
"And why is that?" Knightley responded from two rows away, basking in the sun.
"Because Mrs. Weston's son has already claimed that name, and we cannot have two Jonathans in Highbury."
"Oh yes, heaven forbid there should be two Jonathans. It might tax the patience of the general populace of Highbury to their limit."
"I hear your tone Mr. Knightley and I do not approve." Emma responded spiritedly.
"And I for one will not agree to André St. John."
"And why is that?" Emma cried out, her attention now totally diverted to her husband.
"One thing he is solid English not French, and if you care to remember we are at war with France again. And knowing our history with them we probably still will be when our child is ready to wed. Besides, how could a baby possibly manage such ... grandiose title?"
"It is not a title! André St. John is a lovely name. Gives the person a certain romantic reflection."
"Even so, Emma, we really should give the child a name he wouldn't have to drag behind him like a crippled mule. Besides, what if the baby is a girl?"
The length of silence from his wife was astounding.
"Emma, I am quite certain your husband was only teasing you." Mrs. Taylor stated with a light smile on her face.
"Why is he so vexing? Especially now that I am with a child? Does he not see how important a name is to the welfare of the baby?"
"It is a woman's fate to give birth, and it is the man's lot to live with us while we do. I sincerely doubt Knightley meant any harm by wondering if you were with a girl instead of a boy. I think it is very considerate of him to imagine the child to be a girl actually, don't you?"
"I don't want consideration, I want a name!" Emma said forlornly. "And if we do not choose soon the baby will be born without one. Can you imagine a child born without a name? Could that prevent the Baptism and if not how could the priest perform the ceremony? And my father told me that a child without a name is more easily reclaimed by Death."
"Where did he hear such an awful thing?" Mrs. Weston cried out.
"From gypsies that came through Hartfield; one of my father's less astute decisions."
"I see. Well Emma, I still say Knightley was teasing but I must agree with him in saying André St. John might be a bit too decorative for the baby."
"And totally unfit if she is a girl." Emma added with a small smile.
"Only just slightly." Mrs. Weston replied and both women began laughing.
"So Isabella is out of the question then?" Knightley inquired over the chess table.
"No, we already have one Isabella in the family and that is enough. What of Alexandria?"
"I am not quite sure I wish to name my little girl after a city that has been laid to waste. Repeatedly."
"And I thought you an educated man."
Knightley smiled at the bantering tone in his wife's voice. "Educated I may be Emma but I am very firmly situated in the modern times. What do you think of Mary?"
"Now that is very dull indeed! What of Johanna?"
"You are really determined to give our child foreign airs. An old-fashioned English name is good enough for our baby, and yes I have reconsidered Marita, and my answer is still no."
"Marianne is an English name but you disapprove."
"Depends on how you spell it, Mary-Anne is an English name, Marianne is not but it's too ... I don't know, a bit too much in the wind for a girl, don't you think?"
"The only difference is the Y and the I!"
"Yes, but to me that does make a difference."
"It is as if I replace nutmeg with cinnamon for my favorite soup. What possible outcome would that substitute make?"
"An improved soup?"
"So now you do not approve of my..." Emma's voice rose noticeably.
"Emma, you are losing yourself. You do realize you have made equal of your winter dish with our child's name?"
Emma paused for a moment and the color on her cheeks began to fade. "Yes, I do see your point. How about Katherine?"
"With a K or a C?" Knightley inquired, intrigued by the offer.
"I really do not care husband, though I prefer a K if that is acceptable with you."
"Katherine ... yes I like it. It has strength, certain nobility. What is your opinion, Emma?" His wife's smile was all the answer he needed.
"So her name will be Katherine. That is if the child is a girl." Emma said with relief to her confidante.
"I am glad, what if it is a boy?" Mrs. Weston asked.
"That has yet to be resolved." Emma's good mood dissipated with the question.
"Oh come, come, Emma I am sure both of you will find a name for the baby should he be a boy. Is there nothing both of you can agree upon?"
"He is firmly entrenched in the English soil and will not hear of any foreign names, and those he chooses are so dreary! I fear the child will have a dull life indeed if I let Knightley name the baby."
"Emma he must be involved in the process!"
"But why must he be so difficult?"
"Perhaps he's being cautious. That is in his nature."
"Too cautious then and it is our child after all!"
"It would be wise for you to remember that declaration."
"Alan?"
"Who?" Knightley said, confused by his wife's sudden outburst.
"The name Alan?"
"No."
"Bartholomew?"
Knightley's eyes suddenly widened, "I never thought you would..."
"I was teasing. I never would."
"Emma..."
"Marat?"
"Oh yes, let us name our boy after a murderous and murdered French revolutionary."
"He was murdered?" Emma asked. "How awful!"
"And thus totally inappropriate."
"Mr. Knightley, if you care to remember most of the names originating in the Bible belonged to men who came to a bloody end."
Knightley's slight smile soon grew into laughter. Emma soon caught his infectious mood and joined her husband.
"How about William?" Emma asked.
"No," Knightley said. "I know too many Williams, and none of them are quite the men I expected them to be."
"Henry?"
"You would settle for that name?" Knightley didn't bother to mask his surprise.
"Yes," Emma answered. "For now."
Knightley did not pace. If he did, he feared his wife would hear his nervous pattern and he did not wish to distract her from what was quickly becoming an unbearable ordeal for both. The door to her bedroom opened and Mrs. Whitfield exited.
"Sir," The old maid whispered. "The lady's asleep."
"Her health?"
"Tired but she has fared well. I have seen more difficult births. Hers was one of the easier ones."
"Thank G-d," Knightley whispered. "And the child?"
"The baby is sleeping soundly." Mrs. Whitfield answered with a reassuring smile.
Knightley's eyes darted towards the closed door. "Is ... my ... daughter or son?"