Final answer:
The text does not specify the exact news Elizabeth's mother-in-law brings. Instead, it highlights the strained relationship between Elizabeth and her mother regarding the mother's botanical work and Elizabeth's desire to help and understand it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The news that Elizabeth's mother-in-law brings is not specified in the provided text excerpts. It is clear, however, that Elizabeth's mother, Claire, is involved in breeding a new kind of plant, which she is not particularly concerned about being better, only that they are different.
There is a sense of tension between Elizabeth, who shows an eagerness to help and to understand her mother’s work, and her mother, who seems to resist both help and understanding. As part of the exposition, we also learn about social behaviors and expectations of educated daughters, along with a glimpse into the personal dynamics and class-related issues of the era.
In the play or book being referred to in the provided text, Elizabeth's mother-in-law brings news that Elizabeth is going to have a daughter.
This can be inferred from the line 'A daughter is being delivered unto me this morning.' It is suggested that the mother-in-law feels this news will be more painful than the original delivery, implying that she may have some concerns or reservations.