Page 140 of The Governess of My Heart
“You must understand, he was under the assumption that she wanted only money to end the relationship, proving everything that father said,” Mr. Anderson added.
“You both can say whatever you want, but this is atrocious. You played with a woman’s life, and you cannot imagine what Elizabeth has gone through because of this. All this while she stayed in Ashton Park as an employee when she was my niece and my family. I do not know what you feel towards her now, Mark, but I will declare to the world who she is if you do not. She is your daughter, even though you do not deserve to call such an honest woman like her your daughter. I do not care what you will do; you must take ownership of whatever has happened. You married someone else when you left that poor woman to die.”
Lord Anderson was unable to digest the truth; after so many years of assuming that Elizabeth’s mother was happily married, he was devastated to understand that she was no longer alive.
Just then, Darcy entered the library.
“Fitzwilliam, how is she?” Lady Martha asked with anguish.
“Not well; she is with Georgiana. I cannot imagine the torment she is going through, and I am here for answers. Lord Anderson, I am not here to discuss this matter as your friend or an acquaintance. I stand here representing Elizabeth as her future husband. I hope you can understand this; you owe us an explanation for everything that happened in the past and why my fiancée is undergoing this misery you have inflicted upon her.”
Lord Anderson stood before Darcy, not wanting to repeat the same details he had discussed with his sister.
“Sir, none of us here have the temperament to bear your silence. I need answers; you do not understand how she hassuffered so far, being raised by people who showed her no affection or care.”
“Fitzwilliam, I do not want to stand here any longer. I have made my stance clear; my brother must acknowledge his relationship with Elizabeth. You can listen to his explanation, and I want to see my niece.”
She left them, and Darcy felt relieved to understand Lady Martha’s sentiments in this matter. Once she left, he looked at Lord Anderson, not willing to let the man leave without hearing his complete story. Lord Anderson repeated the details he had shared with his sister to Darcy, and he listened without interruption.
“So, you state you were not acquainted with anyone in the Gardiner family except Elizabeth’s mother?”
“That is not true; I was introduced to Sarah and her elder sister during the social gatherings. I did not meet her father, though.”
“Can you elaborate on her companion who knew about your relationship?”
“She was a companion who stayed with their family. I understood from Sarah that she had played a vital role in raising them since their birth. All my communication with Sarah was through Mrs. Lewis, and she was the one who accompanied her on her trip to Yorkshire.”
“How did you meet her there?”
“It happened by chance, and I still cannot express how happy I was to see her there. She informed me that her father wanted her to marry Thomas Bennet, who was willing to save his business. Until then, she did not know me as Lord Anderson but as Mark Andrews. As I said before, I went to London that year to prove my father wrong; I was certain I would meet someone who did not favor my wealth.”
“So, you married her as per her request?”
“Yes, I did, and at that point, I was being pressured to marry someone else by my parents. I agreed to marry her, hoping I could convince my parents at some point. But my mother passed away soon after Sarah left for London. When my father knew I married her, he was convinced she had tricked me into marrying her for my money.”
Darcy could not believe his words.
“How could you blindly believe the letters she sent you?” he asked with doubt.
“Because she wrote them, Mr. Darcy, and it came from Mrs. Lewis, who was the only one who knew about our relationship and marriage.”
“Why didn’t you not go to London to speak with her?”
“You think I did not want to? She explicitly stated in her letter that she was ashamed of whatever happened between us after our marriage and did not want ever to see me again, as she wanted to live a life as Thomas Bennet’s wife.”
Darcy was not convinced.
“Everything you state would be true if she had married him. But she never did; as far as we know from Elizabeth, she never revealed your identity to anyone and died soon after Elizabeth was born. Thomas Bennet married Sarah Gardiner’s elder sister, and something is not right here. Sir, I am sorry to say this. I wish you could take ownership of what happened instead of blaming someone dead.”
“Do you all think I am capable of ruining an innocent woman? I loved her, and believe it or not, I still do. I was devastated when she wanted to end our relationship and demanded money. She wrote about the night we spent together as something she was ashamed of, described it as a sin, and blamed me for taking advantage of her. You cannot imagine the amount of torment I underwent to forget her.”
“I cannot sympathize with you, sir. You married someone else, and I perfectly understand why Elizabeth cannot accept your argument.”
“I do not expect her to. I have all her mother's letters; whatever I decided to do was what she wanted in our relationship. It was evident that all she wanted was money to help her father’s debts and nothing more.”
“I suggest you stop stating such a thing in front of Elizabeth, sir. She is already broken, and I will not allow you to torture her more,” Darcy said with a piercing gaze. He finally realized that he was speaking with his father-in-law.
Mr. Anderson observed them both in silence, anguished by the developments and horrified to acknowledge that the past had finally returned to haunt them.
