Page 143 of The Governess of My Heart
Georgiana immediately left them, headed to the other side of the library, and sat down with a book facing away.
Darcy did not lose an instant in pulling Elizabeth into his arms.
“I don’t dare to ask you whether you slept last night. How are you feeling?”
“I am well, and now I feel better as I am with you. I know this moment will not last long, and I want to relish it.”
“Do not say that. Even if you are leaving for Ashton Park, I plan to be there every day until we leave for town. We are facing this together; please remember that.”
Elizabeth did not reply; she held on to his coat tightly, engulfed in the protection and warmth of his arms. Finally, they moved away from each other, but Darcy refused to let go of her hand.
“Lady Martha insists on taking you to Ashton Park, but you must understand I do not want you to leave.”
“I understand.”
“Promise me you will take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
“I do not know how to say this, but Lord Anderson wants you to read those letters, and I know the amount of torment that would cause you.”
“I have no qualms in reading them, whatever his accusation is of my mother; if he thinks those letters will act as proof, then I am willing to read them, not to give him the benefit of the doubt or understand why he chose to abandon her and marry someone else, but to prove my point that he was in the wrong all the while. I do not trust a word he says, and whatever those letters state, I will prove to him how utterly wrong he was with his actions. If I have to endure his presence and reasoning to prove my mother’s innocence, I will do it; please do not worry about my welfare in this.”
“You have suffered so much, and I cannot see you in pain. Promise me, if you want to leave Ashton Park at any point, you must tell me, and I will bring you here; nothing takes precedence when your welfare is in question.”
They left for the parlor where Lady Martha waited for them. Georgiana stayed behind, sensing they may need privacy. Lady Martha felt relieved to see Elizabeth in better spirits but was very anxious about her well-being.
“Did you sleep, my dear?” she asked.
“Yes, I did,” Elizabeth replied.
“I want to take you back to Ashton Park as planned. Please trust me; I will be on your side, as your aunt, supporting you in this matter.”
Elizabeth nodded.
“Fitzwilliam, I spoke with my brother before he left. I had to ask him about the legitimacy of his current marriage.”
Elizabeth and Darcy stared at her in shock.
“Do you mean to say that his marriage with Lady Anderson is illegitimate?” Darcy asked.
“Well, at least until now my brother thought it was. It is complicated, Mark informed me that he was very depressed after ending his relationship with Sarah, and he never wanted to marry again. But after my mother’s passing, he was forced by our father to marry Augusta, stating that it was my mother’s only wish on her deathbed. I questioned whether he got the annulment, and he informed me that our father took care of it. But the truth is, it was never done, and Mark suspects that our father was aware of Sarah’s demise, which is why he never got the annulment.”
“Good heavens!” cried Elizabeth.
“I still do not understand,” Darcy cried.
“Mark had married Augusta exactly a year after Elizabeth’s mother’s sorrowful demise. As I stated, my father informed Mark that his previous marriage was annulled, even though they married over an anvil in Gretna Green. However, after my father died, Mark never found any documents regarding the same and he now suspects that my father must have known that Sarah had died in London, and that is why he never got the annulment. So, his marriage with Augusta is valid.”
“I cannot believe this, he chose to hide her death from him?” Elizabeth said with disbelief.
“Unfortunately, yes, but I know my father, Elizabeth, he must have tried to get the annulment and discovered your mother was dead. He cruelly withheld the information from Mark to make him marry Augusta. I wish my brother had not believed the letters blindly but had traveled to London while your mother was alive.”
“I cannot wait to read them,” Elizabeth said, suppressing her anger.
“Does his wife know anything? Is she aware that he was married before?”
“No,” Lady Martha replied with shame.
