Page 165 of The Governess of My Heart
“I cannot believe this, and this man is roaming freely after attempting to touch her?” Lord Anderson cried with rage.
Darcy could see that his anger mirrored his own.
“It might have been the case then. But I am not willing to allow anyone who harmed her to walk freely on this earth; each one will pay a price for hurting the woman who deserves nothing but the best in life. It pains me to explain Elizabeth’s character to you, but I need to. You may think she has agreed to marry me because I offer a safe future. But that is not true. Even though she truly loved me, she refused my proposal before I learned the truth.”
“What do you mean? I do not understand; Martha said you were engaged before you made the announcement in Pemberley and that she was aware of it. When did she refuse you?”
Darcy related why she had refused him the first time and how he became aware of her identity while he was at Hertfordshire.
“So, I returned and confronted her, and she had no choice but to tell me the truth. She was in love with me when I proposed to her, but she could not accept me as she did not want Georgiana and me to suffer the scrutiny of society. She thought she was unfit to marry me because of the legitimacy of her birth. Elizabeth cared nothing about her welfare or feelings. I am not telling you all this to show her in a good light; by now, I assume you can see for yourself. She truly has remarkable qualities, Lord Anderson, and I consider myself fortunate to have her love and regard. I can never stand to see her hurt in any way. Whatever happens in town, I will do everything in my power to keep her safe and happy. My only warning to you is that there is a goodchance that she may never accept you as her father, and I will stand by her decision if that is the case,” Darcy said with resolve.
Lord Anderson looked at him with admiration, and it was evident that Darcy would do anything for his love for Elizabeth. He finally realized that Elizabeth could never forgive him, as he had done nothing for her happiness so far.
***
A couple of days later, Mr. Bingley received an express from Darcy asking him to meet him in town. Since his engagement to Mary, he had found it difficult to stay in Netherfield as his sisters disapproved of the match. He could sense Jane’s animosity towards Mary during his visits to Longbourn. Mr. Bingley did not care for her in any way, and all he was concerned about was Mary’s welfare. Meanwhile, Mary was in a dilemma about revealing details about Elizabeth and Darcy to him. She was aware of their engagement and knew they would be in town soon. However, Elizabeth had not written to her after discovering the truth about Lord Anderson and her mother, and Mary felt guilty about not revealing Elizabeth’s secret to Mr. Bingley.
Mr. Darcy must have written to him about their engagement by now, but he does not seem to know yet. How do I explain about Elizabeth and her life here? What if he shuns me after knowing what my parents are capable of? How would he perceive my character after learning the truth?
Mary worried and felt very guilty in the company of Mr. Bingley. To her surprise, Mr. Bingley arrived that morning with the news.
“I need to leave for town in a couple of days; Darcy has sent an express requesting my presence in his townhouse.”
“Is he travelling alone?”
“I believe so. Why do you ask? He doesn’t mention anything else. I wonder what it could be. I think he started before hereceived my letter informing him about our engagement. As planned, I want to get married as soon as possible, and Darcy can attend our wedding now. What do you say?” he asked with excitement.
As much as she wanted to marry him and leave her depressing life in Longbourn, Mary was worried about what would happen once he became aware of the secret. Mr. Bingley was worried by her silence.
“Mary, your silence worries me. What is the matter?”
“Forgive me. I was lost in thought. I would be happy to get married as per your wishes,” Mary said, hoping Mr. Bingley would not be upset with her once he learned the truth from Darcy.
“I am glad to hear that. Once I return, we can finalize our plans, and I will inform your father now.” He glanced around the drawing room again, and only Kitty was present.
“You must let me know if something is distressing you here. I am very much aware of how your sister treats you now, and I will not stand for it if she does something to upset you.”
“Do not worry, I am fine. I hardly have time to notice things or people who don’t care about me; I only care about you and our future,” she said as she smiled.
Mr. Bingley was not convinced and wanted to marry her as soon as possible, not wanting her to be in an unpleasant atmosphere.
***
It was their journey’s final day, and the past few days had been tough for Elizabeth. Much to her irritation, Darcy had accompanied Lord Anderson in his carriage a few times on the journey. But she did not want to argue with him as to why he was cordial with Lord Anderson as she was grateful that he never pressed her to do the same.
Elizabeth and Darcy had a much-needed conversation about their plans in town in the last league of the journey.
“Are you certain you don’t want to stay at your uncle’s house?” Darcy asked.
“I do not know, Fitzwilliam. I would be more comfortable at Charlotte’s, as I have already stayed there.”
“As far as I know, the only place you would be comfortable is our house,” he said, holding her hand. Elizabeth glanced at Georgiana, who was asleep in the opposite seat.
“Poor Lady Martha, her chaperone is asleep,” Elizabeth said with a smile.
Darcy was silent and kept gazing into her beautiful eyes, fighting his yearning to kiss her. Elizabeth blushed, unable to hold his gaze.
“Even though you will stay away from me, there will not be a single moment during the day where I don’t yearn for your presence,” he said.
