Page 58 of The Governess of My Heart
They lost track of time as they sat playing with the two excited children.
“Miss Smith, this horse looks like the one you showed us in the book yesterday,” Edmund exclaimed.
“Oh! It does,” Elizabeth said.
“What is the story about?” Georgiana asked.
“It is a wonderful story about how a little girl makes friends with a horse. The horse helps her find her lost picnic basket,” Emily cried.
“What a lovely story, Emily. There are some books about horses in the library. Would you like to read them?” Georgiana asked.
“Yes! But I want to play here.”
Elizabeth and Georgiana left for the library and promised to send the books upstairs. Elizabeth took the wrong stairs, and Georgiana laughed.
“See, this is why you must visit me more often,” Georgiana said.
“Even if I stayed in Pemberley for a month, I would not know my way around the house,” Elizabeth said with a laugh.
Inwardly, Georgiana wished that something like that would happen. As they reached the library, a servant came to Georgiana requesting her presence in the parlor.
“I shall return soon. The books are at the farther end of the library, by the large oval windows,” Georgiana said, but Elizabeth hesitated to enter the library alone.
“Is something wrong?” Georgiana asked with concern.
“No, you please carry on,” she said and entered the library with hesitance.
To Elizabeth, the space seemed larger than the last time she had been there, and the candles were lit.
She looked for the books and found them. As she turned to leave, she realized that it was raining outside. Elizabeth slowly walked closer to the large window and looked outside. It was getting dark, and the weather looked stormy.
Somehow, the atmosphere and situation rekindled memories of the horrible evening at Mr. Brooks’ house. She looked at the candles on the nearby table and fought hard to erase the memory of the terrifying incident and what she had done to defend herself. As much as she tried, she could not erase the fear she had experienced that evening and recollected the devilish look on Mr. Dean’s face.
Suddenly, she heard the library door open, and Darcy walked in.
The timing of events was frightfully similar to the past, and Elizabeth started to tremble at the sight of Darcy. She turned white, as he walked towards her.
“Miss Smith, I came looking for my sis…” Darcy started and stopped abruptly. He was shocked to see her state of distress and immediately assumed she was unwell.
“Good God! Are you unwell?” he cried and took another step forward.
The moment he approached, Elizabeth gasped, dropped the books she held, and took a few steps back in alarm. Her hands immediately went to her chest, trying to protect herself.
Darcy suddenly realized what she experienced was fear, and it devastated him when he understood that she feared his presence. He could not look at her so and was appalled as to why she was afraid of him.
“Forgive me for intruding on your privacy,” he said and left her, fighting the urge to stay with her.
A few minutes ago, the men had returned from their ride as it started to rain, and Darcy ventured into the library searching for Georgiana.
Now, he walked to his study as his mind was circled around what he had witnessed.
Why did she feel so? Why did she fear being alone with me?Of course, Darcy, she must fear being alone with any man. She is a governess.
He knew how men took advantage of someone employed in their households and could not imagine her suffering that way. The very thought pained his heart beyond measure.
She must have experienced something in the past to feel insecure.
He relentlessly paced the study and had to control himself from returning to the library to check on her welfare.
