Page 79 of The Governess of My Heart
If what Elizabeth said to my face was true, she would have never spoken highly of me to Georgiana. Could she have changed her mind?
In the past week he was convinced that she detested him, but now he felt a slight glimmer of hope.
Deep down in his heart, he was certain that he felt something from her side every time their eyes met to strengthen his love. He did not know what it was.
But he was certain that he could not be so deeply in love with a woman who was totally indifferent towards him.
Darcy knew that the only way to make her understand his feelings was to openly declare them to her. He wanted her to know what he truly felt in his heart, which was filled with love and admiration for the most beautiful woman he had seen so far.
Maybe she does not understand my feelings and intentions.She looks at me as a wealthy man who wants to play with her feelings and considering her situation in life, she has reasons to believe so.
He realized his responsibility was to make her understand how important she was to him.
He wanted to marry her and give her a life of happiness and joy. He did not care for society. According to him, her social status had no precedence to her character and kindness. She had impressed him in every way since the day they had met.
He knew it would not be easy to win her heart, but he was intent on one thing: He was going totry.
Chapter 25
For the tenth time, Elizabeth wondered when she would see Darcy and could not help but look towards the direction of the hill.
The children ran around her excitedly, enjoying the outdoors. A day ago, Georgiana had written to Lady Martha, inviting them to join the siblings for a picnic by the lake. Georgiana felt happier after confiding her thoughts and concerns with her brother and wanted to spend time with him like before.
Whereas Darcy never wanted to neglect his sister again due to his personal battles. He admired the way Elizabeth had steered Georgiana in the right direction.
Since the first day they met, she had impressed him in every small way on every occasion. Though she had openly acknowledged her disregard towards him, he hoped to gain her affection.
He knew she would never accept him for his status or wealth. In the past few days, he had spent more time with Georgiana. They went on a ride together and spent time reading. Darcy also sat with Georgiana every evening when she practiced on the pianoforte. It was on one such evening that Georgiana proposed the idea of the picnic, and Darcy agreed not only to please his sister but also for the opportunity to meet Elizabeth.
The men were to join the women later that day, and Elizabeth felt restless at the prospect of seeing Darcy. Her mind replayed every word she had said to him during the dance, and she felt guilty when she sat next to Georgiana.
What would Miss Darcy think if she knew about my harsh words?
Lady Isabella had joined them as well but seemed as distracted as Elizabeth. Elizabeth could not understand her atall. She seemed to have an invisible wall around her that stopped anyone from getting too close to who she was.
“I do not think we will get any more warm days like this, dears. We must enjoy it while we can,” Lady Martha exclaimed.
“Are the winters very cold here?”
“Oh! Yes! The storms are severe; we get a lot of snow. The children love the snow, though,” she replied.
“Do you have a set date for your travel, Lady Isabella?” Georgiana asked.
“Yes, we will leave at the end of this month.”
“Oh! A few more weeks then,” Georgiana said with sadness.
They saw the men emerge down the hill on their horses just then. Darcy, Mr. Anderson, and Lord Ashton joined them within moments.
Elizabeth fought hard to remain composed when she greeted Darcy and was relieved when the children pulled him away from the group with the request to play some games.
Elizabeth observed how patiently he adhered to all the requests of the twins. Suddenly, he looked in her direction and caught her eye, and Elizabeth immediately looked away.
Georgiana suggested walking along one of the trails that ran along the lake, and Lord Ashton and Lady Isabella joined them. Elizabeth tried to suppress her smile because she was aware of Lady Isabella’s interest in the outdoors. She realized the lady wanted to escape being alone with her mother-in-law.
Georgiana asked Darcy to join them, and Elizabeth could sense a hesitance on his face. He finally left the children with their nanny and joined the party.
The trail was beautiful, but Elizabeth could not enjoy its beauty as she walked along with Georgiana and Darcy as Lord Ashton and his wife fell behind.
