Page 114 of The Governess of My Heart
She cried herself to sleep that night, not wanting to wake up to see another day in a world where the man whom she loved with all her heart hated her.
The next morning, she left home earlier than usual for her walk. Her face, if anyone saw it, would reveal that she had cried a lot. She hoped the fresh air would help her feel better.
Elizabeth walked for some time, then reached a stream and sat nearby, watching the sunrise. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a rider and immediately assumed it to be Lord Anderson. To her shock, the rider was none other than Darcy.
All night, she had imagined the situations she would have to endure in his company throughout her life; never had she contemplated the prospect of meeting him in private. When he saw her, he swiftly dismounted from his horse and walked towards her.
No, I cannot talk to him. I must leave.
No matter how rude it seemed, she stood and hurried away from him. In which direction she went, she did not know; all she wanted was to escape from him.
Elizabeth half expected that he would call out to her to stop, but she heard nothing. She walked as fast as she could, and to her horror, within moments, someone pulled her and swung her around, and she came face to face with Darcy, who looked fierce and angry.
Elizabeth was so close to him that she could feel the tension in his body.
“What are you doing, unhand me?” she cried.
“How long will you run away from me, Miss Smith? Or must I say,Miss Elizabeth Bennet?”
Elizabethfroze.
Chapter 35
Elizabeth could not believe her ears as Darcy’s words struck her like lightning, and she struggled to free herself from his grasp, but he held on to her firmly and pulled her closer.
“What... What are you saying? Let me leave,” she cried, just wanting to run away from him.
“Why? Did I say something wrong?”
She could not fathom how he discovered her real identity.
“How could you do this to me?” Darcy cried in agony.
“What did I ever do to you?”
“You made a fool of me and made me believe my feelings were one-sided. You did a great job of convincing me that you detested me.”
Elizabeth was speechless.
“Tell me, is that the truth? Were you sincere when you said you had no regard for me, stating that I was blind about your indifference to me?”
“Mr. Darcy, you do not understand anything.”
“Of course I do, Elizabeth. I understand everything about your past, including what happened in your home, forcing you into the world to employ yourself in disguise.”
Tears streamed down her eyes.
“Do you think my love for you would change because of your past? Ever since I understood the truth, I was tormented as to how you could think so ill of me. How could you think of my love for you to be so shallow?”
“No, I would never think of you that way or insult you so.”
“But you did and questioned the depth of my feelings and made me feel guilty for expressing myself to a woman who hated me. All this while, I accused myself of ruining your livelihoodhere and spent sleepless nights unable to accept your refusal. Tell me, why did you refuse me?”
“Because I could never accept you. If you know my identity, you must know why I ran away from home. My birth.. my mother... I cannot put you in a position to bear the misery of marrying someone like me.”
“You have no right to decide that for me, Elizabeth. I do not care about society or your past. I am enraged that you believe me capable of forsaking someone who I love more than my life. And your words that day have haunted me day and night. How could you do this to me? Tell me now, do you love me?” he asked angrily.
“Mr. Darcy, please...I cannot…” she cried, with despair.
