Page 184 of The Governess of My Heart
“I do not know, Lizzy. I could not deny his request to get married as planned; despite everything, he still wanted to marry me. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to convince his family.”
“You deserve his love; do not doubt that. Mr. Bingley is a wonderful man, and I am so glad you both found each other. I cannot tell you how happy I was when I became aware of your engagement.”
Mary smiled.
“I never imagined I would get married without my parents, Lizzy. I am glad it will not be the same for you, as you will have Lord Anderson.”
Elizabeth was not willing to discuss the matter with her sister, but she was certain that she did not want Lord Anderson to be present for her wedding. She was not blind to the visible bond that had formed between Darcy and Lord Anderson in recent weeks. Even her uncle, who initially blamed Lord Andersonfor his sister’s misery, seemed to have forgiven the man, and Elizabeth questioned him about the same.
“I ask you this because I want to know what changed, now that you have chosen to forgive Lord Anderson. Yes, I agree, he was deceived by the forged letters, but how could you look past his assumption of my mother’s character? Pardon me, I need to know. Did he convince you somehow?” she asked him.
“No, he did not. You must understand that I was indeed angry with him; enraged, I must say. But your aunt pointed out something to me the other day. She asked me how different I was from him in my treatment of Sarah. If he did not believe Sarah, so did I; if he doubted her character, then I am guilty of the same. I still remember the day I arrived from France. Father informed me of her condition, and I was enraged. I was unwilling to listen to her words, and I immediately assumed that she did something immoral and believed so. Had I been more supportive of her condition and calmer, your mother would have opened up about her marriage to me, just as she did to Fanny. Just imagine, your mother might still be alive had I trusted and given her the support she needed. Day by day, I witnessed her health deteriorate when she carried you, but I did not care to understand her. I have forgiven your father because unless I do so, I cannot forgive myself.”
Elizabeth stared at him in silence.
“All your grandfather ever taught me was to be the head of the family after him and look after his business. He failed to teach me to trust and take responsibility for the ones I loved. As much as I loved Sarah, I did not trust her when she needed me the most. All she must have seen in me was the anger I had toward the father of her child, and she loved him beyond measure that she chose to protect him.”
Elizabeth could not accept his reasoning; as much as her heart wanted to, her mind could not.
“I have no right to ask this from you, Elizabeth, but I want you to try at least to be civil to your father. Trust me, Sarah would want this from you, and she would want this for him. She died thinking that he abandoned her, and now that the truth is out, I hope her soul may rest in peace, finally.”
“Unfortunately, I am not selfless like my mother. I cannot forgive him, nor do I want to have any sort of relationship with him. The last thing I want to do at this point of time in my life is to pity a man who ruined my mother,” Elizabeth declared.
Her uncle did not want to press her.
“Maybe someday your anger will subside. Your aunt expressed your concerns about your sisters. Please trust me; they are my responsibility now. Even though Fanny did something so devious, I have no intention of letting her daughters suffer, and I will ensure they don’t pay for something they were not responsible for.”
Elizabeth felt relieved to hear his words.
***
Finally, the wedding day arrived, and Mary and Mr. Bingley were married at the Longbourn chapel.
Despite the recent scandal, most of their acquaintances were present in the church for Mary and Mr. Bingley’s sake. They were happy to see Elizabeth after so many months and showered her with affection.
“I am delighted to see you, my dear. I wish my daughter, actually both my daughters, had trusted me in this matter,” Sir William said to Elizabeth.
“Please do not hold them at fault. The situation was different then, and I did not want anyone to know about my whereabouts. I cannot thank Charlotte and Mariah enough for all they have done for me,” Elizabeth replied.
“It is so unfortunate that this happened to someone so close to us. Lady Lucas is still in shock to learn about the cruelty youwere subjected to. You have been very brave in this ordeal, and I am glad you are safe and happy. Please accept my heartiest wishes for your marriage to Mr. Darcy. You must be very proud of the man you are to marry, so handsome and intelligent,” Sir William said.
Darcy and Elizabeth could not spend much time together before Mary’s wedding, but as they stood in the church, Elizabeth could not help but blush, noticing how he looked at her.
Darcy’s eyes silently communicated his impatience to see her as his bride. Elizabeth felt emotional seeing her sister and uncle walk into the chapel, and her mind immediately painted a picture of herself walking down the aisle with Lord Anderson. Elizabeth suddenly felt dizzy and tried to compose herself and concentrate on the ceremony.
I must be relieved that he chose to avoid the wedding. But why am I even thinking about him?
She wondered as Lord Anderson had chosen to stay in London.
Once the ceremony was over, the party headed to Netherfield for the wedding breakfast, as none of them wanted it to be hosted in Longbourn.
Miss Bingley and her sister were hostile towards the rest of them, but breakfast was a happy affair anyway. Elizabeth could see the visible change in Lydia and Kitty within a few weeks. They spoke less and appeared to be conscious of their behavior. But Jane still did not say a word to Elizabeth.
Georgiana had formed a strong bond with Mary in a short period, and she expressed her wish to see the Bingley couple soon in Derbyshire for her brother’s wedding.
Soon after breakfast, Darcy, Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Charlotte’s family returned to town. Darcy had made plans to return to Derbyshire in a few days.
Elizabeth felt emotional to part from Mary, but Mr. Bingley promised they would travel to Derbyshire as soon as possible.
