Page 24

I t was two weeks since Elizabeth’s first visit to Pemberley.

Since then, Darcy and Georgiana had dined at Ashton Park a few times.

Whenever Elizabeth was in Darcy’s company, she felt unsettled by his presence; even though they conversed cordially amongst company, Elizabeth could sense some scrutiny in his gaze.

Maybe he disapproves of my friendship with his sister.

The truth was, Darcy admired her. He found her very intelligent, and her interactions with Georgiana were sensible and kind. He could see that his sister was happier when she was around Elizabeth.

He silently observed Elizabeth’s interactions with the children, and she reminded him of his mother. Her approach was kind but firm, and Darcy admired how patiently she dealt with their curious questions. He was intrigued by how different she was from other women he met in his social circles.

But oddly, he felt there was more to her past than she revealed.

Her manners signify that she is well-bred. She seems well-educated. How long could she have worked as a governess at such a young age?

Darcy met her a couple of times on the trails when he was on his morning ride; there was nothing but a formal exchange between them on such occasions.

He could sense that she was uncomfortable in his company and attributed it to the fact that she did not forgive him for his rudeness at the bookstore. He wanted to apologize to her but weighed the outcome of such an act.

What if it alters the current cordial relationship that I have with her?We may end up arguing again, but what if that ruins her friendship with Georgiana?

He hesitated, not wanting to have another uncomfortable conversation with her. Days passed, and Elizabeth and the Ashton family were invited to have tea in Pemberley one weekend.

Edmund and Emily ran around the house in excitement as they had not visited Pemberley for many months.

“Mrs. Davidson, I do not want them to behave in such a way. I suggest you and Miss Smith keep them in order,” Lady Isabella cried as they entered the house.

“I do not think Miss Smith is invited as the governess here, my dear, as she has been invited as a friend of Georgiana. I don’t think you can demand her to care for the children.

If you find it taxing to see them run around, you can take them upstairs with their nanny.

But I can see that you are not thrilled by the prospect of spending time with them,” she said calmly.

Her daughter-in-law tried her best to calm her anger, but Elizabeth felt uncomfortable.

“Madam, Miss Darcy tells me that there are toys in the nursery. Maybe the children can spend some time there, and I keep them company,” Elizabeth said.

“Yes! There are many toys in the nursery,” Georgiana said.

Lady Martha agreed, and after tea, Georgiana and Elizabeth took the children to the nursery.

“This is a beautiful room, Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth said with admiration.

The walls were painted in a light shade of pink, and the curtains had intricate embroidery of roses. There were several dolls to play with, and Emily picked them up with excitement.

“My mother did the decorations for the nursery. She spent a lot of time embroidering and knitting clothes for me, and my brother said she somehow knew I would be a girl. I have often seen him sit here in the evenings. Both my father and Fitzwilliam were devastated by her loss; as for me, I never knew her. But to date, Fitzwilliam tells me everything about her,” Georgiana said.

Elizabeth pondered on what she had heard. She could not imagine the stern-looking Darcy sitting in a girlish nursery.

There must be another side to this haughty man .

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.

Georgiana entered the study within a few minutes and sensed that her brother was tense.

“Fitzwilliam, what is wrong?” she asked with concern.

“Nothing.”

“Were you looking for me?”

“Yes! We should invite our guests to stay for dinner and also for the night. The storm looks bad, and letting them take the carriage back to Ashton Park in such weather is not advisable.”

“Of course! I will,” Georgiana said with excitement and left.

Darcy struggled to compose himself and did not understand why he felt so unsettled after the incident. He joined the others in the drawing room, and his eyes immediately fell on Elizabeth. She did not look up from her book, and Darcy could not determine how she felt.

“Fitzwilliam, Lady Martha has agreed to stay for supper,” Georgiana exclaimed.

“I hope the storm should pass by then,” Lady Martha said.

“It does not look so, mother. Even if it does, the roads will not be favorable for us to travel,” Lord Ashton said.

“I insist that you all stay here for the night,” Darcy said, and Georgiana pressed them to stay.

It was decided that they would stay for the night. Meanwhile, Elizabeth tried her best to compose herself after the encounter in the library.

She could not forgive herself for betraying her fear to him. The moment Darcy walked into the library, she instinctively reacted as fear overtook her whole body. The incident she thought she had erased from her memory returned to haunt her like a demon.

The words Darcy said before he left echoed in her mind.

“Forgive me for intruding on your privacy.”

What would he think of me? I must have made him feel like a rake. He knew that I feared his presence and left me alone. How am I to even converse with him cordially?

She wondered, and by the time Georgiana returned, she had composed herself. She had returned to the parlor, dreading to see Darcy. Now, she felt his gaze upon her and did not dare to look in his direction.

Georgiana left with Mrs. Reynolds to look after preparations for their stay, and Elizabeth excused herself and headed to the nursery.

The children still played happily, and Elizabeth informed Mrs. Davidson they would stay for the night.

“Do you think the change of place will make it difficult for them to sleep?” Elizabeth asked her.

“I do not think Edmund should have a problem, but Emily always finds it difficult to sleep in a different place.”

Georgiana joined them, happy with the prospect of their unexpected stay.

“I have made all the arrangements, and I am so glad to have you as our guest today,” Georgiana said.

Elizabeth smiled weakly as the last thing she wanted was to spend the night in Pemberley. Lady Martha had asked Elizabeth whether she would be comfortable staying for the night, and she had no choice but to agree.

During supper, Elizabeth had to face Darcy as he stood by the stairs as Elizabeth and Georgiana walked down.

Elizabeth had no choice but to meet his eye. However, she expected the same scrutinizing look from him, but there was nothing but concern on his face.

As for Darcy, he looked at her, and her beautiful eyes lacked sparkle.

He offered his arm and led them into the dining room. Elizabeth tried her best to relax, but she could not. She felt that fate mocked and exposed all her follies to him. She cursed herself for how she had behaved in the library.

After supper, Georgiana showed Elizabeth her room, and she was surprised to find it in the family wing.

“Should I not stay in the guest wing, Miss Darcy?” she asked.

“The Ashtons always stay in the family wing, and so will you,” she said.

“But… did you confirm this arrangement with… I mean your brother…” She could not complete the sentence.

“My brother feels the same way. I hope you will sleep well; sometimes, I never sleep in our townhouse. It takes a few days for me to get accustomed to a different place.”

“I shall, thank you!” she said and retired.

Darcy joined Lord Ashton for a glass of wine before retiring for the night.

“You seem to be distracted today. I am certain you did not like your ride getting interrupted by rain,” Lord Ashton said.

“I assure you that is not the case.”

“Then what is bothering you? You seem to be out of sorts.”

“It is nothing.”

“All right then, my man. I will see you tomorrow,” Lord Ashton said and left.

Darcy did not want to head upstairs and kept to his study. He felt an odd comfort in the thought of Elizabeth staying in Pemberley that night. It gave him happiness and peace that she was under his protection.

Her distress concerned him, and he wondered about her position in life. He was certain that her welfare was not at risk at Ashton Park, but he knew how the world was. He could not bear the thought of some rake taking advantage of her.

Darcy paced his study relentlessly and could not understand why he felt desperate. He wanted to give her a better life and protect her from danger. He did not want to see anything but a smile on her face, the smile that gave him so much happiness.

She is not my responsibility and is in no way related to me. Why do I feel this way about her? Why am I unable to stand that she is unhappy? If I feel this way about Georgiana, then it makes sense. Because she is my sister, and I love her.

But Miss Smith is not my sister, and I do not love…

He stopped his thoughts abruptly and finally understood that in just a few weeks, he felt something for her, and it was not merely the concern one could feel for a sister’s friend, but something more .