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“ E lizabeth!”

He had said the name to himself a million times in the past two days. The next day, after the Ashtons left Pemberley, Georgiana and Darcy visited Ashton Park. Darcy wanted to see Elizabeth as much as Georgiana did, but she was too na?ve to understand her brother's feelings.

“I am glad you decided to accompany me. Do you have plans with Lord Ashton?” she asked him without the slightest doubt.

“I do not have fixed plans,” Darcy said, unable to think of any excuse to accompany her. Lady Martha was surprised to see them.

“Well, my dear! I am glad you came. The children have been bored,” Lady Martha said upon their arrival.

“Are they not studying?” Georgiana asked as it was mid-morning.

“No, Miss Smith seems to be unwell. She is resting.”

“What happened? Has the doctor seen her yet?” Darcy cried without a thought.

“She has a headache. I hope she will be better tomorrow; otherwise, I will call the doctor,” Lady Martha replied with a raised eyebrow.

Darcy struggled to compose himself, and Georgiana was equally worried.

“Oh, dear! Could I see her?” she asked.

“I could ask her maid and see if she is awake.”

By the time, Lord Ashton joined them.

“Fitzwilliam, I am so glad you are here. I have some business with the steward this morning, and I would welcome your assistance in the matter,” he said.

Darcy did not want to leave the room, as he wanted to know how Elizabeth was, but he had no choice and reluctantly left with Lord Ashton.

Elizabeth’s headache worsened after reading the letter, and she could not sleep the previous night. She was relieved when Lady Martha asked her to rest for the day.

But somehow, she could not stop her mind from analyzing every word in the letter.

She weighed all the possibilities of the context of the letter her father had written to her mother. After contemplating for a long time, she concluded that he had written it to settle matters when he became aware of her condition.

He declares he loves her but easily asks her to marry someone else.

How could he say that when she was carrying his child?

It was so easy for him to compensate for his fault with money.

No wonder my mother wanted to do nothing with him.

That must have been the reason why she did not mention his identity.

She would have been devastated to have trusted such a man.

He mentions love, and I wonder if he even knew its meaning.

She was tormented by her situation and wished she had never discovered the letter. She felt guilty for neglecting the children.

Her maid informed her that Georgiana wanted to see her.

“Lady Martha wants to know if you would like Miss Darcy to visit you. She asked me not to press you if you wanted to rest.”

“Oh!”

The maid waited for an answer, and Elizabeth suddenly wondered whether Darcy was also present in the house.

“Yes! I would be happy to meet Miss Darcy,” she said, getting out of bed.

The maid left and brought Georgiana along. The moment the door opened; Georgiana rushed to Elizabeth’s side.

“I am sorry to trouble you, Miss Smith. But I could not leave without seeing you,” she said to Elizabeth, “How are you feeling?”

“I am better, and I am glad you came.”

“Lady Martha said you felt unwell since yesterday. Did you not sleep well at Pemberley?”

“I did. I do not know why, but I sometimes get these headaches. I am certain I will feel better tomorrow.”

“I hope so. The children seem bored. It is indeed surprising to see children of their age feel sad about missing their lessons. Even now, I feel happy to miss my lessons.”

Elizabeth laughed at Georgiana’s innocent declaration.

“I miss them too.”

“Fitzwilliam and I will keep them company for a while.”

Elizabeth looked at Georgiana with surprise.

So, he has come.

She was glad that she was unwell and did not have to face him. Georgiana stayed for a few minutes and left Elizabeth, not wanting to disturb her for long. Meanwhile, Darcy hardly paid attention to Lord Ashton’s discussion with his steward. He was impatient to know about Elizabeth’s health.

Once the discussion was over, he hurried back into the parlor.

“How is Miss Smith faring?” he asked Georgiana, trying hard to suppress his concern.

“She still has a headache but said she is much better.”

The children surrounded Darcy, and he led them out into the garden. He played with them for a while, and after refusing dinner, Georgiana and Darcy left.

Darcy did not want to spend more time there, fearing his countenance would betray his feelings. However, he felt agitated because he could not see her.

On her way back to Pemberley, Georgiana noticed his displeasure and suddenly worried that he disapproved of something she had done.

“Are you worried about something?” she asked him with hesitation.

“No. Why do you ask?”

“I can see you are upset. Did I…did I do something wrong?”

Darcy looked at his sister's worried face.

“No. Why would you think that? I am sorry you could not spend more time at Ashton Park.”

“I hope she feels better soon,” Georgiana said.

Darcy was silent and no longer doubted his feelings towards her.

I love her. I cannot deny it anymore. I love Miss Smith.

He suddenly realized that he did not even know her Christian name. The realization shocked him, as he had never heard anyone address her in any other way.

“The children looked unhappy today,” he mentioned to Georgiana, who was reading a book.

“I noticed, too, as they enjoy their lessons. I hope she will be better tomorrow to teach them.”

“What is…What is her name?” he asked, unable to stop himself.

“Whose name?”

“Their governess, all of them call her Miss Smith. I assume she has become your close friend. You know her name, don’t you?”

Georgiana laughed.

“Of course! Her name is “Elizabeth”, “Elizabeth Smith”.”

“Elizabeth,” what a beautiful name. “Elizabeth”.

“I have asked her to call me by my Christian name, and I also wish to address her as Elizabeth. But she politely declined, citing that it would be improper for her to do so. I wish to address her so, brother; it is such a beautiful name. Emily has named one of her dolls Elizabeth,” she carried on, oblivious to Darcy’s expression of happiness.

They returned home, and Darcy locked himself in his study once again.

He felt he had left his mind and heart in Ashton Park. He had gone with the anticipation of meeting her and hoping to converse with her, but he did not know what he wanted to say to her.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth rested in her room and understood from her maid that the Darcys had left.

“I hope you feel better, Miss Smith,” her maid said as she brought her a tray for dinner.

Elizabeth was touched by the care and concern she received at Ashton Park.

I must not let my past ruin the present and my future.

She promised herself never to read the letter again.

“How are the children, Lucy?”

“Oh! They have asked for you many times. But Lady Martha has asked them to give you rest. Their nanny is trying to keep them entertained, and Mr. Darcy played with them for a while in the garden. He is very good with children,” the maid said.

Elizabeth looked at her with curiosity.

“I was employed in Pemberley before,” she said with a smile.

“Oh! Yes!”

“Six months ago, I married Mr. Ronald, who works here at the stable. Mr. Darcy allowed me to transfer here after that.”

Elizabeth was puzzled as she had met her maid’s son many times. The boy was two years old.

“I understand why you are puzzled, Miss. You want to know about my boy.”

“No! I do not mean to intrude.”

“My boy was born before I got married. I was ruined by a man in the past as he promised to marry me and left me with a child.”

“Good god! Was it someone in Pemberley?” Elizabeth asked in horror.

“Not at all! He was a distant relative who visited my parents in Lambton. He absconded after he became aware of my condition.”

Elizabeth felt sad for the poor girl.

“I was engulfed with shame and guilt as my parents were enraged. I was more scared to face Mr. Darcy, as I had worked in Pemberley for three years as the housekeeper’s maid.”

“Was he …was he angry?”

“Yes, but not in the way you think. He was angry that someone cheated me so. He tried his best to find that man and make him marry me, but it was of no use. My parents forced me to leave the village and have the baby elsewhere. But Mr. Darcy took full responsibility for my well-being. Can you believe if I say I had my child in Pemberley?”

“Oh!”

“I did. They took good care of me, and I continued working there. Then I met Mr. Ronald; we fell in love and got married.”

“I am glad you found happiness. He must be a remarkable man.”

“He is. I am really grateful to my husband for accepting me with my son. But I also owe my current life and happiness to Mr. Darcy. He did not allow anyone to belittle me for my mistake. Mrs. Reynolds helped me overcome my shame and guilt, and I owe everything to them.”

Hearing the maid’s story made Elizabeth reflect on her assumptions about Darcy’s character. She could not make anything of him to date, and his behavior at Pemberley puzzled her.

Elizabeth felt well the next day and left for her morning walk. She contemplated whether to take her usual trail, but she had met Darcy a couple of times on that trail and decided to walk in the opposite direction.

She enjoyed the warmth of the beautiful morning, and within ten minutes, she saw a small stream near the trail.

Elizabeth took a moment to rest and sat on one of the rocks, the sound of the gurgling stream comforting.

When she got up to leave, she heard the sound of a rider.

She turned around with worry to see if it was Darcy and was glad it was someone else.

The rider stopped upon seeing her, and he was an older gentleman. Elizabeth failed to recognize him.

“Good morning, Miss. I seldom encounter anyone here at such an early hour,” he said with a smile.