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He had to stop from declaring himself as the music had stopped. The dancers began to move away, allowing others the opportunity. Darcy had no other choice but to lead Elizabeth back to Georgiana.

His heart broke when he realized she had detested him all the while, and Georgiana smiled at her friend and brother as she received them.

Darcy bowed and moved away, unable to stay in her presence as her words tortured him.

She detests me.

He walked to the other end of the room, fighting the urge to turn and look at her.

Darcy had to converse with a few other acquaintances and could not stop himself from looking in her direction. He saw a gentleman talk to her, and from what he could make out, he asked her for a dance.

Darcy watched them converse for a couple of minutes, and when the music started, Mr. Thorton led Elizabeth onto the dance floor.

Darcy did not understand why he felt so angry and betrayed.

She said she had no intention of dancing with me or anyone here, but she is now. How could she?

Lord Ashton and Mr. Anderson joined him.

“Well, Mr. Darcy, is this not a fine evening? I look forward to the Christmas ball my sister always gives. Although, this year, she is not certain with the unfortunate passing of Lady Sophia,” Mr. Anderson said.

Lord Ashton looked forlorn at the mention of his late wife.

“We do host a harvest ball in Pemberley soon,” Darcy said, with no enthusiasm for the company. He tried hard to spot Elizabeth amongst the dancers, and finally, he saw her.

He felt agitated when he saw her smile at her partner as she danced. The couples moved around the room, and Elizabeth and her partner moved closer to Darcy’s side of the room.

Darcy caught Elizabeth’s eye for a fraction of a second as she looked in his direction.

Her smile vanished the moment she saw him, and a look of anger and helplessness was directed at him.

Darcy finally realized that she had told the truth about her intention to dance. He understood that she had no choice but to accept Mr. Thorton’s request.

She could not refuse him, as she had already danced with me. I put her in this position.

He watched helplessly as they danced, and from his observation, he could sense that her partner made her uncomfortable.

The moment the dance ended, Elizabeth joined the other ladies and tried to act normal, suppressing her anger.

Even before she could calm herself, from the exchange between Darcy and her during the dance, Mr. Thorton had come forward with his request.

Elizabeth knew the gentleman from previous engagements at Ashton Park but was in no mood to dance with him.

Unfortunately, she knew that she could not refuse him after dancing with Darcy. She did not want people to find it odd that she, a governess, accepted to dance with the master of Pemberley and refused another man in the same gathering.

By the time the dance ended, her anger had doubled towards Darcy for putting her in such a position.

Mr. Thorton seemed to have no other reason for asking her to dance except to flirt, and she heaved a sigh of relief as she sat down.

“You dance very beautifully,” Georgiana said.

“You rarely say that I do anything below par,” Elizabeth said in a teasing tone.

“I am not flattering you because you are my friend. I am telling the truth,” Georgiana protested.

“I agree with you. It was a delight to watch you, dear. The harvest ball at Pemberley is lively with a lot of dancing and music,” Lady Martha said.

“Oh! Yes! I always look forward to the harvest ball as we invite all the tenants, and it is more informal,” Georgiana exclaimed.

“That sounds wonderful,” Elizabeth replied, having no intention of visiting Pemberley again.

Gladly, she did not see Darcy until Lady Martha’s carriage was ordered, as the men had engaged themselves in the game room for the rest of the evening.

She bowed to Darcy formally when they left, and Darcy said nothing to her, well aware that she hated him with all her heart.

On the way back, he tried his best to pay attention to his sister’s excitement.

“I enjoyed this evening. I am glad Miss Smith was there; otherwise, it would have been very boring.”

“I am glad to hear that.”

“You are very kind, brother, and I must thank you.”

“Whatever for?”

“Your gesture to ask Miss Smith to dance with you was so kind and thoughtful.”

“I do not understand you, Georgiana.”

“Why, you knew the other gentlemen may hesitate to ask her for a dance and stepped forward. I am certain Mr. Thorton came forward after seeing you, and she dances beautifully.”

Darcy was silent as he did not want any other justification regarding the matter.

So, she was right. Not only to Elizabeth but to everyone, it must have seemed like I was doing her a favor.

He suddenly realized he had no choice but to openly declare his feelings to her and wait for her to understand his heart.

As for Elizabeth, she sat silently in the carriage on the way back to Ashton Park.

“Next time, if you do not wish to accompany me to such an evening, you just need to be frank with me, my dear,” Lady Martha said calmly.

Elizabeth looked at her in shock.

“Forgive me; I do not understand you.”

“Well, you did not like to dance with the gentlemen, did you? And if I am right, you were annoyed when Fitzwilliam asked for a dance.”

Elizabeth was silent for a few seconds.

“You are indeed a keen observer. Honestly, I have never been excited by these social engagements, nor do I have a reason to detest them. I have accompanied you to many such engagements, but none had dancing. I was not inclined to dance today, and when Mr. Darcy asked me, I was taken by surprise.”

“Did you think he asked you just to please his sister?”

“Is that not obvious?”

“I do not think he asked you because of Georgiana. He hardly enjoys these parties, and Fitzwilliam would never do such a thing to you or anyone. I don’t think it is for his sister’s sake. You both have very similar tastes, like in books, and maybe he wanted to get to know you better.”

Elizabeth was silent.

“Again, Elizabeth, I do not want you to do anything against your comfort or wish, for my sake. But I would also want you to live a life here as a part of our family, as a part of society. I hear nothing but praise from everyone who has made your acquaintance here.”

It was the first time Lady Martha addressed Elizabeth by her Christian name, and she held Elizabeth’s hands.

“I want you to be happy here. Quite selfishly, I could say that I want you to stay in Ashton Park permanently. But that cannot be possible, as you must have a life of your own, and I am certain it will happen.”

“I am happy here, and I wonder how I can be happier and safe anywhere else,” she said, grateful for making such a connection in her wretched life.

When the carriage reached the house, the house was silent, and it was way past bedtime.

Elizabeth retired to her room, and her maid helped her change.

“I hope you had a good evening, Miss,” she said.

“Yes, I did. I thank you once again for all your help.”

She lay awake in bed, unable to sleep, occupied by the events of the evening.

Why did he have to ask me to dance? Why can’t he leave me alone?

She finally slept, tired of her thoughts.

Around half past twelve, she heard a noise and woke up. She looked around and wondered what it could be. She slowly walked to the door. When she looked outside, the hallway looked deserted.

And she heard the noise again, and it sounded as if it came from outside.

Her room had a balcony, and she remembered she had left the door open. She stepped out into the night. She thought she saw someone in the garden in the faint light of the moon. Her room was on the second floor, and all she could see was a vague figure moving.

Who could it be at this hour?

She wondered and was not sure if it was her mind playing tricks on her.

She saw the figure move behind the trees and disappear. Elizabeth stood there for a few minutes and went inside, wondering if she had imagined everything.

The next morning, she contemplated whether everything had been a dream. She had woken up earlier than usual and decided to leave for her walk.

In the hallway, she almost collided with Lady Isabella, who seemed to be in a hurry to head up the stairs.

“Forgive me,” Elizabeth said in surprise.

She saw Lady Isabella quickly hide something in her shawl, which looked like a letter.

“Please move aside,” Lady Isabella cried and left her.

Elizabeth was puzzled by her behavior.

She left the house and headed to the gardens, ventured to the same spot where she had seen someone the previous night, and spotted a big flat stone that seemed oddly positioned near one of the bushes.

Someone has moved this. There is nothing in here, but I am certain this is the same spot I saw from the balcony.

She then had a strange doubt in her mind.

Did Lady Isabella take something from here? Maybe it was the letter she tried to hide.

It does not make any sense. Who did I see last night? Was it her or someone else?

Elizabeth knew Lady Isabella was ever an early riser.

This is all so strange .

She contemplated taking the matter to Lady Martha but decided against it and headed for a walk.

I cannot take this matter to her unless I know what I saw.

I need more insight!