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A week later, Elizabeth sat in the carriage gazing out the window. She hardly paid attention to the children talking to her, and about half an hour ago, she had watched Ashton Park fade away from her sight.

She was on her way to Grovnor Park with Lord Ashton’s family.

The couple had taken a separate carriage, and the children, their nanny, Elizabeth, and a maid had taken a bigger carriage.

Lady Martha was not very welcoming to the idea of the children travelling separately.

Lord Ashton had to reason with her that they would be more comfortable in the bigger carriage.

“What do you say about this arrangement, Miss Smith? I wonder if it would be inconvenient for his children to accompany him and his wife in their carriage. I don’t think there a question of privacy here, when it comes to his own children.”

She had said this to Elizabeth with a sense of annoyance during tea the previous day.

“If I may speak plainly, madam, I could share my thoughts on the subject.”

“Well, I do not know any instance where you have not been open with me. Please go ahead.”

“As much as the children would like to travel with their father, that case would press me and their nanny to travel in the same carriage. Between all of us, I think the children would never settle down or rest during the journey. They may not want to sleep or ask their father to play with them most of the time. I think it is a better choice for them to travel separately.”

Lady Martha had to agree with Elizabeth’s point. She had more often than not seen her son pamper the twins, trying to compensate for his absence at times due to business or his commitments with Lady Isabella.

That morning, Elizabeth bid a tearful goodbye to Lady Martha. They were to reach Grovnor Park by the next day. Elizabeth gazed out of the window, seeing the hills rolling by. Her heart and mind circled around Darcy, who was currently absent from Derbyshire.

She recalled the events of the previous week with sadness.

The day after the proposal, Georgiana visited Elizabeth in distress. She informed Elizabeth that her brother had left Pemberley owing to some urgent business in town, and Elizabeth could not believe it.

“I feel so wretched. You are leaving soon, and he is also not here. I am going to feel so lonely. I do not know what came up so suddenly. He said he had to leave and left even without breaking his fast. I am worried, Miss Smith. I feel something is wrong; I do not know what, but I wish he told me.”

Elizabeth did not know how to console Georgiana, fully aware of the reason behind Darcy’s sudden departure.

She replayed the words she had said to refuse him; it pained that she had accused him of ruining her life in Derbyshire.

He left so that I would not have to endure his presence. Good God! He left his beloved sister alone for the sake of what I said .

She felt incredibly guilty and ashamed to face Georgiana. She knew how much Darcy’s absence would affect her.

The whole week had been difficult for Elizabeth. Every time she sat in the parlor, Darcy’s face haunted her.

His devastation as she rejected him was evident in every feature of his face, and Elizabeth could not imagine what he had gone through.

Not only had she rejected him, but she had also questioned the nature of his feelings in the most unfair way, and he had removed himself from Derbyshire for her sake.

Elizabeth hoped that whatever she had done was for the best. She knew the ramifications of disclosing her true feelings and accepting his offer would only cast Darcy into misery forever.

Now, she was on the way to an unknown household and felt uncertain about her future.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Emily wanting to sit on her lap. She carried the child lovingly and looked outside the window.

“I like you a lot, Miss Smith,” Emily said, hugging Elizabeth with love. Elizabeth hugged the little girl tightly, needing it more than ever.

***

In town, Darcy sat in his study, feeling lost. It had been almost a week since he had left Pemberley.

Darcy felt he had no choice as he was certain he could never forget her.

His sentiments and love for Elizabeth were for life.

From her words, he knew that she hated him, and did not want to hurt her anymore.

As guilty as he was of leaving Georgiana behind, he felt it was the best thing to do at present.

He did not want to return anytime soon as he was not in command of himself around her.

He wanted to be away from her, at least physically, as there was no way of avoiding her occupying his thoughts day and night.

No one knew his presence in town except his cousin Richard and his close friend Mr. Bingley.

Richard had visited him a couple of times during the week.

“I do not know why you look so ghastly. Pray tell me, is something the matter with Georgiana?” Richard asked during one of his visits.

“She is well, do not be concerned.”

“Is it because her friend, Miss Smith, is away?”

Darcy winced when he heard the mention of Elizabeth.

“I am telling you. Nothing is the matter with Georgiana.”

“Then why are you here all of a sudden?”

“Bingley needs my assistance as he has bought a property in Hertfordshire.”

“So, you decided to leave in such a hurry?”

“He needs me at Netherfield at the earliest.”

Richard was silent and knew something bothered Darcy.

“When are you leaving to see him?”

“Tomorrow,” Darcy replied dryly. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to spend time in the company of Miss Bingley. But he had promised to help his friend and did not want to forsake him.

The next day, he started early. He had never been to Hertfordshire before but distinctly remembered his aunt mentioning the place.

He finally remembered that Lady Catherine’s parson has some relations in Hertfordshire. He cared nothing about the matter and was in no mood to form new acquaintances or engage in social events.

According to him, his life was nothing without Elizabeth.

He had no hope of winning her affection, nor did he have any way to ensure her welfare.

He knew the last thing she would want from him was any assistance in the world.

That was what she had accused him of; she had stated that he wanted to marry her out of pity.

It devastated him when he realized that she could never understand his love.

The very fact that she regarded his love as nothing more than pity pained him beyond measure.

When he reached Netherfield, Mr. Bingley and his sisters welcomed him warmly, but Mr. Hurst was still in town.

Mr. Bingley was delighted to see his friend, but Miss Bingley’s over-attentiveness to Darcy made him detest her presence as soon as he entered the house. He was glad when Mr. Bingley ushered him to his study.

“I am so glad you could be here, Darcy. How is Miss Darcy?”

“She is well.”

“She must miss your presence, and you could have brought her along.”

“I assure you, I will during my next visit.”

“I have never been so delighted by the prospects of new acquaintances, Darcy. I met so many interesting people over the past two weeks.”

“People?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, young ladies. To be precise.”

There he goes again.

“Do not be irritated, but I have no interest in your ramblings about pretty faces.”

“Don’t be such a spoilsport. You will be delighted by the company here, pretty faces, dancing, and a lot of music.”

“I am entertained by none of these; by now, you should know.”

“I think I may find a suitable match for myself here. Even though my sisters are quite against it.”

“I assume you are already in love then.”

“No, not quite. But I am indeed captivated by a young woman, Miss Bennet. She is the daughter of a respectable man who owns the Longbourn estate. She is an angel, Darcy. You must see for yourself.”

“Please understand this. The intention of my visit is to assist you in the affairs of Netherfield, not to socialize.”

“You must. There is a gathering at Lucas Lodge tomorrow evening to start with.”

Darcy was in no mood to prolong the conversation.

He took to the task at hand and asked Mr. Bingley for a tour of the house. Within a couple of hours, he was shown the entire property, the stables and the grounds.

He found Netherfield pleasing and suitable for his friend.

The friends then went for a ride and rode around the fields. Darcy saw a nearby mount, and Mr. Bingley declared that he had never gone up the mount.

Darcy steered him in that direction, and as they rode up, he was captivated by the view.

When they reached the top, Mr. Bingley noticed Darcy stop abruptly.

“What is the matter?” he asked.

Darcy did not reply and could not believe his eyes.

It cannot be. It cannot be her. Am I dreaming?

His eyes were fixed on the slender form of a young woman seated on the ledge at a distance. He could not see her face. She held a book in her hands and wore a bonnet, and Darcy could not mistake the striking resemblance she bore to someone else.

Elizabeth?