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T he first night she spent in Grovnor Park, Elizabeth tossed and turned in her bed and was certain that she would not be able to sleep. She missed her room in Ashton Park, and her reception at Grovnor Park was nothing but formal and cold.

Lady Isabella’s parents were not pleased with the arrival of the children, along with the couple.

They had nothing much to say to Elizabeth. She spent some time helping the children settle down in the new place. Mrs. Davidson was grateful for her assistance as Edmund was restless in the new house. She hoped the children would get accustomed to the change soon.

Even though it was only for a month, Elizabeth knew her time in Grovnor Park would be stressful. She knew nobody wanted her there except Lord Ashton.

She often wondered what was wrong with Lady Isabella and whether she held a secret. Her mind was restless and she hated herself for inflicting pain on the man she loved and respected.

She did not know when she would see him again.

I am certain that he will return to Pemberley sometime. How am I to even face him when I return to Ashton Park?

Before leaving, she had written to Mary and mentioned Darcy’s proposal and why she had refused him.

Elizabeth often wondered how her life would have been had she not left Longbourn. However, she contemplated her prospects and was certain that she could never live under the same roof as her parents, who betrayed her in every way.

She also wondered about her father and was uncertain if she would ever know the truth about his identity.

Someone must know who he was. Someone in town, maybe.

She did not want to entertain the thought of fate bringing them together at some point in her life. She hated the man as he was the sole reason for her current state.

The first day in Grovnor Park passed swiftly, and Elizabeth was busy with the children.

Lady Isabella’s parents did not like her presence with them during meals, and Lord Ashton was oblivious to their state of mind.

He was happy to have Elizabeth accompany them on the trip and join them for meals as a routine. Lady Isabella said very little, and Elizabeth found it strange that she was also aloof from her parents. She looked troubled most of the time.

She noticed that, in the past few weeks, Lady Isabella had kept to herself and often felt unwell.

Maybe she is with a child .

She missed Lady Martha and wondered how she had grown so attached to her over the past months. Elizabeth respected Lady Martha for her kindness and support in ensuring her welfare since the day she had set foot in Ashton Park.

***

The next day in Longbourn, Mrs. Bennet hurriedly rushed into the parlor.

“Oh! Dear Jane! You will not believe this. Do you remember the handsome man we met yesterday? “

“Who, Mamma?”

“Oh! That tall man, Mr. Darcy.”

“Yes! He looked so grumpy.”

“Do not say that. He looked so handsome, and do you know Mr. Darcy has ten thousand pounds a year.”

“What? Ten thousand?”

“Yes, my dear. I believe he owns one of the grandest estates in Derbyshire and several houses in town. And do you know his uncle is the Earl of Matlock? What luck, my dear Jane, for him to be here. I always knew you could settle very well in life.”

Jane did not need any more information in this matter.

Ten thousand a year!

“He seemed very amiable indeed, Mamma! How noble of him to travel all the way to assist his friend. Next time we meet, I will tell him how much I admire this quality in men,” Jane exclaimed.

Mary was shocked.

Now, Jane has shifted her interests to Mr. Darcy. I am so ashamed to be a part of this family.

“Yes, yes, my dear. You do that. I think we have an invitation from Mr. Bingley this week. He is inviting us and the Lucas family over for supper. I am pretty certain Mr. Darcy would like to know you better. Mr. Bingley is nothing when compared to him,” Mrs. Bennet said.

Mary had heard enough. She was anxious to post the letter she had written to Elizabeth the previous night. Just as she was about to leave, Mariah walked in along with her mother.

“Oh! Lady Lucas, it is nice to see you,” Mrs. Bennet said.

Mariah immediately approached Mary and asked her to accompany her for a walk in the gardens.

Once they were out, she pushed a letter into Mary’s hands.

“Is it from Lizzy?”

“Yes, it came along with Charlotte’s letters this morning,” Mariah replied.

“I hope she is all right. You said she is travelling somewhere with her employer.”

“Yes, she must be there now. Thank you for bringing it; I was just about to visit you to post my letter to Lizzy.”

“You can give it to me now.”

“No, I want to read hers and see if I need to rewrite mine.”

“Very well, I will leave you to your privacy,” Mariah said and walked into the house.

Mary hurried away from the house and sat down to read Elizabeth’s letter.

It was dated a couple of weeks ago, and she read the letter with anticipation. The first part of the letter did not contain any particulars about Darcy. Elizabeth wrote about her intended travel to Grovnor Park and her daily activities. But Mary was shocked to read the rest of the letter.

“….Mary, I intended to post this letter last week, conveying that there was nothing much to add about the happenings here. But something unexpected happened since then; I do not know how I could ever contain it within myself….”

She went on to explain about Darcy’s proposal and how she rejected it.

“I made him believe that I hated him. I rejected his feelings, sentiments, and love so brutally that I cannot believe I am capable of being so cruel. But what am I to do? I do not deserve him. I could never put him and him, Miss Darcy to shame. If he marries me, he will suffer for the rest of his life. I am certain of that...”

Mary was agonized by her sister’s outburst and was even more troubled to understand why Darcy was there.

“….He left, Mary. As I accused him of ruining my life in Ashton Park, I cannot explain the pain my words caused him. He left because of me. When Miss Darcy visited me feeling depressed about her brother’s sudden departure, I was vexed….”

Mary read every sad detail with tears in her eyes.

He loves her, too. He proposed, knowing that she was a governess. Lizzy should not have rejected him.

But she understood Elizabeth’s reasoning. She knew her sister well and realized if she loved Darcy, she would always put his happiness and welfare over hers. However, she was certain that Darcy would stand by Elizabeth no matter what.

Mary thought about it for a while and decided not to inform her sister of Darcy’s presence in Hertfordshire.

She did not know how to help Elizabeth and Darcy in this matter, so she closed the letter and hurried inside.

Her mother and Lady Lucas were still gossiping about the previous evening.

Day by day, Mary was tired of living in the same house as her family.

Mariah whispered to her and asked whether everything was all right

“Yes, Mariah. I have to rewrite my letter, and I will give it to you later this week,” Mary said.

The next day, the Bennet and Lucas families arrived at Netherfield for the evening engagement.

Since his arrival, Darcy had spent most of his time in his room or the library at Netherfield. He tried his best to avoid Miss Bingley’s company.

As much as he wanted to stay away from Elizabeth, his heart yearned to see her again. He wanted to know if she was well and desperately hoped she was safe in Grovnor Park.

He joined the others for the evening, hoping against hope that he would not be stuck with Sir William for long.

Mr. Bingley looked forward to the evening, hoping to spend more time with Jane. He was taken by her beauty and found her warm and compassionate.

The Lucas carriage came first, followed by the Bennets. It was dark, and Mr. Bingley stood outside to welcome them.

Jane looked out the window and exclaimed.

“Oh! Mamma, we are not the first to arrive; Mr. Darcy must see us first. Oh! What horrendous luck.”

Once the carriage stopped, she tried to get down first and fumbled over Mary’s feet as she moved at the same instant.

“Ouch!” Mary cried.

“Mary, what is the matter with you? I would have torn my gown. Don’t you have any sense? Do you think I could afford such a scene in Mr. Bingley’s house? Oh! Thank heavens my dress did not rip off.”

“I am sorry; I did not think you would get up so soon.”

“Be quiet! What is the use of explaining the beauty of my dress to someone as plain as you? Sometimes I hate to sit next to you in the same carriage,” she cried.

Unfortunately for her, Mr. Bingley, who stood near the carriage, heard every word of her outburst.

He was shocked beyond measure to listen to Jane’s words. In the past weeks, her conversations with him were so pleasant that he could not believe she could say such a thing to Mary.

He moved away from the carriage, not wanting them to know that he had overheard them.

“Mary, let your sister get down first,” Mrs. Bennet cried.

Mr. Bennet said nothing, and since Elizabeth disappeared, he had been filled with rage and had no interest in anything.

Mr. Bingley handed Jane out of the carriage and was confused to see the same sweet countenance on her face.

He could not believe the same woman had spoken rudely to her sister only a few seconds earlier. Mary was the last to get down. She looked at Mr. Bingley and tried to smile.

He could see the sadness on her face, and it pained him to see her hurt.

“Good evening, Miss Mary. You look beautiful this evening,” he said.

Mary’s surprise was evident on her face, and Mr. Bingley saw her blush. He suddenly realized that she was beautiful. Her face, though Jane had called it plain, radiated warmth and kindness.

He locked arms with her and led the party indoors.

Mary was surprised that he was not by Jane’s side and somehow sensed something different in the way he looked at her.

Once indoors, Darcy and Miss Bingley joined them.