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D arcy and Mr. Bingley looked at the Bennet carriage as it left the gates of Netherfield. Mr. Bingley was extremely confused by Jane’s behavior. She had no interest in conversing with him that night as before and he looked at his friend who stood next to him.

Miss Bennet preferred Darcy’s company today. But it was not the same case before. Even at Lucas Lodge, she never cared for his company. What has changed now?

He wondered, and Darcy was very well able to gauge his thoughts.

I very well know what has changed, Bingley. She heard about my wealth.

“You looked troubled. What is the matter?” Darcy asked his friend, knowing very well what bothered him.

“Nothing! I was just wondering… forget it,” Mr. Bingley replied.

They headed back into the house, but Darcy did not want to discuss the topic with his friend.

Bingley, some lessons are hard to learn, but you will know her true colors soon.

Meanwhile, in Longbourn, Jane and Mrs. Bennet were in happy spirits.

“Oh! You looked lovely today, my dear Jane. I saw Mr. Darcy look at you keenly. I am certain he is taken by the complexion of your skin and your beauty.”

“Do you think so, Mamma?”

“Of course I do. I am thrilled about the fine prospects of marrying him; you will be the mistress of his grand estate and everything in his name.”

“But Mamma, I think Mr. Bingley likes me too.”

“So what? I bet Mr. Darcy will waste no time proposing to you, knowing his friend competes for your hand, too.”

Mary could not bear it any longer.

“I cannot believe you to be this cruel, Jane. You avoided Mr. Bingley yesterday in his own house. Did you even care how he would have felt?”

“What did I ever do? All men want my attention these days. What matters is who I prefer for company.”

“You did prefer Mr. Bingley’s company all this while.”

“I did not prefer his company; he is boring. I like Mr. Darcy, and I would rather spend more time with him.”

“I am ashamed to be your sister.”

“Enough!” her mother yelled.

“Stop this nonsense, Mary. You remind me too much of her when you talk like this.”

“You won’t even say Lizzy’s name, Mamma?”

“I won’t. I don’t want to talk about someone who ran away from home; who knows where? And God knows with whom?

“Stop it, Mamma! I cannot stand you slander Lizzy like that.”

“Shut up and go to your room. I have had enough. Oh! My poor nerves,” her mother cried.

And Mary ran up the stairs and cried her heart out.

Her mind was distressed beyond measure. On one hand, she was worried about Elizabeth’s situation with Darcy and, on the other, about Mr. Bingley.

She did not know why, but she was most anxious about his welfare since she had known her sister’s intentions with Mr. Bingley. Initially, she did not want Mr. Bingley to be trapped by Jane, and now, she was concerned that Jane ignoring him for Darcy would wound him beyond measure.

Day by day, she felt helpless to stay in Longbourn and despised her parents. She could not forgive them for what they did to Elizabeth, and all the suffering her sister had to endure in the past months was only because of them. She hoped and prayed Elizabeth would be safe in Derbyshire.

***

In Grovnor Park, Elizabeth felt a sense of unrest. The children missed their grandmother and felt out of place in the new house.

“Miss Smith, are you unwell?” Mrs. Davidson asked.

“No, not at all. I am perfectly well.”

“I apologize. I just felt you may be unwell. Maybe you miss Ashton Park.”

“Honestly, I do. But we should be back soon, I hope.”

“I hope it will be as planned. The children always spend Christmas at home.”

Elizabeth knew it would be her first Christmas away from Longbourn. With the past month’s events, she knew nothing was certain in life.

As much as she wanted to return to Ashton Park, she was worried about meeting Darcy again. She understood from Georgiana that there was no fixed date for his return.

How long can he be away from Pemberley? He cannot be away forever. I do not know if I could ever meet him again and act as if nothing happened. It would have been easy if I did not love him as much as I do.

She lay awake that night, unable to sleep.

It was close to midnight, and she got up to check on the children.

She often visited their room at night to ensure they were all right.

She peeped inside and found them asleep.

She did not want to disturb their nanny and slowly closed the door.

As she was about to leave her room, she heard muffled noises down the corridor.

She was in the family wing of the house, and she did not know who was up at that time.

By instinct, she walked in the direction of the voices and saw the faint light of candles under one of the rooms. Elizabeth knew she was wandering into the family wing and wanted to turn and leave.

But she reached the door of the room from which the voices came, and now she could hear them clearly as it seemed to be a loud argument.

“I cannot believe this, Isabella. You are asking me for so much money, but you cannot tell me why,” her mother cried.

“Mamma, I need this money. Do not ask me for what? I am in trouble.”

“What sort of trouble is that? Why can’t you tell me? Is your husband demanding this? Why on earth would he? He has so much money.”

“It is not for him; please do not even think in that direction. You must help me now.”

“I will not. You are never honest with me. Why did you have to marry that man with two children? I never forgave you for that. Now, you are asking me for such a huge sum without giving me a reason. Is that why you traveled here all of a sudden?”

“I cannot tell you at the moment. Everything will be resolved if you give me the money. Please, Mamma, trust me.”

“I cannot, child. I regret giving you the liberty to decide everything about your life on your own. You tell me why you need the money, or else I have no other choice but to discuss this with your father.”

“You will not, Mamma. If you say one word about this to my husband or father, you will never see me again, and I mean it.”

Elizabeth was stunned to hear the conversation between Lady Isabella and her mother. She quickly turned around and hurried back to her room.

She shut her room door and stood panting. Elizabeth knew she should not have been there and heard the private conversation between Lady Isabella and her mother.

So, she is in trouble. That is the reason why she wanted to come to Grovnor Park all of a sudden. Why does she need the money? Who is demanding money from her? What is stopping her from seeking help from Lord Ashton?

Elizabeth could not believe that Lady Isabella was in so much trouble that she could not seek help from her husband either.

She paced the room, trying to make sense of it.

Maybe she borrowed money from someone and needs to pay it back. But why would she do so? She is married to Lord Ashton; she has everything she needs.

Elizabeth did not know what to make of Lady Isabella’s situation. She contemplated whether she could be lying to her mother.

But then, she remembered the strange happenings in Ashton Park.

Then, it was not my imagination. Someone was there in the garden that night, and maybe it was a letter, after all, hidden under the stone.

Elizabeth knew that she must inform Lady Martha of this but had no proof of anything and fell asleep in confusion.

The next morning, Elizabeth was anxious to meet Lady Isabella. During breakfast, she could sense the tension between the mother and daughter.

Lord Ashton seemed oblivious to their discomfort.

“I hope you are not missing Ashton Park very much, Miss Smith.”

“Not much, sir,” Elizabeth replied.

“We should be back soon, in a couple of weeks, as planned,” he said, looking at his wife.

Lady Isabella did not reply, and Elizabeth could not read her mind.

“We have decided to accompany you on your return. Again, it is our pleasure to spend Christmas at Ashton Park,” Lady Isabella’s father said to his son-in-law.

“That is wonderful indeed.”

“Papa! When did you decide to come with us?” Lady Isabella asked in shock.

“Why, my dear? Lord Ashton has been pressing us with this invitation since the day you set foot here. Your mother was undecided about the prospect, but last night, she agreed. You don’t seem happy?” he asked with a hint of irritation.

“No, I am. I am glad you could accompany us,” she said without emotion.

“I am certain we can be of some assistance to you,” her mother said sternly to her daughter.

Elizabeth silently witnessed their exchange, unable to understand what bothered Lady Isabella.

In two weeks, we will leave. What is in store for me at Ashton Park?

***

Darcy stood at the bookstore in the small village of Meryton.He tried to be away from Netherfield as much as possible to escape Miss Bingley, and Mr. Bingley was in a foul mood after the recent dinner party with the Bennet family.

The bookstore reminded him of his encounter with Elizabeth, and he smiled at the memory of her outburst.

He still could not believe the way he had behaved with her that day, and he knew he could never do that to any other woman. After his mother’s death, he had become rigid and hardly expressed his emotions.

His cousin Richard often pointed that out to him.

After meeting Elizabeth, he had felt a strange sense of liberation. He felt emotions that he had never felt before. She angered him, made him smile, and, most of all, pointed out his flaws as no one had ever done before.

His thoughts were interrupted when the shopkeeper asked him whether he was ready with his choice.

“I am. I will take these.”

“Oh! Poetry, good choice indeed,” the shopkeeper said. “We do not get many customers wanting to buy poetry these days.’

“Oh! Miss Lizzy used to. She was the one…” The shopkeeper’s wife stopped abruptly, seeing her husband’s stern look.

He was a close friend of Mr. Bennet, and he did not want the story of his daughter’s disappearance to reach the ears of the wealthy gentleman from town.