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“ W hat do you mean by saying the necklace is missing? Did you leave it at Grovnor Park?” cried Lord Ashton.

“No, I did not. I am not certain where I misplaced it,” Lady Isabella said in despair.

Lord Ashton was angry with his wife when he discovered her jewels missing. He had bought the necklace for her recently and was unhappy with the news.

“Mother will not be happy if she comes to know. I know you did not want to wear Sophia’s jewels, and you still cannot explain why, which is why I bought you new ones.”

Lady Isabella was silent.

“Why are you silent? Do you have any other explanation?”

“I am sorry, I cannot remember where I lost it.”

“Didn’t you wear it for the dinner party at your aunt’s place before we left?”

“Yes, I did,” she said with hesitance.

“Then where did it go?”

“I told you that I remember packing it, but I cannot find it now.”

Her husband was not convinced.

“You need to find it immediately as you do not take much responsibility for anything. You could at least be careful with your belongings.”

“What do you mean by saying that I don’t take much responsibility?”

“Yes, you don’t, and let me be frank; you never care about our children.”

Lady Isabella was stunned.

“How could you say so?” she asked with tears.

“Because it is the truth. You make no effort to spend time with our children. I have not brought this up before, but it has been so many months since our marriage, and how much longer do you need to become their mother?”

But I am not their mother.

“You were so fond of them when Sophia was alive. You did enjoy spending time with them before; what happened now? Why don’t you say anything?”

“I do not feel well these days.”

“That is what you have been telling me for some months now. I have listened patiently to everything and done everything according to your wishes, but something is bothering you. What is it?”

“I still grieve Sophia’s loss.”

“You think I don’t? For God’s sake, she was my wife and just a friend to you. I married you and tried to move on for the sake of our lives. That day, I felt strongly that our union was needed because I felt you cared for me after the death of my wife.”

“I do. Please do not doubt me.”

Lord Ashton looked at her with distress.

“Did your parents object to us living with the children? Do they want us to live separately?”

“What sort of accusation is this? I cannot fathom how you could get such an idea.”

“I have the reasons for my doubts. You seem to have a lot of private discussions with your mother, and I can see both of you argue a lot these days. Tell me, what is it?”

“You are imagining too many things.”

“Something is bothering you, and you are hiding it from me. You must understand that I have stood by you all these months, even when Mother pointed out her concerns. What more do you want me to do as your husband? Why can you not be happy here?”

“I am happy here. I just... I feel I need some time to be with the children.”

“Isabella, please do not prove to me that my mother was right all along, that I should have never married you, despite the circumstances,” he said and stormed out of the room.

Lady Isabella could not control her tears and knew all his accusations were true. She never fulfilled any of her duties after her marriage, and deep down, she was certain that she never could.

***

Elizabeth sat with the children, doing lessons, and it was about a week since they had returned to Ashton Park.

The house seemed different with the arrival of Lord Anderson’s family.

Elizabeth found his wife and daughter to be downright condescending towards her.

Though they behaved cordially in the presence of Lady Martha, Elizabeth sensed their hostility at other times, especially in Georgiana’s company.

Miss Anderson behaved rudely and made her feel unwelcome.

Georgiana felt extremely uncomfortable with her rudeness, and to Elizabeth, it was clear that Miss. Anderson was among the many women who wanted to become Mrs. Darcy by befriending his sister.

What would she say if she knew about his proposal?

Sometimes, she wondered if Darcy would return and marry someone like Miss Anderson. The thought tortured her beyond measure, and her heart whispered that it would be difficult for him to forget her. She felt selfish for not wanting him to marry anyone else.

I have wounded him enough, and if he could forget me and marry someone else, I must be happy for him. He deserves all happiness, something that I can never give him.

She did not know how she would feel to see him again. As much as she hated the prospect, apart of her wanted to see him, be in his company, feel the warmth of his gaze, and know if he still loved her.

“Miss Elizabeth, why can we not come to the harvest ball?” Edmund asked, bringing her back to reality.

“Well, because it will be tiring for you as the guests stay at the ball beyond your bedtime.”

“But I want to come, so does Emily.”

Elizabeth smiled and explained to them that when they were older, they could attend balls. Suddenly, Emily started crying.

“Mamma might have taken us, and I want her. Why did she die?”

Elizabeth was too stunned to speak. She held Emily close and comforted her.

“Emily, please do not cry. I will see if we can take you both this time, and your father may agree.”

The little girl sobbed without control, and Elizabeth felt helpless. Georgiana entered just then and was shocked to see Emily crying.

“Oh! God! What happened?”

Elizabeth quickly explained the situation.

“Emily, you can attend the ball, and all of you can stay in Pemberley. I promise,” Georgiana assured.

They pacified the little girl and continued with the lessons. Georgiana and Elizabeth both understood their feelings. Being deprived of a mother’s love in different ways made it easy for them to comprehend what the twins underwent at such a young age.

Georgiana made it a customary habit to spend time with Elizabeth when she was doing her lessons, as it offered privacy for them to be together without Miss Anderson.

“It is indeed sad; it has been so many months, yet the children cannot forget their mother.”

“It is not an easy task, Miss Darcy.”

“Lady Sophia was very lively, just like you. She always spent time with them, but now...” she stopped and motioned Elizabeth to the window, not wanting children to hear them.

“But?”

“Lady Isabella does not favor their company. Don’t you think so?”

Elizabeth was silent.

“I know you do not like to gossip. I have hardly heard you talk ill of anybody. But you must hear my thoughts; Lady Isabella was very attached to them before Lady Sophia’s death and adored the children.”

“Really?” Elizabeth asked in surprise.

“Yes, though we were surprised by the sudden marriage between Lord Ashton and her, Fitzwilliam and I were happy that the children had someone to love in place of their mother. But since the wedding, she has been withdrawn, especially with them. Why would she be so?”

“Relationships such as these need more time; we cannot judge Lady Isabella’s feelings in this situation.”

“But, don’t you find it strange? She almost seems to avoid them.”

Elizabeth almost revealed her thoughts about the mystery surrounding Lady Isabella to Georgiana but decided against it.

I still do not have any proof of the weird happenings.

Before she left that day, Georgiana personally invited all of them to the ball, including Elizabeth. The ball was in two weeks, and Elizabeth could sense that Georgiana was nervous about it.

“I do not know why he chose not to come. I have never had the responsibility of organizing anything so grand. Even though Mrs. Reynolds is in charge of everything, I feel nervous about hosting the evening without my brother, and all the tenants will be there.”

“I understand. Do not worry; everything will be well,” she said, torn with guilt for putting the young girl in such a situation. She was certain the sole reason for his absence was her words, as she had accused him of ruining her livelihood as a governess.

That night, Elizabeth had a disturbed sleep and woke up around half past three, hearing a noise. She thought she heard the sound of something falling.

She quietly opened the door and peeped outside but could not see anyone in the corridor.

Her room was on the opposite side of the family wing but closer to the servant’s staircase.

Again, she heard a noise in that direction, and Elizabeth took the candle and walked to the stairs.

She looked down the stairs and could see someone disappear from the bottom floor.

Who is running around at this hour?

She contemplated going to the lower floor but returned to her room, not hearing anything else.

The next day, she was confused by the previous night’s strange happenings. Lady Isabella was absent during breakfast, and Elizabeth sensed Lord Ashton was out of spirits since they had returned from Grovnor Park.

She often noticed Lord Anderson’s eyes on her. Initially, she assumed it was a look of scrutiny, but later realized he observed her with a look of curiosity.

Elizabeth also found him to be in stark contrast to his daughter and wife. His words had no pride or superiority attributing to his status or rank; though reserved, he seemed kind. One morning, Lord Anderson found her walking on one of the nearby trails; he was on his morning ride.

Elizabeth spotted his approach and stopped. He dismounted his horse and stood staring at her.

“Good morning, sir,” she said, finding his behavior unsettling.

“Do you wander around alone like this often?” he asked with displeasure.

“If you would want to name my morning walks, wandering around, then I must agree with you; I do wander around alone very often.”

“I cannot believe Martha allows you to leave the house without a footman. Don’t you think it can be dangerous?”

“I have been wandering around dangerously for many months now; I must assure you nothing untoward has happened,” she said teasingly. He was walking with her, and she was shocked when he stopped her by holding her arm.

“Miss Smith, I do not like your sarcasm. Do I need to elaborate on the dangers young women may face while venturing outside on these trails alone? Are you not sensible?”

Elizabeth stared at him, unable to reply, and his grip was firm, and he seemed angry. Lord Anderson stared into her eyes without a word, and suddenly, she noticed his expression soften, and he released her of his grip.

“I apologize; I did not mean to...” he stammered.

Elizabeth stepped away from him, uncomfortable with the situation.

“I have a daughter similar to your age, and I would not be comfortable sending her out of the house without a footman. I feel the same way about your welfare.”

“Enough, sir. You need not be concerned about my welfare. I am not related to you; I am just an employee of Ashton Park. You may deem my behavior inappropriate, but please understand that my employer, Lady Martha, is aware of this and has no concerns. If you have a problem, please discuss it with your sister,” she cried, and she left him in a hurry.

Lord Anderson watched her hurry away from him and stood in silence.

As much as everything she had said made sense, he could not stop caring about her well-being and could not fathom why.