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E lizabeth stomped home in anger and was in the same temperament as the day she had met Darcy for the first time.

Lord Anderson is no different from the others. How dare he speak to me like this? I am not his servant. Who is he to worry about my safety?

Her source of anger was due to his comparison of his daughter to herself. She was furious with him for even thinking in that direction.

Who is he to care for me like a father? Just because I do not have one, he cannot take the liberty to question me or my actions.

She reached home and hurried upstairs. To her surprise, she found Lady Isabella standing beside one of the windows. It was still early, and she was startled once she saw Elizabeth.

“Good morning, Lady Isabella,” Elizabeth said.

“Good morning.”

She left without further conversation, and Elizabeth walked toward the window, trying to understand why she was up so early.

She looked outside and understood that Lady Isabella had looked at the same spot in the garden where she had seen someone.

It was becoming evident that something sinister was happening in the house, and she wanted to head to Lady Martha immediately but knew she had nothing to support her doubts.

What am I to tell her? I saw someone in the garden one night; the next day, I saw Lady Isabella with a letter, and in Grovnor Park, I eavesdropped on her conversation with her mother.

Elizabeth could not imagine the reason behind her needing the money.

Is someone blackmailing her?

She felt guilty for keeping her concerns from Lady Martha, as she had not hidden anything from her, including her identity, and now she was in a dilemma as to what to do.

When she had taken employment in Ashton Park, she thought she had left behind all her problems in Hertfordshire, but once she had fallen in love with Darcy, everything became more complicated.

In recent weeks, she also felt concerned about Mary, as her letters had become scarce and short.

Her words were restrained and expressed a sense of distress.

She hardly mentions anything about Mr. Bingley or her life there. Maybe something is wrong there.

The same morning, Lord Anderson discussed his concerns about Elizabeth with his sister.

“I cannot understand how you could be so careless about someone who lives with you in your household, Martha. From what I can see, she is not merely a governess here.”

“You are right; she is a member of the family, and all of us feel so. I cannot imagine what makes you think I am neglecting her.”

“As I mentioned, she was walking in one of the trails near the woods this morning; I am certain it was just half past six. How could you allow her? Don’t you care about her safety?”

“I do. But she needs her freedom as well.”

“What if something happens? It is too much of a risk to take.”

“I am well aware of the trails she walks in, and she does inform me when she plans to explore new trails. She occasionally walks to the mount as well. The servants are always aware when she is out for her walks or to the village; they will immediately inform me if she does not return on time. I assure you; it has not happened before.”

Lord Anderson was not convinced.

“May I ask why you care about her welfare? You never seem to interfere with anything I do,” her sister questioned him.

“And may I ask why you treat her like family?”

Lady Martha was silent.

“Honesty, Mark, I do not know. You may have known her only for a couple of weeks, but I have known her for months; she has remarkable qualities for such a young age. I felt a close connection with her when she first set foot in Ashton Park.”

“Does she truly have no one except her aunt?”

Lady Martha hesitated; she had not revealed Elizabeth’s secret to anyone and did not want to discuss it with her brother.

“Yes! This is her home now, and if you think I do not care about her safety, you are wrong.”

Lord Anderson nodded, and he could see Elizabeth’s presence in the house had impacted everyone in many positive ways.

Every year, he visited her sister’s house for a couple of weeks, and Ashton Park offered him a welcome change from his life in Scotland.

They were to leave in a few weeks, and somehow, he felt sad to return to his routine life and business.

As the harvest ball was fast approaching, Georgiana visited Ashton Park on alternative days and was busy preparing for the ball.

All the guests were to stay in Pemberley after the ball, and the children were excited to be part of it.

Elizabeth had not visited Pemberley for a long time and was least interested in the ball.

***

Meanwhile, in Hertfordshire, Darcy was prepared to leave for town, and Mr. Bingley seemed to be at ease with estate management; however, he was not happy about his friend leaving.

“Will you be leaving for Pemberley soon?” he asked Darcy.

“I am not certain, but I need to return. Georgiana has been pressing me to come for the ball.”

“Then you must go; I am guilty of keeping you here for my sake,” Mr. Bingley said. “But I will miss your company.”

Mr. Bingley was not the same person who came to Hertfordshire with excitement, eager to spend time in the company of pretty girls.

Jane had taught him a lesson for life, and even after the assembly, when they met socially, she avoided him and preferred to be around Darcy.

Darcy was also aware of this and was thankful that his friend finally understood the world.

The news about Darcy’s departure disturbed Miss Bingley, as he was still indifferent towards her.

Common acquaintances extended dinner invitations to Mr. Bingley and Darcy, and they also had an invite from Longbourn.

Darcy did not want to attend, and Mr. Bingley did not press him; however, he agreed to attend the social gathering at Lucas Lodge the day before his departure.

“How could he deny our invite, Mr. Bennet? How could he? Lady Lucas says he will be part of the gathering this evening at Lucas Lodge,” Mrs. Bennet cried to her husband.

“I do not know. We invited only Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy for dinner; maybe he felt uncomfortable.”

“Oh! What is there to feel uncomfortable about when Jane is here? He could have spent time with her; now he is returning to town; how do we even make them meet after this?”

Mr. Bennet was annoyed and tired of his wife’s matchmaking skills. Mrs. Bennet was extremely disappointed that Darcy was not interested in Jane.

“Jane dear, maybe you need to forget him and focus on Mr. Bingley,” her mother told Jane.

“But I have avoided him for a while now, and I don’t know how to befriend him again.”

“Of course, you can. He was smitten by you, and I am certain he still is. Forget about Mr. Darcy tonight. Mr. Bingley is set to stay in Netherfield, and I am certain he will not waste time securing your hand once he knows you are on the market again.”

Mary was disgusted by her mother’s scheme and hoped Mr. Bingley would not fall for her sister again. She was also worried about what was in store for Elizabeth if Darcy returned to Pemberley.

She prepared for the evening with apprehension. Every time she saw Darcy, she was pained by Elizabeth’s situation as the answer to all her sorrows stood before him. But Mary did not know how to help. At Netherfield, Darcy readied himself for one last social gathering in Hertfordshire.

He respected Sir William and wanted to say goodbye to all the acquaintances he had made in a short time.

However, Miss Bingley had no interest in the evening, especially as her sister declined to join them.

But she did not want to miss the evening, aware that Jane would be present, so she accompanied her brother and Darcy.

The Bennets arrived first, followed by other guests.

The Netherfield party was the last to arrive, and much to Mr. Bingley’s annoyance, Jane immediately chose to engage with him.

Miss Bingley was relieved to see Jane give up on enticing Darcy.

However, it became evident to Darcy that she had resumed her pursuit of Mr. Bingley. From the expression on Mr. Bingley’s face, it was evident that his friend felt disgusted in the same way.

“It was wonderful to have you be a part of our humble society, Mr. Darcy. Could we expect you to return to Hertfordshire?” Sir William asked.

“I imagine not in the near future, sir.”

“Oh! Why would you say so, considering your friend is comfortably settled here?”

“I assure you, Sir William, Darcy will definitely return,” Mr. Bingley said with certainty.

Darcy did not engage in any conversation with Mr. Bennet, and he could also sense some animosity from him. However, he sought out Mary’s company.

“It was nice knowing you, Miss Mary. I plan to return to town tomorrow.”

“I hope you have a safe journey back, sir.”

Mary struggled to stay composed; Darcy noticed her discomfort and felt unsettled.

On the other hand, Mr. Bingley noticed Darcy and Mary standing together and, for the first time, felt jealous.

Even when Jane had avoided him on previous occasions, he had never felt jealous.

Now, he understood that his feelings for Mary had gradually developed into something more sincere.

“Miss Bennet, please excuse me,” he said, moving away from Jane and joining Mary. Darcy could not suppress his smile.

So, I made you jealous, Bingley.

“You must wish me good luck, Miss Mary; I shall be in terrible spirits after my friend leaves,” he said.

“Well, I believe you can be well entertained in the society here in evenings as these. But I do understand that certain friendships cannot be replaced by any entertainment the society may offer.”

“I assume your friendship with Miss Lucas is of the same kind,” Mr. Bingley said with admiration.

“Yes, sir. We grew up together, and her elder sister has been a good friend, too.”

“The one who lives in town?”

“Yes.”