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“Elizabeth has read the letters, and she doubts the authenticity of the ones written after you married Sarah,” Lady Martha said.

“What?” cried Lord Anderson.

“Yes! Something is not right about the contents of the letters after your marriage,” Darcy added.

“Are you stating that someone forged them?”

“We cannot say for sure. But don’t you feel it is strange that suddenly she wanted to end the relationship?”

“I did feel it was strange, and I wrote to her asking for an explanation. That is when she stated that she was ashamed of the marriage with me and wanted money to end the relationship. You can read the last few letters; she clearly stated that she wanted to marry Thomas Bennet,” Lord Anderson said.

“You may not have realized it then, but can you not understand that these letters were written a few months after your marriage, which means she was pregnant with me? Don’t you find it odd that she wrote to you without informing you of her condition?

I thought you would be sensible enough, at least now, to understand this,” Elizabeth said bluntly, looking at Lord Anderson with irritation.

She could see him struggle to respond.

“I do not doubt that she wrote all these letters; there are details no one else could know, and her writing is not forged. You may question my lack of sense, young lady, but now and back then, I do not understand why your mother lacked it. Why was she not sensible enough to disclose her condition? She kept me in the dark about her pregnancy.”

“Stop accusing someone dead. Do you even care to understand the struggles my mother must have faced after returning to London and having married you? I have one question: answer me. Did you ask her to keep your marriage a secret to safeguard your reputation.”

Lord Anderson was silent. Lady Martha and Darcy were shocked by her question.

“Elizabeth, what are you inferring?” Darcy asked her.

“I do not doubt this; the only reason she would have kept everything a secret was if she had promised to do so. As a woman and as her daughter, I have a feeling that she did. Am I right, Lord Anderson?” she asked, fuming.

The way she addressed him formally with a hint of sarcasm made Lord Anderson furious.

“I did not ask her to, but as I said, the idea to get married was hers, and when I initially refused, she promised me that she would keep it a secret until I returned to claim her hand. I still do not think that is the reason I kept it a secret.”

“Of course, you would not because promises mean nothing to a man like you. You had all the wealth and connections in the world but could not make one trip to see her and seek her out. How could you?” Elizabeth cried.

“Can’t you see, I did what she wanted me to do? She accused me of taking advantage of her, wanted to save her father’s business, and wanted to marry someone else because she could not wait for me. Why don’t you see that?”

“She did everything. What about you? What did you want? You act as if someone forced you to love and marry her. Are you not ashamed to say this?” she asked in fury.

“Enough!” Lord Anderson cried, and for the first time, Elizabeth sensed that he had lost control of himself in anger.

“Lord Anderson, I will not have you treat her disrespectfully,” Darcy intervened.

“I am not disrespecting her; she is the one who has no respect for me. Someone must remind her of the same.”

“Respect is earned, sir, and not demanded,” Elizabeth cried.

Lady Martha could not stand it any longer.

“Mark, this will not do. You understand her thoughts after reading the letters, and nothing has changed in her opinion about you, and honestly, I feel the same way. There is no use in arguing, and we should decide on the pressing matter at hand. When are you traveling to London?” she asked, looking at Darcy.

“I am ready to leave any day, depending on Elizabeth’s wishes. She has already written to her sister and aunt regarding the developments here.”

“They know that we are engaged,” Elizabeth said, trying to calm herself.

“I would like to come with you,” Lord Anderson declared.

Elizabeth looked at him with irritation.

“Why?”

“Because as much as you want to know the truth and blame her death entirely on me, I want to know why she concealed everything from me and died this way while she could have saved every one the misery and rightfully stood by me as my wife today,” he said without diverting his gaze from Elizabeth.

“You are welcome to stay at our house, Lord Anderson,” Darcy said.

“Where is she staying?” he asked, referring to Elizabeth.

“She intends to stay at her friend’s house, Mrs. Davis, who helped her in town when her uncle’s family was away, but I doubt her uncle will allow it.”

“Sarah looked up to her brother; she often said that if he were present, her father would not force the marriage upon her. She loved her family without any expectations from them; it was one of the qualities I admired about her.”

Elizabeth tried hard to stop herself from arguing with him. She felt he had two alternate personalities, one defending himself in vain and the other unable to forget his regard for her mother. Darcy decided that they would leave for London in a couple of days, and Lord Anderson was to join them.

As they got up to leave, Lady Martha stopped them.

“Elizabeth, Lady Anderson knows the truth about you, and I am not willing to keep anyone else in the dark anymore. I will be speaking with my son and his wife now.”

Elizabeth nodded, and from the grim expression on Lord Anderson’s face, she realized that Lady Anderson would have been devastated. As much as she did not like his wife and daughter, she felt sorry for them as they were victims just like her.

Darcy requested Elizabeth to walk with him in the gardens, and she agreed.

“Please stay within the vicinity of the house. If you happen to walk farther away, you must take a maid along with you,” Lady Martha said as they headed outside.

Darcy sighed.

“No matter how tough the situation is, she doesn’t forget to warn me about being alone with you,” he said with irritation as they walked out.

To his surprise, Elizabeth laughed; it was music to his ears.

“It is so amusing to see both of you this way, and I wish I did not have to think about other matters and could enjoy this until our wedding.”

“You find it amusing that she keeps insisting on us having a chaperone?” he asked with a frown.

“No, that seems like a sensible thing from her point of view; the way you are reacting to it makes it very amusing,” she said, smiling.

“I think she does not trust me around you, and I am glad she is not accompanying us to town. I wish you could stay with me in our townhouse.”

“You very well know it would not be appropriate.”

Darcy wanted to argue that since Lord Anderson was staying with him, it would not be questioned if she stayed at his house. But he did not say anything, understanding that Elizabeth would never accept the argument, and would anger her even more.

“What happened? Are you upset?” Elizabeth asked him.

“No, honestly, I do not want to leave you alone. I would be much more peaceful to have you under my protection.”

“I am safe here; you must not worry.”

“It is easy for you to say, Elizabeth. Did you eat? You look pale.”

“I did, and I am well.”

“If you feel lonely here, I can ask Georgiana to stay with you. You need not be alone in the nights.”

Elizabeth suddenly stopped walking and looked at him earnestly.

“Fitzwilliam, I promise you, come what may, I will not decide to end my life; I know you are worried about that,” she said, witnessing the shock on Darcy’s face.

At that moment, Darcy did not care who was looking. He pulled her into an embrace, and Elizabeth felt his heartbeat as she rested her head on his chest.

Despite everything she had experienced in life so far, she wanted to live only for him, as she loved him beyond her own life.

***

Lady Martha watched the shock on everyone’s face as she revealed the details about her brother and Elizabeth.

She had summoned her son, daughter-in-law, and her parents to reveal the information.

She contemplated keeping Lady Isabella’s parents away from the truth.

But soon realized it was a grave injustice to Elizabeth and her late mother to keep this a secret from anybody any longer.

“Mother, what are you saying? Is Miss Smith my cousin? And she was employed here all this while in disguise,” Lord Ashton asked.

“It was not disguise; she had to assume an alternate name as she had left her home because of mistreatment by her parents.”

“But why didn’t you tell me? You kept this a secret from me for so many months. I cannot believe it.”

“I did it to protect her.”

“No, you did it because you did not trust me. Ever since I married Isabella, you have been this way.”

“Enough Philip. This is not about you or us. I called you all here about my brother and Elizabeth. And, yes, Miss Smith is now Miss Elizabeth Anderson, and she is your cousin and part of our family. I hope you will treat her with respect.”

“You are still worried about me treating her with respect? What you should be worried about is the relationship between us. After hiding such a big secret from me all these months, how do you expect me to live in this house peacefully? You have fooled me; I trusted you in everything, Mother. But after my marriage, you do not have the same regard for me and have been so hostile towards my wife. I cannot believe you are capable of this; I no longer trust you, and if you feel I am cruel in saying this, so be it. I no longer have the affection I had for you as a mother. I cannot trust anyone who lies to me and can never forgive you,” he cried and stomped out of the room.

Lady Martha was tortured by her son’s outburst. She looked at Lady Isabella, assuming she would be delighted with his contempt. Surprisingly, she saw tears in her daughter-in-law’s eyes, and her parents comforted her.

“Lady Martha, I am so disappointed to hear how you have treated our daughter. Please do not assume we will allow her to live here for the sake of society if you do not give her the respect she deserves,” Lady Isabella’s mother said and took her daughter away.

Lord Ashton’s words pricked her in every possible way, and Lady Martha finally understood that everyone in her family, including her, had flaws.

***

After Darcy left, Elizabeth spent time with the children; she did not want to see anyone else and retired early. She paced her room, her thoughts circling around the letters she had read and reread since morning.

What are we to find in London? Will I discover the truth? I still cannot believe my mother demanded money from him. Did someone force her?

She missed Darcy, understanding how comforted she had felt the previous night to be under the same roof with him.

His words of comfort and reassurance made her determined to care for herself mentally and physically.

She started packing for the trip, feeling uneasy about Lord Anderson’s intention to accompany them.

It was half past ten when she heard a knock on her door.

Who would it be at this hour? Maybe Lady Martha wants to see me.

Elizabeth opened the door expecting to see her maid and was shocked to find Lord Anderson standing outside her room. He stood with a candle and looked at her without uttering a word.

Elizabeth never expected to spend any time alone with him and could not understand what made him venture to her room at that hour.

“Forgive me; why are you here?” she asked bluntly, trying to hide her uneasiness.

“Have you not slept yet?” Lord Anderson asked.

“No.”

“Are you well?” he asked, his tone, though icy, expressing care and concern.

Elizabeth could not mistake the concern in his voice; it was not the same man who had argued with her a few hours ago. As much as she wanted to say something spiteful to him, she could not.

“I am well,” she replied, confused by her own words.

“Good night!” he said and left her.

Elizabeth quickly shut the door and struggled to catch her breath. She could not believe what had happened.

Why did he come at this hour? I assumed he must be pacifying his wife and daughter. He is trying to unsettle me in some way. No, there is no change in my ill will towards him. There is nothing but hate in my heart for the man who is responsible for my mother’s death.

How did he get the courage to see me after all he has done? Does he think no one will question him here? I must not allow it; I must tell Lady Martha I do not want to see or speak with him.

Even though it was late at night, Elizabeth left her room to speak with Lady Martha about her concerns. She had to walk across to the other side of the house to reach the family wing, and the hallways were dimly lit.

She took the stairs to reach the upper floors and headed towards the direction of Lady Martha’s room and suddenly heard a noise behind her and turned around. It seemed to come from the upper floor.

Who could it be at this hour?

By instinct, she took the stairs that led to the upper floor, which had a wide corridor, and as soon as she set foot on the corridor, Elizabeth was shocked to see someone heading towards the balcony that overlooked the gardens.

Elizabeth could not make out who it was but could see that it was a woman. What horrified her was that the woman suddenly tried to stand on the wall, and Elizabeth could not mistake her intention.

Without losing an instant, Elizabeth ran forward and pulled the woman down as she was about to jump.

They landed on the floor, and Elizabeth was shocked to discover her identity.

“Lady Isabella? Good Heavens!”