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“Today, I realized that I don’t know a thing about who you are, and maybe nobody will even believe me if I say so.

You have deceived all of us for so long that I will expose you.

I have this to prove my point: I wish I had never known you, Isabella, not as a friend but even as an acquaintance.

Today will be the last I see you; I will expose your secret to the whole world, and you will never be allowed to touch our lives again. ”…

“And that was the last I saw of her; she ran out of the room and promised to reveal my secret to everyone. I sat in my room the whole night, expecting to be summoned by the Ashton family, trembling at the thought of facing Philip. Never did I know that she had bled to death the same night. I should have gone after her; it was all my fault.”

“Who found her in the morning?”

“The servants, and there was no way we could help her; she was long dead before anyone found her. All of us assumed it was an accident, but I knew it was an accident after she had fought with me. You cannot imagine the amount of guilt I had to endure after her passing.”

“But you married her husband very soon, didn’t you?” Elizabeth questioned immediately.

“Again, that stands against me, but it is not as it seems.”

“As per her accusation, you married him right after her death; how could you?”

“Please trust me, considering how close you are with his mother, I am certain she must have confided about our marriage.”

“She merely stated that you had to marry as she saw you in a compromising situation.”

“That is what she assumed, and I do not blame her. It was nothing but a moment of comfort we shared that morning in the drawing room. I could see that he was hurting so much from Sophia’s loss, and with all the feelings bottled in my heart, I could not leave without comforting him.

As we spoke, he rested his head on my shoulder, and nothing else happened; that was when his mother saw us.

She was furious, and a few servants heard the matter, and we had to marry. ”

“It seems very tough to believe.”

“You can ask Philip. I did not want to marry him, but the situation was such, and Lady Martha agreed to safeguard his reputation.”

“At some point, you could have revealed everything to him; from the little I know of Lord Ashton, he would have understood.”

“I wanted to, trust me, I did. But when I started receiving the letters, I realized he wouldn’t believe me even if I confided in him. If Sophia did write a letter before ending her life, then I am the one who caused her death.”

“How long has this blackmail been going on?”

“A few months.”

“What do they want from you?”

“Money, to keep quiet about Isabella’s letter, and my diary is in the possession of the blackmailer.”

“Then, it must be someone from this house.”

“I do not know; when she left my room that night, she took it with her. But later, I could not find it anywhere, not even near the stairs where she was found dead. After my marriage, I also searched her chamber; still could not find it. So, the person who is threatening must have it.”

“But the letter?”

“I still cannot believe she committed suicide. I knew her; she was determined to reveal my secret to Philip and the entire household. She was not a coward like me; there is no reason she would have ended her life leaving behind a beautiful family as her children were her world.”

“Someone is trying to blame you, and it is time we find out who it is and end this matter.”

“But if they read my diary, no one would believe me. I wish I had refused this marriage as I am losing my senses every moment here. I have no right to be his wife, nor a part of this family or to be a mother to those wonderful children.”

“I do not know what to say. I wish you had not given in to the blackmail, but over the past few months, I have understood that fear can make you do many things, just like how it made me leave my home and employ myself here. I cannot judge you, Lady Isabella.”

“I understood your past today; you have been very brave. After all your struggles, you have found happiness with Mr. Darcy, and then you found your father.”

Elizabeth bit her lip as she was in no mood to discuss Lord Anderson at the moment.

“I should have ended my life long ago; until today, I had some hope that I could resolve this by myself. But once Lady Martha revealed the secret about you and Lord Anderson, the words Philip said to his mother made me realize he would never forgive me. He could not bear that she had concealed the truth about your identity from him, the truth about an employee here. Philip mentioned that his mother broke his trust, and if he cannot forgive her, he will never forgive me; he would believe that I am the only reason Sophia died. I cannot live a life like that,” Lady Isabella said.

“You cannot predict the outcome of this. But did you even realize the risk you took by keeping this a secret? Whoever is threatening you could be in this same house; you have put the entire family in danger, including the children.”

Lady Isabella wept in shame, understanding the truth in Elizabeth’s words.

“What am I to do now? You will not allow me to die, but I don’t have the strength to live. If at all she committed suicide, it is only because of me.”

“However painful the truth is, we must face it. We cannot risk the safety of this family; please come forward with the truth. You can no longer go on in this state; come with me. Trust me; whatever happens, I sense the truth in your words and will support you,” she said, guiding her down the stairs.

Lady Isabella knew that her whole world was about to collapse all over again, but she had never imagined that the governess she had disliked for months was the only reason she was still alive .