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D arcy had never felt so uncomfortable being seated in Ashton Park in his whole life.

But now, as he sat in the study along with Elizabeth, Lord Ashton, and Lady Martha, he found no words to explain the tension he felt in the air.

The morning had started as usual, but he was surprised to receive a note from Lady Martha requesting his presence at Ashton Park immediately.

He was extremely agitated and certain it had something to do with Elizabeth.

On his horse, he raced to Ashton Park and was glad to see her waiting for him at the house entrance. The expression on her face scared him.

“Elizabeth, what is wrong?” he asked in a hurry as she ran up to him.

“Thank you for coming; we need you here.”

“What happened? Are you unwell?”

“Nothing is wrong with me, but a lot has happened since last night, and it has nothing to do with Lord Anderson.”

“You are scaring me; what happened? Did someone try to hurt you?”

She held his hand, reassured him, and led him to the study. Within ten minutes, he became aware of all the horrific details of the blackmail and Lady Isabella’s attempt to end her life.

“Philip, I do not know what to say. How could this happen to our family?” Darcy finally asked.

Lord Ashton was silent.

“None of us have slept a wink since last night. I have not disclosed this to anyone except my brothers. I strongly feel that the culprit is from Ashton Park,” Lady Martha said.

“I feel so, too. I still cannot believe it; we all thought it was an accident. Forgive me for asking this so bluntly; could it have been a suicide?” he asked and watched the agony on Lord Ashton’s face.

“I do not know. According to Isabella, the blackmailer has a letter stating that she committed suicide. She is gone, suffered, and died in a way no woman should have, not her. She loved everyone, and I cannot believe Isabella did this to her, fooling me for so long.”

Elizabeth expected Lady Martha to vent her anger against Lady Isabella, but to her surprise, Lady Martha was silent.

“So, you saw someone in the garden?” Darcy asked Elizabeth.

“I thought I did; again, I was not certain about anything. But I must confess I doubted something was going on with Lady Isabella,” she said, looking guiltily at Lady Martha.

“I am not upset with you, Elizabeth. Honestly, I do not know whom to be angry with more than myself. Someone has been threatening a member of this family, and she did not trust us to help her; it only shows that I have failed to treat her with the respect she deserved. I do not want to judge what she did, nor the complication of her relationship with my son. I have failed to protect her in this house.”

“But I can say for certain, mother. I can never forgive her; one way or the other, she is the reason Sophia is dead.”

Darcy and Elizabeth felt extremely uncomfortable to be a part of this discussion.

“We cannot allow this to continue; whoever it is, they must pay for it. Philip, I understand how difficult this would be for you, but we must stop this. When did she receive the last letter?”

“I think a week ago. Someone has been placing the letters in the garden, which is how she has communicated with them.”

“Do not worry; we will catch whoever is behind this.”

Just then, Lord Anderson and his brother joined them, and Elizabeth immediately stood.

“Kindly excuse me,” she said and left the room.

Darcy noticed the sadness in Lord Anderson’s face as he watched Elizabeth leave the room.

“I hope you have been updated on recent developments, Mr. Darcy,” Lord Anderson said.

“Yes, it is miserable that our family has to endure something like this.”

“The question is, “What do we plan to do?””

“It may not be difficult to catch whoever is behind this, but whatever we do must be done with discretion as I strongly suspect the culprit is somewhere close to us or even in this house.”

“You are right; if Sophia had the diary with her that night and it went missing later, someone here must have stolen it. We were all there that night of the ball; I still cannot believe how none of us ever suspected anything,” Lord Anderson said.

“Philip, I am sorry to ask you this; when did you last see Sophia that night?” Lady Martha asked her son.

“We retired after the ball, and I remember her leaving the room to see the children, but she returned after some time. She looked worried, and I remember asking her whether the children were unwell. But I am not certain why she left the room after that. All I remember is the housekeeper waking me early in the hours informing me of her death.”

“What time did she return to your room that night?” Darcy asked.

“Maybe half past twelve; I was so tired that day and do not remember anything afterward.”

“Did she have the diary with her? Do you remember?” Darcy asked.

“No, she did not. She might have, but I am not certain. I remember her last words that night; she said the children are well; do not worry. But, wait, I do remember, she was looking for something.”

All in the room stared at Lord Ashton.

“She was looking for a pen. Maybe she did write the letter and end her life; I was with her at that moment and never realized her temperament. I could have saved her,” he cried with regret.

“Please do not jump to conclusions. What time did Lady Isabella say they met in her room?”

“Elizabeth asked her the same; it was around twelve,” Lady Martha replied.

“So, she did return to the room after the argument. What made her venture out to the guest wing again?” Darcy asked.

The rest of them were silent.

“We do not have time to waste; if I am right, Lady Isabella received a letter recently demanding more money,” Mr. Anderson mentioned.

“Yes, I assume she was supposed to leave the money tomorrow night in the garden,” Lord Ashton said.

“We do not have much time, and whatever we plan to do must not raise suspicion.”

“Do not worry, Mr. Anderson, whoever it is will be caught, and they have to pay a price for this horrendous act,” Darcy said with confidence.

Lady Martha left the men as they discussed their plans.

Everything was discussed within half an hour, and Darcy could sense that no matter what the outcome was, his friend was unwilling to forgive Lady Isabella.

He was impatient to see Elizabeth and headed upstairs, where she sat with the children, helping them with their lessons.

As soon as she saw him, she smiled, and Darcy stared at her with admiration for what she had done the previous night.

The children ran up to him with affection.

“Fitzwilliam, when is the next ball? Can we attend that, too?” Edmund asked with excitement, and Darcy laughed.

“The next ball should be during Christmas, but you will have many more exciting parties to attend before that, including a wedding,” he said, not taking his eyes off Elizabeth.

“Your wedding with Miss Smith, am I right?” Emily asked.

“Yes, you are.”

“And when is that, Mr. Darcy?” Elizabeth asked him teasingly.

Darcy left the children and walked to the table where she was seated, and Elizabeth immediately stood.

“If you agree, I can make it happen tomorrow,” he said, gazing into her beautiful eyes. Elizabeth lost herself as she stared at him, forgetting the present, and the couple were brought back to reality when the children joined them at the table.

“I thought you would not resume lessons until we left for London,” Darcy said.

“How could I not? I cannot neglect them because of what is going on in our lives. This is the only thing that feels real in my life now,” she said, watching Darcy frown.

“Apart from you,” Elizabeth added.

Just then, they heard a knock, and the children’s nanny entered the room; she looked uneasy.

“What is it, Mrs. Davidson?” Elizabeth asked.

“Miss Smith, I mean, Lady Martha asked me to stay here until Mr. Darcy leaves; I mean, just stay here with you,” she said.

“Good Heavens!” Darcy cried to himself and saw Elizabeth try hard not to smile.

She is still concerned about the chaperone situation.

“You can stay here as long as you want; I was just leaving,” he cried with irritation and left the room.

“Did I do something to upset him?” Mrs. Davidson asked.

“It has nothing to do with you; please do not worry,” Elizabeth smiled at her. She was impatient to know what had transpired after the discussion downstairs but continued with the lessons as her mind circled around Lady Isabella.

She recalled the events of the previous night, pained by the shock and horror she witnessed on Lord Ashton’s and Lady Martha’s faces as the secret unraveled through her.

She had been in Lady Isabella’s room until the early hours, trying to understand her situation better.

By morning, Lady Martha decided to inform Darcy and had sent a note to Pemberley.

Once the children completed their lessons, Elizabeth headed to the dining room for dinner.

As expected, the whole family gathered for the meal.

Lady Martha ensured everyone continued their routine despite the developments; she did not want any staff to suspect anything, as she also strongly felt that the culprit was someone in Ashton Park.

When Elizabeth entered the room, she locked eyes with Lord Anderson and struggled to compose herself.

Beside him sat Lady Anderson, and her temperament mirrored that of Elizabeth.

She could not bear the sight of Elizabeth, and her daughter looked away in anger.

It was evident to everyone that Miss Anderson was still unaware of her father’s past. Elizabeth could sense it as well.

I am certain her mother has not revealed the truth yet. I can see it in her eyes; she does not know yet.

They all sat down to eat, and Elizabeth sat beside Lady Isabella who looked distraught.