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“Yes, we did. As we suspected, it is someone employed in Ashton Park, none other than Sophia’s maid, Ruth,” Lady Martha said.

“What? This cannot be true. She has been her maid for so many years, someone Sophia trusted.”

“She did, and that is why I employed her here even after Sophia’s death.”

“She did not act alone; she had an accomplice, her husband who lives in Lambton,” Darcy said and continued, “Once you left the money last night, we watched the spot for a long time, and after a few hours, a woman came and took the money. She did not return to the house but ventured out of the property to meet someone. She met her husband and handed over the money, but they were unaware they were being watched. We allowed the maid to return to Ashton Park, followed her husband, and captured him. We confronted him, and he had no choice but to surrender and tell us the truth. Some time ago, we captured the maid as well. At first, she feigned ignorance, but once she understood that her husband was caught, she had no choice but to accept her involvement. Lady Isabella’s death was not a suicide but an accident.

From what we know from the maid, Lady Sophia returned to the guest wing that night to hand over the diary and letter to you.

The maid states that while Lady Sophia was near the stairs, she missed her footing and fell.

The maid was aware of everything since she had seen Lady Sophia in your room during the ball and later overheard the argument between you both. ”

“And Ruth let her die instead of saving her?” Lady Isabella asked in horror.

“She states she died immediately. Honestly, we do not want to believe her. If she had called for help, we might have been able to save her. When she had your diary in her possession, she decided to team up with her husband and blackmail you.”

Lady Isabella watched the rage on her husband’s face and felt the same way.

“All these months, I thought she died without forgiving me, but now, after knowing the truth, I feel even more guilty. One way or the other, I am responsible for her death.”

Elizabeth held her hand and comforted her, but Lord Ashton said nothing. Elizabeth was pained by the situation when she became aware of the truth that morning and looked at Lady Isabella with sadness.

“Both of them have been handed over to the authorities,” Lord Anderson said.

“Ruth has been her maid here since Sophia’s marriage and someone whom Sophia trusted. I still cannot believe she chose to do this to her; I can no longer trust anyone employed in Ashton Park,” Lady Martha said with remorse.

Lady Isabella looked at her husband, and from the look on his face, she realized that their relationship had ended forever.

The women left the library, leaving the men alone.

“Fitzwilliam, I thank you for your assistance in this matter,” Lord Ashton said.

Darcy merely nodded, as the whole affair was depressing for everyone.

Darcy and Lord Ashton were enraged by the truth, and it was very difficult for them to hand over the culprits to the authorities without taking matters into their own hands.

The letter Lady Sophia had written forgiving her friend moved everyone to tears.

Darcy left Ashton Park after a few hours and promised Elizabeth to return the next day.

Now that they had solved the mystery of Lady Sophia’s death, he wanted to leave for London as soon as possible.

He was well aware of Elizabeth’s discomfort in being in the same house as Lord Anderson and understood the desperate need to find the truth about her mother.

Darcy was frustrated about the whole situation of his marriage; he had always liked to control his life, and now he felt that everything depended on what they would discover in London.

More than anything, he could not imagine Elizabeth getting hurt in the process and hoped nothing would happen to cause her more torment.

***

“Have you spoken with Lord Ashton?” Elizabeth asked Lady Isabella that evening.

“There is nothing to discuss with him; everything is over.”

“But you are not at fault; whatever happened was an unfortunate accident, and if at all someone is to blame, it is that maid. I still cannot believe that someone could be this cruel. Lady Sophia’s letter shows her kind heart and the depth of your friendship; if she had not written it, we could have never understood her sentiments towards you, and you would have lived with guilt for the rest of your life. ”

“I still will. You do not understand Elizabeth; if she had not ventured out to my room that night, she would not have died. Everything that happened to her, everything that this family has suffered, is because of me; it is because of what I wrote to free my heart from pain. Writing my feelings in my diary all these years was a grave mistake. I did it because it relieved me from the torment in my heart; I had never imagined she would read those words. I cannot forgive myself, and I understand why my husband is unable to do so.”

“If you speak with him, I am certain you can sort this out. Lady Martha is not angry with you, and that is very…” Elizabeth hesitated.

“Surprising?”

“Well, yes! But I am certain she will stand by you. The children need you, Lady Isabella, especially after I leave. I think the only way to compensate for whatever happened is to keep them happy. I understand you were very attached to them before Lady Sophia’s death.”

“Yes, I was. But after I married Philip, I could not forget everything and be their mother; I could not do it with the amount of guilt in my heart.”

“But now you can. I have faith that in time, everything will heal, and this family can be as peaceful as before; I think that is what Lady Sophia would want. I have heard so much about her from the children, but when I read her letter, I understood the kind of friendship she shared with you. You cannot give up on this life, at least for her sake.”

Lady Isabella looked at Elizabeth gratefully.

“You truly have a kind heart. Despite how I treated you, you saved my life, and in the past days, you have been a great source of support to me, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am. Even my mother, when she became aware of everything today, shunned me, but right from the very moment I revealed everything, you stood by my side.”

“I did what was right and nothing more. You are not alone here; please remember that. I came to Ashton Park with a past I wanted to forget and an uncertain future. Lady Martha welcomed me with kindness. I was a stranger to her then, and yet she protected me. She would never forsake you.”

Lady Isabella said nothing. It was two days since she had spoken with her husband, and she knew she had to at some point.

That night, the entire household in Ashton Park went to sleep with different emotions, and none of them expected to sleep except the two children, who were oblivious to every gruesome detail of their mother’s death.