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L ady Anderson sat in Elizabeth’s room the next morning.

“How are you feeling?” she asked Elizabeth in a low voice, ashamed to be in her company.

“I am well. Is Miss Anderson all right?” she asked. She understood everything that had transpired the previous evening from Darcy. The very fact that Miss Anderson tried to kill her own mother along with her in the fire shocked Elizabeth.

“You still care about her after what she has done?” Lady Anderson asked in astonishment.

“Her hatred for me blinded her so much that she lost control of her mind. It pains me to think that she put your life in danger as well just to harm me. As horrifying as it is, we must understand why she did it, and I forgive her. I doubt whether she was in her right senses yesterday,” she said.

“No one can look at it like you do, especially your father and Mr. Darcy. She is in a state of shock now, and your father is angry with me for having revealed the nature of her birth.”

Elizabeth was silent.

“You knew my secret all the while; why didn’t you mention it while I hurled accusations at you and questioned your mother’s character?”

“Lady Anderson, for six months, I have lived thinking that my mother birthed me out of wedlock, but I could not hate her, nor could I criticize her actions. I defended her against every accusation thrown my way. If I could not do it to my mother, neither could I do it to you,” she said, and Lady Anderson was speechless.

“I wish things were not like this for you. Mark should have married Sarah, and you would have had his love and protection since childhood. I am truly sorry for what has happened. All this while, the only thing that worried me was accepting you into our family, but now I understand it is the other way around. Would you have the heart to accept me as a part of your life? I am truly ashamed of what I said to you and how I have treated you since the day we met. You have taught me a lesson for life, Elizabeth; though late, it will take me to the grave as a better human being.”

Elizabeth smiled.

“You are his wife; though he states he was unhappy to marry you, both of you gave him a purpose in life, to live. I forgive you and I am glad that you will be a part of my future. After spending months feeling like an orphan, God has been kind to me, and I am now surrounded by people who care for me.”

“I spitefully declared that you will never be happy with Mr. Darcy in the future, and I take back my words. If someone as kind-hearted as you cannot be happy, I wonder who will. You will be very happy and be blessed with many children. I assure you,” she said, and to Elizabeth’s astonishment, Lady Anderson kissed her forehead.

***

“Elizabeth, listen to me. I do not care about what anyone would say; you are coming with me to Pemberley. I cannot leave you here,” Darcy argued, pressing her to leave with him later that day.

“I cannot; please do not press me. We hardly have ten days for the wedding.”

“Exactly! You are not safe here. You convinced me not to take any action against her, and if she is going to live in the same house, I cannot leave you here.”

“Fitzwilliam, please stop speaking like this; you will hurt my father beyond measure. Miss Anderson can’t do anything to me; what she did was done without thought, and I understand she is feeling unwell and is in bed. Please, let us not create unwanted tension.”

“She tried to kill you, and you want me to let you live here? However, she feels now does not matter to me; it might be an act, and she may be planning something.”

“Did my father speak with you regarding this?”

“He did, and he thanked me for not involving the authorities. I explicitly told him you were the only reason for my decision.”

“Did he assure you I will be safe here?” she asked.

“He did.”

“Then, I trust him and want you to do the same. I understand your concern for my safety, but please do not think I am disrespecting you. I assure you that I feel safe here with my father while you need to be in Pemberley receiving the guests and helping Georgiana. I am well now and should be able to leave the room today.”

“You will not do anything like that. You will rest until you are well, and I forbid you from leaving your room.”

“Why don’t you just lock me inside and leave your valet out to guard the room?” she asked with irritation.

“That seems like a good idea,” he said for a moment, thinking about the possibility.

“Fitzwilliam, you do not understand the amount of pressure you are putting on me now,” she cried.

Georgiana intervened, unable to watch them argue.

“Elizabeth, please calm down. You must not strain yourself,” she said, worried about her health and well-being. Finally, she convinced her brother to leave Ashton Park, but Darcy was not very happy about it.

“Lady Martha, I trust you; please do not let her be alone. I do not want Lady Anderson’s daughter anywhere near Elizabeth. You cannot imagine how much it pains me to leave her now,” he said as he left.

Meanwhile, Lord Anderson sat with his wife to have a painful discussion.

“I know you cannot forgive her. Neither can I, but Elizabeth does,” Lady Anderson said to her husband.

“How can I forgive her? I might have lost both of you in the fire,” he cried in agony, “And now she knows the truth about her birth, and I am not certain if she will ever recover from this; you have only fueled her hatred with the declaration.”

“I do not think so; I think being aware of the truth will make her understand what a privileged life she has led so far. She is in a state of shock now, but I hope she will regret her actions. I promise you; she cannot harm Elizabeth anymore.”

“Her actions question her upbringing, and we must be ashamed of the same.”

“Leave yourself out of this, Mark. If someone is to blame, it is me, and I will do everything I can to correct her flaws,” she said with resolve.

Lord Anderson felt conflicted, torn between the moral responsibility to punish her and fighting the need to forgive her. But he was not willing to compromise on Elizabeth’s safety.

What if she tries it again?

He wondered and decided to have men guard her room, but to his surprise, he saw that Lady Martha had already taken care of it.

“I am sorry that it came to this, Mark. But we must be thankful that Fitzwilliam decided against getting her arrested, and I owe it to him to keep Elizabeth safe. Beatrice will not be a part of the engagement party, nor will she attend the wedding; I have promised Fitzwilliam the same,” Lady Martha declared, unwilling to trust anyone else in the matter.

***

The evening of the engagement party was magical, according to Elizabeth. Lady Martha had outdone herself with the arrangements. All the guests who traveled from town were present at Ashton Park, and Elizabeth could not contain her happiness when she saw Mary and Charlotte.

Kitty and Lydia accompanied the Gardiners, and Mary informed her that Jane had chosen to stay behind.

“She tried to force Kitty and Lydia to stay with her, but they wanted to attend your wedding. Lizzy, I must say, it has been a tough time for them, but unlike Jane, they understand that it is not too late to change, and the future solely lies in their hands.”

“Do they miss their parents very much? And what about you?” she asked Mary with guilt.

“They do, and honestly, I do too, but any moment I think about them, the only thing that comes to my mind is their unforgivable actions, overshadowing any good memory we had with them,” she said.

The engagement party took place as planned, with Lord Anderson declaring Elizabeth his daughter, and he addressed her as “Miss Elizabeth Anderson” before the gathering.

And at that moment, Elizabeth somehow missed her mother, the one she had never seen in her life. Darcy stood along with her as the guests crowded them with wishes.

Darcy was mesmerized by Elizabeth’s beauty that evening. She looked radiant in her beautiful gown, which had intricate embroidery.

“I must tell you how enchanting you look this evening,” he whispered to her during their dance, finally getting his chance.

“You look very handsome, as always, Mr. Darcy,” she said, even though it annoyed him when she addressed him that way, yet he could not help but enjoy her teasing.

“I am so thankful that you have found your father. Irrespective of whatever has happened in the past, I am glad to see that you have a good relationship with him now.”

“I do! And honestly, I will miss him once he leaves,” she said, watching Darcy frown.

“Fitzwilliam, you have to accept it; even though I will be happily married to you, and you will do everything to make me smile, I will still miss my father.”

“If that is the case, we can travel to Scotland and see him, I promise you,” he said, and Elizabeth smiled.

“I have asked him to walk me down the aisle.”

“I am aware, and he was elated to declare the same to us the other day. Even Mr. Gardiner was happy about it, and I cannot wait to see you as my bride,” he said.

Lady Martha was delighted to see the guests enjoying themselves, and she felt that Elizabeth had brought back the joy Ashton Park had been missing since Lady Sophia’s death.

“Darcy, I must remind you that it is my turn now to dance with Miss Anderson; I suggest you find a good corner in the room and stare at the chandelier as you usually do,” Richard said to Darcy, making Elizabeth laugh. He gave his cousin one of his glares and walked away reluctantly.

It was a happy evening for everyone, and even though her daughter was not allowed to come down, Lady Anderson ensured she did everything to help the evening run smoothly.

“I appreciate what you are trying to do for Elizabeth,” Lord Anderson said.