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T he next morning, Darcy lay awake next to Elizabeth, unable to take his eyes off her. He noticed her stir and smiled as she woke up.

What more would I want in life if I could wake up to see your beautiful eyes every morning?

“Good morning, Mrs. Darcy,” he said, and Elizabeth blushed in embarrassment, recollecting their passionate night. She quickly tried to leave him, and Darcy pulled her back.

“What is the hurry to get away from me, my dear? You still have not answered my question.”

Elizabeth looked at him, puzzled.

“Do you forgive me for how I behaved at the bookstore?” he asked seriously.

“I wholeheartedly do, but there is something I hold you in contempt for now; forgiving you for that might be nearly impossible.”

“And what might that be?”

“For not allowing me to sleep last night, and I am so tired now that I do not know how I will go ahead with my duties as Mrs. Darcy today,” she said, seeing Darcy’s expression change to distress.

“I am sorry. Are you feeling unwell? Are you fatigued after…” His voice faltered, and his eyes expressed guilt.

“Good heavens! I was teasing you; I am well, and more than well, I am happy.”

“I knew you were scared about last night, but the moment I kissed you, I observed something in your eyes that told me you trusted me. I cannot forgive myself if you did not feel so,” he said earnestly.

“I did trust you. As you said, you can read my eyes very well, and if not, you would have known. Fitzwilliam, I have never felt happier.”

“Are you certain?” he asked once again, his hands caressing her curls.

“I need to be careful before I tease you next time; you seem to be such a sensitive man.”

“I am when it concerns you,” he said, pulling her closer, not wanting her to leave him.

“Fitzwilliam, I…”

“Yes?”

“I wish I had trusted you when you proposed; I hurt you greatly by rejecting your love. But despite everything I did, you never gave up on me, and I do not know how to thank you.”

“As I said before, my heart was not willing to believe your words that day. Somewhere deep down, I knew that you loved me, and that hope is what made me hold on until I discovered your secret. Please do not thank me; you do not know how meaningful you have made my life since the day I met you. Every day, you make me fall in love with you all over again,” he said, basking in her warmth.

***

Most of the guests had left Pemberley after attending the Christmas ball hosted by the Darcys.

It was a busy week for Elizabeth, and Darcy did not want her to be overwhelmed with her responsibilities.

But with Mrs. Reynolds’s support, she slowly took over her duties, and Darcy was very impressed with her.

Lord Anderson was elated to see her happily settled in Pemberley, and he often paid surprise visits during the day to see his daughter, much to her joy.

But she knew very well that he was to leave for Scotland soon, and Darcy could sense her sadness as the day arrived.

“Elizabeth, do not feel so dejected. I understand that you will miss your father, but we can visit him soon,” he told her.

“I do not know how to say goodbye to him tomorrow. I think this is why I never wanted to accept him as my father because it is so painful to part from him. I can see that he is trying his best to compensate for the past.”

“You do not have to say goodbye. You will meet him again, and I promise to make it happen soon,” he said.

“It delights me to see the bond between you both.”

“We have a common subject to bond.”

“And what is that?”

“You!” Darcy said and continued, “Both of us love you and want you to have the best in life,” he said.

“And I am certain that ensuring my happiness has become more of a competition between you both,” she said with a smile.

“It has, and your father can never win,” Darcy proudly declared.

Next morning, Darcy, Elizabeth, and Georgiana left for Ashton Park to bid farewell to Lord Anderson.

Darcy left Elizabeth alone with her father for a few minutes in the library.

“You are making it very difficult for me to leave you,” Lord Anderson said, seeing her sadness.

“No, you must; for all I know, you should have returned months ago.”

“Elizabeth, I have visited Ashton Park every year and returned home as the same unhappy man. But now, everything is different because I found you. You have given me so much joy and peace.”

“But I have hurt you a lot initially. Do you forgive me?”

“Do not be silly. You had the right to be angry. Honestly, I never thought you would accept me. Please remember, though, whatever life throws at you, you have me; you have your father to support you,” he said, embracing her.

When it was time to leave, Darcy and Elizabeth spotted Miss Anderson standing near the stairs along with her mother, and it had been weeks since they had seen her.

Elizabeth was shocked to see her appearance; she had lost weight and looked extremely thin.

Her face was ghastly, and she looked utterly lost. Her air of superiority seemed to have vanished, and she struggled to look in their direction.

Darcy immediately warned Elizabeth to step into the parlor.

“Fitzwilliam, it is all right,” she said to him, and he held her hand as she walked forward.

Lady Anderson stood close to her daughter with a look of worry, almost trying to block her from Elizabeth’s sight. As for Elizabeth, she felt everyone was overreacting to the situation, as Miss Anderson did not look angry but ashamed to be in her company.

Elizabeth walked up to them, and Darcy stood protectively beside her. Miss Anderson struggled to meet her eye, and once she did, Elizabeth saw her crumble under the weight of shame.

“Do not look at me with pity; he is still my father,” she said with a false sense of anger.

“He is, and he will always be,” Elizabeth said.

She seemed shocked to hear Elizabeth’s declaration.

“I... I am sorry for what I did,” she cried and left before Elizabeth could answer, and Lady Anderson followed her out.

Darcy looked at Elizabeth with confusion.

“How could you forgive her?” he asked.

“Because she did not plan it, she acted in the heat of the moment; it was my mistake to intrude in a private conversation between a mother and daughter. Had I not followed them there, argued with them, none of it would have happened. Whatever she did that day is unacceptable, but you must find a way to forgive her, for my father’s sake. ”

It was emotional for Lord Anderson and Elizabeth to part from each other. Darcy assured him that he would not have to worry about Elizabeth.

“I know, Mr. Darcy; I am well aware that you would care for her even better than me,” he said gratefully.

Mr. Anderson left with his brother’s family, and Lady Martha felt a strange emptiness in Ashton Park. And to her surprise, Elizabeth offered to stay with her that day, and Lady Martha looked at Darcy with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course, I am happy to let her stay, and just to ascertain what you are already aware of, I am staying here as well,” he said, and Elizabeth laughed.

The days flew by, and Elizabeth and Darcy took a short honeymoon trip to the lakes a month after their marriage.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bingley and Mary had decided to purchase an estate in Derbyshire, and Elizabeth could not wait for them to settle close to her.

She was grateful to understand that her sisters were safe under her uncle’s guardianship.

More than Darcy and Elizabeth, Georgiana was overjoyed with their marriage. And Darcy was proud of how Elizabeth gave Georgiana importance in everything she did.

“Mr. Darcy, I was Georgiana’s friend even before I fell in love with you, and she always comes first to me,” she playfully teased him one day as he questioned her about not spending enough time with him during the day.

“Is that so? She will get married and leave us after some years, and then you cannot say the same.”

“Good heavens! I cannot believe you. More than me, you will be heartbroken when she leaves Pemberley.”

“Do not worry, my dear. I shall never approve any suitor who lives more than ten miles away from us,” he said confidently.

“Is that so? I am pretty certain she will get settled in town,” she said, watching Darcy’s face go white.

“Do not look so forlorn; we can only hope that she lives close to us. What matters is whom she chooses and how happy she will be with her choice.”

“I am certain she will not make the same mistake twice,” he said, recollecting her past.

“Now, you promised to take me to the cliff today; I want to see the sunrise,” she said as it had not yet dawned.

It was the middle of May, and spring had glorified Derbyshire’s beauty. Darcy took Elizabeth on his horse and rode up to the mount near Ashton Park, to the same spot they had met a year ago. He carefully dismounted her from the horse, and they walked hand in hand to the cliff.

“And we stop here,” Darcy said, not wanting to let her near the cliff’s edge.

“Fitzwilliam, please just a little bit closer; I will be cautious,” she said, and Darcy led her closer. Both looked at the falls, and the force and strength of the water resonated so much with the admiration, regard, and passion they felt for each other.

She tried to take a step forward, but Darcy caught her hand.

“Miss, you are dangerously close to the cliff. I would advise you to step back immediately,” he cried.

As for Elizabeth, those words were etched in her memory forever.

“Can you not hear me, madam?” he asked again, pulling her into his arms.

“Of course, I can hear you. Anyone a mile away can hear your commands, I suppose. But I am not someone you can order around. I do not have to obey your commands, sir.”

“Then you leave me no other choice but to punish you in the way you deserve,” he said, kissing her ever so gently. Elizabeth began to feel dizzy and was very certain of its cause. Darcy immediately noticed her countenance as she struggled to stand.

“Elizabeth, Good Heavens! Are you well?” He cried and helped her steady herself.

“Come now,” he said with worry, walking her away from the cliff.

“I should have never allowed you to stand so close to the edge,” he cried angrily.

“Fitzwilliam, I am well. I felt dizzy, and it is nothing to worry about.”

“You don’t look well, and I have noticed you are not eating at all these days. Georgiana mentioned the same thing the other day during supper. Let us return home; I will send for the doctor.”

“Yes, maybe it is time to send for the doctor,” she said, and her reply startled Darcy as he assumed she would protest.

“You are scaring me; apart from now, how long have you been feeling this way, and why did you not mention it to me? How could you not tell me?” he asked with irritation.

“Do not be angry; I just wanted to make sure that…”

“Make sure of what? You wanted your condition to worsen or for me to find out on my own? You are hurting me so much now, Elizabeth, and you are well aware of that.”

“I wish you would not say that; my current condition should not make you feel distressed, but the opposite.”

Darcy stared at her with confusion, and Elizabeth gently placed his hand on her stomach and looked at him calmly.

Darcy saw her eyes fill with tears, and her face expressed boundless joy.

“Yes, I am unwell and might be so for some months, but I hope you can be happy about it,” she said.

It took an eternity for Darcy to understand what Elizabeth meant; he kept staring at her with his hand on her stomach.

“Elizabeth, are you... are you?”

“You are going to be a father,” she said, her words resonating with the happiness in her eyes.

Without thought, he lifted her and spun around in joy.

“Fitzwilliam, put me down; you are making me dizzy again,” she cried.

Darcy finally let her down, and she laughed in joy.

“How long have you known?”

“Not long, a few weeks now.”

“A few weeks? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to be certain, and yes, we must send for the doctor so that he can confirm the same.”

“I cannot tell you how happy you have made me. I should have never brought you here, and that too on my horse. How could you be so careless in such a delicate condition?”

“I have not been careless, and do not worry unnecessarily.”

“I will worry; I cannot allow you to strain yourself in any way. You need to rest completely,” he said, and Elizabeth understood that he was reacting as she feared he would.

“I assure you I will not strain myself or do anything to harm the baby, but I will resume my routine around the house and enjoy my outdoor pursuits without your interference. You are being overprotective, which will only make me unhappy.”

“Very well, I will not stop you from enjoying the outdoors, but everything depends upon your health, and you will not exert yourself under any circumstance.”

Elizabeth agreed, and as they left the spot, they turned around, looked at the falls once more, and smiled at each other. A year ago, they had met there as complete strangers, and now they stood hand in hand, united for life.

“Did you wonder who I was that day?” Elizabeth asked.

“I did.”

“I am certain the thought of me being a governess in Ashton Park never crossed your mind, did it?”

“You are wrong; I knew it.”

“I do not understand; how is that possible?” Elizabeth asked in confusion.

“Because I knew that you would be the governess of my heart forever,” he whispered softly into her ear as he lifted Elizabeth on his horse and rode away toward a future filled with endless joy and happiness.