Their eyes met. It was not a gaze long held but there was a playful look cast to one another. To the beholder of each, there was a love to vocalize with words of amusement and wit and even a dash of fondness. That dash was only the tip of an iceberg, unveiled fully only when they were alone. Only when they could touch.
It saddened them both for they knew they had no chance. The younger finally had her freedom but that freedom would be sacrificed if she chose one love- one man- over another. The elder knew what and who she would want and it disheartened him for she would essentially trap herself once more, no longer free.
She and he continued their secret affair which was not much of an affair at all. They had an intimate relationship, true, but they saw it as a game, a game that they were slowly and inevitably losing.
I really think Elizabeth and Jack could have worked out. This is just a scenario (minus the intimacy).