When Elizabeth and Charlotte arrived to question Mrs. Hill's niece about the previous night's incident, they saw her sobbing in Mrs. Hill's arms.

Elizabeth and Charlotte exchanged worried glances, wondering what could have happened. They approached Mrs. Hill tentatively, not wanting to intrude on the young girl's grief.

"Mrs. Hill, what has happened?" Elizabeth asked gently, placing a comforting hand on the older woman's shoulder.

Mrs. Hill's face was streaked with tears as she looked at Elizabeth and Charlotte. "It's nothing," she said tersely, her voice tinted with anger. "Lily is just frightened from what happened last night. That monster won't be bothering us anymore."

Elizabeth and Charlotte knew what Mrs. Hill meant: Mr. Martin, the footman who had been with them for nearly ten years, had done something appalling to a young girl of Lily's age. Elizabeth could empathize; she had experienced something similar, so she understood how Lily felt in that moment.

Elizabeth spoke in a soothing voice as she attempted to gain Lily's attention, calling out "Miss Lilian."

Slowly lifting her head, Lily's eyes were red and swollen from crying. "Yes, miss?" she sniffled.

Elizabeth said softly, "I'm sorry to hear that you've had such a terrible experience." She continued, "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Lily shook her head; her tears started to flow again. "It's just...so awful," she whispered. "I never thought something like this would happen to me."

Charlotte put a comforting arm around Lily's shoulders. "It's not your fault, Miss Lilian," she said. "You didn't do anything wrong. Mr. Martin is the one who should feel ashamed, not you."

Lily looked up at Charlotte, gratitude etched on her face. "Thank you," she said, her voice quivering.

Elizabeth was worried and thinking of what to do next. She understood that Mr. Martin had died, but she also knew that there were still questions that needed to be answered in order to ensure all the facts were known about the incident. Elizabeth knelt beside Lillian and held her hand tightly.

Elizabeth asked gently, "Miss Lilian, can you tell us what happened?" We are here to help you."

Lilian let out a sob, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "Mr. Martin," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "He's been trying to force me into marrying him for a few months now. I refused his offer because he was too old for me. He kept attempting to get me alone, but I managed to avoid him every time. One day, he tried to take advantage of me! I slapped him, and the servants came running after hearing the commotion. He threatened that he would seek vengeance on me and send me to hell."

Elizabeth's heart sank as Lily recounted her ordeal. She felt a surge of anger toward Mr. Martin for his despicable behavior.

Charlotte remained calm as she said "Can you tell us what exactly happened last night?"

Lily tried to recall the terrifying events of the night before as her voice quavered. "I was coming back from the hermitage after delivering some sandwiches when I saw Mr. Martin. He grabbed me before I had a chance to react and started talking about teaching me a lesson. He said that someone owed him a favor and he and his cohorts would show me what happens when you're an ungrateful wench."

Charlotte inquired, "Did he mention the name of anyone who might owe him a favor?"

Lily shook her head in denial.

Elizabeth felt a wave of revulsion listening to Lily's story. "I can't believe Mr. Martin could stoop so low!"

Mrs. Hills scoffed. "He's always been a rogue; Lily isn't the first woman he has tried to take advantage of."

Elizabeth stared at her in shock, "You mean he's done this before?"

Mrs. Hills nodded, confirming Elizabeth's suspicions. "Yes, almost every young woman in the serving staff has experienced his advances."

Elizabeth was overwhelmed by this news. "How long has this been going on? Why didn't any of you tell our father or mother?"

Mrs. Hill sighed. "We did. Mr. Bennet promised to do something, but nothing ever came of it, and Mrs. Bennet just doesn't seem to care."

Elizabeth had always viewed her father as a kind man, but at this moment his inaction infuriated her. How could he have ignored this complaint for ten years and continue to allow someone like Mr. Martin to work in their estate when he knew everything about him? Elizabeth was well aware that her mother was ignorant, but this only seemed to worsen the situation.

Elizabeth knew she need to confront her father about this matter. She would not let him sweep this under the rug any longer. She stood up, determination etched on her face.

"I will speak to my father about this," she said firmly. "We cannot let this continue. Mr. Martin may be dead, but there are others like him out there who need to be stopped."

Mrs. Hill looked at Elizabeth and Charlotte with gratitude. "Thank you; I don't know what we would have done without you."

Elizabeth couldn't help but feel a sense of unease; Mr. Martin might be dead, but she knew that the danger was far from over.

She had a feeling that this was only the beginning of their troubles, she went to her father studies determined to confront him about his indolence.

As Elizabeth approached her father's study, she took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves. She knew this would not be an easy conversation to have with him; however, it was necessary.

She knocked on the door and awaited her father's voice to invite her in.

"Come in," Mr. Bennet said in his usual tone.

Elizabeth entered the room, her eyes scanning the books and papers strewn about. She took a seat across from her father's desk and said, "Papa, may I speak with you?" Her voice was barely audible as she struggled to maintain composure.

Mr. Bennet looked up from his book and nodded. "What is it?"

Elizabeth inhaled deeply before asking her father the question that had been weighing on her mind. "Papa, why did you do nothing about Mr. Martin's advances on the staff? Mrs. Hill told me that almost every young woman in our service has been harassed by him. Your ignorance of his activities even put Lydia's life in danger. Why didn't you take any action to stop this?"

Mr. Bennet sighed as he glanced at his daughter. "I should have done more to investigate these allegations and ensure everyone was safe from harm. I failed in my role as master of this estate; I never thought it would come to this."

Elizabeth was still not satisfied with his answer. "But why, Papa? Why didn't you take action when you knew the danger he posed? Why did you risk the safety of every young woman in our household?"

Mr. Bennet leaned back in his chair, a look of regret on his face. "I concede that I was negligent in this matter, Lizzy," he said. "I am sorry about that, but I promise it will never happen again. I may have lost one of my daughters because of it."

Elizabeth stared at her father with disbelief. "Negligence? Is that all you have to say for ignoring something as serious as this?"

Mr. Bennet looked at Elizabeth, his expression changing from regret to irritation. "What else do you want me to say, Elizabeth? I should have done something, but I didn't. I was foolish to think that Mr. Martin wouldn't go as far as he did."

Elizabeth was taken aback by her father's sudden change in attitude. "Papa, I understand that you are sorry, but you must take responsibility for your actions. You cannot simply dismiss this as a mistake; the safety of our family and servants is at stake."

Mr. Bennet scowled. "I am well aware of the seriousness of the situation, Elizabeth. I will do everything in my power to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. However, you must also understand that I cannot change the past. What's done is done."

Elizabeth felt a sense of frustration building up inside her. "Perhaps, Papa. But there are things you can do now, starting with making sure that all the young women in our service feel safe and protected. We need to take precautions to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."

Mr. Bennet nodded, his expression softening. "You're right, Elizabeth. I will make sure that the staff knows they can come to me with any issues and that their safety is our top priority. We will also take steps to ensure that anyone who poses a threat to our household is removed immediately."

A sense of relief washed over Elizabeth. It was not the perfect solution, but it was a start. She knew that it was going to take time and effort to make things right, but it was worth it to ensure the safety of everyone in their household.

As she left her father's study, Elizabeth couldn't shake off the feeling that there was still more to uncover about Mr. Martin's death. She wondered who had done this and if they were still out there. She knew that she needed to keep her wits about her.

As Elizabeth descended the stairs, Charlotte was still waiting for her. She noticed Elizabeth's dejected expression and asked what had happened. All Elizabeth could respond with was that some things would remain unchanged. During their conversation, Elizabeth told Charlotte of her discussion with her father, revealing she cherished her father but his lackadaisical and careless behavior sometimes frustrated her.

Charlotte nodded as she listened to Elizabeth's tale. "I understand how you feel; it's not easy to confront someone, especially someone you care about, but it was necessary."

Elizabeth sighed. "I just wish there was more we could do to protect everyone."

Charlotte looked at Elizabeth with worry in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Elizabeth paused before answering, "I'm not sure, Charlotte. It just doesn't feel right—like there's something more we don't know."

She put a comforting hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "We'll get to the bottom of this together."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. Then, she remembered something "Charlotte, I need to tell you something." Charlotte startled at sudden shift in conversation but Elizabeth continued, "At Aunt Phillip's card party that day, I overheard Mr. Goulding telling some gentlemen that he would be away in London for a week or so."

Charlotte's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean Haye-Park will be closed for a week?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "His servants will stay."

Charlotte's eyebrows scrunched together as she recalled Louise's grievances about how Mr. Glouding had so much money and yet he only ever employed a few people, taking them with him when he traveled. She figured that the estate of Haye-Park might be completely empty for a week, which would provide the perfect opportunity to sneak into the estate.

As Charlotte departed, Elizabeth felt an impulse to take a walk and clear her thoughts. Although she knew she couldn't go far, she chose to stroll through the garden of their home. Alone, she reminisced on how much had changed in the last few months. She used to be content with just her books, some walks, and someone to banter with. Her father and Jane had always been her most trusted companions. But lately, Elizabeth felt as if she was living an illusion. Her seemingly perfect papa had revealed himself to be an irresponsible master and negligent parent. The more her mind wandered down this path, the more thoughts filled her head. Elizabeth still yearned for true love in marriage, but if it never came then perhaps she'd end up a spinster aunt to her sisters' children - a thought which made her laugh.

It suddenly dawned on her—what if neither of her sisters got married? Kitty had lucked out and found a love in her childhood best friend John Lucas, but what about the others like Jane? Everyone thought that Jane would soon find a suitor due to her beauty, yet many men lost interest when they learned she had no dowry or when they became familiar with the behavior of her family. Elizabeth admired her elder sister and never saw any flaws in her—until recently. She pondered what had changed between them; perhaps she had been willfully ignorant to everything out of affection.

Jane and Elizabeth had the benefit of spending much of their childhood with their aunt and uncle, which enabled them to refine their manners. This also allowed Elizabeth to hone her skills in piano playing, embroidery, and languages. Elizabeth's father's erudite company and her own love of reading also aided in her development. Although she was not entirely proficient in any of these skills, she had enough knowledge to avoid embarrassment should she be asked to demonstrate them.

Although she was aware that unlike Kitty, she had no talent for drawing, she thought of Jane. Despite having the same opportunities as Elizabeth, their mother made her believe that being beautiful was enough to attract suitors, and they generally don't like wives who read too much. Thus, Jane didn't take an interest in most accomplishments; however, her aunt and uncle at least taught her some lady-like mannerisms. Their younger sisters were completely neglected. When Elizabeth last spoke to her father, she had requested employing new masters, but it seemed like he disregarded this request too.

She was beginning to realize the precarious state of her and her sisters' future; the irony was not lost on her—if her father had not cared about the physical security of those under his protection enough to make timely decisions, why would he provide financial security? He always expected that their uncles or future husbands would support them after his demise, but why would any man agree to do this without even getting any dowry from her family?

Women had few earning opportunities, especially those born into gentility. Those from lower classes could work as a domestic servant, but women of gentler classes barely had any other options. They could become governesses or nurses or teachers, but in their case, none of them were qualified enough to become a governess.

Nevertheless, if they had some form of dowry, it could have provided financial security for all of them. Even the £5,000 settlement from her mother wouldn't be available instantly; it would take time to come through. It was rather ironic that even though Lucas Lodge had much less income than Longbourn, the Lucas daughters still had at least some small dowries.

Elizabeth could not bear the idea of relying on Kitty and John when they were married, or her uncles who had their own children to look after. She was grateful to the Gardiners for everything they did for herself and her sisters, but she did not want to become a burden on anyone in the future.

Elizabeth wasn't willing to marry without any real affection for her husband, knowing it would be selfish. She wanted security for herself and her family, but not at the expense of marrying someone she couldn't love. Perhaps she could persuade her father to start putting money aside for their future; she didn't know how successful she'd be this time, but it was something she had to try, that was all she could do as a sister to remind her parents it was their responsibility to secure their futures instead of selling them off to the highest bidder.