Chapter 46:
The next day in Ashton Park, Georgiana sat with Elizabeth in her room. She became aware of everything that happened in the past days through Elizabeth.
"I do not know what to say, Lizzy, or how to comfort everyone here. Lady Sophia was like you; she was kind and compassionate and kept everyone around her happy. She did not deserve this and her maid; how could someone be so cruel? The more I see the world, the more I lose trust in it. Your past, my past with Wickham, and now what has happened here makes me lose faith in people and relationships."
"Do not say that; the world is filled with both good and evil. We cannot lose trust in people around us because of these experiences. I was indeed mistreated by the people who raised me, but I unexpectedly found care and affection with Lady Martha. Then my life changed when I met you and your brother; the very fact that I have a future now is because there are people like you in this world. Do not lose faith, Georgiana."
Georgiana smiled.
"We are to leave for the town in two days, and I am so excited to accompany you and Fitzwilliam. I am happy at the prospect of meeting your sister as well."
Elizabeth felt distressed about returning to Hertfordshire, but she knew Darcy was intent on confronting the Bennets and she was eager to see Mary. Darcy was impatient about their travel and made all the necessary arrangements. Lady Martha was unhappy about parting with Elizabeth, and another matter bothered her amidst the recent developments in Ashton Park and she decided to address it.
"I understand Beatrice is still unaware that Elizabeth is your daughter. When do you plan on telling her, considering you are leaving for London in two days," she asked her brother.
"Augusta does not want me to interfere in this. She wants to tell Beatrice at the right moment."
"There is no right moment for this; she would be heartbroken no matter when you tell her. You do not understand, Mark; this would devastate her, but keeping it a secret will not help matters. Augusta and Beatrice look at Elizabeth as their enemy, and it is your responsibility to sort this out. Whatever happens in London, Elizabeth is your daughter; the world must know this. Don't you feel pained when we address her as Miss Smith?"
Lord Anderson was silent for a few seconds.
"As far as I can see, she does not want to be associated with me in any way; I can sense that she is uncomfortable about me traveling with them to London."
"These are mere excuses. You must tell Beatrice before you leave, or else I will," she said and left him.
Lady Isabella and her parents were absent during dinner that day, and Elizabeth was worried. She met Lady Isabella sensing that something was amiss and was shocked to learn her decision.
"I am leaving with my parents to Grovnor Park," she said with distress.
"What are you saying? Lady Martha did not mention anything to me."
"She doesn't know yet; I do not want to tell her until you leave."
"She will not allow you."
"This decision is not mine, but my husband's. She will have no choice but to abide by his words."
"Think about the children; you must stay here for them."
"They are the very reason he wants me to leave. He does not want them to be around me, someone he does not trust," Lady Isabella said with pain. Elizabeth felt sorry for her and was concerned about the well-being of the children.
"Lord Ashton will change his mind; you must stay."
"I have lost his trust, and I cannot imagine what I could do to make it right. As much as I want to stay here for the sake of Edmund and Emily, I do not want to complicate things and make life here unpleasant. I would have left without regret if you were to stay here, but you have a beautiful future with Mr. Darcy, and I am truly happy for you. At least you will be close to Ashton Park, and the children will be able to see you often."
"You speak as though you will never return here."
"I speak the reality, Elizabeth," Lady Isabella said with sadness, and to her surprise, Elizabeth embraced her tightly, praying that the couple would reconcile their differences.
The next day, Elizabeth was busy with preparations for her travel. She tried her best to explain to the children why she was leaving and was pained to see them cry after they heard the news. She promised to return as soon as possible and tried to spend as much time with them as possible. She had Lady Martha to arrange for someone to help with the children's studies and decided to pick some books from the library for their future lessons. When she entered the library, she felt a sense of sadness as she knew that her time in Ashton Park was limited, and realized she had stopped spending time reading in the library as she wanted to avoid the risk of being in the company of Lord Anderson.
She spent some time gathering the books and left them on the table. Then, she took a few books for her journey the next day. Suddenly, she heard the door open and saw Lord Anderson enter. Elizabeth was caught off guard by his appearance and wanted to leave immediately, but stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. It was evident to her that Lord Anderson was equally surprised by her presence. However, he walked up to her and stood without saying a word. Elizabeth tried to compose herself; she had not spoken with him since the night she saw him outside her room and had no intention of conversing with him in privacy.
"Good morning!" he finally said formally.
"Good morning," Elizabeth replied without thinking.
"I assume you are prepared for the travel," he said.
Elizabeth nodded.
"I know you do not want me to accompany you all, but I have my reasons for being there. I want to know the truth as much as you do."
"I do not want to have this discussion with you now," she said and tried to walk past him.
To her horror, Lord Anderson held her arm and stopped her.
"Listen to me now," he cried sternly.
"I know you hate me, and I do not want to defend my actions; I just want you to trust me."
"Trust you? Pray tell me for what?" Elizabeth asked with rage.
"For the future. You must trust me that I would not forsake you, and I am concerned about your welfare."
"Who are you to be concerned about my welfare? Until a week ago, we had nothing between us, and in my opinion, there has been no change in that. You cannot accuse my mother and try to show sympathy for me. By disrespecting her, you disrespect me; please understand that. Maybe she had no one to support her when she was alive, but now, she has me to defend her. Defend her from your slander, Lord Anderson."
"Don't you dare address me that way again," he cried as he tightened his grip on her arm.
"Then how am I to address you? Please enlighten me, Lord Anderson."
She could see his features tighten, and the anger on his face was evident, but she was not scared of him.
"You think you are getting your revenge by treating me with such spite?" he asked as he held her closer to him.
"You are mistaken, sir. If you think I am trying to insult or hurt you, you are wrong. Because I consider you a human being incapable of any feeling in his heart, and in such a case, nothing could be done to hurt you, and in my opinion, you are not worth even that."
"Would you have felt the same way if you had not engaged Mr. Darcy?" he asked and immediately regretted his question.
"How dare you? Do you think if I did not have his support or a future with him, I would accept you as my father? Just for the sake of your money? Please do not assume everyone to be as unprincipled as you; it is clear that you judge everyone according to the standards you are accustomed to. Unfortunately, people may not have your wealth or status, but they have morals and values, and why I am swindling time explaining something you have no connection with. I warn you to…" before she could finish the sentence, they were interrupted by the arrival of Lady Anderson and her daughter.
They were shocked to see the state of affairs as Lord Anderson still held Elizabeth close.
"Mark, what is going on?" cried Lady Anderson, and Elizabeth immediately freed herself and moved away.
"What is she doing here with you, Papa? What is the meaning of this?" Miss Anderson fumed.
"Beatrice, watch your words," cried Lord Anderson. Elizabeth wanted to leave the room immediately, but Miss Anderson blocked her way.
"I want to know what she wants from you; she seems to have an art of trapping wealthy men. I can see how easily she did that with Mr. Darcy; now, what does she want from you? Is she asking you for money or something else? Clearly, she cannot leave wealthy men alone," Miss Anderson cried with rage.
"That is enough!" Lord Anderson cried without control.
"You seem to have taken after your mother is using language as vulgar as this. It is my fault for keeping the truth away from you, as requested by your mother. But I can no longer let you slander her like this."
"No, Mark, stop, do not say a word," his wife warned.
"Do not say what Mamma?"
"Elizabeth is my daughter. She was born to me and Sarah Gardiner. I was married to Sarah before I married your mother, so legally, she is my daughter and has every right with me."
Miss Anderson froze upon hearing her father's words.
"What are you saying? This is falsehood; this cannot be true. She is a servant here; how could she be your daughter?"
She looked at Elizabeth with spite.
"I have had enough of your schemes. First, you trapped Mr. Darcy, and now my father is lying to protect you or God knows what. This is my aunt's house, and I will no longer have you live here. Mamma, ask my aunt to throw her out. I do not know why Papa is lying like this."
Unfortunately, her mother could not find any excuse to deny the truth.
"Mamma, say something. Why are you silent?"
"Because what I said is the truth. Elizabeth is my daughter; everyone else in this household knows this except you. I warn you again, Beatrice, you will not say anything disrespectful to her," Lord Anderson cried.
To Elizabeth's discomfort, Miss Anderson collapsed to the floor crying, and her mother was immediately beside her, trying to console her. Elizabeth turned and looked at Lord Anderson with a piercing gaze, and he met her eyes with remorse. She could not bear to stay in the room any longer, and ran up to her room.
Somehow, she was not angry with Miss Anderson but pitied her. Elizabeth wanted to tell her that the last thing she wanted in life was to claim the position as Lord Anderson's daughter and ease her pain, but she was certain that both mother and daughter would never believe her words. Elizabeth never wanted anything more in life after she had found Darcy's love, but now, she wanted to solve the mystery about her mother and bid goodbye to Lord Anderson forever. The very fact that he wanted Elizabeth to trust him enraged her beyond measure.
Whatever happens in London, no one can change my impression of him. I hope I will never have to see him in the future. He constantly reminds me of my past and my mother's suffering.
In Pemberley, Darcy stood in his study and looked outside the window gazing at the lake. All the plans were finalized for their travel, and he had already informed Richard about his arrival. Richard was already working on Darcy's request to find about more about the Gardiners and their past. However, he had written to him with no new developments regarding Mrs. Lewis. Darcy hoped that when in London, he could solve the matter faster. He was impatient to confront the Bennets and make them pay for what they had done to Elizabeth.
On the day of travel, Lady Martha spoke with Elizabeth in privacy.
"Elizabeth, I dearly wish I could accompany you on this journey. But you know very well that my prayers are with you, and it lightens my heart to think that you have people to protect you. I fully trust Fitzwilliam regarding your welfare and I hope you find the answers you are looking for. I cannot imagine how the children will cope up with your absence, but do not worry, I will do my best for them."
"I cannot tell you how difficult it is for me to leave Ashton Park; I did not feel such sadness even when I left Longbourn. You have given me everything, Lady Martha, and if I have found the love of my life, it is because of you. I cannot thank you enough."
"You deserve the best, my dear, and I am so proud to call you my niece," she said, wishing Elizabeth would accept her as her aunt.
"I feel guilty for leaving the children, but Fitzwilliam assured me we could return as soon as possible. He is impatient to…" she stopped.
"Get married?" Lady Martha asked with a smile.
"Yes!"
"Well, he is not alone; we are looking forward to your marriage as well. I am so glad you will settle in Pemberley, as I cannot imagine parting from you again. I understand your sentiments regarding my brother and why you cannot forgive him. But I can see that he repents his actions and wants to declare you his daughter rightfully."
Elizabeth looked shocked.
"He had this discussion with me and Fitzwilliam as well."
"I do not want it. I would rather stay as Miss Smith and get married, rather than being called as Miss Anderson for the sake of society. It would be a grave injustice to my mother if I accept this."
"I understand, my dear. Please do not misinterpret my intentions, nor does Fitzwilliam want you to accept this for society. But if something changes in the future, I want you to know that this is my brother's intention. He also wants to be present for your wedding."
"Good heavens, he need not trouble himself. He has a family, and I do not need his presence."
"You are angry now, and rightly so, but things might change."
When it concerns him, nothing will.
Darcy and Georgiana arrived and broke fast with the rest of the family. Lady Anderson and her daughter were absent during breakfast, and it was understood that they did not want to be present to send them off to London.
The children were still sleeping, and Elizabeth felt it was better to leave before they woke.
It was emotional for Elizabeth and Darcy to leave the family so dear to them, especially after the current developments in Ashton Park.
"I am certain that everything will turn out well for you. Thank you for everything you have done for us," Lady Isabella said to Elizabeth and embraced her.
"I hope you reconsider your decision," Elizabeth replied in a low voice, knowing that Lady Isabella might not be present when she returned.
"We will miss you, Elizabeth, the children will be the most affected by your absence," Lord Ashton said; he had gone past the formality of addressing her as Miss Smith and accepted her as his cousin with happiness.
They were to travel in three carriages; Lord Anderson preferred to travel separately. Darcy, Elizabeth, and Georgiana sat in the other; the third carriage was for a couple of maids and footmen.
"Georgiana, I trust you would take care of the chaperone situation with the help of one of the maids in case you are absent," Lady Martha said, much to Darcy's irritation.
There she goes again; I want to kiss Elizabeth before our marriage just to displease her. Darcy thought as he saw Elizabeth and Lady Isabella smile.
Georgiana nodded her head in assurance. Lord Anderson said nothing, as he felt guilty for leaving his wife and daughter, well aware of their anger and resentment towards him. They were to stay in Ashton Park until he returned from London, and he hoped to stay for Elizabeth's wedding before leaving for Scotland.
Darcy heaved a sigh of relief as he handed Elizabeth and Georgiana in, and once the journey started, he switched seats and sat beside Elizabeth, watching her blush. Georgiana smiled, looking at the couple, and gradually understood the herculean responsibility on her shoulders as a chaperone.
"Won't you say something?" Mr. Bingley asked, feeling anxious about her silence.
He had arrived in Longbourn that morning with a resolve to find out if she felt the same way about him. After Darcy left Hertfordshire, Mr. Bingley spent a lot of time at Mary's company, and it was not long before he realized that he loved her. And in her eyes, he could sense her regard for him. It was difficult for him to seek her out, as Jane constantly tried to gain his attention. But this morning, he decided not to procrastinate matters. He was glad to find Mary alone as the others had gone to the village.
"Did you not hear me? I am in love with you. I have been in love with you for many weeks. Won't you say anything?"
"I…I…" Mary stammered.
"Please do not tell me you have no regard for me; I could see it in your eyes. You have captured my heart in a way that no woman has. Every moment in your company, you gave me a new perspective on life and made me understand how difficult it would be to live a life without you. "
Finally, Mary dared to open up her feelings.
"Though my heart whispered that something changed in the way you looked at me in the past month, I did not want to entertain the thought of having a place in your heart, not because I am scared of heartbreak, but because I thought it was remotely impossible for me to be sought out by someone like you."
"Why would you say that? You are the most beautiful woman I have met in my life. When you look at me with those eyes, with the slightest smile playing on your lips, and hesitate to converse with me, my heart melts to hear the words you would say. I love you; please do not doubt my affection. Please answer me, do you feel the same way?"
"I do; I have felt the same way ever since our first meeting."
"Will you marry me?" he asked.
"Yes, I will," she cried with joy.
Mr. Bingley kissed her hand, unable to contain his happiness. Mary could not express how she felt; he never hoped to find love and happiness, and life in Longbourn had been depressing after Elizabeth left. As happy as she was, Mary was worried about how her family would react, especially Jane and her mother.
Mr. Bingley could sense that something worried her.
"What is it? You seem to be worried suddenly. "
"It is nothing. I just feel overwhelmed with happiness now, but you still need to speak with my father."
"I plan to do it right away. Would you like to accompany me?" he asked, and she agreed.
Mr. Bennet sat in the library as usual, not wanting to be disturbed by anyone in the house, especially his wife, but when he saw Mr. Bingley and Mary together, he was more than surprised.
"Good morning, Mr. Bingley. I assume you had called on the girls, not me. But your company is most welcome on mornings like these."
Mary felt extremely nervous about her father's reaction and was glad her mother was not in the house. Mr. Bingley wasted no time in expressing his wishes to Mr. Bennet, seeking his approval to marry Mary. Mr. Bennet was initially shocked to learn his declaration as he heard his wife's plans about Jane marrying him almost daily. He looked at Mary and saw the nervousness on her face. Mr. Bennet was not like his wife; he did not care about whom Mr. Bingley married as long as it was one of his daughters. He saw no reason to deny the match and consented without hesitation. He knew his wife would not be happy that he chose Mary over Jane, but he did not care.
Mr. Bingley was delighted with his consent, and Mary felt relieved as well; she breathed a sigh and left the library after thanking her father. Mr. Bingley left her as a happy man and promised to return the next day; he was excited to convey the news to his family and wanted to write to Darcy right away; he was unaware that Darcy was on the way to town the very moment.
When Mrs. Bennet returned with the others to Longbourn, she was shocked to hear the news. Jane immediately became hysterical and lashed out at Mary.
"You must be jesting; this is not possible? How could you be engaged to Mr. Bingley? Don't you know that he meant to marry me?"
Mary was not scared of her sister or mother anymore.
"That was your imagination. He saw through your ulterior motives, Jane; you could not fool him," Mary said.
"Enough! You cannot marry him; call off this engagement immediately."
"Why should I? I love him, and he loves me; we are not entitled to obey your requests."
"Mamma! Talk some sense into this girl. She cannot marry him. Look at me and her; how could he dream of marrying someone so plain? Ask her to call this off," she cried.
Mrs. Bennet hurried inside to speak with her husband again.
"Why did you give him your consent? Don't you know that Jane wants to marry him, and she deserves it."
"Fanny, do not be ridiculous. He is a wealthy man, and I cannot risk the chance of losing him. What if he married Jane or Mary? Who cares about it?"
"I care; Jane will be heartbroken."
"She will find someone else. If Mary is well settled, then that is good for our family; you act as if Mary is not even born to us; she is not Elizabeth, remember that."
Mrs. Bennet left the room angrily and could not understand how Mr. Bingley could fall in love with Mary.
How could he propose to Mary when my most beautiful Jane is available in the market?
According to the sensibilities of Mrs. Bennet, none of her daughters matched Jane's beauty, and she could not comprehend the reality of Mary winning over Mr. Bingley's heart and reached for her smelling salts to calm herself, little did she realize that her headaches were just about to get worse in future.