“Mr Darcy left Hertfordshire at the end of November.”
“He was already in love with you,” Lady Oakham stated plainly, voicing what Elizabeth had refused to see earlier.
“If that is true, I wish I had suspected his sentiments…earlier…from the beginning,” Elizabeth confessed, her sadnessvisible. “Yet, he was insufferable—so proud. Moreover, there was the incident with Mr Wickham, where he appeared as the villain.”
“What a deception! Wickham’s presence in Hertfordshire thwarted my plans to visit Netherfield with Georgiana. Now you see why.”
“Yes, everything went wrong, and they left.”
“Enough of the past. Georgiana’s favourite play,A Midsummer Night’s Dream, will be performed in Covent Gardenin a few days. I am confident Darcy will accompany her to the theatre, and you will also attend with your family.”
“But he will suspect a contrivance!” Elizabeth protested whilst secretly hoping for a chance to meet him.
“No, he will not, for we shall leave no reason for suspicion.”
“I abhor this role I must play.”
“Then, one evening in the future at Pemberley, you will reveal the truth to him. But for now, attend the theatre. If you want to feel better, watch the play, imagine yourself in Athens, and, like the other characters, play a game of innocent love.”
“I usually play Artemis,” Elizabeth murmured.
“Then it is time to become Aphrodite,” Lady Oakham said with an affectionate gaze towards her new friend, making Elizabeth remember an evening at Rosings when she had been Aphrodite…and yet she had not realised that it was a deep feeling and not a fleeting state of mind.
Chapter 21
“What happened?” Mrs Gardiner asked impatiently.
Elizabeth cast a grateful glance at her aunt and sister. She needed them, even though she had rarely heeded their advice before. But this time, she was in a turmoil she barely understood and had even less idea how to navigate. Her heart was torn between her affection for a man and her unwavering commitment to her beloved family.
She tried to recall the conversation she had just concluded. But it had been so intense that she feared many details eluded her. She recounted it in a halting manner, with many pauses. Yet, her aunt and sister remained patient and understanding, comforting Elizabeth as she struggled to bring order to her mind and heart.
“We feel the same way Lady Oakham does about your story—it is a loss, Lizzy. You love each other, and believe me, nothing else matters,” Jane said with rare intensity, as if speaking from her own experience.
“How can you say that? You of all people!” Elizabeth protested, torn between her affection for a man and her unwavering commitment to her beloved family.
“Cease tormenting yourself, Lizzy,” Jane ordered while Mrs Gardiner nodded in approval. “Face the facts. Upon marriage, your obligations shift to your new family. Our parents and brothers and sisters remain in our hearts, but your husband and children take first place in your life.”
“She is right,” Mrs Gardiner said. “I am fortunate that Mr Gardiner and my father share an amicable relationship, but if a conflict were to arise—”
“What if Mr Gardiner is mistaken and you know it?”
“Then, I would gently seek to show my husband the error. All you did was criticise Mr Darcy’s behaviour, not try to change it.”
“I see your point, but when I uttered those words to Mr Darcy, I was unaware of my feelings.”
“That is not an excuse, my dear.” Mrs Gardiner smiled.
“He too was at fault—”
“Nor is that an excuse,” Mrs Gardiner continued, her tone affectionate. “His family is not perfect—there is no such thing as a perfect family or individual. You should have described your family to him as it truly is, with all its foibles.”
“But Jane…she is blameless in this matter.”
“Untrue, little sister!” Jane cried out at her words. “You told us that I seemed like a ruthless woman, intent on securing a marriage. An indifferent and cold woman—”
“You appeared that way, but you are not,” Elizabeth answered with the force of her conviction and her immense love for her sister.
“And what is the difference to someone observing me? I am far from blameless if Ilookedlike an indifferent and cold woman when I was truly full of love.”
