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“Whilst Lydia and I were held captive, she spoke of how ardently Jane loves you ... how she desires you to be a father to Alice and the new baby. Surely, you cannot doubt her ability to be a good wife and mother for your children.”

“Elizabeth, it has nothing to do with your sister’s attributes and everything to do with love. Now that I know you love me just as I love you, I cannot possibly let you go.”

“I-I tried not to give you any hope.”

Unable to stay calm, William cried, “But you did!”

At her wide-eyed stare, he added, “When you were in my arms, burning with fever, you spoke as though we were already married ... as if we already had children. Your imaginations mirrored my own.”

“Everyone babbles nonsense when suffering a fever.”

“And was the passionate kiss you gave me nonsense?”

“I-I kissed you?”

“You did, just after you spoke of our son.”

Elizabeth covered her face with her hands and began weeping. “Am I always destined to cause you pain?”

William waited with bated breath for her to continue. When at last she recovered, she said, “My only desire was to keep from causing you more pain, but I now see that is impossible.”

William reached inside his coat to find a handkerchief. He offered it to Elizabeth to dry her tears. Instead of utilising it, however, she carefully examined the initials embroidered on the corner. “This-this is one of mine. How did you—”

Realising his mistake, William instantly replaced the handkerchief with one of his whilst placing hers back in his coat pocket. “You dropped it in the park at Rosings the morning—”

Unable to finish his explanation, Elizabeth saw the pain he had carried all this time in his expression and she said, “Oh, my dearest love. I shall not lie to you any longer regarding my feelings for you. The time has come for us to face the future honestly, regardless of what that may entail.”

William looked so forlorn that her heart began to ache. Lifting his chin with the tips of her fingers so that their eyes could meet, she said, “I love you, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Irrevocably, now and forever. I shall love you until the day I die; however, I can never be your wife, for that would break Jane’s heart.”

When William kept silent, she continued, “Jane and I always vowed to marry only for the deepest love. I was too selfish to give up my dream, but Jane unselfishly gave up hers when she married Lord Morgan. She did what I would not do to save us. Now I must do my part.”

An almost unearthly groan deep inside escaped William as he closed his eyes. Concerned, Elizabeth tried to offer what little comfort she could by leaning forward to frame his face with her hands and rest her forehead against his. They remained in that position for some time, with only the sound of ragged breathing filling the silence.

At some point, she gathered William’s hands in hers and brought them to her heart. “Do you understand how wretched I would feel if I were to take you from Jane?”

“What about my feelings?” he cried. “Is it not heartless to expect me to marry her when I love you? Besides, how could we ever endure being in each other’s company in the future?”

“We will not be in each other’s company after you marry. I decided that I shall not stay anywhere near you and Jane. Instead, I will take a position as a companion to some great lady who loves to travel and, hopefully, wishes to live abroad.”

“You would, in essence, cut yourself off from your family for Jane’s sake?”

“I must.”

William could control his emotions no longer. “You ask too much, Elizabeth! I am sorry, but I married once just to help Anne, and it was a disaster. I cannot marry again for the same reason.”

He turned and fled the room to the sound of crying.

Whilst Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth were talking, Lydia waited in the sitting room with her ear glued to the door he had slipped through to see her sister. Try as she might, however, she could hear nothing and finally stepped away. Moments later, she was shocked when the door suddenly flew open and Mr. Darcy stormed past her, going through the sitting room and into the main hall without saying a word.

Though Lydia hoped to discover what was said, seeing the agony on William’s face, she knew better than to confront him; instead, she decided to question Elizabeth. Slipping into the bedroom, she heard crying with an occasional cough coming from inside the curtains surrounding the four-poster bed.

Hurrying to the tray where a pot of tea had been brought up not long before, she felt the teapot and found it still warm. Pouring half a cup of tea, she put a spoonful of Mrs. Reynolds’ cough remedy inside and stirred until it was blended. Bringing it to Elizabeth, she offered her the drink without saying a word, and her sister took it gratefully. After she had drunk it all, Lydia took the empty cup back to the tray and returned to Elizabeth.

“From the look on poor Mr. Darcy’s face, I can only imagine that you broke his heart.”

Feeling horrid for causing him pain, Elizabeth could not defend herself. “Fitzwilliam cannot hate me more than I hate myself right now. Still, I beg you to give me time—a day, at least—to gather my strength to follow through as I must.”

Lydia sighed. “I cannot leave, since I pledged to watch over you. Therefore, I shall resume my place in the window seat and read my book whilst you reflect upon your cruelty.”