"Which makes her claims all the more dubious when put against the testimony of his family and friends who said it never happened."
Family and friends were not present, from what I read.
"Family and friends were not present, from what I read."
You read wrong. Please provide your sources. Why would this woman be present at his death, but not his family? Why would anybody take the word of this woman over his own children? Darwin's wife (she was devout), who never left their estate without Darwin, was at his bedside when he died, as were his children. She would have LOVED for Darwin to have turned to Christianity on his deathbed, and would not have hesitated to say so. She never mentioned it at all.
There is no mention of ANY hesitation in his beliefs in any of his letters, private writings, and so on. The burden of proof is on YOU to provide ANYTHING tangible. So far you have done nothing of the sort.
Lady Hope lied, and most creationist organizations warn people not to use this story anymore.
Here's a source you should consider:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v18/i1/darwin_recant.asp