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At Longbourn, Elizabeth and her father were elbows deep into greasing the bearings in the gig’s wheels.

She had not intended to assist this day.

She knew Darcy would be coming to visit at some point and she was not certain she wished to see his rejection of her participation in this favorite activity.

However, when Mr. Bennet appealed to her duty of obedience as a daughter, she rolled her eyes and accepted his manipulation, hoping very much to have the task completed before her betrothed arrived.

The pair had just pressed the last of the small metal balls into the wheel and leaned it up against the axle when a voice from the other side of the equipage made her jump, hitting her head on the bottom edge of the step.

“Ouch!” She rubbed her head with her forearm as she stood up, ignoring her father’s chuckle. “Mr. Darcy! I did not expect to see you so early.” She felt herself flush and searched around her for a rag with which to wipe her hands.

Darcy grinned. “I finished my tasks early and rushed over here to see you.” He walked around the back of the gig, tilting his head to see what they were working on. “Greasing the wheels, I see?”

Elizabeth stammered a reply. “We are. We have just about finished the job.”

Her father did not appear to be so embarrassed. His eyes crinkled.

Darcy began removing his coat. “Would you care for some help? I have no experience, but I have watched my coachman perform the job numerous times.”

“Feel free.” Bennet looked at his daughter. “Lizzy, let the man in there. Stick close, though. We may still need a hand.”

“Yes, sir.” Elizabeth did as instructed, removing herself to a position behind her father and allowing Darcy to replace her under the curricle. She listened to their conversation, relieved that her betrothed had not given her a look of disdain and was instead getting his own hands dirty.

“Hold it up, just so.” Bennet glanced at Darcy’s face. “I hope you do not think less of my daughter for being so closely involved in the maintenance of my favorite equipage.”

Darcy looked Bennet in the eye. “No, sir, I do not. I wish I had half her bravery, for I have always loved carriages and everything involved in maintaining them, but my parents would not allow me to share in the work. As I indicated before, I have often witnessed my staff performing the tasks but have never attempted to work on one of my own, not even my favorite curricle. I may do so in the future and ignore the consternation of my staff.”

Bennet said nothing more as he and his future son completed the installation of the wheel. They stood together once it was firmly attached and examined it carefully.

“That should do it.” Bennet extended a hand to Darcy.

“Thank you for your assistance. It certainly made the process go faster. My Lizzy is an excellent worker but she is not as strong as a man. It often takes longer to perform these maintenance tasks because of it. She never complains, though. I am inordinately proud of her will and perseverance.” He smiled at his favorite daughter.

“Thank you, Papa.” Elizabeth blushed but winked and grinned.

Bennet chuckled. He wiped his hands on a rag, which he then tossed to Elizabeth.

“Go ahead and clean up. Show your Mr. Darcy where everything is while you are at it. I am quite certain the two of you have things to discuss, so I will leave you to it, but make sure you are clean before your mother stirs herself from her rooms.”

“I will, Papa. Thank you.” She turned to her betrothed as her father exited the stables. “So, you do not mind that I do such things?”

Darcy shook his head, advancing toward her and taking the rag from her hand.

He used it to wipe the grease away from her fingers.

“I do not. I was quite truthful when I said I envy your courage.” He paused.

“Perhaps after we marry and you inherit the gig, we might maintain it together. We can even buy a new one for just that purpose.”

“Or,” Elizabeth began slowly, “maybe we can buy an older one that needs restored, such as what my father did with this one, and do the work together?”

Darcy smiled. “I like that even better.” He leaned down to brush a kiss across her lips. “I would like to hold you, but both my hands and this rag are covered in grease, and if we are to keep your activities from your mother, it would not do to have handprints on the back of your gown.”

Elizabeth sighed. “Very true.” She looked up at him with adoration in her eyes, making Darcy’s chest swell. “Come, then, we shall put things away, wipe the gig down one more time, and clean our hands. Perhaps then we can sneak into the garden and hold each other for a while.”

Darcy winked and kissed her again. “Lead on, my love.”

~~~***~~~

The next day, the gentlemen of Netherfield went together for an early-morning ride. They began slowly enough, but soon found themselves racing across the fields. Darcy was the winner of the impromptu contest, with Hurst coming in second, followed by Madison, and then Bingley.

“I thought I would never catch up,” Bingley complained. “What have you been feeding those horses behind my back?”

The other gentlemen laughed.

“Come now, my friend,” Darcy replied. “You know as well as I that you are no horseman. You have improved greatly in the years I have known you, but you were not raised to ride as we were.”

“I was not, and I freely admit that. There were carriages aplenty but the animals were in use pulling them.” He shook his head. “I am certain that if my father had understood the emphasis placed by gentlemen on riding, he would have made sure I was accomplished in it.”

Hurst laughed. “By the time you have made the purchase of an estate, I am certain you will be as good as the rest of us. You are certainly getting a great deal of practice of late.”

“Too true, Hurst!” Madison nudged his mare forward as the rest began to walk toward the house. “There is nothing like the country for improving equestrian skills. London and Rotten Row have nothing to it.”

“Yes, I agree.” Darcy nodded as he looked thoughtfully ahead. “There is hardly enough space to move in the park, even on the row. Out here there is a vast expanse of fields in which to practice.”

With that, the gentlemen fell silent. The path soon narrowed and they were forced to go from four abreast to two. Hurst and Madison moved forward and began a conversation. Darcy and Bingley rode behind, far enough to be able to hear the other gentlemen’s voices but not their actual words.

Bingley glanced over at his friend. “I should apprise you on the situation with Miss Bennet.”

Darcy’s head turned sharply toward the other man. “Indeed? Is it favorable?” He turned his attention back to where he was going.

“It is.” Bingley sighed, and Darcy could hear the pleased relief in it.

“Do tell.”

“While you and Miss Elizabeth were doing whatever it was you were doing in the back of the garden yesterday, I escorted Miss Bennet and her sisters into Meryton. There is a path to a cottage at the edge of the town. Have you seen it?” Bingley looked at his friend.

Darcy nodded. “I believe I have. It is a narrow lane; you can just see the corner of a house at the end of it.”

“Yes, that is the one.” Bingley steered the horse around a large rock in the path.

“As we approached it, she sent her sisters on ahead to their aunt’s home.

She asked me if I minded if we stopped at the house down the lane for a couple minutes.

I did not, and so we walked down the row.

It turns out, the woman who lives there is unmarried.

She has a child – a little boy of about six years of age.

I said nothing until we were back out at the main road, but then I asked her opinions of the lady and of unwed mothers in general.

Her reply was everything I hoped it would be. ”

“She has sympathy for them, then?” Darcy tilted his head as he shot another glance toward Bingley.

“She does. She said they must have been misled about the intentions of the men who got them with child and that she does not agree with the notion so prevalent in society of blaming the female for falling pregnant and allowing the man to go on with his life unscathed.” Bingley grinned.

“It was exactly what I had hoped to hear from her; expected, even, given what I have learned of her nature.”

“Will you propose, then?”

“I will, very soon, though I may wait until after your wedding. I would not like to take away the attention you and Miss Elizabeth deserve on such an auspicious day.”

Darcy snorted. “Well, given some of the gossip that is floating around about why a gentleman of my stature would behave so with a lady of hers, I am not certain we need so much attention.”

“Is it as bad as that?” Bingley turned his head toward his friend, his brow creased.

Darcy shook his head. “No, it is not.” He sighed.

“I simply despise being the object of gossip, is all.” He waved his hand to the side.

“Ignore me. I am marrying a woman I love deeply, one I cannot live without. I will soon be returning to my beloved Pemberley and starting a family of my own. I am incandescently happy and I choose to ignore the few naysayers who have tried to steal my joy.”

“That is an excellent attitude to have! I am proud of you. It is not your usual manner, though. How did you come to this conclusion?”

“Elizabeth taught me it. She insists that she will not allow the opinions of those so wholly unconnected to her to taint the happiness she feels, and she has encouraged me to do the same.” He shrugged. “I am much more peaceful being happy, so that is what I have decided to do.”

“Good for you! She is a wise woman, your Elizabeth.”

“That she is.” Darcy grinned.

The four riders were approaching the stables at this point. They were arrested by the sight of a fifth, this one approaching from the driveway. Darcy startled as he recognized the gentleman in red.