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Rosebud and Saber Inn, Meryton

Bingley, Darcy, Madison, and Hurst entered the rear dining room of the tavern, where the officers of the militia and many of the local landowners were gathered.

“Welcome, gentlemen.” Colonel Forster, the officer in charge of the regiment, bowed. “Dinner should be served shortly.” He pulled a watch out of a pocket and examined it. “I told the tavern keeper to have it served at six and it is just gone that now.”

Bingley spoke for his friends. “Thank you for having us. We have been looking forward to becoming better acquainted with you all.”

The colonel inclined his head. “I have, as well. Better relationships with the locals makes our time here much easier.” He waved a hand in the direction of the long tables behind him. “You may sit wherever you wish.”

With a murmur of thanks, Darcy and his friends walked further into the room. He nudged Bingley. “There are four empty seats right here, unless you prefer to be on the other side.”

“Here is fine.” Bingley looked at Hurst and Madison. “What do you think?”

Both men were agreeable and so the four headed toward the chairs nearest to them.

However, they were hailed by others and soon became separated.

In the end, Darcy found himself sitting between Mr. Denny, who held the rank of captain, and a young man who had been introduced to him as Mr. Robert Lucas, son of Sir William Lucas.

Across the table was a lieutenant named Saunderson, flanked by Bingley and Mr. Long.

Darcy was pleased with his dining companions. He had always found it easier to converse with other men, and even though he often found small talk tedious, he enjoyed the discussions to be had about everything from the war on the continent to the increased use of machines in manufacturing.

The first course had been served, eaten, and removed when a sudden change of conversational topic caught Darcy by surprise.

“Lucas! I saw Miss Elizabeth out in her father’s gig this afternoon.

I asked if she had beaten you recently. She blushed prettily and replied that you appeared to be too frightened to bring yours out and had therefore denied her the pleasure.

” Mr. Long leaned back, a twinkle in his eye, as he smirked at the young man to Darcy’s left.

Lucas blushed deeply and cleared his throat. “Frightened, indeed.” He lifted his chin. “I simply have too much sense to race a lady.” He rolled his eyes when the rest of the local gentlemen roared with laughter.

A deep crease furrowed Bingley’s brow. “What do you mean?”

Mr. Long leaned forward to see around the lieutenant.

“Mr. Bennet has an old gig that he keeps in top condition. He taught his second daughter how to drive it. One or the other of them is nearly always out and about on it, and Miss Elizabeth loves to drive as fast as she can.” He tipped his head toward Robert.

“She has raced many of the young men of the area, and some of their fathers, as well. She nearly always wins. She is fearless behind a horse.”

Darcy tried to suppress a grin. In his mind’s eye, he could picture the lady in question, flushed and laughing in triumph.

Hurst had stopped eating to listen. “Does her father know she races?”

Mr. Long shrugged. “I should think so. She has made no secret of it, except possibly to her mother.” He shuddered. “That woman can be rather vocal in her disapprobation.”

Hurst raised his brow. “How interesting. Are any of these organized races?”

Robert Lucas shook his head. “Oh, no. Not usually. Most of the time, Miss Lizzy comes upon some unsuspecting gentleman in his equipage, stops beside him, and greets him charmingly. Before he knows it, he is careening down the road just beside her, urging his animals to run faster.” He shrugged.

“And suddenly, she is past him and all is lost.”

The men around Darcy began to tease Lucas, but Darcy became lost in thought. So, Miss Elizabeth races her father’s carriage. I should very much like to see that.

Later, as he and his friends travelled back to Netherfield, they began to discuss what they had learned.

“I can imagine Miss Elizabeth Bennet racing a gig, can you not, Darcy? She is a lively one.”

“Yes, Bingley, I can,” Darcy replied. “I would not mind having an opportunity to challenge her, to be honest. It is too bad my curricle is at Pemberley.”

Madison chuckled. “Miss Lucas told me the last time I saw her that her friend was a good driver. I wondered at the time how she knew. I have never seen Miss Elizabeth doing anything other than walking.”

“Nor I.” Darcy paused. “She is unlike any other woman I have known.”

“Her sister is, as well.” Bingley sighed.

“I would venture to say the ladies in the country are far superior in many ways to those in town,” Madison said. “They are, perhaps, not as wealthy and well-connected, and some lean towards being downright wild, but they have their charms.”

None of them had a reply, so the rest of the short trip home was made in silence, each gentleman with his mind on one particular woman.

~~~***~~~

The next morning, Darcy was out early to exercise his horse when he heard the sound of a carriage on the nearby road.

He stopped and turned, looking to see who was out in an equipage so early.

To his surprise, it was Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth in what must be the gig he had been told about.

The pair flew past so quickly that he was not certain they had seen him.

However, they slowed and were soon trotting in his direction once again.

He was unsurprised when they stopped nearby and beckoned to him.

“Good morning!” Mr. Bennet seemed to be in a cheerful frame of mind. “It is a beautiful day for a ride, is it not?”

“It is, indeed.” Darcy tipped his hat to the gentleman and then to Miss Elizabeth. “What a beautiful gig you have there.”

“Thank you. It was my father’s. I keep it in good repair so I can continue to enjoy it.” He nodded toward Elizabeth. “I have taught my daughter to drive it, as well. She enjoys walking a great deal, but every once in a while, I let her loose with it.”

The corners of Darcy’s lips tipped upwards. “Do you enjoy driving, Miss Bennet?”

Elizabeth smiled. “I confess I do, though I rarely keep to a sedate pace.”

“No?” Darcy’s brows rose. He did not want her to know he was aware of her penchant for racing but he was also surprised that she would even hint at having it .

“No. If I am going to be travelling on wheels, I prefer to make the trip as quickly as possible. After all, is that not the point of a carriage? To get one to their destination faster than walking will allow?” She arched a brow and batted her eyes at him.

Darcy strove to hide his amusement. “I suppose that is a logical assumption to make.”

Elizabeth laughed and Mr. Bennet chuckled, shaking his head. “Logical, indeed.” The mare suddenly shifted and his attention was momentarily focused on calming her. When she was still again, he looked back at Darcy.

“Elizabeth takes after me in many ways, and one of those is her fascination with carriages of all sorts.” He glanced at his daughter before he continued. “I am endlessly proud of her. She is as daring as she is intelligent. I could not ask for a better child.”

Darcy saw Elizabeth blush at her father’s praise.

He forced his attention away from the charming sight.

“That is wonderful to hear. I have always believed that every child is worthy of being cherished, the girls as well as the boys. It is not right for young ladies to be uneducated and neglected simply because they are girls.”

Bennet nodded. “Quite right. I will say, though, that if a particular girl chooses to remain ignorant even when given the opportunity to learn, then her fate is on her own head.”

Darcy dipped his chin. “I had not considered such an event.” He smiled. “I will grant you the right of being correct for the moment. However, I will contemplate this further and may change my mind later.”

Bennet laughed, as did Elizabeth.

“Well,” the older gentleman said, adjusting the reins in his hands. “We must be on our way. It was good to see you. I expect you and your friends will stop by and see us again soon. You will be most welcome.” With a nod, Bennet slapped the reins and the carriage sprang into motion.

Darcy watched it as it drove away and noticed Elizabeth looking back for just a moment.

He raised his hand and was rewarded with a return wave.

Then, as quickly as they had appeared, the Bennets and their gig were gone.

Darcy sat silently for a few minutes, remembering the encounter and analyzing the conversations.

Finally, he turned his horse toward the stables and kicked it into motion.

Longbourn

October 29, 1811

Elizabeth was relaxing into a chair in the drawing room, her legs swinging off the arm of it, immersed in a book.

Her sisters were spread out across the room similarly engaged, and her mother was lying on a sofa, a small plate of sugary confections resting on her chest. Mr. Bennet was in his book room, where he generally stayed during the day unless he was out attending to estate matters with his steward.

The room was quiet for once. With the exception of an occasional giggle from the youngest girls, noise was nothing louder than a quiet hum.

Suddenly, the rattle of an equipage coming toward the house shattered the peace of the afternoon.

Kitty jumped up at the sound to look out the window. “We have visitors, but I do not recognize the carriage.”

Elizabeth and her mother sat up. Jane rose gracefully, setting her stitching on the table beside her. Mary looked up from the extracts she had been making, and Lydia joined her sister at the window.

“It is a gentleman.” Kitty had her cheek pressed to the glass as she endeavored to see who had come. “I have never seen him before. Lydia, have you?”

Lydia mimicked her elder sister’s actions but quickly drew back, her nose wrinkling. “No, I have not.”

Just then, the ladies could hear knocking on the front door. They quickly put away their projects, or in Mrs. Bennet’s case, their treats, and arranged themselves to properly greet the visitor.

“Mr. William Collins, ma’am.” Mrs. Hill dipped a curtsey as the stranger, a tall, heavy-set man in the clothing of a clergyman, entered the room.

“Welcome to Longbourn, sir.” Mrs. Bennet had narrowed her eyes at their guest, and Elizabeth wondered at it. “To what do we owe such a visit?”

Before Mr. Collins could reply, Mr. Bennet entered the room, the housekeeper right behind him. “Mr. Collins.” He bowed to the clergyman. “This is quite unexpected. I had no idea you wished to visit our home.”

Mr. Collins lifted his chin. “As you may have heard, my father recently passed on to his eternal reward. I thought it behooved me, once I learned of my inheritance, to visit and discover for myself what sort of place it was. In addition, I was recently and most generously granted a living in Kent from my most esteemed and benevolent patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. It was she who urged me to introduce myself to you. I assure you that I come prepared to extend an olive branch to you and your family, the reason being that I, even before I rose in position to that of venerated rector, have never been comfortable with the anger and resentment my father held toward you, and I feel that it is incumbent upon me as a spiritual leader and example to all those in my sphere to heal the breach if I can. The Scriptures are clear that, as far as it depends upon me, I am to live at peace with everyone.” He paused, but only long enough to take a breath.

“You cannot be averse to a visit from such a personage as I am, given that I am to inherit and those doing the work of the Lord are to be welcomed into the homes of everyone and fed and clothed as needed.” He gestured toward the ladies.

“I had heard that your daughters were comely creatures and I see that they are.

What a blessing they must be to you. I detest the thought of injuring them; hence my offer of an olive branch, an offer that you cannot be inclined to deny.