Even though Georgiana had decided that she needed to talk to Mr. Bingley alone, this was difficult to accomplish as Miss Bingley attached herself to Georgie whenever possible and Bingley was usually with her brother. As August was proving to be sunny and warm, the first harvests were just beginning. Darcy and Bingley spent many hours on horseback riding among the different tenant and home farms to ensure that no serious problems were being encountered with the harvests. Bingley accompanied Darcy on his visits as he still wanted to learn as much as he could about managing an estate. Although Georgie normally did not ride with them when they toured the estate, she decided this might be her only opportunity to talk to Mr. Bingley privately.

One morning, Georgiana came down to breakfast earlier than normal. She found that Darcy and Mr. Bingley were already there. She said, "Fitzwilliam, it is a beautiful morning; perfect for a ride. Will you be riding the estate this morning?"

"Yes, Bingley and I will be going out as soon as we have eaten."

"Do you mind if I ride along with you? I have not been out to see our tenants for some time and this might be a good way to do it. I will stay out of your way and will go wherever you need to go."

"I do not mind. Bingley, is that all right with you?" Bingley nodded his head in agreement. "Will you be ready to leave as soon as you have finished eating? I will have your horse saddled along with ours."

They soon went out and began riding to the fields. As soon as Darcy left them to talk to some farmers, Bingley and Georgiana dismounted to let their horses graze while they waited. Georgiana spoke to Bingley, "Mr. Bingley, you have never told me how your visit to Hertfordshire was. Did you like the estate you leased?"

"I liked it very well. The house was quite comfortable and the location was great, just a few hours from London. We met some interesting people there and had some good shooting. Darcy thought it should be a decent investment with some care and a few improvements. But now I am not sure if I will renew the lease."

"Why not, if you liked it? It is not far from London, so that makes it quite convenient. How was the society there? What was the nearest town called?"

"Meryton. The society was quite limited, but I had some good times there, beginning with the local assemblies as there were some uncommonly pretty girls to dance with. We were invited to a number of dinners, teas, and card parties. Netherfield is the most important estate there; the next largest was Longbourn, and the two estates share a common border. A strange family at Longbourn; Mr. Bennet does not go out much, but his wife and five daughters are invited to every gathering. The oldest daughter, Miss Jane, is the prettiest girl in all of Hertfordshire. She is also the sweetest woman I have ever met. I liked her very well. The second oldest, Miss Elizabeth, was the most intelligent woman I have ever met. She sure kept Darcy on his toes. The Bennets have a serious problem in that their Longbourn estate is entailed to the male line, but they have no sons. On Mr. Bennet's death, the estate will go to a distant cousin and the women will lose their home."

"Netherfield sounds almost ideal for you, so why are you considering giving up the lease?"

"My sister Caroline was acting as my hostess, but she hated it there. She said there was no society worthy of her notice as none of the locals spend much time in town during the season. I had thought that Miss Bennet would make a perfect wife for me and I thought she was beginning to return my regard, but my sisters and Darcy convinced me she wanted me only for her family's security. When I had to go to town on business, my sisters and Darcy followed me and Caroline closed up the house. I did not even get to say good-bye and now Miss Bennet probably hates me for leaving her just like that, without a word. Now I do not know what to do. If I go back now after nine long months with no word during all that time, what will they think of me? She is so attractive she may very well have another suitor by now."

Georgiana was delighted to hear all this as it might just fit with her plans. "Mr. Bingley, if I were this Miss Jane, yes, I would be disappointed in your leaving like that, but I would be so happy to see you again that I would forgive you, especially if you came with many apologies and sweet words. If you were quite sure that she would make the perfect wife for you and you do not go back to see if she still holds you in her regard, how will you ever know if you missed your best chance at happiness? You may never find another woman like her.

"You know, if you had good shooting there last year, why not go back for more this year? I am sure my brother would like to go shooting with you, so he would likely be happy to go there with you. In truth, I would like to see Hertfordshire as I have never been there and your estate sounds interesting. As it sounds as if your sisters would not want to go back there, perhaps I could act as the hostess for you and my brother? I understand if you might not be willing just to drop in to the Bennets, but what if you asked Mr. Bennet to shoot with you? You should be able to find out how Miss Jane feels about you before you talk to her. Perhaps I might be introduced to the Bennet ladies and find out for you? Both Miss Jane and Miss Elizabeth sound interesting. If Miss Bennet has no regard for you at all, at least you would know and you could just leave and give up the lease."

"Miss Georgiana, I wish I had spoken to you about this a long time ago. Your plans sound perfect and I hope Darcy agrees to go with me. I will talk to him tonight. My sisters will not be happy, but we were planning to go to our relatives farther north after leaving Pemberley, so I will tell them to go without me. I would much rather visit Netherfield than go with them."

When Darcy returned from speaking with the farmer, they remounted and continued their tour. Darcy wondered why Bingley was suddenly in a good mood, but he did not ask. He was just pleased that the early harvest was going well, and he was glad to have his sister with them as it got her away from Bingley's sisters for a few hours. He thought that this was likely the reason why she seemed to be a good mood as well.

That evening, when the ladies had left the dinner table, Bingley hesitated to speak to Darcy about returning to Hertfordshire because Hurst was with them. He decided that he had to wait until they were alone. Georgiana hated to be left with Mr. Bingley's sisters, but she knew that she had to continue to act as a good hostess or Miss Bingley would take over. She led them to the music room so she could begin to play, rather than sit with them to hear her very boring effusions and unabated desires to become the official hostess and mistress of Pemberley. The men did not take long to return to the ladies as Darcy did not want to leave his sister long in their company without his support.

After Georgiana had played several pieces for the gentlemen and Miss Bingley had a chance to show off her skills, Georgiana said that she was tired and was ready to go up. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst could not stay after their hostess said she was retiring, so they followed her lead, leaving the men to their talk and drinks. Soon Mr. Hurst was snoring, so Bingley found his chance to talk to Darcy.

"Darcy, I have been thinking a lot about Netherfield recently. I am still not convinced that I should have left there the way I did, without even saying good-bye. I still think a lot about Miss Bennet and how much I thought of her. I cannot get over her and really believe that she had been developing strong feelings for me as well. Yes, I know that her mother wanted her to marry me to help them when Mr. Bennet died and that Mrs. Bennet was pushing Miss Jane at me so strongly, but that does not really matter. I know that I have found many attractive angels over the years, but the way I feel about her is different from any of those others. I do not miss any of those other angels, but I miss Jane Bennet. I am not sure in my mind if I made a mistake leaving there the way I did. I want to find out if she still cares for me and I want to go back to Netherfield. I just have to know.

"I have been thinking that we could go there for the shooting. Remember how good the sport was last year? We do not need to make it obvious that I want to find out about Miss Bennet's feelings. We could just go back there and not go to Longbourn. We both know that we will be invited to different events where the Bennets will be as well. If I casually speak to Jane, I will soon know if she still has any feelings for me. That will be less embarrassing for both of us than if I go directly to her.

"Darcy, I have decided that I must go there so I will know for sure if I made a huge mistake. I would like you to go with me, but I will go alone if I have to. I definitely will not invite my sisters to go with me; they can continue our journey to our relatives in the north as we had planned. Hurst will not be able to go with us as he will have to look after my sisters. I know that once Caroline hears my plans, she will do everything she can to convince me to change my mind, but I will not be deterred. I have to know. So, will you join me? I would like to have your company."