Chapter 2

It was not without notice that Jane and her companion parted with marked hesitation, made more interesting by the looks they gave one another as they bid farewell a block hence. As the home of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips lay off to the right, but Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy had an appointment to the left, there was little to be done except say goodbye with promises to rejoin each other for tea soon.

As a result, it was left to Mr. Denny to walk them the rest of the way, shortly joined by Mr. Wickham who appeared, it seemed, out of nowhere as soon as Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy were out of sight. The timing seemed somewhat unusual, but Mr. Wickham put the group at ease by claiming to have seen an old friend and wishing to renew the acquaintance before losing him in the crowded marketplace.

Lydia was pleased to have Mr. Wickham escorting her again, and commenced to fluttering her lashes at him once more. Mr. Collins was decidedly less enraptured with Wickham's renewed presence. Once again, his footsteps lagged behind the rest, leaving Elizabeth to slow as well, being the only one willing to accompany him by silent accord of the rest. She did not mind much and felt it natural due to the fact that she had been his choice of companion thus far, and it gave her a chance to think without the other girls chattering in her ear. So it was that they trudged along, both hard pressed to find any merriment with which to lighten the other's mood. It was a strange situation, to say the least. Normally Elizabeth had no trouble finding witticisms and absurdities over which to converse, but today it felt as if her mind was wrapped in cotton wool.

She finally acknowledged her uncharacteristic silence with an apology. "Mr. Collins, I daresay I am not the companion you would have wished for today. I must apologize for not being a more engaging guide, for I never once pointed out the corner where the old dairy used to be."

At that, Mr. Collins lifted his eyes from the ground in front of him and asked, "Where the dairy used to be?"

"Why, yes, it is a decidedly important landmark on the road to my aunt's house," Elizabeth replied, happy to have found a subject that engaged her companion's interest, however benign it was. He had been decidedly morose since Mr. Wickham had reappeared. "I daresay if you were to ask any person in this town for directions to the home of Mr. Phillips, you would be told to turn right where the dairy used to be."

"But there is no dairy there now?"

"It was torn down years ago," Elizabeth said with a decided nod. "But is still an important feature upon the landscape by its very absence. There, you see? The vacant space right there. If you were to blink, I daresay you would miss it."

Mr. Collins gave her a doubtful look.

"'Tis true," Elizabeth insisted. "Therein lies the old dairy in all of its forgotten splendor. Why, it must have been one of the sturdiest structures of Meryton to last so long after its destruction."

Mr. Collins coughed politely. "I fear, Miss Bennet, you have been too long in the sun."

"Not in the least. Why I challenge you, sir. Right there in front of us is a stranger, is it not? A man you have never seen before, carrying a load of sticks upon his shoulder. If you were to approach him this instant and ask him the way to the Phillips' house, he will tell you just what I have said."

He stopped and looked at her. "Surely, you jest."

Elizabeth smiled, her dimples flashing. Mr. Collins was struck at once by how pretty she was. He had not noticed, as he had been distracted by those of her sister.

"There is only one way to find out, is there not?" she asked.

A trifle uncertain, Mr. Collins looked up and down the street. His gaze lingered a moment on their companions ahead, laughing as they walked with the soldiers. Elizabeth noted the look, certain that her theory regarding his affections was correct, and that he was enamored with either Kitty or Lydia. Jane had been the most logical first choice, but as Mr. Collins knew that she was already flirting with the idea of a courtship, he would have to settle for one of the younger girls. As for Elizabeth herself, she had declared that her heart was unavailable, causing a stir amongst her family wondering who had claimed it, but her reticence on the subject left them dissatisfied, and eventually they ceased to pester her about it.

Wondering what Mr. Collins would say to her challenge, Elizabeth walked on without another word, allowing him time to make up his mind. She was pleasantly surprised when he was able to put his doldrums aside long enough to play along, striding across the street to address the man with his question.

The answer was a lengthy one that involved the stranger's attempt at pointing without first laying down his burden, which became something of a juggling act. An errant stick seemed to nearly put out Mr. Collins' eye when the load shifted suddenly, for he was standing much too close as he listened to the man's directions. Regardless, Elizabeth was pleased to note that rather than grow angry at the near accident, Mr. Collins gave his impromptu guide a coin for his trouble, then hurried back to where she stood waiting.

"Why, I have never heard of such a thing…" Mr. Collins said when he reached her side.

"What did he say?" Elizabeth asked as he fell into step beside her again.

"To turn right where the dairy used to be. There was some other nonsense beyond that, but I was honestly no longer listening. Where it used to be. Imagine."

Elizabeth hid a smile behind her hand, and gestured for him to turn. The empty lot lay before them, and the home of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips was only a short distance beyond.

"I daresay," she said, proceeding to the shaded side of the lane, "that on occasion, the things that will matter most to one are the things that are not there at all."

He gave her a frown of confusion, but did not reply.

She gestured toward her sister Lydia, who still looked up earnestly at the soldier at her side, her expression that of someone who was trying to figure out something important. "Right now, she is not seeing what she is lacking, perhaps in part because she does not yet know where she wants to go in life. All she has been taught is that finding a husband, nearly any husband, is paramount. But if I might make a suggestion? Perhaps by showing her who you truly are, you might find that Lydia is not so shallow as you previously supposed."

The group had reached the house. Mrs. Phillips stood on the doorstep, full of life and energy as she happily welcomed them all to her home.

"Might I ask why you are telling me this?" he asked carefully, as though in fear of giving too much away.

Elizabeth gave him a long look, but when she smiled, it was the first genuine smile she'd had for him all day. "Perhaps because you gave the man a coin, and not a curse, when his sticks fell."