A/N Here is a little longer of a chapter to make up for the short chap last time. Hope you all enjoy.
Amanda awoke early the next morning. Her curiosity was keeping her awake. She hurried to get ready and went downstairs.
"Good morning!" She greeted everyone at the dining table.
"Good morning Miss Colbert." Mr. Bingley replied.
"Did you sleep well?" Jane asked.
"I suppose I slept as well as usual." She said smiling. As usual Mr. Darcy said nothing and stood up to pull out her chair. The breakfast was filling and she decided it best to start her adventure now. Getting up she excused herself from the table.
Bursting out into the fresh air and warm sunshine she smiled. The outdoors always made her cheerful. The birds sang their songs, the bees buzzed excitedly for the upcoming summer, and the early morning sun cast a warm glow over Pemberly. Where do I start? She thought. Retracing her steps the day of the encounter she found herself along the same dirt lane as that day. The boy went that way. She pointed out to herself. Walking into the bushes and tall grass, she stopped and looked around for herself. There was no sign of a house nor any activity in the small quiet place. She began to walk again. She walked in the general direction she had seen the boy go. Then she saw him. He was sitting in the grass with a dog. She looked kindly at the pair. The small boy sat beside the big mutt, his small hand petting the large dog. The young boy seemed to be gazing off into the distance, unaware of the stranger's presence.
"Hello." Amanda said quietly. Quickly the young boy stood up and turned, looking ready to run if necessary.
"Now wait. I won't hurt you. I just wanted to meet you." She tried to explain. "You see I haven't seen anyone before on my walks, and you seemed troubled.." She finished letting her voice drift. Hopefully the boy won't run again. She thought. But the boy merely stood eyeing the stranger.
"May I ask your name?" She asked. The boy didn't reply. He turned and sat back down by the dog. It seemed he had simply accepted her presence, aware that he couldn't make her go away. Slowly, she walked over and sat on the other side of the dog.
"Well hello there." She said petting the dog.
"What's your name? Hmm?" She asked. The young boy eyed her as she petted the dog. They sat in silence for a few long moments before the young boy replied.
"Napoleon." The little boy answered.
She was shocked that the little boy had spoken. She hadn't expected him to speak to her. She supposed he was opening up to her.
"Well, Napolean, I am sure we will become good friends." She replied smiling.
"Mosta women folk don't like Napoleon." The small boy commented, slurring his words.
"Oh? Why's that?" She questioned.
"They say he's big, an ugly, an stinky. But I say here Napolean's a good dog. He can track down lots a stuff." He answered.
"Well that is very offensive. Napoleon here never did anything to deserve that. Now did you?" She said to both boy and dog.
"Nope he ain't done nothing wrong. People goin 'bout judging good dogs they ain't known. It just ain't fair." The small boy presented the case.
"I'll say it's not." Amanda replied holding back a smile. The young boy was very cute, and she was glad she had gotten him to open up. "What about you? What's your name?" She asked.
"Sam McGuire, at your service m'lady." He said standing up and taking a small bow.
Letting out a small chuckle Amanda replied, "Well it is very nice to meet you." They sat in silent for a few moments.
"So...do you come here often?" She asked Sam.
"Yup. Me an Napoleon. We just like ta' sit an such." He replied.
"Sam, where do you live?" She asked.
Gazing up at her, he shrugged and pointed his small finger in front of him. "Out yonder."
There were so many questions buzzing through Amanda's head, but she didn't want to make sam nervous, so she tried not to ask too many. Realizing she had been gone quite a long time from Pemberly, she decided it best to head back.
"Sam, will you be here tomorrow? I must be going now, but I'd like to visit with you again." She said.
"I reckon so. Me an Napoleon comes here often."
"Good. Maybe I shall come again tomorrow. It's getting late, don't you think you should be heading home too?" She asked.
"It ain't supper time yet. Mamma don't like us gettin' in the way of her cookin' an cleaning. We'll wait 'til supper time." He replied.
Getting up Amanda brushed off her dress and said goodbye to Sam and Napolean. Once on the dirt lane again, she turned and looked at Sam and Napoleon one last time before she left. Sam was gazing into the tall grass, and Napolean was enjoying pets from his master. She started walking back, the whole time thinking about Sam. The little boy intrigued her. A lot of things about the 19th century intrigued her.
A/N Please tell me what you thought of the interaction between Amanda and Sam. I wasn't sure if it was good or not. I hope you all like the way the story is going. I hope I don't disappoint. Thanks for reading. :)