The estimate of an outsider

Note – Thank you reviewers of "The dialogue in the library" for your kind comments with nary the mention of a single flame.

Acting on a past reviewer's advice, my latest effort is devoid of the script form used in the earlier story.

Summery: This is a rather long shot (ha ha I made a pun) about that interesting episode concerning Elizabeth and Darcy's first meeting at Pemberley. Much was implied but little was said. Actually, I have always wondered what Mrs Reynolds and the gardiner thought of the whole business..

Chapter 1

Somewhere along Derbyshire's main road, the county's favourite son was riding back to his homestead at Pemberley Hall.

The sun was shining, the birds were twittering, the daisies swayed and the haymakers were earning their weekly keep by fiddling around with their scythes. The latter acknowledged their weekly provider as he rode past, with respectful cap doffing and then resumed their work with tuneless whistling.
It seemed all of Nature rejoiced (barring the haymakers) at the sight of the thoughtful young man as he rode past Matlock's bountiful fields, evergreen forests and silvery rivers.

All wasted on Mr Darcy whose pensive mood cast a glazed sort of look over his handsome features. A casual observer or more accurately a fellow mind reader would have picked up the following thoughts that had caused this less than sang froid attitude to develop.
:".. that consignment of peaches had better not be bruised, Georgie rarely gets to sink her teeth into the really good sort with soft, silky skin . . PEACHES skin! Peaches skin!Damn.. must think of something else..."

The young man now took in his surroundings and gave Nature her impatient acknowlgement.

"It's good to come back to Pemberley again ... the familiar halls, the aged ancestors beaming from every wall … the rolling parklands and woods with hidden nooks where she would've loved to..No! Not again .. how many times has that happened today? thrice, I think? its an improvement from last week's twenty..."

Subconsciously, Mr Darcy wiped his bedewed brow that betrayed more than the heat of the day. In the ensuing pause, the young aristocrat's baser nature took to the mental stand.

"Fitz, get a hold of yourself man! you're seeing 'Her' everywhere… leaning against the windows, curled up in the library, in the vicinity of your bedroom ... ? You better be blushing, until you start seeing sense.."

Seeing the effect of his own self berating , he glumly added aloud, " What is the use?

All that awaits me is the cold comforts of home and some peaches (probably bruised)…

No leap of the imagination there!"

I think you can guess Chapter 2's main event.

Will be up a.s.a.p.