Mr. Bennet had risen early that morning to tend to his property before his visit to town. He rarely made the trip, but he had an ulterior motive in doing so while his wife was visiting her sister again with the younger daughters. No doubt their real intent was to see the officers.

The workers, Mr. Hill's sons were already out working in the fields. Mr. Bennet mostly stayed on his horse, looking over his crops which were in desperate need of rain.

It was nice being outdoors with nothing but nature all around him. Inside it was stifling sometimes with being the only males with six females. Lizzie, however, was pleasant company and even Jane. His eldest daughter could do no wrong in his and his wife's eyes. She'd often take on the motherly role when his wife was taken by her nerves.

That thought made him chuckle to himself.

"Papa!"

He turned around in his saddle to see his Lizzie running towards him. She wasn't in her trousers today which drew his curiosity.

"Has your ma finally found your trousers or did you concede to her wishes on your own?"

Lizzie smoothed the front of her dress and smiled, "Neither. I'm in disguise."

"Disguise?" Mr. Bennet repeated and rose an eyebrow. For what purpose?"

"Jane and I are planning on going into town with you. I was planning on conducting an experiment to test a certain man's observational skills."

"How so?" Mr. Bennet asked, growing interested in his daughter's game.

"If I see him today, I will try to put myself in his company to see if he can tell I am the same person he insulted the day before when I was wearing pants."

"As long as you are being careful. We don't know this rude individual's temper and cannot be sure how he will react to your little game."

"I will."

Mr. Bennet set out to town with his two eldest daughters. They rode in a buggy and Lizzie sat next to Jane. The girls talked to their father about what they had learned and talked about with Mr. Bingley when they had met him.

Their father believed the young man to not have the wits of himself or his second daughter, however, the man presented himself a man with good nature and kindness that his eldest possessed. This would be a man he felt that it wouldn't be a burden to keep an acquaintance with during the man's stay in Hertfordshire.

When they reached the town, Lizzie and Jane excused themselves to go and talk to Charlotte who was doing errands.

The hotel Mr. Bingley was staying at was the nicest one in town. Which Mr. Bennet had no doubt from how his daughters had described his appearance.

The young gentleman was eating lunch and gladly accepted Mr. Bennet's request to join him at his table.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir." Mr. Bingley said genuinely.

"And I you. My daughters have nothing but good things to report on you. I felt it necessary then to come and make your acquaintance."

"I heard you are quite the reader from what Lizzie tells me." Charles recounted.

"That I am. It is an excellent distraction when I am indoors. Being outnumbered by the females species, a man must find something to do." Thomas Bennet smiled. He didn't miss the fact that Charles had called Lizzie by her nickname. He hoped that the man's attentions weren't in that direction.

"Indeed, I feel the same. Both my parents are gone, and I am the only son with three sisters. I spend as much time outside as possible. Do you go hunting sir?"

"That I do when there is enough game."

"I have heard reports that there is much on the old Netherfield property."

"Is that where you are looking to rent?"

"Yes, sir. I always wanted to live out here in the west and felt that this was a good a time as any since I'm learning how to own my own property. A friend of mine suggested that I rent first to get an idea."

"Your friend is correct. Renting is an excellent way to start learning about taking care of the land and the people who work for you."

"No doubt you have plenty of experience on the matter, Mr. Bennet."

"That I do."

"Then I should hope that you would be so kind as to assist me also."

"Of course. Might I also offer an invitation to you and your friend to Longborne this weekend? I'm sure my wife and other children would also wish to meet you. That way I may not be as outnumbered."

Charles laughed, "I would be honored. I shall have to see what my friend is doing at that day."

The two continued on to talk until Mr. Bennet said he should go and collect his daughters. Charles, to Mr. Bennet's humor, said that he would join him out with the excuse that he wanted to stretch his legs after eating.

The men went outside and made their way down the boardwalk. Bingley was the first to spot Jane and Elizabeth.

"Why if it isn't Mr. Bingley." Elizabeth grinned playfully.

"Please, you can all call me Charles. Mr. Bingley was my father." he laughed, "I see you are wearing a dress today."

"That I am. It is for a test I'm putting on." Lizzie said as she swirled the loose fabric around her ankles.

"And what test might that be?"

"She's trying to find the man who insulted her the other day and see if he will notice that she's the same person," Jane explained.

Bingley was confident that his friend would be able to see that he had been mistaken the other day. Though he didn't word it quite like that to the Bennets, he did say, "I'm sure he was just too distracted and only looked at your clothes yesterday. I'm sure he'd be able to understand his error if you tested him today."

"That's what I'm thinking. Though the first time he barely glanced at me, he had plenty time to study my face while we were talking in the livery. I can't wait to see the look of surprise and I will no doubt laugh at it."

While the two talked, Mr. Bennet couldn't help but see Charles as a male version of his Jane. He also was curious to see the man's fast excuse for the rude stranger. Or maybe he wasn't a stranger but a friend. The friend he had talked about. The two had shown up at the right time and no other new face was to be seen in town. He wondered if Elizabeth had noticed yet in all her scheming. This was definitely going to be an acquaintance he was going to enjoy watching.

Bingley told them that he was expecting his sisters and brother-in-law to be coming in a few days' time. Bennet extended the invitation to the rest of Bingley's party and the group of four walked down the boardwalk together.

Charles offered his arm to Jane who took it with a blush while Elizabeth walked with her father.

Mr. Bennet was happy.

So, the man was interested in his Jane. The two suited each other very well.

To Elizabeth's disappointment, she did not see the man in black and so she couldn't conduct her test.

"I still think you do look lovely, Lizzie. You do in anything you wear." Charles chuckled at the younger woman's sad expression.

"It doesn't matter. It was a long shot that he would still be here. I didn't see his horse in the livery anyway.

Elizabeth couldn't understand why she was so set on having him see her in this stupid dress. Most likely because she made the effort to put one on. But then, wouldn't that still be seen as dressing up for a guy? Even one she wanted to hate and get revenge on?

Once the Bennets were heading out to town, Charles remembered to check his pocket watch and he cursed under his breath when he realized he was late to meet Darcy.

Darcy sat under a tree in the shade, a hundred yards from the Netherfield house. He heard a horse approaching and saw Bingley.

"You're late."

"Sorry, I was eating lunch when I was introduced to my new friends' father."

"The woman you fancy or that stable boy? What did you say his name was?"

"I didn't." Charles mentally screamed, hoping that his friend hadn't remembered his almost give away.

"No, I'm pretty sure you said his name. Eliz- Elijah? Or were you trying to say, Ulysses?"

"You really think their name is Ulysses?" Charles chuckled, partially in relief.

"You're right. So Elijah is his name then." Darcy sighed, getting to his feet.

"It was both actually. They're related."

"Ah, and that's why you want me to be nice and apologize."

"We can go with that, yes."

"I shouldn't have threatened the boy, or is it very young man. You said he was older than eighteen."

"I believe he is twenty."

"Really? Would never have guessed that with such baby features."

Charles turned a little to hide his smile as he chuckled.

"You find it that funny?" Darcy frowned.

"I think the whole thing is hilarious. You two are impossible. That's why I think you two would be great together."

"What?" This made Darcy a little disturbed and question his friend.

"No, I mean." Charles realized his mistake. While he was talking about Elizabeth and Darcy. Darcy is thinking himself and Elijah. "As friends. You two could be great friends."

This made Darcy relax a little.

"Can we get on and start looking at the property?"

Lizzie lay in the tree that bordered her father's property and the old Netherfield land. An arm and a leg swung lazily down as she closed her eyes, dreaming that the occasional breeze would pick her up and she'd suddenly have wings and was flying.

After a while, her thoughts drifted to that morning's fiasco with wearing a dress and looking stupid. She shook her head and swung her body around to hang from only her legs. She always liked doing this to clear her head, and look at things in a new perspective. Bats always fascinated her and she wondered how they could sleep like this without getting a headrush.

As she hung there, she saw two figures in the distant on horseback. She frowned and cocked her head to the side to see them better. It looked like they were getting closer and she recognized the black horse. The other rider, to her surprise as well, was Charles.

Reaching back up for the limb she was dangling on, she pulled herself up to straddle her limb. She pushed her hair under her hat which had fallen to the stampede string to just dangle. They reached her tree and Charles looked just as surprised to see her there as much as she was by their appearance. Together.

"Liz-uh hey, I didn't expect you to be hanging out here." Charles caught himself, darting a quick glance at Darcy who was looking up into the tree.

"I decided I wanted to come out to my tree and clear my head," Lizzie replied. She got into a swinging position from her arms and dropped to the ground. Luckily, she didn't embarrass herself by falling on her butt. She dusted off her hands and stood in front of both men. "What are you doing here," Lizzie looked at the other man, "Together."

"You're Elijah, right?" the man in black said suddenly.

Confused, Lizzie looked from one man to the other before the man continued, "I'm sorry for how I acted and for the threat."

"Right." Lizzie looked down.

So, he hadn't noticed, or still can't notice that she is a girl.

Charles got off his horse and walked up to her, "This is Mr. Darcy, we met just as I was leaving town to check the property of Netherfield. I wanted some company along and he was good enough to accompany me. I told him that you were not a stable boy."

"Oh," was Lizzie's reply at the explanation. She looked at Mr. Darcy who looked a little confused himself about everything. "Do you plan on staying long in Hertfordshire, sir?"

"Only a week once my business here is done."

"What business could that possibly be? There's hardly money worth stealing here if you plan on robbing the place."

"Okay," Charles called the attention back to himself to prevent blood from being spilled. "So, this is your favorite tree then?"

"Yes." Elizabeth nodded, looking back at the said tree. "I've been climbing it since I was little. Escaped all the boys that way. Well the ones who weren't too happy about being beaten up by me." she grinned.

Charles laughed, "You used to beat up boys?"

"Yes, and I'd climb up my tree. They weren't as good of climbers as me and they'd eventually had to go home. One of them, Jimmy, he wasn't a sore loser at all and actually vowed to marry me when we got older."

Lizzie had forgotten that Darcy was there but when he coughed at her last statement, she turned to see he had been drinking from his canteen. "Does it surprise you, Mr. Darcy, that someone would want to marry me?" she said with humor and her arms crossed over her chest.

"It's not my place to comment on how or who people love."

"A safe response, but I shall accept it."

"I thought, when Bingley was pointing out his land, the tree was part of it," Darcy said, changing the subject.

"It's on my father's property."

Darcy then got off his horse and strode over to the tree. He looked across at all the border logs sticking up.

"No, I believe it belongs to Bingley, which means you are trespassing."

Lizzie looked ready to attack him verbally, but Charles was faster, "I believe Darcy, that it would be a bigger crime to separate the pair since they've grown up together. It's just a tree, and I believe if you think about it, half the tree belongs to him while the other belongs to me. So what if he wishes to swing from that particular limb on my side. I don't think I'd be needing the tree for such purposes."

"You're seriously going to give him the tree?" Darcy frowned, "If you give him what he wants how is he going to learn when he can't have his way? You can't let yourself be easily taken in, Bingley!"

"He's not a child, Darcy and it's one tree!"

"Demanding apologies and a tree now, what's next?!"

Lizzie watched the back and forth arguing. She was glad Charles wasn't going to kick her out of her tree, but Darcy seemed adamant on not letting her have it. She hadn't seen Charles this annoyed and didn't think him capable.

"Look," Charles said, trying to reel his temper back in. "I want em to have the tree, Darcy. It's not going to kill anyone if he has it."

Darcy sighed and looked at the boy Elijah. He looked a little scared, or maybe it was he was just worried.

"I think it best if I go home." Lizzie turned to go before remembering, "My pa said that you and your friend and family can come around four for dinner."

"Thanks. Tell your family I said hi." Charles waved as Lizzie jogged on over to a black stallion which had moved away from the tree on the Bennet property, grazing on the tall grass. She easily mounted the tall horse and rode towards home.

"Dinner?" Darcy looked to his friend who had been acting strangely of late.

"Technically you're invited to go to dinner with me and my family at the Bennets. 'Elijah' however doesn't know you are the friend I've been mentioning because you decided to insult em, and now you were trying to take away their favorite tree."

"I can't believe we're getting worked up all over some stupid tree."

"It's their childhood, Darcy. Stop being an ass."

"Are you doing this because you think of him as a younger brother? Is that it? You're trying to be an older brother for once."

"So what if I am? Is it a bad thing to want to look out for someone else? They only have sisters, just like me. You should understand being a brother."

The two glared at one another before Darcy sighed and went back to his horse.

"Do what you want. I'll be in my room."

Charles watched as his friend got on his horse and rode back towards town.

Bingley felt bad for arguing with Darcy, but he just couldn't understand why his friend was acting so rudely to Lizzie. Plus the fool still didn't notice she was a girl!