Author's Note: Well, I've had fun at Marching Band Camp. It's been very rigorous. Here's Chapter Fifteen

Dsiclaimer: I still don't own it.

Conceit and Contemptuousness

Chapter Fifteen

A few weeks into our tour of the Yakima County, my uncle's civic decided to break down. We called a tow truck and sat down for lunch.

"Where exactly are we?" I inquired before biting into a juicy apple.

My aunt poured over a map of Washington and answered, "I do believe we are near Pemberley. I wonder if we could get a tour."

"Oh, let's not," I suggested quickly. I did not want to risk running into Sam in her own house.

"Why wouldn't you want to see Miss Darcy's house?" My uncle asked me.

"I don't know. I mean, she's so rich," I explained bashfully.

My aunt chuckled. "Silly Freddie. Being prejudiced against poor Miss Darcy just because she happens to be very well off."

"Relax. These rich types are almost never at home," My uncle assured me. Reluctantly I agreed to visit the estate.

My first thought upon viewing the spectacular front was how different Pemberley was from Rosings Park. Pemberley seemed very natural, while Rosings looked quite gaudy.

"Welcome to Pemberley," the housekeeper greeted us in the foyer.

"And where is the mistress?" I asked, still apprehensive.

"She is in Olympia. She will arrive tomorrow." I breathed a sigh of relief. We had come not a day too soon.

"Come, let us tour the house, shall we?" The housekeeper motioned to a door and we followed. I walked through the mansion in awe at the tastefully decorated splendor. Some of the décor was a little strange, but everything fit together perfectly. I kept thinking, 'All this could have been mine, if I'd said yes.'

We soon came to a sculpture gallery, in the center of which was Sam's likeness captured perfectly in marble.

"Well Freddie, is it an accurate replica?" My uncle asked me.

"Does the young man know Miss Darcy?" The housekeeper inquired.

"Yes," I replied. "But only a little. I met her in Seattle."

"Do you not think her a picture of beauty?"

"Yes," I answered, finding it was the truth. "She certainly is beautiful." I couldn't help staring into the bust's iris-less eyes, imagining it to be Sam herself.

I blinked and brought my mind back to reality. I searched for my companions but they were nowhere in sight. I saw an open door and wandered through. The focal point of this room was a writing desk, covered in a myriad of pens and papers. It suddenly dawned on me that this was Sam's personal office.

The sound of the trumpet playing a lilting melody drifted in from a second door, slightly ajar. It was cracked enough that I saw a teenage boy sitting with his back to a mirror, playing with an unrivaled skill. Suddenly the boy nearly threw down his instrument and ran off.

"Sam!" He yelled enthusiastically. Sam came into the view of the mirror, and I thought to myself, 'This most certainly is not good.' Sam turned and our eyes connected for a fraction of a second. That miniscule amount of time was enough for her to recognize me, so I bolted out the door to the garden.

I, however, was not quite fast enough. She soon caught up with me.

"Mr. Bennet," she acknowledged, and gave a quick curtsy. I responded with a bow.

"I thought you were in Olympia," I blurted out, unable to control myself.

"No," she responded. "No, I'm not."

"They said the house was open for visitors and that you wouldn't be back until tomorrow. I am so sorry. I didn't know." I explained, silently cursing her Lamborghini for getting her back so fast.

"No, no, it's quite alright," she promised me.

She paused for a moment, and then inquired as to where I was staying.

"At the Hilton," I answered.

"A nice establishment," she commented. An awkward silence descended upon us.

"Would you like me to send for my Lamborghini?" She offered.

"No," I answered hastily. "I'm quite fond of walking."

"I know. Good day." With that she walked back into the mansion and I began my long trek back to the Hilton.

When I arrived I was surprised to find Sam conversing easily with my aunt and uncle in the lobby. I hid behind a pillar until I was sure she had left.

"My dear, you've just missed Miss Darcy," my aunt began as I sat down. "She's not at all how you painted her. She's invited us over for dinner tomorrow, and she's particularly anxious for you to meet her brother." She winked at me, for whatever reason.

"Oh, I do not mind." I told them, although I was secretly dreading it.