"Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance."

- Rabindranath Tagore

Chapter 19

Elizabeth wandered down the little path that led to a small brook. She had stumbled upon this path on one of her first explorations of the grounds after arriving at Hunsford. The multitude of spring flowers lining the banks lent an almost magical appearance to the stream.

She had been thrilled to find that a previous wanderer had thought of placing a cozy bench close enough that one could dip their feet into the stream, if they were so inclined. Although it was not yet summer, the temperature was high and coupled with the long walk to this little haven, Elizabeth found herself longing to engage in a bit of wading.

She slowly looked about her to ensure that she would not be caught. Once she was satisfied that she was alone, she sat down at the bench and began to unlace her boots and remove her stockings. With a contented sigh, Elizabeth dipped her feet into the refreshing water and lifted her face to the sun with a smile. She chuckled as she thought of her mother seeing her relaxing in such a fashion out of doors.

Unfortunately, her little idyll was short-lived. The distant sound of a twig snapping caused her eyes to swiftly open. A quick peek over her shoulder revealed Mr. Darcy just emerged from the bushes at the top of the path.

"Mr. Darcy! Must you constantly mortify me?" Elizabeth exclaimed as she quickly gathered her stockings and boots. Her face was flushed and she continued speaking in anger in attempt to overcome her embarrassment as she quickly pulled on her footwear.

"Really, sir! One would think that you plot to create situations in which I am thoroughly humiliated."

When she realized that the gentleman had still not spoken a word, she paused in lacing her boots and looked up. Mr. Darcy remained in the exact position in which he found her. His eyes were wide with surprise and his mouth was hanging slightly open. Elizabeth could not help but recognize that she was not the only one mortified by the encounter. That knowledge helped to put her slightly at ease once again.

"Ahem, Mr. Darcy? I do believe that a gentleman would avert his gaze when a lady is attempting to cover herself appropriately." She teased.

The laughter in her voice seemed to finally break through Mr. Darcy's stupor. He immediately flushed as red as a beet.

"Of course, er…yes, I apologize, Miss Bennet." He mumbled as he turned around.

In another quick moment, Elizabeth was once again appropriately clothed for company. She walked quietly up the path.

"You may turn around now, Mr. Darcy." She said with a smile.

The gentleman turned around but started again when he realized how closely Elizabeth was behind him.

"I apologize again, Miss Bennet, for surprising you in such a…while you appeared to be enjoying the day." He said awkwardly.

"I accept your apology, sir, on the condition that we never speak of exactly how I was enjoying the day?" She questioned.

With a slight chuckle, Mr. Darcy bowed his acceptance of such terms.

"If you were done admiring the stream, could I escort you back to the parsonage?" He asked as he extended his arm.

Elizabeth slipped her hand on top of his arm and they began walking towards the main path. The silence was only broken minutes later when Elizabeth spoke again.

"I do consider myself fortunate, though." She said cryptically.

Mr. Darcy had regained much of his composure by this point. He turned to look at his companion with a furrowed brow.

"Why is that, Miss Bennet?"

"Well, I would not doubt that I am the sole person within the kingdom who knows that you are capable of an excellent fish impersonation!"

Mr. Darcy looked completely affronted by this proclamation. Yet, as Elizabeth laughed heartily at her own joke, the gentleman could not resist joining her.

A/N: I know this is a really short chapter but I hope that you enjoyed the little ankle peep show! This was part of the next chapter but it's taking me a while to edit it all and I wanted to give you something this weekend. Let me know if you liked it! Thanks for reading & reviewing.