Chapter 5

There were a good number of thick heads in Meryton the following morning. The only persons awake at either Netherfield or Longbourn before midday the next day were the servants, excepting two. Neither Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy nor Miss Elizabeth Bennet were inclined to be a slugabed, even the day after an assembly. As neither had overly imbibed the previous evening, they were up at their usual hour, country hours as it were, and were out of doors, as was their want, before eight in the morning.

Miss Elizabeth was to take her normal morning stroll long before any of her family were awake. She thought that a short, that is to say, a three mile stroll to the top of Oakham Mount was the perfect way to greet a new day. In her most comfortable shoes, oldest bonnet and well worn day dress and pelisse, she was quite a sight. She could not care less. She thought that the chance of meeting anyone who would care the least about her accoutrements this morning was close to nil.

Similarly, Mr. Darcy had thought to take a quick ride on his favorite steed and hoped to find what passed for a hill hereabouts that he had noted here in Hertfordshire. In his home county of Derbyshire, the hill would be barely worth mentioning, but he would take scenery where he could find it. To find out later that the locals had actually named the hillock 'Oakham Mount' was to cause him to laugh.

Our two intrepid explorers individually made their way towards the same location without a care in the world. The last thought in their mind would be to find there the object of their thoughts from the previous evening's entertainment.

The surprise on each of our wanderers' faces as they rounded the last bend in the path to the Mount and came face to face would have made a poet set his pen to paper.

"Mr. Darcy!" she exclaimed.

"Miss Elizabeth!" he rejoined.

They were both quiet. What should they say? The fact that they had both just been thinking fondly of the other made their unexpected meeting all the more fortuitous.

Mr. Darcy came to his senses quickly. "Miss Elizabeth, how nice it is to see you again. I did not expect to see anyone about so early the day after an assembly. The rest of the Netherfield party are still abed and I doubt I will see any of them before luncheon."

"It is the same at Longbourn. As you can see, I had no thought of meeting anyone on my rambles this morning." She motioned to her modest attire. "I felt the need to take advantage of a rare sunny day this time of year. I know there cannot be too many more days such as this in our future. Carpe diem!" He had noticed her comfortable clothing and the thought of Miss Bingley being aghast at being so comfortably attired brought a smile to his lips.

"Carpe diem indeed Miss Elizabeth. Are you headed for the hilltop?"

"Oh yes. The view from the top of Oakham Mount is superb. You can see all of Meryton, and even the steeple of St. Albans from there."

He offered her his arm and they turned to travel the well worn path to the summit. As they broke out into the clearing at the top of the hill, he was impressed with the view. It also impressed him that she had made her way to the top with no trouble at all. He could not name any of his feminine acquaintances who could have assailed the height without complaint.

Once the hikers reached the summit, she went on to point out the various landmarks that could be seen from there. He appreciated the little history she told about each place.

At the top of the hill sat a fallen log that had been obviously used as a seat for generations, the top of which being worn smooth from use. She motioned to the log as she said "Would you like to join me for a scone? Cook always lets me nab a few on my way out the door for my morning ramble. This morning they are my favorite, almond."

He sat next to her on the log and thanked her as he took the scone from her. They sat in comfortable silence as they enjoyed their scones and looked out at the scenery.

He let his mind wander as they sat in silence. He had never spent time with any unmarried lady who didn't spend their time with him attempting to gain his notice. They all would simper at him, pretend they were being coy when they were all really being cloying. He was tired of it all.

He glanced over at his companion and she was truly taken in with a sight she had obviously seen many times, but it still entranced her. She was startled when he next spoke. "It is a beautiful view from here. Do you often come here?"

"Oh, at least once a week, if the weather favors it. I am afraid there will not be too many more days for us to enjoy rambling. I assume that it gets colder earlier in Derbyshire, being so much further north?" she asked.

"Oh yes. We often have snow before the end of November and we have had snow as late as April. I imagine the temperatures will also be a bit cooler year round compared to Hertfordshire."

"Do you ever get to go sledding or ice skating in Derbyshire? I have always wanted to try either, but we rarely get the weather for it this far south."

"Yes, I have taught my sister to ice skate on the lake at Pemberley. There are hills for sledding, but I have not gone in years. We do try to go out in the sleigh at least once during the season."

"Oh, that sounds delightful. Your sister is so lucky. How old is she? Will she be coming to join you?"

"She is sixteen, twelve years my junior. As our parents have passed, I, along with my cousin the Colonel, are her guardians. She is in London, studying with masters and will not be coming to Netherfield." He paused, "She is not particularly comfortable around Miss Bingley." He paused again. "I am here to help Bingley learn how to manage an estate. We thought it would be helpful for him to learn the ropes with a leased estate while he decides what he wants in the long term."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear about your parents. It must be hard to take on the care of an estate and a young sister. I would have liked to have met your sister. But, still, she must not neglect her studies if she is to be considered an accomplished lady."

He laughed. "Yes, I heard your sisters list the essential accomplishments of a lady during your discussion at the assembly. I was not attempting to eavesdrop, you understand, but your sister was quite animated about 'the Lizzy Bennet School for Gentlewomen and Silly Sisters', I believe she called it. Is there really such a thing?"

"Well, not officially. As I said last night, I try to help my sisters learn what they can, based on their abilities and wishes, but their accomplishments are uneven at best. Kitty is very good at drawing, Mary knows history as well as I do, Jane is quite good at mathematics and Lydia, well, Lydia is still trying to find her strengths, well other than trimming bonnets. This is one she made up for me when she was eleven. I wear it when I don't expect to be in company, just to show my appreciation for her efforts."

"Um, yes, I noticed it. It is…"

"You need not compliment it sir. I doubt your sister has ever worn anything so ugly. What I do for my sisters!"

"Well, it does look warm."

"That will suffice sir. Any further comments from you would be disingenuous and so should be left unsaid."

"The bonnet you wore last night was pretty," he said sheepishly.

"She made that one for me recently. You are redeemed sir." At this point they returned to their quiet contemplation.

With their repast finished, they both felt that they should depart before a chance meeting could be construed as a clandestine meeting. He offered her his arm for the descent from Oakham Mount and they parted at the same site where they had met. With his parting words, "I have enjoyed our chance meeting Miss Elizabeth. I hope to see you again soon," she curtsied and smiled at him before she turned to travel the lane back to Longbourn.

On his ride back to Netherfield he pondered the woman he had just left. She was so different from the ladies of the Ton. They would not walk three miles and climb to the top of a hill to see a sight they had seen countless times before, just for the enjoyment of the walk. They would never be seen wearing such modest clothing, and joking about it no less. They would not have sat silently near him; they would have taken the opportunity to engage him and attempt to earn his regard, which they mostly failed to do. No, this Miss Elizabeth was something different. She may be a country miss, with he assumed little dowry, but she had his attention. Maybe more than she should, he thought