Posted on 2012-07-20

Elizabeth Bennet walked out to the fresh autumn day and started on her favorite ramble. Although it was before breakfast, she headed out along the west side of her father's property, Longbourn, toward Netherfield Park and away from the nearby village of Meryton. Early walks were a favorite of Lizzy's. Time for contemplation, time for solitude, time to simply enjoy the morning were all part of her solitary walk.

As a gentleman's daughter and at age 20, Lizzy occasionally sought refuge away from her mother and her four sisters. Leaving her mother's complaints of nerves and worries about marrying off her five daughters was a strong motivation to be out of the house. Listening to Lydia and Kitty talk of officers and hearing Mary's off-key voice practicing day after day was a pain to the ear. Thank goodness for her dear elder sister Jane; she was perfection personified.

Lizzy adored her father. He was her mentor and model of intellectual prowess. Through him, she had learned to be a reader, a thinker and a sharp wit. Lizzy contemplated this and wondered what good any of that would do her in this small corner of Hertfordshire. Besides, her father was frequently hiding in his library or working on estate business and did not often have time for her.

Yet as much as she admired her father, she knew there were problems. He exerted little control over her younger sisters and seldom took the trouble to curb her mother. Lizzy was often embarrassed at their behavior, and she put part of the responsibility for their behavior at father's feet. Or perhaps, at the library door.

Thus, the daily walk was an excellent way to find a bit of peace from her family and organize her thoughts.

Especially today, it was good to get away. The house was in a more than usual uproar as Mrs. Bennet was re-decorating the dining room. She had ordered new wallpaper from London, and it was being installed this very morning. The furniture was cleared out, the workers were to arrive and things were in general disarray. Yes, escape for peace and mind emptying was an excellent thought!

Today Lizzy's walk took her across a small fallow field toward the farm road. As she was approaching the road, she saw a tall, dark-haired man slowly leading a beautiful chestnut horse. She knew she would meet him shortly since their paths were to intersect.

"Excuse me, miss, can you assist me? My horse has thrown a shoe. Can you tell me where the nearest blacksmith is located?"

Lizzy eyed the man with caution. She was not acquainted with him nor did she recognize him as someone from the area, but she did recognize the quality of his clothes and the voice of a well-educated man. "Yes, certainly," Lizzy replied. "I can help you. The farrier is to be at my father's estate today, and I am sure that he can do one more shoe." Her right eyebrow arched charmingly as she said this, and the dark-haired man took note of it.

The man smiled at this civility and said, "Thank you for your offer. I would be most grateful. Please pardon me, miss." At this, the tall gentleman executed a neat bow and reached into his waistcoat for a card. "My name is Fitzwilliam Darcy and I am visiting Hertfordshire with my friend, who is leasing a property in this neighborhood."

Lizzy looked at the fine card and read "Fitzwilliam George Darcy" in the center and then "Pemberley, Derbyshire" in the lower left corner and "Darcy House, Grosvenor Square" in the lower right corner. Lizzy was not surprised to see the information on the card, since the London address was as impressive as the gentleman himself.

"Oh," she replied. Lizzy, remembering her manners, gave her name as well followed by a curtsey. Lizzy stole another look at his face and realized that he was quite handsome. "Well, if you will follow me, I can take you to the house."

So, Lizzy and Mr. Darcy turned and began the short walk across the fields towards Longbourn. Mr. Darcy's horse was walking slowly, and they proceeded likewise.

"I apologize to you, Miss Bennett, for taking you away from your errand this morning."

"No need to apologize, Mr. Darcy. I was simply taking a morning walk to enjoy the air and to think. We are expecting workmen in the house this morning, and I was trying to escape the noise! I am happy to render this small service to a visitor. You said that you are here with a friend who is to lease a property. Would that be Netherfield Park?"

Mr. Darcy looked at the young woman carefully. With the bright morning sun in her face, it clearly showed her dark eyes and a few tiny freckles across her nose. Mr. Darcy was a man of excellent taste in all things, including women, and he judged her eyes to be quite lovely in the morning light. He soon recollected that Miss Bennet had asked a question that he needed to answer before he was accused of inattentiveness. "Yes, Netherfield Park."

"Well that is only three miles from here so once your horse is shod, you will be able to return there fairly quickly, if that is your desire."

Soon the fields gave way to a fence that had a gate. Lizzy had opened and closed this gate by herself nearly every day since she was a child. However, Mr. Darcy was quite the gentleman and assisted her with the mechanism, in addition to looking after his horse. As Lizzy looked up to thank Mr. Darcy, she saw that although he was every bit as handsome as at first sight, he was also a bit closed. There was little expression on his face. She decided that her chatter was too much for this visitor, and so she remained quiet the remaining short distance to the house.

Mr. Darcy noted that the grounds of the estate were well tended and even though fall was in the air, the garden was still colorful and attractive. The manor house was small compared to his estate, but it was certainly one of the larger ones in the county. He reflected to himself that he and his horse would be well looked after here.

A groom was in the driveway and soon spied the slowly walking horse in company of the young miss. A few words from Lizzy, and the horse was lead away to the barns.

Upon entering Longbourn, Lizzy knew she was right to have left the house early. The workmen had arrived, and the house was in chaos. She asked Mr. Darcy to wait in the front hall while she found her father. She quickly explained her errand and soon invited Mr. Darcy into her father's library.

Mr. Bennet was a man of middle age who kept a good library filled with old and new volumes and had a desk covered with papers. Today, his hair was in a bit of disarray and you could see that he had been running his fingers through it frequently. His spectacles sat perched on his nose and he looked deep in thought.

Lizzy introduced her father to Mr. Darcy, whereupon the latter executed another bow and produced another card. Mr. Bennet was worldlier and had heard of Pemberley from his sister-in-law, Madeline Gardiner, who grew up in a village close by it. More than Lizzy, he understood what a man of wealth and importance was currently standing before him.

However, Mr. Bennet was not so overawed by Mr. Darcy that he could not offer him hospitality, and he proceeded to do so.

"Mr. Darcy, I understand from Lizzy that you are in need of a farrier."

"Yes, sir. My horse has thrown a shoe while I was riding this morning."

"Pray, tell me, Mr. Darcy, Hertfordshire is a long way from Derbyshire. Have you ridden all the way for exercise this morning?"

Mr. Darcy looked a bit surprised and then offered a small chuckle to the older man. "No, indeed. I am visiting Hertfordshire with my friend who is leasing a nearby estate called Netherfield Park."

"Oh. I had heard that there was to be a new tenant. But you are not the tenant?

"No," replied Mr. Darcy. "The estate is being leased by my friend Mr. Charles Bingley."

"Ah. Well, well, you are in luck, sir. The farrier is to be here today to take care of the farm animals. I am certain that he can tend to your horse as well. Unfortunately, he won't arrive for another hour or so. But please find a book to your liking and take a seat."

Lizzy, who was standing nearby listening to this exchange of information, realized that she needed to be a better hostess. "Mr. Darcy, may I offer you some tea or coffee? Since it is so early, I suspect that you have not had breakfast. I can bring something to you here. Unfortunately, the dining room is unavailable to us this morning, so we cannot offer you a full meal."

"Miss Bennet, I would happily accept coffee and toast or a muffin. Anything would suffice, really. I am most grateful," said Mr. Darcy.

Lizzy left the room to talk to the cook about the refreshments for their guest. Since she had not eaten before her walk either, she grabbed a glass of milk and a fresh scone from the kitchen. The cook that Mrs. Bennet hired upon her marriage over twenty years ago was still with the family. She made the best scones in the county, and Lizzy could never get enough of them. Lizzy left the order with the kitchen and returned to the library to rejoin her father and their guest.

"Oh Lizzy," said her father, "Would you bring me the Moorebois dictionary that is on the table there?" As Lizzy picked it up on her way into the room, her father said to Mr. Darcy, "I am going through some legal papers and farm papers this morning. I find some Latin terms that I am unsure of. I can never remember whether "from the beginning" is "ab hinc" or "ab origine."

"Father, it is "ab initio." We looked that up last week. Remember the Moorebois translation was not as clear as the Glarrison translation? Let me get the Glarrison instead."

Mr. Darcy listened to this exchange with interest. The implication was that this girl knew Latin! Could it be?

Mr. Bennet looked at Mr. Darcy and asked if he was familiar with either of these texts. Mr. Darcy cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Bennet, I believe that your daughter is correct. The Glarrison translation does a finer job than Moorebois's. At Cambridge the masters preferred that one for all their work. They relied on Glarrison to settle any disputes among the masters."

Mr. Bennet looked at Mr. Darcy with a grin and exclaimed, "Well, Glarrison it must be. Lizzy, bring me the Glarrison!"

Mr. Darcy was amazed that this country girl knew Latin. She knew it well enough to translate for her father and knew enough to distinguish a quality translation from another. Amazing!

Lizzy brought the Glarrison book to her father and quickly found the translation she was looking for. The father and daughter discussed the translation and then had a brief exchange in Latin that left them both laughing.

She can joke in Latin? What kind of woman is this, Mr. Darcy mused? As he looked at her standing behind her father's desk, the sun caught all the little hairs peeking out from her carefully coiffed hair. There was one small curl emerging from the side of her hair. The sun caught it just so and was mesmerizing to him.

Realizing that he was staring, he began to glance around the room and his eye settled on a chess game set up near his chair. Mr. Bennet noticed him looking at the chessboard and asked, "Do you play chess Mr. Darcy?"

The visitor replied that he did and then stated that it looked like white had the advantage at this stage of the game. Mr. Bennet replied that he thought so too and then gave a glance to his daughter. Lizzy raised her eyebrows, and then walked to the back of the room.

"You see, Mr. Darcy, I used to play with some fellows at White's and then we kept up a steady game by mail. But I found that my friends in London had so many demands on their time, it often was some weeks between moves. I decided to begin playing with someone here locally. And I don't mind telling you, she has me flummoxed right now."

At this, Mr. Darcy's eyes flickered in surprise. "Ah yes," the older man continued. "She. Yes, that is right. I taught my daughter Lizzy there to play with me and now she has me at a great disadvantage. I ask you, is that right?"

A bright laugh came from the back of the room, "Oh Papa, don't. The poor man does not need to be teased before he has even had his coffee."

Mr. Darcy could hardly keep from gaping at this news when there was a brief knock on the door, and it was opened by a beautiful young woman with a large tray. Her blonde hair was arranged artfully yet simply. Her blue dress had an over apron to protect it from the day's work.

"Excuse me, Father. Hill is too tied up with Mama to bring this out."

Mr. Darcy jumped to his feet upon perceiving that this lovely young woman was a daughter of the house and not a servant.

Lizzy moved to clear away the chess game that was on the tea table closest to Mr. Darcy. "Oh, please let me move our game out of the way! Papa, I'm going to put this on the window ledge behind you, so no moving the pieces when I'm not looking!" Her father gave a hearty laugh but Mr. Darcy was all amazement about the revelations. His mind was still reeling. She plays chess? Reads Latin? Teases her father?

As Lizzy indicated, the young woman placed the tray on the small table next to Mr. Darcy and waited.

"Mr. Darcy, this is my eldest daughter, Miss Bennet. Jane, this is Mr. Darcy. His horse has thrown a shoe."

"Miss Bennett, I am pleased to meet you," replied Mr. Darcy after his bow.

Jane offered a curtsey and a soft "Mr. Darcy. I have brought you coffee and scones. Is there anything else I might bring for your comfort?"

"Not at all. I am perfectly satisfied. Thank you, Miss Bennet." With a smile to her father and a nod to her sister, Jane left the room.

Mr. Darcy sat down to eat his breakfast and to wonder about one household having two very pretty daughters. Latin? Chess? Where do they come in?

Mr. Bennett related to Mr. Darcy that he was having problems with an under-producing field. They began a discussion about the new idea of crop rotation. Mr. Bennet suddenly scratched his head and began looking all over his desk.

"Papa, what are you looking for? Can I help you?" offered Lizzy.

"It is the Smith's treatise that I had this morning. Have you seen it?"

"Yes, Papa. It is here on the corner under the farm maps," replied Lizzy. "But, Father I don't know that I can recommend this book at all. Even though this book belonged to grandfather, I do not find favor with it. I cannot find any lack of logic to his arguments and his presentation is well done, but have you looked at his calculations? I reviewed them and found a number of calculations that are seriously flawed. I do not know whether it is the printer's mistake or the author's, but it does make me doubt the content of the rest of the book."

She has read this dry book on agriculture? She has re-done the calculations? Can it be? Mr. Darcy could barely swallow his scone when he heard this pronouncement from Miss Elizabeth. In fact, he began to choke a bit and was all amazement.

Mr. Bennet looked carefully at Mr. Darcy and assured himself that all was well.

Mr. Darcy looked from the daughter to the father and catching his breath said, "Mr. Bennet, I believe that I must support what your daughter has said. My grandfather's copy of this same book is in our library at Pemberley. Both my father and I found fault with it and hoped for something better. I was fortunate last month while in town to discover that a new edition of this book has just been published. Miss Elizabeth, I hope you will be pleased to learn, that in the forward of the book, there is an apology from the publishers that the previous edition of the book contained many typesetting errors in the calculations. Thus, I think you can have every confidence in the content of the book and are justly right in questioning the calculations."

Lizzy smiled sweetly at her father while he shrugged his shoulders.

"Mr. Bennet," said Mr. Darcy, "I would be very glad if you would allow me to send the latest edition of the book to you. It is small thanks for your hospitality today. I would have been quite stranded, without breakfast and without any company. And besides, I would hate to see you mislead any longer by the poor quality of the calculations!" Mr. Bennet nodded his assent and gave his thanks for the information and for the book.

As Mr. Darcy completed his breakfast, he was all astonishment at the young woman he had met so unexpectedly this morning. Who would have known that a lost horseshoe could lead him to such a meeting?

A knock on the library door revealed Mr. Hill, informing the master that the farrier had completed his work on their guest's horse. Mr. Darcy rose to thank his host and hostess for their hospitality and a most interesting morning. He wondered if he would see the Bennets again at any local events. It was a tantalizing thought.