In tomorrow’s chapter of From Tolerable to Lovely, we are no longer at the ball. Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to give you another image to hang the story one. As you can see from the first few paragraphs of chapter 3 below, Darcy, Elizabeth, Bingley, and Jane are on a walk in the country. They will be on a walk again in the final chapter as well, though they won’t be alone for all of that walk, which is why I have chosen to share the image above.
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A well-worn path winding its way through the Hertfordshire countryside lay before Darcy, and a pretty lady walked at his side. This was not how Darcy had imagined his call at Longbourn going. He had expected to spend fifteen minutes to half an hour in the sitting room feeling very ill-at-ease and struggling to engage in polite conversation, which he hoped he might be able to turn toward things which were not merely common topics of conversation so that he could learn more about Miss Elizabeth.
Instead, he had found himself standing in the sitting room at Longbourn for only five minutes while Bingley arranged to go for a walk with Miss Bennet with Darcy and Miss Elizabeth as proposed chaperones. Mrs. Bennet was so far beyond delighted to have Bingley showing such interest in her eldest daughter that neither Darcy nor Miss Elizabeth was given an opening to refuse being included in the walking party.
And that had brought Darcy to this wonderful prospect of fresh air, good exercise, and Miss Elizabeth’s companionship.
[From Tolerable to Lovely, a Teatime Tales novelette]
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