After witnessing the stampede the day before, Elizabeth had a feeling she would be avoiding the stables- and anything to do with the horses- for a while. Donning her new boots from Whistledown and a dark blue day dress, she headed out for a long walk. It had been somewhat terrifying- nobody seemed to know what had startled the horses so much, and it had taken some time for the stable hands to calm and collect the horses enough to get them back to their stalls. Thankfully, Miss Heywood seemed to be alright for the most part.
Lizzie had already been walking for an hour or so and was just on her way back toward the house when she detoured down one of the riding trails. It was quiet and peaceful in the shade, and she was able to let her guard down and her mind wander. Things felt simpler when she was able to walk on her own like this. It wasn't that things were awful, it was just that she'd been here months and still didn't know what she wanted. Who she wanted. When she thought she was making progress, things would stall and she'd start to question her decisions and her actions.
Exiting the trail, she found herself approaching the stables. None of the horses seemed to be out in the paddock, and she remained outside the fenced in area, just in case any were let out.
--
Lord Thomas Babington had been in a bit of a conundrum. Miss Esther Denham had turned him down and it pained him. Granted, he hadn’t talked about the whole scenario with Crowe or Sidney. He didn’t really think it was pertinent but his morale had been wounded and there was a part of him that wondered if Esther would ever take his hand, no matter how hard he tried to win her over. Maybe it had been on a whim, but there was just something about her that he found irresistible.
Yet, it had also caused him to mindfully pay attention to this invitation to Summerview. That didn’t mean that he was going to give up his pursuit of Miss Denham, though maybe he needed to cast a wider net. Nobody of the Ton had attracted him and he was in no rush to settle down since his father was still alive, unfortunately. Still, a fitful sleep had clinched his decision to go.
He left Sanditon, penning notes to Sidney and even one to Miss Denham, in hopes that maybe he could convince her to reconsider. That and he was a bit unaware as to what his new locale would hold for him. The five hour carriage ride didn’t really help. Though what he saw when he got here didn’t really make him have high hopes as he saw a horse get spooked which caused a young lady to fall into the lake.
Babington had quickly decided that the tour of the grounds would start near the stables. As he headed over, Babington saw that familiar glimpse of red hair. Maybe Esther was already here, Babington could only hope. He had to hope that his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him as he approached her.
“Miss Denham, mere words cannot express my happiness over you being here,” he told her and before she had a chance to respond, Lord Thomas Babington decided to be impulsive and kiss her. Yes, it was something else he did on a whim. Though it would show Esther how much he felt about her. How she made him feel and he wasn’t sure if any other lady would make him feel the same way.
—
Elizabeth was letting her mind wander a little bit, not quite paying attention to the people out on the grounds when she felt a hand at her wrist, then on her waist and lips on hers. She gasped in surprise, hands coming up to the gentleman's shoulders. She was shocked enough that it was a long moment before she pushed away, stepping back with a sound of surprise.
"I- er. Excuse me, sir, but- I don't-" It took a moment to catch her breath. She couldn't help it, as unexpected as it was, it wasn't a bad kiss. "I don't think I'm the young lady you thought I was."
—
Babington, himself, had been fully immersed in the kiss with the alleged Miss Denham. Granted, he did enjoy it, maybe a bit more than he should’ve. Though he knew the guys back home would never let him live it down. That was before the lady in question pushed herself away from him. At least he didn’t get slapped, thankfully.
Maybe there was a part of Babington that should’ve paid attention to whom the person was, but he was acting off his emotions. “My apologies, you just reminded me of someone from home,” Babington told the lady in question, his cheeks tinged with a hue of red. “Though I do feel like a proper introduction is in order. I’m Lord Thomas Babington, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
—
"Right," Elizabeth started, nodding slowly. Her own cheeks were flushed pink, and she was a little startled by his introduction. "I- yes. Elizabeth Bennet. Er- it's..yes. A pleasure."
She dropped in a quick curtsy, blush deepening. It was..something. Pleasurable? She shouldn't be thinking about that. Like that. It wasn't exactly proper to be kissing strangers. But maybe..no. No, Elizabeth. "Do you often kiss young women who remind you of ladies from home?"
—
Babington has wondered how this Miss Bennet had taken the kiss, especially with the red hue on her cheeks. Maybe moving on would be easier than he had anticipated. Sure, he had still held out the hope that maybe Esther would come around. In the meantime, however, things with this new lady seemed like something that he wanted to explore, he couldn’t put his finger exactly on what though. Babington had wondered if he had taken a fancy to her. Then again, maybe he shouldn’t go off first impressions.
“Usually I don’t. Though you’re the rare exception,” he admitted to her, every little aspect of Elizabeth looked so similar to Miss Denham from behind. Though there was something that intrigued Babington about her. “I figured that the lady in question had a change of heart after she spurned me. Evidently, I was wrong. I am pleased to make your presence though, Miss Bennet.”
—
"Well, I'm sorry that I couldn't be her," Elizabeth replied, teasing just a little already. "But I suppose I'm pleased to meet you as well, Lord Babington."
She smiled in the next moment. "Did you say you've just arrived? I could show you around, if you'd like?"
—
“I’m rather glad that you aren’t though,” Babington admitted to Miss Bennet, with a bit of a teasing and flirting inflection to it. “There’s no use dwelling on the past when I can focus on the present.”
“I did, just this morning saw a poor girl get bucked off and thrown into the lake no sooner than I got here,” Babington told Lizzie, he didn’t even know how massive the grounds were. “Though I would definitely enjoy a tour and maybe we can get to know each other in the process?”
—
"Oh?" Elizabeth asked, lifting a brow as she looked up to him. She smiled, though-that was well done. "Then I hope you find plenty to distract you here going forward."
"Oh goodness, the horses have been misbehaving something awful recently. There was a stampede yesterday, and they nearly trampled over a young lady, but she was thankfully pulled out of harm's way just in time." Elizabeth turned, starting back toward the mansion. "Here, it might be easiest to start with the main estate, as the grounds may take a while. Staff will be able to point you toward your rooms once we're finished, too."