The Cumberland Plateau

by Mary K. Baxley

  “That it is. My D.Phil. is in classical languages and literature, but literature is my preference.” Bingley nodded.

  “Ah, I thought so,” he said, grinning. “Do you two still want a chance to share what you’ve learnt at Oxford?” he asked, pulling out three cigars, offering one to each of his friends. “You both have the qualifications for the positions, and the pay is reasonable, although I know neither of you need the income. But I believe the experience would be well worth it.” He lit his cigar, and then offered them a light.

  “Dickens, precisely where is this college located?” Darcy asked, his curiosity now fully engaged.

  “I’m glad you asked that, Darcy. It’s located on a plateau, the Cumberland Plateau to be exact, in eastern middle Tennessee, surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. The natives call it God’s country, and I have to agree. It has some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. It’ll remind you of both Northern England and Scotland. In fact, the Scotch Irish settled the area some 200 years ago. Quite a few families there are from English descent, too,” he added. “I think you’ll find it very peaceful and serene.”

  Handing Darcy and Bingley his business card, he continued. “Look it up online under the university website, and then search for the Cumberland Plateau. See for yourselves. I’m sure you will like what you see, and if you’re interested, I’ll arrange for a tour. Then, if it suits you, at that point we can discuss the particulars. I am at the liberty to offer you both a full professorship. So, what do you say; will you think about it?”

  “Dickens, we’ll take a look, and let you know,” Darcy answered as he and Bingley exchanged glances. “Give me a number where we can reach you whilst you’re in England, and we’ll be in touch.”

  “Once you see how grand an opportunity this is,” Dickens said with a quick nod, “I’m sure you will.”

  One Month Later

  Driving the long, winding road through the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, Elizabeth Bennett was on her way home. After eight long years in Boston with rarely a break, she’d finally earned her degrees. It hadn’t been easy getting into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the first place, but she’d made it all the way, earning her Ph.D. in mathematics. However, that she owed to her parents. They’d worked hard as university professors, struggling to raise six kids on a farm. They had educated them all at home with the benefit of tutors so she and her siblings could receive a classical education, something not available in the rural South, and it had paid off. She, her sister Jane, and her brother Joseph had all been Merit Scholars.

  Approaching the town limits, Elizabeth let out a long breath. After all she’d gone through, Walnut Grove wasn’t where she had wanted to begin her career. No, she had wanted to teach in Charleston and had considered applying for a position at either Clemson or the Citadel, but a little over two years ago everything changed. Now, after spending most of the summer in Charleston with her former roommate and best friend, Cecilia Lawton, she was returning to help Jane with the farm and to teach at the local university, the very university where her parents had taught.

  Rounding the corner onto Elm Street, Elizabeth spied Jane wearing a concerned look, waiting on the front porch of their Victorian townhouse. No sooner had Elizabeth pulled into the driveway and stopped the car than Jane flew to meet her.

  “Lizzy, you’re late—fashionably late, as usual,” Jane scolded, hands planted squarely on her hips. “I was so worried that I called Celia to see if you were still there. You still have that annoying habit of turning off your cell phone while driving, I see.”

  “Jane, you know how I feel about cell phones and driving, and there was no need to worry.” Elizabeth hugged her sister. “I stopped in Knoxville to tour the Mountain Flea Market. Here,” she reached back into the car for a shopping bag. “I bought you a beaded necklace,” she said, pulling the silver and turquoise choker from the sack.

  “I also bought one for Kat and a handmade leather wallet for Daniel. And,” she said with a wide smile, “I got us all a pair of Indian moccasins, too. Check these out.” She pulled a pair of tan fringed leather boots from the bag. “They look just like those elfish boots the elves wore in The Lord of the Rings. Now, help me with these bags, and let’s get this stuff inside.”

  Elizabeth handed Jane several more packages and then unloaded her Durango, setting the suitcases on the walkway. Once unloaded, they took everything to the porch, one by one, chatting away as they went.

  Walking up the brick walkway with the final load, Jane’s expression turned somber. “Still, you should have advised me of your plans, Lizzy. I was really worried. Next time call, young lady! Or keep your phone turned on!”

  “Oh, you worry too much! You know perfectly well I do not talk on the phone while driving. You know the state motto—Arrive Alive.”

  “Lizzy, that’s Florida’s state motto.” Jane rolled her eyes. “Did you at least check your messages?”

  Elizabeth laughed. She knew perfectly well whose state motto it was, but she couldn’t help teasing her sister. “Yes, Jane, I did just before shutting the engine off, but I’m here now, so there was no need to call. Besides, Florida is in the South. It’s all the same to me.”

  Jane shook her head as they carried the bags into the house and up the stairs.

  Once comfortably settled into the townhouse, Jane suggested they tour the campus. She was already teaching in the English Department, but this term would be Elizabeth’s first teaching position, so after the last item was put neatly in its place, they headed towards the university on foot.

  Elizabeth inhaled deeply the sweet smells of summer…the scent of fresh cut grass, honeysuckle growing along the fencerow, and the cool, earthy smell of the mountains. Years had passed since she had walked the beautiful campus of Cumberland Technological University. Leisurely strolling across campus, she enjoyed the calm of the familiar old stone buildings along with the pleasant sounds of birds chirping and lawnmowers humming—sounds Elizabeth associated with summertime in the mountains. As she walked in silent meditation, Jane’s enthusiastic voice interrupted her concentration.

  “Lizzy, you’re going to like teaching here. I know it’s small, but this is home. We have the Bennett townhouse and can go home to Longbourn on weekends.”

  At the mention of the farm, Elizabeth smiled. It was the one place on earth she could find solace. “How is the farm, Jane? It’s been a while since I was last there. As soon as I’m settled in here, I’m heading out.”

  “You haven’t missed a thing. It’s the same old place,” Jane replied, flashing her sister a beautiful smile. “By the way, speaking of farms, how is Celia? How are her research projects coming along, and who is she dating now? ”

  Elizabeth laughed. “She’s the same as always. She splits her spare time between Carlton and Lawton Hall.” Turning to catch Jane’s gaze, she continued. “Oh, Jane, you should see the rice at Carlton! It’s so pretty poking up through the marshes in waves of green. It’s like a carpet of soft, emerald velvet blowing in the breeze, and the cotton on St. Helena is gorgeous. This year may very well be the year it pays off, putting Lawton Hall back in business as a real Sea Island Cotton plantation,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

  “Now, as to who she’s dating, well, she’s not dating anyone noteworthy. Lawton & Co. and the research projects are keeping her busy during the day. At night, she’s either entertaining clients or out with some new guy she’s met, but no one in particular.” Elizabeth stopped and slapped away a buzzing insect.

  Jane’s brow creased. “Lizzy, I worry about Celia. She’s as kind and good as a person can be, but when it comes to men, she’s reckless. It’s as if she cannot love them.”

  Elizabeth frowned. Cecilia worried her, too, and she agreed with Jane’s assessment. Cecilia was not only as kind of a person as you would ever want to meet, but an extremely beautiful person, too. However, with men, she was as cold as she was beautiful.

  Elizabeth shook her head. “Celia’s been
through a lot, Jane. I agree that she’s reckless, and I know she can be a user, but it’s all she’s ever known. And she knows men, too. Most of them are users, as we both well know. But as she says, Celia’s nobody’s fool. No, with men, it’s on her terms, not the other way around. But I have a feeling someday things are going to catch up with her when she finally meets a man who’s just as shrewd and calculating as she is.”

  Jane laughed. “I think you’re right, Lizzy, and he’ll be the one who sweeps her off her feet. She’s the kind that will give her heart only once. I just hope the man who captures it is worthy. And I agree, underneath that icy veneer beats the heart of a real woman. The man who wins her love will have to be someone just like her, someone who is every bit as hardnosed as she is. Any other man wouldn’t stand a chance with her in a long-term relationship, much less a marriage.” Jane gazed at Elizabeth, shaking her head. “She’s a modern day Scarlet O’Hara who needs a modern day Rhett Butler, only I don’t know if there are any Rhetts around.”

  They walked in silence until Elizabeth broached a new subject. “You know, Jane, I had planned on taking a position in Charleston had I not come here. I wanted to be at Clemson or the Citadel,” Elizabeth said, kicking a dandelion seed head.

  “I know, Lizzy. But you’ll like it here. I feel that I am actually accomplishing something with the English Lit classes I teach, and I love the theatre program we started last year. Dr. Dickens has scheduled me to teach a class in the new classical studies program this fall. It’ll be so much fun.” Jane laughed as they headed toward the University Center.

  Elizabeth gazed fondly upon her sister. “Jane, Jane, you enjoy anything you set your mind to. However, I’m sure you’re right, and I will enjoy my students as much as you do yours. I’ve been looking forward to teaching ever since I graduated, though I do have the first job jitters.”

  “Lizzy, you’ll do just fine. As smart and dedicated as you are to your profession, the students are going to love you, and who couldn’t? You are the most caring person I know.”

  They both laughed.

  “Thanks, Jane, but you’re still going to help me with my Greek grammar, aren’t you? I never had the chance to continue my studies while working on my degrees.”

  “You know I will. We should have the time. Daniel and Kat will be here, but Kat’s rarely home. She’s busy with study groups and activities, and Daniel will be very busy with his first year in civil engineering. With all of that, we will have time for our own amusements. What classical books we don’t have in our own libraries we can get from the school library, or better yet, buy them.” Their laughter turned to girlish giggles.

  ~*~

  As the two girls walked and talked, an English gentleman observed them from the upstairs window of Morton Hall. He and his friend had arrived several days before as prospective professors for a one-week tour of the university and surrounding area.

  “I say, Dickens,” Bingley inquired, “you sure have some very pretty girls here. Are those two students?”

  Dickens walked over to the window and peered out to see who had caught his friend’s eye. “I’m not sure about the one with dark hair, but the blonde is Dr. Jane Bennett. She’s a third-year associate professor in the English Department, and I’ve asked her to teach one of the classical studies courses this fall. She has a Ph.D. in English with a MA in classics from Harvard. She’s one of my most dedicated professors,” he added. “Umm…Yes, I suppose she is pretty.” Dickens grinned as he looked from Dr. Bennett to his old friend.

  While the two bantered about, Darcy gazed at the dark-haired woman, struck by her simple beauty. He breathed deeply as he watched her walk. A pair of well-fitted jeans with a hole in one knee accentuated her shapely derriere, while the simple white tee shirt she wore clung to her ample bosom. She was neither too thin nor too plump, and her long, black hair hung in a low ponytail well past her hips, almost to her knees. Darcy had never seen such long hair. Bewitching with a captivating smile, she looked as he had always pictured Lúthien Tinúviel, the beautiful dark-haired elfish princess from the Tale of Beren and Lúthien in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. He could easily imagine her bareback on a horse, wearing nothing but her hair, like Lady Godiva. A smile curved his lips as he watched her walk, but thinking she was probably a student, he shook his head, dismissing those thoughts.

  “Well, Dickens, if for no other reason, I might just take this job just for a chance to meet this Dr. Bennett,” Bingley said, smiling as he watched the beautiful blonde stroll toward the University Center.

  “Bingley, your motivation should be the teaching opportunity before you, not the local crumpet,” Darcy scolded.

  “Darcy, you hold your own counsel,” Bingley rebuked with a chuckle. “As for myself, I believe it never hurts to be friendly or to have double motivation.”

  “Yes, but Bingley, I know how you are! You’ve never been able to meet a pretty woman without imagining yourself in love.”

  “And someday I will find myself with a true love, when the right woman comes along,” Bingley said with a sly smile.

  Darcy didn’t bother adding anything to the exchange. He was far too preoccupied with the dark-haired beauty.

  ~*~

  Jane had given Elizabeth a brief tour of the university and had taken her to the University Center for a Coke float. Elizabeth had three weeks until she had to officially report to the university to prepare for her classes.

  Walking back to the townhouse, Jane asked, “Are you going to spend the next several weeks at the farm, then?”

  “Yes, I think I will. Uncle Henry’s been complaining about some problems with the summer calves, and I need to spend time with my hounds. It’s been over two years since I spent any quality time with them, and even then, it was brief. My Black and Tans are getting old, and I really do miss them.”

  “Well, give Grace, Aunt Lori, and Uncle Henry my love then, and I’ll see you next week. I need to finish up with things here. Then I need to go to my office and look over this term’s course of study. It’s been forever since I’ve even looked at The Medieval Romance of Pagan Antiquity, and I’ve never taught it. I’ve really got my work cut out for me. When that’s all done, I’ll meet you at the farm. Oh, and stop by the Cut and Curl. Bette and Florence have been asking about you.”

  “The Barnett gossip hub?” Elizabeth arched a brow.

  “Lizzy, that is unkind, and you know it,” Jane reprimanded.

  “I know, Jane, but you know how I feel about gossip, but I’ll stop by to please you.”

  Jane gave a small smile. “No, Lizzy, do it for momma. It’s what she would have wanted. Family is important.” With that, Jane waved good-by and turned to walk back into the townhouse.

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes and hopped into her Durango. She made her way to the town square and a little shop on a side street where the Cut and Curl, better known as the Walnut Grove gossip shop, was located. After hearing the latest news and paying her respect to her aunts, she was finally free to go.

  In her car once again, she tuned the radio to her favorite country station and set out for the farm with Montgomery Gentry for company. The drive to Longbourn Farm didn’t take long. It was about twenty miles outside of town, down County Road 52 and off to the right on a dirt road. Bouncing over the bumps in the road, Elizabeth tapped out the beat of Daddy Won’t Sell the Farm on her steering wheel, thinking of her own family farm.

  Longbourn Farm had been in the Bennett family for over two hundred years. They had survived the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the panic of farm foreclosures in the 1980s. Not only had they survived, but they were also among the leading families of the Cumberland Plateau.

  Proud of her family history, she was pleased that she could trace it back to the 17th century in the South of England. She possessed several journals containing a wealth of information about her family and the history of the Western Expansion, pioneer life, and the rise and fall of the Old South. Yes, she thought to herself, the Bennetts
were a hearty people. On the pages of the old journals, it was all recorded: the good, the bad, and the ugly. All things considered, Elizabeth mused as she pulled into the covered parking area of the farm, the Bennett family had been made up of good people carving out a legacy in this new land known as America. As soon as she opened the car door, she saw her younger sister, Kat, waiting on the tire swing under the old oak tree.

  “Lizzy! You’ve come home! I thought you would never get here.” Kat shouted, flying to the car and flinging herself into her sister’s embrace.

  “I got into town about three hours ago, and I’ve already moved into the townhouse. Jane gave me a tour of the campus, but I had to stop by the Cut and Curl, and you know how Bette and Florence are. They talked a blue streak. However, I’m here now, and I won’t leave until the week before fall semester begins.”

  Kat laughed. “Oh, I know how Bette and Florence are. Of course, they had to fill you in on the latest gossip, and I’m sure you heard all about Liddy and her new boyfriend.”

  “Yes,” Elizabeth laughed, “they filled me in on all the sordid details.”

  “I would imagine so. It’s the hottest topic in town. Everybody’s talkin’ about it.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of. Liddy is her own worst enemy.” Elizabeth sighed.

  “Well, I would agree with that, but let’s not talk about her.” Kat said. “Let’s talk about us.”

  “All right,” Elizabeth replied, “Tell me what you and Daniel have been up to?”

  “Oh, not much, really. He’s out riding with some of his friends, and I’ve been patiently waiting for you. But Lizzy, why do you have to go back a week early? I want us to spend all the time we can together, especially before school begins.”

  “Well, I want that, too, but I have things to do before classes start. I’ve got to see the department head, look over my class schedule, do some course planning, and get my office set up. I could have stayed in town and taken care of all those things, but I chose to come straight home and take care of work details later.”