[ thcfairest ]

Snow continued working on her task in silence as she waited. When he finally answered her, she smiled and nodded. “I am glad to hear it.” Upon hearing his offer, and agreed, “That would be lovely, thank you. I will just be another few minutes.” She turned and kept working, then made sure the animal had adequate food and water before approaching Mr. Darcy. A glance towards to door revealed that it was still raining quite hard. “Shall we return? Or do you suppose we should wait until it lessens?”

    Mr. Darcy made a gallant attempt in not watching the young woman work. Every inch of the stable was given a thorough once over, but alas, it proved inadequate enough to divert his attention and his eyes fell to her once more. Fortunately, her question gave cause for a glance to the downpour outside. It was given a critical eye and, upon his inspection’s completion, Mr. Darcy returned his gaze to Miss White. “ I believe we should wait, but I would not wish you to catch cold. ”

(Source: gentlegrace, via gentlegrace)

[ thcfairest ]

“Thank you.”, she said, watching him closely. Her heart felt as if it might break, the way he said ‘heartbreak’, but she dare not ask him about it. “So if I notice you working more than usual, am I to assume it is because you are distressed about something?”, she asked him kindly. “I would not wish to disturb you, but if I might ease your pain somehow by giving you distraction, it might be quite a worthwhile task.”

Her smile grew when he leaned closer to her and asked about her horse. The young woman was honored that he would even jest about going through such trouble just to please her. “Would you? I think you are right, though. She would not fit through the door, and going up the stairs might be rather difficult for such a large creature. We could go out to the stables and see her, though.”, she suggested boldly, followed by an admission, “Your smile is delightful, Mr. Darcy. Seeing it helps to inspire my own.” 

    Laughter, deep and gruff, was released as if by accident. “ I would not wish to disrupt your day, Miss White. If you notice that I seek work with the purpose to distract, it would be a poor action, indeed, should I snap at your kind offers in my frustration. Regardless of intent, to hurt you so would distress me further. ” A sizable admission, truly. Curious how she coaxed such honesty from him, and how freely he was to give it without thought to consequence. 

“ Quite right. Large as my estate is, I daresay it would not be quite so accommodating for such a beast. ” Abruptly, Mr. Darcy stood. “ If your wish is to see your horse, madam, I would be delighted to grant it. Abigail. ” The sulking lady’s maid stepped forward at his address. “ Ready Miss White. And do keep her quite warm. The chill of the night air will surely upset her so. ” His attentions returned, he bowed deeply. “ If you will meet me in the stables, Miss White. Bring Abigail along as chaperon, ” were his words before departure.

(Source: gentlegrace, via gentlegrace)

[ Miss Snow. ]

“I am glad if you are no longer plagued with them, and yet I feel doubly guilty for having disturbed your slumber.”, she told him, a blush coloring her cheeks just slightly. Snow hoped he would not be able to notice it in the dim candlelight. “I have found that petting an animal is quite soothing, such as a dog or a cat or even a horse…”, she replied. “It can be very calming. They help me feel more at peace and help to bring up more pleasant memories. What do you do to calm yourself when you find yourself feeling agitated or upset?”

The young woman studied him briefly as he sat rigidly in the chair. It was very surprising to her that he had deigned to pass into her bedchamber, especially so late at night. It warmed her heart to think that he had done so in an effort to make her feel better, even though he seemed to feel uneasy about it. Snow found herself nearly glad she had had the horrific nightmare, not for the nightmare itself, but for its result. He was a rather busy man, and it was pleasant to have a few minutes to visit with him, no matter the circumstances. 

    “ I would not fault you for it, Miss Snow, ” Darcy insisted firmly. His frown was deep – how could she continue to find blame in herself no matter the slightest of misdoings? He found the inconvenience to be troubling, if only that she was so troubled. “ I work. ” A more boring man, you could not find, indeed. “ I find it distracting enough to cease my worryings. Even for so short a period. I would rather the work than the heartbreak. ” He hoped that this did not sound nearly as pathetic as it made him feel. 

    “ Miss Snow, ” he murmured, leaning forward enough to break the stiff posture he so often wore. “ Shall I bring your horse? ” Truly, he should work on better jokes. Lips curling, his teeth flashed with the smile. “ Though I find no positive outcome save that of your smile, I would risk the wrath of the stable hand if it would be your wish. Though your horse surely would not fit through this door, do you think? ”

(Source: gentlegrace, via gentlegrace)

[ Miss White. ]

“Of course not.”, she replied evenly, turning to face him briefly before resuming her task of settling her horse in for the night. “However, I cannot disregard his care. He saved my life and brought me here to you. What kind of a woman would I be to repay such a service with below-adequate care?” Snow smiled up at him. “It will only take a few minutes and I will head back to the house straightaway; I assure you. Are you quite alright?”, she asked, concerned that he had gone out in the rain as well. 

    How foolish he was! He could think of little more than digging a great ditch in the mud as a means for quitting himself of her presence. For a moment, he looked away, focusing instead on her horse as if it was the most impressive beast he had ever laid eyes upon. All too soon, he realised that he must be too quiet, had not answered in a timely enough fashion for societal norms. So, he looked again to her. “ I am well, thank you. ” Sheepish, he thought to smile, but it would not be half as pleasing as he would like it, for he still felt drawn to the ditch. “ May I walk you back? ”

(Source: gentlegrace, via gentlegrace)

thcfairest:

@foreverlostopinion

Snow walked carefully upon the slippery grass as she lead her horse towards the stables. When she saw Mr. Darcy, she smiled and waved, hardly noticing the rain any longer as she was soaked to the skin. She flinched when a flash of lightning lit up the quickly-darkening skies, followed barely a few seconds later with the boom of thunder. The young woman continued her trek to the stables, intent on not leaving her precious horse to wait any longer. 

The weather was not enough to deter him from his pursuit. Her
lack of presence indoors was hardly alarming, as she was quite
the athlete, but the current storm was enough to make both Mr.
Darcy and Georgiana concerned. He was at her heels by the
time she reached the sanctuary of the stables and he was left
rather frustrated with her. “ Miss White, do you wish to catch cold? ”

(Source: gentlegrace)