[ Miss Snow. ]

Snow smiled and nodded, more than slightly chagrined when he suggested she might write to the staff. “I suppose it was merely an example.”, she amended quietly with good humor. Her brow rose and emerald eyes widened upon hearing his next words, for she was pleased that he might consider her friendship in time. “Truly? Well, perhaps you might call me Miss Snow, if you feel comfortable in doing so. I would not wish to make you uncomfortable, Mr. Darcy. I do hope I have not offended you with my…over-exuberance.”, she finally settled upon the word, unsure if it did justice to her vivacious nature, which she knew could be overwhelming at times. 

They had only met the day before, and she did not wish to upset her host. “I have discovered that now that I lack family, I tend to more easily express friendship and familiar feelings towards those who have shown me kindnesses, even when it might not be deemed completely appropriate. I will endeavor to concentrate my efforts upon curbing this habit.”, she promised him with a smile. 

    That she felt the need to apologise for her countenance spoke volumes of his reception to her. Mr. Darcy was a stern man and he hardly found a person who could inspire a more gentle attitude. But he found himself wishing to smile, so much so that the corners of his lips curved even just slightly and his eyes softened as he looked upon the young woman. “ Miss Snow, ” he repeated carefully. “ If that is what you wish. ” Her own smile was delightful enough and he looked away but a moment to compose himself once again.

“ Pemberley is a very large estate. You are welcome to the whole of it. I am positive in my assumption that Georgiana gave you a thorough tour, so you must know of the extensive library and gardens. ” Darcy dipped his chin in the informal ghost of a bow. “ I know that you have a horse. Our stables are well stocked and cared for. ” Again, he was the hollow man of usual, a permanent expression of indifference etched upon his features.

(Source: foreverlostopinion, 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)

Snow watched as the maid approached, placing a cool cloth upon her brow and setting a cup of warm milk on the table next to her bed. The woman smiled, then glanced at her master knowingly, curtsied, and left to sit in the antechamber of Snow’s room. With the door cracked, it was still proper, but would give the two a few minutes to speak with some privacy. All of the maids knew about the mark upon Miss Snow’s arm, for when one saw it when helping Snow into her dress, the rest of them knew by the end of the day.

She reached for the cup and took a small sip, then returned it to the table and turned towards Mr. Darcy and nodded to his question. “Oh yes. It’s several times a week, usually. Have you ever had them before? They’re quite distressing. They feel so real in the moment, and I wake up and cannot tell where I am for a few seconds. Then I remember I am here, safe at Pemberley with you and Georgiana, and I can usually calm myself enough to try to sleep again after a time.”

He was grateful, truly, for the presence of Miss White’s maid, as he felt, foolishly, safe,
though it should be the woman before him who would be concerned. The situation is, still,
not entirely proper, but he cannot find a way to quit the room without alarming Miss White.
So, begrudgingly, he remains in place, stiff and seemingly distracted even as his eyes
remain on her. His hands do not stray from their designated place in his lap.

“ Yes. When I was a child. ” He would not tell her how he would wake crying for his mother
only to remember that reality was too cruel to face. That he would be confused – did he
prefer to hear his mother’s cries of pain behind a closed door while he was dreaming, or
did he wish to hear silence while awake? He had not known at the time. Now, he finds, he
much prefers the silence. “ What would you recommend to soothe oneself, then? ”

(Source: gentlegrace, via gentlegrace)

“Why, whoever told you such a thing? I think anyone might benefit from establishing friendships.”, she told him, a pleasant smile on her face. “I would be very pleased if you would accept mine.” Snow remembered the days she and Georgiana had spent, just the two of them. Georgiana had told her quite a lot about her beloved brother, but Snow found it difficult now to see the man her friend had described in the one standing in front of her. The fact that he was apparently Snow’s soulmate made things even more complicated.

“I would hope that even if I were not a guest, I might be worth your notice. Isn’t it pleasant to have people you can call on or visit or to whom you might write letters? Georgiana told me she writes to you at least weekly when you are away from Pemberley. I wish I had family I might write to, but there is no one.”, she told him, hoping that by opening up to him, he might slowly begin to warm up to her. The way he continuously referred to her as a guest and that she was visiting frightened her, for she loved it there with them and knew if she had to leave she would have nowhere to go.

He cannot quite understand what she is about just yet. Just dear Georgiana’s
companionship, surely. However, this appearance of a soul mark was all rather 
outrageous in that no one in his acquaintances had ever met their other half.
Rare was it to be faced with them, even if one was to make the trip to London.
The wealthy oft settled for the marriages set up for them far before their births.
Mr. Darcy, of course, had his own prospective bride, courtesy of his mother and
Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Society dictated, of course, that upon the meeting of
one’s soul mate, those bonds would be broken in favour of the one set out by God
in Heaven. Thinking on it now, Darcy could see no fault in having this woman over
Anne de Bourgh, save for the young woman’s insistence to keep his attentions.

“ If you wish for a writing companion, madam, I would wholeheartedly suggest any
member of Pemberley’s staff. ” It was, mostly, a jest, but still he does not smile
nor does he laugh. His hands at his sides clenched with his mounting nerves.
“ Do not be mistaken. I have taken notice of you. It would be a heavy charge had I
not noticed you. But you have me at a great disadvantage. Pray, what may I call
you? ” Snow was not at the top of his list, as they were not yet familiar.

(Source: foreverlostopinion, via gentlegrace)

Snow nearly laughed from his blunt statement, but she did not. It was so like him to see the painful truth of the situation, and it was something she had been surprised to realize that she rather liked that about him. She nodded and sniffed inelegantly before she agreed, “Yes. I had a rather nasty nightmare. They tend to bring back painful memories which I am usually better at keeping from my thoughts.” Watching him across the room, he looked a bit uncomfortable, but she knew she would not be able to sleep for some time. “Would you care to sit?”, she offered, gesturing towards the chair not far from her bed in invitation.

There was a great war inside him presently. That she had
so blatantly invited him into her bedchamber at such an
hour both pleased and embarrassed him. A greater folly
than that was his own desire to do as she bid him. A huff
behind him alerted him to the presence still of the maid
and he stepped forward to allow her entrance, while also
giving an answer himself. While the woman flitted about,
tending to her mistress before stepping aside so as to
better chaperone, Mr. Darcy maneuvered the chair so
that he could sit closer to the bed’s occupant. Anxious,
his hands slid down his trousers to wick off the sweat.

    “ Do you often suffer from night terrors, Miss White? ”

(Source: gentlegrace)

Her eyes meet his, and she wonders how a man who is so cold might be considered to be her soulmate. She has never heard of a mark being wrong, and when they first met and they shook hands, she did feel something unusual…It was also puzzling how different he seemed compared to the way his sister had always described him as warm and with a pleasant sense of humor and ready smile. Snow had yet to see him smile, and he had been home for nearly a full day.

“Miss Georgiana quickly became my dearest friend.”, she admitted freely. “I apologized in earnest, Mr. Darcy. I did not mean to upset you, if I have. I hope we can at least become friends. Are you amenable to trying?”, she asked, reaching out towards him without thought. Her gaze fell briefly to his forearm and she found herself wishing she could see her name there upon his flesh, but she blushed at the thought and quickly schooled her features once more.

There was no doubt that Georgiana would quickly befriend
the young woman. It was her very nature to extend her
kindness to any she deemed worthy, which, generally
speaking, was almost anyone who came to make her
acquaintance. Unfortunately, this made for unfortunate
friends, that which Mr. Darcy did not wish to dwell on. But
he was aware that this woman was no such a person.

“ I have been told on occasion that I would do well not to
attempt friendships. ” Even with a soul mate? He knew not.
She was handsome enough. He could readily admit this.
More than, he noted, as he looked upon her more and more.
“ But if you wish it, how shall I see to your displeasure by
refusing you so? You are a guest of Pemberley. ” His
sister’s guest, but it mattered not. His upbringing would
not allow him to treat her as anything but what she so duly
deserved as a visitor of his family’s home.

(Source: foreverlostopinion, via gentlegrace)

    (—-@thcfairest || Cont. (x)

With increasing urgency, his anxiety mounts to such heights
that he could do little more than avert his eyes. A funny, little
picture did they make, staring at their boots than the other.
But good God, could she talk! He could not fathom how this
woman could be his soul mate when they were so different.

“ I am pleased to discover that my sister has provided you a
suitable hostess during your visit. ” His voice lacks emotion, as
it so often does. When he lifts his eyes to look upon her face
once again, he thinks to smile, but nothing breaks the look of
disinterest. “ Do not extend apologies that lack foundation,
madam. You need not have cause for discomfort as I have
not been so affected by your words. ” And he falls silent again.