Through Each Other's Eyes Read online

  “Jane, you may tease me about Mr. Darcy but you cannot deny that Mr. Bingley seems to enjoy spending time with you.”

  Jane sat on the bed and sighed heavily - a wistful sigh that attested to her dreamlike state - “Oh Lizzy, he is the most amiable man of my acquaintance. He is kind and thoughtful…”

  Interrupting, he added, “And rich…”

  “Oh phooey, you sound like mama! You know I’d think him the best of men if he were as poor as a church mouse. I will admit, I don’t want to be poor but I would not turn away true respect and affection for a lack of funds. Nor would you, Lizzy! But I believe you almost refuse to see the possibilities before you because you are prejudiced against wealth.”

  This thought struck Darcy with force. Would Elizabeth hold his wealth against him? He had never considered it. How would Elizabeth respond to this? “I will not pretend that I do not believe that those of great wealth often display an air of pride and even disdain that would be unfounded if not for their elevated status but I am not so foolish as to refuse the attentions of a man based solely on his situation in life. After all, I would hope to judge people on their merits.”

  “Most often, Lizzy, you do but in the case of Mr. Darcy, I believe you attribute his actions to motives that may not be his.”

  Curious now, he could not help but ask her to elaborate.

  “For instance, you have often said that you believe Mr. Darcy stares at you only to find fault. I would suggest that perhaps he stares at you because he admires you.”

  Darcy was flooded with a mixture of emotions, not the least of which was embarrassment. He has thought his ‘staring’ was merely stealing a glance occasionally and certainly not enough to be noted by others. But he was also disheartened to know that Elizabeth had thought him to be finding fault. What was there to find fault with? Attempting to end the conversation, he simply said, “Perhaps.” Yawning, he added, “Goodnight, Jane.”

  Yawning herself, Jane bid her sister goodnight and left the room to dream of a future she could only hope for with a certain gentleman from Netherfield.

  Chapter 7

  Elizabeth

  The next morning dawned clear and crisp. Under normal circumstances, Elizabeth would be beyond excited for her morning walk. However, today she had agreed to meet Mr. Darcy so could he teach her to ride because no one would believe that he had suddenly developed an aversion for the sport if she refused. So, she had reluctantly ordered Henry, the young stable boy to have Hector readied for an early morning ride thus ensuring there would be few witnesses to her clumsy attempts to make it away from Netherfield in the direction of Oakham Mount.

  While Elizabeth was quite well versed in how to ride, she had not been on a horse since she had been thrown at age 7. She had spent some weeks with her arm in a wooden splint, drinking chamomile tea and other herbs to reduce the pain due to the nasty fall. Occasionally, her mother would allow her a teaspoon of brandy if the pain became too much for her but her father staunchly refused Laudanum - a fact she hated at the time but had been grateful for in the long-run.

  Despite understanding the methods of riding, Elizabeth was still very anxious. To further complicate matters, she would have to ride astride Hector and not side-saddle. Would that be better or worse? She hoped better.

  Gathering her courage, she called for Davies to help her dress. Looking in the mirror, she had to admit that Mr. Darcy cut a fine figure in his riding attire. Davies would clearly not stand for his master to be less than immaculately dressed and so his breeches were of a fine quality that had not been worn often as they had not stretched in the slightest but, rather, fit like new. Additionally, she could not help but smile at how often Davies must be frustrated in his attempts to tame Darcy’s rather unruly curls for she often saw Darcy run his hands through them when he appeared uncomfortable and wondered if Davies cursed this unconscious act.

  Unable to delay her departure any longer, she set out for the stables. The sun was rising just over the trees and magnificent pinks and oranges colored the sky. This was Elizabeth’s favorite time of year. Leaves were changing color but the bitter cold of winter had not yet set in. Days were still long enough to enjoy out of doors and with the harvest over, more people were free to do so.

  Entering the stable, she saw Hector being tended to by Henry. He was no fewer than 16-17 hands which made him incredibly intimidating but less so, since she realized, with Mr. Darcy’s height, she could still see over Hector’s back. Slowly approaching, she removed an apple slice from her pocket. “There are more where that came from if you behave.”

  She noticed Henry giving her an odd look. “Mr. Darcy, Sir. I know you didn’t specifically say to but I went ahead and gave Hector some extra oats and carrots like you usually do. I didn’t know yous gonna be bringing apples, Sir. I didn’t mean to spoil his appetite.”

  Henry was a boy of 12 and while he was young, he was an attentive hand and a quick learner, and rather large for his age. Elizabeth had known him since he was a baby but she couldn’t very well say anything about that now. She noticed that while he appeared apologetic, he did not seem afraid. That spoke highly of how Mr. Darcy had likely treated him in the past. She found herself to be unexpectedly gratified by this.

  Elizabeth led Hector out of the stable to the side on which trees obscured the view from the house. Putting one foot into the stir up, she lifted herself off the ground. Taking only a moment to consider how, she determined to throw her leg across the beast and end up astride the animal like she had seen her father do many times. To her amazement, she found the task to be quite easily accomplished. Wearing breeches allowed for an ease of movement which she had not accounted for. With that done, she realized Hector was rather anxious to begin. “Patience big fella, I’m afraid you’ll have to go slow with me.” Then fearing she may be overheard, she hastily added, “I hit my head yesterday and don’t want to cause my head to ache as it did.”

  Fortunately, Elizabeth was familiar with the landscape and knew what paths to take and which to avoid. After a short time she crossed onto Longbourn lands where she found Mr. Darcy sitting on a felled log, reading a book. ‘Hmm, he does a rather good job impersonating me,’ she thought to herself. ‘No one would know by looking that anything was amiss.’

  “Good morning,” she called out to him.

  He looked up and a smile crossed his face. “Good morning! I thought this was to be a riding lesson but you seem to have mastered the art already!”

  With a self-deprecating laugh she replied, “Hardly Sir. I am able to stay atop this fine animal because he is being merciful. Though I think the apple slices I used to bribe him may have helped.” Lowering her voice conspiratorially she added, “However, I think he knows. He is not altogether sure how to react to me. I look like you but I am sure I do not act enough like you to be convincing. Animals have a sense about these things.”

  Darcy thought about this for a moment and stroking Hector’s strong neck in a familiar gesture, said, “He likely feels your apprehension. That, and I usually give him carrots.” He smiled before continuing, “No matter. We will have you galloping soon enough. Although I must admit, it is strange seeing Hector - quite literally - through your eyes. I can see how being this petite would cause you to be intimidated.”

  Dismounting with ease (once again due to the breeches), Elizabeth reached into her saddle bag. Taking out two biscuits and some fruit she offered some to Darcy, “Before we ride… let us break our fast. I, for one, am famished from my adventure here.”

  In response to her words, Darcy’s stomached grumbled. “That sounds delightful. Thank you.”

  They sat upon the tree that Darcy previously occupied.

  “Mr. Darcy, I find that since… becoming you, I grow immensely hungry. And then when I do eat, I eat three times as much as usual. I sincerely hope I do not make you fat!” she said laughing between bites.

  “Really? I find I am unable to eat very much at one sitting! I have twice filled my plate with fa
r more than I was able to eat and received more than one admonishing look from your mother.”

  “Oh dear, I fear Lydia likely made a comment or too as well? I hope you were not offended.”

  “Actually, it was Mr. Collins who commented - although I believe Lydia’s comment would have been cleverer. He rather bluntly informed me that his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh (my aunt, incidentally) would not approve of a women taking such large portions. It implies she is lowborn.”

  “That man is insufferable! I should be able to eat as much as I choose in my own home! I loathe him.” she vented to no one in particular.

  “Mr. Collins is quite persistent in his attentions to you, Miss Elizabeth. To be honest, under the circumstances, it is quite uncomfortable.” He said this with pitiful look attempting to make her laugh at his discomfort. Much to his relief it worked and she smiled. He continued, “I am relieved to hear that you do not welcome his attentions but I am unsure how to proceed. It seems your mother is very keen on the match and I do not want to cause a rift by rebuffing him, no do I want to encourage him - from a personal standpoint.”

  “While my mother does desire the match due to the entail, my father will back my decision to refuse Mr. Collins if he is foolish enough to propose.”

  “Entail? So he is the beneficiary? And yet you would refuse a man who - granted he is ‘insufferable’ - could provide security for you and your family?”

  He said this is a most unassuming and gentle manner so Elizabeth decided to answer him honestly. “Only the deepest love and respect for a man could tempt me to marry. I have seen the result of not respecting one’s partner in life and I would rather be ‘thrown out into hedgerows’ than marry a man, like Collins, that I cannot respect.”

  “It is quite unusual to meet a person in society these days who does not place a higher value on material comfort than on the intangible comforts in life. It is... refreshing.”

  “I’m sure being both exceedingly handsome and rich you have had more than your share of match-making mama’s and mercenary daughters.” As soon as she said this he smiled, a large, Cheshire cat like smile. It was only then that she realized that she had admitted to finding him ‘exceedingly handsome.’ She immediately colored and turned away to look at some imaginary bird or some such thing, hoping for a crack in the earth to appear and swallow her whole.

  Her words and obvious embarrassment encouraged the hope that perhaps all was not lost and that he may still have a chance to win her affection. It had become clear to him that her good opinion meant more to him than he had been willing to admit. Attempting to ease her discomfort he teased, “Yes, well I do not know if I have ever looked better than I do in this blue muslin!”

  Then seeing her laugh lightly, he added, “I have always thought it complemented the rose in your cheeks rather nicely.” And just like that, she found herself blushing again.

  Chapter 8

  Elizabeth

  In less time that she thought possible, Elizabeth found that she could comfortably walk, trot, and canter. However, she knew she must be able to gallop if she wanted to keep others from questioning Mr. Darcy’s well-being. It was well known that the men of the Netherfield party enjoyed a good hunt. Elizabeth was an excellent shot but add the element of riding and she was not so sure, especially since she had not yet mastered the herculean task.

  Looking down from atop Hector, she decided it was time to address her fear. “Mr. Darcy, I know the next step is to gallop but to be honest, I find my fear may be overcoming my courage.”

  Mr. Darcy looked down at the ground and for the first time in Elizabeth’s memory seemed to fidget. “It takes time to become comfortable with speed and unfortunately time is one thing we do not have. However, I have an idea. I used to do this with Georgie when she was learning but I am afraid you may object... I can ride behind you until you feel secure and then you can try on your own. I know it is not usually done but I am afraid given the time constraint it may be necessary.”

  She smiled, “It is much less objectionable than falling off this horse. I have done that before and do not wish to repeat the experience!”

  Understanding dawned, “So that is where your fear comes from?” He could picture Elizabeth as a fearless young lady, probably climbing trees and getting into all sorts of scrapes. The image warmed his heart and he began to picture what their children might look like. He stopped, ‘their children? ‘Where had that thought come from? It is one thing to be smitten, quite another to jump to fatherhood.’ He would have to guard his thoughts very carefully for he was not even sure yet if he would be able to win Miss Elizabeth’s heart.

  Leading Hector over to the fallen log, he prepared to mount the horse behind Miss Elizabeth. However, he quickly spied a problem. Feeling quite foolish, he shook his head. “It seems, Miss Elizabeth that I did not account for the difference in our sizes. Normally, I would be the larger of the two and so riding behind to help keep you secure while still steering the horse.” Here he paused and let out a small chuckle, “But as you are the... larger one, I will not be able to see. So it seems that I will need to ride in front and you will have to reach around me to hold the reins (in case anyone happens by it will look to them as if Mr. Darcy is teaching Miss Elizabeth how to steer using the reins (that alone would have been scandalous).

  Enjoying the somewhat confusing, circular logic at play, “Is that not almost exactly what is happening?”

  As he mounted the horse in front of her, he just said, “I suppose it is.” However, it only took a moment to realize he had yet another problem. He had never mounted a horse in a dress. This day was shaping up to be the most humiliating of his memory. “I would ask you to avert your eyes but I fail to see the point.”

  “Oh come now, Mr. Darcy,” she teased mercilessly, “you are merely experiencing the ridiculous, daily hardships forced upon ladies by society. I, however, am immensely enjoying the freedom afforded by these breeches. I may take up wearing them to ride when we eventually switch back.” Pausing, as the realization hit again that she had no idea how or when or even if they would switch back. “You do think we will switch back, don’t you?”

  By this time, Mr. Darcy had gotten situated upon Hector. He took her hand and pulled it around him, then gently caressed it, “Yes, Miss Elizabeth, I do. I think maybe we are supposed to learn something from this experience.”

  “What do you think we need to learn? From each other?”

  “I am not at all sure. But I am sure it will come and when it does, we will each be better for it.”

  With that, he adjusted their positions and eased Hector into a trot. As soon as he was sure that Elizabeth felt comfortable, he sped up to a canter. Then after a few minutes, he asked, “Are you ready?”

  She held on tightly, “Yes, Sir. I believe so.”

  As odd as it was to have their positions reversed, he still reveled in the fact that she was trusting him to help her over one of her greatest fears. “Then hold on tightly. We are headed for Oakham Mount.

  They raced, although Elizabeth was quite certain they were not at full speed, across the fields and soon reached the base of the mount. As they ascended, Elizabeth realized she was no longer afraid. She trusted Mr. Darcy implicitly - at least on horseback. The knowledge that he had overcome her defenses and so quickly, was as unsettling as it was exciting and she began to feel a few nervous butterflies in her stomach at being so close to him. She instinctively began to loosen her grip but Mr. Darcy pulled her closer, saying, “We are almost there, Miss Elizabeth. It would not due for you to fall so close to our destination - and so far from home - as I am quite sure I would not be able to lift you if you were hurt.” Though he said this in all seriousness, there was a jovial quality to his voice which relaxed her and she leaned a little more into him, allowing her grip on him to remain firm.

  At the peak of Oakham Mount, they both took the opportunity to dismount and stretch. “The view from here is beautiful. I can see why this is a favorite retre
at.”

  “Yes, it is.” She sighed wistfully. Then reaching into her, or rather his, jacket breast pocket, she pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “Now, Mr. Darcy, I have my list of information regarding myself and my family that will make your stay at Longbourn easier. Did you bring yours?”

  “I did.” He instinctively reached for his breast pocket before remembering, “This blasted dress! I have a new respect for you ladies. Now where did I find that pocket earlier?”

  Seeing the dignified Mr. Darcy search for her pockets had Elizabeth doubled over in laughter until… “Mr. Darcy, that dress does not have pockets.”

  Both colored, “Ah, yes. Now I remember. I had to put it, er… well.” Reaching slightly into the bosom of her dress he retrieved the list. “Believe me, Miss Elizabeth, I took no pleasure in touching your person and did so as little as possible.” At her almost insulted and confused look he clarified, “That is to say, I did not mean to enjoy it, er… I did so as quickly as humanly possible. I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable.”