Revelations an adaption of Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 18

Ofcourse Darcy wakes up a boy once again. The whole thing repeatsitself, only today Elizabeth wears a beautiful white blouse on theriding skirt, it really looks like a skirt when she stands still. AndDarcy will ride his tall black gelding, his most sensitive horse, theone he feels can teach him the most.

Elizabethwants to saddle Daisy herself under Peter's guidance, as Hugo thecoachman saddles Darcy's nameless black. Darcy has never named ahorse after coming of age, his horses are distinguished bydescription, unless he bought one already named. This one, the black,didn't have a name, Hugo bought it from a horse-dealer, and theydon't care about such nonsense.

Hugocomes along for safety, though Darcy doesn't expect them to need anyhelp. Elizabeth mounts without help and finds her seat immediately,already striding in nice large circles before Darcy has even mounted.

Butsince yesterday he has been a bit distracted, he lost control in themost horrific way possible, felt he had wronged Elizabeth beyondforgiveness, and she didn't even mind. She said she trusts him not toharm her, and of course he didn't really. But could he have stoppedif she had cried out, or protested?

Peteris talking, he'd better listen or make a bad impression on Mrs Darcy.Setting his horse to stride the same circles as Daisy, but on theopposite side of the paddock, they are instructed by Peter, verypolitely of course, to shorten their horse's stride by tensing up alittle, then lengthen it by relaxing once more. It works, and theblack flicks an ear at him as if wondering how he managed to get thatafter years of pulling reins.

Ofcourse Peter rides the black when Darcy doesn't use him, exercisingthe horses is the part of Peter's job that takes most time and thathe seems to like best, so Darcy is the one needing the lesson here,the black already knows it.

Theinstruction continues for half an hour, Peter leads them throughdifferent exercises to connect to their horses. Darcy has little timeto see how Elizabeth is doing, he's hard at work himself, andstrangely enough, his legs ache with the effort it takes to ride thisway.

Aftera little rest for horse and rider, they do exercises while trotting,and here Elizabeth needs Peter's attention for she still has sometrouble to find the rhythm at which to move along with her horse. Butshe seems to improve rapidly, and she does so well that Peter tellsher how to go to a canter, which is clearly a relief after theteeth-rattling trot. Somehow Elizabeth's former lessons must have aninfluence on this different way of riding, for she couldn't learn soquickly from scratch, could she?

Afterthe lesson, Peter politely suggests they let the sweating horses walkthemselves dry on a little tour of the property, outside the paddock.

Darcyleads and Elizabeth follows, Daisy behaves well, of course, and theystride all around the house and gardens. Then they leave the horsesat the stables and go back to the house, to freshen up and read alittle before lunch. After lunch they repeat the bathing, except thistime Darcy gets in the bath too, or his legs will be stiff tomorrowwith the precise control Peter's exercises demand.

Andthey even repeat the reading of Pierre's memoires, the next chapter,college, teachers and fellow students, a few maids, everything femaleis put through their paces. This time, Darcy manages two lustfulscenes before he puts away the book and starts their loving verytenderly, in control all the time.

Inthe afternoon Elizabeth receives the seamstress as Darcy secretlyreviews what Nathan has found out about securing an independence, andvisits Peter in the stables after having had word there is somethingthe young servant found that he wants to show the master.