Eclipse

Chapter One

 

It had been some days since Jane had come home from her Netherfield sickbed. While everyone else was busy planning the soon to be held ball, Elizabeth was feeling unusually confined. She had her dress and ribbons chosen and ready. She had the good fortune of hoping to have an agreeable dancing partner in Mr.Wickham and there was also the cousin that had come for a visit. She decided to go out riding first thing in the morning, and asked her father if she might borrow the chestnut gelding for a ride. Being his favorite daughter, Mr. Bennett could not disagree and told the grooms to do what she asked. Elizabeth preferred the gelding, because of their small stable of four horses, he had the most spirit and would occasionally walk faster than Elizabeth herself.

The next morning dawned grey and misty. Elizabeth was waiting at the stables when the grooms arrived and hurriedly saddled Eclipse, the bright chestnut with a white blaze running down his nose and a right rear hind sock. Soon Elizabeth was in the saddle and trotting across the meadow. It was still very misty, but Eclipse knew the path. They often came this way, across the green meadow to the small forest that bordered the Netherfield estate. Elizabeth planned to follow the narrow path through the forest, ride the fence line at the edge of the grand estate, then return home by the Meryton Road.

She longed to feel the wind in her hair and urged Eclipse even faster. He broke into a slow gallop and as they entered the dark forest, Elizabeth, somewhat foolishly, urged him even faster. She imagined she was Emily fleeing from Montoni in the novels she read. She could almost hear the other riders getting closer and chanced a glance behind her to see them through the mists. She and Emily were similar in their relationships with their fathers, she mused as the branches whipped past. Eclipse had seen the opening of the forest a short way off and with the urgency of a quick bite of dewey grass he burst from the trees right into the path of another rider and horse.

The other horse screamed with rage as the two horses collided. Elizabeth, the good horseman that she was, clung to the saddle but did not fall. As she struggled to get Eclipse under control, she could hear the other rider doing the same. “Foolish, foolish me. Why was I daydreaming?” Her disconcerted thoughts were interrupted by the gentleman questioning her.

“Miss, I do hope you are well. Are you hurt?”

Elizabeth recognized the voice as she turned Eclipse around to face him and looked into the concerned face of Mr. Darcy, “No sir, I am indeed unhurt. I should hope you would be able to say the same after colliding with my mount.”

Mr. Darcy a bit taken back by her tone, but realizing it must come from fear, “I am sorry. I should have been more careful of the forest path,” then he thought, “were you not racing down it like some hound at quarry.” Although he had gotten his stallion under control, her horse was still dancing around nervously. As he had done many times for ladies at fox hunts, he nudged his horse closer and reached to take the reins near her mount’s head. Never before had his horse objected to being so close to another, but instead of his normal passivity, he lunged and bit Miss Bennet’s mount. Her horse reared in fear, and as Mr. Darcy watched in horror, Miss Bennet tumbled from the saddle.

 

 

This story is written by Cristal, and she owns full © copyrights to it.

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