Hi all. Only a relatively short chapter but I feel that I am more on track with this one. Lets hope this momentum continues!

Chapter 10

It had been a fortnight since the pivotal conversation between Maria and Edith had taken place. During that time Maria felt like she had changed within herself. Maybe she was growing up? she mused frequently.

Upon reflection, Maria recognised that she had behaved in a manner which was contrary to her upbringing. She had decreased her worth by not showing self-restraint and by making herself too willing and available to Robert's attentions. Did she love him? Yes she was certain of it. However she had allowed her judgement to be clouded by the way he made her feel. She had allowed those feelings to take over. They made her do things that she would not normally dream of doing. In essence, she had lost herself and part of her dignity in the process. Maria pondered whether this was something that happened often. After all, her greatest desire was to be married and have a family. How often did one loose themselves in such endeavours? Were they always matters of the heart? Did every girl in love act in such a manner that bought borderline scandal to their name. No this did not happen to every girl, just foolish ones.

Maria laughed to herself of multiple occasions, thinking perhaps she could blame her mother. That it was a wicked characteristic she had inherited from her. She had caught her mother and Mr Thornton in a compromising position before they were married after all…..

Maria had promised herself that she would show some restraint and not allow her actions to be dictated by her traitorous heart, which seemed void of any sound moral compass. No, from now on she would act every bit the lady she was.

Since Maria came to this resolve, she had engaged with Robert on an intellectual level, but had maintained a slight distance. It was a constant feeling of playing hide and seek. True to Edith's predictions, Robert sought her company out frequently once it was clear that she was no longer openly receptive to his physical advances. He still made her heart go aflutter when he entered the room, and the sound of his voice sent a thrilling sensation up her spine. They shared longing stares and coy smiles from across the room but that was as intimate as it got. Maria was determined not to lower herself again. She wanted him to want her desperately, to never even think of ignoring her again, and the only way to achieve this was to make sure he didn't have his fill too early.

Maria was beyond pleased when Robert seemed to deflect her cousins constant attention, and seek out her thoughts on whatever they were discussing instead. It actually surprised her when they were able to connect on topics such as literature and music. Previously they had established a mutual interest in acting and theatre and obviously a physical attraction, but not much else. By taking away the opportunity of any physical exploits it forced them to enjoy each other in a more traditional and respectable sense. I guess that is what old people do anyway Maria mused.

Robert and Maria had taken chaperoned walks around the Estate, they had sat down to tea and scones with their families. They had played with her younger cousins, and it made her heart melt watching how playful and fun he was with them. There was much laughter between them in those moments. Maria even had the chance to bond with his mother, Mrs Watson, which pleased her no end. Most importantly though, she was able to show him the house of her childhood, recounting stories of her youth. Likewise, he shared stories of his childhood with her. She didn't fail to notice the stark differences and yet similarities they had in their past. Both had lost a father, and both still felt a void. They had both relied on other family members to fill that void one always feels in such a situation. Both were supported thoroughly by their remaining parent and never felt unloved or uncared for. Yet while Robert was brought up rather strictly under his uncle's authority, with high expectations placed on him to work hard and succeed, Maria had no such expectations. Maria was free to pursue her interests in music, literature and theatre. She had no work schedule to adhere too, nor performance benchmark to meet. She supposed that as a women, as long as she was capable of caring for her family, nothing else really mattered to her mother.

Meanwhile Robert had noticed a significant difference in Maria after the dinner that fateful day when Maria went upstairs feeling unwell. He knew he was the cause of her taking leave early that night but he had no idea at the time what the longer term consequences would be.

The very next day various attempts to engage her were met with friendliness yet there was also an element of distance and restraint. At first he tried to bridge this unfamiliar gap by trying to touch her face with the back of his hand, worried. However at contact she flinched away and changed the subject. She looked at him shy and unsure, as if he had never touched her before which confused him.

Initially he supposed that she was mad at him for essentially ignoring her at dinner, but the longer it went on, he started to think otherwise. He had wondered if she was mad at him and this was some kind of punishment. Then he became paranoid that her feelings might have changed, but the unintentional sultry looks she gave him from afar said otherwise.

Going forward Robert made a decision, one that he had already made previously, but this time it was a more considered model. He decided he would spend as much time with his beloved Maria as possible but would ensure that there was no chance for impropriety. He would treat her with the upmost respect. The respect that he thought she deserved given he had every intention of making her his wife one day.

As such, Maria and Robert had spent much time together over the past fortnight. They spoke about many different subjects. Some which were of more interest than others, yet when Maria spoke about things she was passionate about her couldn't help but fall under her spell, and become enraptured in the subject as well. They laughed together, played with her cousins. As he watched her comfort one of the youngest who scraped his knee, Robert found himself thinking what a good mother she was going to be. He wanted her to be the mother of his children, there was no doubt in his mind about his love for her.

While they spoke much of the time, they had also gone for long strolls around the estate (chaperoned of course) and were able to just walk in silence, perfectly content in each other's company. There was no need to fill the silence. They were both comfortable just existing next to one another in that moment. He remembered looking across at her during one of these strolls and being taken aback by her beauty in that moment. He then saw a beautiful purple flower, picked it, and gave it to her coyly saying that it was almost as beautiful as she was. This earned him a heart racing, stomach flipping smile from Maria which was more reward than anything else he could ask for. They continued walking in silence for almost an hour, as Maria blushed and smiled to herself next to him, twirling the flower in her hand and smelling it on occasion.

The most important thing however had been that in these two weeks he had gotten to know her. It made him reflect on how little he actually had known about her up to that point. It also made him hungry to know everything there was to know about her.

If he could fall in love with this girl knowing so little, imagine how much more his love could grow in the future?

Please Review