When calls the heart doesn't belong to me
For purposes of my story the scene where Edward Ferrars chops wood in the 2008 BBC series of Sense and Sensibility is in the novel
A man can relieve his feelings
Nathan Grant changed out of his uniform into his civilian clothes. Honestly, the day had already been too long, he couldn't believe it had just gone five in the evening. He could have stayed at the office but he was tired of all the pitying looks. It was bad enough that everyone seemed to know how he felt about Elizabeth but it was worse that once again she had chosen Lucas Brouchard over him.
Not that he could blame Elizabeth, Lucas was everything that he was not; charming, sophisticated and he knew how to talk to women. His gift of an apple could not compare to a night out on the town and until Nathan had heard about Elizabeth's outing he could honestly say that such a thought would never have crossed his mind.
Some would say that it's because he didn't care much for books and reading, and they would be wrong. Nathan liked to read as much as the next man maybe even more but taking a woman he liked to meet an author was not on his list of things to do. He much preferred simple things.
As his thoughts turned to books he remembered a scene in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, when Edward Ferrars finally visited the Dashwoods at Barton Cottage. He'd often wondered at Jane Austen's words ' a man can relieve his feelings' but now it made perfect sense. To be sure his and Edward's circumstances were not the same but still maybe it would work for him as well. Without pausing to give it more thought he rushed out of the house and took his axe with him.
After the tenth swing of the axe, Nathan felt much better, he couldn't deny that sometimes as the axe sliced through the wood he imagined it going through Lucas but then he'd quickly remind himself that it wasn't fair and that Elizabeth and Lucas had a right to spend time together and go wherever they liked.
It was his fault for not being good enough and really as friendly as Elizabeth was, she had never acted in any way that suggested that she considered him more than a friend.
0000
"Let's go to the market," Allie urged him the following morning. "You promised me an ice-cream if you caught more fish with the bait I made you."
"I don't remember agreeing to do that,' he teased his niece.
"Uncle Nathan," she replied, "you can't renege on a promise."
"Fine," he forced a smile, "but only because you're my favourite niece."
Allie watched her uncle put on his coat, worried. She wished she hadn't told him Mrs. Thornton going away with Mr. Brouchard but it wasn't like he wouldn't have found out. She really liked Mrs. Thornton and she knew that her uncle liked her as well. She also knew that if Mrs. Thornton preferred Mr. Brouchard to her uncle there was nothing she could do about except give him her support and pray that he got over it quickly.
He had told her repeatedly that he was fine but she knew that he wasn't and when she'd the pile of wood in the kitchen she'd known that he really wasn't fine. He only chopped that much wood when he was working out some issues.
She hoped the walk in town would cheer him up.
0000
As Nathan and Allie made their way to the ice-cream stalls they saw Elizabeth and her son.
If it hadn't been too obvious, Allie would have suggested to her uncle that they turn back and go home but she could see from the way he clenched his jaw and continued walking woodenly that the meeting that she'd been dreading was to take place. Maybe it was for the best.
Nathan stopped slowly in front of Elizabeth and tried to force a smile, hoping he wasn't grimacing instead. He had wondered to himself what he would say to her when he finally saw her. He wanted to ask her why, why if she preferred Lucas to him she didn't just tell him instead of letting him make a fool of himself, why she had chosen Lucas again (a voice in his head added), why she hadn't chosen him, so many why's.
Instead he heard himself say, "welcome back."
It was good to have back. Even if she had chosen Lucas and not him. Even if his heart was breaking again and again. Even if...
As they walked back to the house he decided that he probably needed more time with the axe and the wood. Surely another round would help him through the day.