for the OQ prompt party 2021, wednesday.
prompts used:
145 : OQ talking about which animal each of them are most like
157 : Mary Margaret and Robin friendship
IV
"Miss Mills," he greets her in the morning, the following day. She looks beautiful in the light of dawn, he thinks – she has a riding attire on, and no riding crop, and he wonders how she plans to beat him without pushing her horse to the limit – he assumed she was ruthless and cold-hearted, when he met her at the ball, but now… watching her as she strokes her mare's neck, he's not so sure about it anymore.
"Mr Locksley," she bows her head as a greeting, and stares at him. "I didn't think you'd come, to be honest."
"I don't have the habit of backing off from a challenge, milady," he smiles. "Especially one with such a promising prize."
Regina hums, looking towards the open fields that surround Netherfield. "So, if I win I get your forgiveness, and if you win you get one of my… smiles, is that correct?"
He nods, and motions to the horses. "That is a perfect description. Shall we?"
She only raises an eyebrow as an answer, and mounts on her horse with a kind of ease that makes him think that maybe he's making a colossal mistake. He imitates her, and lets her define the terms of the ride – after all, he knows these fields better than her.
"That tree, there," she decides. "First one who reaches it and gets back here wins. We'll ride around it."
"As milady wishes," he says, ignores the roll of her eyes as she goes up to her post and readies herself. "Will you count to three, Miss Mills?"
°.°
"You cheated," she huffs, dismounting her horse with decidedly less grace than she showed at the beginning. And yet she can't say she's angry with him, because he was faster than she thought he'd be – she may have underestimated him, so sure she was going to win.
"You wound me, Miss Mills," he says, dramatically, his hand pressed right next to his heart. "I have to admit, I'm surprised I won. You were ahead of me for most of the race."
"It looks like your horse knows how to hasten," she shrugs, as if she's admitting her defeat. "Or maybe, it's just because you're smarter than me. Like a fox. Foxes are well-known cheaters, Mr Locksley."
"You're saying I remind you of a fox?" he says, amused. "Well, given that I beat you, some would say you're as slow as a turtle."
Regina doesn't dare to look at him, because she doesn't understand if he's just teasing her or if he seriously is this rude. "Some would say that… but not you?"
"Not me, no."
"So which animal do I have the pleasure to be compared to?"
He stops for an instant, and now she looks at him. There's no rudeness in his gaze, just kindness. "I don't know you enough, but if I had to guess, I'd say some kind of feline. Graceful. Lethal. Always sure to win. But this time the prey has won."
Oh he's good with words, she thinks. "It appears so, yes." The sun has risen now, the house is going to wake up… or at least, Mary and Daniel, and David, because the servants are already up. "We… should probably go get changed, Mr Locksley."
He nods, starting to follow her towards the stables, and looks at her with a strange look, a smile blossoming on his lips.
"What?"
"Well, I won," he says, that smile growing bigger, and… oh. Oh. "You know, I won't ask for my prize right away."
"You won't?" Regina raises an eyebrow, surprised, because just every time she thinks she's finally able to read him, he surprises her. "So when will you ask for it?"
He doesn't answer right away, keeps walking, and after a moment he tells her. "I will ask for it, milady, on one particular day, when I'll see grey clouds in your eyes – in that moment, and not a minute sooner."
She's taken aback by his answer – he's starting to become… inappropriate, almost, and she finds that she doesn't actually know what to say. She watches him as he leaves his horses in the stableman's cares, and bows at her, bidding her a good day.
What a strange man, she thinks.
°.°
Breakfast is a quick affair – he seats next to Mary Margaret, and she's… the exact opposite of Regina. With her, he doesn't have any hesitation, he doesn't have to think carefully about what to say, he doesn't have to try and get past her façade or her reserved character.
Mary Margaret is… she reminds him of David, in a way – David, all sunshine and bright smiles and simplicity. This woman he barely knows is so kind and at ease with everyone in the room without even trying, and they'd just… he doesn't like to admit that his father is right, but they'd be a perfect pair.
Apparently, Miss Mills hasn't told anyone about their little bet. She's changed, she dressed up in a light blue dress that looks beautiful on her, and she's scowling at him from across the table. It seems some things never change, he thinks.
"So is your brother alright this morning, Mr Locksley?" Miss Blanchard asks, and Robin nods and answers, "He does feel better, thank you. We don't know how to express our gratitude for your hospitality."
"It's a pleasure, really." Mary Margaret says, waving away the thought as if it were an annoying fly. Then, she pauses. "I mean… it's not a pleasure to see him ill, it's a pleasure to be able to provide him some kind of care…"
Robin chuckles, and nods, "I understood what the meaning was, Miss Blanchard, don't worry." He spies a light smile on Regina, just for a fleeting moment, and turns again towards an embarrassed Mary Margaret. "So how are you liking Netherfield?"
"Oh I love it," she says, her eyes shining. "It's the perfect country retreat, and so different if compared to London."
"I am glad," he tells her, and he is, because he can see how this lady has already fallen in love with their community and way of life. "I don't go to London very often, but I imagine it'd be a far cry from life here."
"Oh well, Regina has her estate," Miss Blanchard says. "And it's always so peaceful there, I'm always quite jealous whenever I visit. So we thought we should start and look for a place in the country, even though Daniel is partial to London. Oh, Regina, dear, you should tell Mr Locksley about Pemberley – I'm sure he'd love to hear about it, wouldn't you, Mr Locksley?"
He is about to nod, when he sees Regina widen her eyes – she is nervous, and he can't figure out why – and she stutters, "Oh, well, I… suppose I could."
"If Miss Mills will grant me a bit of her time, I'd be delighted. But I'm afraid I must leave, now," he says, and sees relief in her eyes. "My parents are probably waiting for news about my brother."
He thanks Miss Blanchard again, for everything, and he leaves the room – he knows a pair of brown eyes is certainly following him as he exits.
°.°
He thought he was going to bring some fresh news to his family, and instead, they surprise him.
"Your cousin is coming," his mother informs him, and she doesn't look that pleased about it. "Zelena White, remember her? She's coming to Longbourn, and I think she wants to find a husband."
"What? But… I thought she'd inherited everything from my uncle, why does she need to find a husband… here?"
"Oh darling," Eva shakes her head, and he starts to worry. "She did inherit everything. In fact, she's the protégée of a Lady Cora French… you may know her, she's the aunt of Miss Blanchard's friend, you know, the heir of Pemberley, Miss Mills… so I was saying, Miss White is her protégée and she'd be already set with the money she inherited, but she informed your father that she would very much like to marry one of you boys."
Robin sits down, at this point – there is so much to think about, in just a few sentences his mother has turned his world upside down.
"But… why does she want to marry one of us?"
"Oh it's an act of charity, as she put it," Eva says, annoyed. "Zelena is my late brother's daughter, as you know, and my brother was able to inherit everything before my father's death. Including this house."
He has always known that his mother was the richer one between his parents, and that his grandfather Leo lost everything – but apparently, his uncle has managed to salvage quite a bit of their fortune, and… now he finds out that they don't even own their house.
And he thought his morning with Miss Mills was the most surprising part of his day.