A/N: ''I kinda hope many people write a version of this! Everyone would have a different take on it.'' was Eliza's ( barelytolerabIe)
prompt on twitter.
I hope many more would follow her prompt as it is a very good one!.
I have a better opinion of you than you do of me at the moment, I feel.
Those words kept resonating inside John's mind over and over again as he climbed up the stairs. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he climbed up an extra flight of stairs and ended up on the terrace. He didn't even know that the house had a terrace, was his thought while he saw the robes that were hanging there waiting to be dried. He recognized one of Margaret's dresses immediately. He came very close to touching it when a sudden realization hit him. He came to his senses, and ran out of there.
As he climbed down from the terrace he found a very perplexed Mr. Hale looking at him. He tried to think of an excuse that might have taken him to go to the terrace. But his mind was blank. Well, not exactly blank.
I have a better opinion of you than you do of me at the moment, I feel.
Those words kept haunting him. She has a good opinion of me now?. Said one voice inside his head, while another answered: That's not what she said, she said that her opinion is better than the one she thinks you have of her. And she thinks you have a bad opinion of her. So her opinion of you is better than bad, and that doesn't exactly mean 'good'. Wait what?. This woman is driving me mad was his last thought before he finally decided to just extend his hand to shake Mr. Hale's while saying a very generic: Good afternoon, Mr. Hale.
Mr. Hale, still perplexed, shook his friend's hand and led him to the sitting room, where he'd been expecting him for a while after he heard him entering the house. He was worried for him, the Mill must be in really bad trouble for him to be so absentminded. But another thought entered his mind as he saw how Mr. Thornton was looking at a half-done embroidery Margaret had left on a shelf near the fireplace.
He remembered all those times at the Beresfords' while he was courting María, how he asked her all about that craft. He never cared about those sorts of things, but watching the woman he loved doing it. It all took more value, just because it was her the one that did it. Remembered with sadness in his heart.
While he opened his book on the last page they left it on their last lesson, he realized that John was more absent minded in his lessons when Margaret was inside the house.
He remembered how his good friend Mr. Bell pointed out that there might be some understanding between the two. He completely shook the idea out of his head that Margaret might have an interest in John. But after that remark she made recently, saying that Mr. Higgins should 'appeal to his heart'. He began to consider that possibility. He knew his daughter well enough to know that she wouldn't just mention John's heart for no reason.
As he was trying to decide whether he should gather courage to ask Margaret about it. He was taken back to reality when he heard John asking: So, we should start considering what book to choose after we finish this one.
...
Notes:
Thanx to Lynne for betareading.
Funfact but John absentmindedly going all the way up to the terrace it's based on my own absentmindedness.
Sometimes I'm all caught up in my thoughts while I'm going up the stairs to my flat, that I find myself in front of the terrace door and then I realize ''wait a minute, this isn't my door'' and have to go down a floor to go to my flat.