Her Eyes Opened: Chapter 5
Albeit very inexperienced in horsemanship, the Ferrars had taken great care in learning the ropes when it came to their most fabulous wedding present: the horse and carriage Brandon had given them.
"What good is a clergyman to his parish if he can't get about," Brandon had muttered, slightly embarrassed by the overwhelming 'thank yous' both Edward and Elinor were pouring at him. One of Brandon's stable hands had made regular visits showing Edward what to do and now, two weeks after the wedding, the happy couple felt confident enough to hop on their little carriage on their own and make the short journey to Delaford to greet their amazing benefactor. The distance between their parish house and Delaford itself was perhaps just a little too much on foot, but with a horse it was no distance at all.
Brandon was working with his own horses when they arrived. They spotted the stable hand, Tom, who had been helping them.
"Sir, Ma'am, Colonel Brandon is in the enclosure behind the stables if you'd like to go see him there" Tom informed Edward and Elinor. It wasn't too hard to find. Tom took their horse and carriage and Edward and Elinor walked over to the enclosure. As they got closer, they saw Brandon there, without his coat, looking rather impressive only in his shirt and waistcoat. In the enclosure with him was a young stallion. The Ferrars were immediately fascinated: they both could see they were witnessing something that most people would not be invited to see. There was no one else around and in the enclosure, which wasn't small, there was only the Colonel and the horse.
The Ferrars, as if they'd agreed on this beforehand, stopped talking and slowed their own pace to match that of the Colonel's in the enclosure. Brandon was a good distance away from there and seemed not to have notice the couple at all. Silently Elinor an Edward settled by the fence and careful not to move at all they simply stood there, watching the Colonel and the horse.
The horse was clearly unbroken. It tried to keep a distance to the Colonel yet at the same time seemed to be drawn to the man. It paced around, taking the occasional spurt as if not sure what he was expected to do. The Colonel, on the other hand, simply stood there, only moving enough to mirror the horse's position so that he never faced the creature. He never looked at it and made all gestures to appear as if he wasn't even interested in the horse – yet he inched his way towards the sweating, pacing animal little by little.
It didn't take long for the other shoe to drop for Elinor. "So this is what he's been doing all this time with Marianne!" she thought to herself. She turned to look at Edward and in the look they shared they saw how they had both reached the same conclusion. The taciturn Colonel had pulled away from the girl he wanted, but kept nearby to see if she would then be drawn to him at her own volition! Edward and Elinor smiled at each other. The older man's ploy had worked, as they well knew. Marianne had as much as admitted her feelings for the Colonel at their wedding but for Brandon's early departure.
As far as Elinor knew, the two had not had contact since then. Sir John, Lady Middleton, and Mrs Jennings had brought Marianne with them on a brief visit to the parish house a week ago or so and Marianne had put on a brave face in front of all the suggestive queries that had been flying about in the garden. She later confessed to Elinor, when they were along, that she had hoped Colonel Brandon might have been there as well. Elinor didn't quite know what to do. A part of her wanted to assure dear Brandon that she had it from the horse's mouth that Marianne had developed feelings for him, but at the same time another part of her knew the Colonel would not be easily persuaded. He would somehow need to see and learn this for himself.
After another half hour in the enclosure the young stallion had stopped pacing and seemed to have given up. It simply stood there, not holding its head so high and clearly not so wary of the man so close to it. Brandon approached the animal more boldly now, but still keeping his eyes averted and making it look like he was just by mere accident moving slowly to the direction where the horse was, not really trying to get to the horse at all. And there, eventually he was: standing by the horse, giving it gentle strokes on the neck, still not looking at the creature directly and to Elinor it looked like he was perhaps talking to the animal some now. Some time more and Brandon was gently rubbing the creature's head. Then he left it be, gently and slowly moving away from it. Not turning his back on the horse, but still not looking at it straight either.
"Oh hello," he greeted Elinor and Edward once he was further away from the horse and had started to walk away from the enclosure at a more normal pace. As if he snapped out of the trance like state he was in when getting closer to his horse.
"Hello Colonel – that was amazing to see," Elinor greeted her friend. Edward nodded as well.
"In deed, I must say, with all the horses we had in the family I've never seen anything like this. Very impressive."
Brandon gave them a weary smile and gestured towards the house. Walking there with him Elinor could tell the horse was not the only one tired after that session.
"We'll not keep you today my dear Brandon, we only came to see how you were and to show off with what we've learned from Tom," Elinor explained. Brandon smiled again, more broadly this time.
"I'm glad you're getting the hang of it. You really must have some form of transport at your disposal. But surely you'll stay for something to drink, it's such a warm day after all," Brandon insisted.
Once in the house, lemonade was brought in and the three sat down.
"Also, I was going to bring this to you tomorrow, but I might as well give it to you now," Brandon started, getting on his feet again to pick something up from a small table.
"Sir John wants another small gathering at Barton. The Palmers are coming and they have some relative with them they need to entertain and show around a bit and you have been invited as well." Brandon gave the invitation to Edward.
"Thank you, we'll be happy to come. Especially now that we are fully mobile ourselves." Edward responded. He knew his wife was itching to know this as much as he was so he had to ask:
"Do you know who else will be there?"
"I think Mrs Dashwood and both Miss Dashwoods have been invited as well, but beyond that I'm afraid I do not know."
Elinor looked at him carefully when he explained this. The man was working hard at keeping an impassionate face but Elinor was certain she saw something there when he mentioned her sisters. Looking at the invitation, if Brandon did not visit Barton and Barton Cottage before Saturday week, there was a chance of getting him and Marianne together at the gathering then. Surely something would have to develop then. Elinor and Edward soon made their way back out and collected their horse from Tom. All the way home Elinor kept thinking about what she'd seen by the enclosure and how she now knew for certain that Marianne and Brandon would have to come together at some point. Any idiot could see that. Any, except for the two idiots in question.