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Post by Ramsey on Aug 14, 2006 6:08:57 GMT -5
"Don't worry," Ramsey assured her, "I am a good horseman and will not allow you to fall!" He nudged the horse with his knees and they set off, and after a minute the horse broke into slow, gentle canter, Ramsey controlling the reins deftly so the horse would not go too fast.
The ride took them away from the pathway and the promenading people into the lush, green park shaded by willows draping over small ponds. "There," he said, looking down at Miss Bennet with a smile, "This is nice, isn't it?"
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Post by liz on Aug 14, 2006 10:04:45 GMT -5
*Elizabeth smiled gently, her eyes distant as she drank in the beauty of the scene.* "'Tis a lovely place...It almost seems a miracle that such a beautiful, natural place should exist in the middle of such a metropolis. Fountains and churches are all very well for a while to look at, but what are they to the ever-shifting aspect of nature? Nay, the city cannot hope to rival this..."
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Post by Buffy Summers on Aug 14, 2006 11:29:54 GMT -5
*Buffy turned to Evey.* So... did they just ride off and leave us? What is up with these people? They have, like, the most boring lives ever."
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Post by Ramsey on Aug 15, 2006 4:50:32 GMT -5
"That is what's so wonderful about Paris," Ramsey replied, slowing the horse to a walk. "You have the bustling city, full of people and shops and everything you could possibly think of - then you have these great parks, quiet and serene in their beauty. Such a contrast existing in the same area is truly marvelous - that is why I come here so often."
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Post by liz on Aug 16, 2006 0:30:26 GMT -5
"It's so...exotic, I suppose, it's almost surreal," *murmured Elizabeth.* "In actuality it's not too different from the climate of England, it all being Europe and separated merely by the Channel...but it's so different, somehow. I can't explain it..." *She shook her head slowly, awed.* "The light here is--golden. In England it's...silver. And the air shimmers here, and the land, the growth, the green--you can feel its heartbeat."
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Post by Ramsey on Aug 21, 2006 18:17:51 GMT -5
((Sorry, forgot about this thread... whoops.))
Ramsey smiled at the young woman's enthusiasm for nature. "Perhaps you could visit my estate sometime," he said, without thinking. "The gardens are beautifully kept and I'm told the fountains are the most wonderful in the county!"
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Post by liz on Aug 22, 2006 22:14:59 GMT -5
"Should I be worried that I am so transparent?" *laughed Lizzie.* "You seem to have seen all of me at a single glance, sir; and already well know my weakness for beautiful grounds...I'm not certain I feel quite safe at being so easily found out; but perhaps that is my own fault for being too frank."
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Post by Ramsey on Aug 24, 2006 13:11:34 GMT -5
"You may be frank," Ramsey replied with a smile, "But I still detect an aura of mystery about you. You have not told me everything yet! Keep your darkest secrets close, or else I will be sure to coax them out of you."
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Post by liz on Aug 24, 2006 13:47:26 GMT -5
"Mystery? Oh no! You deceive yourself, there, sir. I have no pretensions to that kind of elegance which consists of being coy and having mischevious intent or any kind of dark secrets." *Elizabeth smiled, her eyes twinkling merrily.* "And the only secrets I'd ever have are the poor, sisterly sort I share with my dear Jane. Nothing of much interest to a gentleman such as yourself. No doubt there are many other intriguing young ladies of your acquaintance."
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Post by Ramsey on Aug 29, 2006 8:36:19 GMT -5
"If you do not aim to be coy... then answer me plainly." He held the reins in only one hand, and let the other rest easily on Elizabeth's waist in a familiar but not-too-risque manner. "Would you prefer me to remove my hand from your body?" He dropped a feather-light kiss on the back of her neck. "Or remove my lips from your skin?"
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Post by liz on Aug 31, 2006 14:51:27 GMT -5
((omg. um. sudden. uh...gah. must. keep. it. in. character. must. not. freak. out. over. beckham.))
*Elizabeth gasped slightly and her eyes drifted shut for a bare second before she gripped the saddle pommel for support as she pulled herself away and slid off the horse to land on her feet. She turned her crimson face towards Ramsey, but did not lift up her eyes.* "I very much regret that I may have given you cause to believe me the kind of woman who would--allow such--things in a public place...or any place, that is to say if it were private it would not be any less--I am sorry and I beg you would excuse me, Lord Cheltenham." *She stepped away from the horse and at last dared to glance up at Ramsey, the fury sparking in her eyes quite dampened by tears of humiliation as she turned and ran towards a copse of trees, desperate to be alone in her misery over the episode.* What must he think of me? That I would allow or even welcome such--attentions! Even if I-- *Elizabeth bit her lip as she recalled the supressed tremor that shot through her at the touch of his lips on her skin. No mere courtesy brush to the back of one's hand was that. She wished she could scream aloud without several patrons of the Bois hearing and being disturbed.* They'd commit me to Bedlam in a second... *she mused darkly, settling for pressing her hand to her aching forehead as she sat wearily on a low stone bench behind a dense hedge.*
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Post by Ramsey on Sept 5, 2006 15:56:09 GMT -5
Ramsey brought the horse to a stop and let it champ at a clump of grass as he turned thoughts over in his mind. Had her truly offended her? That had certainly not been his intention. Most young ladies he had known in London would have welcomed his attentions and flirted in return.
But then again, he mused, Miss Bennet was certainly not a society girl - in fact, she had claimed the exact opposite. He must remember that not all women were like those in London, and were not used to such flirting. But how on earth could a man tell if a lady was interested or not, if they refused to show their feelings? He frowned to himself. Had she really been immune to his attention? It wasn't as if she made it easy to tell!
Torn between guilt and frustration, he nudged his horse forward again and rounded the hedge where he'd seen Miss Bennet flee. She was sitting on a stone bench, looking upset and very tired.
"Miss Bennet," he said, careful to make his voice neutral. He dismounted his horse nimbly and manuvered the reins over the horse's head, gathering them in one hand. "The ride seems to have wearied you. Will you do me the honor of riding back to the carriage on my horse? I could not allow you to tire yourself by walking back."
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Post by liz on Sept 5, 2006 16:06:52 GMT -5
*Elizabeth trembled as he spoke, but kept her eyes fastened on the ground.* "I thank you sir, but I shall find my own way back to the Opera. I would not wish to inconvenience you." *She ground her teeth and fought every urge she had to let her unladylike words fly forth.* The very rich can afford to do as they please and give offense wherever they go! At least I now know his intentions...and what kind of girl he thinks I am!
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Post by Ramsey on Sept 5, 2006 16:14:18 GMT -5
Ramsey wore a faint but pleasant expression on his face, but it disappeared at Miss Bennet's words and the underlying anger in them.
"You do not wish me to be a gentleman, then?" he inquired, his voice growing chilly.
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Post by liz on Sept 5, 2006 16:19:11 GMT -5
*Elizabeth shot to her feet and turned to face Ramsey with her arms crossed, fury evident in her eyes.* "My wishes would have no effect, seeing as you are quite capable of NOT being a gentleman, with or without my opinion on the subject."
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