Revelations an adaption of Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 71

Of course Eric has no such misfortune, for misfortune it would be to sleep away these blessed moments.

He lies awake for at least an hour, reminiscing the moments of his life that led him to this state of delirious happiness, meeting Miss Darcy for the first time, a gangly tall girl, incredibly shy, accompanied by her tall and dignified brother. Eric remembers wondering how such a handsome, assured man could have such a self-effacing, insignificant looking sister.

Until she started to play, and he instantly recognised her incredible talent and driving ambition, suddenly eager to have the teaching of her, to show her the world he had spent his whole life in so far, the world of the piano.

After that, she was a lot less shy and insignificant.

Over the course of several weeks, as they got to know each other much better, he started to experience some strange feelings for her, she was still gangly and very young, but something about her was changing, she was slowly crawling out of her shell, and not just because of his lessons. She was growing up, and gaining control over her tall frame and long limbs, looking ever more lady-like, and her progress on the piano was nothing short of astounding.

Nothing daunted her, his sometimes demanding moods didn't frighten her off, they spurred her on to ever greater achievements, until one day, Eric found himself eyeing her with something more than just a teacher's pride. He was watching her with tenderness, a still-slight wish to touch her creamy skin, her blonde hair, her rosy cheeks.

Louise was already showing her affection for him openly, and one day Mr Zumpe let him know without a hint of subtlety that Eric's return of her attentions was highly desirous, expected really.

His resulting obstinate mood had made him daring towards Georgiana, and before he knew it, they were no longer formal to each other, and the feel of Georgiana's name on his lips and tongue gave him the courage to consistently refuse his patron his cooperation in the latter's plans for Eric's future.

He knew Georgiana was not for him, but through his budding love for her he realised he could only hope to love and to be happy with a woman who had a driving ambition of her own, and a strong mind, to cope with his own unbending character.

But life had its way to fit him into its mould, and his love for the talented girl grew until it started to give him sleepless nights, triggering him to obsess over the music in his mind. It had always been there, but until then he had been able to easily ignore it and play other pieces of his own, and Mr Zumpe's, choosing.

From then on, lying awake in the middle of the night, it turned out to be much more difficult to pay no attention to a whole orchestra playing the most haunting music, his own lead now playing along with it, then against the force of the music.

There was no help for it, he had to write it down to get it to leave him alone, and he did. At this stage, his love for Georgiana was still mainly very pleasurable, he looked forward to her lessons, managed to stay as demanding as he had ever been, and was able to keep his love from his pupil and her chaperone. Or so he thought.

He knew when Mrs Darcy had visited that she had seen through him, and he hoped she would not betray him to her husband, but he had no clue Georgiana herself was on to him as well, though he should have known, she was already so observant.

Ever growing, his love nonetheless remained the kind that can still be retracted in case of adversity, at least he thought so, his feelings did not make him desperate when he told himself it was only temporary, would never be answered.

But it still gave him a measure of courage to fight the oppression of his patron, who made his will felt ever more, fettering Eric's ambitions until he became a mere shadow of the man he had imagined himself to become.