Posted on Wednesday, 26 June 2002
"Do you think it's safe yet?" Jane Bennet asked her sister.
Lizzy leaned over to look at the great black dog as he lay stretched out on the grass. "I think so-- he's very quiet."
As she finished speaking, however, the dog lifted his massive head and snarled, showing long white fangs, and both girls recoiled.
Jane settled herself as comfortably as she could in the branches of the tree she and her sister had fled to for refuge when the black dog had rushed at them. She leaned over a bit and plucked a ripe apple-- the reason they were in the orchard at all-- and bit into it, resigned to a longer wait.
All things considered, she reflected, things were not as bad as they might be. Indeed, given the events occurring after Lizzy had borrowed their Uncle Gardiner's tackle, and attempted to teach herself to cast, the present situation was positively relaxing. Lizzy was only just thirteen, and had not quite grown out of her love of play and mischief; and more often than not, it was Jane, her favourite sister, who accompanied her in all her adventures.
Lizzy leaned over, bracing her hands on the branch she was seated on. "Dreadful beast! will he *never* grow tired of holding us prisoner?"
Jane pulled free another apple and handed it to her sister, who accepted it, a gloomy expression on her face. "He must sometime, mustn't he? Although I suppose it's just as likely that someone will come looking for us. It will be dark soon, after all."
This observation gave Lizzy no great comfort, foreseeing, as she did, the scolding they would both receive from their mother; and the possibility of a second chiding from their father. Indulgent to her though Mr. Bennet was, she rather doubted he would entirely approve of his two eldest daughters' latest scrape.
"Jane, do you-- oh!" Lizzy broke off as a tall, silver-haired man approached the tree.
"Here, Ben, what've you-- well, now. Good evening, Miss Bennet. Good evening, Miss Elizabeth," he said, politely.
"Hello, Mr. Wickham," Jane said, and Lizzy echoed, both with considerable relief. To be rescued by Mr. Darcy, or his son, Fitzwilliam, would have been a truly dreadful thing; but Mr. Wickham, the steward, was another matter entirely.
"You seem to have a bit of trouble with my Ben. I hope you're both all right?"
Jane scrambled down from her branch, first, gracefully and quickly. "Oh, yes, sir. We were rather frightened, though."
Lizzy followed her, quite as quickly, but far less gracefully. "We came for apples, sir. I hope that's all right?"
"Oh, yes, Miss Elizabeth. Ben's not a watch-dog; he's more company, you see." Mr. Wickham's manner was entirely easy and pleasant, as if they had met in the drawing-room of Pemberley for tea.
"He seems a most friendly sort of creature," Jane ventured, bravely offering her fingers to the animal to sniff. Ben, changed from enemy to friend by the appearance of his master, wagged at them both.
"Well, I'll let you both go on your way," Mr. Wickham said at last. "My best wishes to all those at Longbourn, Miss Bennet."
"Thank you, sir," Jane replied. Mr. Wickham and Ben headed in one direction; and the Bennets in the other. Longbourn was quite close to the great estate of Pemberley; the grounds of one bordered on the other; and, although the Darcys were much the superior in wealth, both families had a history of friendship and companionship. Not a week passed but that the two families met for tea, or dinner, or some amusement.
As they walked, Jane did her best to straighten her gown and smooth her hair, while Lizzy paused every moment or so to pluck a pretty flower, or examine a particularly interesting stone.
"It's quite lovely weather," Jane observed, after a few moments of silence, "although I suppose we might have a few more dog-days to come."
Lizzy glanced at her sister suspiciously, but Jane's countenance was utterly innocent. "We might."
"Perhaps next time we might not venture on in search of apples, when we don't find ones we like at first. It really isn't nice to be so... dogged."
"Jane...."
"I'm sorry, dear." Jane smiled, and they continued in silence for a moment before Jane spoke again.
"Was Father scolding you the other day, Lizzy?"
"Scolding me? Why, not at all. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason-- I had only thought, that he was rather displeased with someone for mistreating his books."
"Jane...!"
Jane continued speaking, and began to walk a bit more quickly. "I believe he mentioned something about them being-- dog-eared."
"Jane!"
Lizzy was more lightly made than her sister; and rather more in the habit of running; but Jane's legs were "longer, though, to run away"; and she did, promptly, her little sister in laughing pursuit.