It is a truth universally acknowledged that all prospects of entering a new school is a frightful one. Even to those of an outgoing nature have qualms of leaving old friends behind and being expected to make new ones. To those of a more sensitive nature it is almost like asking them to fly.
"But Da why are we going to this new school? We have a school already that we don't have to pay for." Lizzy Bennet asked of her father.
"We didn't do anything wrong did we? That you're not telling us?" Jane put in.
"You did nothing wrong Jane. It is for the simple fact that this is a better school." Mr. Bennet said.
"A better school? I happen to like my school very much thank you."
"Come Lizzy. You cannot tell me that you're not a wee bit curious as to Dunbar or what it would be like to be taught history by your old Da."
"What!?" Lizzy and Jane exclaimed simultaneously. Mr. Bennet chuckled.
"You're going to be our history teacher? Why didn't you say?" Lizzy asked, jumping up from her seat in the window. Jane leaned forward in her chair.
"I had the amusing notion of keeping it a surprise, but I was too tempted. For shame. I would have loved to have seen the pair of your faces when you entered my class." Sighing with a wistful air, he folded his hands across his chest and leant back in his chair, causing a giggle to escape from his girls.
"Does mum know?" Jane asked.
"Ach, no! If she did we would have known long ago." Lizzy scoffed.
"When did you say was the first day of school?" Jane asked her father.
"The 14th of August."
"That's only three weeks away." Lizzy said. Not sure if she was excited or apprehensive.
"Which is why next week the three of us will be taking a trip up to Dunbar to get the pair of you better acquainted with the town." Mr. Bennet said.
"Just the three of us?" Lizzy clapped in childish excitement.
"Yes to collect your uniforms and other boring matters like that."
Lizzy stuck her tongue out at her father.
That night Jane snuck into Lizzy's room who was reading a book. Absent mindedly Jane took up a brush and sat in front of the mirror. Lizzy, knowing full well why she was paid this late night visit, let her sister form her words. Eventually they came.
"Do - do you think they'll be mean? Because we're coming from St. Abbs and not Edinburgh." Hesitating in her speech, Jane looked at Lizzy's reflection in the mirror. Putting her book down, she came over to Jane.
"How can you possibly think that anybody would be mean to you? You are too sweet and beautiful. Everyone at Netherfield will be your friend by the end of the first day, you mark my words. Just don't forget about me." Lizzy teased. The pair laughed for a moment but the thought of Netherfield Academy was quick to enter their minds again. This time Lizzy looked at her own reflection. She saw a girl recently of eighteen with untamable black curly hair and dark eyes. She looked at her sister - almost a complete opposite. Jane's hair was curly as well but she favored her mother by having blonde hair and blue eyes. In the soft glow of the lamp light Lizzy thought her sister looked like an angel, whereas she resembled more of a pixie or fairy.
"Weird to think we're twins, ay?" Lizzy smiled.
"I can see a resemblance." Jane said.
"Oh can you?"
Jane nodded.
"Now, pray tell, where is this resemblance? In the nose?" Lizzy reached down and pinched her twins nose. Jane batted the unwelcome hand away as she stood. Lizzy ran to her bed being closely followed by the "angel" who was carrying a pillow.
"No! I see it in the teeth." And she threw the pillow hitting Lizzy right in the jaw.
"The teeth? Are you kidding me? Teeth all look the same." Lizzy said, as she hit Jane's head with the pillow.
"They do not." Jane ducked this time and grabbed the pillow. Before Lizzy could pick up another one, Jane pulled down her lower lip showing her teeth.
"See."
"Hold on." Lizzy jumped off her bed and went to her mirror. After a second of inspection Jane heard a muffled, "Oh yeah, you're right. Yours are much more crooked though." Lizzy earned a pillow to the head for that.
They talked deep into the night of all they've heard of Dunbar. It was half and hours drive away, yet they had never been out of their small fishing village.
The next morning the Bennet family conjoined for breakfast. Mrs. Bennet, a woman of many words with rarely a filter in her mind, had been told Mr. Bennet's surprise.
"Oh girls, girls. Your father takes such good care of you and your education. I'm sure when I was a young girl my father would have dumped me in any school that would take me. Oh! I am so excited. I must tell Lady Lucas. I know for a fact that she wanted Charlotte to go to Netherfield Academy. Oh, what a good morning this is. Thank your father girls."
When one lives with a constant noise for a good long while, the hearer becomes accustomed and the noise fades into the background. This is usually the case with Mrs. Bennet and her family, however, this morning Lizzy caught the end of her little speech.
"Mum. Don't brag about it to Lady Lucas. She's your friend and I'm sure she wouldn't take kindly to hear you boasting."
"I believe you were to young to remember, Lizzy, but when Lady Lucas's husband was knighted it was all we heard for a year and a day. I am only repaying the favor."
Lizzy shook her head, not wanting to start an argument by saying that she was ten when Sir William was knighted.
"Why are we not allowed to go to Netherfield Academy or even Dunbar?" Whined one of the youngest Bennet girls, Lydia. She sat next to her own twin, Kitty. They resembled each other more than Jane and Lizzy, but they were not entirely identical.
"As to your first question, my dear, the scholarship only extends to two and as your sisters are much more serious in there studies then some," here Lydia rolled her eyes, "they were the obvious candidates. As to your second question of going to Dunbar, I don't trust you." Mr. Bennet folded his paper and made his exit to his study.
"I do hope Da was not referring to me as well. I take my studies very seriously." Mary announced.
"Oh we all know. If it's not some book of philosophy, it'll be the piano. If it's not the piano, it's the scriptures." Lydia joked. With a sour face Mary returned to her breakfast.
"Now Jane. Lizzy," Mrs. Bennet started, "your father tells me that the uniforms are all black and that the girls are to wear tartan skirts with a tie. Don't worry you'll both pull it off, especially you Jane dear."
"It's not a fashion show mum." Lizzy reminded her.
The fishing village of St. Abbs was a small one and it was decreasing. Less and less residents were permanently living there, but the community was a strong one and tourists were not a rare sight. All in all, Lizzy was pretty happy with her lot. She loved the sea, and with her bedroom window facing the harbor she was content. The smell of fish was constant but one got used to it. It was the pulse of the village, the fish that was brought in. With her bike, Lizzy made her daily rounds to neighbors and the markets. First she visited her aunt Phillips who lived in a small cottage on Murrayfield.
"Hallo aunt Phillips. How are ye this morning?"
"Oh Lizzy, you look so flushed. Are ye alright dear?" Her aunt asked with slight concern.
"I road past the Head towards the docks this morning. That's all. Now I brought you some shopping. I noticed yesterday that you were almost out of cheese and milk." Lizzy walked to the kitchen with her aunt following.
"Thank you, I kept forgetting. But Lizzy I have news from the post office. Apparently, in Dunbar -" aunt Phillip's was interrupted by a loud bang coming from her sitting room. In a second Kitty and Lydia came bounding into the kitchen.
"Lizzy why didn't you wait for us? We said we wanted to come with you." Kitty asked, her breathing slightly heavy.
"I wanted to get a short ride in first. Sorry."
"Never mind all that. Come, come I must tell you." Aunt Phillips was leading them back into the sitting room.
"Apparently an old war hero, a colonel, has come to live in Dunbar with his wife. There name is Forster. And girls can you guess the best part? Staying with them are their three nephews." There aunt was speaking as if she were revealing confidential secrets, which was her way with most matters.
"Are they young?"
"Are they handsome?"
"What does it matter if they are young or handsome. You will surly not be seeing them." Lizzy said.
"Oh Lizzy you must find this Colonel Forster and his three nephews when you go up next week. You must tell us everything. What they look like, their ages, and if they're available." Lydia demanded.
"Honestly, Lydia you worry me sometimes. This fascination with boys is getting quite obsessive." Lizzy scolded. However, Lydia merely shrugged her shoulders.
"Do make sure to tell your ma and pa what I've told you."
Lydia and Kitty both nodded their heads enthusiastically. Lizzy replied, saying, "Mum will love the news, as you well know. But Da will only make a small grunt or something of that sort."
"But you will tell both of them nonetheless, won't you?"
"Of course we will aunt Phillips. I'll call on you tomorrow. Are you two staying?" She asked Kitty and Lydia, they nodded. Lizzy waved as she opened the door.
"Yes, yes. - Oh and Lizzy, perhaps you can bring me some stamps tomorrow as well. I fear I've run out." Aunt Phillips called through the window. With a parting nod Lizzy mounted her bike again and rode the little way from her Aunt's house to the Post office. She smiled to herself as she remembered that her aunt said that she got the information from the post office.
"Oh, aunt." Lizzy sighed to herself.
As she entered, the little bell rung.
"Morning Lizzy. What can I do for you today?" The clerk asked.
"Just stamps, thank you. How's Frankie?" Lizzy asked of Denise.
"He's grand. He'll be starting year seven come August." Denise said, while handing Lizzy her order.
"I saw him the other day with his Da down by the docks. Is he going to be a fisherman too?" Lizzy gave her a two and seven pence.
"Ach! I dearly hope not. Frankie's an intelligent lad. I know he can make something more of himself." Denise said.
"Does John know how you feel?"
"He assumes. I've never said anything outright, but he's not thick-headed."
"Good luck, Denise." Lizzy said, as she was opening the door.
"Thank you. And tell the Bennet Brood I say hi."
Back on her bike, Lizzy was riding to pay her daily visit to her friend Charlotte Lucas, who lives on Seaview Terrace. The Lucas's had been family friends since before Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's day. The two families stayed close together for nearly five generations. Which wasn't exactly hard in a small fishing village, but still Lizzy felt pretty proud to have such long family friends.
Ever since Sir William was knighted, the Lucas's had been very well off. They moved from Briery Law, the street the Bennet's live on, to Seaview Terrace. Mrs. Bennet called it very hoity of them, but Jane and Lizzy couldn't be more happy. They knew that for a long while Lady Lucas had had her eye on a particular cottage. Which was the cottage Lizzy was riding to now. Leaning her bike against the wall she knocked thrice upon the door. Not more than a minute and she was enveloped in the wonderful smells of Lady Lucas's baking.
"Lizzy! Come in, come in. Mum just brought out the most amazing treacle tart. It's the best I've ever had." Charlotte pulled her friend by the wrist into the kitchen.
"Hallo, Lizzy dear. Care for a bite?" The sweet Lady Lucas asked. Her hair was pinned up, but loose strands found their way across her face and neck. Her apron was covered in flour as well as a bit on her cheek.
"How can I resist when it smells so good." Lizzy took a fork and cut herself a piece.
"Umm. That is really really amazing Lady Lucas." Lizzy practically melted into her chair.
"I'll put some aside for you to take home."
"Thank you. Jane will love you forever." Lady Lucas smiled.
Lizzy and Charlotte continued eating the treacle tart when Charlotte said, "So I hear that you're Da will be your new history teacher." Lizzy dropped her fork slightly.
"How did you know? I was riding over here to tell you."
"Oh, we've been in on the surprise for quite some time, haven't we mum." Lizzy turned in her chair to look at Lady Lucas, but all she did was start humming.
"And you didn't tell me?" A smile was crawling up Lizzy's face.
"I never took you to be cheeky Miss Charlotte Lucas." She joked.
"Mind who you call cheeky Miss Elizabeth. I am your elder." Charlotte said smugly.
"Only by six years. That's not much. And you should be careful, when you really are older you won't want to be sharing that bit of information." Lizzy said, before taking a huge bite.
When Lizzy finally arrived home she brought the treacle tart into their kitchen. The smell soon lured in Jane, Mr. Bennet and Mary. Their mother and the young girls were out at a café by the harbor.
"Should we wait for them?" Jane asked, eyeing the tart.
Mr. Bennet chuckled, "My dear, what they don't know won't kill them. Hand us the forks Lizzy."