He felt his face being prodded as he came to stiff consciousness. "Bernes? Bernes. Come on, wake up now - you're alive aren't you? You're-"
"You can call me Jason, you know," the young man croaked. He was splayed out with his hair coming down his forehead.
"Oh thank goodness for that! I thought you might have died from pneumonia, or, or frostbite. I can hardly feel my own limbs. But this is better than before," as Edith spoke, Bernes attempted to sit up, stiff to the joint. He came to the realisation that he was sitting on a heap of hay, wet sludgy hay. They were in a barn, a dark, damp, and extremely worn barn. He looked around in vague bewilderment.
"When did we get in here?"
"You wouldn't remember, but when the rain stopped, I though I saw the shape of a hut here, past the trees. Oh I am sick of trees... I was getting worried about you, your face was quite pale and you were about to turn blue for I all I knew. I thought I should find out what this was, so I did and then I helped you over. You seemed sort of sleepwalk the way here - no it was because of the cold, I think your brain was frozen," Edith leaned closer to inspect him. "I was so worried. You wouldn't even talk, you just shivered and shivered with your eyes shut."
As she said that Jason realised Edith was still shivering herself.
"I couldn't have been that bad!"
"Well you don't remember anything, do you? And just look at yourself, how do you feel?"
"Better, but I did not go hypothermic on you," he protested, Edith rolled her eyes. They both looked out the opening of the barn, the wonderful sun was beginning to poke itself past the shrubbery outside, it began to illuminate their surroundings. There was a pile of wood and a smashed lamp lying in the far corner of the dank place, accompanied by what looked like rat droppings.
"What is this rotting place? It ain't fit for a cow." Jason smirked.
"At least it was dry! Stop being such a princess. I could have just saved your life you know, and I will thank you to be more grateful. Lest I tell your colleagues you needed a lady to save you."
"You will not! Because... I didn't."
Edith scoffed. "Next time I will just leave you out there. I suppose you would have done the same to me."
"Pardon? But who carried you around this bloomin' forest for hours only because you threw your shoes into Sir Anthony's garden?"
"It's not like that. I didn't just throw them!" Edith attempted to glare at him.
Bernes began to chortle.
"What?" Edith questioned.
"You aren't very good at that, are you?"
"What?"
"Whatever it is you're trying to do with your eyes," he gestured to his own with two fingers. Edith looked away angrily, Jason continued to snicker.
"Bernes."
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
It was only more infuriating to see how handsome the chauffeur was once again when he smiled. Who stood up and groaned from the ache of cold muscles.
"How do you think I feel?" Edith tutted.
"D'you think we should resume looking for your imaginary road again?"
"Yes. But I'll have you know it's not imaginary, there is a long lane all the way to Loxley, we should be somewhere along, really."
"Well, let's get going then - the quicker we get back, the better."
"But... but if we go back to Downton, you'll-"
"I'm doomed either way M'lady. And ain't it better I take you back in any case? I can't look any worse for it. You need to go home."
For a reason she couldn't quite identify, Edith felt her insides fall. Perhaps it was because it was starting to feel like the untimely end of an adventure. For the past eight hours Edith had been feeling like a different person. Shaking with the cold, scratched, bruised and drained in everyway, she couldn't help feeling full of life. Like this is what she was missing out on, some reality. Who would have known there were such great people downstairs. Even trustworthy.
Edith slowly picked herself up and followed Bernes out of the decrepit little hut with a mournful gait as she shivered.
When the/y were both stood outside they could see their breath in the air. Thankfully the light was beginning to show a thinning of the trees several yards down the slope of the forest floor.
Bernes began ahead as Edith tiptoed slowly, and wincing. Bernes looked back and sighed, about to stop.
Edith put up her hand adamantly. "No - I'm fine, I don't care. I am not dangling from you again."
"Whatever you want."
They soon reached the end of the prickles, the foot onto a short field, and to Edith's silent delight, grass. "I will be glad to burn this dress when we get back."
"What else will you be glad for when we ever get back?"
"A good breakfast, I could hug Mrs Patmore for bacon and egg. Couldn't you...?" Edith looked up at Jason who she was finally able to keep up with. When she saw his lack of enthusiasm she realised why and trailed off into silence. A moment late however, spirits were lifted by the sight of a road ahead.
"Oh thank dear God!" Edith sighed loudly.
"Verily. That is a nice sight," he raised his eyebrows in return. When the both of them reached the gate they collapsed onto the grass beside the country lane. "You don't suppose we'll be asking a stranger for a drive?" Jason asked, out of breath, standing up again a minute later.
"Do you have a better idea? ...I didn't think so. Now we just have to wait."
"We may as well walk along - it might be hours before we're seen."
"Oh no, no I am not walking anywhere, my feet are about to disintegrate!"
Jason rolled his eyes and held out his hand to her. Edith took it with a huff and the two of them began to walk along the road. "We must look very... unsightly," she remarked. At this moment in time Jason was quite unresponsive, he shrugged absently as he contemplated why he ever ended up like this, why he ever agreed to drive Lady Edith down to Loxley in the dead of night.
Ten minutes later there was the sound of a car engine. They turned to look, hopeful. As the loud car neared, it slowed, and the driver became discernible. "OH - Matthew? Matthew!"
Please please reveiwww!
