A/N: Set about halfway-ish through the novel. Let me know what you think!
Apples
Donwell apples are the best in the whole county, and certainly the best she has ever tasted. Crisp, firm and juicy with just the right amount of sweetness, they are equally good when eaten fresh as they are in cooking.
When she was a little girl, she remembers that Donwell apples were promised as a treat for good behaviour on the part of herself, John and Isabella. They had been one of the most effective bribes employed on her.
Even now, every year she looks forward to the time when the fruit will ripen in the orchards at the Abbey, and Mr. Knightley will bring a large basket to Hartfield for herself and her father.
And yet this year the fruit tastes sour in her mouth with the knowledge that Mr. Knightley has given Jane Fairfax a whole barrel, even though it will leave none for himself. She has never before realised that the sweetness of the apples depends on the exclusiveness of the affection which gifts them.