Ride
It was a good a thing that she was fast on her legs, Anne thought as she ran over the fields that would eventually take her to Shibden. She was fairly certain Mr. Pinewood was still running after her but she daren’t turn around to have a look because that would definitely slow her down or make her stumble over something. In hindsight, Anne didn’t really know why she had felt compelled to do it, but there was no going back now – she had already done it.
The day had started good though, Anne had set off, after her first study session beginning at 5am and ending at 8am, on a walk – thinking to herself that she wasn’t going to cause her aunt and uncle any trouble that day. To be fair, Anne hardly did seek trouble, it just found her. People picking on her looks, people saying stuff and she would occasionally lash out on them verbally and physically. Once when Zacharias Smith had been an unusual pain in the back and then asked her ‘What are you going to do about it? Punch me?’ she had done just that and managed to break his nose. But today she was not going to give in to their words and ill-manners. She would be minding her own business, and it had all gone well until she came across Christopher Rawson, Zacharias Smith and Robert Guildford. They had been shouting slurs at her from the moment they saw her until she passed. But Anne had pretended not to hear them, or at least she didn’t acknowledge them. It had annoyed the boys, or men rather, only they were just twenty and not worth calling that, Anne thought. She was more of a lady at eighteen than they were men at twenty. Christopher Rawson whistled as she walked past them,
“Oi, Hedge whore – nice kettle drums!”
Anne dug her heels in the gravel, and clenched her fists, no one, especially not a man, and no way in hell was Christopher Rawson going to get away with calling her a lowly beggar of a whore and, AND ‘complimenting’ her breasts.
“What did you say!?” Anne’s face was beet red, and she moved closer to him and he laughed,
“I said, nice kettle drums and I’ve got to say the view from here is even better.”
“If you say another word like that again, I will make your nose match poor Zac! Understood?”
“Christ, relax Anne. Can’t a fellow joke with you ladies without you going ballistic? And you of all people – mannish as you are.” Christopher eyed her up and down, his eyes lingering too long on her midpart. Anne gave him a harsh nudge with her hands to his chest,
“You know nothing about me, Christopher. You will shut up, or I will resort to other more demeaning methods.”
“Like what? Braiding my hair?” Christopher mocked and the boys laughed with him and Anne fought the urge to roll her eyes because one second they would make laugh at her breasts, next they would call her mannish or a man or whatever and in the next breath then belittle her as a woman again. There was really no consistency in their insults which made them even more annoying, and to be frank dumb.
“I was thinking more in the lines of using my newly sharpened knife to make sure no more idiots are born.” Anne smirked and Christopher stopped laughing and became a little green.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Mm, maybe, maybe not. Anatomy and biology; I have always found fascinating. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too painful… for me.” Anne shrugged a shoulder and eyed him sharply,
“It was a joke, Anne.” Zacharias persisted and Anne glanced at him smiling,
“Of course, lads, and as usual your reptile brain makes you no funnier than a chimp. But anyhow, what are you doing here of all places?”
If they were insulted, they showed it little, or maybe they didn’t understand the insult for instead they softened their stances towards her,
“We were planning on maybe taking a few apples from Mr. Pinewood. But then we saw his new black stallion and opted to a challenge. Whoever rides that beast for more than five seconds gets five shillings from Christopher, or if he wins from us each.” Robert told Anne, proud of their little game. Anne merely looked were he pointed and saw a huge black stallion in the meadow and raised an eyebrow in awe of the horse.
“And Mr. Pinewood knows about this?” Anne asked, and Christopher scoffed,
“What he doesn’t know, doesn’t hurt him.”
“Have anyone had a go yet?”
“No. We were just about to when you came Jac… jacking around the corner.”
Anne almost rolled her eyes again, because Christopher had nearly called her ‘Jack’, she knew that’s what they, the whole neighbourhood, called her behind her back – Gentleman Jack. She ignored the bile that rose in her throat at the thoughts coming unbidden inside her head of her oddity and all that.
“I’m in.”
“You can't.” Zacharias protested and Anne crossed her arms, insulted,
“And why ever not?”
“Because you’re a woman, and it’s a man’s game.” Robert insisted, and Anne scoffed,
“So you all spread rumours about me, call me mannish and a man but then will exclude me on the grounds that I’m a woman when it suits you? Is it because you’re scared? Scared of losing to one of the gentler sex?” Anne tilted her head patronising and the boys all puffed out their chests at that,
“What? We’re not!” Zacharias cried, his nostrils flaring, making him look ridiculous rather than intimidating and confident.
“So, I can join in?”
“Fine. But if you break a nail and cry about it, Lister – you’re a never coming back!” Christopher fumed,
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about my nails, Christopher- they are well groomed.”
“What?” Zacharias looked incredibly confused and Christopher looked at him and then at Anne slyly,
“Miss Lister likes the ladies she does.”
“Yeah, well your sister didn’t complain last night.” Anne retorted dryly and the two other boys burst out in ‘Ooooh’s’ at the joke, no one took it seriously – and it wasn’t. Anne would never look twice at his sister, she was too stiff and looked like Christopher with a wig so, Anne shuddered inwardly – NEVER.
“Enough of this. I’ll go first.” Christopher pushed past Zacharias and Robert in large strides towards the horse. He balanced on the stone wall and managed to get up, making the beast absolutely furious and Christopher was thrown off – head-first, before he had time to shout ‘Hey’. Anne laughed with the other two boys at the mud caking his face, and he walked towards them – red in the face, and angry as could be,
“You’ll not laugh after you had a go! Mark my words.”
“We will see about that.” Zacharias replied merrily and went to have a go himself. He was seated for four seconds before gliding off as the stallion rose on his hindlegs. He was however gleeful because he lasted longer than Christopher.
“Your turn, Rob.”
“I won’t…” Robert mumbled, being a bit overweight and probably wary that the horse would beckon or something else embarrassing, or maybe he just couldn’t get up.
“My turn then.” Anne threw a daring look at the men and they laughed at her,
“Rob, if you’re not having a go, maybe you can go get the reverend. We might need to bury Lister after this.” Christopher wheezed and Anne slapped him over the head having him winch in pain,
“Shut up and watch how it’s really done. Hold my morals will you, Robert.”
Anne advanced towards the black stallion with determined strides. She gave him a pat down the nose, speaking softly to him, so soft that her fellow friends didn’t hear, nor did they see her talking to the stallion at all with her back to them.
“Hello there. What a beautiful boy you are. I’m going to sit on you now.”
Anne stroke the stallion over the slender neck weighing him down with her hands to warn him before running towards him taking a leap up his back. He startled when he felt her on him, but she pinched him over the mane, just as mares does their foals to calm them down. The stallion didn’t calm much but bucked around the meadow. But Anne kept her legs securely wrapped around him, keeping her balance by holding his mane. The boy’s mouths had dropped when she was still seated after twenty seconds. Anne smiled at them as she had gotten the horse to stand still and graze, but then saw their expressions change rapidly, and wondered why. But when she turned her head, she saw Mr. Pinewood and she gulped quietly and swung herself down, before running towards the boys.
“I won! I think you have something for me, Rawson.” Anne smirked, and Christopher handed her the money reluctantly, muttering all the while and keeping a watchful eye on Mr. Pinewood who was running towards them shouting. Anne accepted the five shillings and put them inside her pockets.
“Okay… lads, I’m off!” Anne told them before setting off in a quick run.
That’s why she was running at full speed over the fields back to Shibden. She knew she shouldn’t have done it but here she was as concluded. Anne could taste blood in her mouth by the time she reached Shibden and she ran in, slamming the door behind her – probably startling the whole house. Her aunt and uncle looked up from their place by the fire where they were having their tea.
“Anne? What on earth are you running from?” Uncle James asked her seriously,
“Slamming doors like that!” Aunt Anne reprimanded and Anne panted heavily, smiling half-heartened,
“I have good news… and bad news, which do you want to hear first?”
Her uncle merely stared as did her aunt but at least Aunt Anne finally cleared her throat, setting her teacup down,
“The good news?”
“It is very unlikely that I will ever, EVER, do it again.”
“Do what exactly, young lady?” Uncle James asked her with a frown, but Anne hadn’t time to reply for there was a knock on the door and Anne gulped,
“Um, I am dead if anyone asks.”
“What have you done, child?” Aunt Anne asked her, and Anne tried smiling,
“I might have left my morals with Robert Guildford a...”
“You did WHAT?!” Uncle James bellowed as he heard his niece, and Anne turned on her heals, startled, her heart beating hard in her chest – worried that they might whip her or worse throw her out.
“Hm? I left my morals with Robert Guildford bu…”
“Anne Elizabeth Lister, if you are pregnant with that boy when the month is at end I will… I will – You will NEVER leave your room again!” Uncle James boomed; the door quite forgotten. Anne’s mouth dropped to the floor, before inhaling sharply to be able to shout at the top of her lungs;
“Pregnant? You think… Oh, you think I did… with Robert? I mean… THE AUDACITY of that. I can solemnly swear that I will never, NEVER do that with him or any other man as long as I live, and I’m hurt that you think that of me!”
Aunt Anne just looked between the two, and before James could say something ill-fitting, she gave him a sharp look,
“Brother, do not ever suggest that Anne would be immoral with a boy again.”
“Do you rather I’d suggest she was immoral with a woman?” James argued and Aunt Anne glared at him, her mouth a thin line,
“Well it would be closer to the mark.”
Uncle James features softened, and he glanced at Anne who was still staring at him, wide-eyed and teary and he sighed,
“Right. I know... Now, who is behind that door banging?”
“Mr. Pinewood.” Anne replied, and her Uncle raised an eyebrow,
“What on earth did you do to poor Mr. Pinewood?”
“I might have ridden his stallion without permission.”
“You did what?” Aunt Anne cried horrified, she worried Anne would hurt herself,
“I… won five shillings.” Anne mumbled and Uncle James laughed out loud,
“You won five shillings? From whom?!”
“Christopher Rawson.”
“This is why… this is the exact reason why I love you and why you’re my…!”
“James, do not encourage Anne to vex the Rawson’s it will only mean more trouble from them, they have no morals – vulgar people, especially the mother.”
“Of course not.” Uncle James said seriously but then winked at Anne who smirked before he turned and left to open the door by which their footman stood waiting as he had been given a look not to open it.
“Mr. Pinewood, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Your niece, Lister – rode my horse without permission!”
“My niece? You mean to tell me that my well-behaved niece, a perfect lady – accomplished as no other – rode a horse – a stallion without permission?” Uncle James was acting out a Shakespeare drama by the sounds of it and Anne had a hard time keeping from laughter, hiding her face behind her book of Greek whilst her aunt gave her serious looks and stares.
“I saw her with my own eyes!” Mr. Pinewood yelled distraught,
“Hm… as far as I’m concerned, our Anne has been studying all morning.” Uncle James lied through his teeth, and Mr. Pinewood were fuming, and Anne decided that she didn’t like her uncle lying for her, so she stood up and went into the hallway.
“A-ha there she is!”
“Mr. Pinewood, I’m terribly sorry if it upset you that I sat on your stallion without permission… you see I was climbing the tree next to it and slipped on a branch and your horse happened to break my fall. I ran because I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me and try to do something to me.” Anne said feigning innocence and she could’ve sworn she heard her uncle scoff under his breath and her aunt wheeze in the sitting room. However, after a small while Mr. Pinewood nodded growling,
“That’s alright I suppose, Miss Lister. But next time don’t climb the trees by that meadow.”
“I will take care not to, Sir.”
“It’s really no ladies business to climb trees, you keep to embroidery and all will be well.” Mr. Pinewood said and Anne’s eyes widened as she fought every impulse she had, but Uncle James merely nodded, and the man excused himself and left. Anne and Uncle James went back into the sitting room, and Aunt Anne looked up and shook her head at them,
“I just prevented murder.” Anne muttered, her fists clutched tightly,
“You did what?! How?!” Aunt Anne cried as Uncle James burst out laughing,
“Self-control I imagine sister dear.”
Uncle James patted Anne’s shoulder and they looked at each other only to laugh again,
“You two are impossible!”
“Thank you! - Now Anne… try to stay out of any more scrapes… today.”
“Fine. I was going to study anyways.” Anne shrugged her shoulders,
“What?”
“Science, there is this really interesting article I found this morning that I haven’t finished.”
“Come sit with me and I’ll study with you – I didn’t go to Cambridge for naught.” Uncle James smiled and Anne gladly went with him leaving her aunt alone.
“Well, well, just me, myself, and I – talking to myself – but I suppose one has got to have intelligent conversation at some point of the day.”