Page 53 of Mr. Darcy Comes to Town

“I will see if Jeffry is still in his enclosure,” Lizzy said, turning to fetch him. He seemed to be waiting for her to pick him up. “There you are,” she said, lifting him up against her chest. “How would you like to sit on Miss Darcy’s lap? She will pet you, I promise.”

Jeffry wheeked, seemingly in approval of the proposed treat.

Lizzy set him on the square on Miss Darcy’s lap. Harry entered the orangery, then, and came over to sniff the guinea pig.

Mr. Darcy leaned over to give the dog a scratch behind the ears. “Would you like me to come outside and throw a stick for you, boy?”

Harry chuffed.

“He loves that, Mr. Darcy,” Lizzy said, smiling warmly at him. How nice it is to see him amongst my animals. And he is so attentive to his sister. Clearly, he loves her very much.

“Yes, Fitz,” Miss Darcy said, grinning up at him. “I do not need you at the moment. Do go away.”

“I like that,” Mr. Darcy said, his teasing voice warm. “Come on, Harry. Let us find you a stick. The ladies want to talk secrets.”

Lizzy laughed. “His favorite stick is leaning against the wall over there,” she said, pointing at the stone wall separating the garden from the stables. “Do not lose track of time.”

“I will be back in time for refreshments,” he promised as he left the orangery, Harry at his heels. “Get your stick, boy.”

Lizzy watched Harry bound off and bring the long stick back to his new best friend. She returned her attention to her other guest.

“Jeffry is lovely and soft,” Miss Darcy said, stroking him gently.

“Would you like to see Mrs. Annie, my hedgehog?” Lizzy asked. She saw her guest’s hesitation and guessed she did not wish to give up holding Jeffry.

Lizzy turned away and went toward the hedgehog enclosure.

“Give her to me,” Mary directed, patting her own tapestry covered lap. “That way Miss Darcy can see her up close without giving up Jeffry.”

“Oh, please call me Georgiana. I want us to be friends,” Miss Darcy begged.

“We will, if you wish it,” Mary said, smiling tentatively. “Pray, call me Mary. We want to be your friend, too.”

Lizzy returned with Mrs. Annie, gently settling her on Mary’s lap. “My sister is right. We can never have too many friends. I would be honored if you call me Lizzy.”

“Thank you,” Georgiana said with a fervency that made Lizzy blink. The girl blushed and distracted herself by looking at Mary’s lap. “Goodness, Mrs. Annie is quite the largest hedgehog I have ever seen. She is as large as Jeffry!”

“She has lived in the orangery for five years,” Lizzy explained. “I saved her from a fox when she was already an adult. I suspect she is as old as eight, or nine years.”

“Heavens,” Georgiana said, her eyes wide. “I did not think hedgehogs lived so long.”

“They die much younger if they are in the wild,” Lizzy admitted. She sat on a nearby stool. Squeaky scampered out of her pocket and climbed up onto her shoulder. Georgiana did not react so Lizzy thought she had not noticed.

They sat talking about animals for a time. Mary switched out Mrs. Annie for Bruce the turtle, and then for Jill, the rabbit. Any suggestion that Georgiana exchange Jeffry for a different animal was swiftly, but politely, declined.

“Shall we go outside?” Lizzy asked after a while, slipping her mouse into her pocket. “I have boots for you to wear.”

Georgiana reluctantly handed over the guinea pig. Lizzy put him in his enclosure before they all put on rough boots and floppy gardening bonnets, and headed out into the warm sunshine. They laughed and talked together as they made their way over to the raptor aviary. Tall wooden perches had been set in the ground and dead branches linked them together.

“The owls are on their perch in the shade,” Lizzy explained, pointing into the darkest corner of the secondary enclosure. “They are nocturnal and rarely hunt during daylight hours. I keep the two types of birds separated. In the wild, buzzards and owls will occasionally fight, and I cannot have that happening.” Upon reaching the main gate, Lizzy paused. “If you stay here, I will see if the buzzard will come to me.” She lifted the lid of a wood box next to the gate and took out a thick gauntlet, which she put on her left hand.

When she entered the aviary, she closed the gate securely behind her. “Hello, Oliver,” Lizzy said to the buzzard. He hopped over to a branch close to her. She lifted her left hand and he landed on her gauntlet. She turned so she could bring him close to the gate. “He has an anklet around his leg, and jesses—these thin thongs—that dangle from the anklet. I keep the jesses inside my closed fist. It helps me control him and keep him from launching when it is unsafe to do so.”

“How beautiful he is,” Georgiana cooed. “I have only seen buzzards from a distance.”

Oliver called out, a sharp sound.

“Goodness,” Georgiana said, chuckling. “How long until you release him?”