Disclaimer: This fanfiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended. Not beta read, so all mistakes are mine. Written for the @mollyappreciationweekā This is for Day 2: Historical AU. Based very slightly on the life of Mary Anning. Enjoy!
The hanging cliffs at Lyme Regis,
āWhat the devil are you about, woman?ā
The interlocutor is loud (though within reason), exasperated (surprisingly) and male (because of course he is).
At his rude words Molly looks up, scowling, and tightens her grip on the rock face before her. A fierce wind gusts about her, making her skirt flare out and causing her neat little bonnet to tilt dangerously on her head, but she holds on. Scowls some more. From below her another wave breaks against the sheer cliff, the salt water soaking her boots (and other parts of her person) and causing her to swear-
Nevertheless, she persists.
Sheās been trying to get to this particular specimen for the last hour and she is not letting some busybody distract her now.
Besides, she muses, for all she knows heās a rival collector.
Dismissing him from her thoughts, she shuffles further forwards on the ledge. When she doesnāt answer him the man mutters a rather ungentlemanly oath to himself and scowls. He drops his walking stick, begins shrugging off his cloak and hat, all the while muttering under his breath about the foolishness of ladies and the irritations of possessing a kindly, sensible nature. Molly cannot help but suspect that he has neither. He takes a step towards the ledge, eyes scanning the terrain to ascertain a way down and when she realises what heās doing Molly rolls her eyes and finally answers him-
āPray, sir,ā she calls, āthereās not enough room on this ledge for this pair of us.
āI should fear for your safety, were you to try to join me on it.ā
āJoin you on it?ā The gentleman rejoins. āJoin you on it? You donāt mean to tell me that you went down there on purpose, do you, madame?ā
āOf course I did.ā At this Molly really must protest. āHow else do you imagine I got down here, sir?ā