Beginning, Section II
Chapter One
Posted on Saturday, 26 April 2008
Catherine, or Kitty, Bennet had never been considered as worth much notice. Jane’s beauty, Elizabeth’s wit, and Lydia’s liveliness had always cast her somewhat in the shadows; by mirroring Lydia’s vivacity and self-importance, she had further earned the indifference, and sometimes contempt, of her acquaintances. She thought too little of her own beauty and intelligence to feel anything like jealousy for her eldest sisters, and rather worshipped them without believing that she could equal them; she was ignored by Lydia as soon as a worthier accomplice or a handsome officer happened by; and she saw in Mary a young lady just as alone, but without any desire of rectifying the situation and quite happy in her solitude. Stated quite simply, Kitty had never had a friend in her life.
The events of the past few months still left her rather dizzy. Her two eldest sisters’ marriages to the two richest men ever to enter Hertfordshire would have been quite enough, but Lydia’s involvement in the kidnap of Georgiana Darcy and Kitty’s own blossoming friendship with that same young lady, who was the younger sister of Elizabeth’s new husband, had been almost too much to bear with equanimity.
And now here Kitty sat in the foyer of Longbourn, surrounded by her trunks and bandboxes, preparing to visit Elizabeth and Georgiana at Pemberley. Her head still ached from her mother’s ministrations and admonitions earlier that morning.
Mrs. Bennet had bustled into Kitty’s bedroom, nodding approvingly at the trunks standing by the door. “Well! and so you are packed already!” she had exclaimed. “I am glad; I thought perhaps I ought to help you; you have always been a careless little thing about these things, you know.”
As Kitty had left Longbourn only three times in her life and her mother had traveled even less, the young lady said nothing.
“Now, Miss Kitty,” Mrs. Bennet continued, rounding on her daughter, “this is quite and honor Mrs. Darcy is giving you, and mind you don’t give yourself airs about it. You must be sure to mind your manners, or ten to one but Mrs. Darcy will send you home and ask Lydia instead. Depend on it, if Mrs. Darcy were not so newly married she would have asked Lydia, too, so don’t think you are such a favorite!”
Her mother paused for breath, but Kitty had neither the patience nor the humor to bear with this attack. “Perhaps I’m not Lizzy’s favorite, but it is not she I am invited to visit, it is Georgie. She likes me a great deal, you may be sure! And I don’t think, after what Lydia did…”
“That’s quite enough out of you, Miss Kitty,” cried Mrs. Bennet, her face very red.
Kitty resided into sulky silence as Mrs. Bennet adjusted her bonnet and gown in a nervous attempt to calm down. When she fancied that her dignity had been restored, she turned the topic to one far more interesting.
“I hope you have packed your very best gowns. You never know but you may meet some nice earl or duke at Pemberley!”
On this subject Kitty and Mrs. Bennet could speak with perfect amity. “Do you really think so, Mama?” she asked, her great brown eyes alight with excitement. “But Lizzy said that Pemberley rarely has visitors, and we are not going to town.”
“Oh, as to that…” Mrs. Bennet waved an unconcerned hand, “Pemberley is not the only great house in Derbyshire, and Mrs. Darcy is very lately married. You may be sure that every great family within fifty miles will want to meet and welcome the new Mistress of Pemberley. – Ah! how well that sounds! – Depend upon it, there will be parties, balls, dinners…plenty of opportunity, my dear!”
“But do you think I shall meet any officers?” Kitty asked wistfully. “Col. Fitzwilliam looked very fine at the wedding, but he is engaged to that mousy little Miss DeBourgh. Perhaps he has friends…”
“Yes,” Mrs. Bennet hesitated, “but you are the sister of Mrs. Darcy, dear. An officer would do very well, but if he should be titled as well, that would be a much better thing.”
Kitty nodded and seated herself on the bed. “I do wish Jon could come with me, but Papa insists…”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Bennet through pursed lips, “he does insist. Still, you may say a few good words to Miss Darcy on Jon’s behalf. It is most vexing, and we would not wish him to lose any ground.” At this Mrs. Bennet had suddenly recalled some trifling problem in the kitchen and hurried off.
This morning Kitty had managed to swallow a bit of toast in an effort to quell the butterflies in her stomach, counted her trunks twice, and run up to her room three times in a terror that she might have forgotten something important. Lydia, in a tearing fury at not being included in the invitation, remained determinedly in her room, refusing to bid her sister good-bye and swearing that she would burn any letters Kitty sent her. Mary spoke a few wise sentences about what was expected of a young lady traveling alone and the importance of protecting herself from gossip and scandal, and then returned to her pianoforte. As Kitty was in the process of counting her trunks for a third time, Mr. Bennet suddenly came into the hall and smiled at his fourth daughter.
“Well, Kitty,” he said pleasantly, “I envy you this pleasure. To see our Lizzy as a great lady, and the formidable Mr. Darcy in his nightcap and dressing gown!” He laughed to himself and Kitty’s lips twitched at this portrait of her brother-in-law. “I am sorry that I cannot allow Jonathan to accompany you,” Mr. Bennet continued kindly, “but I really cannot spare him at the moment. Perhaps you will see us all at Easter!”
“I shall…miss you,” Kitty said shyly, and felt it to be true.
“Well, you will be missed as well, my dear.” He reached out and put an awkward arm around her shoulders. “And I must say I’m glad to find your taste in company has improved so much. Miss Darcy seems a very sweet, steady sort of girl.”
“I hope she will like me,” Kitty said. “I don’t wish to be unwelcome after a single week!”
“There are ways to secure her good opinion,” her father reassured her in perhaps the gentlest tone she had ever heard. “Enter into her interests, share your own, be polite and friendly. She liked you in London; she will continue to do so if you are a good friend.”
Kitty felt rather worse than before, as she had no experience being any kind of a friend at all. Before she could voice these concerns, however, the carriage was announced, the trunks were whisked away, her mother clung to her with loud sniffs, her father kissed her brow, solemn Mary and sulky Lydia stood in the doorway, and Kitty was bundled into her seat to wave goodbye to her family and home.
The road was long and rather bumpy, and though Kitty had taken care to carry two novels in her handbag, she soon felt very bored. The passing scenery did not at all interest her, and her father’s man had fallen asleep almost before Longbourn was out of sight. She was left to nothing but her own thoughts, with whom she was not very familiar.
“Share your own interests,” her father had said, but she was uncertain what those interests were. She was an indifferent musician, a terrible artist, and found books other than novels or plays exceedingly tedious. The only interest she had ever really had was in gentlemen, and she rather doubted that shy, retiring Miss Darcy was well-versed in the admiration of young men. What if I am unendurably dull? she suddenly thought fretfully. Her mind was suddenly full of images of Miss Darcy and herself sitting in a drawing room staring at each other in complete silence as a loud clock ticked away the hours. Accustomed as she was to following Lydia’s example, and surrounded as she had always been by very strong personalities, Kitty had never had cause to entertain another person. She was very much afraid that she was not equal to the task.
Uncomfortable as these reflections made her, they nevertheless served to pass the time until the carriage reached the inn where she was to spend the night. Kitty was conscious of a little thrill as she descended the carriage steps and looked up at the windows of the little brick building. She stood meekly in the back while the manservant acquired “one for Miss Catherine Bennet.” As a footman began to carry her trunk up the stairs, Kitty looked longingly at the dining hall, which was full and bustling and noisy. Although Kitty had only a vague idea of proprieties, she was aware that a single young lady could not dine with her fellow guests, but was sentenced to a lonely supper in her rooms. As Kitty ascended the stairs behind the footman, who was struggling in earnest with the very heavy trunk, she was surprised to hear someone say in an extremely kind voice,
“My word, young man, you’ll break your back! Allow me…” and suddenly the footman was moving much more quickly. When Kitty reached the landing, she saw that the kind voice belonged to a tall, well-looking young man with neatly trimmed fair hair and gentle dark eyes who had grasped one end of the trunk and was now setting it down on the landing. The footman, gasping and perspiring, pulled his forelock.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Not at all, not at all,” the young man said cheerfully. Kitty liked the rather crooked smile that lent his wholesome good looks a certain roguish charm. Unconsciously she stood a little straighter and raised a hand to check her hair, which the long journey must have destroyed.
At this slight movement the young man’s eyes found her, and he gave her a respectful bow. She smiled her most winning smile, but was puzzled when his pleasant expression faded a bit. Flustered, she searched for a way to retract whatever faux pas she seemed to have made.
“Thank you for your assistance, sir,” she said in what she hoped was a properly modest manner.
“It was my pleasure,” he replied, still looking rather grave.
“May I ask the name of my rescuer?” Kitty persisted.
His lips twitched at her language as if he was suppressing a smile, and then he relented. “Philip Greerson at your service, ma’am.” He swept her a very low bow, and Kitty laughed softly.
“Miss Catherine Bennet,” she replied, dropping a very deep curtsey. The crooked smile appeared again as he laughed.
“Enjoy your stay, Miss Bennet,” he told her as he walked past her and down the stairs. Kitty made no reply; she was too surprised to say anything. As he had walked past her she had suddenly noticed that he was dressed in the severe black garb of the clergyman.
Chapter Two
Posted on Monday, 5 May 2008
Kitty had no great opinion of clergymen; at least, she had no great opinion of young clergymen, for she liked the kindly old vicar at Longbourn Church very well. She felt that young men had no business joining the church, that a life of sermons and good works and so forth was better suited to an old man who had nothing better to do. Young men should laugh and dance and flirt, not look grave and read Fordyce’s Sermons to young ladies. That the handsome young man with whom she had tried so valiantly to flirt should turn out to be a clergyman bothered her a great deal. She was not, however, a young woman who could dwell on such matters very long, and when she had finished her supper and climbed into bed, she was quite ready to laugh it all off as a good joke, and acknowledge that, for a clergyman, he had been very handsome indeed.
The morning dawned and Kitty, who had always been an early riser, was ready before the horses were hitched. Aware that her brother-in-law was very strict in such matters, Kitty had dressed with more than usual care. A hope that she might see Mr. Greerson again had not, of course, influenced her in any way, and it was just as well, for he did not appear.
Buoyed and refreshed by her night’s sleep, Kitty found the journey less tedious than the day before, and was even surprised when the carriage made its turn through the gates of Pemberley. Now she sat forward in earnest, for she had longed to see Pemberley after hearing Georgiana wax poetic over her childhood home. The drive was long and lovely, with wooded hills on every side, and when they turned the corner that brought the house into view, Kitty gasped in delight. How marvelous to be the mistress of such a house! And Mr. Darcy was not so bad for a husband, though he was so very proud. Happy, happy Lizzy!
As the carriage pulled up before the house, Kitty saw that the family had come out to greet her. Mr. Darcy and Lizzy stood arm-in-arm, the latter beaming, and Georgiana stood beside them, her hands clasped in front of her. The doors opened, the steps were descended, and Kitty found herself whisked into her elder sister’s tight embrace.
“Oh, how good it is to see you again!” Lizzy said, sounding rather emotional.
Kitty, surprised and touched by this greeting, pulled back to look into her sister’s glowing, laughing face. “Lord, you look beautiful, Lizzy!”
“Thank you, Kitty! Marriage suits me, I think. And don’t say ‘Lord,’” she added as an afterthought.
Mr. Darcy had joined his wife now, and kissed Kitty’s brow rather stiffly, uttering cooler words of welcome. Georgiana’s welcome was more than Kitty could have hoped for. After a brief hesitation, Georgiana embraced her and exclaimed,
“I am so glad you are come, Miss Bennet. I am sure we will be just like sisters!”
“Well of course we will,” Kitty laughed. “We are sisters!”
“Of course.” Georgiana blushed, embarrassed, and then did something her brother and sister-in-law thought her incapable of. She burst into giggles, joined by Kitty. Lizzy met her husband’s eyes and shook her head with an amused grin.
“Georgie, would you like to show Kitty to her room? We will have refreshments in the drawing room in twenty minutes.”
Georgiana preceded Kitty up the stairs, very quiet and rather nervous now that the first excitement of greeting her guest was over. Kitty did not mind the silence, as it gave her ample opportunity to look around her and admire. The hallway had been grand, and the staircase was long and curved, and Kitty wondered irreverently if a young Mr. Darcy had ever slid down the smooth marble banister. The family wing was less ornate than the public, and even more elegant. When Georgiana pushed open the door to Kitty’s bedchamber, Kitty could not suppress a gasp of delight.
“Oh, how lovely!” she exclaimed, running over to the window, which had a magnificent view of the lake.
“I hoped you would like it,” Georgiana said, sounding very relieved. “The light is particularly good today and when the sun reflects on the water…it is…magnificent!”
“And the gardens,” Kitty added, “how glorious they must be when the roses are in bloom!”
“Oh, I am glad you like it!” Georgiana exclaimed, clasping her hands before her.
“Like it? I love it!” Kitty said rapturously. “Is it possible not to love Pemberley?”
“No,” her new friend answered very solemnly, and both girls burst into giggles. “Oh!” Georgiana suddenly gasped. “Miss Ben – I mean, Lizzy said they would have refreshments. You must change and hurry down.”
“Change?” Kitty said incredulously. “But – I chose this gown because I knew how Mr. Darcy – and it is not so very wrinkled!” But as Georgiana looked distressed, Kitty relented and, after her friend had hurried out the door, deliberately chose a far less exceptional gown to wear for “refreshments.”
Ardent as she had always been in her admiration of fine clothes and bonnets, Kitty had developed quite a flair for style, though she had often bowed to Lydia’s more aggressively pronounced opinions, but Lydia had never quite grasped the notion of fabrics, colors, and textures that Kitty understood so well. Elizabeth had often observed this, and hoped that, once away from Lydia’s influence, Kitty’s taste in everything might grow to match her taste in clothes.
The drawing room was very quiet and, as Kitty thought, terribly dull. Georgiana had lapsed into shyness again, and Mr. Darcy was not used to talking to young girls. Elizabeth labored valiantly to keep up a conversation, but Kitty’s mind was wandering. She was recalling evenings at Longbourn, at her Aunt Phillips’…she had never been so bored in her life!
“Lord, are you always so dull of an evening?” she interrupted her sister with a loud yawn. She did not notice that Darcy’s face darkened and Georgiana’s flushed. Elizabeth started and said in a repressive tone,
“Don’t say ‘Lord,’ Kitty. And it isn’t polite to call one’s hosts dull.”
Kitty shrugged. “Well I can’t help it if you have grown so dull, Lizzy. At Longbourn you talked and laughed like anything! Now you are talking of nothing but the weather, as if anyone cares about such a thing!”
Darcy, clearly struggling with his anger, said in a very calm voice, “For an estate such as Pemberley, Miss Bennet, the weather is of great importance. We have crops and livestock to think of.”
All three ladies turned to stare at him incredulously, and Darcy wondered if he had ever sounded more pompous in his life. Elizabeth, eyes narrowed, shook her head slightly at him and turned back to her sister. “I believe what you are trying to say, Kitty, is that you would prefer a change of subject.”
“That would be useless, as you were the only person talking. No, let us have some fun!” Kitty turned to Georgiana. “Won’t you play for us, Miss Darcy?”
Georgiana started violently and blushed more deeply than before. Her eyes darted about the room as if she were searching for an escape. Her brother frowned thunderously and said in his most quelling voice,
“My sister is tired, Miss Bennet, as I am sure you must be also…”
“No,” Georgiana interrupted so softly that she was almost inaudible.
“Excuse me, Ana?” Darcy asked incredulously.
“I am not tired, William. I will play.” She stood slowly. “Turn my pages for me?”
Still slightly stunned, Darcy followed his sister to the pianoforte, standing by until she had chosen a piece and placed it upon the stand. As he took his post beside the bench, Georgiana turned to him.
“Miss Bennet is harmless,” she whispered. “Do not try to protect me from her.” And without allowing him to reply, she launched herself into the sonata. Darcy, who had expected Kitty to lose interest quickly, was surprised to see that she listened to the music with rapt attention, her brow creasing a little whenever Georgiana hit the rare wrong note. As Georgiana finished, Kitty seemed to come out of a trance and sighed.
“Oh, Miss Darcy, you play so beautifully!”
Georgiana smiled and Darcy’s mouth softened. “Thank you, Miss Bennet,” Georgiana replied. “Will you not play for us?”
“Oh, L…” Kitty glanced at her sister, who raised her eyebrows. “Oh, dear, no,” she amended. “I am no musician. You must apply to Lizzy for that.”
Elizabeth laughed. “You are too modest, Kitty; you have very good taste!”
“Perhaps so,” Kitty demurred, “but I have no talent. And I think taste without talent is as bad as talent without taste!” Everyone’s thoughts turned to Mary Bennet, and everyone suppressed a laugh. “Do you sing as well, Miss Darcy?”
“Ana is an extremely accomplished singer,” Mr. Darcy answered proudly.
“It certainly isn’t fair,” Kitty sighed, “that you should be rich and pretty and good and talented.”
Georgiana turned a bright pink, and Lizzy smiled. Mr. Darcy seemed to be in much better charity with Kitty than before, and just then dinner was announced.
Kitty attacked her dinner with gusto, and discovered that conversation had suddenly become much less stilted. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth were discussing the appointments and invitations they had been issued for the week, while Georgiana described the families they mentioned to Kitty.
“The Beechams have invited us to an evening party tomorrow…”
“They live on the other side of Lambton, twin daughters our age. They are such nice girls, but I know them little…”
“And dinner with Sir Samuel and Lady Emma night after next…”
“He is a Viscount; their family has been at Pinewood Lodge as long as the Darcys have been at Pemberley…”
“I have invited the new rector to dine with us on Thursday…”
“I have not met him yet…”
“And of course there is the ball at the Jamisons’ next Friday…”
“A ball!” Georgiana and Kitty exclaimed simultaneously, though with quite opposite expressions. Kitty was all vibrant excitement, while Georgiana was a picture of despair. The girls stared at each other in shock, and Mr. Darcy did not seem to appreciate Kitty’s enthusiasm any more than his sister’s horror.
“We will discuss it,” he said firmly, and that was the end of the matter.
“You don’t love a ball?” Kitty asked Georgiana as they ascended the stairs.
“I have never been to a proper ball,” the young lady confessed. “I am not yet out.”
“Not out?” Kitty said, puzzled. “Lydia is a full year younger than you are and she has been out for ages!”
Georgiana paused. “Here in the country the rules can be bent, I suppose, but William has always been very strict.”
“I love a ball,” Kitty sighed, throwing herself on her bed. Georgiana stood uncertainly by the door, but with a sudden decision walked in and sat beside Kitty. “The gentlemen look so handsome and the ladies so lovely, and dancing! How I love to dance!”
“But – but how do you talk to the gentlemen?”
“Talk? L – Goodness, you don’t talk!” Kitty exclaimed.
Georgiana’s brow wrinkled. “Then what…”
“Flirt, Miss Darcy,” Kitty said patiently. “Men don’t want girls to talk to them, they want a little flirtation!”
Georgiana’s mind was a whirl. “Did Elizabeth flirt with William?”
Kitty thought and then frowned. “I don’t think so.”
“And Mrs. Bingley with Mr. Bingley?”
“Oh…no. Jane has never flirted in her life.” And yet they are both married, and Lydia and I are…not. This new thought was rather unsettling, but when she had bade Miss Darcy goodnight she had already dismissed it as a coincidence and slept soundly.
Chapter Three
Posted on Monday, 12 May 2008
Georgiana had formed endless schemes for entertaining her guest with all the enthusiasm of a young woman unaccustomed to the company of girls her own age. It had not escaped her attention that Kitty was quite different from herself, and had often consulted Elizabeth’s opinion while laying out her plans. Now that Kitty had finally arrived, Georgiana found it difficult to contain her excitement; so much so that she was before any of the others at breakfast the next morning, having slept very little the night before.
Her brother entered the breakfast room half an hour after herself, and started at finding her sitting there all alone.
“Are you well, Ana?” he asked with some concern.
“Very well,” she replied, trying to seem calm.
Darcy struggled with himself for a moment or two, and then sat near her, taking her hand. “Ana, I know that you claim not to need my protection, but I feel I must caution you.” He spoke very quickly, as if he feared interruption. “Miss Catherine has been permitted to grow up very wild, and if you ever feel uncomfortable in her company…”
Georgiana stayed him with a raised hand. “William, your concern is quite unwarranted. Kitty is, as I said last night, harmless; she will cause me no discomfort.” She studied his face briefly. “May I offer a word of advice as well?”
Darcy looked wary. “What sort of advice?”
“I must beg you to reconsider your opinion of Kitty. She is a little unpolished, but she is much like Lizzy in her humor and manners. Also, if ever Elizabeth or Kitty discovered your concerns on my behalf, they would both be very hurt, and possibly angry. I would not wish you to place strain on your marriage so soon after the wedding, and Kitty is the first friend of my own age I have ever had.”
Darcy had the grace to look a little ashamed. “I will of course think on what you have said, Ana.”
He did not have the opportunity to say anything more. His wife entered the breakfast room at that moment and, in the true manner of a newlywed man very much in love, he had eyes for no one else. Georgiana smiled, amused and a little saddened at how easily his attention was monopolized by the sparkling eyes and lovely smile of his bride, but she had known how it would be. Her brother was not made to love in parts, and this new phase of his life was so very exciting and overwhelming that she could not blame him for occasionally neglecting her. It only made her that much happier that Kitty had been allowed to visit her; she could never have forgiven herself if her brother and new sister had felt obligated to include her in everything that should be shared exclusively between themselves.
Kitty entered the breakfast room shortly after her sister and smiled, mentally transcribing the scene before her into a letter to her father, who she thought would be very much amused. Lizzy has conquered him, Papa, and it is so much fun to see such a proud man ready to move mountains for a woman he once snubbed as only tolerable. Her sister and new brother were engaged in some lively banter or other by the sideboard, something about Mr. Darcy trying to help her to breakfast and Lizzy being more than able to perform the task herself, along with many witticisms and inside jokes that neither Kitty nor Georgiana could even begin to understand. Georgiana, having lost interest in the conversation that so engrossed the couple almost from the beginning, was staring absentmindedly at her plate of eggs as if she had never seen anything more interesting in her life.
Kitty sat beside her, took a muffin from a basket on the table, and said in a low voice, “I declare I am glad I came to rescue you. You might have been dancing the tarantella and they would have been none the wiser!”
Georgiana looked up from her very entertaining eggs and stared at Kitty, then laughed heartily enough to draw the attention of the newlyweds, who looked on astonished as Kitty joined her, suddenly unable to banish from her mind the picture of quiet and reserved Miss Darcy dancing like a gypsy queen on the breakfast table as Lizzy and Darcy talked away unconcerned. The more she thought of it, the more amused she grew, and her laughter infected Miss Darcy to such a degree that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy began to fear for their sanity.
When the young ladies had calmed themselves enough to receive inquiries into the source of their hilarity, Kitty could only gasp breathlessly that they were only agreeing how pleasant it was to have friends to talk with. Miss Darcy avoided meeting Kitty’s eyes, for fear of another outburst, and Elizabeth and Darcy were forced to accept this explanation, as nothing more could be drawn from either young lady without bringing on an attack of giggles.
The first item on Georgiana’s list of entertainments was exactly what Kitty could have wished for: a tour of the house and immediate gardens. She wished more than anything to be able to tour the whole estate, which Elizabeth had assured her was well worth seeing, but as they had engagements for the evening this was not practicable. Kitty was very well entertained, however, with the house itself.
The drawing rooms and sitting rooms were all elegant and well-furnished, but held little interest for Kitty beyond their finery; when they entered the gallery, however, she was all attention as Georgiana described their family history as it had been taught to her, mentioning all of the Fitzwilliams and Darcys that peopled the portraits. When they came to a large portrait of the most recent Darcy family, Georgiana’s voice failed her for a time, and Kitty was left to come to her own conclusions of the subjects.
There were four of them. A tall dark-haired man, strikingly like the current Mr. Darcy but dressed in the style of ten years ago, stood with his hand on the shoulder of a serious-faced lad of sixteen or seventeen years. The late Mr. Darcy’s features were so much like his son’s that they could have been the same man, but for the softness at the corners of the mouth and the gentle lines about the eyes that betrayed his ability to smile, and smile often. And yet, Kitty thought, this conclusion was not quite fair to her present host. Perhaps his marriage to Lizzy would yet make him as agreeable a man as his father appeared to be.
The serious lad was undoubtedly the present Mr. Darcy. He stood quite close to an elegant lady seated on his right, and it appeared his hand rested on the back of her chair. His eyes were gentle and intelligent as well as serious, and his features in general showed every promise of his becoming as handsome as his father – indeed, Kitty knew with a certainty that he had. For despite all his disagreeable demeanor and unbearable pride, none of the ladies in Hertfordshire, young or old, had ever denied his being a fine specimen of a man.
The late Mrs. Darcy resembled her daughter as much as her husband resembled his son. Her blonde curls were elegantly piled on top of her head, and a gentle smile graced her features, relieving the solemnity that the expressions of Mr. and Master Darcy lent the portrait. The eyes, however, those lovely clear blue eyes that her daughter had inherited in every particular, betrayed a sweet sadness for which Kitty was at a loss to account. For didn’t she have every reason for happiness?
The final figure in the picture was a very young girl, hardly older than six or seven years old. Her serene expression seemed out of place on the face of such a child as she stood to the right of her mother, who held her hand on her lap. Young Georgiana’s features were the common soft, rather indefinable features of childhood, and besides her fair curls and blue eyes, there was not much to link the child to the young woman.
The whole picture was one of love and pride, though not the kind of pride that the young Darcys had always been accused of having. This was a quiet, gentle sort of pride, a pride in each other, in their family, and Kitty found herself rather envying her friend such a family.
Georgiana seemed to come out of herself finally. “My mother and father,” she said unnecessarily.
“Is it faithful?” Kitty asked for lack of anything to say.
“My father’s is certainly very like, but my mother’s – I really couldn’t say. Fitzwilliam tells me it is faithful.” She paused again. “She died shortly after the portrait was finished. I remember her very little.”
Now Kitty was truly speechless. What could she possibly say to such grief? This, then, was the reason for the sadness she had noticed in the late Mrs. Darcy’s eyes that the painter had captured so perfectly. Georgiana did not seem to want her to say anything, however, and moved on to where her brother’s and her own portraits hung side by side, testament to the handsome adults the young Darcys had grown to be. She then pointed out where the portrait of Elizabeth would hang, for her brother was to commission it as soon as possible. Kitty tried to picture Elizabeth sitting in one spot long enough to allow a painter to take her likeness and suppressed a laugh.
The portrait gallery behind them, Georgiana returned to her former self and, as they were entering rooms more frequently inhabited, Kitty began to be more interested in her surroundings. Georgiana had plenty of interesting, amusing, and – if Mr. Darcy had been present – rather embarrassing tales of childhood antics and youthful indiscretions indulged in by both the young master and the young mistress. Indeed, by the end of the tour, Kitty no longer considered Pemberley a palace, but as comfortable a home as anyone could wish.
In the grounds they were joined by their siblings, who seemed to think that they had better spend some time with the young ladies. The four of them spent the afternoon strolling companionably about the gardens, making sure that Kitty saw and admired every remarkable spot and point of view. It was all together a very agreeable afternoon, and kept Mr. Darcy from dwelling on his worries over Kitty’s behavior that evening, when they would enter into company with their young guest. Would her apparently much-improved behavior continue, or would she relapse into her former silliness? Mr. Darcy dreaded the possibilities. When the time came for all to adjourn to their separate chambers and prepare for the evening’s entertainment, these concerns returned to his mind in full force.
For once Darcy was grateful for the necessity of separate dressing rooms, for he knew his wife would have seen instantly his concern and discomfort, and would not have rested until she knew all. And once she knew all, he knew, she would inevitably be offended. Elizabeth, however aware she might be of her relations’ follies, was fiercely loyal to and protective of her family, and rather intolerant of unkind comments about any of them. With great trepidation, therefore, did he prepare for the evening ahead.
Chapter Four
Posted on Monday, 19 May 2008
Kitty had spent the better part of an hour preparing for her first outing with the Darcys. Georgiana had assured her that the Beechams were perfectly amiable, and that the daughters were unaffected, agreeable girls. This had done nothing to allay Kitty’s worries. Unaffected, agreeable girls did not make her at all comfortable; her eldest sisters were unaffected, agreeable girls and they had never had much time or patience for her.
Kitty felt her heart pound as she considered the horrible possibilities of this night. Would she know how to behave? Would she know what to say? What if they did not like her? What if all did not go well? If the evening went badly, would Mr. Darcy use that as an excuse to pack her away post-haste? She knew he did not really like her, and could not possibly approve of her friendship with Georgiana.
Turning resolutely from the terrified girl in the glass, Kitty made her way into the hall and paced nervously back and forth, hoping that Georgiana would soon make an appearance and she would not have to walk downstairs alone. She heard a door open down the hallway and turned, ready to greet her friend, but saw instead Mr. Darcy resplendent in evening wear. He paused at the sight of her, seeming to debate something in his mind, but with a sudden determination approached her.
“Good evening, Catherine,” he said formally. “I see we are before the others.”
“I did not wish to be late,” she said quietly, not meeting his eyes.
“Shall we go down?” He offered her his arm and they descended the stairs together. Kitty was silent, and Darcy watched her from the corner of his eye. She was pale and looked frightened. Darcy, who had planned to deliver a rather serious speech about the necessity of behaving well on this outing, saw that such a warning would be more alarming than instructive; in fact he thought she resembled his timid sister far more than her own lively ones. He cast about in his mind for something to say that might ease her mind, but could think of nothing. Georgiana’s blossoming under the tutelage of Elizabeth, when his own efforts had been fruitless, was proof enough that he had no talent for instilling confidence and ease in young girls. The two of them waited in the foyer for their sisters, both silent and uncomfortable, and greatly relieved when Georgiana and Elizabeth appeared. They all entered the carriage and set off, so Kitty thought, to decide her fate.
Kitty watched as all three Darcys were greeted warmly by Mr. and Mrs. Beecham; their greeting to herself was polite and friendly as well. Georgiana, a pink blush spreading over her cheeks at the necessity, introduced her new friend to Miss Julia and Miss Christine Beecham, who in turn introduced their brother Mr. James Beecham. Miss Beecham and Miss Christine were a year or two older than Kitty and Georgiana, and Mr. James much nearer Elizabeth’s age, but they greeted both girls with perfect amity.
There were others of the party, of course. The Jamisons, whose upcoming ball had been the cause of such anxiety on the part of Georgiana, were in attendance, as was their son. Mr. Harold Jamison had the misfortune to be not very handsome, but seemed perfectly agreeable all the same.
Kitty’s anxiety had not lessened since her introductions. She sat in mortal fear of misbehaving in some way or other, and could scarcely utter a word when anyone spoke to her. The Miss Beechams seemed quite determined to make her talk, and she was having a difficult time of it. Where was Lydia with all of her determined talking when she was needed? Kitty could not for her life remember the last time she had been required to carry on a conversation with anyone not related to her.
“I must say we are charmed by Mrs. Darcy,” Miss Beecham said genially, taking a seat near her new acquaintance. “Everyone was beginning to think Mr. Darcy might never marry! And yet here is the new bride; she has succeeded where everyone else has failed, you know. Poor things,” she added, not sounding at all sympathetic.
Kitty smiled at this. Miss Beecham did not strike her as one of those young ladies who had aspired to the position of Mrs. Darcy. “They certainly seem very happy,” she said.
“Oh! certainly. One would be very surprised if they were not the happiest couple in the world, both so handsome, one so rich and the other so agreeable. Is this your first visit into Derbyshire?”
“Oh…yes, it is.”
“I understand from Mrs. Darcy that your aunt is from the area?”
“Yes. I believe she was raised in Lambton. She lives in London now.”
“Indeed! In what part of London?”
Immediately on her guard despite Miss Beecham’s apparent amiability, Kitty could not help thinking of Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. Elizabeth had abused those sisters roundly for their snobbery with regards to Gracechurch Street. She named the street and then said no more, dreading what was to come next.
Miss Beecham, rather weary of carrying the weight of the conversation, waited for Kitty to make the next conversational gambit, but that young lady could think of nothing to say. She cast about in her mind for something to open with, but could think only of what Lydia would say in such a situation. She hardly thought that an observation about how handsome Mr. James Beecham was, or how plain Mr. Harold Jamison appeared next to him, would be calculated to please this young woman; nor did she imagine that a lengthy retelling of some great joke or flirtation would be at all welcome. Restlessly she glanced across the room at Georgiana, who for all her shyness seemed to have come out of her shell enough to discuss music with Miss Christine Beecham with something approaching enthusiasm. Lizzy was, per her custom, enchanting the host, hostess, and the Jamisons with her own particular brand of witty conversation.
Seeing that Miss Beecham was beginning to regard her with some impatience, Kitty eventually began to discuss the lovely weather they must have been enjoying, and was miserable to see all interest leave the eyes of a young woman she would have liked very much to call a friend. Kitty had never been so relieved to hear dinner announced in her life. They filed into the dining room, and Kitty found herself, to her very great relief, seated by Georgiana. Across the table sat the unprepossessing Mr. Harold Jamison, who regarded her with great curiosity and, she noticed with a little flutter, no little admiration.
But what to do with such knowledge? Kitty was determined not to behave like Lydia, but now that she knew following Lydia’s example was not advisable, she had no idea how to proceed. When she glanced up from her plate and saw his eyes still upon her, she hazarded a small smile and was rewarded with one in return. She was surprised to note that he looked quite pleasant when he smiled, though still not at all handsome.
“Do you find Derbyshire to your liking, Miss Bennet?” he asked, his voice gentle and kind.
“Very much,” she said, feeling comfortable with this line of conversation. Who could tire of talking of the beauties of Derbyshire, after all? “It is quite the most beautiful country I have ever seen.”
“Have you done much traveling?”
“Not at all; I have not left home above thrice in my life.”
He nodded in acknowledgement and silence fell, during which he seemed to expect something more from her. When Mr. James Beecham called his attention, Kitty realized too late that she had been expected to inquire into his own travels, thus prolonging what might have proved to be a very interesting conversation. Kitty felt tears threatening; the evening could not possibly have gone worse! Everyone must think her the dullest creature in existence; she could not speak a word without betraying her own stupidity.
At long last dinner ended and the ladies departed for coffee, leading the gentlemen to their brandy and cigars. The Miss Beechams attempted no more conversation with Kitty, turning instead to Miss Darcy, who occasionally glanced with gentle concern in Kitty’s direction but could not politely leave the Miss Beechams to themselves. Elizabeth, seeing Kitty look very miserable, asked if she would not rather leave early, but Kitty refused to allow her own unfitness to ruin a pleasant evening for everyone else.
When the gentlemen arrived, Kitty felt as if she could change positions without drawing attention to herself, and moved to one of the windows to admire what she could see of the gardens, though night had already fallen. It was a clear, moonlit night, and she soon became immersed in the view. She was unaware that she had become somewhat hidden behind the thick curtains until a voice nearly in her ear made her start, but no one was speaking to her. She recognized Miss Beecham’s voice; that young lady was conferring with her sister.
“I could never have thought a sister of Mrs. Darcy would be so unsociable! I could scarcely draw a word from her.”
“She seemed friendly enough when she came in,” Miss Christine mused, “but I did not talk with her as you did.”
“I dare say she now thinks very well of herself thanks to her sister’s marriage. You should have seen her face when she spoke of her London relations, who by all accounts are genteel, agreeable people.”
Kitty gripped the windowsill very hard with her fingers, willing herself to stay silent and motionless until they had moved away. She would not respond to their unjust remarks and embarrass Lizzy even further. When she was certain they were gone, she removed herself from the window and approached her elder sister.
“Lizzy,” she whispered, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Elizabeth, laughing at a conversational sally of Mrs. Beecham’s, turned to face her sister, her expression instantly changing when she saw the tears in Kitty’s eyes. “I’m afraid I have a headache,” Kitty said weakly. “Would it be too rude to leave?”
“Oh, my dear, of course not!” Elizabeth said immediately. She made her apologies to Mrs. Beecham and took Kitty’s hand in both her own to approach her husband. Their whispered consultation was very brief and soon, with many apologies and excuses, the Pemberley party were packed away in their carriage. Kitty said nothing to anyone on the journey home, but she could no longer suppress the tears that ran freely down her cheeks.
When they arrived at Pemberley, Kitty went immediately to her room and, with no regard for her gown or hair, threw herself upon the coverlet. She stared at the ceiling above her and felt that she had never been so miserable.
A quiet knock on her door surprised her, and without thinking she bade the person enter. Georgiana came in, a look of concern on her lovely face. Kitty, who had now worked herself into an impressive fit of temper, would not look at her.
“What is the matter, Kitty?” Georgiana asked, sitting beside her.
“Oh, nothing is the matter with me!” Kitty said petulantly. “But I think there may be something the matter with your Miss Beechams. I tried my very best to be calm and genteel like you, and everyone decided I was unsociable and proud!”
Georgiana frowned. “Why on earth would you try to be like me?”
“Because you are a lady, a perfect gentle lady, and I am not.”
“But I am shy and easily confused. You are lively and have an excellent sense of humor. We are so different, Kitty! Where did you get the notion that you must be like me?”
Kitty paused. “I was afraid your brother would send me away if I made a fool of myself. And at Longbourn I was always making a fool of myself.”
“Oh, Kitty,” Georgiana said consolingly. “He is your brother as well, you know. He would not send you away. Indeed, he could not. Elizabeth and I have some say in the workings of Pemberley, you know, and we both want you to stay very much. He would be sadly outnumbered indeed, even if he did wish you to go!”
Kitty laughed, though the sound was rather watery. “Oh, I have made a mess of things, even when I was trying so hard to do right!”
Georgiana rose. “We are to dine with Sir Samuel Westcott and Lady Emma tomorrow. You must not allow this setback to dampen your spirits! You shall be the belle of Derbyshire yet.”
The next night Kitty was determined to please and amuse. She armed herself with as much good humor as she could, prepared to laugh and joke and have a jolly good time. Had not Georgie told her to allow her spirits free reign?
But Sir Samuel and Lady Emma were not amused by her jokes, and several of the guests seemed to find her laugh annoying. Within an hour Kitty found herself in much the same situation she had been in the night before: alone and friendless, with only the occasional remark directed towards her, which she answered as briefly as she could. Mr. Darcy and Lizzy looked rather black on their return to Pemberley, but neither made any motion to detain her as she stormed to her room and threw herself, for the second time in two days, on her bed.
The problem, Kitty fumed silently, was that everyone here was far too clever and agreeable and amiable and all that to wish to tolerate the presence of an inferior being. After all, was it her fault that her parents had ignored her and her sister had bullied her and her friends had mocked her? Was it her fault that she had never been told what to do and how to behave in company? Was it her fault that she was not fit for the acquaintance of “unaffected, agreeable” people? Kitty was sure it was not. And how could these immensely agreeable people judge her so quickly and unjustly, anyway?
Kitty rolled onto her front and punched her pillow in a fit of petulant anger. She was sick and tired of meeting agreeable people. She needed to meet some disagreeable ones. She was very much looking forward to the rector’s joining them for dinner the next day; clergymen were always excessively disagreeable at parties, always looking solemn and reading sermons to the party.
The next day Kitty prepared in great earnest to meet this almost assuredly disagreeable guest, and was ready to annoy him with all the silliness in her power, when he was announced and she met the astonished dark eyes of Mr. Philip Greerson.
Chapter Five
Posted on Thursday, 29 May 2008
Mr. Darcy strode forward to greet the newcomer, his hand outstretched in a friendly manner.
“Mr. Greerson, we are happy you can join us.” The handshake was brief, and Darcy turned to offer his hand to Elizabeth. “Allow me to present my wife Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy, my sister Miss Georgiana Darcy, and Mrs. Darcy’s sister Miss Catherine Bennet.”
All three ladies curtsied; Elizabeth and Georgiana said what was proper, but Kitty astonished the whole party by saying, “Mr. Greerson, we meet again!”
Mr. Darcy looked very puzzled. “Have you had occasion to meet my sister-in-law, Mr. Greerson?”
Mr. Greerson looked very uncomfortable and was turning a dull shade of red, so Kitty made free to answer for him. “Mr. Greerson was of the greatest assistance to me during my journey, Mr. Darcy.”
“I beg your pardon,” Mr. Greerson interrupted awkwardly, “but it was the footman whom I assisted.”
“Perhaps,” Kitty pressed on, put more and more at ease by his discomfort, “but as the footman was assisting me and having a very difficult time of it until you came along, I believe we may safely say that you assisted me by extension.”
“What on earth are you talking of, Kitty?” Elizabeth finally asked, a smile beginning in her eyes. “Were you attacked by highwaymen and did not share the tale? Shocking!”
“Miss Bennet’s footman was having some trouble with her trunk and I helped him to carry it,” Mr. Greerson said shortly.
“Well, that was very handsome of you,” Elizabeth said, and then invited him to sit down.
Kitty now felt much more comfortable. Mr. Greerson looked surprised and discomfited at seeing her again, and without trying to discern why that should be so, she was glad that he hid his discomfort so ill. It was gratifying to be in the presence of someone who felt more out of his element than she.
“My brother talked of a new rector for the parish, but he never mentioned your name,” Kitty said to him conversationally when they had all been seated.
“Didn’t I?” Darcy said. “I am sure I must have mentioned it at one point.”
“Never in my hearing, or you should have heard the tale of his gallantry in a much more interesting and flattering fashion than he has told it himself.”
“I would not be made a hero, Miss Bennet,” Mr. Greerson interrupted. “It would not be very seemly in a man of my profession.”
“Not seemly for a young, able clergyman to help damsels in distress! My sister Mary would disagree with you completely.”
“You misunderstand me. I meant that to seek praise and rewards for the service offered would be vainglorious and inappropriate.”
Kitty was beginning to enjoy herself immensely. “Mr. Greerson, I have offered a great deal of praise, but I do not believe I ever mentioned a reward.”
“Another time, Kitty, I would be glad to hear your tale,” Elizabeth said, trying without success to hide a smile, “but let us talk of other things, I beg you.”
Mr. Greerson looked relieved, and Kitty suppressed the giggle that rose to her lips. She turned away to hide her smile as Elizabeth began to ask Mr. Greerson how he found his parsonage, and caught Mr. Darcy watching her with a strange expression on his face. Buoyed as she was with the confidence she had gained from Mr. Greerson’s discomfort, she found herself asking him in a whisper what the matter was.
“There is nothing the matter,” he said, more mildly than she had expected, “but I do find that you are very like your elder sister sometimes.”
This was the highest praise Kitty had ever received from anyone, and she was momentarily speechless with surprise. Darcy himself had been as surprised as anyone to make this discovery, but as she had conversed with and teased the poor young clergyman, he had been struck with the memory of Elizabeth’s manner of teasing him almost from the beginning of their acquaintance.
Mr. Greerson seemed to regain some of his composure when Mrs. Darcy began speaking to him of his parsonage. The house was small, to be sure, as many parsonages were, he said, but perfectly adequate for a gentleman in his position. Having discussed the house, Mrs. Darcy moved on to the gardens.
“I believe the previous tenant planted them himself. Have you found them to your liking?”
“I confess I have not had much time to look into them,” Mr. Greerson said apologetically. “I hope to take more of an interest later this spring, but I confess I know little about plants.”
“Where is the parsonage?” Kitty asked. “I don’t remember seeing anything but the lodge on the way here.”
“It is on the north side of the estate, Catherine, near the woods. I do not believe your path took you near there when you arrived,” Mr. Darcy answered.
Dinner was announced, and when they had all been seated at the table, conversation flowed more freely.
“Lizzy,” Kitty ventured, feeling rather brave in the company of a guest, “have you and Mr. Darcy reached a decision about the Jamisons’ ball yet?”
Elizabeth shared a glance with her husband. “Not yet, Kitty, but we will be sure to inform you as soon as we have.”
Kitty shrugged. “From what you said, I did not expect half as many invitations as we have had already. But Mama said that we would be in company more than you thought!”
Elizabeth eyed her suspiciously, sure that there was more to her mother’s prediction, but when no such vulgarity seemed forthcoming, she said, “Well, then she was right. I did not realize how very much in demand my husband would be.”
“Your husband!” Georgiana exclaimed. “Lizzy, you know they have all known Fitzwilliam and me for some time.”
“Don’t be so modest, Elizabeth,” Mr. Darcy said with a smile. “You know it is you they all want to see.”
“Miss Beecham said so herself, so there is no point denying it,” Kitty added. Elizabeth laughed, but her cheeks were a little pink.
Mr. Greerson smiled, the first sign of his amusement throughout the whole evening. “I have been visited by several parishioners who have nothing to talk of but the new Mistress of Pemberley. I believe you have made quite the conquest here, Mrs. Darcy.”
Elizabeth, now blushing quite furiously, turned the subject, and Kitty soon found that she was enjoying herself more than she had at any of the previous parties. Mr. Greerson was rather serious, but he had a pleasant smile, and a laugh that seemed a little rusty from disuse.
After dinner the gentlemen did not stay behind the ladies long. Mr. Darcy seemed unable to keep away from his wife for very long, and Mr. Greerson had no objection to joining the ladies in the parlor a little sooner than was customary.
Both Kitty and Elizabeth were adamant that Georgiana grace them with music, and she obliged with only the lightest of blushes. Kitty found herself very near Mr. Greerson, who seemed enraptured by the sounds coming from the pianoforte. Smiling to herself, and planning a little innocent matchmaking in her head, she inclined her head towards him and observed,
“She does play divinely, doesn’t she?”
Mr. Greerson looked around at her. “I have rarely heard anything that gave me more pleasure.”
“You enjoy music, then?”
“Very much, though I prefer sacred music.”
Kitty’s brow creased a little. “Sacred music? Do you mean the hymns we sing at church? Surely there is much more to enjoy in music such as this. Hymns have so little to interest anyone!”
“I find the simple melodies and reverent words to be comforting and inspiring, but that was not what I meant by sacred music.” Seeing that Kitty looked puzzled, he continued, “Have you never heard the works of Mr. Bach, Miss Bennet?”
The name was unfamiliar to her, and she shook her head.
“The works he wrote for the church are inspiring in their musicality as well as their spirituality. I confess that to me, the complexity and simplicity of his works, their passion and their purity, are far more interesting than the little songs young ladies are taught to play for entertainment. Miss Darcy, however,” he added, seeing that Kitty’s face had grown rather dark, “plays with enough taste and expression to render even the simplest song interesting.”
Kitty smiled graciously at his compliment to her friend. “I wish I could equal her, or even play passably well, but I am a very indifferent musician. I have great pleasure in listening, but not the smallest interest in performing myself.”
“You had best prepare yourself to ward off an attack, then,” he responded with a small smile, “for if my observations in parties such as these have been correct, you will be asked to play next.”
“Oh, I always anticipate such an attack, and have my defense planned accordingly,” Kitty said airily.
No sooner had the final notes died away and the applause concluded, than Elizabeth began to turn to her sister. Kitty spoke immediately.
“Lizzy, it’s been so long since I heard you play! Won’t you favor us?”
Elizabeth, having already opened her mouth to form a similar request of her younger sister, could do nothing but glare silently at the triumphantly smiling young woman and accede to the proposal, especially as her most devoted admirers – namely, her husband and sister-in-law – were eagerly adding their own entreaties. Kitty shrugged almost imperceptibly as her sister’s gaze promised retribution.
“Very clever indeed,” Mr. Greerson murmured beside her, struggling to contain his smile, “but you have forgotten there is one other person in the party who can make a request.”
“As you have already stated that you are very fond of music, sir,” Kitty said warningly, “I suggest you think very carefully before you require me to torment you so!”
He bowed in acknowledgement and turned his eyes to Elizabeth and the instrument, but his attention seemed to be elsewhere. Perhaps, Kitty thought mischievously, it was with a certain blonde beauty across the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The meeting with Mr. Greerson raised Kitty’s spirits considerably. She could not but feel that she had acquitted herself well, and made a tolerably good impression. Mr. Darcy did not look so sternly at her anymore, and Kitty felt that she was now settled at Pemberley for a nice long visit. It could not be so difficult to emulate her behavior from that night, after all. What had she done but exactly what she wanted to do? What had she said but exactly what she wanted to say? Yes, after this, all would be easy.
Georgiana had planned a visit to Lambton for some afternoon shopping, a scheme to which Kitty could not but wholeheartedly agree. She had only a little money from her father, but she was determined to spend it, and spend it well. They left Pemberley in the company of a manservant, who was bravely stoic at the prospect of following two young women on a shopping expedition.
The shops of Lambton were not as fine as Kitty had hoped. She had a reverence for finery, and had assumed that any shop Miss Darcy frequented must be the height of fashion, but she soon found that Lambton was much like Meryton, only a little cleaner. Sighing within herself, she turned a practiced eye on the simpler items that might be rendered more attractive by her own rather considerable skill. It was no coincidence that Lydia had always stolen her reworked bonnets.
“There!” Kitty finally said, pointing at a bonnet in a window display. “Isn’t that nice, Georgie?”
Georgiana looked in the window at the rather plain bonnet and then enquiringly at her friend. “I suppose it is nice, Kitty, but there are several much handsomer in the shop across the way.”
“I suppose, but this one would be much easier to pull apart and do over again.”
“Pull apart?” Georgiana now looked entirely flummoxed. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“We all used to do it at home,” Kitty explained. “It is much less expensive than buying a new bonnet.” Her voice suddenly dropped away at the end of the sentence as she realized that Miss Darcy, with her thirty thousand pounds, had probably never had to remake a bonnet or rework a gown in her life.
Georgiana did not look embarrassed or disgusted, but intrigued. “Really! Do you enjoy it?”
“Well, I…yes,” Kitty answered, realizing with surprise that this was the truth.
“Oh, you must teach me how!” said Georgiana. “I wondered why your bonnets all seemed to suit you so precisely! It sounds like the greatest fun!”
“Well, choose a bonnet – not too handsome or anything – and I will begin your lessons,” Kitty laughed.
Georgiana clapped her hands together. “Oh, thank you!” She rushed into the shop to find a plain bonnet, and Kitty stood where she was, scrutinizing the bonnet in the window and wondering whether she should save her money for something a little more fashionable.
“Miss Bennet!”
Kitty turned to see who hailed her, and recognized Mr. James Beecham.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Beecham,” Kitty said with a curtsey. “How do you do?”
“Oh, very well, very well. Have you seen my sisters, by any chance? They are here somewhere, bent on the same task you are no doubt performing this very moment.”
“What task is that, sir?” Kitty responded, glad that he seemed inclined to be friendly.
“Spending as much money as they can on objects as worthless as possible. Is that not the task of all young ladies?”
“It is not a task, Mr. Beecham,” Kitty said gravely. “It is a calling.”
Mr. Beecham laughed appreciatively.
“I have not seen your sisters, I am afraid, though I will be sure to tell them you are seeking them if I do see them.”
“More likely you will stop, exclaim over the unexpected pleasure of meeting in the only shopping district within thirty miles, and talk of absolutely nothing for a full thirty minutes.” Mr. Beecham teased. “Is that not also a calling of young women?”
“That is not a calling, sir. It is a gift.”
Mr. Beecham laughed again, and Kitty smiled, the thrill of causing someone else’s mirth momentarily overpowering her. Was this how Lizzy felt when she was in company? What heady stuff!
Georgiana came out of the shop, a very plain bonnet in her hands and excitement glowing in her eyes. “Here! Will this one do, Kitty? It is plain enough, isn’t it?” She noticed Mr. Beecham and suddenly grew very red.
“I believe that bonnet is decidedly plain, Miss Darcy,” he said. “Is it perhaps a gift? For someone you dislike?”
Kitty wanted to laugh, but knew that this brand of humor was distressing to her friend, so she saved Georgiana the necessity of replying but saying that they must return to Pemberley. With a last smile and a curtsey, the ladies were soon on their way again. As they crossed the road to where the Darcy carriage sat waiting, Kitty suddenly noticed Mr. Greerson standing only a few yards away from the milliner’s. She gave him a friendly smile and raised a hand in greeting, but he merely frowned and looked grave. Confused, she wondered what could have caused him such displeasure, and wondered mischievously if he disliked seeing the lovely Miss Darcy in the company of such a handsome, rich gentleman as Mr. Beecham.
It was not until she had retired for the evening, and thrown a glance over the events of the day, that she remembered, suddenly and forcibly, her own brother’s affection for Miss Darcy. Kitty groaned aloud. What mischief had she caused now?
Chapter Six
Posted on Sunday, 15 June 2008
“Well, Kitty,” Elizabeth said over breakfast the next morning, “you must prepare yourself for some great news. And you, Georgie,” she added in a gently teasing tone, “must brace yourself for something terrible.”
The two young ladies looked extremely curious and, after exchanging a questioning look, asked their sister what she could mean by such an enigmatic speech. Mr. Darcy sat silently, a small smile playing at his lips. He had asked Elizabeth to make this announcement, and was glad for his own sake that she had agreed. He did not think he would be able to withstand the young ladies’ reactions with fortitude.
After amusing herself for a few more moments with her sisters’ curiosity, Elizabeth finally admitted that she and Mr. Darcy had decided to attend the Jamisons’ ball that Friday evening. As expected, Kitty looked ready to explode with excitement. Georgiana, in testament to her new-found confidence, did not look as if she dreaded the event, though she did not appear overjoyed. As Kitty was still a little afraid of her brother-in-law, and Georgiana did not know how to express her conflicting emotions, the dining room endured at least three minutes of silence.
Pleased with the impact her announcement had made, Elizabeth calmly returned to her breakfast, saying cheerfully, “We will need to buy the two of you new gowns, of course.”
Mr. Darcy was forced at this point to leave the breakfast room, as Kitty and Georgiana set up such a squeal of delight that he felt his ears might burst.
The next morning, however, Georgiana had one last delight in store for Kitty. Bright and early on a crisp April morning, the two young ladies set off around Pemberley’s great estate in a phaeton that was kept especially for Miss Darcy’s use. Miss Darcy required no driver, as she was an accomplished horsewoman and driver, but a groom was made to accompany them for safety’s sake. Kitty wondered at the necessity of this, as Pemberley was, after all, so very remote, but saw fit not to question her brother-in-law when he looked so grave.
The carriage set out on a path that wound slowly away from the house and over a small bridge. In wide, gentle turns the path took them up the hill from which Kitty had had her first view of Pemberley. When they reached the summit of the hill, Georgiana turned the carriage so that they could appreciate the beauty of Pemberley, with its backdrop of wooded hills and foreground of smooth green lawns and sparkling stream. Kitty sighed appreciatively.
“With such a view, do you ever tire of coming home?”
“Never,” Georgiana said with a smile, “but I never tire of staying either.”
“I think I would leave as often as possible, just for the sake of returning again,” Kitty declared, and Georgiana laughed.
They began their circuit around the park. There was so much to see that Georgiana kept her pace slow and deliberate, and Kitty felt after a half hour that her eyes might fall from her head. She could not stop gazing upon the magnificent hills, the gentle sloping valleys. Everything was just beginning to wake to the spring, and the green, what little there was of it, was young and light. Kitty could only imagine the beauty of Pemberley in the summer, and was heartily glad that she would be able to see it in only a few short months.
“We are nearing the northern side of the estate now,” Georgiana said conversationally. “I believe the parsonage is just around this bend.”
This sentence, which would have awoken mischief and matchmaking in Kitty’s head immediately only the day before, now caused her a great deal of uneasiness. “Shouldn’t we head back to the house, Georgie?” she asked nervously. “I am sure Lizzy will want to go to Lambton soon. Let us turn back.”
“It would take far longer to return if we were to turn, Kitty,” Georgiana said reasonably. “We are more than halfway around the estate as it is.”
Resigned, Kitty watched as the parsonage came into view, hoping that at least they would not see the handsome vicar. She did not wish to see him encouraged in his admiration for a young woman who had the admiration of her own brother.
“Is this the parsonage!” Kitty exclaimed as they came upon it.
It was not at all what she had expected. When Elizabeth and Mr. Greerson had spoken of it a few nights ago, she had imagined a small cottage with three or four rooms at the very most, and a most humble aspect. But this house, with its wide drive, handsome brick walls, and delicate gate, seemed much nearer a gentleman’s home than a lowly parsonage.
“It is,” Georgiana said. “Fitzwilliam plans to make a few improvements whenever Mr. Greerson is at his leisure.”
“I do not know how well he could improve it, unless he wishes to make another Pemberley,” Kitty said wryly.
Georgiana smiled, and then her smile widened. “Look, there he is!”
Kitty suppressed a groan as she spied Mr. Greerson walking down the path towards them. Georgiana pulled the phaeton to a stop and managed an elegant bow despite the fact that she was sitting down.
“Good morning, Mr. Greerson!”
“Good morning, Miss Darcy, Miss Bennet,” the gentleman replied with his own bow. “How do you do?”
“I have been giving Kitty a tour of the park before our journey to Lambton.”
“Another appointment in Lambton? Did not I see you there only two days ago?”
“This is a very special occasion, sir,” Kitty interrupted. “We are preparing for the Jamisons’ ball on Friday.”
“Ah, yes, the Jamisons’ ball. I have just received an invitation myself.”
“And will you be joining us?”
“I believe so. There is no better way to establish some form of intimacy with my parishioners.” He seemed to deliberate within himself for a moment. “I hope I don’t presume too much to ask for dances from both of you young ladies.”
Kitty did not say anything, but nodded her head rather stiffly, hoping she did not look as dismayed as she felt. Georgiana accepted the invitation much more graciously, but Mr. Greerson’s grave countenance did not change, though he bid them a polite farewell.
The day of the ball arrived, and Kitty found herself, once more, in front of her looking-glass. There was no fear left, however, no crippling worry about what would happen if she acted badly tonight. She did feel rather fluttery, wondering what would happen at this ball, where she would meet new people and behave differently than ever before. But for once, she was not afraid of disappearing into the woodwork, or making a spectacle of herself.
She dreaded her dance with Mr. Greerson. In her experience, young men who admired her friends or sisters often danced with her for no other purpose than to discuss the young lady who truly held their affections. Mr. Greerson did not seem the eloquent type, but awkward questions and silences were just as bad as eager effusions. At least, she remembered, she would be in the company of Mr. Jamison again, who had seemed to like her well enough. And she did look very well this evening, Kitty concluded, smiling at the image of herself in the mirror. A call from Lizzy reminded her that they must not be late, and she hurried down to the carriage.
When they arrived at the Jamisons’, Kitty was happy to see that Mr. and Mrs. Jamison greeted her in just as friendly a manner as they had at the Beechams’, and Mr. Harold Jamison’s smile held a great deal of admiration in it as he complimented her on her looks and asked for the first dance of the evening. At this request his parents looked rather surprised, and the gentleman himself turned slightly red, but no one was as astonished as Kitty herself. She agreed, and walked away with her party to greet their fellow guests.
Georgiana took her arm and spoke quietly. “The first dance with Mr. Jamison! He must admire you a great deal!”
Kitty could not respond, as they had come upon the Miss Beechams. In the whirl of greetings, exclamations, compliments, and introductions, Kitty tried to decide how this startling attention Mr. Jamison had paid to her affected her. That she was flattered she could not deny, but he was not a gentleman she would have admired in the past.
Before she could decide whether this was a good development or a bad one, the music sounded for the first dance, and Mr. Harold Jamison came to claim her hand. Kitty felt hundreds of eyes upon her as they took their place at the top of the set. She knew everyone was whispering, wondering about this newcomer who had somehow been elevated to the most coveted spot on the dance floor. She looked down the set and saw that Mr. Greerson, with whom she had not yet spoken, had taken his opportunity to dance with Georgiana. Georgie was smiling, but Mr. Greerson still looked very serious, and would not look at her. His gaze seemed trained up the set, as if to avoid her eyes. Confused by this strange behavior, Kitty averted her thoughts from him to pay attention to her partner, who seemed all eagerness to please.
“I remember you had a favorable impression of Derbyshire when we spoke last,” he said as the dance began. “I hope you haven’t had to change your opinion.”
“On the contrary, I love it more and more,” Kitty declared. “But a young man like you, I suppose, has better countries to visit!”
He looked rather confused. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’m sure you have traveled extensively?” Kitty tried again.
“Oh, not so extensively. Before the, ah, unpleasantness, I spent quite a few weeks in France and Spain.”
“That is far more extensively than I have ever traveled. I’m not like Lizzy, though, I don’t have any desire for it; I do love to hear other people’s tales, though.”
Mr. Jamison smiled, and told her a few stories of his travels through Europe. He had a gentle sense of humor that kept her in constant giggles. By the time they had gone down the dance, given their bows, and he had escorted her from the floor, Kitty had quite forgotten her unease over her looming dance with Mr. Greerson.
When that young man approached her to claim his set, however, her fears returned to her, and she waited nervously for the beginning of the music, only managing a weak smile when Mr. Jamison asked if she were quite well. The music began, Mr. Greerson approached, and she was being led to the set.
When they had taken their places and stood silently for some time, Kitty thought to disarm him as she had done at Pemberley. “It was very kind and noble of you to ask me to dance, Mr. Greerson,” she said with a smile.
“Politeness is not kindness, Miss Bennet, and courtesy is not nobility.”
The smile dropped instantly from her face. “Have I done something to offend you?” she asked rather sharply.
His face turned rather red as he realized how rude he had sounded. “Not at all, Miss Bennet. I beg your pardon. I feared another aggrandizement of the type you favored us all with at Pemberley last week.”
Her lips pursed. “Are you truly so grave that you cannot recognize a joke when you hear it?”
“I have never found much humor in the discomfort of others.”
Kitty reddened. “You find much to disapprove of in me, I think.”
“I cannot say. We are only acquaintances, after all. But every time I have met you I have noticed that your manners tend towards the…” His voice died away under the ferocity of her glare.
“Vulgar? Crude? Wanton? I suppose that is what you thought of me the other day in Lambton when you saw me talking with Mr. James Beecham. Very religious of you, I am sure, to draw conclusions about my character based on a single friendly conversation!”
He said nothing, his expression unreadable. Kitty was too angry to say any more, and was more than happy to go down the dance in complete silence. When it ended, she made her curtsey and walked away without waiting for him to escort her off the floor. On second thought, Kitty fumed angrily, I would have preferred that he wax poetic on Georgiana!