Chapter Seven – Kitty Begins her Education

Kitty sat between Mr Bennet and Mary on a couch in the parlour at Mrs Longevin's Academy for Young Ladies. At twelve, Kitty did not feel nearly so grown up as she had hoped she would, but also knew that she might very well be the youngest student at the school. She was looking forward to being Miss Katherine; it would be her first step into being an adult ready to be part of society. Mary sat calmly; she still had another year after this one to her schooling, and was used to being in the parlour by now. Kitty envied her, as Mary had a few close friends at this school, and she knew no one yet. Georgiana had written to her saying that she had a place at her mother's old school, but that they would still write often.

"It will be alright, Kitty," said Mr Bennet, seeing his daughter's nerves. "Your sisters have thrived here, and so will you. I am sure that you will find your own group of friends, just as they have done, and that your academics will enrich your life."

"I know, Papa," said Kitty. "I'm just nervous."

"I will keep an eye on you," promised Mary. "But ultimately, school is what you make of it. Lizzie helped to welcome me. My friends have agreed to do the same for you."

"Thank you, Mary," breathed Kitty. "I would like that."

The door swung open and Mrs Longevin walked in. Mary and Mr Bennet rose to greet her, Kitty following a heartbeat after them. Mrs Longevin's forehead creased slightly, but then she smiled and greeted Mary, sending her off to her room and her friends upstairs. Mary squeezed Kitty's hand and kissed her father's cheek goodbye before leaving the room.

"It is always so good to see how much your girls love you, Mr Bennet," said Mrs Longevin. "I know I failed to mention it when Miss Elizabeth was here, but it makes me feel better, knowing that my students have parents who are interested in their well-being."

"Education is very important to me," said Mr Bennet. "All of my girls have had the opportunity to learn. Their mother and I may disagree on what constitutes a proper education, but all of my daughters can read and write and do basic sums."

"And so you send me the ones who genuinely want to learn," said Mrs Longevin. "I appreciate having them here."

"This is my daughter Katherine," said Mr Bennet. "I shall leave her to tell you about her education thus far."

Kitty stumbled a little through Mrs Longevin's questioning. The crease between Mrs Longevin's brows came back as Kitty answered and stuttered, but the questions remained sharp and thorough. At the end of the questioning, Mrs Longevin sighed.

"I can see the effects of maternal neglect in you," said Mrs Longevin. "While I can teach you the social graces you will need, I cannot teach you to have confidence in yourself. And I feel that is what you most lack. Developing friendships with the other girls will help with that, I believe. I have set you up with Anna Bell-Hudson as a roommate. It is my hope that you will prove to be as good friends as your sisters and their roommates."

"I hope so too, Mrs Longevin," said Kitty. "I very much want to have a friend here at school."

"Then you shall have to exert yourself to make friendships," said Mrs Longevin. She rose. "Come, Miss Katherine, let me show you to your room. I believe that Miss Mary is waiting for us with her friends, and they wish to welcome you to the school."

Mr Bennet rose with his daughter and hugged her gently. "Off you go, Kitty. Be brave and work hard."

"I will, Papa," said Kitty. She followed Mrs Longevin out of the parlour and up into the school proper, and then up again to the bedrooms. Mary and two other girls were waiting for them at the top of the stairs. Mrs Longevin smiled at them as Mary explained what their intent was. The three older girls joined Kitty and followed Mrs Longevin to Elizabeth's old room.

"I believe strongly in keeping sisters close together, but not rooming them together," Mrs Longevin informed Kitty.

Kitty nodded, and Mrs Longevin knocked on the door. At the response, she opened the door and entered. Mary and her friends ushered Kitty into the room. They found Mrs Longevin frowning at another girl, who was seated on Kitty's trunk with her arms folded and a pout on her face. Kitty stared at her in bewilderment.

"Papa paid for me to have a private room," said the girl crossly. "That girl needs to move somewhere else."

"As I explained to you and your father," said Mrs Longevin, "there are no private rooms at this school. You will have a roommate and you will learn to behave like a grown lady and not like a spoiled child."

"How dare you speak to me like that!" said the girl.

Kitty stepped forward. "How dare you speak to Mrs Longevin so rudely? She deserves your respect. As for not rooming with me, well, if it is too difficult for you then perhaps you belong in the nursery still and not in a finishing school."

"You look like you belong in the nursery," huffed the girl.

"Katherine Bennet, this is Anna Bell-Hudson," sighed Mrs Longevin. "Miss Anna, this is Miss Katherine. Try to get along, as you will be rooming together for the entirety of your time here. There will be no switching rooms. Miss Anna, you will help Miss Katherine settle in and get to know each other."

"I am not a maid," said Anna. "I do not need to do such things."

"You will do as you are told," said Mrs Longevin. "Miss Lavinia, come and fetch me if you require help persuading her."

"Yes, Mrs Longevin," said Lavinia. Mrs Longevin nodded sharply and swept out of the room. At the combined glares of the older girls, Anna got off Kitty's trunk and flopped on her bed to sulk.

"I believe that Mrs Longevin instructed you to help us," said Mary firmly.

"I don't want to," said Anna.

"That is the reply of a spoiled child," said Lavinia.

"Don't want to or don't know how to?" asked Mary.

"The latter," snapped Anna. "And I don't see why I should either. When I am married, I will have maids to do it for me."

"If you aren't careful, you're going to end up as a maid," warned the third older girl, Sophia. "My brothers tell me that men do not want to marry women who cannot be self-sufficient, as that is part of running a household."

Anna got off the bed. "What do I do?"

Kitty opened her trunk and pulled out the first dress and handed it to Mary, who accepted a hanger from Sophia, and passed it to Lavinia, who put it in the closet. Tentatively, Anna picked up a dress and accepted a hanger from Sophia, clumsily attempting to put the dress on it. At last she succeeded, and handed the dress to Lavinia. It went into the closet with the other dress.

Slowly, the trunk got unpacked and Kitty and Anna tried to talk to each other. They managed polite topics of travel and weather for a full half hour. Once they had gotten Kitty's things unpacked, the older girls offered them a tour of the school. As they walked around the building, the older girls shared anecdotes of their time there, pranks and classes, teachers and students. As they talked, Anna grew paler and paler. Kitty noticed, as did Mary and Lavinia.

"Is something bothering you, Miss Anna?" asked Mary.

"I have no notion of any of the subjects that you are talking about," admitted Anna after a moment of hesitation. "I do not get along well with other people. I have a large dowry and a good background, and I always thought that would be enough to gain a husband. I fear I am out of my depth here."

"It seems that you are," said Kitty. "But you're fine with us."

"You saw how snappish I was when you first came in," said Anna miserably. "I have never had a sibling who was close in age to me, so I never learned how to share anything, especially attention."

"Then sharing a room with me will help with that," said Kitty. "I fear I am also out of my depth here. I am not very brave, and social situations frighten me. My papa has always taught me that I would need to have some cleverness for my own sake. I am not very clever, though."

"If you are comparing yourself to Lizzie, stop," said Mary. "Lizze has a bright and lively disposition, and is naturally brave and clever, though she can be a bit proud. I strugged with comparing myself to her as well, and to Jane as well, and Lizzie told me that to be my own person, I must let go of what I think I must be in order to be who I should be."

"Who is Lizzie?" asked Anna.

"Our older sister," said Kitty. "She is having her coming out ball in January, at the beginning of the season."

"That's so exciting for her," said Anna. "Has she planned it yet?"

"I believe that her sponsor is going to plan with her via correspondence," said Mary carefully. "What did Miss Darcy tell you, Kitty?"

"Georgiana said that her aunt was going to sponsor Lizzie, if Lizzie could impress her," said Kitty. "Apparently her aunt is going to meet Lizzie in late October after they correspond for a while."

"I hope that it is a beautiful and memorable event," said Lavinia. "Lizzie certainly deserves it. And that each of us has a night to remember at our own debutante balls."

"I just hope to meet a good man who appreciates me," said Mary.

"That is all any of us can ask for," said Lavinia.

"I am going to marry a rich man," proclaimed Anna. The other girls stared at her and burst out laughing. After a moment, Anna joined them.

"Hurry, we need to get changed for dinner," said Sophia. Turning to the younger girls, she added, "I live at the end of the hall on the right if you need anything."

"Thank you, Miss Sophia," said Kitty politely. "Thank you, Miss Lavinia and Mary. It was good of you to welcome us to the school."

"Is this a usual practice?" asked Anna.

"It's a Bennet practice," said Mary. "Lizzie started it, and I chose to continue it."

"Oh," said Anna. "It's nice. To be welcome."

"It is," smiled Mary. "I shall see you at dinner."

It took some persuasion, but Kitty eventually convinced Anna to help her do up her buttons, and in turn did Anna's buttons and hair. They joined the line of girls headed down the stairs, noting the oldest girls' perfect posture and excited chatter as they met up with friends they had only corresponded with over the summer. Both Anna and Kitty withdrew a little into themselves and sat meekly at one of the tables in the dining hall. They were joined by a few girls their age. Everyone rose as Mrs Longevin entered and said the mealtime prayer. They ate quietly, introducing themselves to their tablemates but not contributing much to the conversation. After dinner, Mrs Longevin sent them to bed, foregoing an evening in the parlour with entertainment.

As Kitty snuggled into her blankets that much later that night, she thought over her day. The trip from Gracechurch Street had been fairly short, though Papa had looked so tired for the entire journey. Meeting Anna had been rocky, though their chat before bed was a relief, as Kitty recognized a mixture of herself and Lydia in Anna, and she felt that they could be good friends. School was going to be hard, but interesting. At least Kitty wouldn't be fighting with her roommate constantly, and that was a blessing she hadn't been sure that she would have.