Chapter 16

Upon coming home, Kitty was thrilled to notice that she had received two letters, one from Longbourn and one from Lydia. She went out in the garden to read them privately and she opened Lydia's letter first. Her younger sister had been in Wales for a few weeks, and although the first ones had been difficult, she seemed to be faring a lot better. She spoke kindly of Mrs Rhys, and explained she had learned to ride. Having an activity obviously did her a lot of good, and Kitty was happy to know she could write back without fear of angering her sister, or of making her jealous. Lydia explained that there were very few young ladies in the neighbourhood, so she had only met one young girl close in age, whose name was Hannah. She was a year older and a very quiet sort of girl. Although she was not any fun, she enjoyed gothic novels, so Lydia said she had to make do, and she spent a lot of her time with her. Kitty thought it was probably a good thing that her sister's new friend was the quiet type, for she would naturally tune down Lydia's exuberance.

She then took up the second letter, and was happy to see that her mother, Jane Lizzy and Mary had all written to her. Mrs Bennet told her to enjoy her time in Wiltshire and asked if there were any young men that had caught her attention. She also told her that Jane had a beau! The neighbouring estate of Netherfield had been let at last, by a Mr Bingley, a young man who had fallen in love with her most beautiful daughter as soon as he had laid eyes on her. He was a gentleman of four thousand pounds a year, so Jane's marriage would save them all from the hedgerows! She mentioned an offensive Mr Darcy, but Kitty did not understand who he was from her mother's account, and she also said the militia was to be stationed in Meryton, so if Kitty could not find a husband at Mrs Owen's, she should come back as there were going to be plenty of military men to choose from. It made Kitty smile, as her mother's writing was very reflective of her personality, it was all over the place.

Jane's writing was much like her too. She had been saddened by Kitty's account of the picnic, and she tried to reassure her that she was not at fault, and she should hope that the young ladies would see the errors of their way. Lizzy thought Kitty should not have kept quiet and have defended herself. How Lizzy-like Kitty thought! Mary told her she should ignore the mean young ladies, for they were not worth her time. For a few minutes, she felt at home. Jane mentioned Mr Bingley, but only in saying that he was a very amiable young man. He had come to Netherfield with his friend, a Mr Darcy, and his sisters. She went on to explain that they had met them numerous times. Lizzy's tale told her that Mr Bingley seemed to be quite taken with Jane, although the oldest Bennet was trying to remain cautious. He was a very agreeable man, the exact opposite and his friend Mr Darcy, and his sisters, who seemed to think themselves above everyone else. Kitty thought they would have been quite at home at the picnic. Mary explained that Mr Darcy had offended Lizzy, which was why she was so adamant at his being aloof, but she was not so harsh on him herself. Her sister also told her that she quite enjoyed her married state, and that Richard sent her his regard and hoped that she had a pleasant time with his mother.

Kitty read her letter several times to make sense of it. She hoped this Mr Bingley would be a good match for Jane. Although having sisters who thought too well of themselves would not be so easy a thing to deal with. But then it was Jane, who saw the best in everyone, and tried to smooth all angles. Kitty wondered what the militia would be like. Handsome men in uniforms! Henry Lucas looked so elegant in his naval uniform! She wondered how Captain Talbot would look in his uniform, for he was a very handsome man. He probably would look even more handsome in his naval attire. As she looked up, she saw the very man she was thinking about approach. He and his brother were both riding, and looked very confident riders. Lord Stafford even more so. But then Captain Talbot probably did not have the occasion to ride very often, given that he was at sea most of the time. She realized she had been outside for some time and felt a little cold, so she went home before the gentlemen arrived.

She found Julia in the drawing room, playing the pianoforte. She was a superb player, quite as good as Mr Owen was. She stopped as soon as she saw Kitty. "There you are, I was feeling quite bored" she smiled.

"Forgive me, I have abandoned you" said Kitty. "What would you like to do? We could read a book? We could each read a chapter out loud."

"That sounds nice, but I am not sure I could do it for I would be coughing all the time. But Mama is a great reader. Andrew and Philip are too! We could ask them to join us."

"Andrew?" asked Kitty, which made her friend laugh "my brother's name is Andrew. Have I never said it?"

"I am quite sure you have not."

"Well, now you know" she laughed. "Anyway, they are both good readers and Andrew would often come into the nursery and read to me when I was little. Philip would too before he left" she grinned as she was reminded of the fond memory.

"They both seem to be quite protective of you" remarked Kitty.

"They have always been, but… I suppose they are even more protective of me since Papa died" she replied. "He passed away almost two years ago. Philip was at sea, and he only came back a month ago. I have missed him so much He requested a longer leave of absence, so he should stay with us at least until Christmas" she smiled ". Mama was devastated, and Andrew too, but he had to take care of the estate, and of us…I do not know how I would have survived without him…" she paused "it is so strange really, he worked so hard and became so serious, he was not always like this."

"He seems to be a serious man, but not overly so" contemplated Kitty.

Julia considered it a minute "He smiles a lot more these days. He was quite the charmer in London before Papa passed away. He still is, but it is not the same."

"Being reunited with his brother must have brought back his joyful side" suggested Kitty.

"Probably, yes…" she gave a small nod. "Anyway, now you know why my family invaded your home when they learned about the accident and my being ill."

"I would probably worry too if any of my sisters got into an accident."

"I would have liked to have a sister. I grew up surrounded by boys, between my brothers and my cousins... I have friends, but it is not the same I suppose, you never know who you can really count on…", she clapped her hands "I have a grand idea. You should come and visit me at Linfield Park. You would love it there. The outdoors is beautiful, and you could paint at leisure. There are beautiful natural landscapes. Oh, do say yes!"

Kitty was taken aback "Are you sure? Should you not ask your mother and your brother first?"

"They will say yes" she said in a convinced tone.

"You should still ask them" said Kitty doubtful.

"I will. But will you come if they agree?" she sounded hopeful.

"I would like that, but I would have to ask permission to my father first" she grinned.

"Wonderful, now let us go and find a good book!"

Mrs Owen and Lady Stafford came upon them at that moment, so they quite forgot about the books, and chatted happily until dinner was served.

Julia went to her mother before she retired to her bedchamber, and asked her opinion on the invitation she had issued to Kitty. She explained that the young girl had wanted Lady Stafford and the Earl to agree before she applied to her father. The lady was surprised.

"She seems to be a good sort of girl, and I do not mind having her come with us, but she is not really the kind of friends you are used to inviting."

"She has never been in London, so of course she is different. But I like her a lot, she is very nice."

"You have only met her very recently; I would not want you to invite her and then regret it because you have grown bored of her."

"Actually, I would like some company because I am bored. I admit I have been feeling quite lonely lately."

"Why thank you. I would have thought your mother would be good company!"

"Mama! You know very well what I mean. You and I do not discuss silly and frivolous subjects, I need someone else for that. Catherine Bennet would be perfect! And she on the other hand shall benefit from having your counsel and guidance!" she smirked.

"Very well! You can invite her. Now, go to bed, my dear. You have to rest!"

"Good night Mama! And thank you" she smiled.

"Good night my darling girl."

On the morrow, Kitty woke up in a very good mood. She could not believe it had only been a week since she had met Julia, and the first few days had been spent nursing her, so they were not really conclusive to friendship. She was therefore quite anxious at the idea of going to Linfield Park. She was excited to go to an Earl's home, but she feared not everyone would agree to the scheme given the short acquaintance she had with the lady. However, Kitty thought that even if nothing was to come out of the invitation, her stay in Wiltshire had been productive. She had made two friends and she would be happy to have people to correspond with, once she was back in Longbourn. Looking out the window, she thought it was a fine October day, and decided to go by the stream to try and start on a new painting, for she had lost the one she was working on the day of the accident. She would only draw at first, and paint after she had captured the scenery correctly.

When she came back, she found all the guests except Lord Stafford were having breakfast. The Earl had left early to go to the parsonage and check on the injured footman, and he had not come back yet. He returned just as they were finishing their breakfast. Mrs Owen, Lady Stafford and Captain Talbot left to call on Mr Owen and his wife, while Kitty and Julia went to the pianoforte and played for over an hour. When they finished, they went to Julia's room to read a book, as they had planned to do the previous day, and they invited Lord Stafford to join them. They had chosen Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. Lord Stafford started reading, followed by Kitty. When Julia picked up the book, she realized that her brother had fallen asleep and giggled.

"He was up quite early this morning. And sleeping in a new bed probably does not help" said Kitty "or my voice is conducive to sleep" she laughed.

"He seems so peaceful" said Julia lowly "what would you like to do now? I would rather we kept reading the book with him tomorrow."

"I do not know. We could go downstairs to see if there is anything in the work basket" answered Kitty "unless you have another idea. I have to write back to my sisters as well."

"You received a letter yesterday, did you not?"

"Yes, all my sisters wrote to me, and my mother too" smiled Kitty.

"You all get along then, how nice!" Julia said enviously.

"For the most part, but it is not always easy being the fourth in a family of five daughters." She glanced at Lord Stafford, and saw he did not move. She then went on to explain what life in Longbourn was like. The good and the bad. She only omitted Lydia's "compromise" from her tale. Julia's eyes grew wide in astonishment, and Kitty felt uneasy for she did not want her to think badly of her family. Her friend reassured her that she did not "I am just having a hard time imagining you being left out…"

"My whole life, I have heard my mother say that Jane was the most beautiful girl in the county - I have to say she is probably right – my father says that Lizzy is the only intelligent one, and Mama always said that Lydia was "her" lively daughter. Mary and me, we have always been… expendable, I guess. We were not taught properly. I assume Papa would have if we had insisted on it, but children are not the ones who should ask to be educated. Mama did the best she could, I think. She is herself the daughter of a tradesman, so she did not learn gentlewomen's manners" she paused "not that people in trade cannot be genteel people, I would not have you think that I belittle them. My Aunt and Uncle are from trade and I love them dearly, they are very good people, better than many gentlemen and women."

"Many people in our world think little about people in trade, but I am not one of them. My late Papa always said that a man who works for a living deserves respect. Andrew often says that the world is changing and that we have to accept tradesmen among us. After all, more and more people in trade marry gentlemen and women" replied Julia.

Kitty smiled "Would you marry a tradesman though?"

"Probably not. I know it would look badly in society. Would you?"

"Why not? I do not know who would want to marry me though, and do not deny it! I have little to recommend myself. I have no dowry, I am not especially beautiful or clever, I have few accomplishments…"

"Having a dowry is no guarantee to making a good match. There are men who are only interested in money" she sighed.

"I had never thought of it that way" Kitty mused, "then I suppose I shall want to marry a good man, be he a gentleman or a tradesman."

"And so, you shall" smiled her friend.

"I hope Mr Bingley is a good man" Kitty added, and seeing the quizzical look Julia gave her, she quickly added "Mama told me in her letter that Jane had a beau, a Mr Bingley. He is the new tenant of the estate neighbouring our home in Hertfordshire. He is apparently a handsome man and quite wealthy too. Lizzy said that they only had eyes for each other the first time they met."

"I would like to meet your sisters someday" laughed Julia.

Kitty made a face. "Do you not want me to meet them? I thought we were friends?" asked the lady slightly offended.

"Oh no Julia, it is just… You are going to think badly of me… if you meet them, you will be like everyone else. You will be impressed by them, love them right away, and I will be superfluous once again" she admitted.

"Kitty, how can you say that?"

"I know it is horrible of me to say or think such a thing. But I just want to have friends of my own for once. I was quite happy to come here, because… for the first time in my life, nobody will compare me to my sisters. I love them all dearly, but I feel… I don't know… I feel I am not as worthy as them" she added shamefully.

Julia rose and embraced her "Miss Catherine Bennet, you are a wonderful person! Do not let anyone tell you otherwise" she smiled at her.

Kitty's eyes were moist. She glanced at her friend and smiled "You should tell that to Lady Marianne and the Misses Hayward, Martin and Taylor." She went on to describe what had happened at the picnic.

"I shall have to train you in being less fearful of such ladies. I am quite proficient, you know" she laughed.

"Thank you" replied Kitty "You are a true friend."

"Now, go write your letters!"

Kitty stood and left the room.

"How much of that conversation did you hear?" Julia glared at her brother.

He opened his eyes and shrugged.

"How could you do that? Pretend to be asleep? Promise me you will never repeat any of that, she would not have confided in me if she had thought you were listening in on us."

"I was not pretending. I really fell asleep. When I awoke, you two were talking intently, and I… I did not want to interrupt" he said a little shameful.

Julia seemed unconvinced and glared at him. "Andrew, I have invited Kitty to Linfield Park. She said I should ask you and Mama first. Mama said there was no issue with her coming. Do you mind if she stays with us for a while?" she asked.

"Why would I mind?" he seemed surprised. "You have always invited your friends, and I have never objected."

"She is not like any of the girls I usually have stay with us, do not pretend otherwise."

"Why, because she actually is a nice person?" he smirked.

"Andrew! No, because she is… you have heard her, she needs guidance, she needs friendship, and yes she is a nice person, sweet and funny!" she said exasperated.

"And you will provide that guidance? I love you dearly, little sis, but sometimes you can be quite… the mean girl, and I think she is trying to avoid them."

"Then, spending time with me will be all the more valuable" she said cheekily.

He shook his head, but could not prevent a little smile from appearing. "Did she accept your invitation?"

"She said yes, as long as you agree, and as long as her father approves. She has not asked him permission yet, as I had not talked to you."

"Tell her she may write to her father then. I have arranged for Greenfield to return home in a couple of days, and then I have to go to London on business. Philip will escort you to Linfield as soon as the doctors agrees for you to go. That will give Miss Bennet time to get a reply from her father."

"Thank you" she clapped her hands.

"You are very welcome. And now, I think I should go lie down and get some real sleep" he teased before he left the room.