Well, I've only got 5 reviews which is a bit dissapointing but then again that gives you all an excuse to review more! YAY Hope you enjoy reading this! I remember when I first started posting my JA fics there were only 10 stories now there is well over 240! Go YOU! Please go on my site... lifeandstuffDOTcomk/happilyeverafter and join...
As she reached the top of Oaksham Mount, Kitty had to shield her eyes from the pale winter sun with her gloved hand. Her impish eyes survayed the frosty landscape before her. She saw the farmers checking over their fields and a woodland far in the distance. Her eyes then fell on Netherfield, her sister's home. From it she saw two figures on horseback appear in the gardens, Jane and Bingley. She waved furiously at them to catch their attention. Who in return waved back before riding along the edge of their grounds. Kitty laughed happily before returning her gaze towards the Hertfordshire landscape, that she admired so much. A cool breeze swept round the back of her neck making her shift uncomfortably, but she ignored the feeling. She saw birds flying away in the distance, tiny balck pin-pricks in the sky. Kitty sighed.
"So this is why Lizzy always came up here." she said to nobody in particular. Just then she heard a twig snap and spun around. A man on horseback was approaching her. Kitty's eyes widened in fear.
"G'day ma'am. Sorry to be rude but may I inquire as to this Lizzy's surname?" the man dismounted his horse and came towards her. He was handsome by any means but there was something pleasant in his countenance. Even so Kitty was wary of him, after all hadn't Wickham had a pleasing air aswell? She eyes him over suspicsiously.
"My sister, Elizabeth Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire." the mans eyes dropped.
"Oh, not Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn then it seems." Kitty's heart started pounding heavily. She shouldn't be stood here in conversation with a man she didn't know, especially one who seemed to have an interest in her sister.
"Well as a matter of fact..." he came dangerously close, Kitty's voice caught in her throat.
"Yes, go on!" Kitty stopped herself. No, she must not talk about their private affairs to anyone, especially not strangers. Those were Lizzy's words to her.
"...I should be going now. Good day sir." she made to leave at a quick pace but he caught her arm. Kitty spun around.
"Wait!" his voice was pleading but even so, Kitty didn't want to end up like her sister Lydia in a patched up marriage for lack of propiety.
"Let go of me sir, this instance! My sister and brother-in-law of Netherfield Park are riding just by that woodland yonder and they can surely see everything. Even your lack of propiety in detaining me here, alone whilst I'm unaccompanied." Her voice was commanding as it was trembling. The man, seeing her distress released his grip of her. And bowed.
"I'm sorry, excessively sorry to have offended you madam, twas not my intention. All I was going to request was the honour of so fair a lady's name." Kitty backed away before thinking. Should she answer? Should she run, Lucas Lodge was just down the lane.
"Miss Katherine Bennet of Longbourn Manor." she clasped her hands together infront of her, "Sir." she added as an after-thought. The man smiled.
"A name I know so well as my own, as often as I've heard it spoken." Kitty was very confused. the man stuttered for a moment before replying.
"I- I am, Letts the younger, Elton Letts of Whitworth Place in Sussex Ma'am." he bowed. "At your service." Kitty looked eager to be rid of his company so he wrapped up their conversation.
"But of course you must be anxious to leave Miss Bennet, pass my regards on to your family." The gentleman tipped his hat before proceeding to mount his horse.
"Mr Letts-" He looked at her with his grey eyes.
"Master Letts if you please Ma'am."
"sorry, Master Letts, how know you my sister? Mrs Darcy?" He smiled.
"I grew up with my Aunt in Mereton, Mrs Darcy and I played together as children before I was sent away to school in Eton." He surveyed her. "You couldn't have been more then a babe at the time." she nodded her head.
"Pray how is Miss Jane? Has she grown handsome?" Kitty luaghed and looked away.
"Aye tis her down there." she pointed to the bingleys on horseback. "Though she's Mrs Bingley now." he made an 'o' shape with his mouth.
"I see, so how long have Miss Jane and Miss Eliza been wed?" Kitty fiddled with her gloves.
"Er..Not three days Master Letts." he sighed.
"Ah, I'm sorry to have missed it." They wen't silent for a moment. Kitty need to say something for the situation was most uncomfortable.
"I have another sister."
"I know."
"O."
"Maria isn't it?"
"erm, Mary Sir." silence once again took prescedence. This man, intrigued Kitty, even if she was unconscientious of it. They both then went to say something at the same time. Before Kitty went on.
"Pray continue Sir." he nodded in gratitude.
"Many thanks, Ma'am. I was only going to inquire how your three sisters are, in health that is." Kitty raised her eyebrows.
"Four sisters."
"Indeed, who is the t'other?" Kitty looked exasperated.
"I have a younger sister." He grinned.
"I never knew that, I'm surprised my Aunt had not wrote and informed me. She's an excellent corrispondent at other times"
"She's married and settled in Newcastle." Kitty said in a rushed manner,He looked quite intersted. While she was horrified that she had let her tongue slip so.
"O, that's rather far off though is it not Miss Bennet?" Kitty wondered at this man, for though she did not know him. She felt inclined to be explicit with him.
"Aye...indeed it is Master Letts." She curtseyed and started to walk away but he called towards her. He examined her carefully.
"Pray, what is your age Miss Bennet?" he asked slowly.
"I hardly think that is of importance Sir." he continued to watch her every movement carefully.
"For you cannot be more than sixteen, so your youngest sister must be very young indeed, and more too for being married." Even if she was intrigued by him, this Elton Letts, vexed Kitty a great deal. He was almost persistant as her mother!
"I am seventeen Master Letts." he wriggled his nose
"Ah, so your youngest sister is how old?" Kitty laughed, he was unbeleiveable!"
"Lord, you are very encourageable Master Letts, but if you must know Lydia is six in ten." he shrugged off her slight of him.
"And what is her marriage name Miss Bennet?" Kitty was not going to be drawn into coversation about Mr Wickham of all people so she turned on her heels.
"Farewell then Master Letts." she called over her shoulder. Though she did not see it, he lifted his hat towards her before galloping away. Inspired by the pounding of the galloping horse on the ground,Kitty shook off the last five minutes and skipped down the lane, as she passed Lucas Lodge she waved at Maria Lucas who said something unaudible back. She then stopped at a fence which had weeds growing up over it. She looked either way down the lane before climbing over it. Making sure to hold her petticoat up so as not to dirty it. She then trampled across the edge of a large field towards a row of Spanish Chesnuts.
Once there she let her petticoat and skirt back down before picking a few late blooming wild flowers across the way, by the hedgerow. She then continued down the secluded pathway, humming one of her favourite jigs. She carried on this way before a cloud came over and dimmed the light. Kitty stopped in her tracks, and looked around. She was lost.
"O Lord!" she said to herself and scouted byound the chesnuts to see if she recognised anything. "Well Done Kitty, now look what you've gone and gotten yourself into now." once again, said to herself. She looked down to see where the path continued. The was a bend at the bottom of the hill. Maybe there was something at the bottom. There certainly wasn't where she'd walked from apart from boring old fileds! So she started skipping again waving her arms to and fro.
When she reached the bend, she peered around the corner.
"What Luck!" she called out, grinning from ear to ear like a cheshire cat. Before her lay the gates to Netherfield. She was apprehensive to enter. The large building that loomed before her, throwing a cold shadow. She started talking to herself to make reason.
"Hold on a minute, my sister's Mistress here I should have no fear in being turned away. Jane would never do that." she bit her lip. "but what if that horrid Miss Bingley is there. She'll surely turf me out on my ear!" She looked up and saw hefty rain clouds starting to appear on the horizon. "Brilliant. Well Lizzy wasn't afraid to walk here through the mud when Miss Bingley, Mr & Mrs Hurst and Mr Darcy were here, sonor should I be." She walkedhestitantly through the iron-wroughtgates. "Thoughon second thoughtsLizzy is married to that Darcy fellow, so he can't be all bad. I dare say.." She smiled to herself."..or if he his, he won't be for long, what with living with Lizzy as his wife." She chuckled to herself as shehurried up the stone stairs to the front door, which the smartly dressed butler opened.
"Miss." he said in a monotone whilst bowing clumsily.
"Is the Mistress..or Masterat home?" Kitty said eagerly.
"Well yes as a ma-" Kitty interupted him in a forth-right manner.
"Good." She looked at him, to usher him along.
"-but she'sjust gorrin' from riding Miss,n' Mr Bingley has a guest with him." Kitty sighed and started tapping her foot.
"Hang that! What has some guest got to do with it." Kitty said in a manner far to similar to Lydia for her liking, he made no reply but still held the door open, which Kitty noticed. "Am I to be refused entrylike a heathen then?" he looked awkward.
"I- er, that is to that, um well..." he stumbled for words.
"Well what?..." Kitty stood upright and held her self more confidently as Lizzy had taught her to look as though her courage was rising with every attempt to intimidate her. "Mr whateveryourname is, do you happen toknow who I am?" he shook his head.
"No Miss. I only started mi' work here t'other day." Kitty glared at him.
"Well then it will be a pleasure for you to find out I am Jane's" she corrected herself "Mrs Bingley's sister." the butler looked horrified and trembled in his polished boots.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry Ma'am, of course." he bowed, closed the door and fumbled about. "Themistress is in the Drawing Room. Let mi' take ye' there."when his back was turned, Kitty smiled triumphantly, even if she was scared at her own ability to command. "Er, sorry Ma'am but what's your name ? cus' it's ma job t'introduce ye 'n' all. And am'fraid I don't know it."
"Miss Bennet." she said shrewdly, peering down her nose at to butler. He nodded,they then walked down the large hallway before he stopped at a white door and opened it. He then went at a brisk pace.
"Excuse me Ma'am, theres Miss Bennet here to see ye." Jane put her sowing down.
"Oh do let her in the Michaels." Kitty walked past a chinese screen before appearing before her sister and curtseying deeply.
"Mrs Bingley." she said doing her best to be proper. Janestood up and hurried towards her.
"Oh come Kitty, my dear. Let's have none of that." Kitty smiled weakly,"Save that for whenCaroline is here." They both laughed and Jane showed Kitty to a seat and sat down next to her. Kitty then started to take her gloves off, whileher sisterhelped her with her bonnet.Jane signaled to the butler to leave.
"Thankyou forseeing me in such an uninvited manner." Jane noticed Kitty's melancholyspirits.
"Your always welcome my dear sister. But whatever is wrong. You must be freezing walking all that way with only your Spencer on." Kitty laughed at Jane's comment. Jane put her arm round her sister. "Come now Kitty. Tell me please, what good am I if I cannot but lend an ear to talk to." Kitty smiled.
"I suppose you're right Jane. You always are." Jane patted her hand.
"Nonsense. Is it Mother? It surely must be something drastic like that to bring you here in such a manner as I said before." Kitty nodded. "You know only Lizzy ever attempts something like that!" They both laughed merrily.
"Well, I got a letter from Lizzy today asking me to town later this month, to which I'm honoured indeed but..."seeing she needed prompting Jane encouraged her to continue.
"But..." Kitty shook her head and sighed deeply fo so young a person.
"...and as far as I know Mama is now going to control everything, even down to what shift I wear." Jane sighed and poured the tea. Kitty looked at her with eyes brimming with tears, "She even snatched the letter out of my hand before I'd even opened it or knew who it was from and was ogling ove it with Aunt Phillips and Mrs Long." Jane tenderly wiped her sister's tears away and hushed her.
"There, there my dear. I know it was uncalled for and frankly to particularly kind but, well simply Kittythat is Mother's way. I take it you haven't heard the full story." Kitty shook her head. Jane passed her a cup of tea.
"Thank you." Jane smiled, andmused over her thoughtsfor a few moments. While Kitty took a deep swig of her tea.
"Is it not lucky then that I am able to tell you the full story." Kitty's eyes brightened as she set the empty cup back on a small table
"Will you?" Jane kissed her cheek.
"Of course, now let us go find Charles, he is sure to know something I do not for he is in muchmore regularcontact with Mr Darcy then I am with Mrs Darcy." As she head towards a door to the side of the room, Kitty picked up her sister's sewing and looked at it.
"You miss Lizzy a lot, don't you." Jane smiled meekly.
"Aye I do, but she has responsibilities at Pemberley and running their other estates not to mention anew large family,that are sure to keep her from intercourse with Netherfield for a time. Which is good, for it means I have more time to keepboth myeyes on you." Kitty blushed.
"I am not that bad am I?" Jane linked arms with her.
"No, indeed." Kitty smiled happily, and as the two quitted the room Jane asked her sister a question.
"Would you like to stay the night for it looks like terrible rain, why even in the Barouche you'd catch your death.
"O yes please!" The two giggled cheerfully. "I met a Master Letts on the way from Longbourn Jane." Jane looked puzzled.
"Elton Letts?" Kitty nodded. "Of Whitworth Place in Sussex?" Kitty laughed
"Yes, the vary same Jane." Jane had a girlish smile on her face.
"Elton Letts of Whitworth Place." shesaidto herself before saying to Kitty, "Well I never." The two then went up the stairs towards Mr Bingley's study. But Kitty looked down at her shoe.
"O lord! My lace has come undone." Jane made to come back down the stairs. "No, no. You go on. I'll catch you up." Jane nodded in acceptment
"Do you know where Charles's study is my dear?" Kity nodded vigourously before starting to redo her tangled laces.
Thanks again everyone for reading and being supporters of my stories! You are all wonderful! Why don't you go on the site I'm running... lifeandstufDOTcom/happilyeverafter...and join pretty please with sugar on top! And PLEASE leave a review!