Chapter 5

The week at Pemberley went quickly as the sisters enjoyed their time together. It made Kitty miss Lydia though, very rarely were the five sisters ever together. In fact, they had not been together since Lizzy and Jane had married. Lydia had seemed to forget all about her sisters, but Kitty could not forget her so easily.

Friday came, and the Bingleys packed their things in the carriages to leave. Kitty and Mary also brought out their trunks and walked toward one of the carriages. Charles and the boys were traveling in one and the ladies had their own.

"It was wonderful to see you Kitty." Lizzy said hugging her. "You have grown into such a lovely young woman."

"Thank you Lizzy, that means so much to me. Do keep in touch, especially in regard to your addition. I am more then willing to come and help with Samuel and the baby in November after you deliver."

"I would love to have your help Kitty." Lizzy said as she helped her sister into the carriage.

Lizzy turned to Mary who was waiting to get in as well. "Good bye Mary, thank you for your help this week, it was so good to see you."

"It was good to see you too Lizzy, and your library." Mary laughed.

"Take care of yourself Lizzy, don't try to do to much, remember, your pregnant!" Jane said nervously as she hugged Elizabeth tightly.

"Don't worry Jane, I'll see that she spends plenty of time in her favorite chair." Darcy said coming up behind his wife.

"Thank you for taking such good care of my sister Mr. Darcy." Jane smiled.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." he smiled. "Do have a save trip!" the carriages pulled away and the sisters leaned out the window to wave to the Darcy family.

The ride to Clinton Hall was enjoyable and not to terribly long. Jane lived quite close to Lizzy in comparison to Longbourne. Thankfully the ride only lasted a little more then an hour, because the boys were beginning to get anxious.

"Alright girls, make your way to your usual rooms and change if you'd like. Lunch should be ready within the hour, but don't expect anything extravagant."

"Please Jane, all the meals at your house are wonderful. You forget that we spend most of our time and Longbourne, and in comparison, eating here is like eating with the Queen." as Kitty spoke, the three sisters began laughing and Jane nodded in agreement.

"Now hurry along and get yourselves ready."

Mary and Kitty took their time in their rooms. Clinton hall was elaborate and beautiful, Kitty especially loved her room here. She ran her fingers along all the expensive furnishings and fell onto her bed. She preferred both of her sisters homes to Longbourne, and was so glad to be at Clinton Hall again.

"Kitty, what are you doing? I thought you'd be done by now." Mary said entering the room to find Kitty laying on the bed, in her traveling cloak.

"You know how I love this room, and I haven't been in it in two years!" Kitty smiled as she sat up.

"I suppose Jane should have afforded you more time."

"No, no, I shall be ready on time. It doesn't take me an hour to put on a new dress and wash my face."

"You are correct, it does not, but you only have a half an hour now, and you have not even begun to ready yourself." Mary laughed.

"Half an hour! Oh Heavens!" Kitty yelled jumping off the bed. "Well Mary, why didn't you tell me! Would you help me with my dress."

"Of course." Mary stood and laughed at her sisters sudden distress.

The two girls rushed around the room and quickly got Kitty ready to go downstairs. They walked quickly and found the entire Bingley family already seated around the grand table.

"Hurry up! I'm hungry!" Charles screamed when he saw his aunts.

"Charles! We do not speak that to our aunts, or anyone in such a manner." Mr. Bingley scolded.

"Sorry father."

"You need not apologize to me, but I do believe your aunts deserve such an apology."

"I'm sorry Aunt Kitty, forgive me Aunt Mary." Charles said looking ashamedly at his lap.

"You are quite forgiven. But Jane, you really could have started without us." Mary said as she took her seat next to young Edward.

"We would never." Jane smiled. "The boys need to learn patience, and it is simply improper to begin without ones guests."

"I'm sorry it is my fault, it's been so long since I've been here, I was once again enamored with the splendor of my room." Kitty admitted.

"I should have allowed more time for you to explore." Jane apologized.

"No really, it's fine, I'll have plenty of time to re-acquaint myself with Clinton Hall after lunch."

"Well then, shall we eat?" Mr. Bingley offered.

"Yes of course." Jane smiled as she began to place food on the plates of her children.

They ate lunch and afterward Kitty and Mary were given leave to explore the house. Mary went straight for their library, to see if any new editions had been made. Kitty however wandered about the halls and rooms of the house, discovering what had changed and what remained the same. The day after they arrived, Mr. Bingley left once again on business to Pemberley. Apparently he and Darcy had some pressing matters to discuss which had newly developed and Darcy did not want to leave Elizabeth alone.

"I had no idea Mr. Bingley would be gone for so long." Mary commenting nearly a week after he had left.

"If I know my husband, he and Darcy finished their work in one day and have since been hunting for pleasure." Jane laughed, thinking of him as she spoke.

"How could he leave you so long merely to shoot birds out of the sky?" Kitty said in astonishment.

"I'm not exactly alone." Jane laughed. "He knows perfectly well that I am fine with you two."

"Have you had any word from him? Perhaps he has been injured." Kitty said in her usual worried, over dramatic tone.

"Don't start with that again, please, I can't take it!" Mary said looking up from her book.

"Kitty, I had a letter from him yesterday. He said that he expected he would be home for dinner this evening."

"Well if that's the case, I don't know why everyone is so worried." Kitty sighed retreating to the hat she had been trimming.

Jane and Mary exchanged glances and began to laugh. Just then they heard the front door open.

"Hello! Is anyone home?" Bingley yelled from the entranceway.

"Yes darling, in the parlor." Jane called back. She stood and greeted her husband affectionately.

"Shall I tell them now then?" he asked excitedly. The expression on his face seemed almost childlike.

"Tell us what?" Mary asked curiously.

"Go ahead my dear." Jane smiled, looking at her sisters faces as if anticipating something.

"We have been invited to London for the summer."

"Oh." Kitty said sadly. "And when will you be leaving?"

"As soon as we get our things packed!" Bingley said, not hearing the sadness in Kitty's voice.

"I suppose I had better write Mama and tell her to expect us home sooner than scheduled." Kitty sighed.

"You don't want to go? Kitty I thought of all people you would want to go." Jane said shocked.

"Why would I want to go back to Longbourne so quickly, you know how I adore spending the summers here." she said in disappointment.

"No I meant London, of course you don't want to go back to Longbourne, but you don't wish to go to London?"

"If I were invited to London of course I would go, but we were not."

"Of course you were!" Bingley added, astonished that Kitty had misunderstood him.

"We were!" Kitty screamed, suddenly realizing the nature of her brother in laws announcement.

"Yes, of course! But you will be staying with the Burtons, if that is quite alright with you both."

"Georgiana is going as well?" Kitty asked, getting increasingly excited.

"Yes, and the Darcy's. We've managed to get three homes quite close to one another. But since we have the boys, and the Darcy's have Samuel, we thought it would be better for the two of you to stay with the Burton.s" Jane explained.

"I am so very excited!" Kitty smiled.

"Mary, are you alright with this?" Jane asked, noticing her sister was still reading her book, as though unaffected by the news.

"Oh yes, but do you think I might take some books from your library with me?"

"Of course you may Mary." Jane laughed.

"Does Mama know?" Kitty asked.

"No, not yet. Perhaps you should write her. Then pack your things quickly, we'd like to leave as soon after dinner as possible."

"Yes of course! I'll be ready. Thank you both, this was indeed a wonderful idea!" Kitty said as she ran excitedly from the room.

"I'll just go gather some books." Mary smiled, leaving the room with a bit more propriety than her sister had.

"Not to many Mary! We'll need room to pack our clothes!" Jane called after her.

Both Mary and kitty were excited to spend the London with their sisters, but for very different reasons. Mary was excited because she thought she might encounter some intellectuals, London was supposed to be the very center of intellectual thought in England. Kitty however was more excited for the never ending balls and parties.

The carriages were packed by dinner and the family ate quickly. They were all excited to go and spend time with the people they held most dear. The journey would be long and tedious with the two boys along, but the idea of London kept everyone about their senses.