Okay, I think I'm back to normal, as normal as normal gets anyway! Alright Kitty, Mary, brace yourselves!

Chapter 17

"Their carriage is now through the gate, madam. Mr. Bingley is on his way down directly."

Mr. Montgomery announced their approach to the drawing room of eager ladies. Jane had been on the floor, on her knees playing with Little Davy; upon this announcement, she happily scooped him and gathered his figurine toys that had been scattered back to their little box. Kitty dropped her current book to assist. Having exhausted her mental faculties these last three days, stuffed full of Italian conjugations yet still hungry for new frontiers, she'd gone back to the bookshop in the village and purchased her own volume: a guidebook on the classification of flora and geography of the world. Of course, like her beginner's Italian book, she progressed at a much slower pace. The mind needed time for imagining the particular plant, flower, or tree being discussed in the paragraph. While equipped with some sketches, not every specimen contained an illustrated definition. So she had to often jump back into the glossary of terms to remind herself of the particular distinctions between angiosperms and gymnosperms. Unhappily, she was only just come to a whole fascinating section about pine trees when the announcement came.

All three ladies proceeded out, met Charles coming from down the staircase, and out the front terrace to the drive. Both the colonel and their cousin were able to coordinate their plans to meet on the road, allowing both to be conveyed together to Havilland Grove. Though rather dusty for its time on the road, the family insignia still blazed proudly on the door. A footman from beside the driver alighted from the barouche box and opened the doors. Their cousin, Mr. Luis Murray descended first, and Colonel Fitzwilliam after him. Immediately upon his feet touching the ground, Mr. Murray, as light of foot as any deer, enthusiastically and gladly embraced his older cousin, Charles. A bit of a noisy greeting, but so bubbly and cheerful. The only one who could not appreciate it so well, Caroline, took the young man's hand, smiled, and dipped in a curtsy. Dignity would permit no more than that. Of course, her reception of the colonel was much warmer. Though Jane might have done the same in politeness, in consideration for their unfamiliarity, Mr. Murray did not either mind or was unaware. He embraced Mrs. Bingley just as if she had been one of the family many years.

Then, Charles stepped forward, with a hand on Mr. Murray's shoulder. "I know you've already been acquainted, though it's been quite some time since the wedding. Luis, may I present my wife's sister, Miss Katherine Bennet."

The only occasion which Charles used her full name formally, and for no logical reason, Kitty blushed as she dipped in a curtsy. She tried not to appear too interested and eager, even though feelings were predispositioned otherwise. The eye sought to capture all the first details. Mr. Murray, a youth of one and twenty, fair like Charles and Caroline, with long blue coattails, cut a remarkably handsome figure on the drive and in the drawing room, to which they all retreated. Though coming straight from college, he had the latest fashions, and like his dear cousin, Charles, a most amiable air and lively manner. It was impossible not to like him at first sight.

As for Colonel Fitzwilliam, though not to be compared to youth and beauty in looks, he was everything that Kitty remembered: friendly and pleasing, very engaging in conversation, and dignified in comportment. For he and Mr. Darcy seemed cut from the same cloth. No small wonder that all Miss Bingley's powers of pleasing came to the fore. Since Jane had her hands still full with Davy, who was beginning to fuss a little, she presumed the duty of hostess and offered to pour tea for the visitors. Both were fussed over and given hospitality, while it was incumbent upon themselves to satisfy every inquiry made and entertain their hosts with stories from distant parts of the country. Charles asked endless questions of Mr. Murray, after his studies and the university, his friends, and news from home. This went on and on until Caroline, exhausted by Oxford after five minutes, interrupted and threw the spotlight on Colonel Fitzwilliam. How was his family, his father the earl and mother the countess? Had he been to visit home recently? It had been an age since they last met at Pemberly, the mention of which caused Charles and Jane to bristle involuntarily.

Colonel Fitzwilliam made his reports and shared his family news, what little he had to provide. For all the politeness and warmth that engulfed him though, and obviously welcomed the pleasantries of the Bingley family, he seemed to lose grasp on his inner ease with time. Caroline asked about his time in the army, and where he was during the fighting at Waterloo. His replies went from lengthy and detailed down to single sentences. Every sentence then grew fewer of words. Throughout, he maintained a singular smile, with the facial muscles taut. Jane attempted to change the subject twice, sensing the discomfort, but her sister-in-law was determined to engross him. Kitty pitied the object of these tortures, to go from the outgoing gentleman down to a turtle in its shell. And it only worsened with the commencement of dinner; the colonel was now the replacement of Mr. Darcy.

Kitty found herself in her usual seat at the table, and Mr. Murray was shown to the setting and chair on her right. In their silences, they both suffered from fidgeting and nerves. Mr. Murray kindly asked if she might pass the salt. As Kitty did so, just at the moment of putting it into his hand, the head on the salt container, which had been recently loosened to refill, tumbled to the tablecloth, and a shower of salt along with it. Kitty gasped horrified.

"Oh dear, how clumsy of me!" he laughed. One of the footman approached immediately with his own thousand of apologies, removed the offending instrument, and promised to bring another. The incident effectively halted all other conversation at the table. "I apparently must feel very much at home here, Mrs. Bingley. No different than my usual accidents back at home. Forgive me, Miss Bennet. I hope I've not spoiled your dish."

"Oh, not to worry. Hardly any salt fell on my plate," shrugged Kitty.

"And no need for shame, sir," replied Jane. "Having a little boy in the house makes little messes like these pale in comparison." Charles resumed his original thought with the colonel, and no man was ever more pleased by overturned salt, for the sake of an introduction.

Having at last opened his mouth, and having his cousin effectively turn the tide, Mr. Murray ventured on his own: "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last, Miss Bennet."

"At last?"

"Well, in these last few weeks, Charles has been writing to me, informing me of all the goings-on here, all the excitement of the move. And from such information, he's mentioned you a good deal, along with my cousin Jane and Caroline, and little Davy. I'd call him my nephew, but I don't believe that's exactly the family relation."

"Well, I suppose I ought to confess the same sentiment; for I've been told a good deal about you also, from Charles and my sister."

"Of course, I forget, we did actually meet at the wedding, but that was so fleeting and brief an occasion, I'd hardly call that an acquaintance. I cannot tell you how delighted my parents, and my other aunts and uncles were to meet your sister. She's so well-liked by the family; they cannot wait to come visit."

"That certainly doesn't surprise me. And I can speak for Jane, she will be very happy to receive them. And anyone of them who comes into this house will be very happy with Davy's acquaintance too, that is, when he's not in a contrary mood."

"I'm very fond of him already! And pray tell, do you approve of the new house?"

"Of course! Very much. It's a beautiful house, the grounds, the village. I love it!"

"It's so quiet here. I'm more used to our town back home, in close proximity of the mills and factories. Rather bleak, sometimes. So coming here, being surrounded by the woods, is an unknown luxury… Have you been to any assemblies or dances while you've been here?"

"No. My first here will be the ball given here at the Grove House."

"My cousin Charles and I grew up so very fond of dancing ourselves. Do you like to dance?"

"… I enjoy it immensely." Her adjective did not fit the expression.

"Perhaps, we'll have the pleasure of a dance or two at the ball."

"Indeed."

"… And how do you fill your hours in the meantime, Miss Bennet?"

"Well, as of recently, I've become rather preoccupied with the gardens and the improvements being made on the grounds."

"Oh, really?"

"Does that surprise you, Mr. Murray?"

"No, no. Not surprised. I think I just expected you'd be more into country sport."

"Oh! What gave you that idea?" she chuckled.

"Well, I couldn't help notice you've spent some time in the sun."

"True. I've grown rather tan," shrugged Kitty.

"My first guess was that you must be a horsewoman. Charles has told me your sister enjoys going out riding, and that's been Caroline's favourite pasttime these many years. I just supposed—"

"Lord, no, not me! I'm just as clumsy on a saddle as I am with the salt."

"Well, I hope it will not deter you from coming out riding. I do enjoy it myself. If you're needing any practice, I should be glad to accompany you. Perhaps, all of us might go riding together one of these days."

At that time, Kitty had lost track of where the conversation stood with Miss Bingley. She seemed to be struggling with the colonel, and for some perverse reason, attention turned towards them.

"Unfortunately, Kitty doesn't take much pleasure in riding, Luis. She's becoming quite the ambitious gardener and a great reader, as well as learning Italian. Compared with you, Luis, you are quite the underachiever."

"Indeed," he said. "You are learning Italian?"

"I'm picking it up," answered Kitty, trying to ignore her irritation with Caroline. "It's a bit slow, but I'm improving."

"Why Italian?"

"The contracted workers making improvements on the grounds are an Italian family. Since I'm often working alongside them, I like to be able to communicate with them directly. They're an excellent family, from the Lombardy region."

"Ah, that is interesting… Forgive me, but Lombardy is in…"

"Northern Italy."

"Pardon my ignorance. I don't know much of Italy."

"When I first commenced, I knew almost nothing myself, but I've become quite fascinated with the country. And I've recently been perusing a new book I've found on horticulture, or maybe more generally, ecology. Gardens are very interesting, but it's just as fascinating, illuminating studying how soils, minerals, the water, the grasses, plants, trees all differ through various parts of the world. Why I just finished reading a section about China! Take that, for example, a fascinating country! Forests, tropics, desserts, tundra, all in the same country."

"Very… Yes, China is most fascinating, especially the Great Wall."

"Yes. There is the Great Wall, but that's just a small part. There is a great deal there, too—like the mountains in Zangjiajie… I probably mispronounce that."

"Oh, I wouldn't know."

"I do—no, it's Zhangjiajie. I was forgetting the phonetic pronunciation from the book. Beautiful place, in the Hunan province."

"Sounds like you have the heart of an explorer in you, Miss Bennet."

"… And pray, what are your interests, when you are not engaged in thorough studies of the classics and politics?"

"Well, as I said, I enjoy riding. Always have—and hunting, fishing."

"Kitty, you also forgot to tell Luis about beekeeping," retorted Caroline.

Her lips curled inward, and curved in a strained smile. "I should not count bees among my pursuits."

"Beekeeping, really? Do tell," pleaded Mr. Murray. The salt was returned the table.

"Well, on that, I know very, very little. The head contractor was teaching my sister and I some basics on the subject. I've a bit of a fear of bees and their hives, but I'm still curious. Actually, I did not realize what an enterprise keeping beehives can be. They're good for our gardens and crops, but can also be a small source of income for the owner."

"Oh indeed, it is; and they would fare so well in this part of England."

Turning towards Jane, Kitty began to include her: "It's a wonder to me, Jane, that Papa never thought to keep a couple beehives at Longbourn. Such can be a marvelous help for a family's domestic economy. Perhaps, when I return home, I might try and persuade him to try cultivating one. What do you think, Jane? Do you think he might?"

"Perhaps," answered Jane. "It's worth a try, anyway. I know he's always asking Lizzy or myself for any little tips on improvements."

Once again! "All well and good, Miss Kitty, but we mustn't bore the gentlemen about beekeeping." That smile, so sweet and playful, laced with a reprimand. "How does your archery come along, Luis? Last time we matched against one another, you almost had me beaten!"

"I assure you, Cousin Caroline, I've so improved," he assured, "that I am ready. I boast I can outmatch you by now!"

"I hope not. And what about fencing? Between you and Charles, I feel like you were much the better than him."

"Perhaps with Charles, but my fellow collegians, no! I'm but a foil, excuse the pun." This was met with laughter by the sportsmen. Kitty merely chuckled. "I've also taken up a little sketching in my spare time. I feel like it's easy to sneak into my routine, without breaking too far from the books. If you like, Miss Bennet, I'd also like to include a little sketching during an outing. I'd be glad of your opinion on a worthy subject."

"… I'd be glad to offer assistance."

"Beg your pardon, Miss Bennet," Colonel Fitzwilliam interrupted, "for I don't mean to distract and change the subject. I would like to hear more about the beehives. Did you and Mrs. Bingley get the chance to extract the honeycombs yourself?"

"Oh, yes we did! It was quite an adventure, wasn't it, Jane?"

"Indeed. We were both very nervous about it, but Signore Andreozzi handled the whole situation expertly. The bees didn't seem all that agitated."

"Not as we expected anyway."

While not at all her expectation, Kitty found her conversation and mind agreeably engaged by the colonel. For some minutes, everyone at the table spent time on the subject of beekeeping, especially being a subject of interest to the Grove House economy. Caroline's minor discouragement to talk about domestic economy went unheeded, even if discussing finances in a social setting with unconnected people wasn't exactly appropriate. And sadly for her, she had no knowledge of beekeeping to offer any useful opinions amongst them. If any of her interruptions was meant to intimidate, Kitty did not feel it. The insinuations were provoking, but far from intimidating. For it didn't appear that Miss Bingley wished to dash any young girl's hopes or crush her endeavours for a suitor. Still, it might be best perceived it, in her nature, to make any endeavours a challenge. What better way to discourage attachments from growing, by complimenting, uplifting the lady, making her appear too superior in intellect for the young gentleman? In such a way, she had once done with Elizabeth: who despised cards but was a great reader and took pleasure in nothing else. Nevertheless, Mr. Murray did not shy away from the depth of subjects introduced. He listened attentively to anything, especially where it concerned Kitty's enthusiastic opinion. By the time dinner concluded, the young man might be declared positively charmed by the young lady.

At the end of her day, all Kitty had to write on the subject, which had been foremost in her thoughts for some weeks was to the point. "Whether I spoke of provinces of Italy or China, beehives, or the differences in types of timber, he seemed keenly interested, and clearly lost, preferring to listen than to share his thoughts. Any passion in his speech came out in any talk regarding country sports or Shakespeare. But he loves to dance; that is something… I feel like I've taken a sip, expecting fine wine, and discovered its contents watered down."

For the opera, Mary aired out her bridesmaid's gown from her sisters' wedding. Though a couple years old now, it still boasted freshness and vibrancy of colour, and befit such a formal outing as the opera. Lizzy's maid had just finished with her hair, wound up and pinned, and with a modest silver chain that wrapped round her forehead. Miss Sothern had hand-picked this little trinket herself, with some fanciful notion, that Mary would walk "with whispers of the East" about her. Mary brushed it off as a grandiose, over-exaggerated comment that a pale complexion and mousy colouring could not possibly merit. Miss Andrews sided with Rietta, declaring it very fitting for such a sweet face and pretty clothes.

It caused a few blushes, to consider the changes now. She never used to spend so much time before the mirror, dressing and fixing her hair for any occasion. Her simple and few, well-known hair styles served her well for everyday, commonplace airings into town. Appearances signified too little importance in Meryton to matter, especially among people that had watched her grow up. All those confident feelings and that self-importance that put her concerns above the frivolity of her younger sisters had long since vanished. Here, now, she was learning the newest fashions, what styles of dress and hair were most becoming to her, the colours and patterns that suited her own skin colouring and those that did not, and even amongst all these, she was beginning to develop a preference for some details over others. As she was not seeing very many high collars, and linen or silk to tuck beneath the more open necklines, she too ceased to concern herself. Doing so, she would make her stand out. Though, of course, the decolletage never went daringly low, Mary learned to be at ease without it, just like Lizzy and Jane. By doing so, she had better occasion to wear and display a rather elegant chain or modest trinket perfectly. She also learned to judge the cut of the decolletage, and pair it correctly to the shape of her face. Though the square cut had been her long-standing preference, it was Lizzy that pointed out that Mary's cut of dress would pair better with more curve, just as her face had a more oval than a round shape or square jawline.

New attentions had already a seductive influence, not so much on the physical appearance as the mind itself. With a contract, now an income, and becoming published, came a fresh and vigorous sense of purpose, only marred by her health limitations. Ever since her brief conversation with Mr. Darcy, it was also her determination to prove to Mr. Darcy that she had made a good choice. What a horrible disservice, indeed, Mr. Wickham had done the family, to both the man himself and Georgiana, destroying Mr. Darcy's trust in the majority of humanity. Only fifteen years old… Funny thing, ironic, that Mary did not hold Miss Darcy and Lydia in the same light. Of course, in Georgiana's case, she did not go through with her elopement. It would've been so easy. For had it not been the strong love and attachment to her brother, she'd have concealed everything, and George Wickham would've ruined her. Miss Darcy's fortune seemed much more like an obstruction to a good marriage, as it drew only the fortune hunters.

Mary also regarded the silence about Georgiana's previous governess and companion, Mrs. Younge. If not for that letter written to Lizzy, involving their history, Mary would've never known. For that woman, somehow, had some involvement in the whole affair at Ramsgate, working in Wickham's own interest. Likely, that dubious and two-faced friend was also in Mr. Darcy's thoughts in his warning to her. "Take a little advice from those of your family who have misjudged appearances and been deceived." Mary only resented her loathsome brother-in-law more, for having sown a weaker, more distrustful tendency in Mr. Darcy. In addition, with all his comment about the Starlight Circle, he spoke thoughtlessly, forgetting Mary herself was one of them. She tried not to feel the sting of it, nor allow it to influence her behaviour towards him. It was not said with evil intentions, after all. But he spoke against her, against her own friends in the musical society, against Lady Herncastle's own judgment.

If her ladyship's company, and her ladies of the Starlight were truly objectionable company, then Mr. Darcy ought to have made her aware of it… No, that was faulting him too much. If he'd held her back from getting published, she'd never have become published and recognized at all. And becoming a member of the Starlight Circle had proven essential to her notice and the publishing of her music. She could not have done without them!

"Miss, Mr. Cummings' carriage has arrived, and Miss Sothern and Miss Andrews' are already waiting downstairs."

"I'll be down directly. Thank you."

"Miss Darcy has just gone down."

Mary bid Lizzy and Mr. Darcy in the back parlour a hasty and warm farewell before descending.

Thank you for the reviews last chapter, and all your concern for Mary. I appreciated them all. To one guest, the musician, I liked hearing your perspective. You and others can probably see where this is going.

And now, enter Mr. Murray and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Just as you expected? a plot twist? a bit of a flop? What do you think?