Page 16 of Gold and Good Sense

When he stopped kissing her there, he moved around in front of the swing and pulled Kitty to her feet by her hands.

“I do hope your father will agree to a short engagement,” he said. “I so long to be married to you so that I can fully express all that I feel.”

“I don’t think he will,” said Kitty. “He wrote to my mother just this morning saying that he will not approve of any marriages or courtships before this summer. He said that it’s to discourage fortune hunters.”

“But I am not a fortune hunter,” he said. “I loved you long before your inheritance.”

“I know you are not just after my fortune,” said Kitty. “But my father can be oddly stubborn sometimes, and Mama thinks this is one of those cases.”

“Then what shall we do?” he asked. “I don’t think I could bear to be near you and not be able to hold you in my arms and to kiss you.” With that, he bent down and brought his lips to hers.

Again, Kitty’s thoughts were scattered as she was swamped with so many new sensations. Her only real thought was that if this was what it felt like to kiss Alan, she didn’t think she could bear the thought of not experiencing it again.

When he pulled back from kissing her, she voiced the one clear thought she had. “Let’s elope,” she said.

His eyes widened in surprise. “It’s a long way to Gretna Greene, Kitty. Are you sure?” he asked.

“I have never been more sure of anything in my life,” she said.

“When?” he asked.

“My father will be home in two days,” said Kitty. “If we are to do this, it will have to be tomorrow.”

Chapter 8

Though it took longer than he had originally hoped, Thomas Bennet was eventually able to find a suitable and respectable companion for his girls who could read and write both Latin and Greek. The difficulty caused his return home to be delayed by a couple of days.

When he and his two eldest daughters finally entered Longbourn, he was surprised to find the house much quieter than he had expected. There was no sound of piano coming from the back of the house and no chatter coming from the parlor.

Oddly, instead of it being a relief, the silence was disconcerting. For a brief moment, he wondered if perhaps everyone was gone shopping in Meryton or gone visiting friends.

Mrs. Hill came into the hallway to greet them. As she took their outer wrappers, Thomas said, “I have hired a couple of companions for my girls as well as a couple of ladies’ maids, Anna and Millie. Is there space to house them here, or will I need to open up the dower house?”

“The two guest rooms will be suitable for the companions,” said Mrs. Hill, “though it will make it so that we don’t have any room for unexpected guests. As for the maids, if they don’t mind, I think we could house them in the nursery. All the servants’ quarters are full. At least they will be, assuming you hire the footmen I found for you.”

“We will be full to bursting,” said Thomas, “but I think it is necessary. See that it is done. The companions and maids are in a second carriage, and they should not be too far behind me.”

“Yes, sir,” she said. “I shall see to it.”

She curtseyed and moved off to put their cloaks away, but Thomas stopped her. “The house is rather quiet. Is Mrs. Bennet out visiting?”

“No, sir,” said Mrs. Hill. “Mrs. Bennet and Miss Lydia are in the parlor, and Miss Mary is studying in her room. Miss Kitty has been ill since yesterday morning, so she is also in her room.”

“Kitty is ill?” asked Jane, concern lacing her voice and expression.

“She is, Miss,” said Mrs. Hill. “She sent word through Mrs. Bennet that she was not feeling well and did not wish to be disturbed yesterday morning. Since then, the only one who has seen her is her mother.”

“My wife is the one taking care of her?” asked Thomas.

Such a willingness to do extra work was very unlike the Fanny Bennet he knew, and a bit of unnamed fear began to twist in his stomach.

“Yes, sir,” said Mrs. Hill. “I offered to help, but Mrs. Bennet said Kitty had a fever, and she didn’t want it to spread.”

Thomas’ fear grew. If Kitty truly had a fever, Mrs. Bennet would not have gone anywhere near her. He distinctly remembered how she had fled the house just to avoid being near Collin when he was ill.

“I see,” said Thomas. “Then I should check on her just to be certain she is not in a state that will require a doctor.” He turned to Elizabeth and Jane. “You may greet your mother and Lydia in the parlor.”

“Yes, Papa,” said Jane.