Chapter Fourteen
"Kitty, wake up!" Little J hissed as she shook her sleeping sister.
Kitty groaned as she squinted into the darkness. She could barely make out the figure of her younger sister. "What are you doing?" she moaned. "It is still night time." She rolled over and closed her eyes once more.
"Get up," she ordered. "Mama and papa are already awake, James, Henry and your fiancée have already left the house and Mr and Mrs Aubrey just arrived!"
Kitty's eyes shot opened. "His parents?" she gasped. "What time is it?"
"Just after six," she replied. "But get up. They won't mind if you're hair is not perfect, they just want to meet you."
Kitty threw back her covers and climbed out of bed. It was then that it hit her. She was getting married in a matter of hours. Sunlight hit her eyes as Little J pulled back the drapes in her bedchamber. She was still wearing her nightgown and her hair was very curly as the rags had been untied. "Little J," she whispered. "I think I'm going to faint."
Little J raced over to Kitty and wrapped her arms around her. "Relax, Kitty," she said encouragingly. "You love this man, and he loves you, do not freak out and leave him."
Kitty's eyes widened. "I'm not going to abandon him," she said, alarmed. "I want this more than anything ... but I'm getting married in a few hours ... and his parents want to meet me," as she said it out loud she felt her heat beating faster and faster. "Why am I so nervous?"
Little J giggled. "It's perfectly natural," she assured her. "When you're in love, everything makes you nervous."
Kitty furrowed her eyebrows. "How would you know?" she asked.
Little J pursed her lips and looked a little uneasy. "I read about it ... in a book."
"Is there something you'd like to tell me, Little J?" Kitty said knowingly. Was her sister in love? Was that where she was going every day?
"No," she answered quickly.
Kitty was taken aback at a sudden realisation. "You are, aren't you?" she gasped. "That's where you go when you disappear every day! You go and visit a man ... Little J, are you his ... no, I can't even say the word." She stepped away from her sister and picked up her wrap and tied it around her waist. She could not believe that Little J was so intelligent yet so stupid.
"I do not visit a man every day, Kitty, and I am not a whore," she said, stumbling over the word. "I am as pure as you."
Kitty watched Little J's face for any sign of her lying. "Swear," she instructed. "Swear to God that you are not being used by any man."
"I swear to God that I am not being used by any man," she promised. "If something like that was happening to me you would be the first person I would tell. You're my sister, Kitty, I tell you everything."
"Not everything," Kitty retorted. She still was yet to inform her of where she escaped to every day.
Little J looked a little ashamed. "I will tell you, I promise. I just can't, not yet. It's not time, and I can't risk anyone finding out."
Kitty accepted that. She trusted Little J. She knew that when she was ready all would be known.
"Enough about me," she clapped her hands once. "This is your wedding day and you're about to meet your future in - laws. So let's get your hair fixed and go down stairs to meet them." Little J led Kitty over to her dresser and sat her down. She began untying the material rags in her hair and letting the perfect tendrils fall down her back.
"You're a good sister, Little J," Kitty smiled into the mirror, looking at her younger sister.
Little J looked up from Kitty's hair and smiled. "Not as good as you. You've always watched out for me. I'll never forget the time when you attacked little Robbie Redthrorn in Sunday school when he pulled my braid after I corrected his reading. Seeing his black eye for a few weeks in row reminded me that I didn't have to be ashamed of my intelligence."
Kitty remembered that day clearly. She'd never really paid attention in Sunday school but she did pay attention when Little J, the little five year old, corrected Robbie Redthorn's pronunciation of several words that Kitty herself had no idea how to pronounce. After the third time Robbie had turned around and tugged on Little J's blonde braid so hard that she fell off her chair. Kitty immediately stood up and punched him right in the nose. "You don't ever have to be ashamed of being clever, Little J. If anyone ever makes you feel like that then they will have to answer to me."
Kitty noticed Little J's eyes filling with tears. "I'm going to miss you so much," she said, her voice cracking.
Kitty smiled and stood up from her dress, her head still half filled with rags. She turned around and wrapped her arms around Little J's neck. "I'm not leaving just yet. William and I will find somewhere to live once he returns."
Little J sniffed as he blue eyes became glassy. "I know, but when you leave I'll be here with a house full of boys!"
"Who knows, perhaps you will be married before I leave?" she suggested.
Little J scoffed. "Who in their right mind would marry me? I'm a woman who believes in gender equality. All men want is a wife to give them children and entertainment."
"Hush," Kitty scolded. "You will find a man who loves everything about you."
"Like you have?"
Kitty nodded. "Well, I don't think he really liked my behaviour when we first met and I can see why. I wasn't exactly giving the Alcott's a good name."
"You'll be really happy, Kitty. You and William are perfect," she smiled. "Now, let us get the rest of these rags out," she sniffed, wiping her eyes.
Within fifteen minutes, Little J had Kitty's hair out and curly, her cheeks pinched and her underclothes and a simple blue day dress laced on. Little J departed to her bedchamber to dress so Kitty was left by herself for a few minutes.
Standing at her window, Kitty watched as the sun rose. It was the last time she would be watching the sunrise as an unwed woman. She couldn't believe she'd been so fortunate. Many women married men whom their parents selected for them or because of the benefit of a title or a fortune and they didn't have the luxury of finding a man who would love them and be faithful to them.
"Sweetheart?" said Emilia as she knocked on the door.
Kitty turned around to see her mother walk into her bedchamber looking rather sad. "Yes, mama?"
"Don't you look beautiful?" she gushed as she crossed the room to her daughter. Emilia too wasn't properly dressed, only wearing a simple yellow day dress. Her golden hair was hanging down her back in neat waves.
Kitty found comfort in her mother's arms. She felt as if she was a child once more.
"I can't believe another one of my daughters is getting married. It seems as though it was only yesterday that you were five years old and preferred rolling around in the mud to acting proper - come to think of it, you still prefer other recreational activities to acting proper," Emilia laughed lightly. She looked back at her daughter and sighed happily. "I am so proud of you."
Kitty could feel her own eyes filling with tears. Her mother's brown eyes told her she was telling the truth. "Thank you, mama," Kitty said softly.
"I'm glad you're not leaving home just yet, I don't think I could bear to part with you," she laughed. "I've met Mr and Mrs Aubrey, they seem like fine people. His mama is a bit sceptical but his papa is a nice man."
Kitty knew that Mrs Aubrey was probably going to question her about her motives for marrying - what mother wouldn't? But she also knew there was another reason why her mother had visited her on her wedding day, she was going to explain what happens on the wedding night, something that Kitty did not want to hear.
"Now, I know you must be wondering what happens between a husband and wife the night of their wedding, so I'm going to tell you," Emilia began.
Kitty already knew what happened. She had a married sister and a friend who loved gossip. She'd also nearly been forced into it by a man who hadn't shown his face in town since. "Mama, that's really not necessary," she assured her.
Emilia smiled and nodded. "Alright," she sighed. She ran her fingers through Kitty's thick, dark hair before cupping her face. "Are you ready to meet Mr and Mrs Aubrey?" she asked.
Kitty nodded. "As I'll ever be," she replied. She took hold of her mother's hand and let Emilia lead her out of the room. They came to the landing where the sounds of voices coming from the drawing room became audible. As they walked down the stairs, Kitty asked in her softest voice "Will it hurt?" There were some things that only a mother's reassurance could quash.
Emilia squeezed her hand tightly. "Yes," she replied honestly. "But when you've got a husband who loves you, like William, he'll take care of you. He won't ever hurt you after tonight."
Kitty took a deep breath as she nodded. As they came to the drawing room Kitty could hear the distinct voices of two people she did not recognise. A footman opened the door for them and the men stood as Emilia and Kitty entered.
Her father and Sabine had been sitting on one settee and who she assumed to be Mr and Mrs Aubrey were sitting on the other settee.
"Mr Aubrey, Mrs Aubrey," her father said formally. "Allow me to introduce my eldest daughter, Lady Kitty Alcott."
William's father immediately came over to her with a warm and friendly smile on his face. He took her hand and kissed it lightly. "It's so lovely to meet you, my dear. My wife and I were thrilled to hear that our William was finally marrying." Kitty could believe that he was thrilled; his wife however did not look so.
It was as plain as day that John and Kathleen Aubrey were not William's biological parents. John was not as tall as William and was quite portly. His dark hair was streaked with grey and his green eyes were like little emeralds. His wife was similar to him in the way that she was not very tall. Her chestnut coloured hair was in a severe bun on top of her head and her grey eyes were quite reserved. She was quite thin and her skin was very good for her age but the scowl on her face made her look rather sour.
"It's nice to meet you too, William has said such wonderful things about both of you," she said politely, smiling at both him and his wife.
"That's quite interesting, milady, as we've never heard anything about you," Kathleen chimed in. She folded her arms across her chest and arched her eyebrows.
"It's been rather a quick courtship," Kitty said nervously.
"William's been our guest," Emilia informed Kathleen. "So he and Kitty have had quite a lot of time to get to know each other."
"Hmm." Kathleen looked Kitty up and down. It made her feel thoroughly self conscious considering she wasn't properly dressed. "Well, there's not much we can do about it now, is there?"
Kitty was taken aback. Had she just judged her based on two minutes of conversation? "Mrs Aubrey, might I have a word?" she asked sweetly.
She knew it would be completely rude of Kathleen to refuse to William's mother nodded. As they left the drawing room they ran into Little J who was bounding down the stairs in a very unladylike manner. Kitty knew it was just another element to add to Kathleen's already convincing disdain for her family.
"Little J," Kitty said in a warning tone.
Little J smiled kindly at Kathleen as she reached the bottom, not worrying about her sister's nervous stance. "Hello," she said in a friendly manner. "My name is Jane but everybody knows me as 'Little J'," she introduced herself in a relaxed manner.
Kathleen furrowed her eyebrows. "Why ever would they call you that?" she demanded to know.
Little J was taken aback by Kathleen's brazen question. "Well ... we have an aunt ... Jane. I'm named for her. It was quite ... confusing ... when I was younger ..." Little J stammered before Kitty cut in.
"It was too hard to differentiate between our Aunt Jane and Little J so she received the affectionate nickname that she has been known as since she was a toddler," Kitty said with a hint on angst in her voice. It was one thing to make your future daughter - in - law feel nervous but to verbally attack someone you've just met was out of line.
Little J shot her a thankful look before disappearing into the drawing room. The two women were alone.
"Say what you want to say, Mrs Aubrey," Kitty allowed her.
The woman's steel grey eyes narrowed. "Surely you can understand why I am confused, Lady Kitty."
Kitty nodded. "I can, but I don't understand why you feel the need to attack my sister so. She was only being friendly."
Kathleen nodded. "I did not mean for my question to come out so blunt, but I'd never heard of an Earl's daughter being referred with such an informal name."
"I love your son, Mrs Aubrey," Kitty said simply. "I'm so nervous right at this moment. Not only because in a few hours I will be getting married, but because I'm standing before my future mother - in - law and I feel as though she does not approve of me."
Kathleen pursed her lips. "I have not heard of you from my son before the letter we received the other day. My first thought, and I'll admit it, was that you were after his money."
Kitty furrowed her eyebrows. "I realise that William has money, Mrs Aubrey, but with all due respect, I have more. We love each other regardless of the money. I'd be happy if we lived in a shack in the middle of nowhere so long as he always came back to me."
Kathleen sighed and looked like she was thinking for a moment. "I think what worries me the most is that William is very ... devoted, I think that's the word I would use the most. He is very devoted to his men like I am sure he will be to you. I don't know your character, Lady Kitty, so I don't know if you're the type to reciprocate that devotion. Will you be true?"
That was something that Kitty could answer for sure. "Your son is the greatest man I have ever known, next to my father there is no - one more noble. I would never betray him," she promised.
Kathleen looked like she accepted her answer. For a moment, only a moment, her grey eyes softened. "I can see why he likes you, Lady Kitty. You are very fair and you speak very confidently. He is my only son, and I only want the best for him."
"Thank you," she smiled. She could feel her cheeks reddening a little.
"Will we expect you at Christmas?" Kathleen asked casually. "I understand that William will be absent but I'm sure we'd enjoy getting to know you a little better."
Kitty bit her lip, feeling awkward. "My grandmamma lives up in Yorkshire, it's actually an Alcott family tradition to gather at her farm and celebrate together. You see my Aunt Jane and Uncle Daniel, as well as Sabine, who you've met, and her two brothers, my family as well as my other sister and her husband all travel up to Yorkshire to stay with her. You'll be very welcome if you wanted to come."
Kathleen didn't look offended which Kitty was glad about. "I'm sure we shall visit that idea when the time comes."
"Do you approve of me?" Kitty asked vulnerably.
"I like how family orientated you are," Kathleen replied. "If you are like that with my son and my future grandchildren then I doubt we shall have any issues."
At that moment the door to the drawing room opened and her family and John all emerged chatting happily. Emilia caught Kitty's eyes. "Breakfast is served," she informed them. "Then we shall get you ready for the church."
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The next chapter will be the wedding/ wedding night (and no I won't be writing THAT, I'm sure you've all got imaginations :P) as well as the farewell if the chapter doesn't get too long :)
Hope you liked it :) Vote and comment!