CHAPTER III
~ A Walk
The following morning Katherine awoke to a consolingly familiar golden light issuing through the tiny window next to the tiny bed.
She sprang out of this bed in a dash, and peered out of this window to see Elmere Common as she had always known and cherished it.
“You’re back,” she murmured to the panorama, like it were an old friend returned home, as if she had once fleetingly alleged this friend was absent eternally, only to be solaced once more – an absolute hyperbole, to be sure!
She garbed herself, and rushed down the steep, narrow stairs to find the rest of the household already up.
“Good morning, Miss Benson! I would have woken you, as you did make your intentions perfectly clear last night, about leaving at dawn-” Katherine raised her eyebrows as if to say: ‘Then, if you acknowledge how clear and urgent my intentions were, then why did you not wake me up as requested?’, and seeing this, Elliott, who was sitting at the breakfast table with a newspaper in his hands, chuckled quietly at her expression – “-but I thought you looked so tired last night, I wondered that it might really be in your best interests to get a good long nights’ sleep – oh! would you like any breakfast, my dear?”
“I thank you for your concern, and please do not assume that I am ungrateful for your tender care yesterday, but it is like I have said, I really ought to have left at dawn, otherwise my father may become worried – you know who my father is, Mrs Linton?” she said, and there was a hint of a threat in her voice as she said this. The slight annoyance in her voice was detectable.
“Oh! yes, I do know your lovely Mr Benson,” Mrs Linton replied, a little nervously now, “And you are quite right; we would not want to upset him, would we, children? No, he has indeed been very good to us these past years. You must be off then?”
“Yes, I am afraid I must.” Katherine replied. She was a little smug, and secretly glad that she could use her father’s power to influence the locals, but she closed this thought before she could make itself known on her expression, as she told herself that such exploitation would be cruel, and then remembered a small part of last night’s conversation.
“Elliott – Mr Harlow, my friend. I must now say goodbye.”
He stood up at that, and took the hand that she held out to him. “Goodbye,” he replied to her, “And perhaps next time you shall meet my sister, as I have a feeling that you and she would get along very well indeed.”
“I am sure that she is delightful. Emily; Earnest: I am so glad that I have had the pleasure of your company!” – they nodded at her, their eyes fixed on their breakfast, but she did not mind – “Goodbye once again, Mrs Linton. I cannot thank you enough!”
And after saying their goodbyes, she rushed out of the door, only to remember her horse, and to rush back indoors again – Milo! – her beloved horse, how could she forget?
“I am so sorry – my horse…?” she asked.
“Elliott, will you take our guest to the shed, please?”
“Of course.” He replied to his aunt. “This way,” he told Katherine as he led her out of the small wooden door.
They walked around the side of the house, in silence, until they reached a sizeable brown shed.
“Here he is!” She exclaimed when she saw him. She ran towards the horse and stroked him affectionately.
“You do love him,” Elliott noted after observing her affection, and his tone was as if he was perhaps a little jealous of this horse.
“Yes, yes I do! I suppose he is somewhat like a brother – I always would have liked a brother, you know,” she replied, looking round at him with a smile. She clicked her tongue as she led Milo slowly forward back around the side of the house.
“You do not have a brother yourself, then?” he asked.
“No – it’s just me; my mother and father, and Milo. But I do have the common – I always have the common;” she reassured him.
“Of course, your beloved common.” He teased with a smile.
“And what about you?” – she ignored the scoff – “Do you have any other siblings, apart from your sister you so fondly speak of?”
“I was, in fact, the youngest of six children –”
“Goodness! Six children! Oh – sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but… six?!” she exclaimed with wide, wondering eyes.
He chuckled at her response, but then mused with a wise manner, “You really haven’t seen much of the world, have you?” – it was a question that did not necessitate an answer.
“Why do you say that?”
“Well Katherine, it may surprise you to know that a family of six children is perfectly normal, outside of Elmere – you said last night that you have never really travelled further than Chorley.” He added in clarification to Katherine’s mounting mien of confusion.
“Oh… I see. You know, I suppose I would rather like to see more of the world.” She wondered as they walked along. He looked at her with an amused, doubtful expression, and then she said with a laugh: “Oh, dear, Mr Harlow! How sneakily manipulative you are! And how you do get me to say such outrageous things!”
“What, like getting you to talk yourself into wanting to see what lies out of Elmere and Chorley?”
“Oh, do stop it!”
“Really, though. I do wonder at how you don’t get bored here; what is stopping you from seeing the outside world, Katherine?”
“Oh! I suspect it is I.” She mumbled. “And my father, I suppose.”
“I see,” he said thoughtfully.
“Please! Sir, do not jump to the wrong conclusions – my father is a wonderful, and honourable man with an astounding work ethic, and who deserves to be respected in all ways.”
“Of course I do not wish to judge somebody I have never met, and indeed he does sound like an honourable man. I merely wondered – how had my aunt heard of your father, Katherine? She is sweet and lovely and welcoming in all ways, but she does rather miss out on important information when it comes to introducing two new acquaintances, you see.” Explained he.
“My father is the landowner of many parts of the common.” She returned simply.
“You own the common?” he asked in surprise, but also in conclusion. He could see it now – her attachment to the common made more sense.
“No – only parts of it, and only housing, and my father rather than myself.”
“Well… my lady…” He bowed before her with a flippant smile.
“How funny you are, Mr Harlow,” she said dryly, yet she still smiled in spite of her sarcasm.
“But I am being serious – you ought to see a bit more of the world. Perhaps there would be a chance of you hosting a ball? They are very popular nowadays and I am sure you could host a most magnificent one.”
“And, of course, you yourself would expect to be invited.”
“If you would be so kind; yes.”
"Then I shall ask my father, and see. A ball!" she said excitedly.
“Are you certain you would not like to be escorted home?”
“No, I assure you, as much as your company is greatly appreciated, I see you have no horse, and I do long to ride, today.”
“Could you not ride later, when the sun is a little higher in the sky and the air is a little warmer?”
“How persistent you are, sir!”
“Yet my simple question remains in want of an answer,” he pressed.
“And it shall remain in want since I have already given you my reply. Mr Harlow, I am regrettably stubborn and wish not to be detained from my ride, I apologise.”
“Of course,” said he shortly.
Then, after a moment, she added; "Yes, yes - you may have your way. I suppose walking never hurt anyone!"
He smiled, secretly triumphant that he had managed to successfully manipulate the stubborn creature!
"Let's better be getting going, then!"
"Tell me about your family, Mr Harlow," she enquired gently.
"Well, as you now know, I am the youngest of six." He paused, as if looking for how to phrase his next words correctly. "But, I am only in contact with one - my dearest older sister. I hope you should like to meet her."
"Oh! yes! Very much so!"
"She is a dear thing; quite shy but sneakily observant; she is much into her books, and does take great pleasure in walking in the fresh air - although, Miss Katherine," - here he turned to her - "She has not learnt how to ride. I dare say that these wonderful animals do frighten her a little," he said softly, patting Milo.
"You look at me as if I am to take offence of this! Mr Harlow, if you know me at all then you might know that I am never to judge somebody that I have never been acquainted with before with quite so much severity - but one whom I have met before, I only can judge them once I am quite sure to assume to know them completely. I am sure your sister will cause me no offence."
"Very well then. Yes, that is my sister. I have one other sister - her name is Ella; she is the oldest of us six. The rest are brothers, and with them I am acquainted with only in my memories. They could be married, dead, or with children, or living on the other half of the world for all that I know."
"But how have these relationships been so irreparably lost? I'm sure, had I a brother or sister I should choose to see them in my adult life on some occasion, at least."
"And perhaps that occasion has never presented itself ideally - but it is most possible that the lack of connection due to our..." he paused awkwardly, then continued after he exhaled in something that resembles bitter sadness; "We were not altogether close in our childhood, Katherine. I sincerely hope you understand that not all the world is as good and pure as you might think." he finished softly.
But she was rather taken aback by this assumption of his.
"No! Of course you must not assume I think so!" - here she wondered whether this was as close a friendship enough to introduce her feelings of difficulty around her own life at home. She knew that, although her father seemed to come across as cruel and cold; her intelligence and insight had told her that there was, indeed a very grave cause in his past for this countenance. But, she decided against it, and merely asked; "Do I appear naive so?"
"No! Indeed I believe in fact you are rather insightful,"
"I should hope so," she said quietly.
They continued along in their previous silence, breathing in the fresh, post-fog air and hearing keenly the happy calls of the awakened birds, and then made a small conversation of the weather, then a larger one of the continued conversation about Elliott’s family, but ignoring the subject of his siblings, as they had digressed all too many times from that particular subject: His parents were both deceased, Eliza being the younger sister of his mother by ten years, he was the youngest of his siblings and next came his beloved sister Erica, whom he, as he had expressed, ardently hoped Katherine could meet.
They continued their short walk, until they reached a small pathway – a course to bid their final, formal farewells, after which Katherine hopped onto her horse and left Elliott behind her, quite as entranced as the previous night, if not even more so.