Kitty Read online

  * * *

  After lunch the female Lewises retreated to the parlour and tried to behave normally, whilst their father awaited his interview with the captain in the study downstairs. Lucinda had been recalled from Mrs Hempleduke’s residence in anticipation of a development. Strangely, she now appeared the most composed of the four people in the room as she sat working away at her latest piece of embroidery.

  Kitty tried to read but, for reasons for which she could not clearly account, found herself distracted.

  Clara and Mrs Lewis, neither of whom had anything to occupy their minds but a single thought, sat bolt upright, listening out for the bell.

  The anticipated noise finally came and when it did Clara leapt up, sprang to the door of the parlour and hazarded a look downstairs into the hallway.

  Mrs Lewis reproached her youngest daughter severely but was secretly glad of the girl’s industry.

  Clara returned to the couch, looking, Kitty thought, rather peculiar. She observed her younger sister stare, in apparent shock and disbelief, at her elder.

  “Was it the captain, Clara?” Mrs Lewis asked.

  “Yes,” Clara replied, uncharacteristically making no further comment.

  “And did he look handsome, Clara?” her mother pursued irresistibly.

  “Quite handsome,” Clara said calmly and, still looking in steady amazement at Lucinda, added, “in his full naval uniform, his hair so dark.”

  “Oh Captain Northwood is not dark, Clara – his hair is best described as chestnut-brown, I believe. A truly dark-haired man would be, say, Captain Clayton,” Mrs Lewis advised authoritatively.

  “Yes,” Clara agreed simply.

  Kitty noted that her youngest sister winked at her eldest and that her eldest sister, in return, smiled secretively.

  “Oh, Kitt, have you nothing I can read?” Clara asked, finally beginning to sound like herself again. “I can hardly bear the suspense.”

  Kitty rose from her seat, handed Clara her book and walked over to the window that overlooked the street. Down below, on the other side of the road, leaning against a railing and appearing rather anxious, Kitty spied Captain Northwood.

  Within moments he looked up and registered her presence at the window. He smiled and waved understatedly. Kitty –very discreetly– raised her hand to him in response.

  Then Kitty heard the front door bang shut and saw Captain Clayton run across the road to meet his friend. The officers embraced and walked down the street, Captain Northwood’s arm around Captain Clayton’s shoulder.

  Kitty returned to her chair.

  “Oh, where is your father?” Mrs Lewis protested.

  The door of the parlour opened.

  “Well Mr Lewis?” Mrs Lewis asked.

  He didn’t reply but looked upon Lucinda with a calm expression.

  “Shall our Lucie be Mrs Northwood – the title, undoubtedly, to be elevated to Lady Northwood when the captain inherits his uncle’s estate and is decorated for his many naval triumphs?”

  “Mrs Lewis, she shall not.”

  “What?”

  “But she shall, if she wishes, be Mrs Clayton.”

  Mrs Lewis took a moment to interpret what she’d been told. “Mrs Clayton! The wife of the son of a farmer! This, Mr Lewis, my Lucinda –my jewel– shall never be!”

  “But my dear, Captain Clayton has a healthy income, good prospects for promotion through the ranks of the Navy–”

  “Lucie was supposed to marry Captain Northwood!”

  “It is evident, Mrs Lewis, that Captain Northwood has no more desire to marry Lucie than she has to marry him. Captain Clayton, however, seems most secure in his belief of Lucinda’s affection.” Mr Lewis looked to his eldest daughter for confirmation of the fact.

  “It is true, Papa. Captain Clayton and I are quite in love with one another,” Lucinda admitted modestly.

  “Love! Love!” Mrs Lewis exclaimed scathingly. “And to think, Lucie, I believed you a clever girl–”

  “Captain Clayton is that most remarkable of creatures, a self-made man. And I, for one, admire him all the more for it, Mrs Lewis,” Mr Lewis said.

  “And do not forget, Mother, how highly Captain Northwood esteems Captain Clayton: the best man in all England,” Kitty offered in support.

  “And I have ever considered Captain Clayton far more handsome than Captain Northwood – I’ve just never said so before,” Clara chirped helpfully.

  “Handsome! Handsome, Clara! What are looks compared with fortunes?”

  “Well Lucinda,” Mr Lewis began in conclusion, “it would seem your match has the approval of three-out-of-four family members, which, for the time being, will have to suffice–”

  “Oh Mr Lewis, you are insufferable!” complained his disgruntled wife.

  “I wish you health, wealth and all the happiness in the world, my dear,” Mr Lewis continued, opening his arms wide to Lucinda. “And I have a strong suspicion that, blessed with a husband as devoted as Captain Clayton, you have every chance of enjoying all three.”

  * * *

  Within minutes, Clara had sidled up to Lucinda on the couch and the two were discussing wedding arrangements. Mrs Lewis’s acceptance of the day’s developments extended to a reflection that someone should inform Mrs Hempleduke of the alteration in Lucinda’s circumstances before she heard it through the grapevine.

  “I shall go!” Kitty volunteered instantly, eager to escape the house. As Kitty slipped out of the parlour, she heard her indiscreet youngest sibling whisper, “Remember, Lulu-Cinders, that you have ever been my favourite sister. Pray, tell me, what shall my dress be like?”

  Distracted, Katherine ran all the way from the Lewises’ house to some nearby public gardens. Exhausted by the time she reached her destination and wary that her apparent distress was attracting the attention of passers-by, she walked through the gardens until she found a bench upon which to sit. Tears obscured Katherine’s vision such that, when an old lady came and sat down beside her, it was not until the lady said, “Why, Miss Katherine! Whatever can have upset you so?” that Kitty realised it was Elizabeth Grimes.

  “Good day, Mrs Grimes,” Kitty said, trying to sound composed. Years of her mother’s influence prevented her from opening up her heart to a stranger.

  “Have you had a shock, Miss Katherine?” Mrs Grimes pursued.

  Involuntarily, Kitty replied, “My sister is to marry Captain Clayton.”

  “And that happy news has caused you distress?” Mrs Grimes asked incredulously. “Ah, I see,” she continued, “you grieve because she is to marry but you are not!”

  “No, Mrs Grimes, I have no desire to marry,” Kitty assured her. “In truth, I cannot account for my reaction – my mother, I believe, would put it down to nerves–”

  “And Captain Northwood’s fleet so soon to set, once more, to sea...” Mrs Grimes mused.

  At the mention of his name, Kitty resumed sobbing.

  Mrs Grimes shifted along the seat and put her arm maternally around the girl’s shoulders. “You need keep no secrets from me, Miss Katherine,” she whispered confidentially. “Everybody thought Captain Northwood was to marry your sister but I knew otherwise – I watch people, you see – I observe.”

  Kitty cried unashamedly into Mrs Grimes’s ample bosom.

  “You, Miss Katherine, are in love with Captain Northwood.”

  Kitty said nothing.

  “Am I wrong?” Mrs Grimes asked moments later.

  Eventually Kitty recovered her wits and sat up. There was nothing for it. She nodded as she looked ahead across the lawn. “But it is hopeless, Mrs Grimes,” she said. “Captain Northwood would never look at me. He thinks me a mere child.”

  “Tush, Miss Katherine! He thinks very highly of you and has told me so himself.”

  “But regard, Mrs Grimes, is not the same as affection–”

  “Well I don’t know the secrets of Captain Northwood’s heart but as I said, Miss Katherine, I watch; I observe, and I can tell you that, fa
r from your assertion that Captain Northwood would never look at you, he does look at you. Let me tell you, Kitty, if you are in the room, Captain Northwood looks at very little else.”

  Katherine turned to face the old lady, lost for words.

  Mrs Grimes’s tone became brisk and businesslike. “Captain Northwood is to depart early tomorrow morning, bound for the coast and his vessel. He is, I am reliably informed, occupied on business today but will return to his lodgings in the city this evening. It would be the height of impropriety for you to visit him there tonight but I cannot, Miss Katherine, see why you should not have an audience with him in the morning before he leaves–”

  “For what purpose, Mrs Grimes?” Kitty asked confusedly.

  “Why, to say goodbye, of course. I fear you will not be at peace, child, until you have seen Captain Northwood once more. I suspect if you do see him, all will be well,” the old lady concluded, with a sparkle in her eye.

  “But I don’t know where Captain Northwood lodges,” Kitty said.

  “No dear, but I do. I shall send a carriage to collect you from home at six in the morning. Six sharp, my dear; you must be prompt or else you’ll miss him. I do hate to be clandestine about these matters but I fear it may be necessary. Do you think you can slip away without being noticed?”

  “Yes, Mrs Grimes,” Kitty said.

  “Good,” Mrs Grimes concluded, beaming approval at the girl.

  * * *

  The following day Kitty slipped out of the front door at six o’clock in the morning, while the rest of her family still slept soundly. Mrs Grimes was as good as her word – her carriage was waiting on the street outside.

  As the roads were quiet, it took only a matter of minutes to reach Captain Northwood’s lodgings. On arrival, Kitty emerged nervously from Mrs Grimes’s carriage and knocked hesitantly on the door of the house that the driver informed her to be the captain’s abode.

  During the moments it took for her knock to be answered, Kitty began to tremble at the thought of seeing Captain Northwood. He would, for sure, think her visit highly irregular and the reason behind it –that she desired to wish him goodbye– sounded positively foolish.

  The door was opened by a maid. “Good morning, madam. What brings you here at such an unsociable hour?” she asked playfully.

  “I’m sorry,” Kitty began, “I wish to have an audience with Captain Northwood – he is due to depart this morning.”

  “Indeed he is. I have just delivered the captain his breakfast,” the girl remarked, pulling open the door for Kitty to enter the house. “If you would just wait here, madam. Who shall I say is calling?”

  “Kitty – Miss Katherine Lewis.”

  The servant disappeared to the first floor of the house, leaving Katherine standing in the hallway. A moment later, she reappeared, beckoning Kitty up the flight of stairs. “Captain Northwood’s room is just there,” she said, pointing to a door that was slightly ajar, when Kitty reached the top.

  Nervously, Kitty approached the door and knocked at it.

  “Enter,” came a familiar voice.

  Kitty swallowed, saw her hand tremble as she pushed open the door and stepped into the captain’s room.

  “Good morning, Miss Katherine,” Captain Northwood called, looking up at her from the breakfast table and smiling warmly. “I must say, it’s a rare pleasure to be visited by a pretty young lady at so early an hour.”

  Kitty closed the door behind her and stood awkwardly at it.

  “Please, Kitty, come and be seated at the table. I apologise for continuing to breakfast in your presence – there are but minutes before I must away.”

  Kitty walked across the room and sat at the small table in the window, opposite Captain Northwood. “I am sorry, Captain, for disturbing your preparations but, when I heard from Mrs Grimes yesterday, that you were bound for sea this morning, I was eager to say goodbye before you left.”

  The captain smiled at her and, dabbing his mouth with his napkin, asked, “Can I tempt you to a kipper?”

  “No thank you, Captain Northwood,” Kitty replied.

  “You are quite certain? They are excellent.”

  Kitty laughed as she shook her head.

  “No doubt your family are celebrating your sister’s engagement,” Captain Northwood continued, looking Katherine in the eye.

  “Some of us are,” Kitty replied, finding difficulty in holding his gaze. She looked down at the pristine, white tablecloth. There was no time to waste – polite conversation was futile. She had to ask the pertinent question. “I wanted to enquire, Captain Northwood, whether you knew of my sister and Captain Clayton’s understanding these past few weeks.”

  “You think it wrong, Kitty, that I told no one of their affection for one another?”

  “No! I think it most noble of you to have assisted Lucie in securing the hand of the man she loves–” Katherine blurted, stopping herself upon uttering such unguarded words. “It is just,” she recommenced tentatively, taking a breath before continuing, “that I did wonder whether the time we spent together arose merely out of your desire to leave my sister and Captain Clayton to themselves.” She stopped speaking and reflected upon whether what she had said had been what she’d wanted to say. She was unable to look the captain in the eye as she awaited his response.

  Captain Northwood did not reply immediately. After a moment’s consideration he began, “Obviously, I was eager to grant the sweethearts as much time alone in one another’s company as was possible but that does not mean, Miss Katherine, that I did not delight in your very excellent companionship.”

  There was a knock at the door and the maid popped her head around it without awaiting the captain’s invitation. “I am sorry, Captain Northwood, but you did ask to be informed immediately the squadron arrived – the men now wait in the street below.”

  “Thank you, Annie,” the captain replied, drawing his chair away from the table and rising. “Please tell them I shall be with them instantly.”

  Kitty rose from her seat too and said hurriedly, “I’m so sorry to have inconvenienced you at such an inappropriate time, Captain. I will go immediately so you can prepare yourself.” And she turned to flee the room, aware of the colour rising in her cheeks and regretting, now, that she had been so rash as to collude with Mrs Grimes in her act of folly.

  Katherine felt a strong grasp preventing her from leaving. Captain Northwood had placed his hands on her upper arms and pulled her back to him, turning her to face him as he did. “There is no need for such haste, Katherine,” he said. “The men won’t go anywhere without me.” He looked steadily into her eyes and waited until she returned his gaze before continuing. “Please be assured, Kitty, that your timing has been far from inappropriate – it has, in fact, been perfect. And, since we are such good friends and it will be many months before we meet again, might I be so bold as to ask of you a kiss before I depart?”

  Kitty thought she might faint. Once it became apparent that he wasn’t going to act without her consent, she whispered breathlessly, “I couldn’t possibly deny you anything, Captain Northwood.”

  Smiling, he bent his head and kissed her cheek, the kiss lingering long enough to give Kitty the impression that, had time permitted, the embrace would have lasted altogether longer. “Alas, I must go,” the captain whispered, raising his head and looking Kitty in the eye. “But I will not hear of you leaving until you have finished the kippers – to let them go to waste would be criminal.”

  Kitty laughed –though she felt, once again, close to tears– as Captain Northwood picked up his naval tunic from the sofa. “Until we next meet, Miss Katherine,” he said, looking at her meaningfully and then shocking her by returning to her side to steal one more kiss, before striding out of the room.

  Katherine swooned as she stood at the window and watched the captain emerge onto the street below. Before mounting his horse, alongside the other men of his squadron, he turned to look up at her, framed in the window.

  Kat
herine was about to step back to conceal herself from his view but, sooner than she could, she saw him blow her a kiss before finally turning to climb into the saddle and trot away.

  Clinging to the open shutter for support and brushing a tear from her cheek, Katherine sighed, “Oh God, is it possible?”

  “Sorry, Miss Katherine?” the servant Annie said as she entered the room.

  “It’s nothing,” Katherine mumbled, withdrawing from the window.

  “A fine site it is indeed to see the men of the squadron in their uniforms,” Annie observed as she made to clear Captain Northwood’s breakfast table. “Enough to bring a tear to any lady’s eye.”

  “I must away,” Katherine said, remembering that Mrs Grimes’s carriage awaited her below.

  “Shame,” Annie replied. “Will you not stay and have some kippers? Freshest you can get in Bath,” she remarked.

  “Thank you but I really couldn’t eat a thing,” Katherine admitted. She doubted she would eat for a month after this morning’s events.

  As Annie momentarily turned her back on her, Kitty couldn’t resist the temptation to pick up Captain Northwood’s napkin from the table and stuff it in her pocket.

  “Shall I show you to the door, Miss?” Annie asked.

  Out in the coach, whilst being whisked through the streets that were livening up as the working day dawned proper, Katherine produced the napkin from her pocket and held it to her face, wiping the last of the tears from her cheeks. She closed her eyes and smiled serenely to herself upon the discovery that the napkin smelt, not only of the excellent kippers, but also of him.

  * * *

  “It is unlike you to pick at your food, Kitty,” Mr Lewis observed at the breakfast table the following morning. “Are you quite well?”

  “Quite well, thank you, Papa,” Katherine replied unconvincingly.

  “Post, Sir,” the Lewis’s housekeeper announced as she bustled into the room. “And the extra kippers you requested.”