In Distant Fields Read Online Free PDF Page A

saying, ‘I thought I would never make a friend at MissWoffington’s, although I simply had to do or Mamma would not be allowed to be in London giving her At Homes and enjoying the kind of intelligent conversation which is not always available at Bauders, so when I suggested asking you, she thought it would be such a good notion, because my older sisters have each other for company while I have no one, because I am so much younger, and Mamma says that is so sad. Allegra has come out, and might soon become engaged to James Millings, once he has inherited, but Cecilia has no one, and has not been presented at court.’
    She stopped to tilt her pretty head to one side as she examined Kitty’s travelling clothes. ‘I shall be changing for tea in the library, by the way,’ she added diplomatically. ‘So when you are ready, give a scratch on my door.’
    Kitty smiled and, taking the hint, went immediately to change. By now, due to the miracles that Kitty would soon come to accept happen out of sight in grand establishments, Bridie had appeared in Kitty’s room and was busy unpacking her cases, out of which Kitty took an appropriate change of clothes.
    â€˜I’ve never done this before, so I haven’t,’ Bridie muttered as she tried to help her lay out the right clothes. ‘Would yous be wanting some kind of a belt to go with this, Miss Kitty, dotie?’
    â€˜No, no – thank you, Bridie, I will wear a sash. You’ll soon get used to all this,’ she added in a kindly tone.
    â€˜That’s all very well, Miss Kitty, but sure, yous no idea how stiff it is down there. Surely to heaven, Miss Kitty, when I tells yous,’ Bridie sighed, applying a clothes brush to the back of Kitty’s immaculate new afternoon dress, a tightly tailored lace-trimmed blouse with gathered sleeves and a most becomingly cut dark skirt, ‘when I tells yous I have a page of my very own, down there, the Lord save us. And what would my poor old mother – God help her indeed, if she were alive today – what would she be thinking of her little Bridie with her own page? She’d lather me with kisses, so she would.’
    As Kitty started to feel Bridie’s increasingly determined mood through the administration of the clothes brush she moved tactfully out of range of her heavy handed attentions, going instead to tap on Partita’s bedroom door in the approved manner.
    From the look in Partita’s eyes it was immediately obvious that Kitty’s new outfit had met with her approval, much to Kitty’s relief, since she knew that the next few hours would be sure to determine her future at Bauders, that whether she liked it or not, the Knowles and their guests would be weighing up everything about Partita’s guest. Partita herself was wearing a cream silk blouse with guipure lace at the neck and wrists, and a skirt of dark green velvet with a back pleat, which Kitty was able to appreciate as she followed Partita and they began the descent to the hall below, Partita chatting happily.
    â€˜Papa always says that this staircase is wide enough for eight people to pass down together; but then Mamma says that really only comes into play if you have a whole army staying. All those, by the by,’ she went on, waving an artless hand up at the rows and rows of portraits hanging on the walls above them as far as the eye could see, ‘they’re all our ancestors. Most of them were a pretty dull lot, but one or two did do some rather tremendous deeds. Mamma says the rule is never to talk about one’s ancestors unless to be funny, and even then not for long. Come on!’ she urged all at once. ‘You have to hurry through the Great Hall or you will be found frozen to death unable to utter a word, ready only for the next world!’
    Taking her pace from her friend, Kitty began to run through the marble-floored hall set about with huge tapestries depicting medieval