- Rosanna Van Geemen
- 24 apr 2022
- 13 minuten om te lezen
It was the 9th of April 1920. This morning the family had breakfast in the main room. It was 10 am when Mr Langford, the butler, arrived with a telegram. You could see the shock on Lord Brighton his face while he was reading the telegram. “Is there something wrong papa?” asked Lady Anne desperately.
Lord Brighton kept reading. After he finished reading the telegram, he made an announcement. “James Bennet died in a car crash yesterday. This was a telegram from his family. The funeral will be in two days.”
Lady Katherine could not believe what she just heard. You could see the shock in her face and the tears of grief from the loss. James Bennet was the person she was supposed to marry in the end, he was the heir. This is a nightmare. Lady Katherine walked to her room with great sadness. She got dressed by her lady’s maid and asked for a chauffeur who could take her to the village.
She was longing for a visit to the local church where she would feel calm. At this moment, she had a need for a calm feeling, a safe calm feeling that she could not find at home because the sadness had overloaded the atmosphere. During the ride, she kept thinking about her future which had completely changed minutes ago. Her marriage with James Bennet wouldn't continue and therefore her future felt lost and uncertain. What the future would offer was the question that flew through her head every second of the ride. Even though the ride was 10 minutes, it felt like hours. Long, lost hours.
In the meantime, at home, Lady Anne was crying. Not only for the loss of James Bennet but also because she was angry about her sister. Lady Katherine is always so selfish. “She always wants to have everything to herself. Everything has to be of very good quality, and it is all about her. Everything or anyone else does not matter to her”, said Lady Anne angrily.
James Bennet was a good friend of hers. “Why is Lady Katherine such a drama queen? She is not the only person who loved James Bennet. He was a dear friend of mine,” said Lady Anne.
Lord Brighton was not amused by the way Lady Anne spoke of her sister. He kept reading his book and said, “Do not be so dramatic, your sister had lost a man who would be her husband. That is more important than losing a dear friend. He would become the new Lord of Highclere Castle.” Lady Anne was angry and left the room.
After a visit to the church, Lady Katherine went home to see if the rest of her family was doing well. It was a shock for them too. When she went inside, she looked at the sword. It is an heirloom that her father wanted to give to James Bennet after the wedding.
It was time for lunch. All the family members were at the table except Lady Anne. Lady Katherine was surprised to see that Lady Anne was missing. “Where is Lady Anne?” she asked. “It is time for lunch, so she needs to be here.” No one was answering. So, her mother decided to answer. “Your sister is not coming. She does not feel so well.”
Lady Katherine was confused. Why would her sister suddenly be ill? She was not supposed to marry James Bennet anyway. He would have become my husband. She thought it over carefully and then put it aside for a moment. She naturally wanted to know what her future will look like now. So, she asked Lord Brighton. “Papa, what do I need to do now? Is there a future for me with a husband and a new heir for Highclere Castle?”
Lord Brighton took a sip of his wine and reassured Lady Katherine. “Everything will be fine. You need some time to get through this. You will find the right man, I am sure of that. After the funeral, there will be a social gathering here at Highclere Castle. We have invited many people in memory of James Bennet.
It was the day of the funeral. Lady Katherine was getting ready to leave. In her room, she had a good chat with Ms Jones. "You will be alright. You can ring me every time if you need someone to talk to. Good luck!" And Lady Katherine hugged her.
The whole family was ready to leave. Lady Katherine had a very hard time. The cars were ready to go. Lady Anne was already looking forward to the trip to church. "Why do I always have to sit in the car with her?" and she looks at Lady Katherine.
"Don’t be so dramatic," says Lord Brighton. "There are worse things in the world. Please hurry up or we'll be late." After a 10 minute drive, they arrived at the church. There were a lot of people waiting for Lord Brighton and his family to arrive. James Bennet was a beloved man. The parents of James bennet held a speech. They started crying towards the end of the speech. So, they asked Lord Brighton to finish the speech.
Meanwhile in Highclere Castle. The footman and maids were working ridiculously hard. They prepared the house for the social gathering. The beds were made for the guests, they prepared enough food, and the house was nicely decorated.
At the end of the ceremony, Lord Brighton announced a social gathering at Highclere Castle. “There is a social gathering at Highclere Castle in memory of James Bennet”, said Lord Brighton. He told Lady Katherine that he invited more men to the social gathering. He wanted to introduce Lady Katherine to those men. Maybe one of them is the new heir.
On their way to Highclere Castle, Lady Katherine had become enthusiastic. Perhaps there is a new heir among the guests tonight. But of course, she hasn’t forgotten James Bennet.
“Are you that eager to find a man? Where is the love gone in a relationship?” asked Lady Anne. “Love for a man is also important in a relationship. It’s not just getting married to have a new heir to this house.”
Lady Katherine sighs. “What do you know about love, you’ve never been loved. You’ve always been the forgotten child.” Lady Katherine continued to stare at Lady Anne until she saw the tears on her little sister's face. “Stop crying, you know this is true. There’s nothing you can do to change that.”
Lady Anne was angry and sad at the same time. She knows that Lady Katherine is right but reminds me of this, that hurts a lot. “You were always the one that everyone loves the most. Nobody knew who I was. You should know how much that hurts and still does every day.” Says Lady Anne angrily.
Lady Katherine and Lady Anne were both relieved to be home. The journey was over, and they no longer had to listen to each other’s nagging.
Back at Highclere Castle. It’s one hour before the social gathering started. So, the women have an hour to get dressed. Lady Katherine was on her way to her room when she met Mr Langford in the hallway. “Hello, Mr Langford. Can you send Ms Jones to my room, please? I need to get dressed.” “I will Lady Katherine,” Mr Langford.
Lady Katherine was thinking about her future again and the men that her papa invited for tonight. There is a possibility that her future husband is in the castle tonight. She was doubting too much, and she burst into tears when Ms Jones arrived. “Is everything alright Lady Katherine, ” asked Ms Jones. “Is there something I can do? Do I need to call someone for you? Lady Mary perhaps? Tell me something. I want to help you.”
Lady Katherine sobbed and said, “I’m glad you’re there for me. You’re the one I need right now.” Ms Jones was relieved and blushed a little. Was she good enough? Was there a click from both sides? “I’m just really nervous for tonight,” says Lady Katherine. “My papa has invited 3 men he wants to introduce me to. One of them can be my future husband. My papa doesn’t want to tell who he has invited. Can you help me to find the perfect dress for tonight?”
The family is standing outside the door to welcome the guests of the social gathering. Lady Katherine found the perfect dress. It’s not a colourful dress because she has not forgotten James Bennet of course. She waits anxiously for all the guests to arrive. Lady Katherine occasionally looks in the direction of Ms Jones, who smiled at her.
Lady Katherine suddenly saw a strange man. She had never seen him before. What is he doing here? She is tried to ignore it and walked inside. She was walking towards the main hall when she ran into Mr Langford. “Mr Langford do you know who my papa invited to this social gathering,” Lady Katherine asked. “I saw a large, grumpy man in the gardens. He was dressed in black. He had an eyepatch on his left eye and his face was full of scars. Mr Langford looked worried. “I’ve never seen this man. I will ask Lord Brighton about his list of guests”.
“Ah, Mr Fitzgerald, do you remember my eldest daughter, Lady Katherine?” asked Lord Brighton. “Isn’t it wonderful to see each other again after such a long time?” Lady Katherine had to think very hard but couldn’t remember it. “Of course, I remember your eldest daughter. She was a diligent student. Very eager to learn and she wanted to discover everything for herself,” said Mr Fitzgerald. “Oh, now I remember you, how are you? You have changed a lot,” said Lady Katherine. “How are you doing?
“Well first, I’m sorry for your loss,” said Mr Fitzgerald. “It’s going well, especially now that I see you again! That was a long time ago.” Lady Katherine was flattered. “I still think of you every day,” says Mr Fitzgerald shyly. Lady Katherine was a bit distracted by that strange man she saw earlier that evening. What was he doing there? He was standing outside, and Lady Katherine spotted him through the window. “Will you excuse me,” says Lady Katherine and she walked outside.
The strange grumpy man was walking towards her. Lady Katherine was scared but also curious. “Who are you and what are you doing here. Did my papa invite you?” asks Lady Katherine. The man points to the window. “What do you want me to do? Is there something going on? You haven’t answered my questions yet either.” The man points to Mr Fitzgerald. Lady Katherine doesn’t get it. What does that man want to tell her?
“Tonight, your father will introduce you to three men. It’s up to you to choose the right man to share your life with,” the man says. “My name is Mr Black. I’m here to help you find the right man. I can tell you that Mr Fitzgerald has changed. You used to be in love with this man when he was your home-school teacher. Look at him, he's not your type at all, is he? I think this man is very nice as a friend. You had a crush on him but that is a thing of the past for you.”
Lady Katherine isn't quite sure what to think of this Mr Black. Does he exist or am I the only one who sees him? “Are you sure he's not the one for me? How do I know that the man my papa wants to introduce me to isn't the one for me?” Lady Katherine is a little confused. She needs to let it all sink in for a while. “Mr Black just pops up and tells me what to do.”
After a while, Lord Brighton introduced Lady Katherine to Mr Steward. “Mr Steward, let me introduce you to my eldest daughter, Lady Katherine.” Mr Steward grabs Lady Katherine her hand. “It is nice to meet you in person Lady Katherine. Your mother spoke a lot about you when she visits me in America.” Lady Katherine was happy to hear that her mother spoke about her to others. But what is she doing in America so often?
“It is nice to meet you, Mr Steward. Where in America do you come from? And where do you know my mother from?” Lady Katherine said. “Well, you know that your mother is from America as well. She visits her family a lot.” Mr Steward said. Lady Katherine was looking for Mr Black because she thought that he would be nearby. Mr Steward was not the man she was looking for.
Lady Katherine was correct. After a long chat with Mr Steward, Mr Black appeared in the library next to a book. The book had a cover that looked like the American flag. “I think that you already knew that this wasn’t the right fit for you, don’t you?” asked Mr Black. Lady Katherine nodded. “There was something that didn’t feel right. He knows my mother and my mother is visiting her family a lot.”
Mr Black opens the book to the correct page. It wasn't just any book. It was a diary. Mr Black pointed to a love letter written by her mother. The letter was meant for someone with the name NS. "Who is NS?" asked Lady Katherine. Mr Black said nothing. He just pointed in the direction of Mr Steward. You could see the surprise on Lady Katherine's face. "A love letter from my mother to Mr Steward. "This explains a lot. So, he's not the perfect man for me either. Why isn't love just easy?" says Lady Katherine. Mr Black laughed. "You just have to listen to your heart. And sometimes it's closer than you think." Suddenly Mr Black has disappeared. Lady Katherine walked back to the other guests. As she walked, she could only think of Mr Black's words.
Lady Katherine wanted to take some rest and went to her room. At the top of the stairs, she heard all kinds of noises. They came from Lady Anne's room. She paused for a moment by the door to make sure where the noise was coming from. It was as if she heard two voices. She decided to go in. "Lady Anne, are you alri...." she couldn't finish her sentence. To her great surprise, she saw Lady Anne kissing on her bed with an unknown man. Neither of them had any clothes on. "What are you doing here, Sir? GET OUT!!"
The man quickly put his clothes back on and left. "What were you doing?" asked Lady Katherine. Lady Anne laughed a little. "We had a lot of fun together." Lady Katherine didn't understand. This is not how she knows her younger sister. Just going to bed with a man she didn’t know.
"I don't want to talk about it. Get dressed and go back to the party,” said Lady Katherine. Don't ruin this social gathering. Lady Katherine was angry, and she walked to her room. At the end of the hallway, she saw Mr Black again. She knew immediately what it meant. The man who was making love with Lady Anne was one of the men to who her papa wanted to introduce her. She asked Mr Black to come to her room.
“What is happening this evening, I don’t understand. There are so many people at this social gathering and there is no one who is the right fit for me,” said Lady Katherine in tears. Mr Black was trying to cheer her up. “There are so many people in the world. Love is not about finding the best person. Love is also important.” Lady Katherine was wiping her tears away when she heard a voice coming from the door. “Lady Katherine are you okay? Is there something I can do for you?” It was Mr Langford. “You can come in Mr Langford,” said Lady Katherine. “Who were you talking to?” said Mr Langford.
Lady Katherine was confused. “Do you remember that I told you about a large, grumpy man that was dressed in black? I was talking to him. He is a kind man who helped me find the right husband. He is in the room right now.” Mr Langford was looking around, but he seemed confused as well. “Lady Katherine, are you sure that you are alright? I don’t see a man in this room except me.” She was looking at Mr Langford. Does he think that she is messing with him? “You asked if you could help me. Do you want to ask Ms Jones to come to my room?” asked Lady Katherine.
After a couple of minutes, Ms Jones arrived. Mr Black disappeared the moment Ms Jones walked in. “You asked for me, my Lady?” Lady Katherine was thinking and didn’t hear what Ms Jones said. “What is happening this evening Ms Jones? I’m so confused. First, at the beginning of the social gathering, my father introduced me to Mr Fitzgerald. Mr Black appeared outside the house. He was staring through the window. So, I went outside to talk to him. He told me that Mr Fitzgerald wasn’t the right fit for me. The second man my father introduced me to was a man from America. Uhm, what was his name again? His last name started with an S. Oh I know it, Mr Steward. He knew my mother very well. It didn’t feel right so I went searching for Mr black. He appeared in the library. He pointed at a specific book. The cover looked like the American flag. He opened the book for me and showed me a love letter from my mother addressed to NS, Mr Steward. So, Mr Black told me that this man wasn’t the right fit either. I decided that I needed some rest. I went upstairs and I heard some noise from Lady Anne in her room. After a couple of minutes, I walked in, and I saw her with a man that I didn’t know. They were making love with each other. I was confused and angry at the same time. I yelled at the man and her. They went downstairs. When I stood in from of my own room, I saw Mr Black again. I knew that there was something wrong. He came into my room, and we talked for a while. He told me that this man was the third man my father wanted to introduce me to. After my conversation with Mr Black, I heard a voice from outside my room. It was Mr Langford. He asked me if everything was okay. I burst into tears, and I was telling him that Mr Black was in the room at that time. But he didn’t see him. What does that mean? Was he an imaginary person? What do I need to do?
“Ow wow, that was a mouthful. I need to think about this,” said Ms Jones. “So, Mr Black was here at the party. He was guiding you through the process of finding the right fit. Every time you spoke to a man, he appeared and told you that they weren’t. Hmm, what could that mean? Is he in the room at the moment?” Lady Katherine was looking around. “He disappeared when you walked in,” said Lady Katherine.
“Okay, so he appeared when you spoke to someone who wasn’t the right fit and he disappeared when you figured out why they weren’t,” said Ms Jones. Lady Katherine burst into tears. “Why is he gone now? I wanted to ask him something.” Lady Katherine and Ms Jones were sitting on the bed. Lady Katherine laid her head on Ms Jones’ lap. Ms Jones tried to comfort her. “This feels so good and right. Do you feel the same Ms Jones?” asked Lady Katherine. Ms Jones blushed a little and answered. “It does, my Lady. It does.”
All the guests went home. Lady Katherine was letting them out with her papa. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there all the time papa. I was struggling so I had a nice chat with Mr Langford and Ms Jones.” Lord Brighton said nothing and gave his eldest daughter a huge hug. “I’m happy as long as you are!”
Everyone went to bed except Lady Katherine. She went to the room of Ms Jones. She knocked on the door. Ms Jones opened the door and looked surprised. “What are you doing here? Come …” She couldn’t finish her sentence. Lady Katherine gave a hug and whispered, “I know who makes me laugh, who cheers me up when I am sad and always will be there if I need someone.” Ms Jones looked shocked and happy at the same time. “I want you and no one else!” said Lady Katherine.