Lady Kat rarely deserved the harsh punishment meted out by her mother. Oftentimes, Lord Edward was away and Lady Anne was irritated with being left alone with no one for company except the headstrong Katharine. Charles had always been her favorite and she had doted upon him from birth. But while Charles was away at Eton, Anne became irritated when her husband was gone for long periods of time. After her two eldest daughters married, she was often left completely alone, save Katharine.
***
Kat was a sweet young girl. She enjoyed going below stairs to trade gossip with Ms. Baxter and talk nonsen
se with the maids. They enjoyed her company and she was kind to those who surrounded her. Kat was a smart girl even in her primary years, but as she grew older, she also had a steel will that would never be forced or broken, especially by her mother.
As Kat aged into her young teenage years, Lord Edward, who was 15 years older than his wife Anne, became more aged. He was nearing his late sixties and while Charles managed the monetary side of the estate, Anne was left running the day-to-day business of the estate, which included overseeing their tenants, hosting dinner parties and keeping up appearances for their neighbors and London relatives. Lord Edward spent more and more time in London, occasionally returning to Willow Manor for brief periods of time.
Though Kat was unaware, her mother began seeing a young man in a nearby village. He was a young country squire only a few years older than Katharine. Anne and her lover met at various places and made every effort to keep their relationship secret.
***
Katharine knew it wasn’t right to quarrel with her mother, but it seemed that the older her father got, the more domineering and demanding her mother became. Lady Anne was insistent upon Katharine marrying within the next year. She had placed several gentlemen before Kat, all of whom were abysmal. The latest had been the Earl of Benton. At 57 years old, the Earl was not much younger than Lord Edward. The Earl had children who were all older than Kat. He stood 5 feet 2 inches tall, with a large belly and yellow teeth due to his addiction to tobacco. Lady Anne was pleased with the offer because it would send Katharine to the other end of England while Anne would be able to run Willow Manor without interference.
***
Kat settled into the moss at the edge of her favorite oak tree. Though the forest was small and sparse, not covering more than a few acres, Katharine loved it. She had often come here as a child, sometimes accompanied by her father. She had been raised essentially as an only child, as her brother and sisters had been married and gone by the time she was a young girl. After Eton, her brother came to the manor every so often, but his bride of two years preferred the town of London.
She claimed the maids and cook as her many friends and their closest neighbors, the Maxwell’s, had a daughter that was Katharine’s age. Though the Maxwell’s were not wealthy, nor did they hold titles, they were a good, decent family and Edward approved of them. They were a merchant family; the Maxwell’s traded in wool and cotton.
Frances Anne Maxwell was a sweet, loving girl. Devoted to her pious mother and three younger brothers, she was a good companion for Katharine. She was “Francie” to all her friends. She had a good heart and an open ear, and was loyal and trustworthy. Francie had been a true friend for many years and always tried to be kind, as she knew Katharine’s life was sometimes difficult with her cold and uncaring mother.
Kat had just settled under the great oak tree when she saw a figure approaching. Her mother would never have ventured out onto the grounds when a servant would do. But the figure was dressed in a yellow silk dress that a servant could never afford. Kat smiled.
“Hello, my friend,” Kat cried out from her seated position.
Francie spotted her friend and waved. “Hello. I called upon you at the house but they said you had gone walking.”
“Yes, I had to take some air.” Kat elegantly arose from her seated position, brushing at her rose-colored skirts.
Francie fell in stride beside her and asked, “Have you quarreled with your mother again?”
Kat nodded. “Yes. I dare say I can do no right in her eyes.”
Francie was a pretty girl with soft chestnut brown hair and brown eyes. She lacked Kat’s vivacity and beauty, though she made up for it with her kind heart.
“You should try, dearest Kat. To be apart from one’s own mother is terrible.”
Kat made an unladylike snort and said, “Yes, perhaps it would be a terrible thing if one had sweet Agnes Maxwell for a mother. But when one is left with Anne Fairfax it’s not so terrible.” She made her remark with a harsh tone that Francie knew too well. There were times when Kat was pushed too far and when happened, it was best to stand back and let the storm blow over.
Everyone in the small village knew of Agnes Maxwell and her devotion to others in need. She was selfless woman who gave her time and raised her children with love and affection. Many happy days and afternoons had been spent at the Maxwell home enjoying the loving atmosphere while Agnes, Francie, and Kat gossiped, embroidered, and passed the time.
“I wish things were easy between us, Francie. I wish I could be a soft, malleable woman like Mary and Eleanor. Maybe that would make her happy. Or if I had been born a boy like Charles and not a useless daughter,” Kat shook her head. Her unhappiness was written across her face.
“I don’t think Lord Edward views you as useless,” Francie said softly.
“Oh no.” Kat thought fondly of her father. “Papa is too good and kind – much like you- to ever think ill of anyone.”
Francie smiled at the compliment.
“I guess we’re just too different. She just wants to marry me off and then she’ll be free of me.”
Francie’s arm came around her friend’s slim shoulders. “Who is the latest suitor?” she asked. Francie was privy to Kat’s life and knew of the constant merry-go-round of suitors her mother encouraged.
“It’s awful. The Earl of Benton.” Kat pulled aside a large fern leaf as Francie followed.
“Oh no!” Francie cried. Their movement frightened a small nest of birds nearby, who flew away.