Taking her hand in his, he spoke earnestly, trying to reassure her.
"My dear Catherine, it is quite clear to me that your sister is eager and anxious to do this for you, but it must be admitted there is also something in it for her. I do not wish to pry into her private affairs, but am I wrong in assuming that Mrs Tate's marriage is not entirely happy?"
Catherine had no alternative but to tell him of the letter her sister had received from her husband, and so he would understand the reasons for it, she explained also something of the history behind it.
"It was devastating to the entire family. Their paths have diverged ever since Josie's tragic death; my brother-in-law doted on her and has never been able to come to terms with his loss. Poor Becky has been very much alone for many years, which is probably why she wishes to become involved with the school at Hunsford—it will be a new interest," she said.
"Well then," said Mr Burnett reasonably, "though it may initially stem from her distress, it is possible that this may be exactly what Mrs Tate needs to help her cope with her situation. From a practical standpoint, she is possibly well placed to help you and herself. My impression of your sister is that she is both courageous and resilient and is determined not to be daunted by circumstances. Am I right?" he asked.
Catherine nodded, smiling as she realised how very right he was. "You are indeed, but is there not a danger that her intrepid nature will lead her into making decisions she may later regret and may well cause friction between us?"
"Catherine, my dear, I do not believe there is any danger of that. Your sister is as likely to regret assisting you to set up the parish school as I am to regret returning to Rosings Park and finding you again. If it gives her so much pleasure, why set your mind against it?"
This gentle hint was sufficient to change the direction of their conversation, which soon took a turn towards more personal matters.
Catherine had never wished to appear inquisitorial and so had resisted the temptation to ask too many questions about Mr Burnett's return to Rosings Park. However, now that the opportunity presented itself, she was less reluctant to do so. She had occasionally wondered at what point after his return Mr Burnett had rediscovered his interest in her. It was a matter of curiosity to which she addressed her first tentative question.
"Frank, would you consider me very unladylike and silly if I were to ask you to recall for me the moment, or even the day or the week after your return, when you discovered that your feelings for me were unchanged?"
Frank Burnett was genuinely surprised by her question, simply because she had never, until then, interrogated him in the way that younger women were wont to do with their lovers. However, he regained his equanimity very quickly and replied, "No, not at all, why would I? Catherine, you may ask me anything you wish and I would answer you without hesitation. There is nothing naïve or unladylike in your question and you are certainly entitled to ask it.
"As to my feelings, I did not have to rediscover them; they had remained with me. As I told you before, I had found it impossible to so much as feign an interest in anyone else. I will admit that I tried once or twice, quite deliberately, knowing my case was futile, to put you out of my mind altogether, but I was hopelessly unsuccessful."
"And when you returned to Rosings?" she prompted.
"I did so for professional reasons alone. The position offered was too good to turn down and my superior at the museum, who had recommended me to Mr Bingley, advised me to take it. I have no estate and not a great deal of money, except for some savings invested in the funds, which bring me a modest income. I must have employment and need to earn a reasonable salary. I had no other motive at the time. Besides, as far as I knew, you were married to Dr Harrison; I had no idea he was ill," he explained.
Catherine reassured him, "I did not mean to suggest that you had any other motives, but my question goes to the time after Dr Harrison's death, when Lilian and I moved to the Dower House. Did you then continue the association with a view to the future?"
He regarded her gravely as he answered, keen to have her understand the sincerity of his intentions. "I confess I did, and I make no apology for doing so. I am not unaware that many women in our society are left to fend for themselves when widowed. Some are fortunate enough to be well provided for, others are not. Most need some practical help. I had no knowledge of your situation, but I cared enough for you to wish to stay around and if the need arose, offer you my friendship and assistance at least," he explained and seeing her interest, continued.
"For my part, I had discovered soon enough after my return to Rosings that my feelings for you were unchanged—indeed they were if anything deeper than before—but I did not know if you would welcome an association that offered more than friendship. If you did need me, I intended to be there for you. Is that so reprehensible? Do you blame me for hoping?" he sounded somewhat anxious, but she soon set his mind at rest.
"Blame you? Of course not. Nor would I have, had you not done so. I would have assumed that you were occupied with matters of work and quite indifferent to me. I had no claim upon your time or your friendship. But, when they were offered, I will admit I was most grateful. Lilian and I, though we were fairly well provided for materially, had been left very much alone, and if not for the generosity of Mr Darcy and Jonathan Bingley, our lives may have been very different indeed. Mr Adams was eager to help, but being such a young man, I would have been reluctant to impose upon him in any way. Your kindness in offering both friendship and practical advice was deeply appreciated."
"And you suspected nothing of my feelings?" he asked.
"Not at first; indeed, not until I saw my framed picture in your work room at Rosings!" she replied, with a smile.
He threw back his head and laughed, as colour flooded over his face at the memory of his embarrassment. "Ah, that picture! How very badly I felt when you found me out; I had thought that my secret had been so well concealed!" he confessed, still a little awkward at having to admit to that deception.
But his discomfiture was soon replaced by a glow of pleasure when Catherine, in the kindest and most loving words, assured him that having found out his secret, she had discovered within her heart a reawakening of her own feelings for him. Indeed, she admitted, her feelings were far deeper and more intense than anything she had felt in her youth.
"I had not thought it possible for me ever to feel such love as I do now," she confessed and in so doing, provoked a response of such tenderness, as made their shared affection far more rewarding than any association she had known before and ensured that the delightful exercise of reminiscing would be repeated on many other occasions.
Chapter Twenty-two
Their meeting with the attorney Mr Gunning proved to be infinitely simpler than any of them had anticipated.
The gentleman into whose chambers they were ushered by a clerk of some considerable antiquity was Mr Gunning Jr., who had long succeeded his father. Far from being the crusty old lawyer Catherine had feared meeting, he turned out to be a most agreeable young man and a friend of Mr Jonathan Bingley, for whom he claimed he had done some work in the recent past. Having thus established a congenial basis for their business dealings, they were able to conduct their negotiations with a minimum of fuss and with considerable trust in each other.
Young Mr Gunning, conscious of his responsibilities to his client Mr George Grahame, was pleased to deal with Mrs Tate, for whose knowledge and clarity of purpose he soon developed a good deal of respect. When she offered to pay a year's lease in advance, he was absolutely delighted.
An efficient as well as affable fellow, Mr Gunning had the papers drawn up immediately and promised to have the property ready for her inspection and occupation by the first week of September.
Their business concluded, they repaired to a hotel for a light luncheon before returning home to break the good news to Lilian and Mr Adams.
Becky was most excited. To have the place at the beginning of September would mean she would be able to move her furniture and establish her staff there while the weather was still quite mild.
"I should not have liked the prospect of moving things down from town in Winter; besides, it will be nice to be settled in well before Lilian's wedding in October. I can be of some use to you in the preparations for the day, and some of the family can stay with me at Edgewater. Will that not be a good thing? Oh Cathy, I have to confess I am quite delighted with the way things have turned out and all accomplished so simply."
"Becky, are you quite sure about this? You have not jumped in too soon?" asked Catherine, still a little doubtful.
"No, indeed I have not. I have rarely been more certain of anything. Cathy dear, do you not realise that this means I shall be an independent woman at last? I need not depend upon my daughter-in-law's goodwill for a place to stay, I shall be near you and my dear Lilian, and best of all, I shall be here to help with your plans for the school. That is something I shall enjoy very much; indeed, I am reminded of the days when we were young girls, after Papa's death, when Mama moved to Mansfield and set up the school for young ladies there. I used to help her with the accounts and with some of the teaching, and I have never enjoyed anything as much. I was a good teacher, Cathy, would you believe?"
Catherine remembered well. "I certainly would. You were the best educated of us all, and I always said you should have been a teacher; you were very good at explaining things and could read poetry so well…"
"Oh, I can do more than that now; my work with Cassy Darcy and Caroline for the Kympton parish school and library taught me a great deal. Caroline is such a good businesswoman, she insisted that we keep accurate records and maintain the books in perfect order, so I am well able to help you with the accounts for your project. You will need someone to do that, will you not? I cannot imagine that poor Mr Jamison is much good at it, so I will look after the books, while you and Mr Burnett can get on with the plans for the school and whatever other happy arrangements you may have in prospect! Is that agreed?"
Catherine blushed, seeing the mischievous little smirk on her sister's face, but she was grateful for her generous offers of help and her understanding. Though she was still to be entirely convinced by her sister's enthusiasm, she appreciated very much the encouragement Becky gave her.
"Thank you, Becky dear, you are the most generous sister one could have. Of course I shall enjoy having you living in the neighbourhood. I know I shall miss Lilian when she is married—she and Mr Adams are already looking at houses to rent. They do want a place of their own and I hope it will not be too far from here."
Becky smiled. "And what about you, Cathy, have you written to Mama yet about Mr Burnett?" she asked.
"I have; my letter is written and will be in the post tomorrow morning," Catherine replied. "It is time I told Mama everything. I must confess to being a little anxious about her response. She knows so little of Mr Burnett, it may be too much of a shock."
Becky was untroubled. "You may add a postscript asking her to apply to me if she is concerned and I shall tell her what an excellent man he is."
Seeing a look of some surprise upon her sister's face, she added, "No, Cathy, I do not mean to tease you at all, I believe with all my heart that your Mr Burnett is one of the best men I have ever met. You are indeed fortunate to have his love, and I wish you both great happiness."
Catherine was deeply touched. While she had expected Rebecca's understanding of her association with Frank Burnett, she had not anticipated such praise as this. Her eyes, a little tearful, revealed her gratitude as she said, "It is very kind of you to say so, Becky, and I am sure Mama would not disagree, were she to meet him and understand his nature."
"Indeed, she would not. Furthermore, Jonathan Bingley will surely have convinced her of his merits, even if I cannot. You do know she trusts him implicitly," Becky replied.
***
When Charlotte Collins received her daughter's letter, she was quite unable to take it all in.
Catherine had written to say that she was engaged to marry a Mr Frank Burnett. Charlotte had heard the name mentioned in passing once or twice but knew nothing of the gentleman himself. It was awhile since she had spent any time at Rosings Park, and she knew little of what had occurred since the catastrophe of the fire. Her own recollections of Rosings dated back to her days at the parsonage at Hunsford with the late Mr Collins and visits to Rosings to accept with gratitude the hospitality and the regular admonitions of Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
Her independent and more active life at Mansfield following her husband's death and later at Longbourn had long subsumed those earlier, less agreeable memories.
Reading the letter through a second time, she noted that Catherine had mentioned that Mr Burnett was known and well liked by Jonathan Bingley, who had been instrumental in appointing him to the position at Rosings Park.
Charlotte decided that she needed to discover more about this Mr Burnett, and it seemed Jonathan Bingley was the man to ask. She sent a servant to Netherfield, with a message for Jonathan, requesting him to call on her at his convenience, as she had a matter of some importance to discuss.