Free The Disgrace of Kitty Grey by Mary Hooper

she was reading, but just pointed to the table and motioned for me to put the dish down. Suddenly, however – for she was not usually so ungracious – she seemed to realise what she was doing and spoke up quickly to thank me.
    â€˜I fear my mind was elsewhere, Kitty,’ she added. ‘I have been thinking of nothing else but the book I’m reading.’
    I knew precious little about books, so merely waited to see if she was going to say anything else.
    â€˜Sometimes, if I am engrossed in a book, I even forget to eat,’ she went on in a confiding and friendly manner. ‘The other night I read by candlelight until three in the morning!’
    â€˜It must be a very good book to make you do that, miss,’ I said.
    â€˜It is, and – what do you think? It is by a lady .’
    She sounded surprised by this and I pulled a surprised face, too, although I had no way of knowing whether this was unusual, good, bad or indifferent.
    â€˜A new friend, a literary gentleman, told me about her, and I am most anxious to obtain her newest novel, but it has completely sold out. I’ve even tried to get hold of one second-hand, but no one wants to part with such a precious book. It is quite the most fashionable thing to be seen reading at the moment.’
    â€˜Really, miss?’ Ah, I thought, the literary gentleman must be the new suitor I’d heard about.
    â€˜They are reprinting it next month and I’ve begged my father to go to the publisher’s in London to secure a copy, but he’s told me he will be out of the country at that time.’ She sighed. ‘I’d ask for one to be sent in the mail, but I fear such valuable volumes would be stolen.’
    â€˜Couldn’t you go to London yourself, miss?’ I asked.
    â€˜Oh heavens, no. The roads are shocking at the moment and jolt one to pieces.’ She frowned. ‘I could send Faith but then she suffers dreadfully with travel-sickness.’ She sat up and spread a scone liberally with jam, then cream. ‘I fear that the book will sell out again immediately, for it is terribly à la mode .’
    â€˜Yes, miss.’
    â€˜Every stylish person will be speaking about it and I shall have nothing to say!’
    This did not seem such an awful dilemma, not compared to my own, but I tried to smile sympathetically before bobbing a curtsey and turning towards the door.
    Before I’d reached it, however, Miss Alice said, ‘Kitty, wait! I’ve just had a rather marvellous idea.’
    I turned back.
    â€˜Perhaps you could go to London for me!’
    I stopped, my hand on the door handle. ‘ Me , miss?’
    â€˜Yes, why not? You could go to the publisher’s in Whitehall, and stay a day or so in a discreet guest house. It would be a great adventure for you. What do you think?’
    London! I thought. And then I thought of Will and what I would say to him as I handed over Betsy.
    â€˜Yes, miss,’ I said. ‘I’d be happy to do that.’

Chapter Nine

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    â€˜You’re never!’ Patience said, gawping at me. ‘ London ?’
    â€˜Yes, London,’ I said, as if I went there and back every day.
    â€˜But where will you stay? And what have you got to do when you get there?’
    â€˜I’m going to stay in a boarding house,’ I said. ‘Miss is arranging it herself. And all I have to do is go to a publisher’s office and buy a book for her.’
    â€˜What book? The Bible or something?’
    â€˜No, it’s a story published in three volumes,’ I said, Miss Alice having filled me in on the details. ‘It’s called Pride and Prejudice and it’s written by a lady. It’s completely sold out.’ I paused, then added, ‘Every fashionable person is reading it.’
    â€˜But what did Mrs Bonny have to say about you going? Didn’t she mind?’
    â€˜She couldn’t say much,’ I said, ‘because