Cotillion Part III

Freddy, who is shy and not very clever, agrees to the fake betrothal and he and Kitty set out for London. Kitty leaves Miss Fishguard to keep house for a month. In London, Freddy's parents are shocked at his sudden appearance with a fiancee. His mother, Lady Legerwood, a good natured woman, tells him that since the younger children all have measles, they cannot have Kitty to stay. Freddy is dismayed, but he hits on the idea of taking her to stay with his sister Meg, who is married, and pregnant with her first child. Meg's husband, Lord Buckhaven, has gone to China on a diplomatic mission and she is in need of a companion. Meg is happy to take Kitty in as her guest. She, like Freddy, is not very clever but good natured and she and Kitty soon become friends. She has a flirtatious friendship with Jack Westruther, who visits her often. Kitty can see that he is annoyed at her engagement to Freddy and suspicious of it. She hopes that he will soon declare himself and she can marry him. She insists to Freddy that they should not announce the engagement except within the family. Kitty begins to enjoy life, buying dresses, and starting to attend parties. She finds that Freddy and Meg and the Standens are a warm hearted friendly family, unlike Uncle Matthew. She likes being with them and having the fun that she has never had before. Meg, who has no eye for colour, often buys dresses that don't suit her, and she generously hands over several of them to Kitty.