November 1812

When they arrived at Rosings, Richard was waiting for them at the door with the sad news that Anne had died four days before and the funeral was the following day. The housekeeper accompanied them to their respective chambers to rest before lunch. At the appointed time they went down to the main dining room where Lady Catherine was waiting for them.

During the sad lunch, Lady Catherine was very pale and spoke less than usual, but she still commanded the conversation. After looking closely at Miss Bennet and listening to her conversation with Georgiana and Richard, she concluded that she was a serious, sensible, and ordinary-looking young woman. She had little dowry and ever since her father died, she had been living on the Darcys' charity. With a clear voice, she questioned her...

"Miss Bennet, out of curiosity, are you the one who turned down Mr. Collins' marriage proposal?"

Mary blushed and just nodded.

"Why did you do such a foolish thing? You could now have your own house instead of living on my nephew's charity."

Everyone at the table widened their eyes, Mary paled, and Elizabeth very indignantly replied, "Lady Catherine, you may not know it, but my cousin has no need to live on anyone's charity as she has a good dowry nor does she need to marry a gentleman she doesn't want. On the other hand, two days after proposing to Mary, Mr. Collins proposed to another woman. No woman likes a fickle man."

Lady Catherine looked at the former Miss Thompson in surprise, "My God, you are too young to express your opinions with such conviction."

Mary reacted and before Elizabeth could answer, she said, "Lady Catherine, Mr. Collins's marriage proposal was unexpected and I didn't feel ready to marry. I am only nineteen." She smiled weakly, "As Mrs. Darcy said, Mr. Collins quickly took comfort and married someone else."

"Well, at least you have a dowry. Since you live in Pemberley and my nephew is your temporary guardian, it's important you rise to the occasion; for exampli, do you know how to play the piano? do you speak languages? Can you draw, paint? What are your accomplishments?"

Mary smiled weakly, "Yes, I play the piano. I speak French and Italian. I took some drawing classes, but I have no talent."

"Aunt, I heard Miss Bennet play the piano at Darcy's wedding and she plays very well. Almost as well as Georgiana." Richard commented.

"My dear Anne, she would have been a great pianist if her health had allowed her. Few people had as good taste and talent as Anne…"

PPP

That same afternoon, Mary invited Elizabeth for a stroll in the garden as she had been surprised by the statement Lizzy had made at lunch...

"Lizzy, why did you tell Lady Catherine that I have a good dowry?"

Lizzy sighed, "Before you protest which I know you will, as soon as I had access to my dowry, I set aside almost £10,000 and opened an account in your name."

"Why did you do that? That money should be for your future children and not for me."

"Mary, there was £50,000 left for my future children, as you say. Also, Fitzwilliam is very rich."

"Are you sure, Lizzy? It's too much money. I don't want Mr. Darcy or Georgiana to think I'm a fortune hunter."

"Fitzwilliam agreed with me. In fact, we even discussed the desirability of your dowry being even higher. Keep in mind that Georgiana has a dowry of £30,000 and yours at the moment is only £10,500." she sighed, "Please, Mary. Accept it, as I am happy to share that money with you. You are like a sister to me and I know my parents loved you as if you were their daughter…"

PPP

Although all who knew Lady Catherine well said that she was a woman of very strong temperament, they also agreed she loved and protected her daughter, and Anne's death was a heavy blow to her. Therefore, they were surprised to see her resume part of her activities as Rosings' mistress a few days later. No one outside the family circle had any way of knowing that it was all a facade, and inside Lady Catherine was shattered.

Ironically, Mary was the one most aware of Lady Catherine's sadness, as for many years she had been accustomed to hiding her feelings when Lydia teased her or her mother told her that she wasn't pretty, was going to be a spinster, and made her feel worthless. Since Mary would have really liked to meet Anne, she talked to Lady Catherine about her and about Rosings. Mary also told her about her experience teaching tenants' children to read in Longbourn and helping at Pemberley school.

Two weeks later when Mary left for Jane's wedding, Lady Catherine was sad to see her go. In a way, Mary reminded her of herself, since her parents never paid attention to her. Her mother had a marked preference for her sister Anne because she was prettier and more docile, and she constantly told her so, and her father was only interested in her brother...