AN: Thank you immensely to all those who have reviewed. I think it's due time that I gave you some major props.
M.L. Bennet: I am glad that you like my story. Yeah, I do find myself bored a bit at times writing about her, but I take her dullness to be as a result of her pedantic ways and just one of her initial flaws as a person. I promise to clear up Edward Pendleton's sudden promise to Mary in the near future. There is an explanation for it all.
Adrianna: Your review was very enjoyable to read. I am glad that you think my story an accurate portrayal for the most part of Jane Austen's masterpiece of characters, since that was my attempt. As I told, M.L. Bennet, I do promise that the abruptness in Edward's proposal will be explained in later chapters.
MorganisM-Lve: Your consistency in reviews has made me remain motivated in updating as soon as humaly possible. It is because of encouragements like yours that I hurry to continue my story so I don't detain you all for too long.
June W: I will be sure never to compromise Mary, and, if Edward's sister decides to meddle in their affairs, Mary shall be able to overcome it. Thank you for your avidreviews! They are all greatly appreciated.
Jenna: I am glad you enjoyed a new portrayal of Mary, though her new appearance will be gone for the majority of the rest of the novel, but all that she has learned in her experience will certainly be carried throughout the rest of the story. It was merely just an experience to allow her to learn a new lesson in appearances. All of your reviews were simply delightful and these kinds of reviews make me want to continue this novel at a rapid enough rate so I don't keep you all waiting forever.
Skydancinghobbit: Thank you for being consistent in your reviews as well. I will do the best that I possibly can to do Mary the justice andpairher up with a worthy gentleman that is compatible with her.
Sue: I will not say if it is Edward or not, but I will tell you that the man, whomever he may be, that falls for Mary will come to accept her without comparison with everyone else, and Mary will have no complaisance to win his approval because he will love her for who she is.
Jecir: Your review made me laugh. Thank you for making me smile.
Fluff Inc: Thank you for your reviews. Your guess is pretty accurate in who Mary is paired up with, I hope I do not spoil future chapters in this, although I cannot say if that is who she will end up with in the end.
I Die Without You: I do hope that my portrayal of Pemberley and Darcy/Elizabeth were to your liking. If I portrayed it terribly, do know that I meant not to slaughter the already perfection of Austen's work. I am only but an amateur in this, after all.
Ice Illuser: Glad that you enjoyed Jane and Bingley. I hope that I did not detain my updates too long for your tastes and that you have enjoyed the rest of this story as well.
Rubbish: I am glad you were able to catch that in my first post. I hope you found the rest of the story satisfactory as well and, if not, it would be received with much appreciation if you provided me with some advice on what needs to be improved.
thesupernugget: No scandalous relationships for Mary quite yet, I'm afraid to say. Maybe in the future?
theMouseintheoperahouse: That is truly the question... who could possibly do for her? Well, I do hope that I am able to find a good match for her by the end of this. Wish me luck!
polar: Mr. Gallagher will never be a possibility for Mary, and he merely just served as an absurd match of Mrs. Bennet's. I hope that you will approve of Mary's match, when he does come around.
g: I do hope that you enjoyed the updates and have continued with the story.
n/a: Please do continue with being intrigued. :)
AN: So Mary returns home again, but hopefully for not too dreadfully long of a time. I hope you enjoy my portrayal of the news of her soon-to-be-engagement. Please tell me what you think. I shall be eternally grateful.
11
There was never a happier creature to hear the news of Mary Bennet's promise of a proposal than Mrs. Bennet. Her constant disposition to inform all of society of the happenings of her and her family's life were ever present as she hopped around the town with a skip to her step that she did not think she might still have at such an age. To see her last daughter in need of her assistance fairing well, she saw the world in a new light, not as one in pursuit of opportunities, but as one who has finally joined in with the entirety of society. She was as she had desired to be- a woman who has managed to send all of her daughters into respectable homes and her own vanity was augmented, for she knew her own girls had found themselves in a home far beyond the comforts of normality.
"Mr. Bennet, have you heard?" Mrs. Bennet burst into the library, the pins falling out of her hair from her rapid movement. "Mary is soon to be engaged!"
"Engaged?" Mr. Bennet eyes stared at her from above his book. "My dear, as much as I feel joy for our Mary, I do feel myself growing older each moment you tell me this. I believe this is your fifth intrusion since you received the letter at dawn, and it is not yet noon."
"Oh, Mr. Bennet, how can you say such things?" Mrs. Bennet cried. "Why, I feel myself growing younger thinking of our daughters so well off! I do believe I shall never tire of saying this to myself."
"Then, I do hope you do say it to yourself, and spare me the torment."
"Wait until supper time, when all of town is in a fuss over what to serve as they dine." Mrs. Bennet chortled. "I shall be sure to head towards town and share the good news!"
"I am sure, by that hour of the day, everyone this side of the country shall be informed of Mary's good fortune."
"Good fortune! Mr. Bennet, you speak lightly." Mrs. Bennet set a hand to her heart and smiled. "This promise is more than a miracle might provide. More than twenty years to have the eldest two married, and now Mary is soon to be wed and only seriously out for little less than a year! We have been most fortuitous, Mr. Bennet, to have our daughters so safely placed in this world. Do you not think so? Elizabeth with Mr. Darcy, praise the Lord for him! And Jane with Mr. Bingley, who is a very amiable gentleman, mind you, and Kitty off with that De Bourgh woman who, however odious she may be, shall provide Kitty with many opportunities to marry into high society. And, of course, there is my dear Lydia with her Mr. Wickham."
"I do not think one might call that a marriage."
"Whyever not, Mr. Bennet? Have we not given our Lydia our blessings? How dreadfully horrible it may be for a child to not have the support of her mama and papa. I do think our Lydia to be doing substantially well married to a nice gentleman like Mr. Wickham."
"That man could hardly be considered a gentleman."
"They are young and foolish, Mr. Bennet. I do hope you might not hold such characteristics against them."
"Youth does not prevent you from using good sense."
"You talk as if Lydia has not a pound of sensibility in her entire frame."
"I do question if she does."
"Oh, Mr. Bennet, how tiresome you are!" Mrs. Bennet marched to the door. "I believe I shall be off then, and leave you to your lonesome, as I am sure that is what you do pray for as I stand here before you."
"At this particularly moment, my dear, I do believe you guess correctly."
Mr. Bennet's statements towards Mrs. Bennet, however cynical they might appear, were of little vexation to her. Throughout the accumulation of years, their marriage had allowed for them to develop vast toleration for the other, in Mr. Bennet's sarcasm and Mrs. Bennet's tittle-tattle. They were able to accept the nonsensical whims of the other, and were able to produce, as a result of their actions, a lifestyle, however impersonal it may be,that had proved successful thus far.
Mary Bennet's arrival back at Hertfordshire with her parents was cheered upon and anticipated by Mrs. Bennet to the largest regard. She had called for the servants to arrange a large quantity of delicacies for supper and had sent one to purchase some imported tea of the greatest quality. Her willingness to overindulge in spenditures of her middle daughter only provided further proof of her eternal bliss towards her soon to be engagement.
In her preparation for her return home, Mary had done little to nothing. The servants at Pemberley had been most obliging in their duties and were very much appreciative of Mary's orderly ways in how she kept her room. Unlike Georgiana Darcy, who was accustomed to such privileges and did as she would to wherever she entered, Mary was meticulous in preserving a clean environment where she was inhabited, and the servants felt much gratitude towards their guest.
All objects of affluence were disposed of before her arrival, as were her lavish livings. The gown she that had transfigured her into a beauty for a night was left for dust to consume in the bordereau of her room, and mornings with powder, hot irons, and paint were to be eternally padlocked from her life. Mary, always hoping to acquire some realization or knowledge, was able, from her experience with her elder two sisters in their new lives, to accept her plain demeanor as it was. It was because of this new understanding of herself and her homely countenance that, upon first entering her home past a laughing and smiling Mrs. Bennet, she approached a mirror in the hall and grinned at her reflection.
"Oh, heavens, child, how happy I am for you! My dearest Mary, to be wed to a Pendleton!"
"Papa," Mary bowed her head when she saw Mr. Bennet standing in the doorway of his study. "It is good to see you again after so long an absence."
"Who is this man, Mary? Though Mrs. Bennet speaks as if she knows the man already, I daresay I have never heard of the family in the duration of my life."
"To speak candidly, papa, I knew not myself who he was."
"Do you know better of him now?"
"He only spoke of his fondness, and of his intentions." Mary explained. "I am most positive that we shall become better acquainted before an engagement is announced."
"It is most unfortunate that your mother has taken it upon herself to declare your engagement to all of town already."
"Mama!"
"Oh, I am most certain they shall have time to know one another, and I do doubt he shall be able to help himself in the matter once he knows Mary. They are as good as engaged, Mr. Bennet, and I do not think it unwise to spread the good news."
"Does he have any family?"
"One sister, and that is all that I know of," Mary answered. "I do know that he is especially connected with the Darcy bloodline. He is near close to a son to Lady Catherine De Bourgh."
"Most fortune for us, that you have encountered such a man as this Mr. Pendleton!" Mrs. Bennet laughed and swept her daughter into an embrace as she recalled Mary's letter. "Oh, think of your home! Two estates! Why, you shall not know what to do with such homes, and they are certain to be grand! What more might a mother ask for life to provide her daughters, Mr. Bennet? I cannot think of a better provision."
"Good grief, I do hope you find more to life than marriage and money, my dear."
"In concern towards our daughters, Mr. Bennet, it is encumbered upon me to remind you that they have not a penny towards their name once you die, and to see them all so well in life, despite this disadvantage, is all that I might ask for."
"And may they keep their good sense and morality as well," Mr. Bennet remarked before departing for the solitude of his study.
"Oh, my dearest child!" Mrs. Bennet grinned sublimely at Mary. "It is a most happy day to see you so well off in the world. I am sure you shall find the married life perfectly satisfactory, and very much indulging, especially with a husband of immense fortune and respectability as Mr. Pendleton."
"Yes, I am sure." Mary replied weakly. "Though I cannot boast of knowing much more than nothing of him."
"But he shall call for you, Mary, and then it shall all be off and you shall be off to your own wedding in due time. There be no need to fret in the matter. Men are just as impatient as us women, and he shall depart soon enough to finish the matter and be settled with it."
"You talk as if I am nothing but a slab of meat to be bought before it goes bad."
"Oh, do not trouble yourself with such thoughts, Mary! You should be in such joy right now, after meeting such a man as this Mr. Pendleton."
"Mama, you have not even met the man, and I have only been in his acquaintance thrice, and had but one true conversation with him."
"He is to be sure to be a pleasant and amiable fellow, and I see no obstruction of such a perception." Mrs. Bennet concluded. "He shall make a fine husband for you."
"And what if he does not propose?"
"Not? Why, of course he must! He has promised to see you again."
"As do those of good acquaintance and friendship."
"No, he shall come for you, Mary, and when he does, you shall be engaged at his proposal."
"It seems you be more captivated and anticipated for this event to occur than even I."
"It is a most happy day to see my daughters married."
"You forget that there is still Kitty to be wed."
"Nonsense, Kitty is forever on my mind, Mary." Mrs. Bennet responded. "But I need not bother with worry over her, when she is sure to find a husband with her residence at Rosings Park with that woman, though dreadful she may be. And Kitty is very handsome, and does remind me so of myself at such a young age, though she is not so full of life as Lydia and myself, and I cannot think of a man who might object to her beauty."
"So all your worry in marriage rests within me, for I am unlikely to find a husband for I have no high connections nor good looks to attract attention?" Mary said this slowly, allowing the reality of her statement to settle.
"There be no time to think such thoughts Mary, for, despite your disadvantages in finding a suitor, you have and now you shall be engaged and have a decent, reputable husband and two estates that are likely to be finer than Jane's and Lizzie's."
"Perhaps that is all the answer I need to my question," Mary sighed and headed upstairs to leave Mrs. Bennet to chatter about her gaiety and luck in her middle daughter's circumstances.
12
To be an engaged woman provides many privileges for the recipient, and Mary, though she had yet to have a formal declaration of love, nor an acceptance of such a love, was treated as thus instantaneously upon her arrival. The smiles and congratulations she received appeared almost a joke, and oft times enough she fought to conceal such laughter from presenting itself, for fear no one might take her seriously ever again.
Mrs. Bennet became more sociable than ever, speaking of her good fortunes to all who would be willing to listen. To her surprise, her mother remained unignored, and people welcomed her with delight, for all were as surprised at this sudden engagement of the plainest of the Bennet sisters. They had it fixated in their heads that Mary, though everyone knew her to be an agreeable girl who was particularly studious yet very plain, shall be most likely left for an old maid and work hard as a governess, perhaps, or some servant for room and board once Mr. Bennet passed. When such an idea was eradicated by this news, there were none who believed it at first, but as Mrs. Bennet continued her cheers and laughs each passing day, there soon became none who could deny it.
So the town now took it upon themselves to pay particular attention to this Bennet, and to provide her with a pleasant time as she waited for her soon-to-be-husband to return to her. The first indication to Mary of how the town had changed in her regards was when she received Margaret Gallagher as a visitor one afternoon. Mrs. Bennet had went off with Mrs. King for tea and a bit of gossip and praise of Mary, and her father had locked himself within his study for the day, wishing to be at leisure for another moment of his life. Mary, left entirely to herself, chose to rest within her room, writing away.
Perhaps it be wrong of myself to allow the town to speculate- I know there is no bother to think it my fault of mama throwing such circumstances out of proportion, for that is how she finds particular enjoyment in life. But does that account for all of the town as well to follow suit? Edward Pendleton made me no promise but to return and confide in me that he might, perhaps, fall in love with me. He is not in love with me. I do feel as if I stand in some comedy of my own design, where I have the means to stop such a production, and yet I proceed on with a charade. I do know there are those who have their own arrangements for Edward, and I know most certainly that I hold no position in them. It might appear awfully pessimistic of myself if I admit that I have no reassurance that Edward Pendleton might return with a proposal. If he did not feel kind affections towards me to influence him to propose when I resided at Pemberley, in the pinnacle of my appearance, of what designs of my own might entice him now to pursue me? The dream has reached its last page and I am left in my plainness. Edward shall not see myself as the beauty he was so assured of before, for I am indistinguishable in comparison to how I looked there. It does provide me with some degree of sadness, but Edward appeared like such a boy before me, choosing to fight and stumbling over his words as if he had not any opinions with a foundation worthy to defend. Such a man can most certainly not provide me satisfaction, and I daresay that I should not provide him with any either, for I am off a stubborn sort and am most willing to defend my own opinions, and my lack of physical appeal and his contempt for my cerebral mind shall turn his interest away from me. He is of fortune, and must find a woman of immense beauty, who might carry a conversation without having the need to chastise or prove a point, and I do not think myself capable of providing him with such. Though Georgiana's actions, however sweet the intentions were, were done as a means to reassure me of my affability towards men, it only further convinced me that I shall be alone.
"Miss?" a servant girl knocked upon her door. "There is a Ms. Gallagher who is in the parlor, calling for your presence."
"For me?" Mary stood and followed the servant. "Margaret Gallagher? Whyever did you take it upon yourself to come this far from town?"
"You forget I am a simple country girl, too." Margaret's arms were draped over the back of a settee in perfect comfort. "I have heard of your good news, Mary, and wish to congratulate you."
"There be nothing to congratulate, since I am not yet engaged."
"You are modest! Whyever would your mother spread the tale around town so confidently?"
"A man promised to see me, and that he thought he might fall in love with me. That is all."
"That is all? Is that not confirmation of his feelings?"
"The man knows not what he wants. I am sure he shall stumble across a woman of impeccable looks and a pleasant smile, who shall be able to entice him to propose whole-heartedly, rather than some boyish promise."
"My, I would think you to be in some anticipation to see him again, when your options are so narrow. Any possibility might be celebrated."
"You are in my home, Margaret Gallagher, and I have no remorse towards sending you away if your own designs of wasting your day might be to mock me."
"That was not my intentions in coming here," Margaret replied. "It is just that I wished to come and speak to you of love, for it seems my life has a great deal of it, and so does your own."
"You come to me for advice?"
"No, not for advice" Margaret shook her head."I come to ask for your good opinion in matters regarding myself."
"I suppose I might do what I can to provide you some advice."
"Oh, Mary, I do fear I am in a dreadful mess." Margaret moaned, as she spoke as if she were confiding in a sister, and Mary thought the situation entirely odd and surreal. "Why, the tailor proposed to me the previous night, and just this morning, a young boy called for my hand as well! I know neither very much at all, but they both claim they love me, and I know not who to choose!"
"You do not have an obligation to accept either, you do know." Mary reminded. "You do know this, I suppose?"
"I do, but I find them both perfectly agreeable, and would not wish to pass up the opportunity of either."
"I know of the tailor, butwho is the boy?"
"He is a servant with near close to nothing, but, oh, Mary, we have had our fair share of a conversation and he is most pleasant. He makes me feel as if we might never grow old, thatit might, perhaps, forever be youthful summer. I know we might confide in the other everything we desire, for we have already, and I do believe I would be immensely happy were I to spend the entirety of my life with him."
"It does appear as if you have already chosen your match." Mary remarked. "Of what use do you have to speak to me of the matter?"
"Oh, but my father would never approve of the boy. He cannot even be married until he is in his twenties, and more than five years is an awful long time. I do fear that I might stray away or another offer that is more agreeable might present itself, and I do not wish to cause him harm or injury of any kind in leaving him."
"I do believe that if you find this boy to be of the greatest fondness, than you shall have no temptation to make you stray from your affections, and you shall not mind the wait so much."
"Father shall toss me to the streets," Margaret covered her face. "I cannot live like a harlot for five years! He shall never approve of him!"
Mary stared at the crying girl before her and perplexity passed over the absurdity of the scene before her. Margaret Gallagher, who sneered at her passing in town, had taken it upon herself to seek Mary's counsel in love, which was a sentiment that Mary had no experience at all in. Though Mary could understand her thinking them similar in regards to proposals, she could not come to comprehend why Margaret had proceeded on in confiding with her after Mary ahd come to admit she was in no engagement.
"I do not think your father the kind of man capable of banishing his children from his life forever. I suppose he might feel some degree of fury in your decision, if he does so at all, but such fits of anger shall pass and he shall grow to accept it, for his love shall always surpass that of his anger, of that I am sure."
"How you put it, I do believe it shall all work out!"
"It does appear so."
"Who might ever have thought you capable of providing such perspectives in regards to love," Margaret smiled and the awkward moment passed as reality emerged once more. "You who have never experienced it."
"If that is your designs of thanks and gratitude," Marynow felt no obligationto remain of sincerity and good humor with Margaret, now that their momenthad ended."I feel I have had my share of itfor the day."
"Oh, no, I did not mean to insult you, Mary. I meant only to thank you and congratulate you of your own proposals."
"If you forget, I am not engaged." Mary corrected.
"Oh, but I am sure you soon will be." Margaret replied, though no sincerity lay within her voice, so self-absorbed in her own matters was she at this time.
Margaret Gallagher had received what she wished. Though Mary proved not to be engaged, so she, therefore,had no particular specialty in the area of matrimony or courting, she did prove to be of worthy guidance, for she did have about her an air of logic that she might never allow to abandon her in any situation. Mary's statements of her not being engaged had no effect over Margaret, for she was so indulged within her own bliss in receiving the answers she had wished for that she departed without another word, and soon forgot all about Mary Bennet and her deed towards her. Mary, in contrast to Margaret Gallagher, was able to construe one realization through this interaction with this silly girl, and it was that, though Margaret's circumstances might cause a bit of scandal, Mary's actions in the near future of her own love affairs would cause more.