Chapter 8

"Mary! Mary could you help me?" Kitty yelled from her bedroom.

"What's wrong?" Mary entered the room completely out of breath.

"I don't know which dress I should wear!"

"I ran all the way up here for that? I was reading."

"You are always reading! Don't you have to get ready as well? Come on, I need your help, please! It's our first ball in London." Kitty pouted and looked pathetically at her sister.

"Alright, alright, the green one. Go get it and I will help you put it on." Mary sighed.

Kitty went quickly to her closet and pulled out the green dress. She slipped the bottom on and then turned to Mary for help. The buttons were far to delicate for anyone to button the dress by themselves.

"I think you should wear the blue one. In case you were looking for council on which dress you look best in." Kitty added.

"Thank you Kitty, I believe I will take your advice, will you help me into it?" Mary said, pulling her own dress from it's place in her closet.

"Of course I'll help, what a darling young sisters for anyway." Kitty laughed. "May I do your hair as well?"

"Oh Kitty, you know how I hate having my hair done up. Can't I just wear it as I always do?"

"Absolutely not! I will not allow it. Perhaps that hair style would be alright for a ball in Hertfordshire, but while in London it will not do! You are not going to the ball without your hair done.

"Then perhaps I shall stay home from the ball, you know I much prefer a book." Mary smiled devilishly.

Kitty glared at her severely and Mary eventually consented. "Very well, do what you like, but would you please come help me with these buttons!"

"Oh yes of course, sorry."

The girls took their time getting ready because Kitty had been quite anxious to allow plenty of time to make sure she and her sister looked absolutely breathtaking. She was very excited about her first ball in London, and had retired upstairs a whole three hours before they were to leave.

"We're going to meet people we've never even seen before. Isn't that wonderful?" Kitty squealed.

"I suppose new acquaintances don't excite me in the way they do you. I expect to meet a great number of dumbfounded poppycocks, just as are in every county of England."

"Yes I know Mary, you'd much prefer staying home and reading a book." Kitty sighed.

"You do know me so well Kitty Bennet."

"Do you like your hair?" Kitty asked placing the final curl.

"Kitty, it's wonderful, it doesn't at all look like a monstrosity on my head. You didn't make it as...big as you usually do." Mary smiled admiring her new hair.

"You look very pretty Mary. I would not be at all surprised if you found a husband tonight."

"I believe the odds are in your favor on that particular point. Especially considering the fact that I have no desire to marry?" Mary laughed.

Kitty began to work on her own hair and Mary began talking about something positively droll. Kitty was thankful for the company though and allowed Mary to keep talking. She took her time on her hair, making sure every piece was placed perfectly. Mary helped her when she could, but really was no good at all when it came to hair or fashion.

"Mary, Kitty, are you ready? We have to leave in five minutes." Georgiana called through the door.

"We're coming Ana." Kitty called grabbing her wrap from the bed.

They climbed into the carriage and sat silently as they drove toward the hall. Kitty found herself quite nervous as they got closer. She had never been around such high society before. Her family was most definitely not considered to be of great importance. She also hoped she would be able to keep her countenance and not disappoint her elder sisters or Georgiana.

"Now we are going to introduce you both to as many of our acquaintance as we possibly can." Georgiana smiled.

"You need not worry about me." Mary said somberly, seeming not at all excited about the evening.

"We can't have you sitting in a corner all evening Miss Bennet. I will dance with you myself to assure such an occurrence does not happen." Mr. Burton smiled.

"Very well, I shall meet some of your friends, but trust me when I say I do not need to meet them all. They shall merely receive my harsh unstinting judgement about their lack of mental capacity." Mary said dryly.

"Oh Mary." Georgiana laughed. "We shall do our best to introduce you to the more intelligent ones."

The ball room was beautiful, elegance as Kitty and Mary had never seen before. Not only in the decorations of the room, but in the dresses of the women. The assembly was full of beautiful women, and the gentlemen stood tall and proud. Mary and Kitty fit in perfectly with their new gowns and were glad their sisters had foreseen how out of place they would have looked in their old gowns. Mary quickly found a seat while Kitty followed Georgiana, who introduced her to several gentlemen.

"Kitty, this is Mr. Timothy Lowell. Mr. Lowell, Miss Kitty Bennet." Georgina smiled.

"A pleasure." Mr. Lowell said bowing deeply.

"Very nice to meet you." Kitty curtsied.

Mr. Lowell was tall and handsome. He had blonde hair and a fair complexion with beautiful blue eyes. His features were very sharp which made his face seem important. He held an air as though he was from a very good family. His stature was that of strength. Kitty could not manage to keep her eyes off of him.

"Might I solicit your hand for the next dance Miss Kitty?"

"Indeed you may."

He bowed and left her with Georgiana, and they immediately burst into quiet conversation.

"Oh Ana, he's so handsome! Is it possible that he is still single?"

"Quite possible. I don't know him very well, but he certainly is handsome is he not?" Georgiana replied.

"He is one of the most handsome men in the room. I do not know how a man with such a face, or stature could not have caused some lady to form an attachment to him, and yet, I do not see him with anyone but other gentlemen."

"Perhaps this is the break you have been looking for! Of course I do not know him very well, but I might dare say that whoever gets to marry him will be quite a happy young lady." Georgiana laughed.

"Let's just hope the happy lady is me."

"Unless he is like another unfortunate gentleman in our acquaintance?" Georgiana cautioned.

"He couldn't be."

"Let us hope, I am merely saying it as a warning. It is ashame that we can no longer speculate on a man's amiability based purely on his appearance anymore, it certainly does deprive us of a great deal of laughter."

"Indeed." Kitty laughed.

The next song began to play and Kitty took leave of Georgiana to find the handsome Mr. Lowell. Mary continued sitting in her chair and observed the ball in a melancholy sort of attitude. The Burtons had forced her to stand up with two gentleman, but just as she had predicted, brainless poppycocks. Suddenly a gentleman took the chair next to her. She was quite shocked to see him sit in it, for it was highly unusual for a gentleman to sit at a ball, especially when their were ladies standing.

"Rather interesting to watch, don't you think?" he said abruptly.

Mary kept silent, she thought he was certainly talking to someone on the other side of him. But while she sat stoically he once again interrupted her thought.

"Would it hurt you to answer my question?" he said in an agitated tone.

"Excuse me, but are you speaking to me?" Mary asked, quite confused by his manners.

"Yes, of course I am talking to you, who else would I be talking to? Do you see anyone else standing here? Or perhaps you think I am talking to myself?"

"I am terribly sorry, but we have not been introduced, I did not think you were addressing the question to me."

"Ah, an old fashioned lady."

"Old fashioned indeed I am not! I have been taught the social graces of society and to my knowledge, formal introduction is still one of them" Mary spat, angry that he had called her old fashioned. She read to keep herself abreast of the times, and his referring to her as old fashioned called all of her intellect into question.

"Forgive me. I did not mean to upset you. I am Mr. George Rawlins, and you are?"

"Miss Mary Bennet."

"Now will that satisfy your need for social graces?" he laughed.

"I suppose it shall have to do, there is no way to escape the friendship now." she sighed sarcastically.

"Miss Bennet, I have been watching and you have been sitting in the same attitude for nearly an hour. Do you disapprove of balls?"

"Not balls sir, but I take little pleasure in dancing and talking of frivolous things with people I do not know, so here I sit."

"Do you really take little pleasure in dancing, or are you having trouble finding a gentleman to stand up with?" Mr. Rawlins pried.

"Sir! I do not need to sit her and have my pride wounded by an impolite gentleman. I have no reason to lie to you, and if I was wanting a partner, I would have batted my eyes and giggled to entice you to dance with me!" Marry batted her eyes to give an example as she grew louder.

"I suppose that is a good point, alright, I believe you." he smiled.

"Men are insufferable!" Mary screamed. She stood and walked quickly over to where Lizzy was seated.

"Why, my dear Mary, were you just raising your voice at a gentleman?" Lizzy laughed.

"I didn't mean to, I have never raised my voice in public, but he was so insulting and rude." Mary vented.

"It appears we are more alike when we thought, that is most definitely something I would do."

"He's like a more attractive Mr. Collins! We hadn't even been introduced and he began speaking to me, what's more, insulting me."

"Insulting you?"

"Yes! He said something about me sitting, and I told him that I did not take pleasure in dancing, as we well know I do not, and he asked if that was really true or if I was having trouble finding a partner!"

"How shocking!" I'll have William go talk to him if you'd like."

"No thank you, I think I shall just stay away from him for the remainder of the evening, I can't imagine him wanting to speak to me anyhow, now that I have verbally abused him in public."

While Mary encountered the rudeness of Mr. Rawlins, Kitty enjoyed the smiles of Mr. Lowell. Smiles were truly all he had to offer, because he did not have much to say. He was handsome, and an excellent dancer, and from what Kitty could tell, he was very rich. Wealth most certainly would not hurt in a marriage.

"Mr. Lowell, are you from London, or do you have a home elsewhere?" Kitty asked.

"I live in London, for the time being."

"And do you live there with your family?"

"No, my family lives on our estate in the country."

Kitty paused, expecting Mr. Lowell to go into a bit more detail, but he did not. "Do you have brothers and sisters?" she asked, trying to continue the conversation.

"Yes."

"Oh really, I have four sisters. The two eldest and the youngest are married, which leaves me and my elder sister Mary as the only remaining Bennets." Kitty smiled.

Mr. Lowell stood silent.

"How many brothers or sisters do you have."

"One younger brother and my father. It has been just the three of us for quite some time."

Kitty stood awkwardly silent for a few moments and then began on a different subject. "Do you have a hobby Mr. Lowell? Something your particularly fond of?"

"No, not really. Do you Miss Bennet?" he said somberly

"Not so much a hobby, but I do enjoy the out of doors, especially in the morning."

"The morning?" he said in almost a disgusted tone. "It's so dreary in the morning, the fog, and its so terribly early.

"I love the quiet of the morning, and I like the fog as well."

"I see." he muttered. "You'll forgive me for not being more sociable, it's just, I have a lot on my mind right now, you understand."

"Oh of course I do."

"But if you don't mind talking about yourself, I would be very glad to listen."

Kitty nearly melted at his feet when he smiled, she had never seen more beautiful teeth. Mr. Lowell was in luck, because beside laughing, talking was Kitty's favorite thing to do. She was introduced to very few others in the course of the night due to her attention to Mr. Lowell. He very seldom commented on what she said, but his eyes remained intently upon her most of the time she spoke.

"Excuse me, Kitty are you about ready to leave?" Georgiana asked.

"Oh, oh yes of course. I'm sorry Mr. Lowell, I enjoyed your company this evening." Kitty smiled sweetly.

"And I yours." he bowed, and Georgiana swept Kitty off toward the door.

"Mary and Michael already went for the carriage."

"Alright, is it late? I've been talking almost all evening. I hope I did not say something that will prevent him from calling on me."

"I'm sure you did not. Kitty, he is so very handsome."

"I know!" Kitty laughed.