Chapter Four

Mr. Dane was often present when Mary visited Clarke's library in Meryton.

He was browsing one late afternoon when she and Kitty entered the premises. The library was rather dim as candles were not plentiful due to the not unnatural fear of the proximity of flames to such flammable materials. Upon seeing a volume of a Gothic novel in Kitty's hands, he said, 'I cannot recommend that author, Miss Kitty. Have you read any of Mrs. Radcliffe's novels?'

'Oh yes,' Kitty said. 'The Mysteries of Udolpho is my favourite.'

'Really? Mine is The Romance of the Forest.'

'Are you then an aficionado of the Gothic novel?' Mary challenged him, shocked by his statement. She would not have thought it of him. Were not Gothic novels tawdry and debased and full of superstition?

'Not as a general rule but Mrs. Radcliffe's novels have much to commend them. She has many imitators with only a tenth of her talent. And certainly, there are some Gothic novels that should not be read by ladies.'

'Such as?' Kitty asked innocently.

Mr. Dane did not answer that question, to Kitty's obvious disappointment. Mary resolved to ask Mr. Dane in private for the names of these unsuitable novels. She could make sure to take them from Kitty if she found her reading them.

Mr. Dane turned to Mary. 'Have you read any?' he asked. 'Do you indeed read novels?'

'I generally prefer more serious books, but I have read one or two by Mr. Samuel Richardson, Miss Maria Edgeworth and Miss Fanny Burney. They write novels suitable for a lady. I have never read a Gothic novel.'

'Then you are missing a very great pleasure, I assure you. Mrs. Radcliffe writes with great sensibility about the beauties of foreign landscapes and her stories always have a strong moral.'

He searched amongst the bookshelves then proffered the first volume of The Romance of the Forest to Mary.

'Here. Might I suggest that you read this and see if you do not agree with me? We could discuss it once you have read it.'

Mary was not going to refuse anything that would enable her to have another conversation with Mr. Dane. She accepted the book.

Mary had taken up walking. At first, she attempted to go too far and returned hot and exhausted. Reflecting on it, common sense told her to limit her walks to what was manageable. By slowly and steadily increasing the length of her walks, she was able to enjoy the healthful exercise.

The walks made no different to her size. Mary then realised she had made no changes to her diet. She began to eat less of the comfits and sweets that were so beloved of Mrs. Bennet and always available at Longbourn.

She sometimes found Mr. Dane walking across the fields at the same time as herself. Mr. Dane, it appeared, also believed in the efficacy of walking as exercise. They discussed the importance of exercise in keeping a healthy regime amongst other topics and laughed at some of the more extreme instruments of exercise advertised in periodicals.

About a week after he had suggested The Romance of the Forest to Mary, they once again met each other in the country lanes. By mutual consent, they proceeded to walk together.

'So, how are you coming along with the book?' he asked.

'I have just finished the third volume,' was Mary's reply.

Mr. Dane looked surprised then checked himself. 'I own, I did not expect you to finish it so quickly but then, I forgot that you are a great reader.'

'Yes,' agreed Mary, with a little sigh.

She could never forget that gentleman did not usually like ladies who were great readers.

'I'm assuming you enjoyed it if you are on the third volume but perhaps you are a person who will finish any task they attempt?'

'I own I do not like to have tasks uncompleted,' she admitted.

'Which is an admirable trait and a fault you should be happy to confess. I am all eagerness to hear your opinion of the novel. Do not spare me, I urge you, if your report is unfavourable. I prefer honesty in all things. '

Mary hesitated; did he really mean that? But looking into his open countenance, she believed Mr. Dane meant what he said.

'I understand why you admire her writing so much, one could almost imagine oneself in the Italian countryside, so vivid are her descriptions.' She paused.

'Is there a however coming?' Mr. Dane asked, smiling.

'However.' She smiled back at him. 'With regard to the plot of the story, it is rather sensational is it not?'

'But that is another of the reasons why I like the novel so much. The heroine, Adeline has a series of hair breadth escapes and the reader is kept in a state of perpetual curiosity as to what will happen next. Mrs. Radcliffe seldom disappoints on that score.'

'True but there are some extraordinary co-incidences, for example, that Adeline should turn out to be the daughter of the man the Marquis had robbed of his inheritance,' Mary said.

'Come now,' Mr. Dane said, laughing at her, 'do you not wish your heroine to be rewarded at the end of all her considerable troubles with not only true love but wealth and noble forebears? And the Marquis gets his just desserts. The good end well and the bad end badly, which alas, cannot be said to happen always in real life.'

Mary thought of Mr. Wickham and agreed.

Mary found that the more they met, the more she liked him, and began to wonder if marrying an attorney's clerk would be such a bad thing after all. If perhaps her decision to marry well without regard for the character of the suitor, had been a hasty and unconsidered one.

Mrs. Long came with her two nieces to pay a morning visit to the Bennets.

'You seem to find Mr. Dane most agreeable, Mary,' Susannah observed, with her head bent over her embroidery. Susannah was a great needlewoman.

Mary checked to make sure the two older women and younger girls were engrossed in the latest gossip from Meryton.

'I believe him to be an amiable acquaintance,' was her reply. 'I enjoy talking to him.'

'And what do you converse with him about, pray tell?'

'Why, books—' Mary began.

'Miss Mary Bennet, you amaze me,' Susannah interrupted. 'Talking about books. What a surprise. But did you talk only about books?'

'No. We discussed the state of society, and the principles that should guide you in your conduct.'

'Which principles did you discuss?'

'The importance of making a suitable and prudent marriage. Choosing a spouse who is sensible, amiable and shares one's interests and principles.'

Susannah looked up; needle poised above her embroidery. 'It shows that you both have similar views on marriage. And you both like books. That all sounds most promising.'

Mary blushed. 'You are teasing me, Susannah. We were talking of generalities not particulars.'

'Are you sure?' Susannah asked.

"Of course,' Mary replied but Susannah's words lingered in her memory.

The night of the ball came. Mary knew she and Mr. Dane would only be able to dance two dances together, more would be shocking unless they were engaged. However, she had looked forward to some conversation with him as she did not expect to have any other dance partners and hoped Mr. Dane would choose to sit out a dance or two with her.

Mary wore one of her new dresses, the rose pink that became her so well. Kitty wore a sky-blue dress that suited her admirably. Although Mary knew Kitty would always outshine her, she was pleased to hear some ladies commenting on her appearance after they had walked into the ballroom and begun to circulate.

Mr. Dane was accompanied by Mr. Sutton, his cousin who was visiting him. Mr. Sutton was large and loud, and Mary was not particularly taken with him, but she was as polite as possible when introduced to him. Mr. Sutton stared at her, the entire time that Mary was conversing with him, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

At one point during the evening, when Kitty and Mary were sitting together, Mr. Sutton made his way to Kitty and requested a dance. Kitty looked him up and down and then refused with a little shake of her head. Mr. Sutton did not ask Mary to dance but walked off with an air of disgruntlement.

Towards the end of the evening, Mary without a partner for the dance, was standing, looking at the dancers in general and at Mr. Dane in particular, who was dancing with Sarah Long when she heard her name mentioned by Mr. Sutton who must be close by.

'I'm down to see my cousin, Dane. That's the red-haired man dancing with that tall, thin girl over yonder.' Mary could tell from his voice that Mr. Sutton had been imbibing. 'Thinking of marrying one of his employer's nieces as Mr. Philips is childless. Good for his prospects but I wouldn't choose such a dull girl and plain to boot. But little choice, he was warned off her pretty sister. And at least courting her has gained him access to her father's fine library. Dane has always been a queer fish about books. Apparently, she is going on a long visit to some rich relatives soon so I advised Dane, "Get in quick and fix your interest before she goes, no knowing who she might meet while she's away. Some men have odd taste in women." And he said…'

But Mary could bear to hear no more and fled the ballroom, her face burning and her eyes filling with tears. Mr. Dane was interested in her solely because her uncle was his employer. She struggled to compose herself and sat down in a quiet corner to speed up the process. Susannah Long found her there.

'Mary, whatever can the matter be?' she asked. 'You look most distressed.'

'Oh! Susannah, I have discovered something most shocking about Mr. Dane.' Mary said.

Susannah immediately sat down beside Mary and asked for details.

'I have been deceived in Mr. Dane. I thought him a most amiable and pleasant gentleman, but I was wrong. He has deceived me most cruelly.'

'How?' asked Susannah, her face alive with curiosity.

'I thought he liked me; I know that I am not the prettiest girl in the neighbourhood, but I hoped he did have some regard for me. But I heard his friend Mr. Sutton say Mr. Dane has only been paying attentions to me because he hopes a marriage with me will enhance his prospects.'

'But, my dear Mary, did you not say to me that you and he had talked about and agreed on, the advisability of making a prudent marriage?'

'Yes, but only if you also respected and esteemed the person. Not purely for mercenary reasons.'

Mary could not bring herself to tell Susannah what Mr. Sutton had also said. 'Dull and plain to boot,' kept echoing in her ears.

Susannah said she was very sorry to hear this, protesting that she had never really liked Mr. Dane.

'I must find my mother and beg her to let us go home now,' continued Mary. 'I cannot bear to see Mr. Dane.'

She also wanted a period of quiet reflection to calm her emotions. This was not possible at a noisy and crowded ball.

Susannah eagerly said that she would find Mrs. Bennet and bring her over to Mary.

She was as good as her word and Mrs. Bennet came over as well as Mrs. Long.

'May we leave early, I am feeling unwell,' Mary asked her mother.

'Leave? Leave early?' Mrs. Bennet said, greatly astonished. 'It is very selfish of you to want to leave early when Kitty has dances promised to two more gentlemen. Besides, I have not finished my conversation with Mrs. Long. Do you really feel unwell?'

Here Mrs. Long, the kindly aunt of Susannah intervened. Looking at Mary, she said, 'Mary is not looking at all well and should go home.'

This greatly annoyed her mother who considered herself the best judge of her children's health.

'I should have no hesitation about leaving if you were very ill, but I am sure that it is just the headache. No, no, it is far too early to leave. You had best sit quietly somewhere and wait for the ball to end.'

If Mrs. Bennet had fancied herself with a headache, she would not have tarried for an instant at the ball.

Mary was forced to wait until the end of the ball, agonising over the prospect of facing Mr. Dane. But she was able to avoid him by walking away quickly when she caught sight of him moving towards her corner. Some old gentleman then detained him for a long conversation until the carriages were called and she could escape.