Wallflower (Pride and Prejudice fanfic)

Worth Hall Ball

Mary Bennet, the forever forgotten sister of the amiable Mrs Bingley and the strong-headed Mrs Darcy, once again found her dress ribbons grazing the walls of another grand ballroom. She stood as close to the wall as would allow, feeling the familiar comfort of being hidden amongst the bustle and gaiety of the vast room. Snippets of conversation would drift by her from time to time and she allowed herself a small smile at the accomplishment of avoiding such dismal and derivative exchange.

Worth Hall was, in her opinion as grand as Pemberley even though it was a little older in age. It bore a more medieval exterior but the gardens were surely among the most lavish in the country. Mary Bennet knew this to be true for she had done extensive reading on the subject. With three sisters no longer at Longbourn, Mary Found that her father had less need to hide away in his study, enabling her access to take advantage of the library filled with worldly information. Amongst the volumes lining the study walls were the histories of some of the most prominent houses in the country. Worth Hall was amongst them. The wall she casually leaned against had been home to famous Dukes and visited by Kings from centuries passed.

Mary had never felt as accomplished as her sisters. She practised many of the arts but her music skills were lacking, not from want of trying and her embroidery skills were not a patch on Kitty's or Lydia's. But one thing she was beginning to excel at was knowledge. She loved to learn and explore the world outside Hertfordshire through the pages of a book. This skill would unfortunately not help recommend her to a gentleman suitor but in truth there was little about her that would. It had been a good five years since the eventful time when Elizabeth, Jane and Lydia were married and little had happened at Longbourn since. Mary had grown a little taller, her complexion much improved and her hair was no longer lank and lifeless, but she still did not live up to any of her sisters qualities. Mary did not have the confidence Lydia possessed. Nor the sweet nature of Jane. She also did not seem to own the prettiness that ran through the family heredity. The only thing that Mary had appeared to have acquired was her father's failing eyesight and that was the reason she wore her little wire rimmed spectacles.

The ball that she was reluctantly attending was a good 160 miles from home. Far up in the North. The majority of guests within Worth Hall were unfamiliar to her but her father assured her, she would be acquainted with a great many of the faces within the coming weeks. They were all staying with the Haworths. A family relation of the Lucas' who had a grand estate of their own on the outskirts of a Lancashire village called Cottley. Kitty was there at the ball, somewhere with their mother, most likely expressing the fortunate circumstances of Kitty's recent engagement to a young officer stationed near to their home. For that reason Mary was glad that she had not been invited to take a turn about the room with them.

Instead she slowly sipped punch while her eyes followed the dancing couples and she hummed peacefully to herself. Mary studied the fashions of the young ladies who twirled and skipped along with their partners. Her eyes following their movement until they fell upon a gentleman, mirroring her stance on the other side of the room. While Mary had been studying her surroundings, this gentleman's gaze had been fixed upon her. The stranger had a lofty height and a crooked smile which meant, even though he leaned against the wall in similar fashion to herself, he would never be mistaken for a wallflower. He had dirty blonde hair that seemed to stick out at angles and his neck tie was a little more loose than was fashionable, revealing the veins at his throat. But most of all, she noted that his bright blue eyes were laced with mischief and Mary knew within moments of seeing this handsome bachelor that he was trouble.

She tried to look away but could still feel his stare upon her. The experience had flustered Mary. His gaze had been intense and caused her heart to momentarily feel in flux . The dancing couples flowed across her path, hiding the gentleman from view and once they had passed he was no longer there. Mary hastily swallowed down the remaining punch in her glass, hoping to regain some calmness within her. A distraction came when her mother approached and forced her to converse with other people in the room. Mary found some comfort in speaking with the young Anne Haworth, the daughter of the family she was staying with. Anne was probably the nearest thing Mary had to a friend. They both had different interests but regardless they found each other easy to confide in. The pair discussed Lady Sykes' sons who still had not managed a full turn about the room. It seemed that their status and fortune had lead them into a never ending introduction to all the eligible young ladies in the Hall. Their disinterested expressions made Mr Darcy's famous scowl look like the life and soul of a party.

Mary of course, had not been introduced to the gentlemen. Mrs Bennet's infamous quest to see her daughters successfully married had never extended to her. The middle daughter was mostly accepting with how people perceived her but in truth there were times when a kind word from her mother would have been welcome, or maybe hear Mrs Bennet speak to others of a pride filled moment she felt for her third daughter. But things were as they were and after a short spell of conversing with strangers, Mary managed to find her way back towards the comfort of the wall where she had begun the night.

After taking a sip from her freshly filled glass of punch, Mary's head rose to find the lofty troublemaker standing in front of her. It put Mary in an alarming situation for they had not been formally introduced. Her eyes flitted around the room seeing if anyone had noticed his inappropriate approach.

"Quickly, what is your name?" he inquired with urgency, the deep warming tones of his voice rumbling into her body.

"Mmm..Mary! Mary Bennet of Hertfordshire!" the words stumbled from her mouth. This improper conduct had taken her by surprise and she was unsure how to react.

"Well Miss Bennet, let's see how brave you are," he proposed and they both turned to see her father approaching with haste across the room.