Chapter Text
It was only later on the day; when they were supposed to change for dinner, that Mary allowed her reverie be interrupted by the entrance of the Duke through their connecting doors. She did not take notice of him when he first appeared behind her. His face was not as light and carefree as the coat he wore with only a decently knotted cravat.
Usually the young Duke held a smile to his face, but now his appearance was contemplative, he stared at his young bride who seemed much preoccupied with the contents of her dresser.
“That was badly done, my Dear.” Harleston's voice was gentle, as he predicted that his opinion on the matter would most likely not be welcomed too easily by his Duchess.
It went as expected, Her Grace's face—which was inscrutable when he stepped into her chamber—was now showing the slightest of drawn eyebrows, her eyes watched him through the reflection.
She fixed the shawl which rested on her shoulder, “Was it, indeed, Sir?” she spoke haughtily.
“You know better than anyone else that I have always found your haughtiness charming, but your usage this time was poorly done, indeed.”
“And I find your lack of haughtiness in this matter baffling.” She crossed her arms.
“I fear we have very different perspectives towards family, then. I do not think I have ever expressed the desire to present myself as superior to your family; all the more considering I aim to be a part of it now.”
“If you truly desired to consider them as family, you would wish for their improvement as much as I do!”
He shook his head, “You speak about your family as though you aren't gentry—and with far more prejudice than I have ever shown them.”
“That is because (for as long as I can remember), we have not acted though as proper gentry should!” She rose for the chair in which she rested, facing him forward, “Even I am not free from censure as Catherine so eloquently mentioned, but I have made an effort to remedy my mistake; she believes she can romp her way through London as though she was in Meryton. Which she will do if we do not correct her improper behaviour!”
“I do not think your sister is half as idiotic as you presume her to be; we cannot guide her through our entire stay.”
“Then do you suppose we do what, Ernest? Leave to her own devices, and have her ruin herself in a week?”
“She will not ruin herself in a week, Mary.” He said flatly.
“I would not be so confident,” she scoffed, “from what Elizabeth has told me, she still trails after gentlemen, the only difference is—that now without Lydia's courage—she cowers when in their presence.”
“Then what do you worry about? If she is gentlemen discomfit her, she will not be forward with them.”
“Just because she is not successful in her chase, does not mean she will stop trying, can't you see?” Mary replied drily.
He shrugged his shoulders, “Not at all.”
“The point is that she still wishes to entertain gentlemen; that does not change even if she lacks the tact to achieve their affection. It is a recipe for disaster—for her to end up like Lydia!” She ignored his response.
“I did take notice of her apparent uneasiness whilst we spoke in the carriage, but she is still at an age where a little bit of simpering is to be expected; she will outgrow it soon enough.”
“Ernest, did you pay attention to any of the guests in our wedding?” She exasperated.
“No, I did not, my love, I only had eyes for you.” Harleston closed the gap between them, kissing his wife's left hand.
“Then, pray, next time do so.” She grimaced, pulling her hand back, “If you had paid any attention to my mother, you would have known what possible fate Catherine has set for her.”
“Now, do not accuse Miss Catherine of being comparable to your mother.” Ernest chuckled. “I mean no offence, but your mother would have greatly benefited from half of the timidity your sister displays.”
“You are challenging me to concede to your point, but I will not. The Lord already knows what I owe him for my lack of christian thoughts.” He laughed at her.
“Then I will speak for the two of us: Catherine will not be a concern.”
“Oh!—You are impossible today!”
“You are the one showing an exceptional amount of stubbornest, I fear.” He turned to walk away, fearing that the conversation would lead to nothing but resentment from the two of them.
“You speak that way because you do not know her like I do!” Mary near barked.
“My dear, if you are this convinced that your sister is a menace to our reputation, then pray tell me why you invited her to stay with us in London?”
At this, his wife remained quiet for a moment, long enough for him to turn back and look at her.
“I—hoped—that what you call “town polish” would be beneficial for her manners.”
“Then, let the ton be her mentor, but do not spend all your spare time instructing your sister how to behave. I say this because it is not only distressing her, it is distressing you.”
“But if her manners in private are already showing…” She spoke with less conviction.
“What your sister said might have not been ideal, but it was in a private conversation with her brother-in-law and sister—and may I remind you, my love, that I have never been a model of propriety?”
That much was true, much of the reasons their courtship had lasted as long as it did was mostly due to The Duchess' lack of faith in his improvements after so many years in his odible ways.
“Society does not mind if a man behaves so,” She blushed at the recollection of the past rumours of her husband; some of which were not entirely unfounded, “but it will mind a young girl who does not behave properly.”
“If that is a problem, all we have to do is not stay long enough for society to take notice of her. We can stay only for the weeks of Christmastime, then promptly return to Harleston Castle.”
The Duke was struggling to understand his bride—what he offered had put her mind to work; as though this was not the outcome she was hoping to achieve. It was contradictory, she both wanted to hide away her sister, but also wanted to put her in situations where she would be exposed, it was as if it was a challenge. Whether the challenge was for her or for her sister was what he couldn ’t tell.
Slowly she turned from the window she faced, now fully watching her husband, but not quite literally, as her eyes were downcast, on the flooring of her room.
“I will concede…That my reasoning is not as sensible as I desired it to be.”
The confession mollified the Duke, he took a step forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, persuading her to lean closer to him, which she did not take immediately.
“Would you care to enlighten me on what subject has interfered with your impartiality?”
She let out a shaky breath, “Would you think me too wicked if I said I was fearful?”
“Fearful?” That he did not expect.
“Yes—fearful.” She finally rested her head on his shoulder, “I believe…deep down I still have a fear of her outshining me.”
Mary did not find amusing the way her husband ’s shoulders shook.
“You may find it entertaining, Ernest—but I do not. Kitty (all my other sisters, truthfully), were seen as more desirable company than me.”
“I cannot speak for Meryton society,” His voice quivered, “but I believe you will find that the majority of England society would value a Duchess more than her fretful little sister.”
She shook her head and removed herself from his grasp on her shoulder, “It is not just that she was more favoured in Meryton—but that Kitty is more fashionable, prettier, and younger. All things the ton admires. ” She spoke fiercely.
“Ah—and you are afraid she will steal away your shine from society.”
She frowned at his words, ready to deny them, when he interrupted her turn, “That still is a very silly notion, my Dear—the ton adores a pretty face (I will not deny that), but prettiness will only take you so far without a fortune equally as pretty. If it is your desire I will not put a single shilling towards her dowry. ”
“Oh, Ernest, that would be too cruel.” She sat down back at her vanity, her downcast eyes now resting on his face, “I would not wish to actively sabotage her, she is still my sister.”
Harleston pinched her chin, “And the sooner she is married off, the sooner you can wash your hands of her”
“Your words are too crude.”
“They are true nonetheless.”
“It is not her fault that I feel this deeply,” She was forlorn. She could accuse Kitty of being many things, but being cruel was never something she took pleasure in actively doing, at least compared to their youngest sister, “she has been wanting for so long to visit London, while I almost spent the entire year here—I thought, it would only be fair to invite her once I was settled, but now…I question my ability of handling this situation.”
She smiled a bit sheepishly, “I will not deny too that my older sister’s promoting her so-called “London Adventure” may have affected my judgement.”
“Ah—the truth comes at last: your sisters made you their sacrificial lamb for their project,” He raised an eyebrow, and let his hand fall.
“No, their arguing would have only taken this cause so far—I take responsibility for accepting this duty.”
“I will not act as though your sister is my favorite person,” he laughed, “but I would rather if we did not spend our holidays acting as babysitters.”
“We are still her only chaperones, Ernest.”
“Yes, but we don’t need to trail after her every step. Let her figure out her way through London—and if she is as bad as your youngest, I give you the full rights to throw her in the streets.”
Mary knew it was not a laughing matter, really, but she couldn ’t help but giggle a bit at the absurd notion of her sister being left out to fend for herself. She was a bit wicked for it, but the conversation came to a happy resolution as Mary decided that she would make amends with her sister.
ooOoo
Kitty ’s impression of the Duchess had been an unfavourable one when last described. Mary was not as proud and as unfeeling as her younger sister thought—she had been that way, but anyone who knew Mary privately, which her sisters did not, knew that Harleston had changed everything.
With the removal of her most formidable sisters from home, the newly minted Miss Bennet was left at her own devices to entertain Mrs. Bennet; a task she didn ’t believe would be challenging, but then again, when has Mrs. Bennet ever been easy to appease?
One thing that time taught Mary to her great advantage was that, more often than what she hoped, people do not like hearing sermons. It was in her near unwilling socialisation during the year of 1813 that Mary learned how mistaken she was in believing that only her prettier and sociable sisters would be accepted in the society of Meryton. Under the false impression that one such as her could only hope that their accomplishments would be enough for her acceptance—would be enough to compensate for her lack of beauty and charm.
She was eased into their society without much protest and found that the people were as eager to entertain her as they were for her sister.
Not because they learned that ignoring her was wrong, nor because they came to admire her morals and accomplishments, rather because society is always in need of eye-witnesses and opinions for the latest going-ons in the neighbourhood. The more, the merrier, as they would say.
So you see, by the end of the year, Mary was quite the belle of town and much satisfied with her lot in the world. That was until her aunt and uncle invited her to stay with them in London.
You could blame it on the Christmas spirit, or in just the pure bliss she felt of having two daughters happily married, but it was quite easy for Mrs. Bennet to let go of her companion, and being the dutiful daughter she was, Mary was quite happy to follow any order given to her. Kitty would stay in her place.
She was then taken to the city early in 1814. You may already know what sort of entertainments London could hold nowadays, and still at that time, London was the most wonderful place in the world a girl could be. Think of the shops, The museums, The galleries, The libraries, The theatres; a place where even someone as Mary, who was not as extroverted as to enjoy a ball, could find amusements on her own.
Unfortunately, the city did not bask under her approval for much longer, she found the notion of even defining a place as her favorite in the world silly, but if she were to believe in it, she would have certainly not have London in her ranking.
Mary was quite ready to give up entirely on finding anything noteworthy, that was until she met Lady Eugenia in one of the many linen drapers—their bond developing from a shared disinterest, nearing active distaste, for fashion. In Mary Bennet, Lady Eugenia Trafford found a young lady who did not conform for a man, nor one who simpers and cling to them like the many silly young misses that debuted amongst the ton . In Lady Eugenia, Mary found a sensible mind in a sea of strange—and likely— depraved people.
From that day on, Lady Eugenia invited Miss Bennet to her bluestocking club, intent on enjoying the thoughtful mind of her new friend.
From there on you can predict the rest of the story, yes? Lord Ernest Trafford was Lady Eugenia ’s rakeish cousin, with a terrible reputation; from gambling to womanising—everything. You have likely heard stories like these more than enough times to know how prudish bookish Mary Bennet ended up falling in love with wild rakeish Lord Ernest, so we will not bother to dive in details.
The point is: From Mary, Ernest learned to be more sensible of others, to be more mindful of his reputation, and to desire more from life than debauchery. From Ernest, Mary learned how to be challenged, how to mind her pride and how to smile a little bit more.
And it was Ernest ’s Mary that would be willing to curb her pride and jealousy, to make peace.
After dinner, Harleston was separated from the ladies, Kitty was still in a terrible temper, and Mary felt no rush to start any conversation. Kitty felt angry with Mary, angry with herself, and she even found in herself to be angry at Ernest, whom she blamed for making Mary ’s pride all the more horrid. Catherine hadn’t even realised Mary had that much pride in her during all those years. Sure, she was a show-off, and always thought herself to be morally superior to others, but prideful? That was mostly you would expect out of Lizzy—and God forbid—Lydia! Had their sister's almost ruin been so inflicting on her feeling of self-importance that she thought herself to be the only thing stopping their family from falling in the wrong path?
Why would Mary desire to have a guest whom she cannot tolerate was up for anyone to guess.
And she wouldn ’t have to guess much longer, for Mary unexpectedly raised her head from the book she nestled in her lap and said: “Catherine, I feel there is a matter that should be spoken about us.”
Kitty ’s eyes rose from the floor with surprise.
“Oh—is there?” Kitty spoke absentmindedly.
“Yes, I feel I have quite erred earlier.”
“You—?”
“Yes, I fear you must find me quite conceited…” The Duchess’ voice quieted down. It was only when Mary raised her inquiring eyes from her lap, that Kitty understood the intent of this silence.
“M-mercy! No, of course not.” Her voice quivered.
Mary bit her lip, “I thank you, but you needn’t protest against something you believe.”
“Well, I-I suppose…” she shrugged, “we all have our faults.”
“Some of us more than the others.”
“Oh, yes.” Both thought of the other.
“In any case, that is not what I wish to discuss with you.”
It was quite illogical, really. Mary had specifically mentioned that what she wished to discuss was something earlier in the day, yet in Catherine mind, she could not conceive that Mary wanted to speak—even as much as apologise —about their little quarrel earlier. She accordingly set her mind to events that happened even before they left for London.
“I hope nothing bad has happened in Harleston Castle?” Her eyebrows curved, eyes shining worry.
“No, it is nothing like that. It is not something that you should concern yourself with, if anything, it should be something that truly pleases you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, “really”.”
Kitty watched her sister in silence.
“I fear there has been a sort of misunderstanding between the two of us. One that I am mostly to blame for causing.”
Kitty ’s eyebrows rose, “A misunderstanding, Mary? Of what sort?”
“I…spoke to you with a strong conviction of an opinion I realise now that was wrong.”
A mischievous chuckle escaped from Kitty who now looked amused.
"Oh, Mary—you needn’t apologise for picking that ghastly puce cambric.”
The Duchess ’ eyebrows frowned.
“This is not the time for joking, Catherine. I am in earnest.”
“Pardon, Mary,” Kitty paled, it really was that easy to lose her sister’s favourability, “go on.” she had thought her sister was earnestly apologising for the other disagreement they had before leaving.
“Very well; I came here to speak to you about what happened today.”
After a beat of silence, Kitty said tentatively: “Today?”
First, she ’s invited to London and now Mary is apologising to her, would the wonders ever cease?
“Earlier in the day,” Mary reminded her, “I spoke quite rudely to you. I want to apologise for that.”
“Oh.” Kitty answered lamely.