Mary Bennet: A Novella in the Personages of Pride & Prejudice Collection by Jennifer Becton

slightly closer to her ear.
    “Miss Bennet,” he said softly, “do not forfeit your own happiness for any reason. My greatest desire is to see you truly happy.”
    Mary felt his breath whisper against her neck, causing that tingling sensation to descend her spine again.
    She turned her wide eyes upon Mr. Hardcastle, and the other occupants of the ballroom seemed to vanish into a misty dream. Her steps halted of their own accord.
    “I do not believe I shall ever be happy,” Mary admitted.
    “Do you not, Miss Bennet?” Mr. Hardcastle asked. “You deserve happiness, and you must do what is necessary to attain it.”
    Mary could not find the proper response.
    “No matter what you choose,” Mr. Hardcastle said, “I shall remain your friend.”
    “And I shall remain yours,” Mary whispered, her voice hitching.
    “You know where to find me,” he said, “if you should require me.”
    Then, they were walking again, and Mary was delivered safely to her mother.
     

    Sixteen
     
    “Two partners in one evening!” Mrs. Bennet exclaimed after Mr. Hardcastle departed. “How very fortunate for you, Mary.” She paused and considered her daughter for a quick moment. “You do look quite lovely, despite your hair. Your coloring is rather radiant in this light. I do believe your engagement agrees with you.”
    Mary felt herself flush again, for she knew that her high coloring resulted from her conversation with Mr. Hardcastle and not from her engagement to Mr. Randall. If anything, her color would turn wan upon thinking of Mr. Randall and his mystery woman.
    She glanced over her shoulder to find the gentleman in question approaching from the opposite end of the room. She whirled back to Mrs. Bennet. Perhaps her mother’s tactless nature could prove useful.
    “Mama,” Mary whispered, “will you arrange for Mr. Randall to call upon us?”
    Mrs. Bennet clapped her hands with delight. “Why, of course, my dear! You are ever so in love with him, are you not? You cannot be without your betrothed for another day.”
    Squelching the temptation to demand that her mother lower her voice, Mary cringed and whispered, “It is only that I should like to speak privately with Mr. Randall.”
    Again, Mrs. Bennet misinterpreted her meaning. She giggled loudly. “You desire a romantic rendezvous before you marry. How delightful!”
    “Mama!” Mary exclaimed, preparing to correct her. Then, her lips fell silent as she recalled her mother’s reaction when Lizzie had rejected Mr. Collins’s proposal. The memory of shrieked demands and claims of sick headaches returned to Mary with alarming clarity. With Mr. Randall approaching, she could not risk such a display.
    Moreover, Mary realized she could not confide her fears in her mother at all, for the merest hint that her engagement to Mr. Randall was in danger would send Mrs. Bennet into a true panic. It was best for her to continue to believe that Mary’s future was arranged to everyone’s satisfaction.
    But Mary’s future had never been in greater peril.
    The marriage settlement had already been drawn and signed, legally transferring ownership of all Mary’s property, including Mr. Darcy’s gift, to Mr. Randall. Mary could not so much as dispose of a gown without potential repercussions from the Randalls. Mr. Bennet had signed away both his money and Mr. Darcy’s.
    And monetary loss was not the only damage she might cause.
    Reputations also would be shattered.
    Attempting to end the engagement would lower Mary’s place in society and destroy her only chance of gaining a husband in the future. Worse, rather than being seen as the respectable, accomplished young lady she dreamed of being, Mary Bennet would be viewed forever as a pariah, a jilt, a foolish girl who had squandered her one chance at happiness.
    She would be no better than her silly sister Lydia.
    Mary’s shoulders slumped. She had only herself to blame. She had always wanted to be seen and appreciated for her