Wallflower (Pride and Prejudice fanfic)

Catherine Rushton

The carriage pulled up outside the concert halls and Mr Langston was stood waiting to escort the occupants inside. He had not travelled with the others, for he had some business in the county earlier that day. Mary sat back and let Anne emerge first, watching Mr Langston help her down the steps on to the hard ground. He peered quickly in to the darkness of the carriage.

"Where is James?" he asked bluntly.

"He was unable to attend at the last minute, our father has called upon his services" Anne replied.

"You mean you have travelled all this way alone?" he sounded horrified.

"Do not worry yourself Alex. We are perfectly fine, now be careful helping Miss Bennet from the carriage. I have disguised her appearance and confiscated her spectacles. Mary stepped forward into a blurry world, without those wire rimmed frames sitting on the bridge of her nose. She was greeted with the warmth of a firm hand taking hold of hers and guiding her from the vehicle. The sun had set and she could feel a chill to the evening air as they walked the short distance through the dark, into the lobby of the halls. There in the abundant candle light she felt Mr Langston stop and turn to her. With her failing eyes sight she could not clearly discern his countenance.

"Good God, Mary you look positively unrecognisable" he said and Mary could not tell from his inflection, if that was a good or a bad thing. It certainly did not make her feel any more confident, that much she did know.

Mary had left herself completely in the hands of her friend Anne Haworth. She wore a rather expensive gown of Anne's. It's rich purple satin had flecks of gold, that reflected in the right light. It was a little tight in places due to Anne being slightly more petite. The snugness particularly apparent at the low cut neckline around her chest. Something even with her unfocused vision she was sure Mr Langston had noticed.

Her lips were rosy, her cheeks rouged and her eyes without the spectacles gave way to the large rich brown orbs hidden underneath. She had also spent hours with her hair in rags, in order to give her natural waves even more curl. Anne had tied it up loosely, with ribbon weaving through the mass of curls.

"You will need to calm down a little, otherwise you are liable to faint" she heard Mr Langston announce. Mary suddenly realised that his gaze at her low neckline may have been down to the uncontrolled heaving of her chest, from the rapid gasps of nervous breaths, rather than him admiring her assets. Anne came round to face them and engaged in the evenings plans.

"You are free to be whomever you want this evening Mary, have you decided on a façade?" she asked.

"Yes, I am Catherine Rushton from Coventry" she announced fretfully.

She chose Catherine just because she liked the name and Coventry because she had visited it on occasion, to call upon some cousins of Mrs Bennet's .

"Well, Catherine Rushton let's go and introduce you to Yorkshire's society." Mr Langston held out an arm for each lady and walked casually towards the crowds gathered in the halls. Mary took a deep breath and stepped forward, she gripped his arm a little tighter, quickly regretting ever agreeing to take part in the evening.

"Mr Langston, I am almost blind without my spectacles, I would ask if you would not stray too far from me this evening, or I fear I shall walk into all the furniture" she quietly asked. Alexander Langston bent his head to answer as they continued to walk.

"As I recall, I been tasked to be your perfect gentleman this evening, so you can rest assured I will not leave your side" he said, that smooth deep voice of his, vibrating right down to her bones.

The lobby was filled with guests awaiting entrance into the concert rooms, she could hear practice sounds of violins in the distance, as the trio stopped in the centre of the room, a far cry from the comfort of the walls she was used to leaning against.