Wallflower (Pride and Prejudice fanfic)

A Place called Home

Mrs Bennet and Jane sat in the sitting room pouring over wallpaper patterns to decorate the sun room at the Bingley's home. They had been at it for hours, Mary sat between them trying to join in. She had no interest in bird prints or flowery images but she needed a distraction from her own thoughts.

"Mary!....Mary, what do you think?" Jane asked, her brow furrowing at the way Mary kept staring absently into the distance.

"They are all beautiful" Mary replied, automatically hoping that she had given an acceptable response to a question she had not heard.

"You seem terribly out of sorts, is anything the matter?" Mrs Bennet added and Mary was surprised at the rare moment of concern her mother afforded her.

"I am fine mama" she replied, another automatic response, because in truth she felt anything but fine. Her disorderly thoughts of Alexander Langston just seemed to make her more and more angry. From the moment they met at the Worth Hall Ball, she knew he was trouble. So, why after all this time had she conceded to his charms? Mary felt no better than those ladies he'd caused scandal with in the Lake District.

Had he used the same methods to seduce those ladies? she wondered. Had he spoken beautiful words to them?, commented on things so personal, that they broke past any armour and reached right into their hearts. She took a minute to remember some of those words.

"If you step out from behind your sisters shadows, you would surely have everyman falling in love with you"

That had been the moment Mary realised how she felt. She didn't want everyman falling in love with her, she just wanted him to.

Alex had spoken of her virtues. He had admired her eyes, her smile and her intelligence. Things that she did not believe she possessed, but he had believed them. The manner in which he delivered those words led her to believe he felt more than just friendship towards her. But then he seemed to change his mind and walk away, using an excuse to leave her as quickly as possible. Now all Mary was left with was heartache and she wondered how long it would take before she felt like herself again.

"Mary!" Jane called again, seeing that her sister was once more staring absently into the distance. Mary shook the thoughts away, to see Hill serving tea on the table and trying to present her with a letter. Retrieving the envelope, Mary did not hesitate to open it and read the contents, for it gave her mind something else to do other than debate whether starlings were a better choice of wall pattern than bluebells and daisies.

The letter was from Anne Haworth.

My dear friend Mary,

I have wonderful news. I am to be married to Peter Sykes. I'm sure you imagined this would happen, I know I have wanted it for a long time. I was sure he was the man for me the minute we met at that concert in Yorkshire. Doesn't that evening seem such a long time ago?

It is important to me that you attend the wedding. You are missed in Lancashire and Mr Wellfield and Mr Langston often ask after you.

Speaking of which, please write back if you have seen Alex. He has had some kind of altercation with Mr Wellfield and has disappeared. Mr Wellfield will not comment on its nature, but imagines Alex may have headed in your direction.

It is bad manners for him to leave without letting anyone know where he is going and I worry for him.

I will write again soon with more news and I can't wait to see you again in just a few months time.

Yours sincerely

Anne

Mary read the letter twice and she was ashamed to admit that while the news of her friends engagement was exciting, there was only one paragraph that concerned her. Mr Langston and Mr Wellfield's altercation. What on earth could have happened? Putting pen to paper to formulate a reply, Mary noticed the date on top of the letter. It was dated before the Lucas' party. That was three days ago. It meant that Anne would no longer need to concern herself after Alex's whereabouts, for he surely would have arrived home by now.