Chapter 2 #2
It was the same face she had seen every single day of her life.
There was the slightly darker complexion that made her look less healthy than her sisters.
There was the way her lips turned down when she wasn’t smiling, making her look grumpy.
There were the spots on her forehead or her cheek that were always there somewhere, marring the smoothness of her complexion.
Wait…no. The spots weren’t there anymore. She was certain they had been there. They were always there. But now that she was looking at herself objectively, she remembered that she hadn’t had a spot in months.
With renewed clarity, she studied her face a bit more.
She noticed that when she wasn’t wearing her glasses for reading, it was easy to see her pretty brown eyes which were framed by unusually long and dark eyelashes.
Her lips, though currently turned down, were full and pink, and as she looked even longer, she noticed a slight pinkness to her cheeks that made her look even better.
She smiled at the improved image she saw, and her reflection smiled back at her. What she saw then absolutely shocked her.
She was pretty.
With a smile on her face, she was just as pretty as Elizabeth. She may not be able to rival Jane, but she certainly wasn’t the ugly sister that she had always thought she was, that her own mother had always told her she was.
With a sudden excitement, Mary ran across her room to the bell pull and pulled as hard as she could. In less than a minute, Sally, the maid who helped the Bennet sisters with their hair and clothing, came rushing in.
“What is it, Miss?” she said. “Are you ill? You rang the bell so loud, it quite frightened me to death.”
“I am not ill,” said Mary. She could feel the triumphant smile on her face as she said, “I want you to help make me pretty.”
~~~~~
Though Elizabeth was dying to know how Mary was getting along, her curiosity found no relief that day. Mary sent a message down saying that she wasn’t feeling well, so she did not join them for dinner.
Elizabeth knocked on Mary’s bedroom door after dinner, but Mary called out that she did not wish to see anyone. Disappointed, Elizabeth headed back downstairs.
She did get some inkling as to what was happening when Lydia barged into her room just as she was preparing for bed.
“Lizzy? Will you help me with my buttons? Kitty is already gone to bed, and Mary is still hogging all of Sally’s attention.”
At least Mary seems to be doing something concerning her appearance, or she wouldn’t be requiring so much help from Sally. “Of course,” said Elizabeth. “Just turn around.”
In less than a minute, the dozen buttons that trailed down Lydia’s back were undone, and Lydia dashed out of Elizabeth’s room, heading for her own.
Now that she knew Sally wasn’t available, Elizabeth headed for Jane’s room, and the two sisters helped each other with their buttons.
“I do hope that Mary is getting enough help from Sally,” said Jane. “What do you think they are doing, though? Do you think Sally might be cutting her hair? Even that wouldn’t take all evening, though, and it would be very odd to cut someone’s hair just before bedtime.”
“I don’t know,” said Elizabeth, “but I hope that at the very least Mary learns that it is not wrong for her to make herself appear to better advantage.”
“I hope so as well,” said Jane.
~~~~~
Elizabeth didn’t see Mary until the family gathered the following evening, preparing to depart for the garden party at Haye Park, but when she did finally see her, she felt her jaw drop slightly.
Mary’s best gown had been completely made over so that it fit her far more flatteringly than before.
Though the neckline was not particularly low, the upper part of the gown was shaped to emphasize Mary’s shape rather than hide it.
A couple of ribbons had been added at the waist and sleeves to add additional color and texture to the gown.
Mary’s hair was also very different. In the past, she had put all her hair in a bun and only curled the little tendrils that tended to fall out.
Sally must have cut Mary’s hair with great care, because now there were a couple of small curls hanging deliberately in front of Mary’s ears and two more which trailed down the sides of her neck.
Her hair, which had always been a lustrous dark brown, was now more obviously beautiful, and its proximity to her brown eyes gave depth and sparkle to her gaze.
What made the biggest difference, however, was Mary’s shy smile as she entered the drawing room.
It took only moments for Elizabeth to take it all in. She then rushed over to Mary and gave her a hug. “You look lovely, Mary,” she said softly.
“Thank you,” said Mary as the sisters separated. “It took a great deal of work, but I am glad I made the effort. Thank you for the compliment.”
“Mary, you look very nice,” said Jane. “Is that a new gown? How did you make one so quickly?”
Mary shook her head and her smile increased a bit. “It isn’t new,” she said. “It is my best gown made over. Sally helped me get it to fit better, and she also helped me add new ribbons. I am very pleased with how well it turned out.”
“And will you be making over your other gowns as well?” asked Elizabeth.
“I should probably do the same to my other evening gowns,” said Mary, “but I think I will leave my day dresses as they are. They are comfortable, and when I am studying, comfort matters more than appearance, don’t you think?”
Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile. It appeared that, despite her changed appearance, Mary was still Mary after all.