Mary's Response to Louisa’s Accident

This rewrite focuses on Mary’s response to Louisa’s fall in which she becomes hysterical and can only worry about how the emergency affects her health and emotions. (p. 107-109 in Vintage edition)

“Oh my Lord she’s dead!” She’s dead Charles! There’s no way she could’ve survived that fall!” Mary shouted into her husband’s ear, shaking him violently as if he hadn’t seen what happened. She was bouncing up and down scared of what would happen now. Who would carry the body? Would this incident cancel their visit? Most importantly, Mary was worried about how this bout of stress would affect her health. Poor Mary was left to handle the gravity of her emotions alone for Charles was soon called over by Anne to provide to comfort to Captain Wentworth. “How dare Charles!” Mary thought, “Choose to console another man over his own frightened and ill wife!” Whatever was Mary to do but stare unbelievingly at Louisa’s limp and waning figure on the stone pavement, her eyes already starting to look glassy.

“I can’t stand it!” Mary fluttered, wringing her hands as if trying to roll the responsibility of handling the body off her fingertips. “Who can help us? How will we get back to the house? Has anyone seen this horrid accident? What a terrifying embarrassment!” Mary’s mind continued to spin with how this near-death experience ailed her, hoping someone would be decent enough to come over and comfort her. Anne tried to quiet Mary as she was trying to de-escalate the tragedy so her own mind could think clearly. “How dare you ask me to calm myself with a body strewn between us. Lord, what people think? Would they believe we had something to do with Louisa’s accident? Oh Anne I simply can’t believe this is happening. Leave me to my lamentations whatever they may be.”

Henrietta remained in her own world of misery weeping and sobbing in hysterics as if her sister were already dead. She turned away from the scene, a hand on her head as if to stabilize her thoughts, but Henrietta’s gaze would betray her and turn back towards the ghastly sight of her sister and commence in her louder cries of agony. “Lord if only I could go over to hold and comfort her,” Mary thought. “But woe is me I can’t. Forgive me Lord but I can’t, not in the state I’m in.” Mary’s anxiety and pangs of loneliness only heightened the longer she had with only her arms wrapped around her and the ground beneath her to keep herself steady.

Mary had been so distracted by the violent display that just took place that she only noticed everyone else’s activity by the running footsteps of Benwick. Her grief still couldn’t be contained. “Oh please somebody hold me. Charles? Charles where are you? Come quickly I feel faint! I don’t think I can hold consciousness for much longer. Who knows if I’ll be able to return to consciousness again. ” Mary looked over at Charles to see if he heard her trauma, but he only sat asking Anne “What should we do next?” as he was now supporting the weight of Louisa’s head on his shoulders and torso on his own. “Oh Charles! To comfort another woman in my time of need?” she moaned before glaring over at Captain Wentworth who just leaning on the wall aimlessly with a pitiable expression on his face. “Why can’t Wentworth get Louisa? He doesn’t seem to be occupying any useful employment right now.” Mary whined, and rightfully so she thought.

Suddenly Anne’s voice came shooting through the air, giving orders. “Carry her gently to the inn”. Charles and Captain Wentworth confirmed the command by bounding into action. Wentworth adamantly went to pick up Louisa and left the rest of the lot in Charles’s hands. “Oh how Charles jumps to the sound and action of everyone else’s feeling but my own. Now I will receive his comfort only by default.” Mary pouted and looked discontentedly at Louisa’s unconscious and limp figure being lifted as she too wished someone would do for her. “Oh Louisa why did you do this to us? To me? Whatever will we tell your family?” Mary cried further. Anne tried to further calm and comfort in the situation, tending to Henrietta as Charles approached Mary to walk her back. Mary felt a quiver of spite at Anne thinking that she could handle the situation better than anyone else, and for people Mary had been acquainted with longer at that. “I guess we can go and face the future consequences of this debacle now.” Mary sighed, nudging Charles away so that she may rest her anger with him long enough to accept his comfort for her weakening state on their walk back to the inn.