The Other Bennet Sister

As the plain and overlooked middle sister, Mary Bennet lives at Longbourn with her sisters and her parents, desperately longing for their approval. When she gets glasses, her mother and sisters pronounce that they look vile and that she will never find a husband. Later on, the Meryton assembly ball provides a chance for Mary to move in society, and even a first taste of romance. However, her hopes are quickly dashed by her mother's interference. Unaware of social expectations, she dances twice with her optician, after which her mother forbids her stand up with such an unsuitable man again. This results into sadness and disappointment, which make Mary resort to a life of reason with a focus on reading, learning and musical accomplishment.

When Mr Bennet’s distant cousin, the foolish & socially awkward Mr Collins, arrives at Longbourn, things are thrown into disarray. Mr Collins is to inherit the estate, and since the Bennet's only have daughters, their fates seem to be sealed, which sends Mrs Bennet into a match-making frenzy. At Mr. Bingley's ball at Netherfield, Mary musters the courage to sing and play the piano, which results in humiliation. When Lizzy spurns Mr Collins's advances, Mrs Bennet urges Mary to pursue him, although having warned her off earlier. However, this comes to nothing when Mr Collins becomes engaged to Charlotte Lucas instead. At the Netherfield ball, Charlotte had asked Mary why her mother was so determined that one of her daughters should marry a man of limited means, and Mary had revealed that Mr Collins was next in line to inherit the family’s valuable home upon Mr Bennet’s death. While Mary was busy at the piano, Charlotte was seen befriending Mr Collins and beginning to pursue him.

After the sudden death of Mr Bennet, Mary and Mrs Bennet find themselves precisely in the situation they had dreaded. Not long after his death, Mr Collins arrives at Longbourn with Charlotte Lucas. He informs them that, as he is the rightful heir to the estate, they have weeks to pack their belongings and move out. This leads to Jane inviting Mrs Bennet to stay with her and Mr Bingley, while Mary receives an unexpected offer to stay with her uncle and aunt, the Gardiners, as governess to their children in London. Reluctant at first, Mary quickly finds a certain freedom and joy living with the Gardiners. She meets a young barrister & friend of the Gardiners called Tom Hayward, a kindred spirit and a new friend, and also makes friends with Ann Baxter, with whom Mr Hayward has an 'understanding'.

Just as Mary is finding her footing and confidence in London, she overhears a conversation among the Gardiners which knocks her back. When Mary shares that she does not care much for poetry as 'they're just words', Mr Hayward brings her and the Gardiners to a hidden garden in full bloom where he recites Wordsworth's "Composed upon Westminster Bridge". Mary finds herself unexpectedly moved by his words but remains concerned about his attachment to Miss Baxter, which makes her consider accepting her mother's summons to join her at Pemberley. However, after she gives the children a lesson about poetry, and with the encouragement of Mrs Gardiner, Mary decides to stay in London a little longer. The Gardiners organise a games evening where Mary meets a certain William Ryder and the evening ends with her winning the game of riddles.

Miss Baxter helps Mary to get ready for an upcoming ball. At the ball, she dances with both Mr Hayward and Mr Ryder. Mr Hayward seems displeased with the interest that Mr Ryder shows for Mary. Caroline Bingley appears at the ball, flirts with Mr Ryder, and is rude to Mary. Mr Ryder invites Mary to a supper party at his house. The next day, Mrs Gardiner encourages Mary not to take Miss Bingley's cruelness to heart. At the dinner, Mr Ryder continues to show interest in Mary, while Miss Bingley tries to thwart any sort of relationship between the two by changing the seating arrangement and placing herself next to Mr Ryder. At dinner Mary is left with no one to talk to, but then successfully engages a rather reserved Mr. Hurst – Miss Bingley's brother-in-law – in a lively conversation about horses. After this, Miss Bingley warns Mary against pursuing Mr Ryder romantically. Mr Hayward explicitly expresses concern about Mr Ryder's interest to Mary. Before Miss Bingley tries to force Mary into singing in front of everyone, in hopes of humiliating her, she receives news from Pemberley that her mother has fallen gravely ill.

Mary returns to Pemberley to support her mother but instead finds herself thrown back into the familiar demands of family life. Mary begins to feel like the progress she's made in London is fading until Mr Ryder unexpectedly turns up at Pemberley, expressing his concerns for her mother's health. His infatuation with Mary helps her family to recognise how much she has changed during her time in London, much to her mother's astonishment and her sisters' fascination. Mr Ryder then presents Mary with a most unconventional offer.

Mr Ryder's offer leaves Mary in a difficult position. She tries to work out what it is that she truly desires or whether she must disappoint her mother once again. Both Lizzy and Mr Collins - who shows unexpected understanding of how he is perceived by others - help her understand that her happiness is in her own hands. Before she can explain her reasons for declining Mr Ryder's offer, the Gardiners unexpectedly arrive at Pemberley and invite Mary to join them on a trip to the Lake District.

En route to the Lake District, Mary crosses paths with Miss Baxter, who informs her that she and Mr Hayward have broken off their 'understanding' and that she is marrying someone else. When they arrive at the Lakes, Mr Hayward joins Mary and the Gardiners for breakfast at their inn. The group enjoy fishing by Scafell Pike and agree to climb the mountain the next day. Mary and Mr Hayward continue to reconnect over their shared love of nature and poetry, during which Mr Hayward and Mary attempt to specific bird calls. Mr Hayward attempts to make Mary laugh by discreetly showing her his drawings of birds. At the moment that he seems close to making Mary an offer of marriage, Mr Ryder suddenly appears, seeking urgent legal advice from Mr Hayward, which ruins Mr Hayward's plan. Disgruntled, Mr Hayward expresses his wish to have time alone with Mary on the next day’s climb and to continue their conversation on the summit. At the inn, Mary is surprised to find that Caroline Bingley and the Hursts have also come for a stay. Over dinner, Mr Ryder invites himself and the others to join Mary, Mr Hayward and the Gardiners for the mountain climb and tells Mary that he will "make amends" to her when they reach the summit.

The following day, the group hike up Scafell Pike with a local guide. When the Hursts struggle to keep up, the Gardiners offer to accompany them back down, while Mary, Mr Hayward, Miss Bingley and Mr Ryder continue up the mountain. At the summit, Mr Hayward finally has a private moment with Mary but as he is about to propose, Mr Ryder insists on talking to Mr Hayward about his change in financial affairs. After they conclude their conversation, Mr Hayward becomes stand-offish and distances himself from the others. The weather starts to change for the worse, and the guide strongly advises they should leave before an upcoming storm. However, the group decides to remain despite strong protest from Mr Hayward. As the storm arrives, they all start to regret their decision and try to make their way down the mountain, but lose track of each other in the process. Mr Ryder is nowhere to be seen, Caroline Bingley slips and traps her foot under a boulder and Mary comes back to help her. They comes across Mr Hayward, who decides to carry Miss Bingley to the inn. Once they arrive at the inn, Mary collapses and is tended to by Mrs Gardiner for several days while Mr Hayward waits outside her bedroom. The others depart with Mr Ryder accompanying Miss Bingley back to London. After a while, Mary finally begins to recover. Having heard this, Mr Hayward decides to leave her without saying goodbye.

Mary returns with the Gardiners to London. Her mother arrives determined to find Mary a husband but, to her dismay, fails to find a suitable match for her last remaining single daughter. One day, Mr Ryder arrives to talk to Mary. He reveals that, during their conversation on Scafell Pike, he told Mr Hayward he had been named Lady Catherine de Bourgh's heir and intended to propose to Mary, taking into account his newfound wealth. Appreciative of their friendship, Mary firmly declines his proposal, telling him she does not love him. Her mother admonishes her, but a courageous Mary stands up to her and chooses to find happiness on her own terms. Mrs Bennet then shares her agony and sorrows of having five daughters, none of which would inherit the estate. Mary shows her empathy, but stands firmly with beliefs, after which Mrs Bennet angrily leaves. She continues to enjoy her life in London with the Gardiners and begins working as a governess for other families as well, mainly teaching young women science. She is also seen writing her own book called 'Advice for Young Women', showing that she finally accepts herself and the path she chose for herself. After a while, Mr Hayward returns unannounced and states his unchanged feelings for Mary. Although she is happy to see him, she also demands an explanation as to why he left her without answering any of her letters. Mr Hayward then explains that he felt like Mr Ryder had more to offer her, since he is to inherit the fortune of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, while he has had to work hard for all his earnings and that he was 'reading between the lines'. Shocked at this revelation, Mary punches Mr Hayward on the arm, much to his surprise, emotionally exclaiming that he should not have decided her fate for her and that 'there were no lines!'. They then both admit that they love each other. Mr Hayward informs her that, of all people, Caroline Bingley informed him that Mary had turned down Mr Ryder's proposal and that she has followed him to Italy to pursue him further. Mary accepts Mr Hayward's proposal, and the two get married. At last, their engagement party is shown and they are seen in their own house with Mary playfully correcting Mr Hayward, whom she now refers to as Thomas, telling him 'to keep up', showing that although she has evolved and learned a lot since being in London, that she stayed true to herself.