Series: The Other Bennet Sister
Episode: 9
Based on: The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
Setting: The Lake District
Main character: Mary Bennet
Mary Bennet wakes on the morning of the Scafell climb determined to seize the day. Both Tom Hayward and William Ryder have something they want to tell her, and Mary finally believes she knows what she wants. Unfortunately, Caroline Bingley is coming up the mountain too.
The climb begins
The expanded party sets off for Scafell, in the footsteps not only of William Wordsworth but, as Mary points out, his sister Dorothy. Mary is exhilarated. She has never climbed a mountain before and marvels at the thought that they will eventually be able to see the sea.
Tom and William both compete for her attention. Tom gives Mary honeysuckle, while William produces primroses and asks Mary for one of her customary facts. She recalls the superstition that whoever eats the first primrose will be the first to marry. She then adds the considerably less romantic observation that primrose leaves have hairy undersides.
Tom tells her that she always makes him see the world differently.
Mary reaches the summit
The less enthusiastic members of the party eventually turn back, but Mary, Tom, William and Caroline continue. When they finally reach the summit, Mary is overwhelmed.
The guide points towards the Solway Firth, Scotland and the sea beyond. Tom asks what Mrs Bennet would say if she could see Mary now. Mary suspects she would complain that the wind had ruined her hair.
It is nevertheless an important moment. The timid woman who once measured herself against her sisters now stands on top of a mountain, overwhelmed by the vastness of the landscape.
Tom asks Mary to walk with him. This is the moment when he intends to tell her how he feels.
William gets there first
Unfortunately, William intercepts Mary. He has reached a decision of his own.
William still loves her and believes he now understands why she rejected his proposal. He offers Mary a different arrangement: they could marry but allow each other complete freedom. Neither would interfere in the other’s life.
To William, it is the perfect solution. To Mary, it sounds dreadful.
She doesn’t want a marriage in which husband and wife live separate lives. William is surprised because he has convinced himself that independence is exactly what Mary wants. He has misunderstood her.
Tom and Mary clash
Tom is furious when he learns what William has proposed. He thinks William treats life as a game and that Mary is allowing herself to be swept along by his recklessness.
Mary resents being told what she should think. When their guide warns that a storm is approaching and they should immediately descend, William wants to remain and experience it. Mary agrees.
Tom cannot believe it. Mary insists she is tired of her old character and wants to try a new one. Tom’s response cuts deeply: he was fond of the old Mary.
Mary replies that the old Mary has spent much of the day wondering what his true feelings are. Neither manages to say what needs saying. Tom heads down the mountain.
The storm arrives
William, Mary and Caroline remain. At first, the approaching storm is magnificent. Mary quotes Wordsworth as the landscape transforms around them.
Then the weather becomes dangerous.
They start their descent through heavy rain and slippery ground, but the party becomes separated. Caroline falls and badly injures her leg.
Despite Caroline’s repeated cruelty towards her, Mary refuses to abandon her. She pulls Caroline free and tries to help her down the mountain.
Tom returns and finds them. The sight of Mary in danger strips away his anger. He asks if she has any idea how he would feel if something happened to her.
Together they struggle down the mountain with the injured Caroline. But Mary is exhausted, soaked and dangerously cold. By the time they reach the inn, she collapses.
Mary falls seriously ill
Mary lies unconscious as the doctor tends to her. Tom refuses to leave.
Hours pass without improvement, until Mary finally wakes and sees him beside her. The doctor announces that she will make a full recovery.
But the emotional damage has already been done. Tom leaves the Lake District, and Mary reflects that a journey which had promised so much has delivered very little.
Worse still, Tom does not return to London. Mary has no idea when, or whether, she will see him again.
Where to watch The Other Bennet Sister
The Other Bennet Sister is available on BBC iPlayer in the UK, BritBox in the US and Canada, and BINGE and Foxtel Now in Australia. Availability varies in other countries.
Historical notes
Dorothy Wordsworth and Scafell: Dorothy Wordsworth really did climb Scafell. Mary’s correction at breakfast is significant. Dorothy was an accomplished walker who travelled extensively through the Lake District and Scotland and recorded her experiences in journals. Her accounts provide an important record of how people experienced the landscape during the Romantic period.
The dangers of mountain walking: Climbing mountains was becoming fashionable, but it was far more hazardous than modern hillwalking. Early nineteenth-century visitors had no waterproof technical clothing, modern weather forecasts, marked recreational trails or mountain rescue services. Local guides therefore possessed valuable knowledge of routes and rapidly changing weather. Ignoring a guide’s warning, as William and Mary do, could have serious consequences.
Primroses and folklore: The primrose carried a wealth of folklore. Primroses were associated with spring, youth and love, and numerous traditions grew around them in Britain. The episode has fun with Mary’s inability to leave a romantic flower simply romantic. When William asks for an interesting fact, she eventually volunteers that its leaves have hairy undersides.
Where to watch The Other Bennet Sister
The Other Bennet Sister is available on BBC iPlayer in the UK, BritBox in the US and Canada, and BINGE and Foxtel Now in Australia. Availability varies in other countries.
