Holder Manor Secret

Spring is coming.

Anna woke up to the noise of the women chirping. She compared these sounds with the birdsong of Holder Manor, and found that the two had a very striking similarity.

She ran out of bed with bare feet and opened the window.Her older sister, Almina, is busily instructing the servants to place the pots in the correct position.

"Hey!"

She cried out loudly, and Almina raised her head and frowned when she saw Anna in her dressing gown. "Where's your personal maid?" She had high cheekbones, and her serious look made the servants around her lower their heads, not daring to offend her.But Anna raised her chin, showing a more serious expression, "Don't be angry, Mrs. McLeod, you will scare my little nephew."

Almina laughed.

"Get away from the window, or I'm going to go up and beat you."

"A lady wouldn't do that!"

"I'm not a lady anymore, dear Anna." Almina put one hand on her belly, and she looked at her sister with gentle and sly eyes. "I'm a mother now."

The maids finally arrived, and they dragged Miss Anna away from the window with all their might. "I want to wear the green one." Anna said critically, "Take out that string of pearls, no, no, it's another string."

When Anna walked into the living room with her skirt in hand, Almina was already sitting on the small sofa drinking tea.

"You can get up later, so I can take you directly to the dinner party." The young lady put down the teacup, "You have passed the social season, if I can't find a suitable marriage partner for you this year, Vivi Ann is taking you back to Rhystown."

"Oh, how is Vivienne?" Anna sat next to Almina, "I miss them so much. Little George can talk, will he call me sister?"

"He will, but I hope he can call you Ma'am." Almina leaned back in the chair. She was five months pregnant, her limbs were swollen, and it was difficult to maintain an elegant sitting posture. "Reese Town is a small place after all. Hughes is going to Paris next month. If I can take you into the palace, you will have more choices."

After Hughes' father died, they left Paris and settled in a town in France.There, they had a difficult time.Hughes bought a cottage, but it was in disrepair, and ivy covered the exterior walls, with green or yellow leaves.They spent a long time, bit by bit, filling the furniture and finishing the room.Almina is now able to choose the plants to place in the garden as she likes.

Anna looked down, her feet shifting restlessly under her skirt.

"Can I not go, sister?" Anna whispered.

"Don't you like it here?" Almina frowned, "Don't you want a new dress? There are the latest styles in France in Paris, don't you want to go and have a look?"

Anna hesitated for a while. She still hated the filth of Paris, but envied the prosperity of Paris. Those ladies with heavy makeup were twirling their fans on the dance floor, with a strong fragrance on the tip of their noses, and the reflection of jewelry.

"But I don't like those gentlemen." Anna's feet tapped the floor under her skirts. "They always compliment all kinds of ladies. I even heard them say the same thing to different people."

Almina laughed.

"Yes, my Anna."

"That's what gentlemen are, they learn the same lessons and say the same things to ladies."

"But Uncle Edward never did that," Anna muttered.

Almina lowered her eyes, and Anna looked at her anxiously, "Sister?"

"Uncle Edward is certainly not like this." Almina said lightly, "Now, accompany me to the small garden for a walk."

Their father had been dead for three years, and his third wife disappeared shortly after being sent to Mograt.The new baron grew up under the care of many people. Vivienne and her husband lived in Holder Manor. They have no children so far.

"Edward!"

George stumbled and ran towards the gentleman in front. The gentleman was very thin, the hair on his forehead was already gray, and the deep nasolabial folds made him look very serious.But George loved him so much that he didn't quite understand that his father was dead and that this gentleman had taken his place.

Edward knelt down and held George in his arms. "Mr. Xiao, you are heavy again." He stood up, feeling obvious effort.

"Edward, I miss you."

said George childishly, hugging Edward's neck and kissing him on the cheek. "Why don't you come and see me?"

"I just came to see you." Edward laughed, his brows and eyes became gentle and kind.

George thought hard for a while, and said aggrievedly: "I don't remember."

"I want Edward to play with me!" he exclaimed happily.

The little guy at this age is always energetic and clingy.Edward played with George for a while, then gasped for breath.The nurse hurried over to pick up George. "It's time for the Baron to go to bed," Edward ordered, "Take good care of him."

George still wanted to play, but he was a good boy.Vivienne has no children, so she raised her younger brother as her own.Edward talked to Vivian, "Is Andrew not here?" Vivian's face was not very good, "Who knows which woman's bed he is in."

When Andrew pursued Vivienne, he used to be very careful. He traveled back and forth between the town and the manor all day long, presented her with expensive bouquets in the cold winter, held her hands tightly after her parents passed away, and firmly guarded her. around.They did have a really good time, but it wasn't long before Andrew started hanging around other women's skirts.Vivienne quarreled with Andrew all day long, causing the judge to criticize her quite a bit.

"My son has neither a mistress nor an illegitimate child. What else is she not satisfied with?"

Edward once heard the Lord Chancellor complain in this way at a gathering of squires.

Andrew and Vivienne are married because of love, but in the end they seem to be no different from those marriages without love.Edward wants to mediate, but he is not Vivian's female relative, and a gentleman cannot dictate other people's marriages.

On the other hand, Edward was also a little overwhelmed.The old butler Barton became more and more worried about his marriage, "Miss Anna has entered the social season and may get married at any time. When will you marry a mistress for the manor?"

Although the servant could not interfere with the master's affairs, Barton had followed Edward's father and watched them grow up with his own eyes, so he was naturally qualified to say such a thing.And every time Barton questioned, Edward was heartbroken.Since that snowy night, Edward never heard from Vincent again.This young man, like the heavy snow in winter, once covered everything violently, and then disappeared quickly, as if he had never existed.When Edward came to the castle bought by the Thomas family, he found that the Duke had left with his family, leaving only a few servants.It took Edward several shillings to find out from his servants that they had returned to the capital.

The hasty departure of the Duke's family has provided a topic for several months in the town of Rhys, and people are talking about the dignity and mystery of the Duke.Edward had heard the servants downstairs talking about the beauty of the duchess and the shining golden hair of the heir. "It doesn't look like the duke's breed at first glance. The lady gave birth to this illegitimate child by spreading her legs to someone." Edward trembled with anger, and walked down the stairs. The servants were so frightened that they broke the plates.

"The master has always been gentle, so he shouldn't punish us too much, right?"

However, the next day, all the servants who participated in the discussion were kicked out of the manor.They knelt on the ground and begged the old housekeeper to give them another chance, but were told that if they didn't leave, they would be sent to see the magistrate.

New servants soon entered Brook Manor.They are dutiful and silent, just like their masters.