Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

Mary watched the Earl of Leicester and the Duke of Clovis chatting from a distance, and was fascinated when the Earl of Leicester turned around and met her eyes, his eyes turned with a hint of boredom. Instantly becoming soft and concerned, Mary smiled and nodded, expressing that everything was fine. The Earl of Leicester also smiled knowingly, and then turned to Duke Clovis.

Mary withdrew her attention, but she heard the Minister of Finance next to her shout in surprise: "Oh, beautiful lady, thank you, thank you for agreeing to dance with me for the first time." Didn't hear what the Minister was saying, but she was indeed smiling and nodding, so she had to bravely bear the consequences: "It's my honor, Mr. Minister."

When the dinner was over and the gentlemen stayed in the dining room to smoke cigars and talk politics, the ladies gathered in the ballroom, many taking the opportunity to touch up their make-up and adjust their ribbons, gloves and tiaras.Mary complained to Anne: "That minister really doesn't care, I actually agreed to him to dance the first dance..." Mary was a little annoyed, because she wanted to dance the first two dances with the Earl of Leicester. of.

Anne comforted her and said: "Honey, don't be depressed. Didn't the count invite you to the first dance? According to the French practice, the most distinguished guest should invite the hostess to the first dance." Mary became more and more depressed However, Anne smiled and said, "But you must find a way to dance the last mazurka dance with the count. In the social circles of Europe, that is the most important sign of affection."

The ladies chatted in groups of threes and fives, waiting for the gentlemen to enter, and soon the ball began.Annie seldom danced even before marriage because of her physical condition, let alone now, so Mrs. Jenkinson resolutely declined all invitations for her, and found a comfortable and airy corner, and pulled her to sit down, surrounded by her A few times, the old British aristocratic ladies who lived in Europe listened to their chats, and although they were not lonely, they were boring, but Anne was still in a good mood watching the men and women on the dance floor.

As a person who has experienced it, she can undoubtedly be sure that her friend and the Earl of Leicester are in love with each other, but because of Mary's worries, the two are close and alienated.She thought that now in this foreign country, many things became simpler, and it was easier to see what she really wanted. She hoped that her friends would be happy.

Marie happily walked down the dance floor with Mr. Minister. The young minister thought that Marie, like other young girls in Paris, worshiped heroes, and the hero that everyone expected in France was General Napoleon in Syria, so he talked about this man without personality. End: "Do you know? Although General Napoleon was a soldier, he attached great importance to literature and art. He himself was a man of great talent... In his expeditionary force, in addition to 2000 cannons, he also led 175 people from all walks of life Scholars, and hundreds of boxes of books and research equipment... He once issued a famous order-let the donkey and the scholar walk in the middle of the procession."

Mary laughed loudly: "Your general Napoleon compares a donkey with a scholar. Is he insulting the donkey or flattering the scholar?"

Mr. Minister couldn't hear her sarcasm, and continued to boast of Napoleon's achievements: "...he is a rare military genius, my lady. In Egypt, he won more with less and won a complete victory on land. If it hadn't been for the British General Nelson who raided his fleet, he would have led the army to triumph. At that time, no one could stop him from ascending to the position of consul of the First French Republic, and the citizens of Paris regarded him as their savior... "

Mary joked: "I don't think you are so superficial, sir?"

The Minister pouted and said, "Of course not. Once he comes back, the Directory will fall, but he cannot be completely abandoned. He is a pawn in the bargain with Britain." As the Minister said, he turned his head and looked at the The Earl of Leicester, who danced with Miss Cynthia, "Even now, the situation is not optimistic. The anti-French alliance is intensively organizing a counterattack on the European continent. I would say that the Earl of Leicester has contributed a lot to it, but no one has done it." Dare to do anything to him, he holds the economic lifeline of the entire Europe in his hands...but he doesn't like Napoleon..."

"In this way, even if you are a government minister, there will be many constraints and dissatisfaction."

"Of course, of course, just like I know that the Duke of Clovis is a hard-core royalist. He is secretly planning to restore the Bourbon dynasty to the rule of France, but I still come to his ball... However, I have the honor to dance with you , I feel that any kind of compromise has been compensated..."

"You really know how to compliment people, Mr. Minister." Mary is not interested in Mr. Minister's long speeches that are too political, although she still cares about the part that mentions the Earl of Leicester, but that is what she does not like to hear, she She didn't want to know how powerful the Earl of Leicester was, so after the dance was over, she eagerly left Mr. Minister and returned to Anne's side.

Anne said with a smile on her face, "Honey, it seems that you got an admirer today, and it is said that he is an upstart of the French government."

Mary said disdainfully: "Boring upstart, you know, we Brits only like old things."

Anne winked at her and said teasingly, "Then, here comes your old friend who the British like." Sure enough, it was the Earl of Leicester who came to invite Mary to dance. Mary's heart was beating happily, and she was overjoyed. Assaulted by pride.She walked down the dance floor with light steps, her skirt was flying, her face seemed to be lit by something, showing a flying look, she had never been so beautiful, she had never been so confident, she was like a pool of clear water , whirling and flying, every gentleman who passed by her could not help but be attracted by her, stared at her intently, and asked around for her name, asking for an introduction, which made Earl Leicester feel sincerely proud, but at the same time worried, Although he has always been confident in himself, only with Mary did he experience the feeling of worrying about gains and losses, but it has to be said that he enjoyed it.

Every woman who is in love is sensitive, especially a smart woman like Miss Cynthia. Maybe she sensed the threat from the earl's words or Mary's expression, and followed the earl's request After Mary performed the second dance, the uneasiness intensified.Although she is surrounded by suitors, in the past few months, the only person she cares about is the Earl. She fully believes that through today's ball, she will completely conquer the Earl's elusive heart and lure him to propose to her , but now her heart hurts like a needle.

She was dancing with the Austrian ambassador, but her eyes were fixed on another pair of like-minded partners, and her heart was burning with jealousy. She bit her cherry lips tightly, and her face became darker and sullen, which made her The poor dance partner was at a loss.

The old duke noticed something wrong with his daughter, and came over to dance with her, reminding her not to lose her manners: "My daughter, where is your wisdom? Don't be fooled by love, I have already asked about that The details of the girl, she is just the daughter of an English squire, with no background and no money, you don't have to take her as a rival. I think the Earl of Leicester is just attracted by her beauty, you have to respect your own You have confidence in your appearance, although that girl is very handsome, she is still not as good as yours, not to mention her status."

But his daughter has gone mad, Miss Cynthia tried her best to hold back her tears, and said: "But, father, there are some things that only people in love understand. What if he just loves her? What if he doesn't love me?"

The Duke frowned and said: "Then I also ask you to show your demeanor. I can't take the risk of turning against Leicester. In any case, the revival of the Bourbon Dynasty depends on his help. Don't be a fool for love." matter, child, you have many suitors, from which you can choose a very suitable marriage partner."

But no matter how hard the old duke tried to persuade, a woman blinded by jealousy would not listen.Miss Cynthia was originally a clever person, but now she was so focused on embarrassing the woman who had taken her sweetheart that she couldn't care less about propriety.

When the ball reached its climax, Miss Cynthia, as the hostess, ordered the band to suspend, and Mr. Mozart, an Austrian court musician, was invited to play the piano concerto for everyone.She wanted to give the distinguished guests a break so that they could dance the last mazurka with energy.Every young man is looking for a partner, and it is very disgraceful not to have a partner at the last dance, and only old girls and stiff-legged old ladies sit around.

After Mr. Mozart played a newly composed piano concerto with superb skills, Cynthia walked to the center of the hall and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor for us to gather here today. Now I would like to introduce a A lady from England who came from afar, I think many gentlemen today are overwhelmed by her beauty, and are vying to inquire about her name, she is Miss Bennet, a friend of the Earl of Leicester, a talented woman."

The applause rang out, Earl Leicester narrowed his eyes, and the old Duke was frightened into a cold sweat by his eyes. He looked at his daughter worriedly, knowing that there was no way to stop it.Annie shook Mary's hand secretly, hoping that she would face it bravely.Mary is inspired by love, and indeed is more courageous than ever.At this point, she went to Miss Cynthia, shook her icy cold hand, and said, "You are too kind, Princess."

Cynthia smiled softly, cast a flirtatious glance at Earl Leicester, and said, "Please don't be modest, Miss Bennet, Earl Leicester never treats anyone lightly, since he praised you as a talented woman, You must have something special—so please let us enjoy it.” She walked to the piano, and made an inviting gesture right next to the piano bench that Mr. Mozart was playing just now.

Mary's face turned red, she knew her level of playing the piano, and she could still listen to it at ordinary times, but it was difficult to be well-received when playing in front of a large audience, not to mention that a musical genius had just passed everyone's piano Her ears have been lifted to an unprecedented height - doesn't this make her look ugly in public?

When she was thinking about how to say it properly, a big warm hand wrapped around her waist. It was the Earl of Leicester. He took her to the front of the piano and said gently: "Please allow me to make a fool of myself. Together with Miss Bennet, I present a song to everyone - "Do You Know What Love Is"."

Of course, everyone applauded and applauded, and Cynthia's complexion suddenly turned pale.Mary's heart settled down, and she plucked up the courage to sit in front of the piano and played the classic piece of "The Marriage of Figaro". It should be admitted that her performance was by no means perfect, but with the count With the thick and high-pitched singing as a cover, it is easy to listen to.Because the earl obviously has extremely high musical accomplishment and talent, his singing is really pleasant to the ear.

I saw him holding the piano with his hand, singing affectionately to the accompaniment of the music:

"Ladies here,

Who knows what love is?

See if love is in my heart.

It refreshes me,

It fills me with hope,

Sometimes joy, sometimes pain,

Sometimes the whole body is cold, sometimes it is hot and burning,

My heart beats faster, my whole body trembles, I dare not desire,

ladies here,

Who knows what love is?

Sweet love is in my heart. "

Miss Cynthia wanted Mary to show her shame in public and prove to the Earl of Leicester that Mary was not a talented woman. However, she used her own victory to verify her complete failure in another war.

At the end of the song, the band played the prelude to the mazurka dance. The Earl of Leicester invited Mary to dance the mazurka with her in public. They walked off the dance floor arm in arm. The Earl of Leicester didn't even bother to give alms to Miss Cynthia. a glance.Only then did the princess realize her sad situation—she was so sure that the earl would invite her to the last dance, so she rejected all the young men who invited her, and now the young people had partners, and no one would think of it. She was so much admired as mistress of the ball that she was without a partner.She stood there blankly, lost in her wits, and even that fine attire seemed to be clouded.

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