Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

In the carriage, Mary told Anne intermittently what had happened. Anne was shocked. Her first reaction was that there must be something strange. It was hard for her to believe that the Earl would do such a despicable thing.However, everything that Miss Cynthia said was consistent with what they had heard and seen, especially the rare yellow diamond.And what she really didn't want to admit deep down in her heart was that the Earl did do things as he wanted, without considering the feelings of others, just like he moved the entire village to gain a better view...

Back at the hotel, Anne realized that Mary did not mean leaving the beach by "leaving here", but leaving Antibes and France.After thinking about it for a while, she decided that under such circumstances, it might be a good choice to leave, because the Earl of Leicester may appear at any time, and now his appearance is a pain to Mary.And they also had plans to travel around Europe, and the south of France is close to Italy. Mrs. de Bourgh bought a villa in Italy the year before last, and she wrote to Annie a few days ago that she had ordered the servants there to clean it up, and she would be there anytime. liveable.

So they quickly negotiated, packed their bags overnight, left here tomorrow morning, and set off for Italy.Mrs. Jenkinson went to hire a carriage, while Anne and Mary went to their rooms to pack.Mary walked back to her room with heavy steps. After she closed the door and sat down in front of the dressing table, she felt that all the strength in her body had been taken away. How could she still have the strength to pack things?

She propped her forehead with her hands and sobbed for a long time before wiping away her tears, intending to cheer up and not delay the next day's journey.Only then did she realize that there was a string of gold necklaces hanging on the mirror of the dressing table.The pendant of the necklace is a roaring lion with amber forming the shape of the letter M.It's just that what this pendant brings her is no longer a surprise, but infinite resentment and sadness.

Mary tore the necklace from the mirror and dropped it, along with the pendants, into the jewelry box she had once held so dear.Then she took out pen and paper, and began to write a letter to the Earl of Leicester.From time to time, she stopped to think about it, sobbed for a while, and sometimes tore out a piece of letter paper to rewrite.Finally she finally wrote:

Earl of Leicester: Seeing that these pendants you gifted have returned to your hands, you should understand that my heart is the same as it was a year ago and has not changed. Therefore, my answer to this question you asked Still, it can only be: no.If you think my recent words and deeds are encouraging you, if you have the slightest grievance or doubt, then please think about your promise to Miss Cynthia.If you were a true nobleman, a gentleman, you would not betray her.I only wish I never knew you, and I hope never to see you again.

After completing this difficult task, Mary read the letter again with tears in her eyes, and then folded up the letter as if she made up her mind, put it in the jewelry box, and closed the lid.

When they left the hotel the next morning, they informed only the priest of Lisbon.The Lisbon priest didn't seem surprised by their sudden departure. He simply expressed regret that he couldn't accompany them on the rest of the journey. Mary asked him to give the jewelry box to the Earl of Leicester. He didn't refuse, but just accepted it silently. After passing the box, he bowed his head and said nothing to Mary.

Then the boxes were moved to the carriage, and the ladies were seated.The coachman yelled at the horses and set off. Mr. Lisbon stood in the dust kicked up by the wheels. It was closed, and the occupants of the car heard nothing.

In the carriage, Mary rubbed her forehead tiredly. She hadn't slept all night and had a splitting headache. Anne gently took her into her arms. Mary said softly, "I wish I had never been to France." Anne gently He patted the back of her hand and comforted her: "Honey, we will arrive in Italy tomorrow, and everything will start again."

Miss Cynthia returned to her family's manor in the evening. Although she had traveled all day, she was extremely excited and did not feel tired at all. When she went up the stairs and met Earl Leicester who was walking down, Her back was straight, and the eyes under the mask were shining with scorching light: "Earl Leicester, are you going out?"

The Earl of Leicester nodded to her casually, and said, "Yes, I just discussed with Duke Clovis and reached a consensus on the future plan. Now I have to go to some private matters."

Miss Cynthia's voice became a little sharp, and in order to cover it up, she tried to make herself laugh out loud: "Ha, is it related to this?" She pointed to a small jewelry box held by the Earl, "I can Have a look? You know women can't resist jewelry."

Of course, the Earl of Leicester opened the box, and inside was a pendant in the shape of Gemini, inlaid with turquoise to form the shape of the letter E.Miss Cynthia said slowly: "This Gemini is really strange. Aren't Gemini two brothers? Why are they a man and a woman?"

The Earl of Leicester closed the box and said with a smile: "I think there is a reason for this, princess." Cynthia smiled self-consciously: "Oh, it's the princess, it's not Cynthia anymore?" Her sadness was real However, if it were an ordinary man, he would naturally be moved, and then come to condescend to her and comfort her.But Earl Leicester's heart is made of granite, so he just nodded coldly, said, "You're right," and walked away without looking back.Soon there was the rumble of carriages outside the gate, and Cynthia knew he was gone, that she had lost him forever.She couldn't bear it anymore, and threw herself on the banister of the stairs, crying bitterly.

When Mr. Lisbon handed the box to the Earl of Leicester, the fighting spirit he once had was aroused again in his heart, which was the excitement when he met an evenly matched opponent.As the count slowly flipped through the letters and necklaces in the box, Lisbon felt that the guilt towards Mary that he felt on the roadside of the post station in Antibes gradually subsided, replaced by a subtle pleasure and longing.

Although the flames were burning in the fireplace and the doors and windows in the room were closed, he could suddenly feel a cold breath pervading the entire room.For a moment, he wanted to tell the count everything, and tell him that even if he was rich and powerful, he could only be his opponent.But natural prudence stopped him at last, and he sat there without a word, staring at the statue of the Virgin on the wall, clutching the crucifix that hung before his chest.

At this time, the count had calmed down, and he murmured, "There must be something very strange about this matter. No, Mary, we will meet again after all." The priest of Lisbon also calmed down, and he suddenly realized the relationship between himself and the count. The battle was just a prelude, and this discovery did not scare him. On the contrary, he regained his strength and became high-spirited.

"Mr. Lisbon, do you know where they went?" The earl's probing eyes were always so sharp that it was frightening, but the priest Lisbon raised his perfectly contoured chin and met the earl's gaze with his crystal clear eyes. Said in the most sincere tone: "No, I don't know, they won't say anything."

He had no doubt that the Earl would soon be able to track down the whereabouts of the three women who were traveling together, but this time was enough for him, enough time for him to heal Mary's pain, with the purest and most honest expression on his face smile.Earl Leicester stared at him silently, he had never had a thorough understanding of this man, and he was a little suspicious.

The villa of the De Bourger family is located in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is an old Renaissance house with a history of about 500 years, but it is well maintained. Newly bought, it is very exquisite, and has installed all the facilities that make life comfortable.The house is surrounded by a circle of thick hedges, very secluded, living here seems to have returned to 500 years ago.

On the second day of her arrival, Annie eagerly took Mary out for a walk in search of scenic spots. She hoped to use this method to drag Mary out of the shadow of depression.Warm weather and good food were good antidote to depression, but it was not easy to recover Mary from the severe blow in a short time.

Go out from the house and walk about two miles along the path lined with olive trees, and you will arrive at the valley of the Arno River, which is shrouded in mist all the year round, presenting a dreamlike artistic conception.Although it is winter, a lot of grass is still green, and even in sunny places, wild flowers quietly reveal their fragrance. Mary just said: "This place is like the mysterious tranquility of Eden." She saw the priest in Lisbon walking away from the mist When he came out, he was wearing casual white clothes and a straw hat with a narrow brim. He looked really handsome, but it seemed that he came to visit them specially this time. Great reward.

What a pleasant surprise to meet a friend in far away Italy.The Lisbon pastor explained that his friends in France were away on business, and he had no destination anyway, just for a vacation, so he came right after them, and he just put his travel promise on the Côte d'Azur in Italy to fulfill it.This was very welcome by both ladies, and they took him back to the house, where Mrs. Jenkinson was delighted to see him--it was so large that it was at least a mile from all the surrounding cottages, and none of them Man, it's so disturbing.So Mrs. Jenkinson tried her best to persuade the Lisbon priest not to stay in the hotel. She could clean up a guest room for Mr. Pastor. It should be said that this suggestion was easily accepted.

Anne also expressed her relief at the arrival of Mr. Lisbon. She herself is not a person who can comfort others. Before, she did not want Mary to have too much contact with Mr. Lisbon because of the Earl of Leicester's feelings for Mary. Now that That layer of worry was gone, and she was aware of Mr. Lisbon's feelings for her friend again, so she was naturally happy to see it come true.

Mr. Lisbon took over the task of comforting and cheering Mary up.Anne's previous strategy was to try not to mention the name of the Earl of Leicester as much as possible, so as not to upset Mary.But Mr. Lisbon took completely opposite treatment measures. One day, Anne and Mrs. Jenkinson went shopping in Florence. Mr. Lisbon sat in the garden with Mary for afternoon tea, and he took the initiative to chat with Mary about Leicester. He knew the Earl very well. He talked about his difficult childhood, gloomy and introverted personality, the early death of his parents, and his youth when he was dependent on others...

Although Mary had known the past of some earls, she had never known so much. She wondered how Mr. Lisbon learned about it. Lisbon smiled heartily: "Have you forgotten? I grew up in the same area and served as parish priest for a period, so he knows it well. If the old owner of Leicester Castle had no direct descendants, the current Earl may be a small accomplished painter, reclusive in his lake district. Living a leisurely life in the ancestral house, I think that kind of life is actually more suitable for his personality."

He paused for a moment and continued: "However, as luck would have it, after he inherited the wealth of the Leicester family, he also inherited the responsibilities and obligations that go hand in hand with the wealth, which is the mission entrusted to the Leicester family by the King of England. The Earl of Leicester has shown extremely brilliant political acumen and economic skills in a short period of time. Few people can combine the two organically. However, while he is seeking benefits for Britain, he also earns a lot of money himself. Profit. However, at this time, he also showed a willful side. Sometimes unrestrained power can go to a person's mind. He hardly allows anyone to object to whatever he wants and the plan he wants to realize. opinion, and often to achieve ends, by means or means..."

Mary said with a dry voice: "Yes, a philosopher once said that the reason why people are moral is that they have too few temptations. And wealth and power are precisely the best weapon used by the devil to lure the world to abandon morality. To achieve ends, and means by means, without thinking how much misfortune and distress it may cause others." She thought again of Miss Cynthia, and of herself.

Pastor Lisbon said softly: "However, some troubles are fabricated by ourselves, but we bear them as real." Uncomfortable, she suddenly had the courage to talk about herself.Maybe it was because she needed to talk too much, maybe it was because Mr. Lisbon was originally a pastor, she told Mr. Lisbon exactly what she had never told anyone except Anne, including the last jewelry box that made her sad .

Pastor Lisbon is a very sympathetic listener. He kept his head down and put his palms on his hands to listen to Mary. Then he did not comment on the actions of the Earl of Leicester, let alone criticize the quality of the Earl of Leicester. He just said softly : "Miss Bennet, please consider this an episode in your long life. Perhaps before long you will be able to tell your friends a story with complete carelessness. All stories have an ending, and some endings are not happy. But fortunately, in life, every ending becomes a new beginning."