Miss Mary in Pride and Prejudice

Mary did not expect that Mr. Lisbon would propose marriage at this time and this place, but she did not feel joy in her heart. If she had been touched by the Earl of Leicester before, she never had the slightest love for Mr. Lisbon. She admires him for his firm will and profound knowledge, but although he hides his intense paranoia about people and things deeply, she can find some clues and feel deeply afraid—she and him are completely different. Two different people, what stands between her and the Earl of Leicester is the disparity in status and wealth, and what stands between her and Mr. Lisbon is the difference in thought and purpose.

Did Mary take half a step back, and shouted anxiously and embarrassedly: "Please get up quickly, Mr. Lisbon, this will show others what it looks like." Mr. Lisbon stood up obediently, his face was a little uncomfortable. A normal flush and a sparkle in his eyes made him look handsome.He waited without a word for Mary's answer.

In fact, Mary is not used to rejecting people no matter what, but this time she really can only say sorry: "I am very grateful for your proposal. I am deeply honored and proud to have your favor, but I can only say sorry, Mr. Lisbon. I think you are so generous because you don't want me to marry a shallow person who relies on wealth and pride, but I always think that marriage The premise is love, so..."

Mr. Lisbon keenly grasped her unfinished words, and he declared loudly: "But I love you. From the first time I saw you, your demeanor has left an indelible mark in my heart." Impression. Every meeting in the future will continue to challenge my determination not to marry for life and devote myself to the church. Perhaps the Earl of Leicester's high-profile courtship to you is an opportunity, but when I met you last time, In fact, I already wanted to propose to you. It’s just that I don’t know, I can’t understand your emotions, so I tried to restrain my love. Until today, I finally couldn’t bear it. Do you really want to marry me for 20 pounds? Sell ​​yourself to the Earl of Leicester? Just as you said, the premise of marriage is love, and this kind of union that is only out of gratitude and helplessness will not be approved before God."

Embarrassed, Mary used the parasol in her hand to fend off the flying insects by the water. She could not reject the suitors with elegant and rational words. After all, which girl could be well-trained in this aspect and remain calm and dignified?At this time, Mr. Lisbon also realized his wishful thinking, so he calmed down and asked in a relatively low voice: "Do you hate me?"

"Of course not, Mr. Lisbon, I admire your character and knowledge very much, but these are not love. In fact, if you look into your heart carefully, you will find that the affection you just said for me is not true. Love, that's just an attraction, maybe the presence of the Earl of Leicester has strengthened this attraction." Mary finally boldly spoke out the thoughts buried deep in her heart, and even she was shocked when she finished speaking.

Mr. Lisbon was obviously also shocked. He stood there blankly, staring blankly at Mary, as if he knew her for the first time, and it was the first time he heard that others had brought the shadow in his heart into the light of day.Those unwillingness and hatred in the past, those ugly jealousies that even he himself didn't want to look directly, came to his face unexpectedly.

Mary felt ashamed and sorry at this time, but she didn't want to stay any longer, and she didn't want to take back her words, so she hurriedly murmured sorry, then turned and ran to the mansion. Mr. Lisbon didn't keep her, he just watched silently. As her background gradually drifted away, a long-lost vague sadness rose in my heart.After a long time, he laughed at himself because he still had such fragile emotions. Didn't he already overcome the weakness and shame of ordinary people?When was the last time he felt sad?He was still a young boy then.Thinking leisurely like this, he walked steadily towards the mansion with steady steps. There would be a lively dance there, and he didn't want to be rude and leave without saying goodbye.

The dance started in the evening, because it was midsummer, no matter how many ice cubes were put in the house, it still felt stuffy, so after the sun went down, countless torches were lit in the courtyard, illuminating the surroundings like daylight.On one side of the steps, the band was vigorously playing cheerful tunes, and the large lawn in front of the mansion was set up as a dance floor. Just over half a month ago, an unforgettable auction was held there.There are more than a dozen dining tables set up in a corner of the courtyard, with a variety of cold meals, drinks, fruits and pastries. People who are tired from dancing can rest and eat here.

The Earl of Leicester entered the venue on time before the ball, and invited Mary to dance two opening dances as expected. Talking to Mary, it seems that she is afraid that Mary will get angry at any time, just like a frightened lover.All of this was within Mary's expectation. What she did not expect was that when Earl Leicester and Mr. Lisbon met, she seemed to see the splashing fire and smell a trace of gold from the exchange of eyes between the two.But this was only a fleeting feeling, and soon the two men were talking about the situation in France with a smile on their faces, and it seemed that there was no conflict of opinion.

Later, when the ball started, the priest of Lisbon stood on the balcony, holding a glass of wine in his hand, overlooking the night view of Howard Manor, meditating alone.The Earl of Leicester is dancing with Mary, and talking while dancing.

"Mary, I know you're mad at me."

Mary didn't answer because the answer was obvious.

They danced around and came back again, and the count asked again: "Do you hate me?"

This was the second time Mary was asked this question in a day. She thought about it and said, "No, I just hate the feeling that my destiny is not in my control."

The Earl of Leicester responded immediately: "I have a deep understanding of this, Mary. At least until I was 14 years old, I was deeply troubled by this feeling. You have seen my mother's maid before she was alive, she told You and my mother lost their lives due to typhoid fever. From then on, I vowed to be the master of my own destiny and protect myself and my loved ones. Everything I did to you was a fault of my own. in strong love."

"You have fulfilled your oath, but there is an adage in the East: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Playing with the fate of others for your own selfish desires, can you call this practice For love?"

"But if I don't let the situation develop to this point, and don't let you have no choice but to get engaged to me, do you think that you are controlling your own destiny by living with your own sister and brother-in-law? Do you know how many talented women , choose not to marry for life just because of a narrow concept of freedom, and it all ends in misery? Do you think I can't see that you plan to die alone? I won't let you do this, but if I let you grow This kind of old girl's stagnation, you will soon wither like a flower, and you will use up your youth in selfless devotion to other people's children, without any value, and you will not be able to enjoy any joy in life..."

Mary found that all the people she met today were eloquents. What the earl said seemed to make sense, and Mary noticed that his agitated emotions and rapid-fire words had attracted the attention of the people around him. Curious about how the Earl would choose to propose formally, and now everyone was looking in her direction, Mary felt embarrassed, she didn't want to attract everyone's attention like this.So the conversation was suspended, and only at the end of the song, when they saluted each other, the count saw the opportunity and said in a low voice: "At midnight tonight, let's meet at the old place."

Mary remembered his dishonest behavior last time, and said angrily: "I won't go."

The earl smiled softly, and he asked her to hold his arm, and when he sent her back to the seat, he said calmly, "I don't mind kneeling down to propose in public, as long as you don't mind offering a hundred yuan for the round again." Miles offer three months to talk."

Mary shook his arm violently and walked away, but he knew she had compromised, and walked in the other direction with a satisfied smile. His eyes met the Lisbon priest standing on the balcony by chance. Unconsciously putting on the armor in his heart, Mr. Lisbon raised the goblet in his hand towards him expressionlessly. The Earl of Leicester smiled nonchalantly, and picked up a glass of Bordeaux from the tray of the waiter passing by. Wine, raised a glass to Mr. Lisbon, and drank it down.

The dance was a success, the drinks were abundant, the dishes were exquisite and delicious, and the band's performance was perfect. Most of the invited guests were young people, because everyone had a good time, except for some people who liked to watch It is a pity that the Earl of Leicester did not propose in public, which disappointed many people who were looking forward to the Dark Horse incident again.However, Mary's close relatives were relieved. Both Jane and Elizabeth hoped that Mary's engagement process would be more in line with customs, rather than unconventional. After all, too intense emotional expression is not the habit of the British.

After the ball was over, a few guests who were far away were left to leave the next day, and the priest of Lisbon was one of them.He has been very silent at today's ball, but in view of his status and his possible affection for Mary, Jane also understands him very well and treats him very kindly. It is strange that even Miss Bingley is quite fond of the Lisbon priest. Especially after she heard that the priest of Lisbon was favored by the Archbishop of Canterbury and many dignitaries, this handsome young man suddenly became attractive.

Although the Earl of Leicester lived in the nearby manor, Mr. Bingley still stayed overnight enthusiastically. The Earl of Leicester's hospitality was hard to accept, so he went along with it. It turned out that Mr. Bingley was trying his best to create conditions so that the Earl and Mary could be alone. There are too many people, and there are not many opportunities, but the next day there will be a lot of time for the lovers to talk to each other.His kindness did not know how many people secretly liked it, let alone how many people secretly hated it.