[Pride and Prejudice] Rich Lady

Such a coincidence?Elizabeth was taken aback.

But after thinking about it for a while, and trying to stop being sentimental, Mr. William’s investment can never have anything to do with her, it’s probably just a coincidence—Hatefield’s roads are worth investing in, and it itself is a bustling commercial hub town .

"Who is going to build the road?" Elizabeth asked, "Have you heard who the investor is?"

Jane shook her head regretfully: "I only know that he is a rich gentleman in the middle of England. Everyone guesses that he must be a great nobleman. The stewards, consultants and scholars who work for him have already lived in Hatfield. More than 40 people, they directly rented a small manor. But their employer did not show up. It is said that there are more important and bigger investment matters that need to be handled by him personally. Oh, by the way, this noble is still a young man who is not married —The ladies and wives in both towns were overjoyed to hear this, and it is a good thing that mother is not going to those parties now, nor is she going to Aunt Phillips's, or I will write to you, and please don't come home for a while. "

"Those ladies are so powerful, they didn't even find out their names?" Elizabeth couldn't help laughing.

Jane blinked mischievously: "Perhaps because of this, those stewards didn't answer questions about the master."

"If it weren't for that gentleman who is unmarried, everyone would only be happy for a while. Who would care which gentleman invested in the construction of the road under their feet?" Jane said with a smile: "For passenger carriages, the price is 5 pence per mile per person. Uncle Gardner says that's how nearly all road tolls are priced."

"What about the delivery?" her sister asked.

"A cargo of ten hundredweight is about half a shilling per mile." Jane had obviously asked clearly.This gentle and kind country lady gradually has the consciousness of a manager and a master.

Elizabeth quickly calculated in her mind that ten hundredweight is about 0.5 tons, and one mile is 1.6 kilometers, so it costs about 3.75 pence per ton per kilometer.Compared with the increased sales after the road was repaired, this is simply too cheap.

"Lizzie, you have no idea how grateful Uncle Gardner is to this gentleman that the surveyors marked out a new road just past the tailor's shop, not a hundred yards away! Uncle Gardner bought that little shop It only cost a few tens of pounds, because it was a bit out of the way. He and his father rode around the neighborhood, and there was only one place willing to sell it—the uncle thought that the direct distance between the workshop and Hatfield was not too far. Barely bought it."

"Who knows because the land nearby is very cheap, and it's not far from the original end point where Hatfield is going to build the road. Mr. Investor bought it in advance and extended the road."

"After the road is built, that piece of wasteland will be worth a lot!" Jane couldn't help admiring that kind man's mind.

This time, Elizabeth's "self-righteousness" was completely dispelled, but the lady thought that now she might be able to guess the origin of Mr. William's identity earlier - she didn't intend to get to know this gentleman outside of the letter, and she didn't intend to cling to him , just think of this as a fun little game.Think about it, how fun it is to solve a puzzle.

"Wasteland?" The word touched Elizabeth's mind. She didn't care about other things, and quickly asked: "Did he buy a piece of wasteland? Why would the owner be willing to let it go wild? Or is this a public land belonging to the town?" ?”

Jane glanced at her sister strangely: "Except for the manor with the owner, those lands belong to His Majesty the King. In fact, even our manor belongs to His Majesty, and we only have the right to use it."

So what Mr. William bought is also the right to use it? "Then how can I buy a piece of wasteland? I mean the kind that belongs to His Majesty the King." Elizabeth asked again immediately.

Jane was really puzzled: "Lizzie, what are you thinking? The procedures for obtaining a wasteland are beyond your imagination, unless you are a big noble or have a relative of a big noble."

Elizabeth told Jane her thoughts that Longbourn was not enough to live in, and she wanted to buy land and rebuild a house.

When the elder sister heard it, she was shocked at first and then said helplessly: "Your little head always has weird ideas, why do you think of buying wasteland? Why don't you just buy a house?"

After she finished speaking, she realized that Lizzie had misunderstood what she just said, and hurriedly said: "The land bought by Mr. Investing in Highway is not big, and it is also a bit special: it is not that it has no owner, but the soil is barren and the shape is not good. It is neat and tidy; it is also next to a private hunting ground, and the foxes in the hunting ground often come out to steal food..."

Jane whispered: "You also know the owner, the famous widow lady in Hatfield. Her last husband, Mr. Bradley, was still alive and could not make the income of this land exceed the expenditure. She is not short of money. flowers, so they are left there.”

Jane couldn't help telling her sister some gossip: "—even Mr. Investor is unmarried because of this lady. It seems that Mrs. Bradley took a fancy to that wealthy gentleman and went to visit him on his own initiative. But was directly expelled. Mrs. Bradley was extremely annoyed, and the curse words were said to others by her maid."

Thinking of the brave and beautiful lady, Miss Bennet couldn't help shivering: "Mrs. Bradley's servant said that her master only learned about it from the mayor of Hatfield after he sold the land. This gentleman seems to be an unmarried young man. She regretted it so much that she immediately dressed up and went to visit, but was directly invited back by the servants, and the master never showed up. Therefore, she hates this man very much and scolds him every day."

Girls are always interested in these news, Elizabeth lamented Mr. William's charm in her heart, and couldn't help but said: "Since she can visit, can't other gentlemen not?"

Jane burst into a laugh: "The address was given by the mayor of the neighboring town. Mrs. Bradley can find it from him, and of course others can. But several gentlemen from Hatfield went to the town I went there and found out that it was a rented villa, and the gentleman's housekeeper quit the lease the day after Mrs. Bradley's visit. The gentlemen all blamed Mrs. Bradley for scaring him away!"

"Pfft!" Elizabeth also covered her mouth and laughed, it was hard to imagine how the tall and tall Mr. William was scared and fled.But he was a little shy. For some reason, Elizabeth suddenly remembered the pair of red ears at the masquerade ball.

Jane covered her mouth and laughed softly: "Anyway, no one can find out anything about the master from his steward." I don't know if it is the fault of the widow or all the enthusiastic ladies.

……

But my sister thought that Elizabeth was right to worry, and she kept this matter firmly in her heart.Jane blamed herself a little. Her mother was pregnant again, and she was so happy and nervous that she ignored these important things.

Back at Longborn, Elizabeth was warmly welcomed by the whole family, and all three little sisters gave them kisses.

After dinner, Jane took Elizabeth to her father's study.

Mr. Bennet had just returned to his study and sat down for a while, putting away the precious antique books he hadn't finished reading in the box, and then he was going to the lounge to spend a pleasant time with his wife and daughter after dinner.The two eldest daughters came to the study room on purpose, which obviously caught the father for a moment, and he sat down again: "Well, I guess there must be a surprise to tell me?"

"Dad, we all overlooked one thing!" Jane said directly to her father: "Where is the nursery and... room?" Jane vaguely called her future siblings, and she waited at the door for the three little sisters to come , she loves them very much, but she no longer dares to call her younger brother to Mrs. Bennet's belly like she did when she was a child.

"There are no more rooms in this building, no attics—not even Mr. Baker, who has to live in the attic of the warehouse, can remind us of that!"

"Uh..." Mr. Bennet was really stunned.

He was indeed negligent.

But to be honest, Mr. Bennet, his grandfather and father, have always lived in this building, and there has never been a shortage of housing.In Mr. Bennet's memory, there are always a lot of extra rooms: his parents did not have one more child, and Mr. Bennet's childhood was really lonely, which made him learn and be good at entertaining himself ...

Before, as the doctor said, Mrs. Bennet was pregnant shortly after stopping the drug, and they did exactly what the doctor said, and even the time of intercourse was not bad at all-so this is probably a male , Huge joy swept over the couple, they only cared about being happy, completely unaware that there was no place for this "Little Mister" in the Bennet family.

Compared with Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet's expectations for the future "son" are more direct and one-sided: most of the joy of being a father is that this will be a child who will protect the interests of his mother and sisters.Based on this, Mr. Bennet's son is more like a symbol of taking over his burden for the time being - if His Majesty the King can abolish the restriction of succession, Mr. Bennet probably will not choose to have another child.

"If Lizzie hadn't brought it up. God, it will be too late for a while!" Jane took a deep breath and clapped her hands together to rejoice.

September [-]st is the day when the hunting season begins. The gentlemen have been looking forward to it for half a year, and nothing can stop them from having fun.The feast lasted until next February, during which time the gentlemen were not always on the hunting grounds showing marksmanship and hounds, but they were by no means interested in serious business.The sale and purchase of a villa, especially a villa that can accommodate the entire Bennet family, is definitely not something that the butler can decide on behalf of the master.

It takes too long to build a country house, and everyone is more inclined to rent or buy ready-made.

Hearing the strange little idea of ​​his favorite daughter, Mr. Bennet smiled and said to Elizabeth: "Lizzie wants to live in a newly built house? That's no problem!"

"When we move out, we can build a taller and bigger house next to it." The large lawn around the courtyard also belongs to the Longbourn mansion.

This is mostly the case in the countryside of England. There is no formal wall around the house, and it is mostly a low barrier made of hedges and flowering vines. There is usually a large grassy area nearby.Most British gentlemen enjoy this kind of residence close to nature.

Therefore, it is very simple to expand the mansion in the country, as long as there are gold guineas in the wallet.

……

That night, after the three little ones had fallen asleep obediently, Jane and Elizabeth couldn't help getting together in the same bedroom. They always had endless conversations.

"You mean the highway investor is Mr. William? My God, you actually corresponded with him!" Jane covered her mouth, obviously she was even more shocked by Lizzie's correspondence with a gentleman.The two unmarried young men and women wrote letters to each other, and Lizzie's reputation could only be damaged if it was known.

Elizabeth hurriedly comforted her sister, telling her that she had become friends with Mr. William's sister, and the letter was also addressed to "Miss William".Jane was relieved.

"What a coincidence, Lizzie, do you think Mr. William will know that you are Bennet?" Jane laughed, "If Mr. William is for you? This really seems like a plot!"

Both sisters laughed, neither of them taking it seriously.

"Mr. William is indeed a nobleman. He even invested in a road in Derbyshire!" Jane exclaimed.

"Derbyshire . . . that reminds me of another gentleman," she added, presently.

The younger sister shrugged unladylikely: "That Mr. Darcy who was severely offended by me?"

Jane didn't know how to persuade Lizzie. In fact, she once suspected that Mr. Darcy had affection for Lizzie, but before she observed it again, Miss Bingley, Mr. Darcy's friend, had completely annoyed the Bennet sisters.It was all meaningless, and Jane dropped the idea.

"The two gentlemen are somewhat alike, but very different persons," said Jane; "if I had not seen them, and had known them, I could not help suspecting that Mr. William was Mr. Darcy! "

"It's kind of romantic, hypothetically." Miss Bennet laughed.

"Impossible!" Miss Elizabeth.Of course, she would not think of Hatfield's investors on Darcy - after all, Darcy was not an aristocrat, and there was never a toll road in the assets of that lady in the second half of her life.

At this time, Mr. Darcy is looking forward to the letter during the holiday: the lady knows that Mr. William is Mr. Darcy, and she will definitely be angry. With Miss Elizabeth's temper, she will not be sullen, and she will probably write to ask for clarification...

Mr. Darcy thought well, and he thought the lady would guess who he was.When it was said that Fitzwilliam Darcy was the one who built the roads, what didn't his bright lady understand?

In this way, "Mr. William's mask" can be taken off naturally.With the previous friendships, they never had any real hostility before. Without further ado, the lady should also understand that he has no ambiguous intentions with Miss Bingley—of course, he will inevitably hide his sincere feelings from the previous ones. Apologize.Mr. Darcy seems to have a well-thought-out plan: after the lady realizes the friendship he has been hiding all the time, she will be the first to reveal her heart as he wishes.

If it were another lady, Mr. Darcy's idea might come true.

It's a pity that he met Miss Elizabeth who was different.God seems to be determined to polish his arrogance: his chief manager is good at thinking about his master's mind, seeing him leaving the comfortable villa in disgust after the widow came to visit, he immediately ordered all his subordinates to treat the master's affairs Keep it secret, and at the same time cleverly tricked Mrs. Bradley.

The only news Elizabeth heard was that this was a great nobleman from the central region. "I didn't expect Mr. William to come from such a prominent background," the lady muttered, and Mr. William was naturally labeled as an aristocrat.

Besides, the young lady had left Mr. Darcy behind like a heavy burden, and Mr. Darcy had turned the page in her life.Even after she first learned that Mr. William’s hometown was in Derbyshire, she lamented that the same county had a younger sister, but the gentleman in her memory was far less careful than Mr. William, and he was not as loving and considerate to his sister. .

At that time, Elizabeth did not doubt that the two people were the same. The southern plains of Derbyshire were large enough. As Mr. William said, the manor gardens there were famous throughout England, and even many medieval noble castles still stood among the rocks on the top of the mountain. In fact, it is absolutely impossible for a county to have only one rich gentleman?

This is also due to Mr. William's acquaintance with Miss. It is also due to the fact that Mr. William always spoke in a low voice on the night of the ball-Miss Elizabeth never suspected this. She talked with Mr. William for most of the ball. Mr. Wei's eloquence and insight are very admirable.This is exactly the opposite of Mr. Darcy, who is arrogant and refuses to bend down to talk.

With the frequent correspondence, Miss Elizabeth never put Mr. William and Mr. Darcy together.In her eyes, these are two completely different people. Mr. William will worry about his sister's body, take Miss Anna to ride a horse in the countryside, and go to restaurants with her that he suspects are not clean.

Powerful Miss Elizabeth, with rigorous logic and clear thinking.She is especially not like those romantic little girls who love to dream. They will never go against their reason and imagine two different people as one under that little 'evidence', so as to satisfy the narcissism of the little vanity of the ladies. .In her subconscious mind, she has already organized the "two" gentlemen into two positions: one is a stranger in the past tense, and the other is a friend in progress.

Mr. Darcy was full of anticipation, and Miss Elizabeth was ignorant.

The author has something to say: Smart Chief Steward: Don't reveal a word about the master's affairs!

Mr. Darcy: Why hasn't Miss's letter arrived yet?

Mr. Darcy: What will the lady say in the letter?

Made all preparations · Waiting for Miss's reproach · Will sincerely apologize · Looking forward to Mr. Darcy.

Director: I promise that what happened last time will not happen again. Don't worry, people in the town don't want to get any information about you from us!

Mr. Darcy: ...? !

(laughing) Fish: Actually, Mr. Darcy is not miserable.

Mr. Darcy thought he was being fooled by God, but in fact he was favored. If he lost his vest at this time, Miss Elizabeth would definitely stay away and give him no chance.

The only way to win Miss is to use time to hone it. Long-term warmth, gradually deepened understanding, and the collision of thoughts and inner world can touch Miss's carefully protected sincerity.

Today, the fish is going to make a big meal by hand, so there is no change.One hundred small red envelopes will be given away for comments in this chapter, and another hundred will be given away for tomorrow's update.

Li fg: If you can't update on time at 12 noon on Saturday, you will update [-] a day, two days!

Little angels, the fg of the fish will definitely live!

Note: The hunting season starts on September 1773: The British "Hunting Act" is very strict, and there are detailed regulations on when and what prey can be hunted. The 1762 Act stipulates that hunting is not allowed on Sundays and Christmas, and the first offense is fined, the second offense is fined with money, and the third offense is fined with money + gun + caning.In addition, whether it is the "Hunting Act" of 1773 or the "Hunting Act" of 3, generally speaking, the hunting period is from the beginning of March to the end of August every year.