"The Widow" Bertha

Now that the Italians are eyeing them, Bertha will naturally not let Miss Jane Eyre enter the office.

Gang disputes do not involve civilians, so the residence on South Shore Street is safe.

The house that had been deserted for half a year finally welcomed visitors again.The two maids rushed back early in the morning and carefully cleaned the room where Jane used to live. The bedding was dried and washed, and the dust was wiped off. It was no different from when she left.

When Bertha and Jane came back, Minnie had the teacups and kettles ready and brought them to the table.

"Isn't it more comfortable to live alone?" After sitting down, Jane asked.

"I thought you weren't going to come back," Bertha answered irrelevantly. "After all, it's been six months."

"Madeira is not too close, six months is not a long time."

Indeed, there were no air flights at the end of the nineteenth century, and Miss Jane Eyre had to take a boat to go abroad.With bumpy roads and getting off the boat to get used to it, the time spent with her biological uncle, Mr. Ai, was about the same as she had planned, just a few months.

"I really plan to stay there for a while longer," Jane said again, "Uncle was just sick when I arrived, and I didn't come back until he was fully recovered."

"How is the situation now?"

"Don't worry, I heard the news when I disembarked from London that he has recovered."

However, Miss Jane Eyre in the original book only heard about her having such a relative after her uncle died. It seems that she arrived in time to make Mr. Eyre feel better and her fate changed.

This is a good thing.

Apart from Mr. Eyre, Jane Eyre herself, who was sitting in front of Bertha, changed.

It can be seen that the Madeira Islands are more sunny than London. Although the thin and petite girl is still fair, her face has a healthy ruddy color, and she looks completely different from the tutor who lived in the closed manor back then.

Of course, the biggest change was her mental outlook. Sitting across from her, Miss Jane Eyre showed no embarrassment. She had a gentle smile on her face, and her demeanor was natural and generous. It was different when she found her family.

Miss Jane Eyre took the teacup from Minnie, and then looked at Bertha: "I have to thank you."

Bertha raised her eyebrows: "It's not that I helped you find uncle."

Jane: "Not only did I find my uncle, Bertha. After you reminded me, I asked my uncle's lawyer a few more words, but he actually found my other family members. It turns out that I also have a deceased aunt , she has a son and two daughters, and she lives not far from Thornfield Manor."

This is the pastor St. John and his two sisters in the original book.

"Did you know them?" asked Bertha.

"I have written with them," replied Jane, "with very kind and learned people."

"Then congratulations."

Bertha raised her lips: "Now you have a big family, Jane."

"That's why I want to thank you."

After speaking, Jane put down the teacup, and looked at the girl sitting opposite her with those clear and bright eyes.

Compared with herself, Bertha had not changed--Bertha had not changed since Jane Eyre first saw her.At least that's how it seems.

"I intended to stay in Madeira until my uncle had fully recovered," said Jane softly. "Mr. Mycroft asked me to come back."

"Ah."

Bertha nodded inexplicably: "Did he explain why?"

Jane: "No, but I know it must be related to you. Bertha, it's... Is there something wrong with the firm?"

Bertha smiled.

She politely took the teacup Minnie handed over, took a sip, and said unhurriedly: "There were indeed some problems, but they are no longer a problem."

In the past six months, Bertha has been busy with the gang affairs, coupled with the lack of cases, and the "cold war" with Mycroft, she simply played and disappeared on another layer of identity.First it was "Miss Marple" who went back to the country at St. Mary Mead, and then she abandoned the waistcoat altogether.

But when she sits face to face with Miss Jane Eyre, even if she is not "Miss Marple", at least she is Bertha Mason who abandons her surname and hides her name, not a gang leader who easily affects other people's lives.

Suddenly she figured everything out.

The purpose of the Italians was to take Lady Thames into the water, but was Lady Thames Bertha?Yes, not quite.

Whether it is Mrs. Thames or Miss Marple, it is just a part of Bertha.

As Katie said, she is not from the slums, she has money and contacts, and some ways to get out.

She doesn't want to sink into the quagmire, she is responsible for the children of the office, and when the time comes, they can have a better future instead of continuing to struggle in the slums.

"I hear," said Jane, "that you and Mr. Mycroft have been at war for half a year."

"No."

Bertha casually denied this set of rhetoric: "Cooperative relationship, when there is no cooperative project, it is enough to maintain polite exchanges, isn't it too much?"

Jane: "You fooled me."

Bertha made no answer.

this man...

The real Miss Jane Eyre was sitting in front of her, and Bertha really lost her temper.

It is too easy for Holmes to offend a person, the wisdom and vision beyond the times make them contemptuous; but it is even easier for Holmes to please a person than to offend a person.

Bertha prided herself on showing nothing special to Jane, and she did nothing.It's nothing more than helping out from the perspective of a friend.

Mycroft saw it and didn't say anything, but simply sent a letter to invite Miss Jane Eyre back.

"I have many ways to pull you out."

—Of course he has, he understands.

There is no more thoughtful "gift" in this world than a living Jane.

In exchange for her silence, Jane couldn't help laughing: "No rebuttal?"

Bertha glanced at her with a smile: "Has Edward chased after him? I've been very busy recently, so I don't have time to contact him."

In the usual way Jane would have blushed at Bertha's frivolous teasing.But this time she shook her head instead, and said seriously: "Don't even try to interrupt."

Good guy.Bertha was surprised: "You girl, will you teach me how to be a man?"

Unexpectedly, Jane nodded.

"When you were at Thornfield Manor back then, you often silenced others with one sentence. This time it's my turn to ask directly. Bertha, you like Mr. Mycroft, right?"

Bertha stroked her hair.

"...Of course," she said casually, "Mike is handsome, gentleman enough, and so smart, it's strange not to like him, right?"

"I don't mean what you like in your heart."

Miss Jane Eyre held the teacup and said softly, "It's my favorite."

Bertha: "..."

Asking this question has a completely different meaning.

She understood what Jane meant.

A person in the 21st century could still live so comfortably in the [-]th century. Bertha felt that apart from being rich, there was another reason why she met Mycroft when she came to London.

Children in the ghetto are not polite, so Bertha's personality is not a problem.But to any decent person, her insolence could almost be dismissed as "barbaric."But Mycroft didn't mind.

Bertha often forgot in his company that he was a Victorian, too.

Like it or not?Of course I like it.

Who sleeps with someone they don't like?

Looking into Miss Jane Eyre's bright eyes, Bertha pondered for a moment, and then suddenly realized.

"I see," she said with a smile in her hoarse voice, "Edward confessed, right? You promised him."

Jane didn't speak, but just laughed.

Of course I agreed, the current Jane Eyre is equal to Rochester - she has an independent personality, has her own career, even if she has no family and does not get married, she can still live a vigorous life.She even has the right of inheritance now, even if the cousins ​​will share Mr. Love's estate equally, Jane will be a decent lady with a dowry of five thousand pounds in the future.

Under such circumstances, she has no reason to reject Rochester.

After chasing for more than half a year, even to the Madeira Islands, Rochester finally got his sweetheart back.

No wonder she had the leisure to take care of Bertha's love life.

"Man, that's how it is," Bertha teased. "If I find a good house, I wish all my friends could find a good house, don't you think?"

However, teasing was teasing, and Bertha also felt that her inner world suddenly became cloudy and cleared, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

There's nothing more satisfying than a best friend finding true love.

"You are more sensible than me and those who lived before Rochester, Bertha," Jane said softly. "What I envy you most is that you always know what you want and what you don't want, and you can easily achieve your goals."

"The relationship with Mr. Mycroft is the same. Don't be angry, Bertha. I think you can sort out your feelings with him."

Bertha laughed out loud.

"I've forgiven him," she said deliberately.

"That means I'm a step late." Jane said kindly.

"No," Bertha smiled, "I forgave him the moment I saw you."

——Actually, Bertha was not particularly angry.

She even felt a little fuss from her own boys, and even from Mycroft himself.Yes, she was really upset, so she hadn't contacted her for six months, but now that something happened, it's normal to get back in touch.

It's just that Mycroft's gift of "sorry" really made Bertha unable to refuse.

It seems that he is trying to please Bertha.

Having settled Miss Jane Eyre, Bertha went to her room to freshen up.

Mickey the coachman was waiting outside, but it didn't take long for Mrs Thames who was waiting for him to change into a man's suit.

She changed into an expensive custom-made suit in a dark color that elongated her figure even more.She was already tall, but if she lowered her gentleman's hat and picked up her cane to cover her bright face, she couldn't tell her true gender unless she looked carefully.

"Husband, madam?!"

Startled, Mickey turned around and asked, "Are we going back to the office or...?"

Bertha nimbly got into the car, and couldn't help sighing in her heart: trousers are more convenient than skirts, and she hasn't enjoyed the treatment of wearing trousers for a long time!

"Do not."

Mrs. Thames sat down in the carriage carelessly: "Go to the Diogenes Club."