"The Widow" Bertha

Bertha kept her promise and held a solemn funeral for the two dead boys.

In fact, Bertha disdains words such as being unknown during her lifetime and becoming famous after her death. She is dead, so what are you talking about?

But the dead in the tomb have no father, no mother, and no offspring. What Bertha can give them is only beautiful tombstones and a clean cemetery, flowers that can be replaced according to time, and every Thames from now on, Every child who worked for the Thames will remember that their chance was earned by two boys who gave their lives.

Two months after the funeral, came the wedding.

The wedding of Miss Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester has finally come.

Their wedding was very low-key, with a small number of people and a simple ceremony. Only a few close friends and relatives were invited.Mr. Ai's real estate in the UK is located in a town near London, so the wedding venue was set in a country church surrounded by grass and shade.

Leaving the smelly and smoggy industrial city, Bertha's mood, which had been troubled by trivial matters for a long time, suddenly turned from cloudy to sunny, and even looked at Rochester, who had become a groom again, with a bit of pleasing to the eye.

——The male protagonist of a dignified love story is in his forties, standing in front of the church, still looking nervous and apprehensive.

Bertha held Mycroft's arm, and couldn't help teasing him when she stepped forward: "What's the view on Madeira Island?"

Rochester: "..."

Bertha was very serious: "Oh yes, you should not care about enjoying the beautiful scenery. There is no sweetheart in the beautiful scenery, right Edward?"

Rochester: "..."

So what is his image in this woman's heart!

This woman's provocative ability is so perfect that every time Rochester sees her in London, he is inexplicably annoyed.

But it's not without benefits, at least Rochester's nervousness dissipated immediately after being poked out for no reason.

"right."

Bertha's goal was achieved, and she added with a smile: "What are you worried about? This is not the first time you have gotten married."

Rochester: "...you'd better say a few words less."

Bertha immediately laughed wantonly, and pulled Mycroft into the church.

And Mr. Holmes, who was walking beside her, didn't mind his lover teasing his ex-husband at all.After the two sat down, Mycroft even asked with interest: "How do you feel?"

"what?"

"Attend your ex-husband's wedding."

"Why don't you think differently," Bertha said generously, "it's a husband. After the marriage is over, he has nothing to do with me. But Jane and I are friends. No matter whether she gets married or not, and who she chooses, she will always be my husband." my friend."

After finishing speaking, she concluded: "I came to my friend's wedding, not my ex-husband's wedding. You ask me how I feel? Naturally, I am very happy and full of blessings."

Bertha was not lying.

When Mr. Love walked into the church with his beloved niece, looking at Jane in a white wedding dress, Bertha felt very moved.

After Queen Victoria got married, white wedding dresses became popular for brides.Jane Eyre is all in white, wearing a veil and holding flowers, her delicate and fair face looming behind the hazy tulle.

Even though she is not a stunning girl, she looks sacred and dignified on occasions of major events in life, which makes people unable to take their eyes off.

When she stepped into the dark and mysterious Thornfield Manor as a governess, could she imagine such a day?

Not even Bertha could have imagined such a happy ending.

Especially in the past year, there have been many cases and many things. After running around in the slums and confronting the Italians, such a happy "end" can be ushered in. Seeing Rochester holding Jane's hand, Bertha only felt that such a scene Extraordinarily healing for body and mind.

The two protagonists in the novel "Jane Eyre" finally got married after going through different adjustments.

In the dark, Bertha felt as if another self in her body breathed a long sigh of relief, and the crisis and urgency hanging in her heart suddenly disappeared-such a sudden strange emotion surprised her, and then she realized that this might be The emotions left behind in this body that haven't appeared for a long time.

As Rochester stepped into marriage again, the former Bertha Mason was finally able to let go of her hidden worries.

This made Bertha feel even more relaxed.

Even after the wedding, a small number of relatives and friends surrounded the newlyweds to send blessings, and when Bertha standing aside touched the figure of Richard Mason, no past hatred hit her heart.

The former elder brother stayed alone near the crowd, seemingly wanting to blend in, but seemed a little embarrassed.

"The matter with the Truth Society is all over," said Mycroft. "How would you like me to respond to the letter from Richard Mason?"

"..."

Bertha was startled, then realized what Mycroft was referring to.

When they moved to the safe house as "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", Richard once asked Rochester for his address.At the time, Bertha pushed the trouble to Mycroft Holmes.

She said wait until the case is over to think about it.

Now the case is truly over.

"Needless to say, Bertha," continued Mycroft, "unless you never see Jane Eyre from now on, you can't quite separate yourself from Richard Mason."

That's right.

She could distance herself from it, but resolution wasn't the answer right now.

Bertha will not recognize Richard Mason, she has buried Bertha Mason herself, and she will not dig out her past madwoman identity from the cemetery anyway.

But without the uncontrollable intense emotions, Bertha almost immediately thought of how to deal with it.

"You don't need to respond, my dear," she said easily, "I have my own way."

With that, Bertha let go of Mycroft's hand which had been holding her all along.

The tall Jamaican girl stepped forward, towards the noisy and lively crowd, but in the end she barely stopped at the edge, choosing to stand side by side with Richard Mason.

"Jane's going to lose her bouquet in a minute," she said, "won't you try it? Just in case you're the lucky one."

Richard Mason turned his head in astonishment.

Nearly a year later, her half-brother seemed to be getting over his sister's death.Richard, who was still pale, seemed more or less alive, at least to Bertha.

He looked at Bertha in shock, as if she had initiated a conversation with him—

It seems that leaving him alone for nearly a year was enough for Richard Mason to know that the lady in front of him really didn't want to communicate with him, so when they reunited in church, they didn't have the audacity to make love for the third time.

But she came.

Richard was both surprised and delighted.

He looked into Bertha's eyes, and originally wanted to find something to say, but when Richard Mason touched those clear and sharp dark golden eyes, he suddenly couldn't say anything.

There was no indifference or avoidance in it, and the lady with honey-colored skin looked at him frankly, frankly, arrogantly, with a bit of wildness that the British would not have—this is A pair of Richard Mason once very, very familiar eyes.

Suddenly he understood everything.

There was no verbal explanation, no redundant explanation, and no need to confide his heart. Richard Mason just looked into these eyes, and the agitated emotions that Bertha took the initiative to step forward calmed down inch by inch.

The dream came true, but as the elder brother, he was extremely relaxed.

He slowly raised a smile.

"Aren't you going, Miss Marple... Ah, sorry," Richard replied, "it should be Mrs. Thames."

"It doesn't matter."

Bertha smiled nonchalantly, "I get married when I want to, and I don't get married if I don't want to. How can I use these things?"

Richard said relieved, "Yes."

An awkward silence ensued between the two.

Bertha and his eyes also turned to Jane and Rochester.

After a long time, Richard took the initiative to break the silence: "Congratulations on getting out of the sea of ​​suffering."

Bertha readily responded, "Thank you."

"Can I... er, can I," Richard paused, "invite you and Mr. Holmes to my house? Just... as friends."

Bertha turned her head to look at Richard Mason beside her again.

Meeting the expectant look of the other party, she smiled and said calmly: "Of course, why not?"

***

On the same day, Jane and Rochester—mainly Jane's efforts to persuade them to stay, Bertha and Mycroft stayed overnight at Mr. Eyre's manor.

Bertha left the manor after supper.

After leaving the garden, you can see the starry sky and the empty grassland. In London, you will never see such a starry sky and greenery.

Before crossing, Bertha was also a city resident, and she didn't stay in Thornfield Manor for long after crossing, so she couldn't remember the last time she saw such a natural scenery.

Bertha took a deep breath, and then heard the sound of small footsteps behind her.

The leather shoes made a "rustling" sound when they stepped on the grass. Even if she didn't look back, she knew who it was.

Mycroft Holmes held a lady's coat in his hand, and he handed it to Bertha politely: "Be careful of catching a cold."

"Thank you."

She thanked her, but Bertha did not move, but tilted her head, almost coquettishly said: "You put it on for me."

Mycroft smiled. "My pleasure."

The gentleman shook off his coat and placed it gently on Bertha's shoulders.

She gathered the hem of her dress, and Bertha was enveloped in dry and warm cloth—Mycroft had put it toast near the fireplace before coming.

Bertha smiled instantly.

"It's easy when the troubles are over," she said. "It's nice to be in the country, too. I kind of like the peace."

"is it?"

Mycroft joked: "I think your love will only last for three days."

Bertha nodded seriously: "You are right. Maybe not even three days."

If she liked a peaceful life, she would have gone abroad to buy land with the dowry returned by Rochester, so how could she have thrown herself into this big cesspool of London.

"Thank you, Mike," Bertha said, "If you hadn't insisted on tracking down the Truth Society, I wouldn't have gotten so much money, let alone gain a firm foothold in London."

"That's how modest you are, Bertha."

Mycroft was not affected by this praise: "I am grateful to you for helping me and helping me solve a lot of troubles."

Here we go again, are we still talking about business?

Bertha could not help laughing.

She turned her head and looked at the man beside her.

"Yes," she said with a smile on Yan Yan, "It seems that the next step of cooperation is also possible."

Eyes met, without words, Mycroft understood.

Under the night, the tall and straight gentleman took another step forward, leaving only half a step between them.

Mycroft said slowly, "I think so, Bertha."

"so?"

"so."

For the rest of the words, Mycroft Holmes chose to express them in action.

He took out a small box from his suit pocket, which was about an inch in size, but it was wrapped in black velvet cloth, which looked ordinary.

Mycroft opened the box, and on it were two plain rings.

"Originally, I wanted to catch up with the fashion," he still said in a calm and confident tone, "to learn from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's fashion and buy a luxurious and complicated engagement ring. But after thinking about it, that The general style should not be to your liking."

No, Bertha had never been a formalist.

But he was so swearing, Bertha wanted to make things difficult: "But, there is no lady who doesn't want an engagement ring with a big gemstone, Mike."

Hearing this, Mycroft nodded seriously, and then pretended to be serious: "That makes sense, why don't we just press this matter today—"

Bertha: "..." How can anyone go back on their word after proposing marriage? !

She immediately reached for the ring box.

"Forget it," Bertha raised her eyebrows, "Your salary is only a small amount, so I don't make it difficult for you, so I will give you a chance to save money to buy the next ring."

"You are very generous, Bertha."

Mycroft laughed.

He took one of the rings from the black velvet jewelry box in her palm, then turned his wrist slightly, and took Bertha's palm instead.

The jewelry box was turned over, and Bertha's palm fell into the man's hand.

"May I?" the gentleman asked politely.

"of course."

The girl bent the corners of her eyes and agreed with a seemingly reserved attitude.

Pushing the ring into Bertha's slender fingers, she looked up slightly to meet Mycroft's eyes again.

"Now," she began in a husky whisper, "you can kiss your betrothed."

Mycroft obeyed rather than respected.

The night wind blew slightly across the lush green lawn, making a rustling sound.

Under the witness of the stars, he leaned down and placed a pious kiss on her lips.