The Happy Life of a Duchess

The next day, as expected, Mr. Duke had an appointment with Mr. Duval.

Adele doesn't know what the two sides talked about, but from the satisfied smile of Mr. Duke, it can be seen that Mr. Duval did make a lot of concessions in marrying her, whether it was because he really liked her or whether it was because he really liked her. Because she felt that she was younger, more distinguished, or more dowry, so she needed more protection and protection. In short, he basically agreed to the conditions proposed by Mr. Duke.

This kind of good attitude finally made Mr. Duke deeply appreciate his determination and good intentions again.

A man who can make many concessions for his wife's future, and a man who is willing to work harder for his wife's interests, what else can he not choose?

"He's a good boy." At the dinner table, the Duke's father reluctantly boasted.

"I'm not wrong about the person, he's really good character."

"Love may only last for a while, but choosing a man of good character as your husband can at least ensure that even if you don't have much love in the future, you can maintain normal decency and the honor you deserve in reason, and you won't be bullied to the point of being bullied." , reduced to a miserable state.”

Mr. Duke’s words were quite emotional. The people he has seen, those couples who seem to be divorced or are in love with each other must be much more knowledgeable than Adele. It is the normal state of married life.

This is the last time in Mr. Duke's life to prepare for his child's marriage.

Just like how he had solemnly chosen the wife of the heir's eldest son but regretted it in the end, none of his sons could grow up to that level, and the few married daughters didn't seem to get very good results.

When he was young, he always thought that he would have children, and he would be able to spend as much as he wanted.

It wasn't until his wife's health deteriorated, until she couldn't hold on anymore, that he gradually realized that they were no longer young, and there were no longer any possible heirs.

He knows his "weight".

When he learned of the existence of his last child, Adele, he regarded it as the last mercy from God to him. He and his deceased wife were not young at that time, and in the end they could get a thin but surviving child. Daughter, it is already a blessing.

Mr. Duke can assure you that he never spent so much energy on his children when he was young, especially after her youngest daughter returned to Paris, the relationship between the two became better, and he was even more sure that he had never So much attention paid to the child.

Ashamed to say, he used to be a vagabond, he only cared about having fun outside, and the children at home were left to be taken care of by his dead wife who seemed to always handle everything well and was good at taking care of the children.

It wasn't until later that he lost his wife that he realized that it was so difficult to raise a child well. He had spent so much effort that he almost lost his last daughter, and how much thought he had spent on his youngest daughter who could only be bedridden due to lung disease. Only he himself knew that in the end, he had no choice but to send her to Barigne's nursing home. Facing the letters of diagnosis, he trembled and almost didn't dare to read them.

But once their relationship was so estranged, he could also see that his little daughter used to be more than in awe of him and not close enough to him, and he didn't know how to ease it and how to get along with his little daughter.

Fortunately, after he came back, everything got better, and he felt more and more happy in his heart.

Even the son of his former heir had never been so careful, nor would he be so uneasy now that he couldn't help but make some unbelievable demands that he himself thought "is he crazy" to restrain the future? The son-in-law, otherwise the lawyers who would not have accompanied him all showed such surprised expressions.

Fortunately, Mr. Duval is a reliable person. He understands Mr. Duke's feelings and loves the feelings of his little wife who is about to marry home. Many requests Mr. Duke did not expect or thought he would not agree to, but After thinking about it, he either agrees, or satisfies to the greatest extent within the limit of his tolerance.

Adele listened to her father talking about the communication process with Mr. Duval, these things are the part that the two people have not covered in the correspondence——

After Mr. Duke agreed, Adele sent a letter to Mr. Duval when returning the gift openly.

The other party would also reply every time, and would bring her some cute gadgets she mentioned. She just mentioned that it was getting hot, and Mr. Duval sent someone to deliver a freshly made smoothie drink. It was still the peach flavor she was craving for, and she didn't know where the big basket of peaches came from. The ones from the Duke's mansion were not delivered so early.

Maybe because he didn't think it deserved too much publicity, Mr. Duval didn't directly mention this matter to her.

Or maybe he was introverted and didn't want to take advantage of it to "take credit" with her, but Adele still remembered the matter and was not grateful for finding a reliable husband.

Adele has been busy sending out invitations recently, which are invitations for her salon activities.

After doing homework for a period of time, she still felt that it was better sooner rather than later. There was no need to wait until she was named "Duval" before doing this. She didn't want to be remembered as Mrs. Duval. Instead, she hopes that as Adele, she has accomplished many things before being remembered. Of course, she doesn't mind being called Mrs. Duval at all.

Regarding the location, she hesitated for a while, and finally decided to settle on the Duke's Mansion, which was the most convenient for her.

This matter has already been informed to Mr. Duval. Of course, she will not foolishly tell people what big things she is trying to achieve. She just expresses her thoughts and uses the most basic goal of "getting everyone The idea of ​​"is the ideal of the first step.

Mr. Duval should have understood her meaning and the ambition behind her words.

But what he didn't expect was that he accepted it completely, and there was no reluctance in his tone.

"...After knowing that my love is a big man who wants to ride a horse and do things like a man, I have been mentally prepared for all kinds of things that may follow. In fact, I think you are only expressing a reasonable appeal , I am also very clear in my heart that there are indeed some very unreasonable things in the "Napoleonic Code", I know that you want to do a good thing, as a husband, I should not be a dragging existence."

"I will unconditionally agree with your decision. Of course, if I have to say it, I still hope that you put your own safety and reputation first... I only hate that I can't provide you with more shelter and help at this stage, but I promise , in the future, I will work hard to do better. If I can go to a higher level, I also hope that I can protect you from more wind and rain."

Adele paused when she wrote the pen, thinking of the content of Mr. Smart's letter to her, she couldn't help shaking her head again.

It seems that there are more smiles recently than before. When I think of a certain person, I seem to be distracted until I can't concentrate on my work all day. I just think about him, and my mind is a little messy. Unstoppable sweetness and pride.

I really want to see him...

I wonder if he thinks about himself?

I don't know how to announce the news of the engagement, and I don't know how my father plans to hold the dance, but the Duval family will definitely handle it grandly...

The matter has not been fully discussed, and Adele has not had time to notify her friends, but it is estimated that it will only take a few days to discuss all the provisions. Once both parties sign, the engagement will be legally clear , She should be ready to notify relatives and friends.

My relationship with Leo is extraordinary, and my relationship with Morgana has also changed...

Haven't figured out how to deal with it yet...

"Miss, have you heard?"

There was something mysterious about Mary when she knocked on the door and came in to speak.

It was a rare opportunity for her to go out today. If her memory serves her right, today she and Jenny took Helen to a certain square to watch a fountain, and then went to buy some relatively cheap jewelry.

I don't know where she heard some gossip again.

"call--"

Adele blew on the paper in her hand, and some parts of the ink were not completely dry.

"What's the matter, let's talk about it?" It happened that she had been writing for a long time, and it was hard to stay at the desk all the time, so she raised her head and chatted with her.

"Oh, by the way, remember to ask the housekeeper to clean up a few rooms as soon as possible. It may be about a month. My sister's child, Clara, will come with her father and grandmother, and she may bring her daughter with her at that time." Heidi, the governess and Clara's companion."

"In short, we should tidy up the larger, spacious and well-lit guest room first. The little girl's room should be arranged emphatically. Then I will buy some dolls and the like... Oh, I remember when I came home, did my father give me Bought an expensive English doll?"

"It's not just one, it's several." Mary quickly realized and reminded her.

"But you haven't played with them once, and I'd say it's a little immature, but any girl can say no to dolls, and they're cute, too, and those are delicate - brand new and untouched."

"When the time comes...I don't know if the two little girls will like it?" Adele thought for a while, "Exactly, I remember a few of them, all of which are quite expensive, but they have never been brought out... …In a while, you and Jenny will help me tidy up, let Jenny choose one or two for Helen, and the rest may be able to decorate the room."

"Dress up the children's room? That's definitely enough. They are all unique dolls, and they are exquisitely made. I don't know why you don't touch them..." Mary's question is naturally difficult for Adele to give a reason. She can't say that she The taste will be poisoned by some horror movie in the future. As far as people's taste is concerned, these are rare things, and they will definitely please the little girl.

"What did you want to tell me?" Adele asked now.

"Oh, do you know the gossip about Garcia's family?" Mary's eyes lit up when she mentioned this, and she said it herself without being a joke.

"You still remember Mrs. and Mrs. Green. They are one of the two married sisters who are holding on to Earl Garcia. The older one is Mrs. Green."

"What's the matter?" Of course Adele remembered that the Green and his wife helped organize the ball back then, and she seemed to have a deep impression on all the balls that Mr. Duval participated in.

"Recently, Mrs. Green seems to be crying about being poor!" Mary rolled her eyes and smiled cunningly, "She is a very face-saving lady. Even if her husband is not rich, she must take advantage of her younger brother and let Garcia The earl spent money on her, both of these two sisters did, but I found out after I went out today that Mrs. Green and her sister seemed to have returned a batch of jewelry they ordered at the jewelry store. I don't want to save face, I figured out a way to get back part of the deposit."

"How could it be? Doesn't that mean..." Adele was a little surprised, her thinking has been able to turn to people's thinking a little bit now.

"Yeah, that's why everyone is saying that Count Garcia went bankrupt."

"I haven't heard that he liquidated his property?"

Adele frowned. Although she was a little busy these days, she didn't hear friends and others talking about it in letters. Her news came quickly. Even if she didn't have friends, Mariana or Ka Mrs. Strana and others are not strict-mouthed either.

"Yes, it hasn't reached the point of selling property, but I heard it from the staff at the jewelry store..."

"They all said that in the past, their husbands couldn't afford these things, and it was Earl Garcia who paid the final payment. It was a lot of money, but as a bachelor, he didn't do much housekeeping, and he was always generous to his sister, so he was not stingy. He spends money every quarter, and he is always very lenient with his lovers, many prostitutes love to play with him, but he has very good taste, I heard that he has pursued La Traviata before!"

As soon as the latter words were finished, she knew that she had made a slip of the tongue.

Now the news that Margaret, the La Traviata, has long been in good health has spread, and she and her own lady have been keeping in touch with each other, and she has accepted the Duke's living support... Mary shouldn't have said that.

Fortunately, Adele's reaction was indifferent, and she didn't seem to pursue her intentions for this, so Mary was slightly relieved and continued talking.

"And then I talked about it. It seems that Earl Garcia hasn't been looking for his lovers much during this time. There are rumors that he may have gone wrong with his business, and his recent situation may not be very good, but the social season is almost over. It's not easy for everyone to verify..."

"So it's a rumor, right?" Adele laughed then, but realized she was wrong after speaking.

In the original book, Earl Garcia did have a situation similar to bankruptcy and unsustainable extravagant life in Paris in the later period. In the end, he planned to hide directly in England and associate with an upper-class courtesan and rich woman...

But in terms of time, there was some discrepancy, so she couldn't make up her mind for a while, but she also knew that this kind of gossip was often the fastest known by the people at the bottom. The news spread from the employees to the clerks of other jewelry stores, and it spread within a certain range, which also proved that she lost her purchasing power.

"That's not certain." Mary seemed a little confident about her news.

Adele suddenly thought of what her Duke's father told Count Garcia a long time ago, telling him not to be overconfident in the stock business, etc. He didn't care much at the time, and the original book didn't say what business he had had a loophole. He is not a hero with a halo——

Adele just shook her head with a smile and stopped talking.