[Comprehensive Book] A Rose for Catherine

Catherine glanced thoughtfully at the back of Wickham who was almost running away, and then heard Dr. Bright sneer slightly, and turned to talk to Darcy.

"Hey, Darcy, didn't expect to see you here. I was thinking of visiting you at Pemberley this Christmas." Pemberley was where the Darcy family mansion was.

Seeing his old friend, Brett's tone was much more relaxed.

On the other side, Knightley smiled and nodded towards Catherine. Since the conversation that day, he and Catherine seem to have automatically formed a tacit understanding that only they can understand each other.It reminded Catherine of the joy she felt when she first met her pen pal.

No wonder everyone likes to be friends with people who can understand themselves.

Bingley was very happy to see Jane, and bluntly said that they were going to Longborn to visit them.Jane said with some regret that she was going to visit her aunt's family in the town and could only wait for the next opportunity to meet.

Elizabeth was still curious about the old grievances between the young man who fled in a hurry and Darcy, and heard Dr. Bright talking again, but she did not expect that he had a close relationship with such an arrogant gentleman as Darcy.In her heart, this very gentlemanly and easy-going gentleman who sneers at Collins' flattery is very popular with her. Because of this, she can't understand why Mr. Darcy's friends are all excellent Man, but he himself is like that!

This question remained unanswered until they returned to Longborn after their visit.She couldn't help but ran to Catherine.

After hearing this, Catherine tilted her head and smiled: "Maybe it's because Mr. Darcy is not as bad as you think. What happened during the two extra days you stayed in Netherfield? It actually made my dear Elizabeth care about it." A gentleman with whom she swore there would be no trouble?"

"It's nothing, you know I hate him the most." Elizabeth didn't know what to think of, and her tone was tinged with a rare complaint.

Catherine looked at her with her jaw propped up curiously, and seeing that she didn't want to mention more, she didn't ask any more.

Instead, Elizabeth became concerned about her relationship as a younger sister, "I saw that Mr. Knightley greeted you extra today, Kitty, don't tell me you don't know each other well."

"We talked for a while last time." Catherine did not hesitate to praise, "He is a very nice person. If he were a girl, he and I might become close friends like you and Charlotte."

There was a bit of pity in Catherine's words.

"Friends? Kitty, you don't have to be friends." Elizabeth pointed.

"Lizzie, what you are trying to say is too far away for me. I am only 16 years old. You might as well pay more attention to your good marriage. By the way, speaking of Charlotte, she asked me to go to Lucas tomorrow. home as a guest."

Catherine said with a sigh of relief, "Aunt Phillips is going to have a banquet at home tomorrow, and I have invited Mr. Collins. Fortunately, I have a good reason to decline the invitation to the party, and stay in the same room with this esteemed pastor for more than It choked me in 5 minutes. . . . God, I didn't mean to belittle him."

Catherine's beautiful eyebrows and eyes were full of joy, and she bent her lips slyly towards Elizabeth.

"Kitty, you are very wicked," Elizabeth complained falsely.

Catherine looked at her with a smile on her cheeks, and asked again: "Then how are you going to get along with Mr. Collins? Lizzie, you will never agree to marry Mr. Collins, right?"

"Absolutely not!"

Elizabeth said solemnly.

Catherine went to Lucas's house as a guest this afternoon and told Charlotte this incident as an anecdote.She didn't intentionally vilify Collins' image, but said that the sisters in her family didn't quite get along with the pastor.

Two young women are walking in the undergrowth.

"I don't know who will enter the marriage hall with Mr. Pastor under the witness of God? I can't tell whether he will be a good husband who loves his wife, but he is really not pleasant. He doesn't respect everything in his eyes. I mean people with a lower status than him, and I respect people with high status too much. If according to my prejudice, he can't treat a person as an equal, in his heart there is only a distinction between high and low, and his own status is the standard."

Catherine made a long speech, judging her impression of Collins.

Charlotte fiddled with the blue ribbon tied around her wrist, listening attentively to Catherine's words.

"Kitty, do you think your assessment is entirely objective?"

"Of course not. People can never evaluate anyone objectively. I have my own preferences, including my own preferences in all aspects of character and morality. How can I objectively evaluate another person. I can only say that all my words are From the heart."

"Kitty, you're too cool about things."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not." Charlotte thought for a while, and answered her in this way.

Catherine took her words without thinking: "Then this is a good thing for me for the time being. In short, its benefits far outweigh the disadvantages that I haven't experienced yet."

"Is Mr. Collins going to propose to Lizzie?" Charlotte continued their initial conversation.

"Eight or nine out of ten, but Lizzie would say no to her out of ten. Lizzie can't bear to spend her life with someone who isn't very bright, and we both know that."

Catherine spread her hands.

"Think about it, Charlotte. If you marry him, you will have to endure not only him, but you will also flatter those so-called noble people with him, and you will even have to watch your own children. And become another Collins—”

"He doesn't notice what he hates, and he will definitely train the child in his own direction. It is not easy for a person to become a saint, but it is easy to become a mediocrity or a villain."

"That's why Lizzie won't agree to marry him, and I'll never feel good about such a man. Girls of decent background like us don't need to torment ourselves like this. As a husband or a friend, he is neither A satisfying choice."

Catherine concludes.

Charlotte stared at her thoughtfully: "Kitty, marriages in the world are like this. There are very few happy marriages. Besides, in your opinion, even a person like Mr. Bingley is not a perfect choice. Yours It's too demanding.

Catherine froze for a moment, then sighed.

Her deep-rooted ideas are different from those of Charlotte and the others. In today's Britain where married women are not even guaranteed property rights and are completely reduced to their husbands' appendages, it is perfectly normal to make compromises.Charlotte's situation is a bit more special - there are several younger sisters under her who have reached the age of entering social occasions, but they cannot formally enter social occasions until Charlotte is married.Not everyone has the courage to let several daughters step out into social situations together like Mrs. Bennet.

Charlotte's current attitude towards marriage is that as long as there is a suitable person to marry, she is willing to marry herself immediately.

Catherine was deeply aware of all this, but she couldn't do it.

She couldn't feel sorry for herself.

"Even if marriage is like this, we don't have to marry and entrust the rest of our lives to a man."

Charlotte smiled helplessly, and said softly: "That's why I envy you, Kitty."

Catherine suddenly felt a little sad when she heard this, and couldn't help reaching out and hugging her.

Charlotte patted her on the back lightly, soothing her gently.

"Let's not talk about that. I learned how to make rice pudding recently. My mother won't let me into the kitchen, but she is visiting Mrs. Long today. Let's go secretly without telling her."①

"I still have to keep it from my mother." Catherine let go of her, pulled herself together and smiled at Charlotte.

The two young girls talked and laughed and walked back to Sir Lucas' mansion, and Catherine saw an acquaintance as soon as she entered the door.

It was Mr. Knightley, who should have been at Netherfield, sitting on the sofa listening to Sir Lucas.Hearing the movement, he turned his head and stood up. Catherine's slender figure came into view, and a look of surprise passed through his eyes.

At the same time, a bit of unexpected joy flashed through his heart that he didn't notice.

Lucas enthusiastically introduced two girls to him: "This is my eldest daughter, Charlotte, you met at the last ball. The other one is Miss Kitty from the Bennet family. Beauty is famous in Longborn."

"I know." Knightley said gently, and nodded to Catherine with a smile. "Good day, Miss Charlotte. Nice to see you here, Miss Kitty."

Catherine was also a little surprised, but she was happy to see a gentleman whom she had a crush on.

She lifted the hem of her skirt and bent slightly.

"Me too, sir."