[Comprehensive Book] A Rose for Catherine

Mr. Bennet, returning from town just in time for lunch, announced as soon as he entered the house that the Wickham matter was settled.

The case has been handed over to the captain of the militia and the police department has been notified, and the rest of the matter is beyond his control as a village sheriff.

The ladies and Mrs. Bennet were all at ease, except the Gardners, who were guests at Aunt Phillips's, and did not know the news yet, but they would know when they returned.

Nothing went wrong.

This is something to be happy about.

Mr. Bennet thanked Mycroft Holmes solemnly, and asked politely if he could stay for a light meal.Mrs. Bennet also wanted to match, and she echoed it repeatedly. If she was not afraid of being too rude, Mrs. Bennet would probably invite him to live in Longbourne for a while.

Mycroft rejected the couple's enthusiasm, bluntly saying that he would hurry back to London as soon as possible.

As soon as Mr. Bennet thought of the special status of the young man in front of him, he didn't say anything to keep him. Instead, he ordered the servant to prepare a carriage for him in a good voice.Mrs. Bennet was still a bit unwilling, and repeatedly invited him to stay for dinner, and at the same time secretly comforted herself, even if she stayed for dinner, what difference would it make?In this way, it is not necessary to keep him for this meal.

Catherine is still suspicious of his identity, but Mycroft is impeccable and handles Catherine's temptation with ease, making Catherine helpless when she knows something is wrong.Catherine was in vain relieved that he was going now.

After Mycroft left, Catherine found that something was wrong with Mary, and she was almost beaming now, compared to her usual indifferent appearance.When dealing with her own family, Catherine did not want to use too many temptations, so she asked Mary directly.

Mary copied a line of German onto a snow-white page, and said to Catherine: "Kitty, since you asked, I won't hide it from you. To be honest, I didn't plan to come back so soon after I went out this time."

Catherine looked up in surprise.

"You don't have to worry about me. In terms of age, I'm older than you, so there's no reason for you to worry about me. Other people in the family don't care about where I went." Mary analyzed calmly, "The only problem, Kitty, I need to borrow some money from you."

When it came to money, Catherine still vaguely heard a little discomfort from her tone.

"What do you want to do?" Catherine couldn't figure out her thoughts. "Mary, if something happens, Mom and Dad will be worried."

"I'm going to study." Mary said her plan calmly and clearly. "There are still too few books in the town, and a lot of knowledge will never be spread to the outside world. I'm going to school. I'm not impulsive, Kitty, I had this plan in mind when you mentioned Cambridge University to me more than a year ago."

Catherine realizes that the "school" she's talking about isn't your average girls' school.

"But colleges don't admit girls."

Catherine had never thought of this possibility. In her impression, Mary had always been quiet, and she would show herself at the ball, but Catherine never expected that Mary would dare to take such a risk.

"I know, and that's why I asked Mr. Holmes for an easy way to look like a man. As long as I put on my hat and take care of my grooming, I'm not going to be much of a problem out of company," said Mary. My looks are ordinary enough that if I were Jane or Lydia, I wouldn't be able to fool anyone."

"I'm tired of playing bad piano at proms. But it's better than me sitting around the whole prom and nobody asking me to dance."

"...Are you going to go to school disguised as a man without telling everyone?" Catherine struggled to extract the point.If this had happened, Mrs. Bennet would have suffered a cardiac arrest.

"Yes." Mary lowered her eyes. "Kitty, if there is anyone in this family who will support my decision, I think it must be you."

Catherine smiled wryly. Mary had a good grasp of her mind. She really couldn't object to Mary's ideas. In the concept she developed, everyone has the right to pursue knowledge, even if she is a woman, even if it is An era when women are not even guaranteed their human rights after marriage.

The two sisters talked for a long time, and finally Catherine finally let go: "I will cover for you in front of Mom and Dad. But you have to write me two letters a month. If I don't receive the letter on time in any month, I will immediately Tell Mom and Dad."

Mary nodded.

"Then how much do you need?" Catherine returned to her usual calm look, "When will you pay it back to me?"

She didn't feel any embarrassment about asking about the return. This money was very important to Mary, but to Catherine herself, it was also her guarantee for the rest of her life.Mary went to school, and the cost must be huge, and Catherine was already prepared.

But to her surprise, Mary took out a pen and calculated on paper, and finally circled a number: "One hundred pounds is enough. If all goes well, I can pay you back in a few months."

Catherine also knew the price of living outside, and thought that the one hundred pounds would not be enough for Mary, so she collected three hundred pounds in bank notes and handed them to her, "Finally, how do you get the admission quota?"

This is crucial.

"I have a solution, Kitty, don't worry." Mary's smile revealed a bit of relief, "I have prepared for this for nearly two years, and I will not fail in this kind of place."

Catherine took a deep look at her: "Anyway, you have to remember to write to me when you have time, at least two letters a month, the more the better, anyway, postage is paid, don't worry."

"I may not have so much time, I want to finish all the courses in the shortest possible time." Mary replied very coldly.

Catherine, angry at her sister who has no sisterhood, kicks people out angrily, and then sits at the table and writes a new letter to her pen pal.

She no longer needed specific advice on how to deal with the matter, Catherine was going to write the scandal in a letter showing that the trouble was over, but she still wanted some of his opinion.No one can guarantee whether something similar will happen next time.

Mycroft spent the night in a London hotel and began writing two reports early the next morning.A case about Wickham. The widowed lady who was murdered was the sister of a mistress who was favored by the current Lord Regent recently. to investigate the case.However, this simple murder was just incidental. The focus of this itinerary is on the latter part, about Catherine Bennet, that is, Ryan Upton, as the only legitimate child of the Lord Regent, Princess Charlotte was born in England As the second in line to the throne, her safety is extremely important.Although the Prince Regent has a bad relationship with his wife, he still attaches great importance to his daughter. Naturally, it is impossible to let any unclear people appear around her.

So the Prince Regent assigned a task to this very young but at the same time astonishingly talented student.

One is that to a certain extent, it is also an expression of his reuse-perhaps not many people know that before Mycroft went to university, he had dealt with the most honorable rulers of Britain.Second, it is not appropriate to rashly ask a spy agent to investigate the identity of a little girl, and it will destroy the already precarious relationship between father and daughter. In this case, Mycroft is a good candidate.Mycroft completed this task very well. He deciphered the connection between Catherine Bennet and Princess Charlotte from various details, including the general content of the deal they made. into the report.

The regent finally reluctantly admitted that his daughter made this friend. He is a lover of literature and art, and he has a good sense of "Ryan Appleton", and it involves Charlotte. For a while, he was also curious that Catherine could write it. what works.He even discussed with his confidant whether to summon her in the near future.

The confidant thinks that this is too grand for a squire's daughter, and it is better to wait until she finishes writing the new work before making a decision.

The regent temporarily withdrew this plan.

Catherine is still unaware of what happened in London. She has been busy trying on the dress designed by Lydia recently, and estimated her figure based on her impression of Princess Charlotte. To make Princess Charlotte's dress fit.

The skirt that was finally ordered for Catherine was low-key and simple, with few embellishments. The white Indian muslin is popular this year, so it won't look out of place, but it makes the skirt more light and beautiful. ①

Lydia looked at her results and nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, put on the pearl necklace then. I'll make you another soft hat made of the same material, so that you can ignore the lack of accessories on your head The problem."

Lydia asked Catherine to take two steps in the room, her white skirt fluttering gently.

"It's a pity that mom doesn't know that you can meet the princess, otherwise she will be very happy."

"When I see Her Royal Highness, I will come back and tell her, and my mother will be just as happy." Catherine blinked.

After this trip, she plans to confide her current affairs and thoughts to the Bennets a little bit.She feared frightening Mrs. Bennet at the thought of her not wanting to marry, and dared not tell her all at once.

On Monday, the Bennet sisters followed the Gardners into town.

The author has something to say: 【Cut the London copy tomorrow.I was thinking why my double update only has [-] words? 】

①: Indian muslin is very light and thin, and has many colors. At that time, white Indian muslin was the most popular.Skirts made of this fabric were one of the classic symbols of the time.