aristocratic engagement

Anne nodded subconsciously, Darcy saw this, turned and went upstairs.

Du Li suddenly appeared from the corner at this time, and she took the two ladies up to the second floor from the other side of the stairs.While walking, Du Li told them what Annie had learned when she came and went with the guests just now: "I have found out that they should arrive in batches according to the plan, so that we, as the hosts, will arrive in batches." They will not be in a hurry. However, when the Duchess Russell met Viscountess Campbell on the way, she heard that Mr. Darcy also went out to greet her in person, so she immediately ordered to come back with them. If there is one, there will be two, and the team will be more and more The longer the time, the later guests met these ladies and gentlemen gathered together on the way and had to stay and set off together..."

"I heard? Who did she listen to?" Annie immediately grasped the point and asked.At the same time, Georgiana's expression changed suddenly, and she muttered, "I knew this woman had bad intentions!"

Annie laughed, and didn't immediately take care of Georgiana's emotions, but still looked at Du Li.

Du Li glanced around and lowered her voice: "It's Baoli, what kind of favor did she give to the other servants in the stable, so that she could also join the queue to welcome the guests. I heard from Daniel that she tried her best to serve the gentleman. Sir, before leaving, Daniel always felt that this might affect Rosings' reputation, so he told Mrs. Jiang Jinsheng about it..."

"The result?" Georgiana asked curiously as if listening to a story.

"Of course it turned out as we saw, she was assigned to meet Miss Campbell." Du Li showed a gloating smile, "Viscount Campbell passed away early, and now there are only these two hostesses in the Campbell House, and Mrs. Campbell Always ill. Lady Catherine hadn't intended to invite them at first, but..."

"But she is also a Viscountess." Anne took her words.Du Li tilted her head and observed Annie's expression. Seeing that there was nothing unusual about her, she was relieved and nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Catherine may have seen another possibility of herself and Anne in them. If she had not gradually recovered from the pain of losing her husband and found herself, if Anne had been so foolish and foolish, no one could say, Will they become another pair who are pitied by others?

Just as they were talking, the three of them came to the door of the room, and Georgiana followed Anne into her room as a matter of course.Du Li talked enthusiastically about the gossip she had just inquired about, for example, when she was 14, Princess Crystal Russell was proposed by a gentleman who passed by the manor just once, and the ladies of the Carter family competed one by one. She is beautiful and charming, the Wood family is quarreling because of a female brother, Sir Sterling is seventy and eighty years old, and just married a courtesan last year...

Georgiana was dumbfounded, but couldn't help asking questions curiously.

Annie smiled slightly, Du Li's "gossip skills" was just what she accidentally discovered.When she first came to this world, Annie didn't dare to reveal too much, but her silence was in line with the "dumb and silly" personality.Du Li was the only "novice" around her who had no family member working in the manor. The maids were ordered by the doctor to talk to Miss de Bourgh from time to time, but in the end only Du Li persisted. Don’t forget to gossip with her about the manor every day before going to bed—the other maids are happy to relax, and they don’t want to wholeheartedly take care of a wooden man who never gets better. The lady pushed it to Du Li.

One day, Miss de Borr suddenly spoke. When Lady Catherine embraced her with tears in her eyes and promised to pick off the stars and the moon for her, the first request she made was to make Du Li her only one. Personal maid.

Annie squatted helplessly in the snow, hiding her figure behind the big pillar, beside her, Georgiana stared at the ballroom in the bright window with her eyes wide open.

"I still want to get closer." Georgiana said while intending to move towards the window, and the withered rose branches made a crisp sound when they snapped under her feet.

Anne quickly grabbed her, lowered her voice and warned, "If you go any further, you will be discovered! Do you want to mess up Darcy's ball? They won't accuse us face to face, but they will surely do so behind our backs." Laugh at our audacity and presumptuousness."

To be honest, Annie didn't care about their comments, but the premise was that she was the one responsible for it.

Georgiana shook her head unwillingly, lying on the big pillar, staring intently.

A dozen windows shone brightly and warmly in yellow candlelight, which reflected silver light on the thin snow.Gentlemen and ladies in all kinds of costumes walked back and forth in the house, casting gray and black shadows on the withered rose vines in the garden.

Annie was so excited by Georgiana's sentence "I couldn't even see my brother's first dance and his first dance partner at the first social dance held just for him, it was so sad" and had to accompany her She was messing around, and hid behind the flowers outside the ballroom together, secretly watching the situation inside.

Annie was almost responsive to Georgiana, looking at her shining eyes under the candlelight, she sighed pretending to be sad, deeply feeling that raising a baby was really tiring.

After waiting for a short time, all the guests had gathered. Accompanied by Darcy, Mrs. Catherine walked in slowly under the eyes of everyone.She wore a beige long dress tonight, with a purple silk scarf wrapped around her arm, she looked regal and young, not at all like a woman who would know her destiny in a few years.Annie watched the undisguised joy and radiance on her face through the window, and couldn't help but lamented the changes in the world.

Who would have imagined how eerie and treacherous Rosings Manor was when she first lived in this body three years ago?

The gentlemen and the ladies all saluted in a friendly, light and graceful manner, and Darcy nodded slightly to them.

The musicians by the wall quickly stopped their movements and consciously turned their focus to the hostess of the manor.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for coming to my dear nephew——Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy's coming-of-age ball!" Mrs. Catherine's voice was not loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.Anne keenly noticed that the corners of her mother's eyes were slightly red. "First of all, let us congratulate this young gentleman. Starting today, he can officially take over his father's power and accusations."

Everyone applauded in unison, and Anne turned her head, only to see Georgiana looking at her brother with piercing eyes, feeling proud.

"My favorite sister, Darcy's mother—Anne Fitzwilliam Darcy—had asked me to take care of my nephew like a parent. I feel guilty and sorry that I didn't do my best. responsibility."

"No, aunt, I understand your difficulties and your love for me and Georgiana." Darcy immediately answered, staring sincerely at Lady Catherine with gray-blue eyes.

Lady Catherine was speechless for a while, but she quickly recovered from the melancholy and pity, and turned to the guests who were waiting for her speech, and proudly introduced this excellent nephew to them.Everyone didn't seem to notice her momentary gaffe, and applauded in unison, and the young gentleman even yelled a few times to add to the fun.Listening to Mrs. Catherine's praise to Darcy, the ladies looked at Darcy boldly, and some lowered their heads shyly when they accidentally caught his sight.

Madam Catherine looked at their reactions, as if she was encouraged, she began to chatter unavoidably.From that year to this year, from the favor of the king to the friendliness of the tenants.

Just as she was about to conclude the speech that was longer than expected, the haughty princess suddenly "whispered" loudly, complaining to her female companion that her feet were numb.

There was a sudden silence in the arena.

Even Annie, who was squatting in the garden, immediately sensed something was wrong, narrowing her eyes dangerously.Georgiana looked at her uneasily, not knowing what to do.

Anne's eyes were fixed on Madam Catherine's expression, and she saw a trace of anger flashing across her face for a moment, but she quickly suppressed her temper and announced the start of the ball.

Everyone didn't seem to notice this abrupt scene, and skillfully put on overly standard and stereotyped smiles, waiting for Darcy's opening dance—which lady would he invite to dance?

Anne suddenly felt a pain in her arm. It turned out that Georgiana was so nervous that she couldn't control the strength and scratched her all of a sudden.Annie watched her glaring at the princess with a covetous look, and most of the gloom in her heart dissipated immediately.Looking at the venue again, the people around the princess stepped back two steps to the side without any trace, and made way for a way. No one would suspect that Darcy would not invite her—even though her behavior just now was almost to Catherine in public. Madame de Bourgh had no face.

Darcy's expression did not change from the beginning to the end, only when the princess complained suddenly, his eyes passed her calmly.At this time, he became the focus of attention, and the princess also formed a powerful force on the other side of the venue.

For a while, the atmosphere in the arena was a little anxious.The smile on Madam Catherine's face remained the same, but Anne was so familiar with her, she could see a trace of nervousness, impatience and...anger in her mother's eyes at a glance?

At this moment, the band began to play the prelude to the dance music, which seemed to be a kind of urging, but also a kind of appeasement - Annie once told the orchestra conductor quietly that if there were more embarrassing scenes at the dance than expected, some music would be the best remedy .Of course, if Darcy delays inviting a lady to dance, the prelude will continue to repeat and vary without a trace.

Darcy moved at last, and he bent down.

Lady Catherine laid her hand on her nephew's in amazement.

'Sure enough. ' said Anne to herself, 'I guessed rightly that if Darcy had no immediate desire to associate with a lady, he would have chosen to dance the opening dance with Lady Catherine.No one can accuse the first dance of being rude to dance with his most important female elders. '

The music gradually jumped up, Darcy and Lady Catherine danced gracefully, and then more and more people joined in, and no one would bring up the embarrassing situation before.

Georgiana breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, you've finished reading too, we should go back. It's too cold here, why are we blowing in the snow?" Annie said to Georgiana beside her.Georgiana refused to leave, holding the post tightly: "No, I'm not cold! Annie, don't you think that's too interesting? I want to see it again! Look, how well my brother dances! Those present None of the men danced more professionally and gracefully than him..."

Anne had no choice but to touch Georgiana's hand and found that her palm was hot with excitement, so she had to agree to look at it for a while.

If Anne had not consented, and had forced her back to the house, perhaps Georgiana's spirits would have continued to improve.

But there was no room for her to regret it. After the song was over, when it was time to exchange partners, the princess raised her proud head, straightened her back, and walked slowly in front of Darcy. Her previous partner watched her movements indifferently. .

"Mr. Darcy, would you like to dance with me?" Her voice was mellow and beautiful, full of rhythmic beauty.

TBC.