aristocratic engagement

The car slowed down not far from Buckingham Mansion. Annie looked out through the car window, and saw the long road with Buckingham Mansion as the center, neatly lined up with carriages, slowly Move forward.

The size of this masquerade ball is bigger than Anne thought.

This conjecture made Annie breathe a sigh of relief—in this case, as a little viscount, she couldn't possibly be the protagonist of the ball.

While waiting for the carriage to drive slowly to the gate of Buckingham Mansion, Anne was still thinking about Liz's reminder secretly.

Anne is no longer the "different" lady who made her debut in London two years ago. She has become more different, has more right to speak, and is more respected.Viscount Richter, as a core member of the Knights of the Sword Club, gathered the best in the heavy industry as fans, and dominated the train and most of the ship industry.

There is a saying in London and Manchester: A nod from Viscount Richter is worth thousands of pounds.

All of this is inseparable from the support of the Prince - in the second year after the train was built, the huge sum owed by His Royal Highness has been paid off.

Members of Parliament and ministers were shocked in private, but when they wanted to reach out to this field of unlimited potential and wealth, they had no way to enter.

The title of Viscount Richter was completely opened up.

But this great big shot is a girl in her early twenties.

Who will her husband be?What gentleman would such vast wealth, power, and status end up cheap?

You know, according to the current law and many years of conventions, when a lady marries, all her net worth will be merged into her husband's family and property.Although gentlemen will not occupy all of them greedily, the money and property are completely classified into other people's names, whether it is based on law or morality.

And what about Viscount Richter?

Anne felt more and more that her situation was not optimistic. She even wanted to jump off the carriage immediately, snatch the horse, and immediately disappear into the night.

"Viscount Richter, we are here!" The coachman Dawson's voice sounded, and at the same time, the carriage stopped slowly.

Dawson put down the pedal neatly and opened the door.

Before Annie jumped out of the carriage, a hand stretched out from the door.

"Viscount Richter, the prince knew that you don't have a male companion, so he ordered me to come here to pick you up." The gentleman bent down, and the gorgeous black mask blocked most of his face.His eyes could not be seen clearly in the dark, but when Annie heard his voice, her face turned cold instantly.She didn't put her hand in his, but lifted her skirt and jumped down directly while leaning on the door frame.

"The Duke of Bridgewater."

Anne saluted, and no one could pick out any inappropriate flaw in her manner.

The Duke of Bridgewater——Alan Egerton smiled slightly. He withdrew his hand, held it slightly, and bowed back, seemingly unaware of the embarrassment.

Seeing that he did not speak, Annie stroked the violet mask and black veil on his face, turned around and strode towards the door.

The maids and male servants came one by one, and after saluting, greeted the guests to walk in along the magnificent and bright corridor.There are gold-plated candle lamps every one meter on the wall. The warm yellow light is reflected on the golden candle holders and wall hangings, making the entire corridor glittering with gold, even a little dazzling.

"His Royal Highness didn't ask you to 'greet' him, Your Excellency the Duke." Anne's voice was calm, "Based on what I know about him, unless he wants to completely offend me, he would never do so."

"You are so cruel, Miss Viscount." Allen laughed softly, "Is it an offense to ask me to greet you?"

"Cruel? I will not be cruel to a stranger, Mr. Duke, I just told the truth."

Allen stopped talking. The silence between the two and the undercurrent of fighting made the servants look at each other and dare not speak out.

Annie's footsteps became faster and faster, and she couldn't hide her eagerness to get rid of this man.The maid following her also quickened her pace, almost running.

Soon, they stopped in front of a door.

The maid and the valet opened the door: "Please enjoy the ball to the fullest, Duke of Bridgewater, Viscount Richter."

This is a huge ballroom with gorgeous and dazzling giant chandeliers hanging on the high ceiling. On the ceiling, the myths and stories in the Bible are clearly depicted. In the middle of the day, the saints are also throwing a lively party.

On the dance floor, both men and women are dressed in elaborate costumes.There is no shortage of nobles here, who adorned their gowns with shining gems and feathers to the utmost luxury, and the luster of silk blended with the luster of gemstones.

What is more striking is the various masks they wear on their faces.

The mask blocked the head squad leader's face, only his chin was exposed, and the exposed eyes looked very mysterious. All emotions were extremely ambiguous between the trembling feathers and the flash of diamonds.

As Liz said, the prince seemed to be specifically determined to introduce gentlemen to him this time—even though he was using the name of "knowing the partners", Anne saw the interest in the eyes of those gentlemen. look up.

The scrutiny was not a simple confrontation between "partners", but Anne was very familiar with, the inquiry and interest of a gentleman of the right age for a lady.

After Annie dealt with several people in a few words, the figures of the king and queen suddenly appeared in front of the curtain.

The prince also walked towards the curtain, and before that, he whispered: "Follow me, come to the front of the crowd."

Annie frowned, and followed without waiting for a second thought—or rather, she was pushed in that direction by a force.

The king and queen are old, and these years, the king's mental state is deteriorating, often crazy, making people puzzled.After Queen Charlotte gave a brief speech, she retreated to the second line, and the servants helped the king up.

"Viscount Richter, come forward." The king's hoarse voice was not loud, but everyone could hear him clearly.

Annie lowered her eyebrows, took a step forward, and made a big gift.

The king waved his hand, and a servant next to him immediately came up holding a beautifully carved wooden box.The king nodded slightly at him, and the servant understood, opened the box, and handed it to Anne's side.

"This is..." Annie looked into the box, only to see that it was just a thin piece of paper.

The king opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly coughed.He coughed so badly that the queen and the maid patted him on the back.Everyone nervously exchanged worried looks.

The cough gradually weakened, but the king's eyes straightened up.His lips were trembling, as if he was talking, but Annie couldn't hear what he was saying because she was so close to him. For a while, there was no sound in the ballroom, and everyone held their breath.

The prince stepped forward, put his ear to the king's lips, and listened carefully.

Annie lowered her head.

The prince's voice sounded from above:

"Anne de Bourgh, the King declares that from today onwards, you are Count Richter."

Annie's eyes widened, her eyes fixed on a rose on the carpet, and she didn't move.There were bursts of unbelievable gasps in my ear, and the prince urged: "Don't you hurry up and thank you for accepting the order? Father Wang will not easily promise such a favor."

"Why?!" Questions rang out rustlingly, but soon they all fell silent as if their mouths were being held down.

"Count Richter, the king valued you so much that he made an exception to grant you this title. You will not disappoint His Majesty's trust in you, will you?" the prince said loudly. He glanced at the king and saw him nodding slightly with a serious face. , and continued, "You have contributed a lot to the manufacture and refinement of British trains and weapons, and you deserve such an award."

Annie didn't show any emotion at all, she was calmer than everyone else, she raised her head, her tone was firm: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, everything I do is just what I should do, and all of them are for the sake of war. Victory. If you want to reward me, please wait until the day when the war is won."

"Huh? You don't want to accept it?"

"I am extremely grateful and eager. However, without seeing the result, I really don't have the face to accept such a reward." Annie pursed her lips tightly and made another big gift.

Whispering in the ears sounded again, this time it was no longer questioning the decision of the king and prince, but questioning her hypocrisy.

The prince was silent for a moment, Anne lowered her head, wondering what his expression would be.

At this time, a voice as hoarse as sandpaper came from above his head: "Count Richter, you are fully qualified to accept this title."

Annie suddenly realized something, raised her head suddenly, and looked in the direction of the voice.

I saw a gleam of light in the king's cloudy eyes.

"The good news from the front line has come."

Viscount Richter became Earl Richter in just two years!

Like a drop of water exploding into a frying pan, the news immediately sparked a shocking discussion among the guests at the masquerade.At the same time, what also attracted everyone's attention was the king's words: the good news from the front line has come.

Annie jumped up in an instant, she couldn't think about it at all, is it true that she became the "Count"?Is it reasonable?The word "good news" was all over Anne's head.

How is Darcy?Did he come back safely?Where is he?

Day and night, Annie kept such inquiries to the bottom of her heart and never mentioned them to anyone.At this time, Annie raised her head, looked at the loving eyes of the Holy Mother on the ceiling, held back the heat that poured into her eyes, and traced that person's face for the ten thousandth time in her heart.

But she couldn't allow her to think too much, the lively music gradually sounded, and the guests became restless.

The king and queen were old and weak, and they did not dance, but sat on the railing in front of the curtain, watching the men and women on the dance floor.The opening dance was performed by the prince and a duke's widow. It was no news that the prince was at odds with his wife, and no one took it seriously.

After the opening dance, the gentlemen who had been introduced by the Prince came towards Anne from all directions.

Their expressions were hidden under the mask, but Anne clearly saw in their exposed eyes a more obvious and undisguised attention than before.

Viscounts are "everywhere", and within two years, this is the only one appointed by the king to climb to the position of earl!

What's more outrageous is that this earl is just an unmarried young lady!

Annie couldn't help taking a step back, frightened by the overt or covert greed and the attention pouring in, but stepped on someone's foot.

"I'm sorry!" Annie immediately turned around and apologized.

When she turned around, a wave of hope rose in her heart.

But her hopes were shattered in an instant, and the hapless guy she stepped on was someone she never wanted to meet—the Duke of Bridgewater.

"It doesn't matter, even if you want to step on my feet and dance, I have no objection." Allen's hand touched the feather in front of her eyes, "You are still so surprising, Anne, congratulations."

"Oh... thanks, I didn't think of it myself." Annie took a step back.

There was a trace of nostalgia in Allen's eyes. He stared at the person in front of him and lowered his voice: "Please give me a dance, Count Richter, for the sake of the original."

Anne put her hands behind her back.

The corner of Alan's mouth curled up: "I don't think you would be more willing to dance with them-you know their thoughts clearly, and I am just an old friend who was left behind by you, and I can't make any waves."

Anne looked into his eyes and said bluntly: "Duke Bridgewater, you know better than anyone else that what you need is an obedient and gentle lady, don't you?"

Allen's outstretched hand trembled slightly, he lowered his eyes, took a final deep look at Anne, turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

Annie didn't have time to breathe a sigh of relief when unanimous invitations came from her ears: "Count Richter, may I have the honor to invite you to dance?"

Annie turned around stiffly, only to see several gentlemen bent down and spread their hands in unison.

Eyes of blue, green, brown, and black looked at her in unison.

Annie sighed in her heart, and finally stretched out her hand.

Anne adopted the little trick Darcy had used—spreading rain and dew, not dancing a second dance with any gentleman.

However, this plan was easier to realize than she thought, because few gentlemen lasted to the second branch.

Even many years ago, under the intensified training of the devil, she could still make the feet of her dance partners suffer one by one while dancing, let alone now.

Of course, these gentlemen who met for the first time would not have such a good understanding with her. Without a dance, the surface of the polished leather shoes was stepped out of wrinkles.The gentlemen gritted their teeth secretly, and held back the swearing that almost blurted out.

Anne became more unscrupulous when she discovered that her wrong dance steps had a daunting function.

When a gentleman with "rough skin and thick flesh" plucked up the courage to invite her to dance the second dance, Anne shook her head pretending to be distressed, and "kindly" refused with a polite and disturbed face.

Along with Earl Richter's astonishing leapfrog speed, it was her terrible dance steps that became the theme of tonight's dance.

"So she's not that perfect." The gentlemen and ladies snickered, and the original jealousy and unwillingness were also reduced.

How many gentlemen Anne had to deal with, even she herself could not count.From the "easy" at the beginning to the exhaustion later, Anne slid to the dining table after finishing the dance.

The dining table was full of pastries and drinks. After picking a few pieces, Annie hid unobtrusively behind a pillar, observing the situation in the ballroom while replenishing her energy.

At this time, the door of the ballroom was suddenly opened, but no one seemed to have noticed the slight movement there, only Anne—her heart beat violently for no reason.

A figure squeezed in through the crack of the door.

He was wearing a black dress without any decorations, which seemed out of place in such a flashy environment.He wore a huge pure black mask on his face, even his chin was covered in all directions, only his thin lips and a pair of gray-blue eyes were exposed.

He caught her eye almost instantly.

He walked towards Annie step by step, every step seemed to step on her heart.The footsteps and heartbeat coincided inexplicably, and Annie was dizzy for a while, and quickly put her hands on the pillar, so that her legs were not allowed to fall down.

Annie watched him stand in front of her, bowed and extended his hand.

In his palm lay a violet gemstone ring quietly.

"Miss de Bourgh, may I ask you to dance with me?"

Annie's lips moved slightly, she put her hand on his palm, and called out silently: "Darcy."

The ring was icy cold between the palms of the two, and instantly became warm.

Darcy's Adam's apple rolled slightly.

Annie closed her eyes tightly, her eyelids trembling, and put her other arm around his neck: "My honor, Mr. Darcy."

【-End of text-】

The author has something to say: It's over! ! !Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! ! !

I didn’t know what to say for a while, and finally finished this article on the last day of the Year of the Rat~ (Completing the first million words in the year of birth is also a small harvest!) What makes me happier is that the code words It has become an indispensable part of my life more and more. Although the income is meager, it can almost only allow me to drink two more cups of milk tea, but you can't imagine the joy of coding [loud! 】

Next plan:

1. "[HP+Gaze] Vampire Research Notes" is the first article I wrote. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, I have a hole _(:з」∠)_ First I will fill this hole.

2. "[Comprehensive British and American] The Lost Mermaid" has some small holes in the settings outside the main text, and this time I will slowly fill in the extras.

3. It is not yet clear what to write in the new article. While I am writing an article, I have almost no energy to think about the next one. A little collection of ducks~ When I make a decision, I will inform everyone in the copywriting, ending chapters, columns, and Weibo.

In the new year, I wish I could write more exciting stories and create a more interesting world!

I also wish everyone to be bullish, get better and better, succeed in their studies, careers, and family harmony~!

PS. The lottery is opened, and the full-text subscription will automatically participate. Thanks to the readers who have been with me all the way to the end QAQ

PPS.求一个专栏收藏作者，这对我来说非常重要！感谢大家！感谢在2021-02-1002:44:05~2021-02-1105:43:52期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~

Thanks to the little angel who threw the landmine: one piece like a deer returning to the forest;

Thanks to the little angel of irrigation nutrient solution: 1 bottle of Luoxiu;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!