aristocratic engagement

After a simple lunch, Anne exchanged courtesies and invited Jane and Elizabeth to the Earl's Mansion for afternoon tea.

Mrs. Bennet was overjoyed, it was the Earl's House!It's not a small family of squires!Mrs. Bennet took her two daughters and thanked her repeatedly.

"Miss de Bourgh, you are the most generous lady I have ever met! I don't know how lucky Mrs. de Bourgh is to have a daughter like you! Oh, I think Mrs. de Bourgh must be too A friendly and easy-going lady, she must be highly respected and respected by everyone, just like..." Mrs. Bennet's words of praise popped out like money.

Annie complained silently in her heart. If Mrs. Catherine knew that she was evaluated as "friendly and easy-going", she might not be happy!

Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other, without showing the same excitement as their mother.

Mr. Bennet quickly interrupted his wife and said to Anne: "I am very grateful for your invitation, but we haven't prepared a gift, and it is really not good to bother the earl and countess."

Seeing that Anne still wanted to invite, Mr. Bennet said again: "I understand your kindness, and I am also glad that you are willing to be friends with Jane and Liz... If you insist, I will formally send the invitation, and I hope the Earl will not refuse A request from me and them to come to visit."

What he said made Mrs. Bennet stamp her feet angrily, and beat him a few times with the silk scarf angrily.Mrs. Bennet stared at Anne, hoping that she would not agree to Mr. Bennet's proposal.

Anne pondered for a moment, and said, "If you think this is more polite, of course you can." She turned around, said a few words to Jane and Liz, and formally said goodbye.

Mr. Bennet is not like his wife, who wants to curry favor with "the upper class".Although he came from the countryside and didn't own much land, he also had the arrogance unique to gentlemen.

Du Li had prepared with the coachman as soon as lunch was over, parked the carriage at the door, and was ready to leave at any time.It is the responsibility of an excellent maid to keep her master from waiting.

After half of her body leaned into the carriage, Anne turned her head to the sisters who were watching behind her and said, "Before leaving London, you must give me a chance to invite you to the tea party."

Liz's eyes became bright all of a sudden, Jane smiled softly, and waved goodbye to Anne.

Annie sat in the carriage, and small villas flashed past the window.Annie suddenly remembered something, and ordered the carriage to pass by the gate of Phoenix, and the coachman immediately turned around and drove towards the avenue.

The carriage stopped at the corner of the street, and Anne did not get out of the carriage.She opened a corner of the window, looked at the endless stream of Phoenix at the door, and smiled slightly.

At the tea party, she spread Phoenix's reputation, and it has been quite effective now.

There are many cloth shops and textile mills in the city of London, and there are also many kinds of fabrics of good quality.However, when a store is both the first choice of noble ladies and a more affordable choice for ladies who want to try their best to touch the ceiling, it already has a unique advantage.

That was Annie's idea.

Seeing that the store was extremely busy from a distance, Annie didn't get out of the carriage and went in to have a look.Of course, those ladies and ladies will not come to purchase in person. The entrance of Phoenix is ​​crowded with people dressed as maids, including older wives and young maids with immature faces.They waited anxiously, for fear that all the fabrics would be bought by those who arrived first, preventing them from going back to do business.

During the waiting period, the coffee shop and bakery next to Phoenix also benefited a lot.The shrewd shopkeepers moved out the sun chairs and served coffee and buns graciously.

Annie pursed her lips, they gave her a lot of inspiration.It's a pity that the cash in her hand has already been invested in the textile mill and the rose garden, and she is still considering whether to use the remaining money to buy the land in Hertfordshire.

The more Anne thought about it, the more she felt that it was a pity. If a rose garden were set up in Hertfordshire, it would not be far from London.Fresh roses could be transported to the city of London in a day and sold to the palaces of dignitaries.Fragrances and cakes made of roses can also attract a large number of customers in London. Which city in the British Isles gathers more "gentlemen" than London?

Annie couldn't help but diverge again. If it cooperates with the operation of the Phoenix Club and combines the new things of Phoenix and Rose Garden...it will be just around the corner to create a club that is quite famous among ladies and ladies!

She can even open a rose-themed store next to Phoenix, and directly open up the two stores to "make money" together!

The gleaming gold pounds ran past Annie's eyes as if they were dancing arm in arm.

The more Annie thought about it, the more she felt regretful, and the more she thought about it, the more regretful she felt—all good imaginations stop at the first step!

Not enough money!

Right now, we can only take it one step at a time, and first make Phoenix and the Rose Garden famous.As for the land in Hertfordshire... Annie always felt that with the character of the owner, she couldn't leave things to other people as before.

"Go back to the Earl's Mansion." Anne lowered the curtain of the carriage window and said to the driver in front.

After Anne returned to the Earl's Mansion, she talked with her uncle, aunt, and Cousin Lawrence for a while. When talking about today's lunch was settled at the invitation of the Bennet family, the Earl frowned first, and was immediately dismissed by the Countess. After the elbow hit, Rou Rou lowered his face.

"I have no intention of interfering with your friendship, dear."

Anne didn't feel offended, and the corners of her lips curled up: "Darcy is not as tactful as you, uncle."

She remembered Darcy's air of disapproval.If Darcy knew that after seeing him off, Anne was invited to the Bennet family's lunch again, what kind of expression would he show?

"Speaking of Darcy, has he boarded the ship?" the Countess asked with concern, "Oh, we should all send him to the port."

"He's not a child anymore! He can even get lost on the way from the Earl's Mansion to the port, so why would he travel to Europe!" The earl frowned impatiently.

Anne and the Countess stuck out their tongues, and the Countess quietly made an expression of being unbearable, while Lawrence looked at their expressions and smiled dotingly.

"Where did you say the Bennet family came from?" the earl changed the subject unnaturally.

"Longborn, Hertfordshire, Mr. Bennet is a country gentleman."

"Hertfordshire...that's a good place for a holiday. There are factories all around London now, and it's smoky. If you ask me, I'd rather live in London than live in the country."

"But those squires must have sharpened their heads and want to come to London." Anne spread her hands.

"Damn it! In a few years, the streets of London will be crowded with foreigners, and there will be too many boats in the Thames to squeeze them!" the earl complained, with an unconcealable irritability in his words.

The countess told Anne that they had actually considered moving back to the manor in the territory.But after living here for too long, and being away from those clubs for a while, the Earl would not be able to bear the boring country life.Moreover, Lawrence has already entered the parliament with half a foot. If he wants to go back at this time, the family will either be separated, or all previous efforts will be wasted.

After talking for a while, Earl Fitzwilliam's valet knocked on the living room door.When the count saw him, he suddenly remembered something, and immediately stood up.

"The carriage is ready, Earl Fitzwilliam, you are ready to go."

The countess asked the servant puzzledly: "Does the count have any entertainment today? I have already asked the kitchen to prepare fresh lamb chops. The count said a few days ago that he would like to try the fresh meat from the farm in the country..."

"I'm sorry my dear." Earl Fitzwilliam buttoned his cuff buttons and said angrily, "I forgot to mention that there are still activities in the club today. New members will always be treated with a welcome ceremony. I forgot that this day is in Today—oh! No wonder I always feel that I have forgotten something."

The countess curled her lips in displeasure, but still stretched out her hand to button the cuff buttons of her husband, who was not fond of trivial matters, and took the overcoat handed over by the servant, and put it on him.

"I remember that your club has had no new members for two or three years. What's going on this year?"

"There is only one this year, dear, you know, the upper structure of London has long been fixed, and these old faces come and go. It is already rare to have a new member. Recently, the organizer of the club We are also discussing whether to lower the entry threshold of the club. For example, the title may not be the first thing to consider."

It's going to change.

Annie said firmly in her heart.

"Are all the members of the club lords?" Anne asked suddenly.

Earl Fitzwilliam nodded, then shook his head again: "It used to be, but this year this new member... I heard that he is not a Lord of the British Isles, he is from Prussia."

Annie's eyebrows jumped, thinking of the person who left without saying goodbye in Hansford.

"I don't know anything else. No, I'm going to see him." The earl spread his hands, "Lawrence won't go, stay at home and have dinner with the two ladies."

Lawrence nodded, putting his hand on the countess' shoulder.Standing obediently aside, like a considerate son.

The countess' face softened a little.

After the count left, Anne also greeted the countess and returned to her room.Seeing her coming back, Du Li immediately handed her a letter.

"The handover boy brought a message. Mr. Brown wants to see you." Anne heard Du Li say this while receiving the letter.

Annie paused slightly, then sat down at the desk, and took out the letter opener from the drawer.Unlike others, who entrusted all correspondence to the personal maids and valets, Anne never let anyone open and read letters for her because of too many secrets.

Du Li would not think that just because she was not allowed to open the letter, the master did not trust her.On the contrary, she clearly understood that she was the person in whom Mademoiselle de Bourgh trusted most.And Ms. de Bauer will do this precisely because she respects her and treats her as an independent individual-in a general master-servant relationship, the servant is usually a vassal and the property of the master, so they treat the servant People have no scruples.

After Anne finished reading the letter, she got up and threw the letter into the dying fireplace, and told Du Li: "Go book a box in the hotel. Since Mr. Brown wants to see us, please see us."

A corner of the letter touched the orange-red charcoal fire, and soon the black edge rolled up. After a while, the flames ignited, and the letter turned into a pool of gray-white ashes.

TBC.

The author has something to say: The holiday balance is urgent!Then I will give you red envelopes in the comment area of ​​this chapter~

依然是十个先到先得！想康康大家对后续剧情有什么畅想咧_(:зゝ∠)_感谢在2020-10-0722:35:26~2020-10-0823:04:49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 of irrigation nutrient solution: I really like 10 bottles of sasuke;

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