aristocratic engagement

Anne really wanted to say that she could take her own letter away, so that Mrs. Reynolds could take Darcy's letter and the invitation to the study...

After all, Mrs. Reynolds is not someone Anne is very familiar with and can dictate to her as she pleases. Even though she is only a housekeeper, she is a powerful person who manages a manor as large as Pemberley in an orderly manner.Annie had a hunch that no matter what she said, she would find a reason to dismiss it one by one, and at that time it would seem that she was a small belly.

"I happen to be free, Mrs. Reynolds," Anne replied.

Mrs. Reynolds smiled softly and bowed her head.

Annie also nodded, stretched out her hand, but took the stack of letters addressed to her, and at the same time put Darcy's invitation letter on the stack of letters held by Mrs. Reynolds.Seeing this, Mrs. Reynolds walked towards the corridor on the other side with her smile unchanged, and turned her head to signal Anne to follow.

The two walked through the long corridor and went upstairs from the stairs at the end.

There are beautifully framed landscape paintings hanging on both sides of the corridor, and some portraits depict people playing - their faces are somewhat similar from certain angles. If they are separated, they may not be recognized, but they are hung side by side. The admirer can recognize at a glance that these are obviously the ancestors of the Darcy family.

"The Darcy family has lived in Pemberley Manor for generations. At the beginning, the manor was only half the size of the current one, and the territory was far from the current scale. The Darcy family was not satisfied with the status quo, and some attempts failed. But more attempts have been successful... So now, Pemberley Manor has been divided into one side, and the property and wealth are almost equal to half of Derbyshire." Mrs. Reynolds introduced it proudly.

"This is very rare. The wealth of many families will not last for more than a hundred years, and they will be completely wiped out by the younger generations who do not know how to make progress and are extravagant. Even though the ancestors created so much wealth for them, they finally went bankrupt That day." Annie said with emotion.

Whether in the East or the West, it is extremely rare for a family to last for more than a hundred years.What's more, it will become more and more prosperous?

"Miss de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy is right. You are indeed different from many ladies. I have told people in this way about the estate I work for, and they have all been shocked by the wealth and luxury of Pemberley. !"

"What did Darcy say about me?" Anne wondered.

"Oh... I don't want to let my interpretation distort Mr. Darcy's meaning and make you misunderstand, Miss de Bourgh, you can ask him yourself. I dare say Mr. Darcy will tell the truth You, he is not the kind of person who speaks inconsistently before and after."

"If you can guarantee that he has more positive comments on me than negative comments?"

"Of course, to be more precise, Mr. Darcy doesn't have any negative comments on you." Mrs. Reynolds smiled slightly. At this time, they stood still in front of a gate, "He is so critical and frank A person, sometimes, his blunt words will make his original meaning distorted... What he thinks about you is thoughtful and heartfelt."

"Should I be honored by this?"

Mrs. Reynolds did not answer. She nodded to the servants on either side of the door and motioned them to open the study door.The servant took the order, knocked on the heavy solid wood door, and pushed the door open one by one.

"Please come in."

The study at Pemberley Manor seemed to be different from Rosings' secret. What greeted the eyes was a large reception area, with a burning fireplace lit in front of the sofa, and Annie felt a burst of warmth as soon as she entered the door.

Mrs. Reynolds strode in with familiarity, the thick carpet absorbing all footsteps.Annie followed behind her, bypassed the huge bookcase behind the sofa, and came to the back room.

The high-ceilinged space is divided into two floors, with huge and bright windows on one side, the sunlight pours in wantonly, and the fragrance of books transpires in the air.Like bookstores and libraries, tall bookcases are built against the walls. If you want to get the books on the upper floor, you have to climb on a special movable platform.The bookshelves are filled with books of all kinds, and the spines of the books in brown, blue and red have become decorations.

When Annie entered, Darcy was stepping on a book shelf near the window, his eyes were focused on the bookshelf in front of him, and his fingers were slid across the spine of the books one by one.

"What book are you looking for?" Annie asked while putting the letter on the low table.

Darcy seemed to have noticed the person just now, came back to his senses, and jumped off the bed neatly—this startled Anne, who was at least as high as her head just now.

"I'm looking for a book of poetry, by Shakespeare."

Hearing that, Anne let out an unnatural "Oh".Darcy reached out and took the towel handed to him by Mrs. Reynolds, wiped the dust off his hands, then walked slowly behind the huge desk and sat down.

Mrs. Reynolds immediately put his letter on the table.

Darcy thanked him politely, Mrs. Reynolds replied with a smile, and turned to go out of the gate.Annie blinked, feeling a little embarrassed after her shoes rubbed against the carpet twice - so what was she here for?

"I asked Mrs. Reynolds to invite you here no matter what." Darcy's voice sounded from behind the desk, Anne looked up at him, and Darcy was looking at herself with a calm face.

"Oh... what do you want from me?"

"There is one thing I want to trouble you." Darcy opened the drawer and took out a dozen thick cardboards while speaking, "Lady Catherine will hold a dance for me anyway. According to her I mean, it would be extremely disrespectful for me to turn a blind eye to my neighbors and old friends during my first year back, and it would be bad for Pemberley Hall and my reputation."

"That's right, I said the same thing last time, but you..."

"But, dear, I don't want to dance the opening dance with a strange lady. To tell you the truth, it makes me very nervous and at a loss..." Darcy said with a very faint smile.

He doesn't look like a nervous person!

Annie complained silently in her heart.

"You can dance with your mother." Anne said as a matter of course, "You also invited her to open the dance party held by your mother in Rosings, didn't you?"

Darcy didn't answer, just stared at her.

His eyes looked very light in the sun, and Anne felt more and more uncomfortable being stared at by her.After being stuck for a while, Annie walked towards the window, pretending to be admiring the scenery outside the window.

"...Your handwriting is beautiful." Darcy's voice was getting closer.

"I think it can only be called correct."

"Excessive modesty is equal to pride, my dear, if your handwriting is only correct, Georgiana's handwriting is really serpentine."

"If Georgiana knew what you said about her, I'm afraid she would take back the words of praise that I whisper in my ears every day."

"Oh?" Darcy's voice suddenly came to her right ear, "How did she praise me?"

"..." Annie turned her head, startled by the person who suddenly approached, and growled in embarrassment, "...you can ask her yourself!"

Darcy didn't care, just chuckled and handed her a pen: "Can I trouble you to write something for me?"

"...I have no intention of meddling in your business."

"No, those invitations—" Darcy pointed to the things that Mrs. Reynolds sent just now, "please write a handwritten letter for me to decline them one by one. At the same time, there are some new, blank invitations... I Persuaded by your mother to have a ball, but I don't have the time to write invitations. Aren't you responsible for me?"

Unexpectedly, Anne agreed.

Darcy put the list he had drawn up on the seat opposite his desk, and Anne sat down opposite him there.

Looking at the ink that had been placed, the sharpened pen, and the cardboard that had been sprayed with perfume, Anne realized that she had fallen into a trap that he had planned long ago.

But now that she had agreed, Anne had no choice but to admit that she was careless.

The territory of Pemberley Manor is vast, and the nearest neighbor is half a day away on horseback.This time Pemberley Manor was going to hold a ball, and the gentlemen and ladies invited had to arrive two or three days in advance and stay here for a while.After the ball, depending on the situation, they either leave the next day, or are persuaded by the host family to stay for a while.

Annie wrote the polite words on the invitation letter on the cardboard according to the template given, and thought of the experience of attending the coming-of-age ceremony of the eldest daughter of the Bennet family in Hertfordshire two years ago—it was so much easier There, the wives and daughters of the neighboring country squires were there, and there was a lively banter all day.

However, in terms of the status of Darcy and Pemberley Manor, such a relaxed ball is absolutely impossible.

Darcy sat across from Anne, took out the letter opener from the drawer, and opened each letter to read.He does not have personal servants to deal with these affairs like the gentlemen of this class.

In the past few years of ups and downs, he is used to doing things himself, and he is also used to not entrusting his own affairs to others——

Darcy looked up at the person opposite, and saw that she was writing vigorously, frowning slightly, and pouted unconsciously, as if even her facial muscles were exerting force.

The corners of Darcy's mouth turned up once.

He dropped the letter from the lawyer in his hand and picked up the next one—seeing the signature on the envelope, Darcy raised his eyebrows, and he tore off the wax and shook the letter open.

Annie raised her head when she heard the "hissing".

"My informant told me that Lord Fitzwilliam saw a man the day he fell from his horse."

"Who?!" The pen in Annie's hand dropped.

"He didn't see the man's face, but he saw the carriage that the earl climbed into, and it seemed to be the coat of arms of the Duke of Bridgewater's house on it." Darcy took a deep breath and threw the letter on the on the table.

Annie grabbed the letter and read it at a glance.She frowned, and suddenly reached out and rang the bell on the table.Darcy didn't stop her movement, just patted her on the shoulder, and took the letter back from her hand.

At the bottom of the letter paper are simple symbols drawn by the informant from memory.

"I have Alan's cufflinks! Remember? The one he dropped when he first came to Rosings Manor!"

After dinner, the family gathered in the living room unshakably.

Georgiana was sitting at the piano, practicing a new piece.When she learned that her brother was really going to hold a dance, she screamed immediately, and then made up her mind to prepare a show—even if she couldn't attend the dance, she would definitely be the host at the parties before and after the dance When she came to the guests, Georgiana did not intend to disgrace Pemberley Manor!

Anne didn't have such a self-awareness. The scene of being forced to practice the piano by Mrs. Catherine was still vivid in her mind. She had a deep understanding of her piano level.

"I just want to be an appreciator. Georgiana needs a loyal audience like me."

Her words made Lady Catherine angry and helpless every time.

At this moment, the person standing at the piano flipping the sheet music for Georgiana and complimenting her was replaced by Wickham—Anne’s movements were not as fast as his. When she just got up from the sofa, he was already standing on the piano. By the stool.

Madam Catherine was a little sleepy sitting in front of the fireplace, dozing off to the pleasant sound of the piano, and the blanket hanging on her lap had fallen half to the ground.

Darcy was leaning on the high armchair, his tall figure blocked Anne.

Annie sat on the fluffy carpet, writing a letter by the candlelight on the table.The letter Darcy received during the day made her shudder, and Anne thought of Alan Edgerton's madness before departure, and always felt that some places were unconsciously neglected by her.

Allen's grandfather was the Duke of Bridgewater, who had been ill a few years ago, as if he would die at any moment.But after so many years, the god of death seemed to have accidentally forgotten this person. He coughed up blood several times, fell into a coma, and was dying, but in the end he didn't take him away.

And Allen's father is over sixty years old and has not yet inherited the title, even though he has taken over most of the family's affairs.Allen's elder brother Edward was always by the old duke's side, and he was his grandfather's favorite heir.

Who is it?

The faces of several gentlemen from the Duke of Bridgewater's mansion flashed in her mind one by one, but Anne couldn't grasp the inspiration.

Anne's pen tip was brushing across the paper. She was writing a letter to "Mr. Richter", and the address for the letter was a mailbox next door to the Earl's Mansion.Little Coulee was always there to collect letters, and was responsible for wrapping all letters addressed to Mr. Richter in new envelopes, and sending them to her through a post office in a random block.

This time, she ordered Coulee in the letter to immediately destroy all the things related to their real identity in their transfer station. After doing all this, she took the money she left and went to Netherfield Garden in Hertfordshire to temporarily live.

"My friend Bennet's family lives in Longbourne near Netherfield. If you have any doubts, you may wish to contact the Bennet family's 'Little Mister'..."

After writing the letter, Anne folded the letter paper and stuffed it into the envelope.

Suddenly, a folded invitation card was handed before her eyes.Anne looked up, and Darcy was standing beside her, looking down at her.

"What? I wrote it wrong?" Annie took the invitation and opened it in a daze.

What came oncoming was the familiar upright yet unrestrained and handsome handwriting, and its owner was standing at the side.

"This is an invitation to Rosings Manor," Darcy said.

The author has something to say: Thank you for supporting the genuine version (Zhensheng!!!

The pirated article will come to me. The popularity of my article has arrived. I code for five or six hours a day. To be honest, my income is not enough for me to drink a cup of coffee (this is really no exaggeration, but I have never complained. The data is poor or something, the codeword is now one to please the readers who support me, and the other is to please myself).If it weren't for the little angels who read the original version to support me all the time, who would persist in doing this kind of useless work?

Alas, I have said it once and thousands of times. I am really grateful to everyone who has been chasing the serialization in JJ. Whether it is comments, nutrient solution, mines, or even just silently clicking to subscribe, I am very grateful.

During the recent Cavendish period, because I lost my mind in front of the outline, my mind was confused in the last few chapters. I spent a lot of time every day rewriting the outline, and the update was not stable. Thank you for your tolerance!

这章很肥嗷~感谢在2020-12-2003:01:58~2020-12-2103:55:06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: 12 bottles of saberlulu;

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