[Pride and Prejudice] Dear Lydia

Mr. Peter took Lydia to the study on the third floor, knocked on the door a few times, then waited for a few seconds before pushing it open, and said to the inside, "Dad, Mrs. Wickham is here."

Lydia had never seen Mr. Pete with such a cautious and meticulous manner. He was looking interesting when he suddenly heard a very familiar voice from the study, "Okay, please come in."

Lydia was taken aback for a moment, and an image of a well-dressed, dignified, and handsome old gentleman immediately appeared in her mind.

Mr. Pitt turned sideways to let Lydia go first, and then followed him in. He wanted to introduce her, but he saw her walking into the room with her skirt in her hands, stopping at the desk and widening her bright and charming eyes. He was staring at the Earl sitting behind the desk for a moment, his mouth opened into a small O shape, and he even forgot to curtsey when they met.

And his father was also uncharacteristically, smiling at the guests in a casual and friendly manner, "Mrs. Wickham, I knew you might be a little surprised when you came."

Mr. Pitt was a little shocked by this. No one in this house could make the Earl of Chatham show such an expression, not even Mrs. de Boer, the oldest guest among the guests.

Every time Mrs. de Boer came to talk to the Earl cautiously and very cautiously, his father only responded with a few indifferent and polite words, and there was hardly a smile on his face.

So Mr. Pete was almost worried about his father's unusually 'approachable' attitude at this time.

Lydia rubbed her forehead, no wonder this old gentleman is too lazy to socialize with the people around him when he arrives in a new place. With his identity, there is really no need to spend time getting to know the nearby residents, "It's not a bit unexpected, it's very unexpected !"

Earl Chatham tolerantly ignored Lydia's slightly impolite words, and attributed it to her being too surprised, pointing to the seat in front of him, "Please come and sit."

Lydia recovered from the first surprise, and happily went to sit down. She got along well with old Mr. Pete these days, because she didn't know the identity of the other party at the beginning, so she never thought of clinging to the powerful, but simply felt that the old Mr. Mr. Pitt is a very interesting elder who has the same interests as her. He was still regretting the eccentric personality of the other party who refused to be named. Unexpectedly, he was finally willing to formally meet with himself before leaving Hertfordshire. Get to know each other.

The Earl of Chatham stretched out his hand and rang the bell, wanting the servant to bring in tea, but when he looked up, he found that his son was still standing where he was, and did not go out. "George, what else do you want?"

"No, I originally wanted to stay here to introduce you, but it seems that you already know each other." Mr. Pete looked at his father thoughtfully and then at Lydia to come to this conclusion.

"Yes, this lovely young lady and I have known each other for a long time." Earl Chatham said to his son in a good mood, with a relaxed tone, "Don't think that your father is so boring that he can't even make friends with lovely ladies. What Mrs Wickham and I want now is some privacy, and it would be best if you could go out from here, shut the door, and tell the servant who is coming to bring some refreshment to my guest."

Mr. Pete held back the twitching of his mouth, "Okay, father, I hope you have a good chat." Then he turned and left, and closed the door. When the door closed, he vaguely heard his father say, "Mrs. Wickham , I want to show you a few works that I have been carrying with me all the time, they are..."

Lydia didn't know his father as well as Mr. Pete, so she didn't appreciate the Earl's rare kind attitude. Very happy!

Mr. Pitt came out of the study, and first asked the maid who was called by the bell to bring some refreshments to the Earl and his guests, and then went downstairs to find Robert, his father's valet, to find out from him how his father knew Wickham Mrs.

Miss De Boer was wandering around the stairs on the first floor. When she saw Mr. Pitt coming down the stairs, she went up to meet him and said, "Mr. Pete, I just saw Miss Mallard bring Mrs. Wickham in."

Mr. Pete was troubled in his heart, and he didn't bother to explain to her. He just nodded and replied simply, "Yes."

Miss De Boer asked again, "What is she doing here? Did Miss Mallard invite her? I heard that Miss Mallard seemed to be on good terms with Mrs. Wickham when she came to Hertfordshire. But I must say that Miss Ladd is a little too assertive for that."

"Not by Lois."

"Then how could she come? You couldn't have invited Mr. Pete, could you? I don't think your taste would invite such a guest as Mrs. Wickham." Miss De Boer insisted.

"Unfortunately, Anne, Mrs. Wickham came here just at the invitation of the owner here." Mr. Pitt replied indifferently. Now he doesn't like hearing Miss De Boer's unrestrained belittling of Lydia, "and Now being entertained upstairs by my father."

"God! That woman?!" Miss De Boer exclaimed, "How is this possible!"

Mr. Pete raised his eyebrows, "Anne, are you going to question my father's taste after questioning my taste? If that's the case, then I'm afraid I have to do something rude to maintain the dignity of the Earl of Chatham. "

"Oh, no, Mr. Pete, you misunderstood. I have always respected His Excellency the Earl of Chatham, and I would never do anything disrespectful to offend him." Miss De Boer knew she had made a mistake, and her face flushed There was a burst of whiteness.

"That's the best." Mr. Pete bowed slightly, "Forgive me, I have something to do, excuse me."

Miss De Boer was so angry that she twisted the folding fan in her hand when she saw him walking away, her chest heaved and she kept cursing in her heart: This cunning woman actually sneaked into the Earl of Chatham up! ! !

"Annie, what are you doing? Why is your face so ugly? Who made you unhappy? Or are you feeling unwell?" The door of the living room opened, and Mrs. de Boer came over with a burst of laughter from inside, and took a closer look. Seeing her daughter asked with concern.

"Mom, I seem to have been cheated by a cunning and vicious woman! I'm so mad!" Miss De Boer's cheeks were flushed, and tears were about to burst out of anger.

Mrs. de Boer was surprised, "Honey, what are you talking about?"

"Mom, remember when I first arrived in London last summer and told you that I didn't like Mr. Pete?"

"Of course I remember, you are so self-willed that I am almost dying of worry, and I will not say why." Mrs. de Boer replied in a low voice, her eyes suddenly widened, "Are you talking about this? Someone tricked you into giving up George... Mr Pete?"

Miss De Boer gritted her teeth and nodded.

Mrs. de Boer covered her mouth and let out a low voice, "Oh my God! My Anne, how can you believe other people's words so easily, you silly girl!" Looking around, she pulled her daughter over, "You can't give me the way you are now. If people see it, they will be rude, so go back to my room and tell me."

======

Mr. Pitt found his father's servant Robert in the stable behind the house. After an hour of detailed questioning, Mr. Pitt finally figured out the cause and effect of the matter.

After finding out, I couldn't help but marvel at how energetic Lydia was, and she even went to paint at the place where her father used to walk, which was three or four miles away from Longbourne!

"Robert, are you sure this is a mere coincidence? Dad went out for a walk and happened to see Mrs. Wickham drawing on the hillside. The content of the painting aroused his interest, so the two chatted. After a few days The first meeting was also because Dad is used to going there for a walk, and Mrs. Wickham's painting is not finished and needs to go every day?" Mr. Pitt asked.

Robert has been serving the Earl of Chatham for many years, and he is a cautious person by nature. He is not the most sure about this matter, so he refuses to say so absolutely, "It's hard to say, Master George, the first time they met probably It's really a coincidence, and the subsequent encounters cannot be attributed to coincidence. I think there may be deliberate elements in it. On the surface, it seems that they are talking about painting together, and they talk very speculatively. But later... "Robert wanted to say that the friendship was obviously different later, and the young lady specially sent a very unique gift to His Excellency the Earl, but he swallowed the words after thinking about it.

"What happened after that?"

"It's nothing, I mean, didn't His Excellency the Earl invite someone here later?"

Mr. Peter pursed his lips tightly, thought for a while and suddenly asked, "You know that Mrs. Palmer was my father's previous lover. How old is she?"

"This...about 23 or [-] years old."

Mr. Pitt walked back and forth, as if talking to himself, "Fortunately, Mrs. Wickham is only too young to..."

Robert smiled honestly, "Master George, what you said is unreasonable. Men don't look for lovers according to their age. They all like young and beautiful ladies from the age of 80. Besides, your father takes such good care of you." Well, he still looks outstanding and personable, and he is qualified to find a woman of any age."

Mr. Pete looked at him very troubled, "I don't think Dad has any interest in this area recently."

At the same time, upstairs in Netherfield, Mr. Pitt's father had time to chat with Lydia after showing several of his beloved works, "Mrs. Wickham, you offended George ?"

Lydia felt a little guilty, and smiled dryly, "Probably not."

"No?" The Earl of Chatham teased, "That's strange. When I asked Lois to invite you this afternoon, I asked him if he knew you. A money-obsessed woman who is very obsessed with making money."

The corners of Lydia's mouth drooped, she couldn't accuse old Mr. Pete's son of being immoral in person, so she could only complain in her heart: This cheapskate who deliberately takes revenge and destroys other people's image at will!