[Pride and Prejudice] Dear Lydia

Thirty thousand pounds is a very considerable amount. Calculated according to the current interest rate, even if the thirty thousand pounds are put there and do nothing, the annual interest will be about fifteen hundred pounds, which is enough for a decent family to live for a year. Spent.

From the rent of a comfortable manor, to the clothes and pockets of the ladies, and the servants' carriage, everything can be covered.

Baroness Moran's beautiful face was full of impatience and anger, "I finally found a buyer for George who can take over, and the two parties will be able to trade immediately, but I gave up because of your few words, Mrs. Wickham , What exactly do you want to do? What benefits can you gain by doing this besides causing George to suffer huge financial losses?"

Lydia felt that the Baroness's attitude towards her was getting worse and worse, and she was no longer as amiable as when she first met, so she also became serious to her, and said solemnly, "You misunderstood, Baroness, I don't deny that I advised Mr. Pitt not to The eagerness to change the gold mining business is due to the consideration of my own part of the profit, but I never mean to drag him down. The friendship between me and Mr. Pete may not last as long as that between you and him, but I can guarantee it It's as loyal as it gets!

"Friendship?" the baroness could hardly contain a sneer, but she refrained herself from it, and said only, "Can you explain to me why you stopped George from selling a business that was about to lose money?"

Lydia nuzzled at Miss Mallard who was sitting alone in the corner, "Lois said that the French businessman was taking advantage of the fire and lowered the price too low! You know, Lois is a very intelligent person, for Mathematics, plants, financial management and other subjects have been studied, and what she said generally makes sense. Lois said that our army may not give up such an important place as Cape Town. It is better to be patient if it is sold to French businessmen at a low price Wait - bet the king's army has a good chance of driving the French away again!"

The baroness couldn't believe it, "Gambling! What does Miss Mallard think of this, playing cards with the neighbors after tea to catch the lottery?"

Lydia laughed dryly, "I-I can't say it, but if you ask me to say that the Frenchman is really too black-hearted, the price he offered is ridiculously low, and Mr. Peter will still suffer a big loss if he transfers the business to him, so I supports Lowes' point of view."

A trace of panic flashed across the Baroness's face, and she concealed an exaggerated surprised expression, "How can you think like that! Mrs. Wickham, I'm not saying that you only care about your immediate interests in such a big matter. Really need it."

Lydia sighed, "You're right. After all, Lois and I are not businessmen, so it's inevitable that we didn't think carefully, but why do I think Mr. Pete changed his mind because of his dissatisfaction in this regard? Woolen cloth."

The baroness only said vaguely, "He must have been influenced by someone," and hurried away.

Lydia went to say hello to Mrs. De Boer, and Mrs. De Boer praised Lydia to Mrs. White and Miss White next to her with a stiff smile.Said she was well-bred, a fine lady with great insight, and the de Boer family was proud to have such a wonderful friend.

Mrs. White and Ms. White had never heard Mrs. de Boer, who had such a high opinion of herself, praised a person without good property and status like this. They stared at each other, almost unable to conceal their surprise.

In order to live up to Mrs. de Boer's praise of her 'hard work', Lydia showed an elegant smile, "Mrs. de Boer praised me too much, what a shame."

"Oh! Don't be humble, my dear, you deserve it!" Mrs. de Boer turned her head and almost gave her a stare.

Lydia smiled and looked away, thinking that it would be a good pastime to watch Mrs. de Boer change her face from time to time.

After exchanging pleasantries with a few acquaintances, Lydia sat down beside Miss Mallard.

Miss Mallard spoke first, "Congratulations, Lydia, I heard Mrs. de Boer praise you everywhere very faithfully, with her great assistance, you will soon have a good reputation in this circle of ladies. Fame."

"Are you kidding me, Lois, I know you don't value these things, but I can't help most people do. And Mrs. de Boer's remarks are precisely the most vulnerable to those who don't know the truth. Since she maliciously damaged my reputation first, shouldn't it be right for her to make up for it now?"

"That's true."

"Let's not talk about this, I have other things, Lois, tell me again, why do you think that the French businessman was introduced by the Baroness Moran, so it will be unreliable."

Miss Mallard blinked and asked back, "Why do you remember to ask me this again? Didn't you disagree when I said that last time?"

"Because I think the Baroness's behavior just now is a bit strange." Lydia rubbed her chin and thought, "It's understandable that she cares about your cousin, but her attitude just now was too unnatural. I always feel that there is something wrong."

"That's right," Miss Mallard replied with a frown. "I think that's mostly out of intuition, but a small part is also based on her character and behavior. This is how I analyze..."

======

After dinner, Mr. Wickham graciously sent Lydia and Miss Mallard back to Hill Street, and did not leave when they arrived. Miss Mallard followed him in as soon as he invited him, and asked Lydia with a smile, " Dear, I remember that there is a room reserved for me here, I wonder if I can disturb you for a night today?"

"Of course." Lydia guessed that he would want to ask about the mother and daughter of De Boer, nodded and agreed, "As long as you are willing to tell me and Lois about the peasant woman when you were on Isle of Exhibi. The local legends told, those stories are really interesting.”

Wickham laughed heartily, "No problem," raised his eyebrows playfully, "Ladies and gentlemen, I will now treat you as little Emma from Aunt Gardner's family, who pesters me every time she sees me. I tell her stories."

Miss Mallard pursed her lips and smiled, knowing that she was not a good person in the standard sense, but seeing Mr. Wickham's handsome and pleasing appearance, she really couldn't hate him, thinking that Lydia might look young, but He is really a very assertive and persevering person. It is really not easy to make up his mind to draw a line with such a lovely husband.

At breakfast the next day, an unexpected guest came to the house——Mr. Darcy.

Lydia hurriedly got up to greet Mr. Darcy who was brought into the breakfast room by the servant, "Have you had breakfast? Would you like to sit down and have breakfast with us?"

Mr. Darcy seemed in a bit of a hurry, "No, thank you." Seeing that Mr. Wickham was also present in a blink of an eye, his face froze for a moment, and then he reluctantly nodded, "Excuse me."

Wickham was about to return to the team and report back to the ship. Today he planned to go back to pack his things early in the morning, so he planned to leave after breakfast. He didn't expect to meet Mr. Darcy before leaving.

Although both he and Mr. Darcy are now married to the daughters of the Bennett family and have become brothers-in-law, the relationship that was fraught in the early years still cannot be restored, and the meeting is only embarrassing, so they generally avoid seeing each other deliberately, so Mr. Wickham immediately He stood up and said that he had finished his breakfast, and he was about to rush to Dante to pack his things.

Lydia let him do as he pleases, and Miss Mallard politely got up and saw him off, as a thank you for Mr. Wickham's lifelike description of a sea scene last night.

After Mr. Wickham left, Mr. Darcy asked Lydia, "I heard Baroness Moran say that you participated in an investment by Mr. George Pitt last night. What's going on?" The question I asked was too blunt and abrupt, so I paused and explained, "I thought about it carefully, and decided to ask you, Lydia, I hope you don't think I'm an annoying brother-in-law who cares about everything, since You are Elizabeth's younger sister, so I can't pretend not to hear about such a big money matter!"

Of course, Lydia can't blame him for being troublesome, she can only blame the baroness for being so negligent last night, the voice was so loud that Mr. Darcy could have heard it, after thinking about it, she guessed that maybe the baroness did it on purpose and wanted to give it to her. Relatives heard it.

If that was the case, Lydia would not have much to say.

She carefully explained the whole story to Mr. Darcy, and finally said, "The Baroness Moran and Mr. Pitt are good friends. She was probably worried about him at the time, and she was a little excited, so she exaggerated. With such a thing, Mr. Peter decided not to resell the business, and wanted to wait until later, how could I influence other people’s huge transaction of tens of thousands of pounds!"

Mr. Darcy nodded, his face relaxed, "I'm relieved when you say that. I thought the baroness's words were too strange last night. It's incredible to attribute such a big event to you. But I think Baroness Moran is not as simple as it seems on the surface. You'd better not get involved in things involving her. Since she attaches so much importance to the gold mining business, I suggest that you don't wait and see with Mr. Pete, and withdraw the funds as soon as possible. Come for good."

"Why?" Lydia asked.

"I bumped into Baroness Moran at Mr. Morris's place a few days ago, and I asked Morris what she was doing—" Mr. Darcy said after a moment of pondering, "It's not convenient for me to say more about this matter. I and Mrs. Mr. Morris was a former classmate and had a good personal relationship, so he answered my question. I can only tell you that from what I have heard, I am afraid that the Baroness's friendship with that gentleman is not as good as it seems on the surface. sincere."

Lydia and Miss Mallard looked at each other, and both saw vigilance in each other's eyes.

======

Mr. Wickham was very happy when he heard the news that the Deborah mother and daughter, whom he hated since childhood, had suffered from Lydia's misfortune. This good mood lasted all night until he accidentally saw Mr. Darcy the next morning. .

He and Mr. Darcy had nothing to say, but took his leave at once, and hurried out of the Hill Street house, while Mr. Wickham decided to take advantage of the fine weather to go for a walk.

After walking a few streets in one breath, Mr. Wickham found that he had left his pocket watch in the bedroom. Fortunately, he has always been good-tempered and not easy to get angry. After such a malfunction, he can shrug his shoulders and smile, and then go back the same way to fetch.

It took more than half an hour to walk back to Hill Street. After knocking on the door, I found that Lydia and Miss Mallard were still talking with Mr. Darcy behind closed doors. Just help him go upstairs and take off the missing pocket watch, and he will leave immediately.

A young maid trotted up the stairs with great gallantry to fetch a pocket watch for Mr. Wickham.

Mr. Wickham gave her a charming smile that almost dazzled her eyes. After taking the pocket watch, he turned and went out. As soon as he reached the gate, he saw a very decent gentleman coming in. The servant who opened the door knew him. Greet politely, "Good morning, Mr. Pete."

Mr. Pitt stared at Wickham. "Is that you? What's the matter with you coming so early?"

Mr. Wickham was baffled by the question, but Mr. Wickham thought it was an inevitable phenomenon that noble people would often be arrogant and disrespectful. Touching the brim of his hat, he answered the other party's strange question patiently, "Good morning, Mr. Pete, I didn't come here early in the morning. I stayed here last night and I'm about to leave now."