[Pride and Prejudice] Dear Lydia

Both the Earl of Chatham and Lydia welcomed Mr. Pitt's arrival, but His Excellency the Earl didn't say much in front of the guests. He called his son into the study to inquire about London affairs after having afternoon tea.

Miss Mallard took Lydia into the sitting-room to talk about the nasty rumors she had heard in Meryton that morning.

"Ninety percent of it was done by the Baroness Moran. When George just came back, he told me that the matter of the detention of the two ships had been resolved. The arrest of the cargo ship was caused by the Baroness. It means that George has completely turned against her, and it is not surprising that she would do such a cowardly and despicable act in anger." Miss Mallard said after the two exchanged information they had obtained.

"Not strange?!" Lydia almost cried out, "Lois, what kind of logic is this? It should be very strange! I'm so innocent, why did Mr. Pete and her conflict take revenge on me? , Seeing that I have neither property nor status, am I easy to bully? It’s really unreasonable! It’s too much!"

Miss Mallard patiently analyzed with her, "Let me ask you, what is the purpose of Baroness Moran's sabotage?"

"It's because she has a crush on Mr. Pete, so she wants to empty him in terms of property, and then use her rich assets as a bait to get Mr. Pete to marry her, or even if she doesn't marry her, she must at least be attached to her to a large extent .” Lydia recalled Miss Mallard’s analysis at that time.

"Then now that the Baroness's plan has all come to nothing, who does she hate the most?"

"Of course it was the one who destroyed her plan. The problem is that that person is Mr. Pete himself. I guess the Baroness's feelings for him should be love-hate." Lydia sorted out Miss Mallard's train of thought. "Of course, we also played a role in fueling the flames. We forwarded the news from my brother-in-law, Mr. Darcy, to Mr. Pete, which prompted Mr. Pete to discover the inside story of the matter in time, but such a small detail Baron Madam can also find out? Is she so powerful?!"

"You must not underestimate her," Miss Mallard reminded, "The baroness is very cunning, otherwise she would not dare to touch the overseas business of the Pitt family. She will not dare to mess with Mr. Pitt now. , but it’s okay to vent your anger on you, if you use a little trick, won’t you already feel very uncomfortable?”

Lydia felt a little resentful, "It's very uncomfortable. Anyone who is pointed at by neighbors and friends will not feel comfortable," asked Miss Mallard, "Is there any way? I have been afraid to go out recently."

"There's really no good way to say it," Miss Mallard pondered. "To a certain extent, she didn't spread rumors, she just made some private things known that you don't want others to know. Gossip is such a thing When it hurts people, it is invisible. It mainly depends on whether your psychological quality is strong. If you can see it yourself and don’t pay too much attention to it, then it can actually be said to be harmless to you; but if you can’t think about it, every day Worry about it, and it hurts you more than most diseases."

Lydia had a headache, "Lois, this is simple to say, but almost no one can be so free and easy. We always have to interact with people in our lives, and it is impossible for the attitudes of people around you not to affect you."

"Then we might as well go to London for a while, and come back after the enthusiasm of the people here to tell about your misfortune has died down," suggested Miss Mallard.

"This is also a way, but the cost is too high, and it is so nice to live in the country in summer, with pleasant scenery and comfortable temperature."

"Then find a way to get Mr. Wickham to come back and live with you affectionately for a while, so that all rumors are gone."

"Lois, you are whimsical!" Lydia stared.

"That………"

The two talked and talked, and couldn't think of any good solution for a while, Lydia finally sighed, "Maybe I should ask Mr. Pete for a spiritual compensation, and then live here honestly and endure everyone's troubles every day. Those discussions and sympathetic eyes behind the scenes will probably pass after two or three months."

"Spiritual compensation? You can figure it out! And why are you asking for compensation from my cousin? It's true that you are the one who suffers, but the baroness is the one who did the wrong thing?" Miss Mallard obviously didn't understand the concept of spiritual damage. .

"Because of him, I will be hated by the Baroness."

Mr. Pitt came downstairs after half an hour of fruitful conversation with his father. As soon as he entered the living room, he heard his name mentioned in it. "What are you talking about? I seem to have heard me mentioned."

Lydia waved her hands listlessly, "It's nothing, I'm joking with Lois in my bitterness."

"Having fun while suffering? What troubles have you encountered?" Mr. Pete immediately asked with concern.

Lydia didn't want to relive the unpleasant things again, and stood up, "It's something unpleasant, but I really don't want to say it again, let Lois tell you later, I should go back .”

"I send you."

"Thank you, no need, just now the servant came in and said that my father sent a carriage to pick me up, and he was already waiting outside."

When Miss Mallard had sent Lydia back into the carriage, she gave Mr. Pitt a detailed account of her troubles.

"That's why Lydia is going to be very annoying lately," said Miss Mallard.

"Lois, do you really think Fiona did it? This is too boring!" Mr. Pete rubbed his forehead, "I really don't understand women's minds."

"It's boring, but it's also very effective. It's guaranteed to annoy the person she holds grudges for a long time." Miss Mallard thought for a while, and explained to be on the safe side, "I have no evidence to prove that this is what Baroness Moran did. Yes, but theoretically, there will be no one else but her, so I assume it is her for the time being."

Mr. Pitt walked up and down the room, apparently in a bad mood, and stopped in front of Miss Mallard after a while and said, "I feel guilty for causing Mrs. Wickham to suffer this kind of wrong, Lois, you already have Is there any solution?"

Miss Mallard spread her hands, "Although we discussed it for a long time, we haven't come up with any good ideas yet."

"I have an idea. Since you don't have a good idea, you should follow my idea." Mr. Pete quickly made a decision, "I will hold a dance in Netherfield next week, please invite a few more As long as they show that they have a deep friendship with Mrs. Wickham at the ball, and they value and love her very much, Mrs. Wickham's status and image in the hearts of everyone will naturally be restored. .”

"That's a good idea," Miss Mallard agreed. "People always like to say what others say, and they pay special attention to the opinions of people who are higher than themselves." Suddenly thinking of Mrs. de Boer, she suggested with a smile, "If your godmother still In London, I strongly suggest that you must invite her, she is very suitable for this job, and she will not refuse."

Mr. Peter thought it was funny when Mrs. de Boer was forced to praise Lydia on all occasions a few days ago, "Yes, I must invite her."

At the same time, in the study above Netherfield, Robert was reporting to the Earl of Chatham the gossip he had overheard from the cook that Lady Wickham was now almost at home in Meryton. It is a topic of conversation after dinner, especially a negative teaching material for families with unmarried daughters.

"No wonder, her complexion was so bad early in the morning. It turned out to be because of this kind of thing." Earl Chatham pondered, "It seems that she has offended someone recently. It's so pitiful. I'm afraid I'm in a bad mood when I say that."

Robert bowed and asked, "Your Excellency, do you want me to send someone to help Mrs. Wickham refute the rumors? This kind of matter is easy to solve. You just need to buy a few idlers and let them spread the opposite story."

The Earl of Chatham was silent, and asked after thinking for a while, "Robert, how long have we been out?"

"It's almost two months. I was just about to ask you when you plan to go back, so that I can write to the butler to make him ready to receive you in advance."

The Earl of Chatham tapped the table with the pen in his hand, "I've wanted to go back a long time ago, you know, I don't like to stay outside for a long time. It's just that there is a very lovely person who makes me reluctant to leave."

As expected of being the servant of the Earl of Chatham for many years, Robert had vaguely understood what he meant, and asked, "Then I will write to ask Mrs. Burns to come and ask her to invite Mrs. Wickham and you go back together?"

The Earl of Chatham nodded, "Tell her to move quickly."

Robert promised, "I'll write at once," and asked, "Will Meryton's recent gossip about Mrs. Wickham be of any concern?"

Earl Chatham frowned and smiled, "Forget it, just leave it alone, so that she will be willing to change her environment and accept Mrs. Burns' invitation."