[Pride and Prejudice] Dear Lydia

Lydia hardly danced a lot at the ball, and her time was spent communicating with a few distinguished and prestigious elderly ladies.

With Mr. Pete's personal introduction, plus Mrs. De Boer and Mrs. Walter's good words, everyone has a very good impression of Mrs. Wickham. Even if it is not good, it depends on the face of Mr. Pete and the two ladies I think she looks good, so everyone is kind and polite, and greets her with a smile.

Lady Macedonia and Lady Temple even came over to chat with Lydia separately for 10 minutes afterwards.

Mrs. Bennet gave up her usual sarcasm to brag to Mrs. Lucas about how clever and lovable her sweetest little daughter Lydia was.

On Mrs. Lucas' side, although she has always been very disapproving of the two young daughters of the Bennett family in her heart, she can't help but see the fact before her eyes: several distinguished guests from afar are indifferent to others, except for Wickham. Madam was very fond of her, and went to chat with her one by one, laughing and talking secretly. Even Mrs. Burns, her recent guest who had extraordinary knowledge, showed her rare attention and appreciation for her.

This made Mrs. Lucas deeply puzzled and couldn't help but wonder if there was something special about Lydia. It's just that people like herself lived in the country for a long time and had insufficient vision, so they couldn't see it.

After Lydia and Lady Temple exchanged their views on the latest popular plays in London, "Sworn by Allies" and "Grandmother", they parted politely and with smiles.

Lydia watched Lady Temple swinging her wide skirt and walking towards Mr. Goulding. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the time. Most of the ball had passed, and her task for tonight was almost completed.

"Mrs. Wickham, you are so charming tonight." The tall Mrs. Burns deftly walked around the group of people standing and talking in the hall and came to Lydia.

Lydia felt that this lady who had only known her for a long time seemed to have a good impression of her, and she was very enthusiastic every time they met, so she smiled and replied, "Thank you for your compliment, but I really don't dare to take it seriously. There are only two people from tonight to now. A gentleman asked me to dance."

Mrs. Burns patted her hand affectionately, "That's because you were busy talking to people, and they didn't have a chance to invite you."

It happened that Miss Mallard looked over from a distance and met Lydia's eyes. Lydia nodded to her, indicating that everything was well, and she nodded back.

Mrs. Burns saw it and said with a smile, "I just arrived in Hertfordshire. When I heard that Miss Mallard and you became good friends, I couldn't believe it. Miss Mallard is famous. She has a personality and always likes to be alone. I still remember that Mr. Howard pursued her at that time and wanted to propose to her. He pursued her so closely that she got impatient and hid in the Earl of Chatham's house. She hid for two months. Well, to be honest, we were very optimistic about Mr. Howard at that time, so we felt sorry for her."

"Is there such a thing?" Lydia was immediately aroused, "What kind of person wants to propose to Lois?"

"My feet are a little sore. If you want, we can sit over there and rest for a while." Mrs. Burns suggested, "I can tell you slowly, it was all a few years ago. Speaking of it , I know a lot of interesting things about Mr. Pitt and Miss Mallard in the past, but unfortunately I can only tell you here."

Her proposal came at the right time, and Lydia was thinking of taking it easy at this moment. It would be the best choice to listen to the anecdotes of her friend Miss Mallard in the past, so she happily walked aside with Mrs. Burns to find a Sit down and talk in a comfortable position.

Mrs. Burns is very talkative and speaks well. She vividly describes Miss Mallard's suitor, and Miss Mallard's evasive and somewhat embarrassed state at that time is also described vividly, without offending anyone. , I just feel very interesting.

Lydia listened with gusto, and finally couldn't help laughing, "Mrs. Burns, talking to you is really a pleasure. When you leave, all the families around here will be reluctant to let you go."

Mrs. Burns is tall and has a straightforward personality. After hearing this, she replied generously, "Well, me too. I like to make friends the most. Being with people with similar personalities is a great joy in my life. , I will be very reluctant when I break up with my friends. But it doesn’t matter, I often invite friends back to be guests, and then I am invited to their homes. This way, I can not only travel frequently to meet the market, dear friends We can also get together often.”

"That's a good relationship," Lydia appreciated. "It's a pity that I don't have this condition. I can't make my own decisions and just invite people to my father's house."

"It doesn't matter," Mrs. Burns comforted her understandingly. "You are so cute, naturally many friends will take the initiative to invite you as a guest. To be honest, I want to invite you to go back with me. Just seeing this Mrs. Doug favors you, and I'm afraid it won't be my turn. But speaking of it, I have a small advantage, that is, if you visit my house, you will have the opportunity to visit the beautiful estate of the Earl of Chatham in Somerset, God. Ah, it is the most beautiful and grand estate I have ever seen, with Mole Valley almond trees and the most precious heather."

Lydia smiled, thinking that Mrs. Burns was really smooth and talkative, and she should be so polite to a person like herself who was not worth clinging to. She was about to say a few words of humility when she saw Robert coming to her.

Mrs. Burns immediately stood up, "I saw Mrs. Lucas waving at me, I'll go over and have a look."

After Mrs. Burns left, Robert told Lydia in a low voice that the Earl of Chatham was upstairs in his study, and she would ask her to go up if it was convenient.

Lydia immediately got up and followed Robert up the stairs, feeling a little guilty for no reason that she just now remembered that the Earl of Chatham hadn't shown up all night.

The Earl of Chatham was the focus of everyone wherever he went, and he was the only one who could snub others. His reluctance to show up tonight was purely because he was not interested in the dance downstairs.

There is no one worth his troubles to make friends in this neighborhood, so he lives in seclusion on weekdays and is too lazy to deal with the surrounding residents. Naturally, he is even more reluctant to show his face at the dance. He originally wanted to read a book quietly and then go to bed. The noise in the lower hall was too loud, and it was impossible to go to bed early, so he deliberately asked his young friend to come up and chat.

Not long after Robert was sent down, Lydia came up, and she showed a very gentle smile as soon as she entered the door, "Your Excellency, why are you here by yourself?"

The Earl of Chatham sat behind the large desk, looked up at Lydia and smiled slightly, but smiled and did not answer this question.His face is somewhat backlit, which makes people vaguely see no age from his face, only the delicate facial features can be seen clearly.

Lydia has always thought that he and her son, Mr. Pete, do not look much alike. Looking at it this way, she found that the facial features of the two are actually very similar, but Mr. Pete's face is deep and tough; while his father is more elegant, It is also more beautiful, full of artistic beauty.

After a while of silence, His Excellency the Earl spoke first, "You stand there silent, why are you staring at me?"

"I was wondering what we should talk about now," Lydia said, walking in.When she got along with the Earl of Chatham, she had no selfish thoughts, and she was more innocent than when she was with Mrs. Walter.From Lydia's point of view, although she and the Earl of Chatham are very different in age and status, they get along very well and get along very well, so they will often be together.Therefore, speaking is also straightforward, and whatever comes to mind, as long as it is not offensive, it will be said directly.

"Did you forget that I sent Robert to call you up? Just ask why you are looking for it." Earl Chatham laughed at her looking for trouble on her own.

"Okay, then what is your Excellency the Earl looking for me for? Please feel free to tell me, I am very happy to serve you."

"It's okay." Earl Chatham leaned back in the chair, a little lazily, "I'm just bored sitting at night, and it's too noisy down here, so I can't even take a rest, so I ask you to come up and sit with me."

Lydia looked at the clock on the wall. It was past ten o'clock in the evening, and she couldn't help frowning, "You sit in the study all night and read? It's not good for your health."

"So what," said the Earl of Chatham uninterestedly, "it doesn't make much difference if I am in better or worse health at my age."

Lydia looked at him very disapprovingly, "How can you, a well-educated, versatile person who knows how to enjoy life and is very qualified to enjoy life, say such things! You don't know how to cherish your good conditions!"

The Earl of Chatham was a little surprised, "Are you teaching me? My son doesn't dare to do that either!"

Lydia thought it was because your son wanted to inherit your property, so she didn't dare to offend you. I don't have such concerns, and I don't want to ask you anything.Listen carefully, the dance downstairs is coming to an end, and cheerful Scottish ditties have already begun to be played, so that everyone can dance a cheerful Scottish country dance to refresh themselves, "Your Excellency, get up and move around, a Scottish dance should be a good idea." choose."

His Excellency the Earl was even more surprised, "Madam, are you inviting me to dance?"

Lydia has always felt that Scottish country dance in social occasions is not as intimate as other dances, and it is more like a group aerobics. Get up and move around, so invites are stress-free.

"I know it's a bit unconventional. It's not appropriate for a woman to ask for a dance, but I think life is too boring if you always use these rigid rules to restrain yourself. It feels good to make an exception once in a while when it doesn't hurt," naughty Blinking, "I wonder if Your Excellency the Earl is interested in dancing before going to bed? Let's dance in the study, the space here is big enough."

Earl Chatham put away his surprised expression and stood up, "I really didn't have this interest just now, but now I am." He walked around from behind the table, stood opposite Lydia, and bowed gracefully, "Please Come, Lady Wickham."

The two looked at each other and smiled, both seeing happiness in each other's eyes.

After half an hour.Lydia walked towards the hall with somewhat vacant steps, holding on to the handrail of the stairs to stabilize her figure as much as possible.

Maybe she is the one who should exercise more, this perception is quite shocking.You know, she is the lively and active of the five daughters of the Bennet family, and she almost can't keep up with the Earl of Chatham's dance steps!Of course, there is no lack of the relationship between His Excellency the Earl who was in a good mood to tease her, and suddenly danced a set of gorgeous and complicated dance steps in sync with the beat.

What a waste to dance so well and lose interest in the dance!Lydia shook her head secretly.

Back in the Great Hall, Lydia stayed with her mother and Mrs. Lucas for a while, listening patiently to their talk of how Mrs. Burns was very knowledgeable and popular.It was mainly Mrs. Lucas who was talking, bragging about her distant relatives. Mrs. Bennet was unusually quiet and not as talkative as usual, which gave Mrs. Lucas the opportunity to go on and on.

Lydia also had a good impression of Mrs. Burns, so she was able to rest while listening to it calmly. She thought she could stay like this until the end of the dance. She didn't want her brother-in-law, Mr. Darcy, to come and invite her during the last two dances. .

Mr. Darcy seldom invited anyone to dance, usually only relatives and friends, sometimes it was a matter of politeness, and sometimes it was probably because he had something to say to the other party, so Lydia accepted the invitation immediately even if her legs were weak.

She stood on the dance floor only to realize that Elizabeth was nowhere to be found.

"Lizzie was worried that Jane would be alone at home, so she went back early with Bingley in the middle of the dance," Mr. Darcy explained, "I wanted to talk to you, but I couldn't find you. Where did you go just now?" ?”

"Jane must be very happy." Lydia tilted her head, "Jane and Lizzie have the best relationship among sisters, and sometimes we all envy them."

"The two of them are the closest in age and have similar temperaments. The most important thing is that both of them are stable and rational as older sisters. They will never do anything that is not serious enough to cause trouble for the family. Not only that, they also need to take care of the family together." Darcy The gentleman meant something, but his manner of speaking was kind and not annoying.

Lydia shrugged and admitted with a frank smile, "I know that I caused a lot of trouble at home because of my ignorance. Not only did my parents and sister worry about it, but even your brother-in-law was also troubled by running around, but I am much more cautious now. Don't worry, I promise you won't cause trouble again."

Mr. Darcy nodded, "It's really gratifying to hear you say that. I'm not a rigid and mean person. Of course, I won't always hold on to the past. Let the past go. I actually feel that the present Things are a bit strange, I would like to ask you while I have free time, what happened to my aunt and those ladies? Why do they seem to have made an appointment to come and cheer for you?"

Lydia smiled, and Mr. Darcy was smarter and more careful than his family members, so she simply explained the matter to him.

On the other side, Miss Mallard teased her cousin with a glass of wine, "George, don't you think tonight's dance was not a success? Why did you look so unhappy? It's strange. I just saw that you were fine."

Mr. Pete curled his lips, "I'm not unhappy, Lois, I'm just a little depressed and my movements are a step slower." He finally managed to deal with the long speech of Mr. Goulding and Mr. Steele, and wanted to ask Lydia to dance. During the last dance, I found that someone had already taken the lead.

Miss Mallard covered her mouth and smiled, "It's not that you are slow, it's that those two gentlemen talk too much."