[Pride and Prejudice] Dear Lydia

Miss Bingley was not stupid, and far from being stupid, she was a clever person with some brains.So after Jane and Elizabeth married Bingley and Darcy respectively, she put away her contempt for the Bennett family—at least she put away her contempt for Jane and Elizabeth.

In order to maintain the brother-sister relationship with Mr. Bingley and retain the right to visit the beautiful Pemberley Manor, Miss Bingley also made a friendly gesture first, making up for the previous rudeness to Jane and Elizabeth.

But Miss Bingley couldn't be polite to Lydia, the youngest daughter of the Bennet family, because she really looked down on this woman who was so stupid that she would elope with Mr. Darcy's housekeeper's son—this is a Frivolous and stupid, typical of no brains.

Miss Bingley thought it bad luck and disgrace to be associated with such a person, and therefore she had the deepest contempt for Lydia.

However, recently, such a small person whom Miss Bingley looked down upon from time to time has been reported to be favored by General Walter and his wife, and by Baroness Moran, and even Mr. Pitt treats her differently!

Mr. Pitt is a noble person who even Miss Bingley dare not even think about, and only the superior Miss De Boer dares to try to pursue him!

Miss Bingley did not admit the jealousy and resentment in her heart, she just didn't think it was necessary to indulge such a vulgar and stupid woman in her bones to show off everywhere.

So when this carefree woman, who never understood or could not hear the taunts of others, refuted her sarcasm face to face and made a powerful sarcasm and counterattack, Miss Bingley burst into anger!

She has never been humiliated like this before, how dare Lydia Wickham be so presumptuous!

So after inadvertently catching Lydia's handle, Miss Bingley was ready to teach her a lesson with high spirits!

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Since Jane's figure is already very bloated, she can't see outsiders, so Elizabeth, who came here from Derbyshire to accompany her, would deliberately gather her family to play cards with her every day to relieve boredom. After playing cards, they would have afternoon tea and chat together. The entertainment is about the same.

Miss Bingley came in at the door when the Bennetts had just played cards and were sitting around drinking tea.

"Caroline! You should come earlier, and you can catch up with a round of whist." Mr. Bingley greeted loudly. He was very happy that his sister came to visit Jane. As the husband and elder brother of the two, Mr. Bingley hoped very much The relationship between their aunts and sisters-in-law is harmonious.

It's a pity that things backfired. Miss Bingley didn't come here to promote a harmonious and friendly relationship among relatives. She came here for another purpose.

"It doesn't matter, Charles, you know I'm not very keen on the pastime of playing cards." Miss Bingley sat down. "Compared with the noisy entertainment of playing cards and dancing, I still prefer rational and elegant conversation. I believe Mr. Darcy must agree with my point of view," she said, looking at Mr. Darcy, "you have always been a supporter of reason, self-discipline and elegant taste. We can choose to be with all kinds of cultured, status, and People with knowledge communicate with each other, so as to broaden their horizons and obtain interesting and useful information. When the conversation is with the right person, there will often be unexpected gains.”

Mr. Darcy shrugged his shoulders and said nothing about it.And Elizabeth was too lazy to care about Miss Bingley's still affectionate attitude towards Darcy, and turned her head to ask Jane softly if she would like to eat some freshly baked muffins.

Mrs. Bennet has always been unable to understand Miss Bingley's words, so she can't answer her words, and the others are not interested in answering her words at all.

Mr. Bingley felt a little cold, so he had to pick up what his sister said, and asked casually, "Unexpected harvest? What do you mean? Are you lucky enough to hear other people's life insights and proverbs?"

"No, no, no," Miss Bingley shook her head. "What I mean is that people have a wide range of contacts, and when they have rich sources of information, they will have a clearer understanding of all kinds of things happening around them, and they will not be easily deceived."

This time Mrs. Bennet understood, "That's right, I agree with this statement, just like last time Mrs. Lucas reminded me that the butcher shop in the town wanted to sell a batch of not very fresh beef with good meat, so I told Mrs. Hill, the housekeeper, not to buy beef in those days, but to eat duck and leg of lamb. Wouldn’t this avoid being deceived by unscrupulous businessmen to buy bad beef! Thanks to our close relationship with Mrs. Lucas. "

The corners of Miss Bingley's mouth twitched, "Ma'am, it's a trivial matter to accidentally buy some stale meat, and it's fine not to eat it, but if someone cheats and manipulates property and intends to encroach on the interests of relatives and friends, it will be a big problem. "

"This kind of thing seldom happens!" Mrs. Bennet was not convinced. "If you want me to say, buying bad beef is a big deal in ordinary people's life! You don't know, the last time Mrs. Lang's house was... "

"Mom! We all know that, so we don't need to say it again." Lydia stopped her so that she wouldn't go into the food poisoning incident at Mrs. Lang's house again, and then turned to Miss Bingley and said coldly, "Miss Bingley Let me say that it is indeed a bad thing to be deceived and suffer property losses, but if unfortunately some relatives and friends are bitter in nature, love to sow discord, spread rumors, and mess up the originally harmonious relationship between relatives and neighbors, then That's the real bad luck!"

Miss Bingley seemed to change her face. She was flushed with anger at first, and then turned black after a while. She almost gritted her white teeth, and suddenly raised her voice, "Charles! I still remember that you suddenly came to tell us about your guilt a few days ago. Has Miss Mallard of Thurfield recently made a fortune by investing well?"

Mr. Bingley felt that the atmosphere was not right, and he straightened his back against the back of the chair very vigilantly, "Of course I remember, what are you going to say? Caroline, I suggest that we should not meddle in other people's affairs !"

"If it's about Miss Mallard's affairs, of course I won't interfere!" Miss Bingley sneered. "But it's about the interests of my dear sister-in-law, so I can't turn a blind eye."

Jane and Elizabeth looked over together, "What's the matter, what's the matter?"

Miss Bingley saw that everyone's attention was attracted, even Mr. Bennett gave up his casual expression of watching the show, looked at her with a puzzled face, and smiled triumphantly, "I have a friend in London, Charles, Speaking of which, you also know him, Mr. Rivers who helped me and Louisa manage the accounts. He mentioned that Mr. Eshton recently invested in the gold mine business in Cape Town and made a lot of money. Everyone is talking about it. It is said that Mr. Eshton has the foresight and dares to start, this business is off to a good start, and he will make a fortune in the next few years!"

"Oh?" Mr. Bingley was puzzled. "So Miss Mallard will also make a fortune? Then, what does this have to do with us? Maybe we should congratulate her next time she comes to see Lydia."

"Mr. Rivers happened to see the list of investors from Mr. Eshton. The main investor is a big man. We all know him, the respected Mr. Pete. There are also several small shareholders, except for Miss Mallard. In addition, there was a Mrs. Wickham. Rivers remembered that there was a Wickham among our relatives, so I mentioned this to me. I was very surprised and asked him if he remembered all the details of this Mrs. Wickham. Luckily, Rivers has a good memory, and he told me with certainty that he remembered that the lady’s full name was Lydia Wickham!" Miss Bingley gave Lydia a provocative look, "Miss Mallard and Mrs Wickham have each invested £[-] in the project."

After she finished speaking, everyone looked at each other in disbelief, and finally Mr. Bingley murmured, "It's none of your business, Caroline, maybe it's where Mr. Wickham got his money..." said It is a bit difficult to go on here, because Mr. Wickham is notorious for always having famines.

"As I have already said, I am worried about my sister-in-law Jane," said Miss Bingley righteously. "It is well known that the Wickhams have no property at all, and her investment coincides with Mrs. Rather, there is only one possibility—Mrs. Wickham used the property that now belongs to her mother and will belong to all the sisters of the Bennet family without authorization! After getting a good return, she concealed it and planned to take all of it herself. Profit! That is a long-term deal, and Mr. Rivers said that next year, the next year's profit will be even higher!"

Lydia had never felt that any young lady had such a hideous face as Miss Bingley, and said in a deep voice, "Miss Bingley, please don't talk nonsense when you don't have evidence. Slandering such vicious and despicable things is not your well-educated woman." Educating girls should do what they should do."

"Isn't that the truth? It's useless for you to quibble with embarrassment," Miss Bingley said sharply. Every time she got a few vicious, mean, stupid words from Lydia, she would go crazy. ! "Then Mrs. Bennett, can you show me the evidence of your property movements this year? Is it safe to generate interest there or has it been embezzled?"

Mrs. Bennet was tongue-tied, not understanding how a good afternoon tea time turned into such a gunpowder scene, "My money was indeed bought by Lydia for me last year, but she has returned the principal with interest. Well...the interest rate is really not low... Lydia, my dear, so you also made a fortune with Miss Mallard?... This, this is great, it is your most needy money , But, but you obviously got my money back... Then where did you get the money to invest in another? Could it be Mr. Wickham...?" She became more and more confused, and finally had to stop .

Although she spoke in a mess, everyone could hear the clues from her words.

"Honey, you actually gave all your money to Lydia for investment?" Mr. Bennett said with a rare serious expression, "I thought you were saying that you would entrust it to your brother-in-law, Mr. Phillips, Go buy risk-free bonds with him!"

"Yeah, that's the original plan, but I thought, it's better to give it to my daughter than to let him earn a commission for nothing! Poor Lydia is so short of money. You only need to return the principal to me, and spend the interest on your own, but the honest child has returned all the principal and interest." Mrs. Bennet said distressedly.

Mr. Bennett glared at her, thinking that if you favor your little daughter, you can't just say it in public without any scruples, what will the other daughters think!

After listening for a long time, Jane finally interjected, "Caroline, thank you for your kindness in caring about me, but look, mommy's money has been returned with interest. Doesn't this prove that you misunderstood Lydia, she is useless at all mom The money was invested in Mr. Eshton's allegedly very profitable business."

Miss Bingley was also very surprised. She thought it was a certainty that Lydia would persuade her mother to use the family property privately, but who knew that she had returned the principal with interest, and insisted, "Mr. Rivers saw the investor There was Mrs. Wickham in it, there could be no falsehood, and, to tell the truth, it made me more worried! Where did Mrs. Wickham get such a large sum of money again without telling her family? Except for some very improper I can't think of any other way, if something happens, all relatives and friends will be implicated!"

"If you can't think of other ways, it only proves that you are mentally poor, not that I used the so-called improper means," Lydia said contemptuously, "Miss Bingley, I have no obligation to explain everything to you clearly!"

"Well, Lydia," Mr. Bennet frowned at their confrontation, "don't say a few words, I think Miss Bingley came to our house so impulsively because she cared too much for Jane. , even my sister-in-law is pregnant and needs to rest, I'm afraid Jane will suffer, how touching this kind of sister-in-law's friendship is! We should understand her. "

Miss Bingley's face was stiffened by the irony, and Mr. Bingley also blushed a little for his sister.

"However, Lydia, where did you get that money? I don't think you need to explain it to Miss Bingley, but you should explain it to me and your mother and sisters." Mr. Bennet said sternly. Face went on to say that although she was very dissatisfied with Miss Bingley's behavior, she couldn't help agreeing with Miss Bingley's point of view from the bottom of her heart. It was impossible for Lydia to get such a large sum of money unless she did something improper. Worry brought a rare sternness to his face.

Lydia frowned. Miss Mallard sent someone to London the day before yesterday to send a letter to a friend of hers, asking him to help make a loan document to prove that Lydia had borrowed [-] pounds from him last year, with annual interest It's ten.However, Lydia does not have any real estate to mortgage, and the interest rate of ten is much lower than that of underground usury, so it is necessary to make up a reason to explain how the loan will be closed, because Miss Mallard's friend in London has not yet replied , so Lydia can't talk nonsense now.

He bowed his head and thought for a while before replying, "Dad, I know you are worried about this, but I guarantee that the source of the money is absolutely legitimate. I have already asked someone to send a document that can serve as proof. Please don't worry. I'll be able to explain it to you when I get it, and I reckon that email should arrive tomorrow."

Mr. Bennett asked, "Can't you just talk about it now? We'll look at the certificates after they arrive."

"Father, this is my private matter. I hope I can explain it to you in private tomorrow, so as not to be meddled by someone with a heart to make a fuss." Lydia said and glanced at Miss Bingley, which meant that she didn't want to be in Miss Bingley's eyes. said before.

Mr. Bennet sighed. "Well, tomorrow."

Jane is going to give birth soon, and she has been cautious recently, not daring to be stimulated by fatigue. After listening to the argument between her sister and sister-in-law for a long time, she was really worried and had a headache. She pulled Elizabeth, "Lizzie, can you go upstairs with me, I Feeling a bit tired."

Elizabeth hurriedly supported her arm and stood up, "Okay." The two slowly walked out of the living room under the worried eyes of Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Bingley.

Mrs. Bennet rubbed her hands in worry, "Oh, what happened!"

Mr. Bennett said, "Honey, would you please come to my study in ten minutes, I have something important to talk to you about."

"Okay, okay, but I have to go and see Jane first." Mrs. Bennet was still worried, and hurried upstairs behind Jane and Elizabeth.

Miss Bingley got up and said goodbye under her brother's complaining eyes, because she didn't achieve the expected goal, so she was furious and left angrily.Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy frowned and followed her, as if they wanted to talk to her outside alone.

Mary, who had been silent all this time, also walked out silently behind everyone.

Before going to the study, Mr. Bennet looked at Lydia meaningfully, "Lydia, I hope your explanation tomorrow won't disappoint me, although I'm already a little disappointed—for you to hide from me and you The sisters of your mother used your mother's share of the property without authorization. Whether you are the daughter who needs the money most or not, you are the same as them and can only get a fair share."

"Dad, that money is not lost, its amount has increased!"

"I know, but this is not the reason for you to move it without authorization, Lydia, you should be glad that it has not decreased. I have reason to believe that you have used it to do risky things! If it is really so open to buy You wouldn’t choose to hide it from me in the first place, wouldn’t you? Lydia, I know you’re most short of money, but that’s your own fault, you should bear the consequences yourself, and you can’t do it in a way that damages your sister’s property interests. solve!"

After Mr. Bennet finished speaking, he turned around and strode away. The expression on Lydia's face suddenly became too complicated, and her normally healthy and rosy face suddenly turned pale, which made him feel a little panicked.

What this daughter, who has always been carefree and vain and reckless, can do most is talk and laugh loudly as if no one else is there, and chirp and croak in surprise. The subtle expression of being hurt, which expresses deep emotional changes, is not suitable for her heartless image.

Mr. Bennet shook his head, trying to bring his suddenly emotional state of mind back to reason. This time, Lydia Yahu came. If he really valued his father's attitude towards her, he shouldn't take advantage of Mrs. Bennet's Indulge in doing things she can't do!

Mr. Bingley probably also had an unpleasant conversation with his sister, which ended hastily. After a while, he returned to the living room with Mr. Darcy, and saw Lydia sitting in it with a dull expression.

"Lydia," said Mr. Bingley, feeling guilty about the unhappiness caused by his sister, "I'm sorry, Caroline has too many things to do with her."

"It's natural to take revenge on those who hate you when you get the chance." Lydia replied without looking at him, looking at the empty glass on the table.

"This—" Mr. Bingley was embarrassed.

"Dear brother-in-law, please rest assured that I will not have any prejudice against you because of this, and I sincerely hope that you will not either. You know, if there is a gap between us, it will be very difficult for Jane." Lydia finally looked up To him, "For Jane's health and the upcoming child, at least the two of us must maintain a harmonious and friendly relationship."

"Of course." Bingley replied immediately.

"Lydia, Mrs. Bennet just said that you paid her a lot of interest. May I ask how much is it?" Mr. Darcy asked suddenly.

"The principal is four thousand pounds, and the interest is one thousand pounds."

"Well," Mr. Darcy touched his chin, "it's really tall, so there shouldn't be much to say about this matter. You didn't encroach on the interests of the sisters, but increased their property."

"Thank you for being fair." Lydia smiled listlessly, "But my father doesn't seem to think so."

"From his point of view, dissatisfaction is normal." Mr. Darcy continued impartially.

Lydia stood up. She understood the reasoning, but she couldn't accept it emotionally. "I made an appointment to have dinner with Miss Mallard, and it's time to go now."

Bingley looked at her back and worried, "I hope that the money behind Lydia really came from the right place! Otherwise, Caroline's worry is not unreasonable. Not only Lydia herself will be ruined, but the relatives in the family especially The two sisters who are not yet married will definitely suffer greatly."

Mr. Darcy shrugged, "Bingley, you are taking sides with your sister and justifying her insolence today."

Mr. Bingley was helpless, "Is there any way, Caroline is my sister after all, although I also feel that what happened to her today was wrong, but I still feel distressed to see her so unhappy."

Lydia didn't make an appointment with Miss Mallard, she just found an excuse to get out of the house.Of course, the destination was still Netherfield, otherwise there would be no supper.

After arriving at Netherfield, Lydia still felt in a bad mood, so she took a walk on the beech avenue in front of the door first, so as not to affect Miss Mallard with her depressed mood.

In fact, today’s events were as expected. She and Miss Mallard cooperated with each other. Miss Mallard was responsible for helping her forge a set of paperwork for the loan elsewhere as soon as possible. She was at home to deal with Miss Bingley’s sharp questions.As long as the fake documents are made and an appropriate excuse is found, the matter can be completely resolved.

But halfway through the plan, the feeling is already extremely bad, and the mood is even lowered to the bottom.

When Miss Bingley accused her maliciously, no one in the family spoke for her. Even when Mrs. Bennet had proved that the sisters' common property had not suffered any loss at all, and there were still gains, everyone kept silent. There are still lingering doubts in my heart, and only the most generous Jane said a word of justice.

Lydia sat down on a long wooden chair that could still be exposed to the afterglow of the sun. The summer wind, with the warm and sweet scent of plants, passed through the beech woods and gently brushed her face and gauze skirt.She's wearing a new dress that she just bought from Meryton today, and she shouldn't be sitting around, but what the hell!

Lydia pressed her forehead with her hand, only to feel that there was a sudden jump there.

In fact, except for Miss Bingley, the attitude of everyone else today is beyond reproach, and my father, Mr. Bennett, is also just.

It's just that Lydia still feels uncomfortable in her heart like a big rock has been crushed. Shouldn't family members take care of each other and trust each other?But no one thinks that she should stand up to defend her when she is so rudely accused by Miss Bingley, speak for her, and trust her not to violate her moral conscience and encroach on the interests of her sisters,-perhaps Mrs. Bennet has this Thoughts, but powerless, did not have time to express.

Maybe it's because Lydia's previous image was too bad. I believe that if Jane encounters this kind of thing, Elizabeth will definitely not stand idly by.

Maybe she was a baby when she wore it, grew up with the sisters in this family, and didn't make the childish and stupid mistakes of the past, everyone would treat her differently, and she could have a real sense of belonging!

Although Lydia has always told herself that she passed away in a car accident in her previous life, and that she was able to come here is another life she stole, so try not to think too much about the past, but the habitual thinking and cognitive potential are huge , always pop up from time to time when encountering things that he thinks are unreasonable.

………………

"Mrs. Wickham, why are you sitting here by yourself? Why don't you go in when you're here?"

As soon as Lydia raised her head, the Earl of Chatham, who was already standing in front of her, was startled, bent down to look at her, and even his voice became gentle, "Oh, my dear, what's wrong with you? "

"What's wrong with me?" Lydia touched her face inexplicably, only to find that it was wet, and she was crying because of unknowingly sadness just now.He hurriedly stood up, frantically looking for a handkerchief to wipe, his cheeks were hot, "I, I just thought of something that bothered me, and I felt a little emotional, I'm really sorry."

A silk handkerchief embroidered with exquisite lace was promptly handed over, "Are you sure you are thinking of troubles and not sad things? Maybe you need to find someone to talk to, whether you are planning to go back to Lois or with me Say it."

Lydia took the handkerchief and quickly wiped her face. She was ashamed of her behavior of running out of the manor to wipe her tears, "Actually, it's just some small things at home. You may not like them. I'm embarrassed to tell you about them. , that would be embarrassing."

"I'm sorry. According to your standards, you should have been humiliated." Earl Chatham pointed out with a smile.

"Ah? How?"

"Lois went to Meryton in the afternoon to do some things for me. When he came back, he went to your house to look for you, but he didn't find you. He only saw your sister, Miss Mary. He told Lois, and Lois told me exactly when he came back." The Earl of Chatham replied patiently.

Lydia blushed completely this time. It was really not worth mentioning the little things at home in front of His Excellency the Earl, so she couldn't help complaining softly, "Lois really has nothing to do, why did you even treat this to you?" explain."

"It's because the paperwork she entrusted to the man in London has not been completed, and she couldn't find her cousin George in a hurry, so she came to ask me for help."

"Oh," looking at Earl Chatham's playful eyes, Lydia regretted why she didn't stay at home honestly in the afternoon, so that she wouldn't miss Miss Mallard looking for her, and it would definitely stop her from doing this Something absurd, "I didn't think Lois would bother you, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, but I don't need to, but I will send a letter to London, and they will prepare the documents to send back. It may take several days to come and go. Can you wait?" the Earl of Chatham asked.

"I can't wait," Lydia worried, "There's nothing I can do, let's procrastinate. Even if my family members are not satisfied, the most they can do is to wonder if I have done something improper, and I can't really do it." What to do with me."

"Don't be so troublesome. I'm going to paint in Oliver Valley in the west tomorrow morning. You can stop by to visit your father and tell him that I lent you the money you used for investment."

"This?" Lydia didn't expect that the Earl of Chatham would condescendingly help her do this, she was so surprised that she opened her mouth and couldn't close her mouth, she held back for a long time before saying, "It's such a small matter that you need to go in person, Is it too much fuss?"

The Earl of Chatham patted her, "You know it's a small matter, isn't it just a few thousand pounds? If it doesn't work, I'll give it to you. Why are you crying like this? It looks so pitiful."

Lydia felt that her blushing never went away, and explained, "It's not because of the money, but because of my family's attitude. It's really wrong for me to use my mother's property, but I didn't spend it. I paid back the interest together. Besides, there is nothing I can do about it. Elizabeth and Jane are married very well, so they don’t have to worry about their future life at all. Mary and Kitty also have a lot of opportunities to find a good son-in-law for themselves in my father’s lifetime. , I’m different, I don’t have any hope anymore, I can only rely on my own efforts, for the rest of my life, I don’t have to worry about food and clothing, and I don’t have to look at other people’s faces to live and work hard.” Speaking of this, he tapped himself angrily, “What’s wrong with me? I am talking to you in a long way, thank you so much for your willingness to help, Your Excellency Earl, my gratitude cannot be expressed in words!"

The Earl of Chatham couldn't figure out the relationship between the older sisters in her family, and he wasn't interested in the entanglement of this small property, but he listened patiently, and kept smiling at Lydia's red eyes.As soon as she finished speaking, she bowed slightly charmingly and said, "Please don't take this little matter to heart. It is my honor to serve a lovely and beautiful lady."

"And you're the most personable man I've ever had the pleasure of knowing!" Lydia came up with a witty and flattering reply.

She finally didn't blush now, mainly because she didn't care about it. Instead, she admired in her heart the extraordinary charm of the Earl of Chatham's perfect appearance combined with his haughty and elegant demeanor.

"Okay, it's getting dark, let's go back." His Excellency the Earl bent his arm for Lydia to hold.After walking back a few steps, Lydia realized that Robert was waiting not far away. She couldn't help but be very grateful for Earl Chatham's thoughtfulness. Otherwise, if Robert saw her sitting outside wiping tears, she would be ashamed. You can really find a seam in the ground and drill in.

After dinner, Miss Mallard insisted on sending Lydia back so that she could talk to her about today's events on the way. After communicating with her about their situation, the two expressed their feelings together: Earl Chatham is so kind and helpful this time. !

"You don't know how anxious I was when I received a letter from my friend saying that he couldn't do the certificate I asked for, but George and Mr. Eshton went to the port, and I couldn't find him. I heard about your embarrassing situation at home, so I had to muster up the courage to tell my uncle." Miss Mallard said.

"Oh, Lois, thank you for worrying about me." Lydia stopped complaining about Miss Mallard's nonsense now, and thanked her sincerely.

"Fortunately, Your Excellency the Earl is in a good mood today. As soon as I told him, he agreed to find someone else to help me do it, but I really didn't expect that the surprising thing is yet to come. You are so amazing! My dear, what are you doing?" You can convince him to promise to lie for you himself!" Miss Mallard asked Lydia with a dreamy expression, expressing that she really couldn't understand this.

"Hey!" Lydia was very embarrassed, thinking that I accidentally cried to him, and he probably thought I was quite pitiful, so he proposed this quickly to solve the problem on a whim.

The author has something to say: unexpectedly coded such a long chapter