I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

After Pei Xiang and Theodore entered the study, they didn't watch the starfish and the beautifully textured stones for the first time, but directly talked about the business.

"Adele, here is a letter from Charles to you, which was sent to me this morning."

Hearing that there was a letter of his own, Pei Xiang hummed lightly, his brows calm.Theodore also looked as usual, not surprised and disgusted by the private correspondence between an unmarried lady and a man.

Theodore took out a scrawled letter from several documents and handed it to Pei Xiang.

Charles who wrote the letter was the eldest son of the Earl of Walpole, and Pei Xiang used the identity of Dr. Peter as an intermediary to establish a cooperative relationship with the other party.

Later, when Theodore Grant entered university, he also took aim at the relationship network behind Charles Walpole, and consciously approached the eldest son of the earl. By coincidence, he investigated the secrets of Charles and Pei Xiang partnership.

Pei Xiang sat down on the soft armchair by the window, and looked down at the contents of the letter paper.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone obliquely on her body, half bright as if covered with a golden veil, and half dim as if blending into the wind.Theodore stared at this scene silently, slowly suppressing the continuous and real longing in his heart.

—Wait a little longer...

He followed her, looked up at her, knowing that she would not take the initiative to land in his arms, so he flew high, hoping that she would notice him.

"Sure enough, as we expected," Pei Xiang put down the letter, raised his eyes and smiled slightly, "Theodore, Charles said that Albert has changed his position in secret, and the next round of parliamentary discussion votes, he is about to abandon his promise to promote him." Lord Walpole."

Theodore did not read the letter beforehand.

He only read the beginning, and when he realized that it was a letter from Charles Walpole to Pei Xiang, he looked away.Therefore, when he heard Pei Xiang's words, he showed a slightly surprised expression.

"It was Albert who turned against him? This is really unexpected, Adele, is Charles' news accurate? I can't think of a reason for Albert to betray the Earl."

"Charles said that on the third day after we left London, Albert and the Marquis of Eugenes met in secret, and after that, Albert's eldest daughter met with the Marquis of Eugenes. At that time, the Marquis of Eugenes The private secretary and the solicitor were present with all their seals."

Theodore reacted immediately: "Alberd is going to marry his daughter to Eugenes? They have already drawn up a prenuptial agreement?"

"Yes. Not only that, according to my inference, as long as Albert's daughter gives birth to Eugenes' eldest son, the Albert family will get back from the Marquis Eugenes the previous generation of Albert's family. large estate, thereby restoring the Alberts' influence in the county."

"It turns out that the land is in the hands of the Marquis Eugenes." Theodore was stunned.

Pei Xiang lowered his eyes and said softly:

"This is a clue that Mr. Peter discovered by accident. After I learned the news from him, I reminded Charles to pay attention to Albert's movements. Fortunately, we didn't waste our energy in vain."

Theodore never asked about the real relationship between Pei Xiang and Mr. Peter, as long as he knew that the old French man with excellent medical skills would not hurt Pei Xiang.

So, he continued to ask: "Adele, now that the hidden danger has been identified, what shall we do next?"

"Are you willing to turn the tide?" Pei Xiang asked Theodore with a smile, resting his chin on one hand.

"Me? Since Charles has learned the inside story, he must inform the earl..."

Having said that, Theodore paused, and then reacted:

"Adele, you made a deal with Charles? You asked him to keep silent for the time being, and let me expose the matter. The purpose is to... let me gain more foothold capital in the Earl's camp?"

Pei Xiang nodded: "I would like to help you, Theodore. Mrs. Grant has taken care of me for many years, and you have always cared for me. Therefore, I hope that you and your mother can achieve what you want."

Theodore smiled brightly, and accepted Pei Xiang's help without much hesitation.

"Thank you, Sister Adele, I will not waste this opportunity."

Pei Xiang was a little surprised that he accepted it so happily.

Theodore noticed the slight change in Pei Xiang's expression, and a slight sense of loss flashed across his eyes.

He knelt down on one knee like a knight in front of her, held a pair of plain white catkins, and sighed softly:

"Sister Adele, do you think I'm William? He's too arrogant to see what's really important, but I grew up under your protection and influence, so I'm always clearer than him."

Pei Xiang sat on the chair, lowered his eyelashes slightly, and his eyes happened to meet Theodore's blue eyes.

Her heart moved, and she wondered about the situation, so... the little guy from the past has grown so tall.

Seeing that Pei Xiang didn't speak, Theodore explained slowly:

"I don't think that accepting your help will damage the dignity of a gentleman, and I don't think that you are giving me benefits because you intend to distance yourself from me. I know that sister Adele has clear grievances and grievances, and she never treats her as a protected person." On the contrary, you would want to be the one with protective power. If so, why should I go against Sister Adele's wishes, push you away, and disappoint your kindness and planning?"

"I know, Theodore, I still know your character, so I tell the truth directly, not in a way that you can't perceive."

"Then why should you be surprised?"

"I was surprised just now because I thought you would care about it first. What benefits did I use to seal Charles' mouth? Well, and, I probably would have declined, or weighed whether it was worth it for me to do so. Of course , I am also a little worried, if you are as proud as you, will you feel that my actions are underestimating your ability, I have prepared an explanation, but you have given me no chance to say it."

Theodore's brows and eyes were curved, and his smile was pure and natural:

"Sister Adele, since you made the decision, of course I have to trust you, and I don't think I can do better than you with my current ability.

"Besides, when it comes to pride, I am like other well-born young gentlemen. I have more or less bad temper and arrogance. If other women arrange my future without authorization today Career, I do find it very unpleasant, because it makes me feel a sense of shame that the territory has been invaded.

"But, you are sister Adele. We grew up together. Let me accept your protection and love, which is as natural and necessary as drinking water, and will continue to be like this. Adele, I will not It would be silly to push you away and question the importance of certain relationships when you're older, with more options and so-called responsibilities."

——Under your protection, I will grow up quickly, and after that, I can protect you in turn.

Pei Xiang could hear that this confession was Theodore's sincerity.Of course she was happy that someone could trust her from the beginning to the end. However, she thought about Theodore's remarks again, and she always felt that this guy was connoting someone.

"Theodore, if it's not my illusion, are you mocking your brother William Grant?"

Theodore blinked, and there was a flash of light in his eyes. Then, he nodded without embarrassment at all, and admitted frankly:

"Yes, Adele, you are so clever that you recognized it at once."

Pei Xiang wanted to say that there was no need to put William Grant in the position of being ridiculed.

It's not wrong to like someone, and it's normal to have trade-offs in your heart. Besides, he never affected her life because of his mood. Instead, he has always been polite, gentle and thoughtful. He really shouldn't be blamed by Theodore like this.

But Theodore seemed to realize that she was going to say something nice to William, so he got up suddenly and pulled Pei Xiang up from the chair by the way.

"Adele, I'm not sure about some investment matters, can you help me with the details?"

"Theodore..."

"Huh? Adele, do you want to see starfish and beautiful stones? I found and selected them myself, and you will definitely like them."

"Theodore, don't change the subject."

Theodore snorted unhappily:

"Adele, I know what you think, but I don't think William has not affected your life. Isn't that why Mrs. Bleman treated you coldly a few times? That Jane Fairfax It's true that she plays the piano well, but compared with you, the music blind can tell the difference, but Mrs. Bleman just praised her and didn't mention you. At that time, William didn't stand up for her. say something."

"How can he speak for me? Belittling Miss Fairfax? That lady's situation is not good, and her future is even more uncertain. It would be even worse if she was rejected by a viscount heir for no reason. Besides , Didn’t Norton speak for me? He also played the piano to accompany me.”

Theodore paused for a moment when sorting out the materials, and he turned around slightly, leaving Pei Xiang with a perfect profile:

"Norton is indeed very popular among ladies. I heard that he has rescued several ladies, and he has also acted heroically to save beauties."

These words made Pei Xiang frown slightly.

"Has Norton courted any lady before?"

"I don't know, but I think he pays too much attention to Miss Van Lair. Adele, you are Miss Van Lair's friend, have you noticed this? Or am I wrong in my observation? You know, I don't go to dances very often, I'm not very sensitive to the subtleties between men and women, and I'm not as good at reading words as Norton."

Pei Xiang hesitated for a moment, because the two parties hadn't expressed their intentions to each other, so she could only comment conservatively at this time:

"If Norton and Alice are attracted to each other, they are very well matched, and the marriage will be blessed by all. Of course, the premise is that Norton is a dedicated gentleman."

After listening to Pei Xiang's answer, Theodore turned around in a timely manner, and put several investment materials he had sorted out a long time ago into Pei Xiang's hands:

"Norton and Miss Van Laer are indeed a good match. It would be nice if they could be together. At least, Mrs. Bleiman, who is picky, will be satisfied. I heard from William that the reason why Mrs. Bleiman has so much energy to intervene in us It has something to do with Mr. Bleiman's frequent absence from home. Therefore, Norton has always been disgusted with certain immoral relationships, and he should take marriage seriously."

Pei Xiang nodded, and his attention was shifted to the information in his hand...

Theodore on the side looked at Pei Xiang tenderly, and crossed Norton Bleiman's name in his heart.

——Sure enough, the scene I saw just now was a misunderstanding. Judging from what Adele meant, Norton should like Miss Van Laer.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room to pass the time.

Alice van Laier sat in front of the piano and sang while playing. When the second song was sung, Norton got up and performed a duet with Alice.When Pei Xiang stepped forward to perform, Norton handed the violin to William who was standing on the side.

Pei Xiang sat in front of the piano and nodded and smiled at William, then concentrated on playing.

From the audience, Mrs. Colonel Campbell whispered:

"What a good match! I've been waiting for good news about them. Unfortunately, young people nowadays are not in a hurry. Mrs. Grant, do you know when William will show his heart to Adele?"

Mrs. Grant has had a lot of contact with Pei Xiang and understands her better. Knowing that some things are not what they seem on the surface, she shook her head at Mrs. Campbell and said in a low voice:

"It's really too early for you to say this now. According to my analysis, Adele doesn't have a sweetheart at the moment. She's a bit slow in this aspect, and she's focused on talent, but doesn't pay much attention to lifelong events."

Mrs. Campbell gave a startled look.

"You mean...it's really incomprehensible. How could Adele not be tempted? She is an heir to a viscount, with good appearance, character, personality and knowledge... Mrs. Grant, are you observing wrong?

"You know, young girls occasionally deliberately hide their true intentions because of shyness and reserve. Often the more they admire, the more they have to pretend that nothing happened. We all came from our youth, of course we can understand those cute careful thinking."

Mrs. Grant laughed and said nothing.

She didn't quite agree with Mrs. Campbell's conjecture. However, the emotional changes among young people are not static, and no one can say what will happen tomorrow.Therefore, she did not continue to insist on her point of view.

Mrs. Bleiman, who heard the sporadic words, frowned. She looked seriously at the young men and women standing and sitting in front of her, just in time to see William Grant's instant tenderness in her eyes.

Mrs. Bleiman thought that she couldn't delay any longer, she had to have a good talk with William.

Pei Xiang only played one piece before leaving his seat in front of the piano.The next young girl to step forward, as agreed, was Jane Fairfax, but she was not in the drawing room.So, her good friend Catherine Campbell took her place.

Pei Xiang felt a little hot, so he left the area where people gathered, and stood by the window to enjoy the breeze.Miss Campbell's fluent piano sound could be heard in her ears, but what she saw in her eyes was the date scene between Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill in the back garden.

After a while, there was the sound of footsteps behind him.Pei Xiang closed the curtains as if nothing had happened, walked to the bookshelf against the wall with a glass of juice, and casually browsed the names on the spine.

"Adele," approached William Grant, "you have eaten very little in the evening, and are you ill?"

Pei Xiang turned around and looked at his black-haired friend with a smile:

"You know, I have a bad reaction to a lot of food, and I often took time off from school because of it. Seafood was included in a few of the dishes tonight, and the others just didn't quite suit my taste, so Just use less."

William was a little worried: "You will feel hungry in the middle of the night."

"It's okay, it's okay to eat less. I met Dr. Peter before. He told me that it's best not to eat too much for dinner."

"Have you met Dr. Peter?"

"Yes, I just met a very kind old gentleman during a trip. He is also French. He was very kind to me and asked about my parents, the Durans and his wife."

"Doctor Peter is very skilled. Didn't you ask him about your diet? Do you want to keep eating like this?"

"I asked, and he explained a little bit, and also said a few methods, but the schedule was too hasty, so I didn't talk about it in detail. In short, we should pay attention, don't be greedy for food and drink, and develop healthy living habits so that we can Get stronger."

William took a look at Pei Xiang's graceful and slender figure, knowing that ladies care about body posture, so he didn't persuade Pei Xiang to eat as much as possible.I just suggested to her to increase the time and frequency of going out for walks, instead of always being bored in the room reading books and practicing the piano.

Pei Xiang readily agreed.

At this time, Mrs. Boleman came to talk to William. After Pei Xiang nodded lightly, he left the bookshelf by the window and returned to the piano.

In the middle of the night, Pei Xiang turned over on the bed, and then turned over again.

Finally, she sat up from the bed while rubbing her belly, ready to sneak out of the bedroom to find something to eat.

——If I knew I would be so hungry, I shouldn’t be picky about other dishes because I’m greedy for shrimp balls and scallops. In fact, those lamb chops and roast beef are also quite delicious...

She pushed open the door in the dark and walked towards the studio, where she hid some dry biscuits and preserved fruits for emergencies.

However, when she passed Theodore's study, she found that the lights were still on, and at the same time, there was a faint smell of food coming out.

"Theodore?" Pei Xiang gently pushed open the half-closed door, and immediately noticed the beautiful young man sitting at the desk reading quietly, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Theodore closed the book in his hand, looked up with a smile:

"Naturally waiting for someone who is hungry."

Pei Xiang closed the door tightly with his backhand, and couldn't help but look at the source of the aroma - three silver plates covered with heat preservation covers and a basket of freshly baked bread.

"What's inside?" Pei Xiang rubbed his belly and sat down expectantly.

"It's the dish that sister Adele has been peeking at at dinner."

"Nonsense, I just took a second look."

Pei Xiang unceremoniously stretched out his hand to uncover the semicircular insulation cover on the silver plate, his eyes sparkled instantly.

On the three exquisitely carved silver plates, pink and white shrimp balls drenched in hot sauce and tender and delicious scallops are piled up into hills, and golden fried fish fillets with lemon juice are arranged in the shape of flowers.

"Theodore, is this your supper?"

"I told Mrs. Marion in the kitchen that I liked these dishes at the dinner party, and asked her to make a new one for me and send it up."

Hearing this, Pei Xiang raised his head reluctantly:

"So... this is supper for the two of us? Want... to share?"

The smile in Theodore's eyes deepened: "I'm full, Sister Adele, I probably won't be able to eat tonight."

Pei Xiang immediately picked up the knife and fork with frowning eyebrows.

——Well, seafood!

——If I had known this, I shouldn’t have lied about being allergic to seafood in order to pretend to be sick. I underestimated the attraction of the blue ocean to me.

——Theodore, cutie, for the sake of your loyalty, I want to treat you better.Want to be Prime Minister?Want a knighthood?Want to make big bucks?Let's work together!