I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

Early the next morning, Pei Xiang asked the servant to deliver the painting and the letter to Darcy's mansion in London. After that, she went out in a carriage without waiting for the other party's reply.

On this day, she went shopping with a viscountess, drank afternoon tea with two wives of professors, attended a dinner hosted by naval officers, and went to a theater with a group of people to watch a performance, waiting for her to return to Bernard It was almost midnight when we arrived at our residence.

"Has Mr. Bernard rested?" Pei Xiang handed the small handbag to the maid and asked casually.

"Miss Wilkes, Mr. Bernard hasn't rested yet. He is currently in his study on the second floor."

Pei Xiang nodded: "Give me a glass of warm water and send it to the study. I'll talk to Mr. Bernard."

"Yes, Miss Wilkes."

After the maid left, Pei Xiang went upstairs carrying her skirt and knocked on the door of Bernard's study.

"You haven't rested yet?"

Bernard nodded casually, never taking his eyes off the document in his hand, and Pei Xiang was not polite, pulled a chair from the window, sat down and began to close his eyes to rest.

She has been running around for a day, met many people, heard many true and false words, her brain has been running at high speed, analyzing everyone's expressions and speech, distinguishing who is really close to whom and who is estranged from whom, so she returns to her residence at this time , is a little more relaxed.

Not long after, the housekeeper personally delivered the warm water that Pei Xiang wanted, and also thoughtfully presented a plate of not-too-sweet snacks and a pot of hot tea.

When Pei Xiang and Bernard were left in the study again, Pei Xiang took a sip of warm water and Bernard finally finished processing the last document of the day.

"Didn't you always insist on not eating at night?"

"I just asked for warm water, and the rest was brought up by the housekeeper, so it should be for you."

Pei Xiang took a sip of water, and her eyes lingered on the fragrant dim sum for a while. In the end, she still turned her head with great willpower, rejecting the temptation of the refreshment goblin.

Bernard pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't eat much at dinner, and he doesn't have much appetite now. However, when he caught a glimpse of Pei Xiang's patient look of wanting to eat but unwilling to eat, he immediately had an appetite.

"Well, it's soft, a little glutinous, and has a strong milky aroma that melts in your mouth. Next time, um, I should remind the cook to put more plum sauce." Bernard commented in a low voice while eating.

Pei Xiang didn't bother to talk to naive ghosts. After she drank the warm water and felt a little more comfortable in her stomach, she began to report to Louis Bernard what she saw and heard today, as well as her own analysis.

When she started to talk about business, Bernard had been chewing and eating slowly, but he didn't miss a word of Pei Xiang, and occasionally raised his hand to signal her to pause, leaving him some time to think , and then nodded to signal Pei Xiang to continue reporting.

The two talked one by one and listened to each other. Pei Xiang's report was not coming to an end until Bernard finished eating and drinking tea.

"Have you spoken to Colonel Lowry's family in the navy?"

"Well, her wife is a very thoughtful lady. We can get along quite well. Colonel Laurie and his wife are well-known loving couples. Getting to know one of them well is equivalent to becoming friends with their family."

"This is really good, it can save me a lot of energy."

Bernard breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned back in the chair relaxedly:

"In England, my background is somewhat sensitive, and I have never been able to get close to the navy circle naturally. I didn't expect that you would open a small gap for me when you went out for a day."

Pei Xiang smiled, and was not proud of being praised by Bernard:

"The communication between ladies sometimes only depends on the position of the family, and sometimes, only temper and words can win each other's favor, without so many complicated ideas.

Of course, it is only limited to the daily communication between ladies. If you want to go further and establish a truly solid bond of interest, you have to get in touch slowly. "

Bernard pondered for a while, and then slowly said: "Old Bernard sent me a letter saying that Bernard's cargo ship was detained by the English Navy. Let me think of a way here to clear up the relationship."

Pei Xiang didn't say anything, she never took the initiative to ask about the Bernard family, but just completed Louis Bernard's personal tasks as required.

Her cooperation with this person began with a reluctant threat. In the first year, she had been passively sabotaging her work and was always ready to get away. After getting rid of the initial trouble, Louise Bernard did not plan to contact her often. The truth is, neither side trusts the other.

But a year later, Pei Xiang found out that in England, on the other side of the ocean, someone was appealing for Doris Gray's case. , actually can no longer extinguish the cooling.

So, she began to seriously think about whether she should give up the current clean life of being rich and peaceful, and do something for those who are willing to treat her kindly.

Even if you can't repay your kindness immediately, you should become stronger so that you have the qualifications to lend a helping hand and resist the crisis.

If something really happened to the people she cared about, she didn't want to feel helpless and regretful because of her own weakness, and could only watch her relatives and friends struggle and suffer. She would rather be a protector who could hold up a big umbrella.

Of course, if possible, she still hoped that there would never be such a rescue opportunity.

Therefore, Pei Xiang began to examine her surroundings, re-plan her life and future, and wanted to find a path of transformation. It was at this time that Pei Xiang began to look at Louise Bernard with new eyes.

——Although this person came uninvited, it wouldn't be all bad to look at him from another angle.

Since then, after many trials and adjustments, the two gradually determined the cooperation model. To be more precise, Pei Xiang became the subordinate of Louis Bernard alone, helping him deal with some problems that could not be tolerated by the Bernard family. What she knew, and the other party gave her back wealth, protection, and connections that could be put on the bright side.

Pei Xiang doesn't want to be tied to Louis Bernard's chariot for the rest of his life. Bernard also has his own future plans, and sooner or later he will abandon some people and things that represent his past.

Both of them are willing to work hand in hand during this special period of time. After reaching their respective goals, they wave their hands and go to their respective life journeys.

In the study, Louis Bernard did not intend to tell Pei Xiang more inside information as usual, he needed Pei Xiang to support him, cover him and assist him in other matters.

When he came to England this time, he let her get in touch with certain circles. Of course, it had nothing to do with the business of the Bernard family, but related to his personal affairs. Coincidentally, they got together this time.

"We're going to have an invitation from General Elliott before the end of this social season.

I will personally persuade him to make some decisions so that everything will go well for both the Bernard family and my own plans."

Pei Xiang said indifferently: "Colonel Laurie's elder brother is a direct descendant of General Elliott. With his introduction, you will get a chance to meet alone."

"I have always believed in your abilities, Lucy."

After saying this, the two of them stopped communicating tacitly, and today's business discussion has come to an end.

Pei Xiang glanced at the time on the clock and found that it was already midnight, so he didn't delay any longer and got up to leave the study.

"Hey, wait, Lucy, I heard that you sent someone to deliver the painting this morning."

After talking about official business, Bernard has the energy to worry about other people's affairs again.

Pei Xiang yawned sleepily and looked at Bernard lazily.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Your upright Mr. Darcy accepted your gift so grandly? Didn't you refuse? Didn't you return it?"

Pei Xiang squinted at Louis Bernard, whose face was full of trouble, and raised his small jaw:

"Because I didn't tell him the secret in the frame, I just made an excuse and asked him to keep it for me for a while, saying that I would retrieve it when I returned to the United States."

"That's it, so, are you going to tell Fitzwilliam Darcy the truth after you leave? Tsk tsk, you are really thoughtful. Lucy, Lucy, you just missed a great opportunity to test a man. "

"What is the test? It was originally a gift prepared for him. I will try my best to repay him for his sincerity. At present, those two paintings are the most valuable things I can get, so naturally I will give them to Mr. Darcy.

As for what he will do after he gets the painting, whether he will take the opportunity to befriend someone, seek something, or just keep it as a collection, or put it at random, I have no opinion.Naturally, I have no right to interfere with what is sent out. "

Such an explanation made Bernard immediately show a disappointed expression, probably because the provocation was not successful, nor was it regarded as a joke or excitement. The man who was still in good spirits just now suddenly became listless, and he swung his head towards Pei Xiang. He waved his hands and sighed:

"Go and rest. I can't compare your heart. I only know that what I send out is my heart. If the other party doesn't cherish it, they will definitely lose my friendship."

"How can it be regarded as treasure preservation? Is it completely arranged according to your wishes?"

Louise Bernard gave a look of course.

Pei Xiang snorted and said, "You are really domineering. Look, this is the difference between you and me. There will always be irreconcilable contradictions in the details of handling things."

Louis Bernard was not convinced by this evaluation, he looked at Pei Xiang provocatively:

"I don't believe that you can always be so open-minded. If you give a gift to your loved one as a token of love, and the other party handles it at will, you won't have any pimples in your heart."

"Why did we deflect the topic here?" Pei Xiang complained.

"The way friends and lovers get along is of course different. If I really have a loved one, then he is a special case among thousands of people. Naturally, I have another set of criteria.

And, Bernard, what are you alluding to, that I admire Mr. Darcy?Are you too busy recently?Don't meddle in my private affairs all the time. "

Louis Bernard looked meaningfully at Pei Xiang, who had a righteous face, and suddenly smiled playfully, thinking that you should be stubborn.

He recalled the posture and expression of Pei Xiang and Darcy when they sat together, and the atmosphere between the two. Although there was a slight sour regret in his heart, it was more of a strange sense of satisfaction.

Because Louise Bernard finally discovered that in some specific fields, he was more transparent and far-sighted than Pei Xiang, and he was ready to laugh at her for many, many years in the future.

——Of course, if I have been single, I will never take the initiative to help this proud woman get married.

—let her preserve her pure friendship of England as much as she pleases!

——Heh, who made me a mean and domineering French man?

Seeing that Louis Bernard finally stopped talking nonsense, Pei Xiang said goodnight perfunctorily to him, and then went to rest without looking back.

The next morning, she got up a little later than usual. When she went downstairs to eat breakfast, the butler told him that Mr. Bernard stayed up in the study last night and left on horseback in the early morning, returning it to Pei Xiang A note was left.

"I'm going to leave London for three days. If you are in a hurry, you can contact Bill the tailor on Mathers Street. He can provide you with the necessary help. Don't forget."

After reading the contents of the note, Pei Xiang slowly took a sip of coffee, thinking about the arrangements for the day.

——I'm going to watch the horse race in a while. In the evening, it's the Mrs. Mrs. Laurie's salon. Mrs. Laurie will also be there. She and Mrs. Donalede don't get along very well...

——Ms. Ingram will also come, and their business in America depends on the Bernard family, so she is here for me.

Although Louis Bernard temporarily left London, Pei Xiang still has to keep busy.

This busy period spans from the London social season in June to Christmas in December.

On this day, Bernard came back from outside and handed a beautiful invitation to Pei Xiang.

"Here, Bingley's has a banquet and invites us to have dinner together."

Pei Xiang opened the post and looked at the specific time and place of the banquet: "No problem, I have no arrangements for the day after tomorrow, what about you?"

"I'm fine. It's the end of the year. I should give myself a few days off. Besides, it's very easy to communicate with the Bentley family. There are no specific interests involved. We should be able to spend a pleasant evening."

Pei Xiang nodded. She hadn't seen the Bingley family for a long time.

Recently, she has been dealing with the families of the generals in the army, or else attending some very literary salons to create a harmless image for Louis Bernard who is keen to invest in artists.

"I heard that after the social season, the Bingleys and Mr. Darcy went to the country. It seems that they rented a manor called Netherfield and enjoyed some leisure life in the country."

Bernard was quite envious of these rich kids who had free time, so he told Pei Xiangduo a few words about the news he had heard.

Suddenly hearing the name Netherfield, Pei Xiang was taken aback. She thought it sounded familiar, and then immediately realized that it was the name of the manor that Mr. Bingley rented in the original book?

— Netherfield, Longborn, and Bennett...

——It turns out that this time has come, and the story has already begun.

—So, they already know the Bennet family in Longbourne... This December should be the time when Mr. Bingley left Netherfield without saying goodbye, and returned to London?

Pei Xiang rubbed the invitation card in her hand, and suddenly felt as if she had passed away. Four or five years ago, she deceived Mr. Darcy by relying on the familiar plot, and successfully escaped from Grove Manor. By the way, she gave that George Wickham Tom took eye drops.

Now, as time slips by, she fled from England to the United States and came back with a different identity, but the story really unfolded while she was busy.

—With my earlier intervention, would Wickham join the regiment and appear near Longborn?

——If he hadn't appeared beside Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and he hadn't kept saying bad things about Mr. Darcy, wouldn't wise Elizabeth have such a deep prejudice against Mr. Darcy?

——Of course, if Mr. Darcy had to intervene in the beautiful marriage of his sister, if Mr. Darcy wanted to kill himself, there would probably be a lot of prejudice.