Pride and Prejudice the Poor Princess

Christmas passed, and the balls at Longborn dwindled.Jane and Elizabeth have to take a walk outside in the cold wind every day, and Netherfield is the only way they must pass.

"Why, hasn't Mr. Bingley come back yet? Didn't he promise you that he would come back as soon as Christmas is over." Mrs. Bennet was very dissatisfied with Bingley's delay.

Jane sat on the sofa in frustration, silently listening to her mother's complaints.

Elizabeth hugged her shoulder silently.

Mary wanted to say something, but finally restrained herself.She felt that her premonition had come true, and it was very likely that Bentley would not come back.Leaving Longbourn, his two sisters would no longer have to maintain their false affection for Jane, and would have done their best to prevent the marriage.The sad thing is that Bingley is a young man with no opinion. As long as others persuade him repeatedly, he can change his mind within three days.

Facts proved Mary's guess.On this day, Jane received a letter from Caroline Bingley, saying that they were not planning to return to Longbourne, and that they would withdraw the lease as soon as the Netherfield lease expired, so that Jane should not be too sad and disappointed.

"I don't believe it, it must not be true!" Elizabeth said, shaking the letter paper.

Jane was pale and said nothing.

"I think Jane should be mentally prepared. What Miss Bingley said is very likely to be true." Mary said calmly.

"Bingley's passionate feelings for Jane can be seen by anyone. How could he be reluctant to come back? Could it be possible that he can completely forget about Jane in a month? That's absolutely impossible! Jane, wait a little longer, These are just Miss Bingley's one-sided remarks, maybe in a few days Bingley will write to you personally to explain all this." Elizabeth said with certainty.

Jane nodded weakly.

Mary rubbed her forehead, not going to say anything more.

The three sisters agreed not to tell Mrs. Bennet about it, lest she nag Jane madly.This will plunge everyone in the Bennett family into a vortex of pain.

After another fortnight, the Gardners were ready to leave, and Mary followed them to London, taking a work she had just embroidered.

"Jane, I think it is very necessary for you to change your environment. You have become more and more silent recently, and this will cause harm to your health. So, go to London with us." Before leaving, Mary repeatedly lobbied.

"No, I want to wait a little longer, lest I miss him on the way." Jane shook her head.

There was a stubborn nature hidden in every Bennett, and Mary had to give it up.

Gray is the main color of London, with indifferent faces of pedestrians in a hurry, rattling luxury carriages, orphans begging everywhere, and the smelly Thames River.This place is quite different from the quiet and peaceful Langborn, but it has a kind of prosperous and atmospheric beauty.

After a few days of touring around London, Mary got used to life here very quickly.

"Honey, I'll trouble you to take care of the store. The salary agreed in advance will not be less than a penny. If the goods are sold, I will give you a commission." Uncle Gardner patted Mary on the shoulder hard.He and his wife were going to Liverpool to get their goods, and they had to leave London for a week or two.

"I don't need salary and commission." Mary declared again.

"Mary, it's our tradition at Gardner to pay for both money and goods. If you want to support yourself in the future, you'd better get used to this kind of 'nicking' now. Consignment embroidery at my store is not a long-term solution You have to make your own plans, which will require a lot of money." Gardner said seriously.

Mary froze, and nodded cautiously after a while.She didn't expect her uncle to think so long for her, he even saw her plan to be single.It's really amazing, the grandmother must have given all the wisdom to the uncle, so the aunt and mother are so 'simple'.

Thinking of this, Mary couldn't help but chuckle.

Uncle Gardner's shop was called 'Gardner', and it occupied an inconspicuous spot in Chipside Street.The bright and bright windows absorbed plenty of light, and the storefront of more than forty square meters was filled with jewelry, top hats and some novel gadgets.

The first few days of business went well, and Mary gradually started to get used to it.

The bell hanging on the door beam rang crisply. Mary looked up from the ledger and smiled, "Good afternoon, gentlemen, what would you like to see?"

Two men came in, well dressed, especially the tall and straight one, whose shiny velvet coat looked extremely expensive at first glance, wearing a pair of black Oxford shoes, the sides of the shoes were like carvings The wing pattern outlines the elegant gentleman's demeanor.

These are two rich men.Mary silently evaluates.

"Hello ma'am, is Mr. Gardner in?" the slightly shorter man asked politely.

"He's gone to Liverpool and won't be back in a week or two," answered Mary truthfully.

"If you have anything to do, please let me know, maybe I can help." She closed the account book, smiled and nodded at the two.

The girl's demeanor was calm and elegant, and her calm and indifferent tone carried convincing magic power. The man looked towards his friend and saw him nodding slightly before taking out a handkerchief from his pocket.

"May I ask if this is sold in your store?" He pushed the handkerchief in front of Mary.

The man next to him fixed Mary with piercing eyes, as if assessing whether she might be lying.

The visitor is not good!Mary sighed in her heart, but with a slight smile on her face, she spread the handkerchief and looked at it, raising her eyebrows in surprise.Isn't this what she embroidered?

"Yes, this is for sale in our store. Do you have any questions?" Mary replied without hesitation.

The tall man was very satisfied with her attitude, and asked in a deep voice, "Ma'am, when I bought this handkerchief, Mr. Gardner assured me that it came from the East..." He stopped talking and looked at the friend beside him .

The man continued to interface, "But obviously, you have deceived us."

Mary's smile remained the same, and the panic that the two men imagined did not appear at all.She asked softly, "It is indeed from the East, I can assure you. Can you tell me why you have such doubts?" guilty conscience.

"Dahlia, I've never seen this kind of pattern on oriental embroidery. They love peony, lotus, pomegranate, crabapple, camellia... but they will never embroider any dahlia!" The short man kept pointing his finger at the counter , looking more and more angry.

"It seems that you have a lot of research on oriental embroidery?" Mary raised her eyebrows and looked at him.

"Yes, I love oriental embroidery!" The short man nodded heavily, thinking that Mary was about to give in.

"So do you know the stitches of oriental embroidery? Let me tell you, this handkerchief uses Shu embroidery in the oriental embroidery. There are 139 stitches in Shu embroidery, and this embroidery combines at least 10 stitches, respectively. It is halo stitches, turning stitches, virtual stitches, buckle stitches, continued stitches, shuttle stitches, pull-out stitches, spreading stitches, flying stitches, rolling stitches, etc., which combine various colors so naturally, creating layers of petals In order to meet the requirements of this gentleman, my uncle’s friend in the ocean company deliberately visited an oriental embroiderer and brought back these works of art that combine the beauty of the East and the West. Unexpectedly, it aroused your suspicion I'm so sorry, we won't do it again next time."

The girl finished speaking eloquently, and then bowed deeply to the two.

The short man was dizzy by her technical terminology, closed his eyes hard, and carefully picked up the handkerchief to look carefully. The more he looked, the more frightened he became, and the angry expression was gradually replaced by guilt.

The tall man raised his eyebrows and looked at him with a very displeased tone, "John, don't tell me that your previous judgment was wrong."

"I'm sorry Earl Sterling, I'm afraid so." John nodded with difficulty.At that time, he made a judgment as soon as he saw the completely European pattern of the dahlia. Although he still had doubts about the needle method, he was still swayed by his inherent thinking.Who would have thought that this piece of embroidery was ordered by the owner of Dongfang Embroidery all the way?This kind of heart alone is enough to move Earl Sterling.

count?This is an aristocrat, they are really rich.Mary nodded secretly.

Earl Stirling pursed his lips, and instead of launching an attack on the spot, he bowed deeply to Mary, "I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused to you by my subordinate's mistake. Please forgive us for our recklessness."

His voice was very deep and hoarse, gently scratching people's eardrums, like a mischievous breeze, making people's heart itch.But Mary seemed unaware of his personal charm, and waved her hand with a flat expression, "It's okay, Earl Stirling." After she finished speaking, she paused, and continued, "It seems that you like oriental embroidery very much, We just received a boutique in our store, are you interested in taking a look?"

Her eager eyes were not on the handsome aristocrat, but on a pile of pounds.All the faces of English men, except Darcy, were a blur to her eyes.

Earl Sterling smiled gracefully, "Please take it out, ma'am." It was his compensation to buy another item, even if the item was not to his liking, he did not intend to refuse.

Mary took out from a compartment a rectangular object wrapped in a white cloth.Pulling off the white cloth, she pushed the item in front of Sterling, "This is a small screen from the East, used to decorate the room."

The two men held their breath in unison.The screen is completely outlined with brown, black, dark yellow, dark gold and other shades of dark silk threads. The swirl-like cloud pattern, the dancing ladies like flowing water, the compassionate Buddha... The mysterious patterns lead people into a weird and wonderful world. dream.

"Oh, my God, it's so beautiful! It's so beautiful!" John flushed with excitement.

Sterling's eyes were fascinated, and he wanted to reach out to touch the screen, but Mary stopped him, "Look at this side again." The bracket of the screen is movable, and it turns around with a light tap.

On the other side is a pomegranate tree, the bright red pomegranate flowers are in full bloom, the huge pomegranate fruit bends the branches, the green and red peel explodes, revealing the crystal clear pomegranate seeds inside, the full sound of water makes people want to bite Take a sip.This is a lush and vibrant scene, completely different from the mysterious beauty on the other side.

"Double, double-sided embroidery?" John was already incoherent with excitement.

"I always thought it was just a legend!" Sterling looked at Mary in surprise.

"The two gentlemen really have a lot of research on oriental embroidery." Mary nodded.

"God, how did those Orientals do it? How can they perfectly present two different styles on both sides of a piece of cloth? Earl Stirling, you must buy it, and then solve this mystery!" John jumped up and down Go, take a look at this side, then look at that side, your eyes are almost popping out.

Sterling and Mary ignored him.

"Make an offer, ma'am." Sterling was determined to win.

Mary made a veiled gesture.

"Too expensive!" Sterling frowned.

"Then can you still find the same embroidery in England? If so, I'll give you a discount in half." Mary smiled, showing her white teeth.

Sterling smiled at her too, full of charm.

Mary blinked and waited quietly.

After a few minutes, Sterling was the first to lose, sighing, "Well, you win." It was the first time he met a woman who was blind to his charm.

"Deal!" Mary replied cheerfully while carefully putting the screen into a special gift box.She earned 300 pounds for one piece of work, and she is full of confidence in the future.