[Count of Monte Cristo] Love and hatred

r030

"As you can see, I only have such a precious daughter." The Marquis de Saint-Méran looked at Renee distressedly. "Now she is pregnant, and I will leave for Nimes in a few days. I am really worried. If you can I will be grateful to take care of her until she gives birth safely."

As Mei Tess expected, the doctor agreed immediately without any hesitation, and vowed to take good care of Renee and her unborn child, even if it would delay his research.

Mei Tess admired the Marquis' decision very much.Those things that the Marquis promised were just a matter of effort for him, but it was a matter of urgency for the doctor.In this way, the Marquis's mansion has an extra skilled and willing medical consultant.

She is also happy for the doctor, in this way, his research can continue, maybe it can also promote the development of medicine in this era, and then save more lives.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Renee proposed to take her two female companions for a walk in the garden. Mrs. Saint-Méran seemed a little displeased, but she nodded in agreement.

The back garden of the Marquis’s house is designed as an Italian Mediterranean courtyard, with green vines covering the ancient Roman arches, and various ranunculus, hyacinths, irises and narcissus surrounding the stone-paved garden path, which leads to a marble garden. In the soft light of dusk, this garden is more beautiful than the Garden of Eden.

Matilda picked a pomegranate from the tree in the dim light, and she peeled it excitedly. The ripe pomegranate seeds inside were as bright red as agate, but the taste was surprisingly sour.

Renee led Mei Tess to search under another tree.She lowered the branches and leaves, and pulled out a reddish fruit, but the pomegranate seeds inside were as clean as jade.After tasting a few, she stuffed a handful of pomegranate seeds into her companion's mouth, and the sweet and sour syrup was as intoxicating as old wine.

"You said, how wonderful it would be if we knew each other a long time ago and held a wedding together," Renee showed a sweet smile, "I think you are like my sister, believe in my Villefort and yours. Edmund, too, will be good friends."

"Yeah..." Plum Tess agreed.However, in her heart, she was deeply suspicious.

She had seen Villefort's cold, haughty eyes, and he and Edmund could not be friends, never could be.It can be said that they are people from two worlds.She was terrified that one day Renee would drift away from her too...hope that day never comes.

They had just returned to the drawing room when the butler came to announce that dinner was ready.

It has to be said that the restaurant of the Marquis's family is extremely luxurious.The dome is painted with exquisite murals on the theme of Roman mythology, such as Zeus, the king of gods who look down on all living beings, Hera, the proud and beautiful queen, their daughter Hebe, the goddess of youth, Aphrodite, the god of love and beauty, and Asker, the god of medicine. Lepius, god of the sea and fire...and a beautiful goddess in a robe holding golden ears of wheat.

Persephone?This was Mei Tess' first reaction, but she immediately denied the answer, this goddess should not appear here.

She turned her eyes around again. The silver candlesticks were full of scented candles, and the banquet was filled with flowers. The candlelight and fragrance were intertwined into a dream, as if they were having dinner with the gods.

Under Renee's arrangement, Mei Tess and Matilda sat on her left and right respectively.In this way, Maisie Tess is the farthest from Madame Saint-Méran, but the madam who sits diagonally opposite still often looks towards her.

The lady was smiling, but her sharp eyes seemed to see through everything about her.After a few times, Plum Tess really couldn't bear the searching gaze, and finally mustered up the courage to return a smile, so that the other party looked this way less often.

Before the meal, the Marquis of Saint-Meran led everyone to pray:

"The poor will be fed and filled, and those who seek the Lord will praise him; their souls will have eternal life.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, through ages without end.Amen. "

However, this luxurious dinner that could never be finished made people feel a little ironic.

The Marquis family adopts the Russian style of serving that has recently become popular. Compared with the traditional French way of serving all the dishes on the table, the Russian way of serving dishes is served on the ground one by one, with starters, main courses, and desserts.. .It looks more stylish and orderly.

The first thing that arrived was a cold appetizer.The cook of the Marquis’s family was a court chef who was unemployed during the French Revolution, so the dish he was in charge of was not only brightly decorated, but the Goddard side dishes scattered around included big fish balls, Small meatballs made of veal, chicken and duck with truffles, cooked haggis and chicken kidneys, chicken combs;

Even the aroma is enticing, and the whole piece of meat is said to have been smoked on wood chips from wine barrels.

Although Mei Tess knew the dining etiquette, she didn't start immediately.She always watched Renee or Matilda carefully before using the knife and fork.In this way, she looked like she was following the example of her two female companions, without being rude or showing any overstepping, and she didn't want to cause unnecessary speculation.

Then there are fried golden carp roe, Provence-style snails, thick black truffle cream soup, fresh and delicious al salami, blood duck and foie gras that are popular in Paris, and Marseilles, which is called "sea fruit" by fishermen. "All kinds of delicacies...Plum Tess only ate a little of each, because the servant who served the dishes seemed to have no intention of stopping at all.

While her symptoms were much less severe, the feast was still not very kind to Renee.Except for the light food prepared for her by the servant, she only ate a little fish.During this period, she wanted to talk to Mei Tess several times, but Matilda always took the conversation.It wasn't until the servants took the fresh oysters that the lively lady shut up completely, and she finally had a chance to have a few words with Mei Tess.

After dinner, the ladies first returned to the drawing room.Mrs. Saint-Méran encouraged the ladies to perform. She didn't embarrass Mei Tess in this matter, but invited her to turn the piano score for Renee.

Mei Tess responded politely. At the end of the first page, she suddenly realized that as an uneducated fisher girl, she shouldn't be able to understand the piano score. Could this be another test?

Fortunately, Renee cast her a look in time.In this way, whenever they want to turn the page, they will have obvious eye contact, and with the tacit cooperation of the two, this level has also been passed.

Time flies.At the time of parting, Mrs. Saint-Méran seemed to have changed her previous attitude, not only solemnly thanking Maisé Tess and Dr. Avrini, but also presenting gifts to them respectively.

Dr. Avrini's gift was a set of reprinted ancient Roman medical texts, while Mei Tess's was a set of jewelry.After she resolutely refused, the Marquis of Saint-Méran had to send a bottle of wine that had been drunk at the banquet instead.

Mae Tess certainly knew how valuable the wine was, but a Catalan fisherwoman couldn't, so she politely accepted it.

Renee escorted the guests out herself.The hotel where Dr. Avrini lived was not far away, so she walked back. Matilda was picked up by a servant, so Renee arranged for her own carriage to take Mei Tess home.

It wasn't until Mei Tess boarded the carriage that Madame Saint-Mélan took her sharp eyes away from her.She quickly closed the curtains of the study, there was no one else in the study, only her and the Marquis.

"My dear lady, I'm curious why you asked Renee to invite that commoner girl to have dinner with us on a whim? I know how much you look down on people of commoner origin," the Marquis de Saint-Méran said doubtfully, "If Wanting to thank her for saving Renee could have been done in other ways."

"What do you think of that plum Tess?" Madame Saint-Méran raised her eyebrows.

"She is very smart," the Marquis de Saint-Meran commented. "The etiquette is all like that of Renee and Matilda, and there is no faux pas at all. I thought she would be as rough as her origin."

"I still remember how nervous I was when I went to the palace with my mother for the first time, and the situation faced by this girl is not much different from that of me back then. I don't think she will have a chance to leave in her life except this time. Into such a mansion with a long history,” Mrs. Saint-Méran said with a sneer, “but she acted too calmly. If it wasn’t for her face that belonged to Catalonia, I would have thought it was Sal Earl Vio's daughter deliberately approached Renee, taking the opportunity to seek revenge."

"Didn't Count Salvio's daughter marry in Paris? Besides, she and Renee have always had a good relationship. Are you talking about..." the Marquis opened his eyes in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm talking about the old Earl Salvio," the Marquis nodded solemnly, "the earl who was guillotined during the French Revolution."

"After so many years, you still haven't forgotten." The Marquis shook his head. "Maybe we went too far."

"If you want to blame him, blame him for being on the wrong team and sympathize with the Girondins. We pushed him out for self-protection. I didn't expect Robespierre to kill him directly." Saint-Méran Madam said indignantly, "Aristocrats who may have survived the French Revolution, who didn't have blood on their hands?"

"What madam said is very true," the Marquis de Saint-Méran pondered for a while, "but what about this girl?"

"If it wasn't for Renee's pregnancy, I would never allow her to be so capricious and take this low-class person to Nimes." Mrs. Saint-Méran tightly gripped her skirt, "If she obeys the rules, she can stay as Renee first. Accompanying. After Renee gives birth to a child, I will find a way to drive her away."

"What if Renee disagrees?" The Marquis frowned.

"I remember that Renee's favorite jewelry is the amethyst hairnet left by her grandmother." The corner of the Marchioness's mouth curled into a vicious smile. "If the hairnet is lost, it is finally found on Mai Tess." , what would she think?

☆, the second commitment

r031

Plum Tess was going to Nimes with Renee.

Before that, she made a special trip to Morel and Sons, and asked Mr. Morel to help take care of old Dantès during her absence.

"Maise Tess, don't worry about Ms. Dantès." Morel spread his hands, "Most of the company's ships have already gone to sea, and I don't have much to do. During your absence, I will I’m happy to spend more time with this old friend.”

"I don't even know how to thank you..." Mei Tess said sincerely.She knew very well how much courage it takes to still be willing to help the family of "Napoleonist" Edmund at such a time.

"Don't say that, Mai Tess. I did it willingly for Edmund," said Morrel, smiling. "Let Edmund thank me himself when he comes out."

After leaving the Morells and Sons, Melissa Tess returned to Mayland Lane to bid farewell to the old man.They have lived together in Marseille for almost a year and are now as close as real father and daughter.

Renee's carriage was half an hour late, but it was still too early in Mei Tess's opinion.She had to climb into the carriage and wave good-bye to old Dantès for the last time.

For some reason, an uncontrollable sadness surged in her heart, as if they would never see each other again.Maybe she should thank the sudden light rain for covering her tears.

Plum Tess didn't turn her head until she could no longer see the old man. "I'll be back in Marseille soon," she told herself.

Renee's carriage drove swiftly and steadily, and Dr. Avrini accompanied him on horseback.

Plum Tess was very anxious along the way. Although she had Renee's promise, she knew very well that it was not that simple to reverse the case.Especially every time she thought she could save Edmund, the big waves that followed would shatter her hopes, and she was very afraid that she would be disappointed again this time.

But she must see Villefort.As far as she knew, prosecutor Villefort had never had any contact with Edmund before. Even if he was a stubborn royalist, Edmond was not the Napoleonic party he hated. Why did Villefort want to punish an innocent sailor? Where is the dead hand?

The real reason behind it may be the crux of the problem. If we can try to find out through this meeting, it may help Edmund's affairs.

However, she envisioned a hundred scenarios for meeting Villefort, none of which happened.When they finally arrived at Villefort's temporary residence in Nîmes, the servant Barros said that Villefort had been transferred to Versailles and would not return for a short time.

"But he should have waited for me..."

A wave of irrational longing mixed with suspicion tormented Renee's heart, and she decided to chase almost immediately.

Under the persuasion of Mei Tess and Dr. Avrini, Renee reluctantly agreed to stay and rest first.However, early the next morning, Renee ordered the servants to prepare to leave for Paris. This time, she could not listen to anyone's advice.

"Villefort doesn't know that our love has finally crystallized, and I must tell him personally that I can't wait any longer," Renee murmured.

The journey from Nîmes to Paris was farther than they had traveled before.To be on the safe side, they changed to a bigger carriage, and Barrois accompanied him as a coachman. He was originally a servant of Villefort's father, General Noirtier, and knew everything about the streets and alleys of Paris.

Even so, it took them two days and nights to travel only a few hours in May Tess's day.

However, when they arrived in the suburbs of Paris, an accident happened.

Renee felt a sudden pain.

Only then did she finally begin to feel afraid of the possible consequences of her willfulness.

They can't go any further.Maisie Tess helped Dr. Avrini to help Renee into the nearby Bell Bottle Hotel, and the groom Barros was sent to find General Noirtier in High Heron Road.

Renee's face was pale, lying on the blood-red velvet mattress, her body was soon drenched in cold sweat. "my child..."

Mei Tess held Renee's hand tightly, "Dr. Avrini is here too, he won't let the child get into trouble."

"Villefort..." Renee couldn't hold back her tears anymore, "Where is Villefort?"

Plum Tess and the doctor exchanged a look, and walked out of the room together.

"Doctor, tell me, how is Renee's condition?" Mei Tess asked anxiously.

"Her condition is not very good..." the doctor pondered for a while, "especially her mood is very unstable, which will only make her current situation worse, but if..."

"I understand what you mean." Mei Tess nodded, "If Mr. Villefort is here, Renee can feel at ease."

She returned to her room at once, and volunteered, "Nenée, I will send for M. de Villefort. You said you had a villa at Auteuil, and if I am right, M. de Villefort has just arrived in Paris. Will definitely go there first.”

But Renee refused to let go of her hand, "Mei Tess, don't go...I'm afraid..."

Plum Tess gently wiped the cold sweat from Renee's forehead.Now that Barros is gone, she knows that Renee needs the doctor by her side more than herself, "Don't be afraid, Renee, Dr. Avrini will always be by your side... I will be with Villefort soon. Come back together, sir."

"No, Mei Tess, you don't understand..." Renee said with difficulty, "I know it's sudden to say this now, but I have to ask you to promise me one thing..."

"What's the matter?" Mei Tess asked suspiciously.

"If anything happens to me one day, I want you to protect my child instead of me..." Renee murmured, "I can feel that the road ahead of her is full of darkness, you saved her once, I Believe that you are the one who is destined to lead her to the light...Please promise me, Mei Tess..."

Plum Tess's amber eyes sparkled, and even Dr. Avrini at the side was a little surprised. The meaning of what Renee said could basically be seen as the intention to recognize Plum Tess as the child's godmother.

"I promise you," Plum Tess did not hesitate, "No matter what happens, I will protect her...I will treat her as my own daughter."

Renee finally let go.

Mei Tess gave her a last look reluctantly, and exited the room, followed by Dr. Avrigini.

"Doctor..." Plum Tess opened her mouth, but finally she didn't express the worry in her heart. She knew that the doctor had always been a person who knew how to restrain his emotions.

"what?"

"Renee... just leave it to you."

"I will definitely protect her and her child, I swear!" The doctor replied firmly.His expression is so serious, which makes the edges and corners of his face look more cold and hard.

Plum Tess nodded in satisfaction, then hurriedly left the hotel.

She soon hired a carriage.

"28 rue Fontaine," she cried, "please hurry, I have a very urgent matter!"