[Zhongyingmei] Good men are to be robbed!

"Casablanca, I'm really sorry, but fortunately, it can be remedied. Tomorrow night, you can just follow Mrs. Milton. I have already told her that she will take good care of you and introduce you to many young and rich men. At the end, Mrs. Jennings blinked deliberately, with a smile, "Don't refuse me, I don't like to hear any rejection. Colonel Brandon specifically asked me to take good care of you, but unfortunately a few days ago You didn't attend the ball, so you must not miss it this time!"

"Okay, I'll definitely be there." Although Casablanca didn't want to go, Mrs. Jennings was so enthusiastic. Brandon hadn't come back after leaving, and the family was very lonely, so she agreed.

"Great! You must dress up beautifully. Look, the Dashwood sisters have already started picking clothes early!" Following Mrs. Jennings' words, Casablanca looked at the two sisters sitting in the other corner of the living room.She came quite often, and had a few words with Miss Dashwood, who was a discreet and sensible lady.As for her sister, Miss Marianne, she was always in a state of disorientation, and was always going about her own affairs, which was very impolite.Now these two ladies, one was sitting in front of the window as before, and the other looked worriedly at his sister while sewing a hat.This is not a positive shadow at all!

"Oh! look at Miss Marianne, what a poor child, she must be waiting for Willoughby, a rather handsome and agreeable young man, and their affection is so good. Poor Brandon, I always thought he Much more suitable for Marian."

"Brandon likes Miss Marianne?" Sensitively discovering something from Mrs. Jennings' words, Casablanca frowned slightly, somewhat disbelieving.

"Of course, no emotion escapes me!" exclaimed Mrs. Jennings, opening and closing her mouth as if the questioning were an insult to her. Colonel Langdon had a special affection for Miss Marianne, and they got on really well back then, I mean, before Willoughby came along! But even so, Brandon still had affection for Miss Marianne, I It can be seen from his eyes that he..." Mrs. Jennings just wanted to give an example to prove her thesis, but she got stuck. After coming to London, Brandon visited many times, but with Marianne But there was almost no communication, and she tried hard to recall the look in Brandon's eyes when he saw Marianne, but it was almost blank.Suddenly, her eyes became extremely sharp, and she looked up and down Casablanca.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Casablanca tugged at her skirt, quite uncomfortable after being looked at so carefully.

"It's a little happier, too," muttered Mrs. Jennings.

"I'll take my leave first, Mrs. Jennings, I have to go back and get ready." Casablanca felt that it would be more embarrassing to stay, so she hastily offered to leave.

"Okay, remember to dress up nicely." Mrs. Jennings waved her hand before recovering from her deep thinking.

The next day, Mrs. Milton stopped by Casablanca first, and then went to Mrs. Jennings' house to pick up Sister Dashwood.Compared to Casablanca's well-dressed dress, Eleanor is well-dressed and elegant, but Marianne is too casual.She didn't look like she was going to a party at all, but like going out every day.This refreshed Casablanca's vision again. She glanced at Mrs. Milton, who looked pale, and easily saw a trace of displeasure.

Following the guidance of the maid, they entered the brightly lit living room full of guests.Because there were so many people, the room seemed stuffy and crowded.Mrs. Milton's brief words let Eleanor and Marianne play by themselves, and took Casablanca to meet the ladies she knew.

Mrs. Milton's social circle is not complicated, except for some well-to-do squires and some well-to-do businessmen.Although she is reticent and looks cold on weekdays, she is actually a very polite and thoughtful person.She took Casablanco around, tirelessly introducing her identity to every lady she knew, and at the same time telling her some precautions in a low voice to avoid mistakes.This was the first time that Casablanca had formally stepped into society, but she did not show her timidity, and her manners and conversations were generous and decent, even though these people had no chance of getting to know a countess in a few months.

"Mrs. Milton, Miss Dashwood doesn't seem to be doing well." Casablanca saw what was wrong with the two of them at a glance. Marianne's face was pale and her expression was painful. Let go, and she'll jump up. "Who is she looking at?" Casablanca was a little puzzled.

"Willoughby." Mrs. Milton saw it with just one glance. There was a trace of displeasure in her indifferent eyes, and her calm tone seemed to reveal an imperceptible sarcasm, "Miss Marianne's rumored betrothed."

The young gentleman was standing next to a lady who seemed to be of good family, and the two talked frequently and behaved intimately.It was obvious that the gentleman was courting the lady.

Casablanca has always had a bad impression of Miss Marianne, especially when Mrs. Jennings said yesterday that Colonel Brandon might be in love with Marianne, she disliked her even more, but she still tried to restrain her emotions: "They seem to need Some help."

Casablanca's statement was correct. Within five minutes of the end of her speech, Miss Eleanor came to apologize to Mrs. Milton. Her statement was because Marianne suddenly felt unwell, so she hoped that she could leave early.

Mrs. Milton immediately agreed, and the four bid farewell to the host's house and hurried away in the carriage.

In Casablanca's expectation, she would not visit Mrs. Jennings for a while, and she could imagine how the emotional and self-acting Marianne would make a fuss after returning last night.But in fact, she sat in Mrs. Jennings' drawing room on time on the third day.This lady's enthusiasm was really overwhelming, she was very kind to her, and she couldn't refuse several sincere invitations.

Miss Marianne was doing much better than she thought, she just kept silent or left the room abruptly.But she had done this before, and Casablanca guessed that her emotions had been vented in the room. Looking at Eleanor's face, she was even more tired than the previous few days.

When Mrs. Jennings inadvertently pissed Marianne back into the room again, she seemed extremely distressed: "Even preserved cherries can't make her happy! Oh, how can someone treat a beautiful young lady so cruelly? But , in the face of wealth, everyone will compromise!"

"Is that lady rich?" Eleanor couldn't help asking.

"Of course, fifty thousand pounds! It's no wonder that Willoughby is bankrupt. In order to maintain a decent life as before, it is really easy to marry a rich lady." Mrs. Jennings loved to gossip, Bright, "Young and handsome lad is sweet and charming, but girls keep your eyes open! As I said, Colonel Brandon is a solid man! He has two thousand pounds a year." , and no debts of any kind, and even a little illegitimate daughter, that's all very well. Delaford is a fine place, I've been there! It's a pity Marianne missed Colonel Brandon!"

Eleanor's thoughts were all on Marianne and Willoughby, so she didn't find it embarrassing that Mrs. Jennings didn't say anything this time, "Colonel Brandon likes Marianne" and "they are a perfect match". if.After she got the news of Willoughby, she couldn't wait for a minute, and hurried to find Marianne.

"What a poor girl!" Mrs. Jennings shook her head.

Brandon came home in the middle of the night. He was covered in dust, his chin was covered with scum, and his face was tired, but he was in good spirits.

"Did I wake you up?" Brandon didn't turn on the light. Just as he took off his coat, he saw Casablanca coming downstairs holding a candlestick.

"No, I'm a little thirsty." Casablanca's voice was soft and she was wearing thick pajamas. She was wearing a beige nightdress that reached to her ankles, just revealing her ankles that were as white as a bright moon.She rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up, and held up the candlestick to light the candles on the table.

"Let me come, you go pour the water." Brandon took the candlestick from behind her, and half-circled her in his arms as if embracing her. His hands still carried the chill brought back from the outside, and Casablanca's hands were crushed. When holding it, she couldn't help shivering from the cold, she tilted her head and pouted with some dissatisfaction: "You should light the fireplace, your body is as cold as ice."

Casablanca poured two cups of hot water and leaned against the fire with Brandon each holding a cup.

"Are things going well?"

Brandon nodded, his deep gaze followed Casablanca closely: "Did you have fun during this time?"

"Mrs. Jennings is very enthusiastic!" This is a very pertinent evaluation. Casablanca tilted her head, with a sweet smile on her lips, and her eyes were full of interest, "I heard some rumors about you. ,Interesting."

"Oh, what?" Mr. Brandon knew Mrs. Jennings very well, with a smile and connivance on his face, "but I think that may be a bit exaggerated."

"Maybe," Casablanca took a sip of hot water, her heart was beating a little fast, but her face was full of curiosity and innocence, "I heard that you love that Miss Marianne?"

"What do you think?" Brandon kicked back the question calmly.

"It's unbelievable." Casablanca looked at me very objectively, "In comparison, her sister, Miss Dashwood, is even better."

Brandon nodded in agreement.

"But in terms of appearance, Miss Marianne is obviously better."