Dear Mr. Darcy [Pride and Prejudice]

Emma stared at Alvin, trying to discern how impulsive his words were.Alvin also looked at Emma with sincerity in his eyes.

Emma felt obliged to make another statement: "You know, I'm not quite a lady..."

Alvin said sincerely: "What you did on the way to ask for help that night, I never thought it was so inappropriate, but I thought it was a manifestation of courage. If you hadn't done this, George, who was framed, might never be able to get rid of his charges , you will be in danger yourself. As for your wish to do business in the future, I couldn't understand at first, but mutual understanding must be between two people. I once told you that I liked a young lady, and you never expressed reconciliation because of it. I broke off all communication, and expressed my understanding. Then why should I not show the same tolerance and patience to accommodate your little interest?"

Emma felt that the two events were quite different.Alvin told the original owner that he liked a lady named Grace, but before he could speak, he was kicked out of the house by his half-brother.Grace hoped that Erwin could take her away, but Erwin felt that his future was uncertain and did not want to delay Grace, so he wrote back and refused.After receiving the help of old Mr. Kentra, Alvin sent someone to find out that Miss Grace was married.The original owner didn't like Alvin, so naturally he didn't think it had anything to do with it.Emma didn't think it was a big deal either, the two had never been together, and that Miss Grace was already married.Emma hopes that business will be different in the future. If Alvin treats Emma's business with the attitude of being tolerant of Emma's shortcomings, one year may be tolerable, but five years?What about ten years? "You may think I'm crazy, but I'm not only interested in business itself, I hope to gain wealth and the right to speak through business, I hope you will see me as an equal partner who can discuss major issues, not a Can only rely on the wife you protect."

Alvin was a little confused.Emma has always been very gentle and considerate in front of him, conforming to the norms of a lady in every way.So he was really shocked when Emma confessed that night at the opera.After a few days of thinking, he positioned Emma as a lady who had a deviant hobby and was very brave in times of crisis, but Emma's words broke his cognition again. "Isn't it my duty to protect you?"

Emma sighed in her heart, she knew that Alvin still had a misunderstanding of her image. "Yes, I wouldn't refuse your protection, and it actually makes me happy. But I don't want to be dependent on your protection, I want to be able to protect myself, and I want to be able to protect you."

Erwin was silent for a moment, and said: "I know, but I still don't think this is an insurmountable gap. If I say that I can accept it now, it would be too hasty, and you won't believe me. I will go back and meet again." Think carefully, and then tell you my answer after careful consideration."

When Alvin confessed sincerely and fiercely, Emma really felt that she couldn't refuse for a moment.But she can't do this. Marriage in this era is a lifetime thing. Whether the two can live happily for a long time depends on whether the three views of the two match. "I'll wait for you."

Because of the perpetual motion machine, Emma hasn't gone out these days.Georgiana was afraid that she would be bored, so she often came to chat with her.Today she brought a big gossip to Emma. "Emma, ​​a gentleman is after Daisy."

Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise: "Who?" Daisy usually stays at home drawing pictures and reading books except being forced out by her mother to socialize, and knows very few gentlemen.Now that Daisy has been settled by Mr. Rawls, which gentleman can break through Mrs. Smith's blockade and show love to Daisy?

Georgiana did not answer directly. "Something happened at the ball. As the host, Mr. Smith has an unshirkable responsibility. That Mr. Rawls thinks it is not good to propose marriage now, so he never mentioned the matter of marriage proposal. Daisy told me that her mother was afraid that the marriage would change, so she urged her several times. She went to Mr. Rawls, but Mr. Rawls just said that something happened, and there was no rush to propose marriage."

Emma knew a little about it. "So Mrs. Smith diverted her target and introduced another gentleman to Daisy?"

Georgiana shook her head with a smile: "No."

Emma thought for a moment. "When Daisy was crushed to the ground at the last ball, there was a gentleman on top of her who was trying to protect her. After the fire was put out, he came to ask Daisy if she was okay. Is that the gentleman?"

Georgiana knew that Emma was very smart, but was still shocked. "My God, Emma, ​​I really doubt that anything can be hidden from you. Yes, the gentleman, whom we've heard of before."

Emma had known many gentlemen, Georgiana knew only a few. "Did you hear about it when you were in the Cotswolds? Since you weren't rejected by Mrs. Smith immediately, the conditions should be pretty good. I remember that Mr. Stocker always boasted that he had a relative who was a Sir. What is the name of Wal-Mart? "

"It's Wall." Georgiana was completely convinced. "Mr. Wall's father is a knight, but knights cannot be hereditary, and Mr. Wall has no title. Although Mrs. Smith still asked Daisy to write to Mr. Rawls, she did not directly reject Mr. Wall. This is a good sign, said Maybe Daisy will get rid of that Mr. Rawls soon."

Emma didn't think so.Mrs. Smith has always been very shrewd, and she just hoped to use Mr. Wall to put some pressure on Mr. Rawls. Mr. Rawls really couldn't do it and chose Mr. Wall.

Georgiana was happy for Daisy. "When you're all right here, let's go visit Daisy together, and also see that Mr. Suitor."

Emma nodded. "Okay. I think the perpetual motion thing will be over soon."

Seeing that Emma was in a good mood, Georgiana hesitated for a moment, and asked in a low voice, "Emma, ​​you and Mr. Cruise...I mean, I haven't met him in the past few days." At this time Shouldn't Alvin be by Emma's side?Could it be that Alvin is the same as Mr. Rawls, because of an accident at the lady's house, he has other ideas?

Emma couldn't help laughing when she saw Georgiana's way of being careful not to poke her sore spot.Mrs. Ashley, who came to see her yesterday, asked the same question. "No, Alvin isn't that kind of guy. He came to see me the next day. Gentlemen have their own business, and besides, we're not married yet, and George isn't here these days, and he always comes here out of order."

Georgiana agreed deeply with Emma's words. "Yes, my brother always has his own business, and I dare not disturb him." Speaking of Mr. Darcy, Georgiana felt that Emma's reaction was a bit abnormal.In the crowd that day, Mr. Darcy hugged her in his arms to protect her. Even if Emma didn't like Mr. Darcy, she shouldn't have no reaction to this move.But apart from being grateful, she really didn't show any shyness, instead she said that she would not misunderstand.Georgiana felt that something special must have happened between the two of them, but she just couldn't guess.

It was also a coincidence that as soon as Georgiana asked about Irwin, the servant came to report that Mr. Cruise had come to visit.

Georgiana didn't want to disturb the relationship between the fiancée, so she left and went home.

Is Alvin here to tell Emma to reply?No, he was entrusted by George to take Emma to relax.On the one hand, George knows that Emma must be very bored when he is forced to stay at home all the time. He is so busy these days that he has no time to accompany Emma; He came early in the morning to inquire about Emma's situation, but never came to the door again. He wanted to test Alvin.Alvin agreed to George's entrustment without the slightest hesitation, which reassured George.

After listening to Erwin explaining his intentions, Emma immediately understood what George was thinking. Although she didn't want to interfere with Erwin's thinking, if she refused George, she would definitely feel something was wrong, and it was really uncomfortable for her to stay at home. Bored, Emma also nodded in agreement.

There are not many entertainment items in this era. Emma doesn't like watching freak shows, and she doesn't really want to listen to operas. Since there is no problem with Alvin's company, she hopes to take a carriage around London.Alvin came to accompany Emma, ​​and he unconditionally agreed with Emma's idea. In order to prevent accidents, he also specially brought a few more male servants.

The streets of London are still so busy.After leaving the area where the nobles lived, the streets became visibly lively.Groups of girls are holding hands, chatting and laughing as they walk along the street. Although they don’t wear exquisite jewelry, their faces are flushed with youthful blush, and some have decorated their skirts with lace , in line with this year's trend.Occasionally a child with a dirty face would swish across the road and come back with a swish.They seem to think of this as a fun game.I can't feel the glare of the sun in the carriage, I just feel that the whole person is sunburned lazily, and there is a slight wind when the carriage is moving.Emma closed her eyes and stretched.

"Ah." Suddenly the coachman exclaimed, the carriage stopped abruptly, and Emma almost hit the carriage.

"Erwin?" The driver today is an experienced driver, and he will definitely not stop for no reason.No one would be bold enough to do it on the streets of London in broad daylight, right?Just in case Emma didn't go out, she fumbled out the pocket knife.

A group of people were walking on the street, when suddenly a woman rushed over and blocked the road, and Erwin also pulled out the pistol vigilantly.Let the servants get off their horses to have a look.

The woman looked about 40 to [-] years old, her face was sallow, and she was so thin that only a handful of bones remained. She was wearing a white washed skirt and screamed resentfully: "Liar! Why didn't you go to the appointment!"

Alvin was taken aback. "Who are you?"

The woman sneered: "Dear Mr. Elvin Cruise, do you still remember Miss Grace Jones? I am her maid Sophia."

"Grace, no, Miss Jones? I remember, but are you her maid?" Alvin was a little confused and didn't let his guard down.He vaguely remembered that Grace's personal maid was not named Sophia, but he couldn't remember the exact name.

Sophia was irritated by Erwin's bewildered expression. "How dare you say you still remember! You used to treat her like that!"

The farce was staged in the middle of the street, and there were already many people watching curiously.Alvin frowned slightly. "You claim to be Miss Jones's maid, so where is the proof?"

Sophia took out something, and the servant took it and checked that there was no problem, and handed it to Alvin.It was a necklace that was already somewhat dim, but Alvin recognized it, because when Grace wrote a letter asking him to take her away, such a necklace was included in the letter.Alvin believed Sophia's words. "Go back and talk."

Emma had been listening to the movement outside, and when she heard that Alvin was about to take someone back, she knew that the woman blocking the train must be Miss Grace's maid, so she opened the carriage door. "Alvin?"

Alvin realized that he was relaxing with Emma when he heard Emma's call, and he felt guilty and embarrassed at once. "I'm sorry, Emma, ​​I..."

Emma's appearance angered Sophia even more. She wanted to come over, but was stopped by several servants.Sophia screamed while struggling: "Do you dare to tell your fiancée what you did to Miss Grace? You lied to her..." The clever servant covered her mouth.

Emma sighed: "Forget it, take her back." Alvin looked at her a little nervously, without moving.Emma shook her head slightly at him: "I believe in you, and I'm not angry. Sophia must have something important to come to the door. Let's go to you first and ask in detail."

Sophia doesn't know how to ride a horse, but Alvin certainly can't let her get into Emma's carriage, so he has to ask a servant to take her back.

The speed of going back was obviously faster than when he came, and Alvin was riding on the horse, full of thoughts.He didn't choose to take Grace away at the beginning, maybe he was cowardly, but he never lied to Grace, why did Sophia insist that he lied to Grace?Seeing Sophia's grief and indignation, it is estimated that something bad happened to Grace.

Emma was also lost in thought in the carriage.She still believes in her own eyesight. With Alvin's quality, only others will always abandon him, and it is impossible for him to always abandon others.So why did Miss Grace's maid keep saying that Alvin was a liar?

Sophia must not be brought back to George and Emma, ​​and a group of people took Sophia to Alvin's residence.It was the first time for Emma to come to Alvin, and she did not expect to come here under such circumstances.

The place where Alvin lived was not too big, and there were no decorative portraits on the wall like in ordinary homes. It was clean and tidy, but it also looked very cold.

The servant let Sophia, who was unwilling to cooperate, let her go after she was dragged in. Sophia turned her sore wrist and said angrily: "Bring me back to cover up my crime. Miss Kentra, this Mr. Crews is a shameless liar, you must not be deceived by him, he once wrote a letter promising to take the lady away, but he never showed up, the murdered lady was forced to marry a villain and scum, and passed away this year."

died!Alvin stood up in shock. "how come!"

Sophia's eyes were red, and she tried her best not to cry. "That scoundrel raised a dog outside, and sometimes he would beat the young lady when he was drunk. The young lady was unhappy every day. Later, when she saw him drinking, she hugged me and trembled. This year..." she burst into tears .

Alvin's face turned pale, and he murmured, "How could it be, how could it be!"

Sophia cried and cried and became angry again. "How could it be! It's all a good thing you did! If you didn't agree to take the lady away and didn't go to the appointment, why would the lady wait there for you all night, and how could she be discovered by her aunt. The lady was originally dependent on others, that mean The old woman in the old lady hoped to sell her for a good price, and she wrote to you when she was desperate. But you tricked her, and the old woman caught her, and she had to marry out obediently."

"I didn't!" Alvin was also very excited. "When I was kicked out of the house, she wrote me a letter asking me to take her away. I refused. The letter didn't say that she would be married off."

"Why are you pretending to be stupid! After you wrote back and refused, the lady has been waiting for you. One day, I heard that wimpy and mean old woman who is afraid of his wife discussing marrying her to a rich businessman. Of course, the lady refused and wrote to you again. .”

Alvin said word by word: "I swear on my life and dignity, I haven't received any letter since then."

Sophia didn't believe it. "Who is that letter to Miss?"

Alvin closed his eyes and calmed down for a while, and when he opened them again, his eyes were full of determination. "I don't know, maybe it's her aunt, maybe it's my enemy. I will definitely find this person."

Alvin's gray-blue eyes were sharp and compelling, and Sophia involuntarily restrained her contemptuous expression under his gaze. "If you are innocent, then prove it to the lady."

Alvin didn't answer, turned around and bowed his head to Emma. "Sorry, I can't be with you in London these days, and the reply will be late."

Emma wanted to laugh, but she didn't. She said with a serious expression, "Erwin, I won't stop you, and you didn't feel sorry for me. Even if a stranger is hurt because of you, you still have the responsibility to investigate Qing. When are you leaving?"

Alvin went through the itinerary in his mind. "Take care of the matter here, and leave in about two days."

Emma said softly: "I hope your trip goes well, and you must pay attention to safety."

Alvin wanted to hold her hand, hesitated and finally gave up.He looked deeply at Emma, ​​as if he wanted to imprint Emma's appearance in his eyes, and solemnly promised: "I will be back soon."

Emma didn't speak, and there was a thick unresolved worry lingering in her heart.If this matter was done by Grace's aunt, Alvin would have no other problems except to help her avenge, but what if it was Alvin's enemy who attacked Grace in order to hit him?Will Alvin feel sorry for Grace?Will he break off the marriage contract and be single for the rest of his life in order to atone for sin?

Sophia looked at the two of them with a worried expression.

The author has something to say: There are still some turning points in this matter, about three chapters to dissolve the engagement.

When writing this chapter, I especially wanted to write like this:

Sophia took out the necklace: Elvin Cruise, do you still remember Miss Grace by Daming Lake?

Emma (shocked face): Damn it, Erwin, are your and Miss Grace's daughters this old?