little miss austin

When Alice heard this gossip, she was thinking that what Baron Shelley did was the same as what the Gordons did. The only difference is that Baron Shelley didn't lock up Percy. In fact, if he obeyed his son, he might not Make too much noise.Ivo didn't really elope with her at that time, so although he ran away from Ireland, it was not a big deal, and almost no one knew about it.

My mother is still very gentle, and even put forward the idea that "you can withdraw from the engagement". Although, if the other party has no major character defects, it is difficult to withdraw from the engagement, but it is not impossible to withdraw from the engagement. After all, withdrawing from the engagement is much easier than divorce It is difficult for a king or a prince to divorce, let alone a commoner.

Since her mother backed down, Alice became a little gentler, "Then I have to think about it."

Mrs. Austen felt that she was done, and finally she was willing to think about it. "How is Byron?"

"Okay."

"I heard that his illegitimate son also lives with him?"

"Yes. What's the matter?"

"Isn't that appropriate?" When she mentioned Byron's illegitimate child before, she felt a little sympathetic to Lucy and the child, but now she has another idea. "what do you think?"

"That's all true, and I can't help it."

Mrs. Austin was displeased, "This is what I am most dissatisfied with. You can say that he can do whatever he wants outside, but he actually has an illegitimate child—"

"Mom, don't worry, he will take care of it."

"My baby, you can't be wronged, let Byron send them away, don't let you look upset."

"Well, let me tell him."

"Don't go to see him all the time, tell him to come and see you."

Feeling a little guilty, I quickly explained, "I just go out to buy things sometimes, and if I get nearby, I go to see if he is at home. He likes to go out to play, and he is usually not at home."

Mrs. Austin hesitated to speak.Among Alice's friends, she has actually always liked Oliver better. Oliver is handsome and well-behaved, steady and sensible, much better than Byron who is grumpy and mischievous; Better than Byron.There are so many things she dislikes Byron!Bad temper, extravagant drinking, having an illegitimate child, and congenital disabilities, all points will be deducted.But there is no way, it seems that Alice likes Byron now, so she has no choice but to admit it.

Alice wrote a note to the boy in the house, and sent it to Byron's, asking him to come and see Mrs. Austen to-morrow.The servant brought back a letter from Byron, saying that he would come tomorrow at 11:[-] noon.

Byron would be charming if he would entertain.He has the common problem of smart people, he always thinks that most people are stupid, so if you are not smart, he will not hang out with you.But the person who went to meet was Alice's mother, and he was still very good.

Both of his parents died, and the relatives on both sides of his parents are only closer to the Gordon family, and the blood relationship is also a little closer. It can be said that no one can control him now, and he is only 23 years old. , Once unrestrained, it is like a wild horse that has run wild, and the waves will fly.

Mrs. Austen asked him about things like Newstead, what he wanted to do in the future, and the emphasis was on his income.He sorted out his financial situation with the housekeeper and John Hobhouse at Newstead Manor, and the original rent is only enough to maintain the current daily maintenance. There is a surplus; the rent of the land is not too much. Last year's rent has been collected, but this year's rent has not yet arrived. It will not be available until after Christmas.

So at present he still has to rely on debt to survive in London.

Mrs. Austen was dissatisfied, but could not say anything.There are a lot of debtors in London, as well as a lot of creditors. Many members of the House of Commons borrow money to survive. Byron's foreign debt is not too much, and it is only 200 pounds at present.

Mrs. Austen is of the kind of simple civilian thinking and doesn't like to have foreign debts, so she still feels that Byron is not reliable.Alice is rich, but she doesn't know how much her daughter has. Thinking of her daughter looking for a husband, she still has to help him pay off the debts. Isn't this the same as Mrs. Catherine?This was not very good, so he hesitated again. After Byron left, he didn't mention anything about the engagement.

Mrs. Austin stayed at her daughter's house for another day, and returned to her house in the suburbs of London in the afternoon of the third day.

Thanks to the lack of paparazzi and gossip reporters, Alice is going to meet Byron, so she just needs to pretend.She was still dressed in black, like a widow.

"What is Mrs. Austen here for?" He fiddled with the little sparkling crystals pinned to her veil.

"Ask if you have proposed, and if I want to marry you." She took off her black veil and velvet beanie.

Byron was taken aback, "Why did you suddenly mention marriage to you?"

"Didn't your 'To Alice' cause something?" Alice said angrily, "I think Henry might know that I'm here to see you."

"I never told him."

"If you did tell him, he'd make you buy a ring and propose to me right away. You know we're the priest's kids, and Henry'd break your leg first if he found out you slept with me and didn't propose, Break my leg again."

Byron smiled and held her hands, "Don't scare me. Come on, come to the fireplace to warm yourself, your hands are so cold."

"It's so cold outside. I'm going home for Christmas next week and I'm out of London for a week. What about you? Where are you going for Christmas?"

"Go to Winchester, Uncle Gordon has invited me to his house for Christmas."

Alice nodded.Ivo was not at home, and she didn't know how to tell her parents. She couldn't ask, so she had to hold back.

Then he said triumphantly that now he has become a very famous person, which is scary, but also very fun. Countless invitations have been sent to the apartment, wanting to invite him to attend various events.In addition to male readers, there are also many female readers, and many of them wrote passionate love letters to him. He met several beautiful and bold wives.

He generously showed Alice the love letters he had received, and some people even sent him small portraits, which were indeed beautiful young women.Seeing those small oil portraits, Byron remembered, "You haven't painted a portrait of me yet, you have painted both Ivo and Oliver. I want it too."

"I don't have time recently." She looked at the love letters absently, and felt...she was too reserved, these young wives are really——not afraid of scandals.

"What about your own portrait? You can also send me a small portrait of yourself."

"No. You already have so many portraits of women that you don't need mine."

"Can that be the same?" Byron was quite disdainful, "That kind of woman is boring!"

"I don't want to be one on your list." The warmth of the fireplace made her snow-white face blush.So he stretched out his hand to caress her face: soft, warm, and tender.

"Other people didn't grow up with me. Alice, if you are like those women, you will be boring."

"I was different."

He smiled and kissed her, "It's best if you do this."

Before going home for Christmas, Alice stopped by the Austin Press.

Henry showed her the sales situation and sales figures of distributors in various places. The sales volume of "Child Harold's Travels" was astonishing. The current sales figure has reached 2000 copies in two weeks; "In the Name of the Father" 3 The sales volume in one and a half months is nearly 5 sales, and the more each book can be sold every year, the more impressive the cumulative sales will be.

The popularity of Byron's poems was beyond Henry's expectations.

"You should ask Byron if you want to sort out his travel notes, and I can publish them for him."

"I'll ask him." Alice had just answered half a sentence, and suddenly became alert, "You can ask him yourself, I think he should agree."

"Did he write travel notes?"

"Maybe, he didn't tell me." She hesitated, "Aren't you going to publish my travel notes? If I publish my travel notes first, and then publish his travel notes, will people read it?" Come out your sister is Alice Leigh?"

He pondered, "It's possible." They traveled together and went to the same place. Byron just went to Egypt more than Alice. Their itineraries were similar, so it would be easy for people to see through.

"Or you should publicly announce that you are Alice Leigh. You think it's possible that people will say you are literacylioness, and you will be seen as a restless woman, but it doesn't matter to you, it doesn't matter to me, and it doesn't matter to the Austen family, Mother doesn't object to your writing, so what worries do you have?"

"Keep it a mystery."

Henry laughed, "Mother is a little worried, thinking that it may be difficult for you to find a suitable husband, but this is not a problem for you. If someone looks down on you because you are a writer, and thinks you are not suitable for him Wife, then I will despise him deeply—he can earn more money than you by his own ability first!"

"It may be a bit difficult, then I may only be able to marry Mr. Beckford, after all, he can earn 8 pounds a year."

Henry was overjoyed, nodded again and again, and said seriously: "This may be a good idea."

She gave her brother a white look.

Christmas was uneventful.

As usual on Christmas Eve, Alice's birthday is celebrated, and she turns 22 this year.

Henry and Eliza took their two sons, Jane and Tom took their two daughters, and cousin Anna took Claire. The Christmas dinner was very lively.

Alice hadn't spent Christmas at home for two years, and it was a little uncomfortable for a while.

Tom Lefroy, soon to be thirty-six, is a handsome man.It's normal to maintain a good figure, but it's a little heavier than when I was young.He returned to Ireland for three years, was elected a member of Parliament in a certain area of ​​Ireland, and now he is back in London again, still in the House of Commons.

There are some small ups and downs in his career, but generally speaking, everything is going smoothly. In his life, he has a wife and son and a happy marriage. The only fly in the ointment is that he did not have a son.But it seems that the couple have reached a consensus on this, and he basically doesn't mention the issue of heirs now.They don't have any land property that must be inherited by a son. The issue of heirs is relatively simple. It would be good to divide all the property equally between the two daughters at that time.

Tom looked at Alice who had grown up, and felt a little emotional: that little devil had grown up back then, time really passed so fast!He vaguely recalled that Jane was two years younger than Alice!

He thought of their unsuccessful elopement. Jane was dazzled by love, but she soon came to her senses. If they really eloped to Scotland, they would never live such a happy and comfortable life now. Those who are in love are likely to quarrel all day over money, and no matter how strong the love is, it will not be able to withstand years of quarrels.How old was Alice?It seems that she is only 8 years old. She is not mature enough to act like a child, and she handles things perfectly.

At that time, he thought that this little girl would definitely be a very independent and difficult woman when she grew up.

The communication between men is very deep and extensive. He has met all of Alice's friends, including George Byron who has suddenly become very famous. Byron was born in a noble family and is already a member of the House of Lords. The time is not as good as when the House of Commons has real power and can do practical things. Someone once gave up his title to his younger brother in order to stay in the House of Commons—because if he had a title, he could only stay in the House of Lords.

Many of the members of the House of Commons have back-to-back noble members in the House of Lords. For example, Baron Shelley belongs to the Duke of Norfolk’s faction. Tom Lefroy has no obvious faction, but because of Alice, he is now considered to be the The Duke of Hamilton's faction.The Duke of Hamilton and his son, Alexander Hamilton, were both Whigs, and were no match for the current prime minister, Spencer Bocival.

The Austin family is also at odds with the current prime minister: Spencer Bocival once wrote an anonymous pamphlet supporting the impeachment of Warren Hastings, and it was later revealed that the author of the pamphlet was Spencer Bocival. Seval.Bocival was in the same camp as former Prime Minister William Pitt, so politics and politicians were always delicate.

None of the Austins were politically sensitive, and Tom didn't tell them anything about the House of Commons.Members of the House of Commons have a lot of work to do, and they have to work for the benefit of which constituency they are in. For example, now that he represents Ireland, he has to work for the interests of the Irish people, public infrastructure construction, economic legal provisions, etc. and so on.

As an emerging bourgeois businessman, Henry only cares about politics to a limited extent. As long as the existing policies do not prevent him from making money, he has no idea.

Alice doesn't know much about politics, but Byron occasionally mentions some social phenomena and expresses sympathy for the bottom of society.

Byron's life in the past six months has not been very good.

First, in August, his mother died.He once said sadly to Alice that the person who knew him best in the world was gone, how embarrassing he was!

Then at the end of October, he finally knew that the choir boy John Edelston had contracted tuberculosis at the beginning of the year and had been ill for a long time, and finally passed away one day in October.He was so sentimental that he wrote several elegiac poems to Edelston, bemoaning the young lover's untimely death.

Alice did not see him for a fortnight, and told him to mourn his teenage lover.

But, now that the lover was gone, after a few months he forgot his love, his love poems and elegy to Eddleston, and began to pursue other lovers.

In January 1812, rumors of an affair between Byron and a Mrs. Caroline Lamb suddenly spread in the upper social circles in London.

This Mrs. Lamb is the wife of the Viscount of Melbourne. She is 26 years old now, two and a half years older than Byron.

Caroline Lamb is the only child of the third Earl of Bessborough. She has been famous for her beauty since she was a child. She got married at the age of 19 and a half and gave birth to her eldest son George Augustus at the age of 22. But Augustus seems to have Autistic, almost no one saw the child; Caroline later gave birth to another son, but the child stopped breathing a few hours after birth.

Byron fell in love with Lady Caroline almost the first time he saw her.Caroline had written an enthusiastic FANS letter to Byron before, inviting him to her salon, and Byron was invited to go.The beautiful and slender hostess attracted the young poet, who then visited Caroline at the viscount's house in Melbourne many times, and the two sides wrote passionate love letters to each other.

After the scandal got to Alice's ears, she stopped seeing Byron, and wrote to him, saying that since she had a beautiful new lover, she might as well ask the Viscountess to pay his rent, or the Viscountess could also Offer him new housing.

Byron then wrote her a new poem, saying that she need not worry about her place in his heart.

Alice received the poem and just wanted to roll her eyes.

"Miss, Master George is too--too outrageous!" Sidney was very angry.Alice could not hide anything from her, and would not hide anything from her.

"What's so outrageous?" Alice was not angry at all. "George and I are not engaged. If we were, he would dare to find Caroline. See if I don't break his leg!"

"Anyway, it's his fault. Is the Viscountess very remarkable?"

"She comes from a noble family, which is different from your lady and me."

Sydney fell silent.The class difference is also something that the lady will talk to her about if she has nothing to do. The noble class basically intermarries with the same class. It is not surprising that Byron is attracted to Caroline.

"George is this kind of person. You should have seen his passion in Portugal, Greece, and Rome."

"But, then, Miss, you are—or—"

"So I was abandoned by him?" Alice chuckled, "You, don't take him too seriously, I don't even take him very seriously. If he wants to find another lover, it's very simple, go , I can't stop him. However, if you want to return to my side, it will be impossible."

"That's right! Miss has no shortage of suitors."

"Oh! I'm not like him. He doesn't care about his reputation. Anyway, no one restrains him. As long as the Viscount Melbourne doesn't challenge him to a duel, he is not in any real danger. Speaking of which, his current fame can really let him do whatever he wants , I regret publishing a collection of poems for him now."

Alice sighed, "I should keep the poetry collection for ten or eight years. By then, he will be an ugly fat man. No one will think he is a handsome man, and no one will love him."

Sidney nodded, "That's how it should be!"

"Don't think too much, he is free, and I am also free. Who said that only he can change lovers?"

But after all, men have a lot more freedom than women after all.

The scandal between Byron and Caroline inevitably had an impact on Alice. Before, everyone guessed that "To Alice" was the youngest daughter of the Austin family. As a result, Byron went to court the Viscountess within a few months. Alice Austin is the poor girl who was abandoned.

Susan Hamilton was very angry, "Byron is really too much! What does he think of you like this? The kind of woman who can be thrown away at will?"

Alice was very calm, "Then what should I do? Catch him and break his leg?"

Susan snorted, "That's not bad. What's wrong with you? You don't seem to care, it's not like you. You didn't admit defeat at all before."

"Really?" Alice pretended to be shocked, "Am I like that?"

"Are you ready to give him a good meal?"

"What can I do? You see, there are many people whose husbands have many mistresses outside, and the mistresses have given birth to seven or eight illegitimate children. What am I? After all, I am not engaged to George. Who does he want to love? It's his freedom."

Susan snorted, "He is not free! You are only allowed to abandon him, but he is not allowed to abandon you."

"How could I be abandoned by him? You think too much."

"Do you want manpower? I can lend you a few strong servants. Go and tie him up."

Alice laughed, "You don't want to fight all the time, okay?"

"Then why don't I ask Charles to come back and propose to you." Susan made a quick turn, "Caroline is just a Viscountess, and Charles will be an Earl in the future."

"Wait until I think about it."

"Don't think about it." Susan immediately asked the maid to bring the writing desk and began to write, "Charles loves you very much, you know that. He is a few years younger than you, but it's nothing. Think about it, you will Become a family with me!"

"Your surname is already Hamilton."

"Don't you want to be relatives with me? After you give birth to a daughter, I will let my little William marry your daughter."

Alice couldn't help laughing, "Have you thought about such a distant future?"

"That's not right! We'll be old enough to live together, my little William, and your—you'll have to name your daughter Susan, and that's it! William and Susan, how nice ah!"

Alice pondered for a while, not to mention the in-laws of the children, Alexander is 19 years older than Susan, and there is a high probability that he will die before Susan in the future. It is unlikely that Susan will get married again, and they will really live together Spend time together.

Thinking about it this way, she was actually thinking about her retirement arrangements.

Susan had already finished writing the letter to Charles Gordon, and Alice reached for the letter paper, "Let me see how you wrote it."

The author has something to say: *After Byron became famous, there were many female fans. Mrs. Caroline Lamb had a vigorous affair with Byron at that time.