little miss austin

Susan exaggeratedly said in the letter that Alice was very sad and asked him to come back to visit her and comfort her, and did not mention the marriage proposal.

Alice folded the letter and returned it to her. "What did you call him back for? A marriage proposal? It's unnecessary. I don't want to get married."

"You don't want to get married?" Susan seemed surprised. "Why?"

"No reason. How happy not to be married! I don't have to worry about whether my husband will come home at night, and I don't have to worry about one day my husband will suddenly bring home an illegitimate child. I have a little money, and I don't have a lot of money like Mr. Beckford Be jealous, and I can live the life I want to live. If I like George, I can go to him; if I don't, I can tell him to go away. Marriage is not for me."

"You are such a bold girl!"

"I thought you knew that years ago."

"I guessed a little bit, but I didn't expect that you never changed your mind. You know, the vast majority of women who have not married for the rest of their lives are forced not to marry, either because they have no money, or because their reputation is damaged, or Missed the best age to get married because of taking care of elderly parents. Alice, you are still young, haven't you thought about it? Maybe you will find a good man who loves you, respects you, and is willing to take care of you for the rest of your life, just like Alexander , he’ll be funny enough to keep you from getting bored, oh, and he’ll be so handsome that you won’t get bored watching it for decades.”

Alice laughed straight, "Okay, if there is such a person, then I will marry him."

Mrs. Austen was also very angry about Byron's scandal, but she didn't go to Alice to talk about it. She just complained to Cathy at home that George Byron was really unreliable.

"Mom, don't worry, I think this may be a good thing for Alice, she finally found out that George is unreliable, isn't that good?"

Mrs. Austin was helpless, "It's a good thing if she really wants to think so. Well, you can take her to the Isle of Wight. I'll write to Baron Bondfield and ask you to borrow his villa for a few months."

Cathy nodded, "That's the best. She's not in London, so she won't be angry if she can't hear these rumors."

Mrs. Austen quickly wrote the letter, and sent the footman to the post office.

A few days later, Cathy took Alice to the Isle of Wight.

It was still cold on the Isle of Wight in January, and there was a pile of firewood in the fireplace. A manservant brought in a pile of firewood from the woodshed outside and put them in a rattan basket by the fireplace.

A few chairs were placed in front of the fireplace, and Cathy, Alice, Sidney, and Kate were sitting around the fireplace, doing needlework.

Alice was embroidering a money bag. After more than a dozen stitches, she wanted to cry out that her hands were cold.

Cathy was unmoved, "I'm afraid you have never taken a needle in the past few years since you were away. You'd better behave yourself and finish embroidering this purse before the end of the month. Who did you give the purse you embroidered last time?"

"Give it to Ivo." She thought of Ivo who didn't know where he was, and sighed softly.

"This purse is embroidered, who is it going to be for?"

"To Oliver."

"Where is Oliver now?"

"It should be in Spain. He can't say where exactly."

Cathy nodded, "I hope this war will end soon, and Oliver can come back sooner. Do you miss him?"

"Thinking about it, I'm afraid he will die on the battlefield."

"Don't worry, he's already an officer and won't be at the forefront. The baron will keep him as far away from the battlefield as possible."

"I'm afraid that he will rush forward foolishly for the sake of military exploits."

Cathy laughed straight, "It's nonsense! He doesn't need to compete for meritorious service, and he will continue to be promoted in the future, maybe he will be promoted to general in the future—think about it, General Bundfield! It sounds amazing!"

Alice thought about it, and it was really touching. "He might actually be a general."

"Then embroider it well, he will like it."

"Really? Men like embroidered money bags?"

"Little fool, the point is not the embroidery or the money bag, but it's something you made with your own hands, which represents your heart. Ivo was very happy when he received the money bag."

"Well, he's quite happy."

"Oliver will be very glad to receive the purse you made, too, hurry up, don't be always lazy."

Alice pulled herself together and embroidered for a while.

Indeed, it seemed as though she had done so little for these boys—young men—that they were pleased by the slightest sign of her.So, you can't stop doing it, but you can't do it too much. This is the trick of "giving". You can't give too fast, and you can't give too much, both men and women are the same.

This is a science, she thought about it, did she become the one who gave too much in the relationship with Byron, and Byron would think that she couldn't do without him?He was a frivolous, selfish fellow, and now that he's famous, he's a pompous fellow.She really regretted it now, even if she cherished his talent, she really shouldn't have published his poetry collection too early.She knew that he would become famous after the book of poems was published, but she didn't expect that this guy would really fail the test.

So angry.

She was a little morose.

Cathy thought she was angry about Byron and Caroline, well, she was half right, she was angry with Byron, after all I didn't want to save face?Just a month after their affair was rumored, he quickly hooked up with a mature and beautiful woman, it's no wonder she wasn't angry!

Life on the Isle of Wight is very peaceful. I get up early every day to work and start writing a new book; after a nap, I go out for a walk with Cathy, occasionally ride a horse, and then come back to be a female celebrity and read; after dinner, I play games to pass the time, 9 Go to bed at one o'clock.

Now she has quite a lot of accumulation, a lot of materials, and a lot of ideas; her writing skills are becoming more perfect, her writing style is also stabilizing, and she is full of creative desires.After a few weeks, she discovered that she was happy not having to worry about sneaking out for a tryst tonight, or her mother's urging marriage.

A simple life is good for creation.

The news of her being on the Isle of Wight had only been told to Oliver, so now only Oliver wrote to her.After the money bag was embroidered, it was sent directly to the barracks of General Wesley in Spain. Oliver was really happy after receiving the money bag, and excitedly wrote back to her, saying that he liked it very much, and asked her to send him a picture of her. statuette.So in the next two weeks, Alice drew a self-portrait in front of the full-length mirror and sent it to Spain.

The peninsula war is now approaching its climax. General Wesley left Portugal and marched into Spain. In early January, he fought a siege in the city of Rodrigo in Spain.The city of Rodrigo is easy to defend and difficult to attack. In the first ten days, the British-Portuguese coalition forces were all digging trenches and building fortifications, and setting up artillery positions. The battle officially began on January 1 and ended on the evening of the 1th. More than 19 casualties, the French defenders suffered more than 20 casualties, and finally ended with the annihilation of the French army, and the remaining more than 1800 people became prisoners.

Major Bundfield was unharmed, but the British fought so hard that two major generals were killed. General Wesley was very annoyed by this.

The news was sent back to England, some people mourned the two generals who died in battle, and some people accused General Wesley of misconduct, so that the battle suffered heavy losses.

In his letter Oliver related the cruelty of the war--the battles in which he fought were becoming fiercer and crueler--soldiers and officers fell before him, officers of noble birth were to go first, and the French occupied the front. Due to the favorable terrain, fierce artillery fire was launched against the trenches of the British-Portuguese coalition forces. One of the major generals was injured by the artillery fire and died a painful death a few days later.

He said that he was not afraid of taking the lead or being injured, but he was afraid that if he was injured, he would die and he would not be able to see her again.He lost no time in telling her how he misses him, how he survived the hail of bullets and artillery fire, his courage is all because of her, she is his patron saint - he wore the wisp she gave him when she came to see him last time hair strands.

Alice originally thought that sending hair should only happen between lovers or lovers, and it was so disgusting, but when he asked for it, she couldn't refuse.Oliver immediately took out a silver heart-shaped box pendant, put her hair in the pendant, and wore it around her neck.

——She still thought it was quite romantic at the time, it was hopelessly tacky!

She wrote back worriedly, saying why this damn war is not over yet!

She is also worried that most people who have said they have been on the battlefield will be baptized by the cruelty of war and will change, and some will even change their temperament drastically.As for PTSD, people did not know that people would have mental illness at this time, but it is generally known that people who return from the battlefield will change more or less.

General Wesley previously conferred the title of Viscount Wellington for his meritorious service, and after the siege of Rodrigo, he was promoted to Earl of Wellington, and the other subordinates received their own rewards.The British government refused to give him enough soldiers and resources, but it did not hesitate to reward him.Soldiers received bonuses, officers and soldiers killed in battle also received sufficient pensions, seriously injured soldiers and officers were sent home for treatment, and minor injuries stayed where they were for treatment.

Oliver was promoted from major to lieutenant colonel, and he was not yet 28 years old.

Alice happily showed Oliver's letter to Cathy, "Look! He's been promoted again."

Cathy deliberately asked: "Which 'he'?"

"It's Oliver! Oh! Cathy, you're so bad!" She smiled and pushed her sister.

Cathy quickly read the letter.Oliver didn't write any love words, just said that he was promoted and received her portrait from Alice. He put the portrait on the bedside, facing the portrait as if facing her.

He didn't say a word about what had happened between Alice and Byron.

Why she ran to the Isle of Wight, needless to say, he also understood.The story of London spread to Spain, and even General Wesley knew about the newly popular young poet and asked him if he knew Byron.There is nothing to hide, they have known each other since they were young, and they played big together.He was quite surprised that his little friend was now a nationally known poet; "To Alice" had to be his Alice without even thinking about it.

It would be a lie to say that he is not jealous.He's going crazy with jealousy, okay?He already knew the virtues of Byron at Cambridge University; therefore, Alice finally found a lover who also did not want to get married. He was very discouraged when he heard the news. If we talk about understanding each other, he must be more aware of Alice’s thoughts, and the two of them are more likely to talk about going together. They have the same view of love, they don’t take unusual paths, and Byron is more tolerant. she.

Unexpectedly, within a month, Byron actually went to pursue a new lover.

Oliver is furious!He wrote excitedly and scolded Byron, saying that he was hurting Alice.Not to be outdone, Byron immediately wrote back, sarcastically saying that he didn't know what Alice was thinking at all, and she might not mind at all!

Only then did Oliver feel that Byron was also a fool.Alice may be an unusual girl, but she may not be able to generously allow her lover to hook up with other women.

So she ran to the Isle of Wight, and he felt that she might not have much love for Byron.It was wise for her to leave London, and there was no need for her name to be associated with this high-profile gossip couple.Her reputation has been damaged a little, but the loss is not great, and people can only sigh a few times that she is a victim, a poor abandoned girl.

On the one hand he felt sorry for Alice, worried that she would be hurt, but on the other hand he wished that she had better not care about Byron's absurdity at all, and leave that bastard at heart.He made more demands on her, such as asking her to write more letters to him, sending him her portrait, asking her how she was living in his villa, whether the servants were taking good care of her, and asking the servants to send her if there was anything missing. Buy it, please don't be too polite, just treat the villa as her own; I also asked her what gift she wanted, every time he participated in a battle, he got a lot of bonuses, the accumulation was already considerable, and he didn't have much money Where there is no money, so I want to spend it on her.

A week later, in early March, Oliver sent her two snow-white angora cats.

Alice was delighted to receive the kittens.She has fed pigs, cows, chickens and pigeons, and there are a few big dogs that guard the yard at home, but she has never raised a cat.Byron had raised bulldogs, parrots, and monkeys before, but he had never asked her what small animals she liked.She plays with the cats every day, and when the weather gets warmer, the walk is changed to before breakfast in the morning, so she also takes the cats out for a walk.Angora cats are very beautiful. They have a long hairy tail with an upturned air. They eat well, grow fast, and are active all day long.

Oliver always asked about the kittens in his letters, and she replied that they were all well, and that she was afraid they might get lost, so she tied them with ropes.Julian brought his young wife Maria to live on the Isle of Wight for a month. Maria also wanted Angora cats, so Julian had to go back to London to buy her a pair of blue Angora cats.

Oh, and, when Julian came back, he brought Ivo with him.

Ivo left London in mid-September last year, and now it is early April 9, and he has been away for almost 1812 months.

"Ivo!" When Alice saw Ivo, she thought she was wrong.She was overjoyed, put down the kitten in her arms, and ran over quickly.

Ivo's weight came back, and he was no longer a skinny frame.

Wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, with short hair, he looks a lot more mature.

"Alice." He hugged her tightly.

Julian shouted dissatisfiedly, "Let her go!"

Alice glared at him.

"What are you looking at? Don't forget that you are in my villa. The whole family, including the firewood servants, think you are Oliver's fiancée."

Alice wanted to punch him in the face.

Wait, why does Ivo have injuries on his face?

She ignored Julian and looked at Ivo's face carefully, "What's wrong with your face?" She was worried that he was still being hunted down.

Ivo put her down, reached out and touched the bruise on the left side of his face, "It's nothing, I just had a fight with George." The relationship between the two cousins ​​was completely developed all the way since childhood.

She asked in a low voice, "Is it... for me?"

He lowered his eyes, "Do you love him?"

"It's not love."

"Then leave him alone. I didn't beat him once or twice. When he is 50 years old, if I want to beat him, I can still beat him."

Alice smiled and nodded, "When you come back now, do you mean that you are all right?"

"Wesley said, it's all right, I can come back."

Jane wrote before that the London Police Department has arrested many people this year. Even the Prince of Wales has read the "London Morning News" investigation report on corpse thieves. Therefore, the relevant departments and the police station launched a wave of crackdown on this.

The police are busy, and even the courts are busy, busy prosecuting the captured criminals.Members of the London Constituency are making relevant legal proposals, preparing to legalize the use of medical corpses, designate funeral homes or churches, and the families of the deceased can donate the remains of the deceased. For the poor, it can save a funeral fee and get a small sum of money "bonus".The significance of this proposal is that body donation must have a legal death certificate, so as to prevent illegal body theft.

Alice was a little relieved, "You still have to be careful, maybe someone escaped and wanted to seek revenge on you."

"So I have to stay on the Isle of Wight for another two months, and I can't go back to London until everyone on the list has been arrested."

She sighed softly: "The price of being an envoy of justice is really high."

Julian was not interested in watching them flirt, and had already walked away.

While having dinner in the afternoon, Julian talked about the latest gossip in London. The scandal between Byron and Mrs. Caroline Lamb has been updated. Caroline may be pregnant with Byron’s child. Angry, Byron was not allowed to go to his mansion long ago, but Caroline and Byron had a tryst elsewhere, and it was revealed that the apartment was real estate under Alice's name.

Alice was involved again, but fortunately she was not in London. People lamented that she was a victim and that she had two real estate properties in London. She was really a rich lady.It was known that she had fled London, but not where she had gone.

Ivo also said where he was in the past 7 months: he went to Sweden, Norway and Russia, and gained a lot of knowledge.He couldn't write letters back to China for these few months, and he didn't tell anyone where he was, but Wesley made an appointment with him to send the letter to a certain post office in Copenhagen in half a year, and told him to pick up the letter at the post office at that time.

He returned to England immediately after receiving the letter. As soon as he arrived in London, he heard that "To Alice" was on the title page of Byron's collection of poems. People were saying that Alice from Austin's family was his lover. The husband and wife hooked up together, and Alice left London sadly.

No wonder he didn't run to beat up his cousin!

Julian slapped the table and said well done!But immediately said that Oliver was about to return to China, and he would be engaged to Alice when he came back, and told Ivo to get out immediately.Alice felt that he was just talking nonsense, and Oliver had never mentioned anything about coming back.In the peninsula war, as Wesley's troops advanced into Spain, seeing that the war would intensify, how could he return home soon?

After dinner, the genius faded.

Ivo said goodbye and left, and Alice took the kittens to send him out.

"I've been living in my villa for the past two months. Do you want to live there?" He is also very talkative now. "My villa is near the sea. The scenery is much better than here. You will definitely like it."

He added: "You have come to the Isle of Wight several times, but you have never lived in my villa. Don't worry, my mother can no longer control me like I did when I was a child."

She grabbed his sleeve, "Let's talk about this later. Ivo, I worry about you all day, afraid that something will happen to you, and then I will never see you again."

"I'm back. If you want to see me, you can walk a mile to see me. Or easier, live with me, with Cathy."

"I'm used to living here, and I don't want to change places."

He sighed, "Okay then. You know how to get there. If you want to see me, go find me." He also knew that because Oliver was not on the Isle of Wight, Alice could live in the Bundfield family's villa, and he was alone. Here alone, she would not live under the same roof as him.

Although they live very close together, they don't actually see each other much.

Alice is still very busy, taking the kittens and Cathy out for a walk in the morning, Sidney and Kate accompany them; come back to have breakfast with Julian and his wife, after breakfast, Alice has to work, Maria learns from her husband English; eat casually for lunch, and then everyone takes a nap; naps, a few people go out for horseback riding, or go out to visit neighbors, and when they come back, the women gather together to do needlework, while Julian reads the newspaper; dinner is late , Sometimes I don’t eat until 7 o’clock. After eating dinner, play games for a while, it’s time to wash up and go to sleep.

Alice has finished writing a book, and she is putting it on hold for the time being, and will send it to Brother Henry for review after being revised next month.Currently writing the second book, this book tells the story of a female archaeologist and explorer who occasionally finds the last descendant of the lost Atlantis, which is full of exoticism.

She would read a chapter to Cathy, and Maria could barely understand it, and Julian, who wasn't as critical as Evan, just asked her why she never wrote male protagonists.