little miss austin

Alice sat on the sofa angrily, and pulled out the ring again, but it was still stuck on her knuckles and could not be pulled off.

Oliver pursed his lips first, and after a while, he shouted: "Don't take it off! Wear it!"

Ivo also shouted immediately: "She doesn't like wearing it! She didn't agree at all!"

Jane hurriedly said: "Don't use too much force, don't break your fingers." She took her hand and rubbed her knuckles.

The ring is actually very beautiful. The oval-shaped ruby ​​is about 6 carats, and the size is right. The gold ring has hollow patterns on both sides of the gem.

Alice felt particularly aggrieved, "I didn't agree, Oliver grabbed my hand and put it on."

Jane glanced at Oliver in astonishment: his beautiful face was bruised, which gave him a dangerous temperament other than gentleness, and for some reason, Oliver looked a little familiar today.After thinking for a while, she suddenly realized that Oliver looked quite like Tom in the boxing ring, with a bit of ruthlessness.

Kate brought the washbasin, brought the soap, and put it on the table.

Jane picked up the soap and wet it, applied soap liquid on Alice's knuckles, and slowly took off the ring.He cleaned the ring again, dried it with a handkerchief, and put it on the table.

Kate took the washbasin and the soap.

Oliver sighed, "Alice—"

Calvin Percy had already entered the living room, just in time to see Jane take the ring from Alice's hand.

He has quickly figured out the current situation: among Alice's two suitors, Mrs. Austen seems to prefer the taller one, but Alice seems to be angry with them for some reason now, and neither of them may be liked very much.

He had never seen the two young men before, nor did he know their names, but this did not affect his understanding and observation.There is no doubt that both of them like Alice very much, but it is hard to say whether the degree of "like" has reached the level of "love".

Oh, and the ring, which one proposed to her?It must be the tall one.

When Alice looked up and saw Calvin, she was very impatient: "Who let you in?"

"Alice!" Mrs. Austen raised her voice.

"Mind your own business! Did I ask you to help me? Jacob is enough, and you don't need to be meddlesome!"

"Alice, what about your upbringing?" said Mrs. Austen reproachfully.

"What education do you want? I'm so bored. I can't do this or say that all day long. Now I just want to say and do it happily! Whoever makes me unhappy, I will make him even more unhappy!" Alice He said ruthlessly, "The two of them grew up together since they were young. I don't know how many fights they will have in a year. If you can't kill each other this time, continue next time! I want you to meddle in your own business!"

Calvin actually had a very good temper, "It's my fault, I should ask you first next time."

"Then you can go now, I still have things to deal with."

Calvin was kind, "Okay, I'll leave after a few more words. I followed you because I was worried that you wouldn't be able to handle it, but now it seems that I'm worrying too much. Miss Alice, although we haven't known each other for a long time Long, only ten days, but I think I have impressed you. I am in good health, drink moderately, have no mistress anywhere, have no parents, siblings, and now have a property of 10 pounds, I am planning to settle on land, maybe France, maybe the UK, but if you can agree to my marriage proposal, I will choose to settle in the UK."

Everyone in the living room was shocked!

Alice really wanted to laugh, "You still need a ring."

"In this situation, it doesn't seem appropriate to propose to you formally. Don't worry, there must be a ring. The day after tomorrow is Christmas Eve and your birthday, and I will visit you again." He lightly lifted his hat and asked the ladies Farewell, "Please allow me to say goodbye."

After Calvin Percy left, Alice laughed very seriously.

Cathy was helpless, "What a child!"

Mrs. Austen sat Oliver on another sofa and cleaned the cut on his left cheekbone.The wound was not big, just a little abrasion, and the area around the wound was red and swollen.

Ivo's face was not injured, but his eye sockets were bruised, and he looked very ridiculous.

Cathy asked Kate to go into the kitchen and cook some poached eggs.

"Don't fight," Cathy said to Ivo in a soft voice, "You and Oliver have known each other since childhood, and you have known Alice for so many years, what can't you talk about, you have to fight?"

Ivo felt aggrieved, "Oliver did it first. He made Alice cry for, for putting a ring on Alice. I went to pull him away, and he punched me."

Oliver immediately gave him a fierce look.

Alice said indifferently: "Boys, that's it. They always think that problems can be solved with fists. Oliver, I thought you wouldn't always think about fighting when you grow up. Didn't you never think about fighting in Eton?" Don't fight?"

"Do you believe everything I say? Even if I fight with others, I can't tell you."

"Huh? Really? You don't tell me the truth about everything? If you had been so funny before, then I wouldn't think you were too boring."

"It's not too late to know now." Oliver walked over and picked up the ring on the table, "Do you want to consider accepting the ring now?"

"not now."

"Why not? I could care less about your not wanting to have kids, isn't that enough?"

"I've changed my mind now, I just don't want anything, don't have children, don't want to get married."

Mrs. Austin felt that she might have heard it wrong, "Alice Austin! What are you talking about?!"

"Just talking about this, I don't want to get married, I don't want to have children. Jane said that I have to make sure I really love Oliver or Ivo, or someone else before I can consider marriage. Now that I think it through, I don't want to I can't bear that kind of life to have a child in a year and a half, and keep giving birth. So I won't get married, even if Oliver says he can have no children now, I don't want to marry him."

Mrs. Austin had a angina attack, "Ah! What are you talking about? What are you talking about! Are you trying to piss me off?!" She turned pale with anger, "Are you going to learn from Cathy? But Cathy has no choice, If Fall had lived, she would have married. But you—I don't mind whoever you choose, Oliver, Ivo, Grant, George, if he loves you, I don't care. Mind his absurdity, but you—”

"Boys, no, men are bored to death. Once you enter the stage of love, you will soon think about getting married and having children. It's boring, especially boring! Can't you be happy just falling in love? You have to think about family property all the time , Heir, boring!"

Mrs. Austin had another angina, "What are you talking about?! Do you want to be that kind of woman? Who instilled you with such terrible and depraved thoughts?!"

"How can you fall if you only think about yourself? I don't want to support them!"

"I don't allow you to talk nonsense anymore! You go upstairs to me now and think about it carefully!"

Alice jumped up, "Mom, if I'm in a bad mood, my illness will get worse. If I start coughing up blood, I'm going to die soon. I'm going to die. Mom, don't use such things as getting married." Things that are still far away bother me."

Alice stomped upstairs, leaving a mess behind.

Cathy was sad for a while, but she pulled herself together, "Today...it's too messy. Oliver, you go back first, and take the ring back."

Oliver put the ring away, "How's she doing these days? Have you gone for a follow-up visit?"

"She's fine, she's been fine all the time, she hasn't gotten worse, but it's true, if she's in a bad mood, maybe her condition will get worse. You go back first, and think about it when you go back. I don't know what Alice told you today. I know, but she has been very assertive since she was a child, and once her ideas are determined, it is difficult to change."

"Then I'll go back first. I'll come back the day after tomorrow." Oliver glanced at Ivo again, then said goodbye to Mrs. Austin and Cathy, and left.

"How are you?" Cathy asked Ivo again, "Does it still hurt?"

Kate took the hard-boiled eggs, splashed them in cold water, peeled an egg and handed it to Cathy, who rolled the egg around his bruised eye socket.

"It doesn't hurt much." Ivo closed his eyes.Cathy was really gentle, just like his big sister.

"Stop fighting, you know? Alice actually doesn't like you fighting, or because of her fighting. What did she say today?"

"That's what she just told Mrs. Austen."

"That's really—kind of bad."

"I don't understand her." Ivo said sadly, "Does she not love me at all?"

"Have you asked her?"

"Not yet. But she said she didn't love Oliver."

"Oliver is Oliver, you are you, you have to ask clearly, right? Also, you have to think clearly, if she really doesn't want to have children, are you still willing to be with her?"

"I don't know. My father said I must have an heir, but I...but I—"

"You've never thought about children, have you?"

Ivo opened his eyes and glanced at Cathy in a panic, "No. It's too early, isn't it? Alice...how she...she thinks a little too much."

"It's not that she thinks too much. That's how Mrs. Austen taught us. We have to be ready to be wives, and once we are married, we will soon be mothers. Alice... she is different, you see Has any girl ever been educated by the outgoing Governor of India and the richest commoner in Britain? No, she is the only one, so she will think differently from me and Jane."

"I really don't understand her. My sisters all have children, and Jane has children, so why wouldn't she want to have children? Doesn't every woman want to have children of her own? I'm sorry, Cathy—"

"Don't tell me you're sorry. Or, you really should have a good talk with her. One thing Jane is right about is that she has to decide whether she loves you, or Oliver, before she can consider getting married. As for the children... I don't either It's pretty clear what she's thinking."

Just now Alice went upstairs, and Jane followed.Mrs. Austen, who came up after Oliver had gone, said she had a headache from anger, and was going to have a good rest.

Cathy was quite worried that her mother would quarrel with Alice, and thought that Jane would probably be able to persuade them, but her mother was very nagging, and Alice was particularly irritable today, so maybe the two of them would have a big quarrel.

"Then I—" Ivo looked at the stairs, wanting to go up.

"Alice is getting angry right now, so come back tomorrow. Just think about it when you go back tonight, after all—" Cathy couldn't help sighing: it's really nerve-wracking. "In short, you have to make sure that you really love her, and then listen to her thoughts, have a serious talk, and make it clear."

Ivo is gone too.

Cathy looked around the living room, and smiled wryly: Other families may worry that their daughters have reached marriageable age, but there are no suitable suitors. The problem Alice faces now is that there are suitable and unsuitable suitors, but the problem is Instead, it happened to her.

Alice does not want to have children or is afraid of having children. Jane and she have discussed this before. There is a former sister-in-law in Austin who died because of giving birth, plus Susan's mother and Oliver's mother. It is only natural that she would be afraid of having a child after dying from the illness caused by childbirth.

The mother always said that she is in good health, and the children she gave birth to are all in good health, and there will be no problems in giving birth in the future.She was very worried about Jane giving birth twice, but fortunately, Jane was in good health and had no problems.But this made the mother even more confident that "my children are all healthy". If Alice used the risk of childbearing as an issue, the mother would definitely scold her for thinking, alarmist, and scaring herself.

Distraught, Cathy went upstairs, first to Alice's room.

Mom was indeed in her room, scolding her.

Alice fell on the bed, crying with her head covered.

Jane was so anxious that she tried to persuade her mother to leave.

Both Sidney and Kate had been kicked out of the room and were wandering helplessly in the hallway.

Cathy hurried in, "Mother, don't be angry, you and Alice can't be angry now, be careful."

Mrs. Austin was also tired of scolding, and her heart was so tired, "Tell me, why is she so worried?! It's all your fault! You haven't set a good example."

Cathy was tired, "Well, well, it's all my fault."

"Why are you scolding Cathy again? Cathy has done nothing wrong." Alice cried while crying.

"She's not wrong, that's what you did! Don't you admit it?"

"I'm right, I'm right!"

"You—" Mrs. Austin shook her hands in anger, "I won't be angry if you say you don't love Oliver or Ivo, you think they are not good, you can get to know other people, it's okay, before marriage Of course you have to choose carefully, it doesn’t matter if you choose a few more years, but you—”

Cathy winked at Jane, and Jane came over immediately and hugged Mrs. Austin's shoulders, "Mother, go back and have a rest, let Cathy and I try to persuade her again, she's just messing around, just wait until she figured it out gone."

Mrs. Austin did not insist on staying, and left her room smoothly.

Alice stopped crying when her mother was gone.

Cathy sat on the edge of the bed, lifted the quilt, and gently stroked her hair, "You are so willful!"

She sighed, "In this world, it's really hard to speak out what's on your mind!"

After thinking about it, he asked Cathy, "Mum hid Ivo's letter, did you know about it?"

"I've only been here for a few days, how do I know? You should ask Jane if she knows."

"Jane didn't know either. She said that if she knew about it, she would certainly persuade mother to give me the letter."

Cathy nodded: that's what Jane would do.

"Mom really shouldn't hide your letter. It's not good. You should handle it yourself, but maybe you really didn't handle it very well." She lay down halfway, "What should I do now? Ivo , or Oliver? Or Mr Percy?"

"None, I don't want any." Alice said sullenly: "Mother likes Oliver the most, but Oliver must have an heir; Ivo is the same. As for Mr. Percy, mother doesn't like him, so it is impossible for him to agree. But I did think that if they bored me, I'd marry Percy right away, and get on a ship and go far away from England."

Cathy was taken aback, "You mustn't do that! You have to think about your mother, she will be sad."

"I've thought too much about my mother. Maybe I should leave my mother and live alone for a few years. My mother loves me very much, but at the same time it restricts me too much. I should live an independent life."

"Don't talk nonsense, how can there be any reason why an unmarried girl like you lives by yourself while your mother is still alive?"

"Then I don't mind marrying random guy and then stabbing him on the wedding night so I'll be a happy widow and live on my own."

Cathy was completely defeated by the little sister, "Just talk nonsense!"

Woke up after sleeping, the problem is still there, still not solved.

Alice was lying on the bed for the first time and didn't get up immediately.

Sidney came to wash her and said that Ivo had come and wanted to see her.

"Has he had breakfast? Ask the kitchen to prepare breakfast for him." Thinking of his obviously thin face, I still feel sorry for him.Although he blamed him for not resisting his parents yesterday, in fact, this is a kind of progress for him. He suddenly found that he doesn't have to listen to his parents in everything, which may be a great progress for him.His experience in the past few months must also be very rich. He finally learned to deal with specific issues, such as where to get money and how much to spend every day to fill his stomach. For him, he never considered in the past 21 years. problem.

She sat up lazily and asked Sidney to bring a mirror: her eyes were swollen, and her face was also a little swollen.

Sighing, she asked Sidney to fetch another basin of cold water.

Sidney went out, Jane came in.

"Do you want to see Ivo? Then I will go for a walk with my mother, and you can talk to him in the living room or the dining room."

Alice nodded.

"Think clearly before speaking. Don't talk nonsense in a fit of anger. If you break his heart, it will be difficult."

"But I have to be honest with him, right? I don't want to lie to him. We haven't discussed more... more in-depth issues before, but now it seems that I can't say no. I don't understand why I want to enjoy being in love It's so annoying!" She scratched her hair irritably, "Maybe I should meet that kind of man who also doesn't want to get married or have children."

"Just talking nonsense. That kind of man is very irresponsible. You should know that marriage is the basic quality of a good man. He needs to have some money and not be too boring."

"What you said, Mr. Percy just happens to have it."

"Oh! Don't mention Mr. Percy! My mother thinks he is dangerous, and she is worried that you will really agree to marry Mr. Percy in a fit of anger, and you will be floating around in the sea with nowhere to go."

"Isn't he going to settle on land? Then I'll live in Southampton."

Jane picked up the comb and combed her hair, "Didn't you say before that that you didn't want to leave home too early?"

"My mother has treated me like this, withheld my letter, and forced me to get engaged to Oliver. I don't want to stay at home."

"The only possibility for an unmarried woman to live alone is that both parents die, you know that?"

She nodded, she really didn't know what to do, "Then either, when you leave Madeira Island, let your mother go back with you, and Cathy stay with me. Otherwise, I will sneak away, my illness is not yet gone. If I recover, I might die." She looked at Jane pitifully.

Jane thought about it for a while, "Then I have to discuss it with my mother." As soon as she played a rogue and made a point about her illness, Jane couldn't resist.

Cathy got up early in the morning and wrote a letter asking Jacob to send it to Henry's villa, asking him to talk to Oliver, Ivo, and Percy respectively.Henry didn't know what happened to Alice yesterday, so Jacob briefly explained the situation.

Cousin Eliza was overjoyed when she heard that Oliver had beaten Ivo, "I didn't expect that the gentlest Oliver would be the one who struck first."

"Cathy asked me to talk to the three of them, but I really don't know how to 'talk'." Henry sighed.

"It's very simple, just ask them if they really love Alice, and how much they can do for Alice. It's not up to Alice alone to decide whether to have children. What if they don't have the ability to make a woman pregnant? Isn't it too early to think about having a baby before you get married? Alice is the same as Jane. If she doesn't have love, she won't think about getting married. Maybe the one she loves doesn't love her, so the problem will be solved. Alice doesn't want anyone now. Then look for other suitable candidates."

"The more you talk, the more complicated it becomes."

Ivo sat at the dining table, and the maid served breakfast on the long table next to the dining table.

He got up, took his plate, and chose his breakfast.

Mrs. Austen had just gone for a walk with Jane, and they were not returning to breakfast, which was at least half an hour early.

Alice soon arrived at the dining room and took a plate to choose breakfast.

Ivo looked at her carefully: the eyes were still swollen, a little funny, but very cute.

He hasn't seen her for more than half a year, and he is supported by the memory of her.But think about it, the she in his memory seems to be different from the real her now.