little miss austin

Maybe it's her appearance that has changed a little bit, maybe her demeanor has changed a little bit, in short, she's changed a little bit.

It didn't take Alice a few minutes to get her breakfast and sit down at the dining table.

He also quickly sat beside her.

"Alice," he whispered.

"Ok?"

"Last night...you seemed to go upstairs without eating last night."

"Sydney brought me dinner afterwards, in my room. How about you? Did you go back to the hotel and eat well?"

He nodded, "I ate a little."

"Do you have any money with you?"

"Yes, Oliver gave me £100."

Alice suddenly thought it was funny: they had just had a fight a few hours ago, and then Oliver paid Ivo back his living expenses.

"I'll ask Jacob to go to the bank to get the money later. You don't have any money, so just take it first—500 pounds. You can ask the hotel staff to hire a servant for you, even if you don't have a servant."

"Oliver gave me a manservant and said I'd get used to living with one manservant while I was living on the island. It's hard to get good servants on Madeira."

Alice wanted to pound the table.

"So you're reconciled?"

"It's...it's not a reconciliation. But it's just like fighting when we were young. In a few days, we will be reconciled." He probably thought it was funny, so he laughed happily.

But this is because Alice has not yet chosen one of them, and when she has made a choice, there is no way to maintain friendship.

"Are you going back to school?"

"You hope that I can graduate from college. It's only one year away. I want to go back and finish my studies." He replied obediently: "But it will have to wait until next summer. Let's go back together, okay? Your illness should be cured by summer." , just go back together at that time."

Alice said nothing.

He was a little flustered, "Alice," put down the fork with his right hand, and pressed it on her left hand on the table. "You said yesterday..."

She interrupted him, "Eat first, or you may not be able to eat later."

Had to eat first.

Both ate quickly, drinking hot cocoa as they ate.

After eating breakfast, I rinsed my mouth again.

Alice got up and left the restaurant, and Ivo quickly followed.

Sydney threw a hooded cloak over her.

"Let's go out for a walk."

It was only when she went out that she remembered, "I forgot to buy you a hat yesterday, you can buy some hats yourself later." A gentleman must have at least dozens of hats in his closet, just like a lady needs at least a few hats. Ten pairs of shoes are the same. "What's not enough, buy it yourself."

He nodded obediently, "I will."

After walking for a while, we arrived at the gazebo.Bamboo curtains are hung in the gazebo to keep out the wind, and the seats beside the railing are not covered with cushions.Alice told Kate, who was following behind, to go back and get the cushions and pillows, and sent her away.

"Sit down." She sat on the bare seat first.

Ivo sat next to her a little uneasy.

"Want to ask me something?"

He lowered his head, "I... what you said yesterday was the truth?"

"of course."

"Yesterday Cathy asked me if I thought about having children. I actually didn't think about it at all. It will be a long time later, so I don't need to think about it now."

"But the child's problem cannot be avoided. I don't want you to argue with me about this in the future."

"I listen to you."

"Oh! You may say that now, but you may regret it later."

"So... tell me, do you love me?"

"do not love."

He suddenly looked up at her with a sad face, "But I love you, very much."

"Then try not to love me." Thinking about it, I thought it might be a little too heartless, and then I changed my mind and said, "Maybe we should wait until we grow up, if I change my mind later, or—well, I can't say no." Well, if neither of them thinks it through, or if one of them doesn't think it through, it might be bad in the future, that's not good."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." She became irritated. "The prerequisite for marriage should be love, but I don't love you, and I don't love Oliver, so I can't marry you. Oh, it's wrong, I can't marry any of you." Getting married alone has nothing to do with whether or not you will have children in the future.”

It was as if something had slammed into his chest, and his face turned pale from the pain, and he was speechless.

"Don't worry, if Mr. Gordon won't forgive you and don't give you money, I will give you tuition and living expenses. Don't worry, I'm richer than you think. Don't be shy about taking my money, you are My friend, I am very generous to my friends."

He cried out suddenly, "Alice!"

She stopped and looked at him in astonishment.

"Oliver is right, you are really ruthless. I thought that if you don't love me, you will at least love Oliver, but you—"

Alice bit her lower lip and said nothing.

"You're so selfish! But I can't stop loving you, maybe it's your selfishness that makes me love you more, you're so weird, you're so weird! Well, I get what you mean, no, maybe I still don't I understand, but you don't love me, I understand." He covered his eyes with his hands, and couldn't stop the tears from falling from his fingers. "You used to laugh at men and most of your vows were lies, but I am not. You are the first girl I fall in love with, and you will also be the last girl I fall in love with. As long as you are not dead, I will love you. And if you die, no matter if you die now or in the future, I will die with you immediately. You may not believe that my love for you is so deep, but the truth is, I love you , I love you, I love you."

She sighed deeply, "Don't say that you can't die, I won't die now. As for the future, everyone will die."

Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy with their two daughters, Henry Austen and Eliza with their two sons, together with Mrs. Austen, returned to England on the first passenger ship after Christmas; And Oliver Bondfield.

Calvin Percy boarded the Percy at the end of January 1808, leaving the port of Funchal.

Ivo Gordon stayed in Madeira until early March before returning to England.He didn't go home, he passed by London, visited Mrs. Austin, and told her about Alice's situation. She was fine, gaining weight, no cough, and was about to recover. Several pulmonary doctors were optimistic that she would survive the summer. be healed.Then he went to Cambridge, which was not on holiday yet, and he lived with Byron for a few months.

Byron asked about Alice's condition, and was glad that she was on the verge of recovery.But she was surprised to learn that Alice had chosen neither Oliver nor Ivo.

But then said: "I also think she won't choose any of you, because you and Oliver are similar, both of them are very exciting!" He laughed gloatingly.

You can go away!

Ivo stared at him angrily, "Is this funny?"

"My dear cousin, don't be morose, and think it may be a good thing that she doesn't love any of you."

"How can this be a good thing?"

"At least you will still be friends. Your relationship with Oliver and Alice hasn't changed. That's good."

"Where's Oliver? He's not in London, is he going back to Newton Manor?"

Byron pretended to be surprised: "Don't you know? He joined the army and is currently studying at the Royal Military Academy. He will be at least the rank of lieutenant when he finishes his training by the end of September."

Ivo was shocked now, "What?!"

"To be honest, I'm surprised what Alice told Oliver to make him crazy enough to join the army!" Byron shook his head, "I thought I was the kind of person who would run to join the army as soon as I got excited, but It shouldn't be Oliver, who is always calm."

"I don't know, they talked alone."

"You're all shit! But Oliver is a little more interesting now, and if he's been sent abroad to fight in a war and survive, maybe Alice will love him then."

Ivo gave his cousin a hard look: This guy really has a problem with his position.

"Tell me quickly," Byron put his arms around his shoulders intimately, "what has Alice been doing lately?"

"Just like that, I walk and ride horses every morning, take a nap at noon, and work in the afternoon."

"Is she writing a new book?"

"I'm writing a new book, but I didn't show it to me." He resented.

"Oh! I don't know what book she's going to write this time, so I'm looking forward to it!"

The new writing is very fast, and it will be on the market by the end of August this year.

This time it is still the heroine, and the title of the book is "Summer of the Rose".

Annabelle is the daughter of a rising bourgeois factory owner. She just got married and has a good relationship with her husband; Annabelle has a fairly good dowry, her husband is young and lovely, and has a decent annuity. On the surface, everything is fine; But gradually, the conversations between husband and wife became less and less interesting, and Annabel felt that she could not stand this kind of unchanging and boring life, so she decided to leave home; she had three conversations with her husband, one fierce quarrel Once a peaceful conversation, both sides were exhausted; people around, including Annabelle's parents, advised her to go home and live a good life with her husband, and they all thought that she was just looking for trouble, purely idle, and thought that if she had a child, Will be a good wife and mother in peace and stability; Annabelle simply took the maid and ran abroad; 10 years later, her husband who had been separated for a long time died of illness, leaving behind a mistress and two children. Before his death, the husband asked Annabelle to adopt her His two children, so that the children could legally inherit his property; Annabelle completed the adoption procedure, left the children to be raised by the husband's mistress, and went abroad again.

After the novel was released, it sold very well, triggering a wide range of discussions among readers of all walks of life.No one has ever written a similar heroine before. Someone has written a heroine who sails the sea and hunts men by waves, and there are quite a few. The selling points are quite hot sex scenes.

"Summer of Roses" is contrary to the traditional soft heroine and slutty heroine that were popular before, and created a heroine who "seeks to do nothing" and pursues her own will. Yes, a husband with a good and gentle family background is unwilling, dissatisfied, and cannot live on his own sins. In the end, the husband has a mistress and an illegitimate child. It is a last resort. He deserves sympathy and should not be scolded; Even if Annabelle doesn't go abroad, her husband will definitely have a mistress and an illegitimate child in the future. Isn't Annabelle going to die of anger? She is not short of money. Why? Want to suffer this kind of anger?

Then some people said that men who don't have a few mistresses outside and have a few illegitimate children are too rare these days, isn't that a big deal?

The objection is that it is because such men are rare, so Annabelle realized that her husband was unreliable, so she left. Is there a problem?You have the right to have a mistress and have an illegitimate child, and Annabelle has the right to leave.

The debates between the two sides continued, and in some review magazines and some newspapers that published book reviews were in full swing.A few months later, the men finally realized that the women at home should not be allowed to read this novel, and strongly demanded that "Summer of Roses" be banned.

Ferry from Southampton to Madeira.

This is a day in September. The further south the passenger ship travels, the higher the temperature will be. However, because it is at sea and the air is circulating, the body does not feel too hot.

Passenger ships are divided into first-class, second-class and third-class, which are clearly divided according to class status: masters live in first class, butlers live in second class, and servants live in third class.

Charlie Wesley was leaning against the railing of the first-class cabin, looking at the sea: in fact, there was sea water in front, back, left, and right, and there was really nothing to see.

William Kingsley and Sally took their son Charles to Madeira Island for vacation in May, and said they would return to England in a year or two. In addition to visiting friends, Wesley had another task to escort the Austin sisters back to the UK. .

The last time I saw Alice was at Pastor George's funeral. At that time, she was ill and couldn't stand upright. She needed a maid to support her, and she almost fainted from crying in the cemetery.He even envied that she was a young girl who could cry as much as she wanted, but he couldn't, he was a man, and even at his aunt's funeral, he had to fight back his heartache and hold back his tears.

She soon became increasingly ill after that, and he did not see her again until he left London.

At that time, he was very worried, worried that she would die of this disease.God is very partial to some people, they are talented at a young age, but at the same time, God will take them back too soon.

Nothing is perfect.

Jacob waits on the pier in Funchal.

The Kingsley family also sent a carriage and servants to pick up Wesley. When the passenger ship docked, they picked up Wesley and sent him directly to the villa rented by William.

On the way, Wesley asked about Alice's condition and how was Cathy, and Jacob answered them one by one.

Miss Alice is fine, and she has been checked again. Dr. Edward confirmed that she has recovered, but Miss Cassandra is not at ease, and is making appointments for other pulmonary doctors one by one. Only when all the pulmonary doctors confirm that she is cured can she be relieved. .

When they arrived at William's villa, Wesley wrote a letter and gave it to Jacob to take it with him.

When Cathy received the letter, she opened it immediately. "Wesley said he could wait for you to see all the pulmonologists to make sure you're really well, and then we can go home."

"I've been fine a long time ago, but you have been worried that I must stay for two more months, otherwise we will be able to go back in July."

"You are out to recuperate, so you don't care about the two more months. I will definitely take you home when you are healthy. Every time my mother writes to me, she will tell me that I must take good care of you."

"Mom is really worried." Alice said lightly.

Henry, Jane and Tom took turns persuading Mrs. Austen, and finally got her to agree to go back to England first.Alice was really afraid that if her mother insisted on staying, she might have to run away from home by herself.It is estimated that Jane told her mother the same way, saying that if Cathy stayed, at least Alice would not run away by herself, otherwise, God knows what would happen to her as a young girl outside—in fact, how could she run away alone? Definitely have to take the Jacob brothers and sisters.

But in this era, there are no young girls who travel alone. They must be accompanied by older relatives, or parents, or brothers and sisters, or special older female escorts. No matter how many servants there are, it doesn’t count.It was also in accordance with the rules for Cathy to accompany her, so Mom had to compromise.

Brother Henry was not very relieved that the two of them were on Madeira Island, so he left three servants for them, and told the servants to be careful to protect the safety of the two mistresses. If there is no time, the salary will be reissued, that is, the double salary system for business trips will be implemented. The servants are also very enthusiastic about their work, and they will be paid double salary according to the time of business trips, so there is nothing to argue about.

Mrs. Austen wrote to them both weekly, and Alice wrote back to her mother, that is, on ordinary things.Mom doesn't talk about the engagement, and she doesn't talk about the future either.

Cathy, on the other hand, received the letter just after Christmas, this time from Bridges.

The third brother Edward's wife, Elizabeth, is surnamed Bridges. Elizabeth's natal brother, Edward Bridges, is two years younger than Cathy and has never been married. After meeting Cathy the year before last, he occasionally visited. Not at home, Edward Bridges visited more diligently, clearly expressing the meaning of pursuit.

There was also a Mr. Bridges who had pursued Cathy and proposed to her before, but she rejected the proposal. Alice estimated that Mr. Bridges would not succeed either.

Cathy is 35 years old this year, which is definitely old for women, and there is no prospect of marriage for a long time. Mrs. Austin has given up, but now there is a suitor with good conditions, who is also a relative, and her character is not good. When it was too late, my mother started to move around again: Alice was still young and stubborn, so I had to let her go; Cathy was an obedient child, and she must seize the opportunity this time.

Cathy had no choice but to tell Alice, just because mother can't control you, now she is chasing me and wanting me to get married.

Alice also has nothing to do with her mother's mentality of hating her daughter for not getting married. Most mothers in this era must still hope that their children can get married and have children obediently, because they all came here like this.Mrs. Austin married very late, she got married at the age of 25, and gave birth to her first child at the age of 26, so Alice said she would not get married now, and she quickly compromised. After all, Alice can wait for a few more years.But Cathy is the top priority. If there is a chance to marry her, my mother is still willing to work hard and save her.

Being with the eldest sister for the past few months, the sisters have also increased their sisterhood. Cathy understands how Alice thinks about problems and why she says she doesn't want to have children; Alice also understands why Cathy doesn't want to get married , Even if there is a very suitable candidate, he is unwilling to agree to the proposal.

Cathy is used to living alone—well, she’s not living alone—she’s still a virgin, and she’s never had any experience with the sex between men and women, so it’s hard to have any sexual desires, and she doesn’t need any men , so I don't think there is any need to get married, and even because of my religious background, I feel that the thing on the bed is a bit disgusting.

Alice thinks that her sister is an ascetic saint. She just needs to figure out what kind of life she wants. No one else has the right to change her decision, not even her mother.But it's still bad to say that if you get annoyed by your mother forcing the marriage, you will also move out.

The two sisters discussed many times whether she should move out or not.

Cathy thought she had to live at home anyway, it wasn't nice for an unmarried girl to live alone without her parents and siblings, she would be considered "that" woman, even if she didn't have any guests at all. Rumors will be spread.

Alice said "whocare", and Cathy said that she thought too simply. If her reputation was slandered because of something that didn't exist, she would not be able to find a suitable husband in the future.

"Then don't get married, how easy it is!" Alice sighed, "Why do you all think I have to get married?"

"I can bear my mother's nagging and forced marriage from time to time, but you can't." Cathy also sighed, "But if I let my mother go and live outside with you, how can I bear it?"

Alice also felt that this was not feasible. She had made up her mind that she no longer wanted to live with her mother, or at least not go home for a few years; but it would be pitiful for her mother to have no daughters around her.

"Or, can I live with my cousin Anna? Or ask her to live in London." She racked her brains to think of any suitable relatives in the family. As long as she lived with an older female relative, she would be fine. . "Or Cousin Anna can go and live with mother, and you live with me."

Cathy raised her forehead, "That's fine, but can Anna get along with her mother? Also, is she willing to leave Oxford?"

"You write and ask her. What's the name of her adopted daughter?"

"Claire."

"Claire should also be at the age to learn lady education. You tell her that I can introduce Claire to Mrs. Becker and let her come to live in London. I remember that she has her own house in London, but she rents it out to others , she can live in Jane's small villa—ah, no, we still have land next to it, let Henry build two more small villas." Alice planned happily.