little miss austin

Shock!

Byron would say such things to Alice!

hateful!

This shameless and bold fellow!

He remembered that Byron had said that the reason why Alice would not fall in love with him or Oliver was that they were generally very dull and dull.

So, she has to be as shameless as Byron for her to like it?

"Then you—then you—" He was upset and didn't know what to say.

"What do you want to say?"

"Did you—er, he ever go to your room?"

"That has nothing to do with you."

"It does matter!" He stood up abruptly, "I've always loved you, I don't understand—" He couldn't go on.

He lowered his head and desperately thought about what to do now. If he wanted to say something, he couldn't say nothing. If he admits failure now and walks away disappointed, then it's even more impossible for her to fall in love with him.

Alice ignored him and kept eating the fruit.Like a chipmunk, with bulging cheeks, biting a fig and squeaking.

After thinking for a while, he sat down again, picked up a blackened purple grape, carefully peeled the skin, and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Maybe I should treat you in a different way—a little more shameless, a little tougher. What do you like about him? I'm sure I can't be like him, but maybe you'll rediscover what you like about me."

"Don't learn from him. You are you, just be yourself."

"But if I don't change, you still won't fall in love with me."

"No, you made a mistake. You don't change for me, you change for yourself. You have to figure out who you are, what you want to be, what you want to do. George said you can go Run for MP, but if you don't even think about whether you want to be in politics, spend a lot of time and energy, and finally become MP, only to find that this does not make you happy, then you are at a loss! You will be rich in the future , is enough to let you do what you want to do, just like Grant, he wanted to be an explorer, and he has been working hard for it. You are the same, think about your life goals, and then love, marriage, family .”

Ivo was surprised, "I thought you would say that love is the most important thing."

"You are so stupid!" She said bluntly: "For me, having money is the most important thing. For you, determining your life goals is the most important thing. Love is just icing on the cake. If there is no love , it doesn’t matter. Or like George, you can love at will, that’s not bad. George knows how to have fun for himself, you are his cousin, you should learn from him.”

"What do I learn from him? To have fun everywhere, to find many lovers?"

"That's not bad. He said you're still a virgin—" Alice saw Ivo's face blushing quickly, and thought it was really funny, and laughed loudly, "Oh! He was right!"

"I thought, the first time should be with the woman I love."

"That's bad, isn't it? You should learn how to make love so that it will give your future wife physical pleasure—what? You think it's all right for a man to get sexual pleasure?"

"You shouldn't—how do you know everything?!" He sighed. "But I shouldn't be surprised. You're grown up and you should understand this. But I still don't want to discuss this kind of thing with you very much."

"You can discuss it with George, but if he wants to take you to try it, you have to pay attention to safety. You must know that many kinds of sexually transmitted diseases are prevalent in brothels. If you get syphilis or something, you'd better jump into the sea and die."

It was mid-September, and Julian hadn't received Oliver's letter yet, so he couldn't wait any longer and urged him to leave.Given that Madrid was still controlled by the French army at this time, they canceled their trip to Madrid and went directly south to Seville in Spain, then to Cadiz, and then to Gibraltar.

Alice lived in Sintra for 7 weeks, and stayed in Portugal for a total of 2 months. She felt that she lived long enough and it was time to leave.So I happily packed my luggage and boarded the carriage.

Julian had already clamored to leave, but he was afraid that Oliver's letter would arrive after he left, so he had to wait patiently for more than two weeks.

During this period, Baron Bundfield sent another letter, which said that Oliver was transferred to relatively safe North Africa, that is, Casablanca, where they would go after they left Gibraltar, but it is not clear whether the transfer order has been issued to Gibraltar.

There are so many rivers on the Iberian Peninsula, the journey to Seville is quite a toss, sometimes the carriage sometimes changes boats.When they arrived in Spain, the Spanish guide was changed, and several of them started to learn Spanish again.

They walk relatively slowly, and if they need to wait for the ferry, sometimes they may have to stay in a hotel by the river for a day or two.The peninsula war did not reach the southernmost tip of the peninsula, but the impact was still great. The prices of almost all agricultural products and everything were rising.Many rich people came from the central and northern parts to Seville and Cadiz. The smart nobles and rich people have already left from some ports in the northwestern and eastern parts of Spain to Britain and some Mediterranean countries.

Several people grew up with rich clothes and fine food. Only Byron and Alice’s family was not very good when they were young, but they were also able to eat enough and try to eat delicately.

They brought a lot of good wine, wine from Portugal, Spain, France, and champagne. The journey was very boring. You can enjoy the scenery along the way by ferry, but if you take a carriage, it’s a bit boring. The men started drinking at noon. Can finish a bottle of wine in the afternoon.

Alice drank too, and only the best wines.Drink very sparingly, one cup at noon and one cup after dinner.

Men also drank absinthe, sometimes with a pipe of fine tobacco.After drinking the absinthe, Byron was indeed - more irritable.

After entering Spain, it started to rain one day, so they stayed at the ferry for a week to wait for the rain to stop.

They occupied a whole small inn near the ferry, and some servants could not accommodate them, so they had to live in the neighboring farmer's and boatman's house.In the rural areas, there are no decent roads, they are all muddy, and it is very muddy when it rains.You can only stay indoors on rainy days, which is really easy to make people feel stuffy.

Grant complained that it was wet and uncomfortable; Julian complained that he didn't know when the rain would last, but he was anxious to reach Seville as soon as possible; He ate Hesai, and ate all the pickled meat, vegetables and fruits they brought. Hobhouse didn't pay attention, and found that this guy ate too much, and he ate up their food for at least two days. He had to be scolded.

Because of the rain, Alice didn't go out of the room much. After hearing Hobhouse scolding Byron, she went downstairs and saw Byron in the lobby of the small hotel, who was obedient and obedient.

"what happened?"

Hobhouse was helpless, "Look! Byron, this guy suddenly overeats again. I don't feel sorry for the meat and fruits I ate. I just use the money to go out and buy them. It's just that such overeating is not good for your health. .Look, he ate too much, and it's time to vomit again."

Byron looked at her pitifully, "Alice—"

"Does he do that often?" She ignored Byron.

"Probably always come here at least once a semester."

"Suddenly eat too much and throw up?"

"almost."

"Is he not in a good mood every time before doing this?"

Hobhouse thought for a while, "Indeed."

"Rainy days tend to make people feel gloomy. It's not a serious thing, but it's really bad for your health."

She asked Byron's valet, Hugh, to help him back to his room, and watch over him not to vomit all over the place.

He continued to look at her with a pitiful expression, "Alice, stay with me."

"No! You're going to vomit soon, it stinks to death." With a look of disgust, she waved her hand and told Xio to take him away quickly.

Hobhouse called the catering servant and asked him how much food and wine he had left, and did not say that Byron was not allowed to ask for food.Food can be bought with money, and there is no need to impose controls on him.He also didn't scold Byron, saying that he was hungry for a few meals.

Byron went back to the room, and he vomited after a while.Hugh took the vomit in a wooden bucket, served him well, took out the incense burner, lit a small piece of agarwood and put it in the incense burner.

Lying on the bed, Byron said weakly, "Go and tell Miss Austin that I vomited, and ask her if she would like to come and see me."

Alice came over after a few minutes and sat on the stool by the bed, "You eat so much, doesn't your stomach feel uncomfortable?"

He sighed, "It's uncomfortable, but I can't control it."

"You are a kind of anxiety disorder plus depression." Thinking that there is no Freud now, he had to explain, "Rainy days make people feel depressed, just find something else to do." He is this Bulimia nervosa is the opposite of anorexia nervosa.

"What is there to do in the room?"

"Play chess, cards, and Shuanglu with Hobhouse and the others."

"It's annoying, I've played with it." He half leaned against the head of the bed, hooking the cuffs of her short sleeves with his fingers.Cute puffed sleeves with pleated cuffs and open mouth, fastened with a diamond-shaped shell button.

"Write poetry, or whatever."

"not in the mood."

"Then you are hopeless." She stood up.

"Don't go." He quickly grabbed her hand.

"Let go!" she whispered.

"Don't let go." Instead, he pulled her into his arms forcefully, "Today I should let you get acquainted with the man's body."

"Today? Not a good time."

"Didn't you say let me find something else to do?"

"Not today, you just vomited, and I lose all interest when I think of you vomiting." She pushed him away, "Another day."

"Hey!" He sighed, "Then I'm going to sleep, so don't sneak to see Ivo while I'm sleeping."

Alice squinted at him, "What do you mean by 'sneaky'? I can see whoever I want, it's fair and aboveboard, and you don't need to worry about it."

Ivo went out with Julian and did not return until evening.

The few people who did not go out were having dinner, Hobhouse sat with Grant and Evan, Alice sat with Sidney, and Byron sat at a table by himself.

Ivo handed the umbrella to the servant, took off his muddy pattens and cloak, and sat across from Alice, "What's wrong with George?"

"He is overeating again, I let him eat only a little vegetables and fruits." She told Kate, "Kate, take a clean towel and wipe Master Ivo's hands, and serve him food."

Julian also took off his pattens and cape, and sat over. "Kate, I want to wipe my hands too. Bring me my food."

Ivo gave him a sideways look.

"Where did you go today?" she asked.

"See if we can go by land. It's raining like this. I don't know how many days it will stop."

Without an accurate weather forecast, you can only watch the weather and walk when you go out.

"Can you go?"

"I can definitely walk, but I have to make a detour."

She thought for a while, "If Hobhouse is willing to go by land, then we'll go out tomorrow. I'm bothered by the rain."

Hobhouse was unwilling to wait any longer, so he quickly decided to go by land tomorrow, and immediately ordered the servants to go out to check the carriage and horses.They have a lot of people and a lot of luggage. Only Alice’s carriage was brought from England, and several new carriages were bought in Sintra. They are going to be sold or stored in Gibraltar. There are more than 3000 people in Gibraltar. British soldiers, some officers' families, and some dock workers, apart from the barracks, there is a large area of ​​ordinary residential areas.

So the servants began to get busy, checking the carriages, feeding the horses, checking the horseshoes, packing the luggage, and checking the food reserves.

Alice has 5 servants, Ivo has 1 valet, and Byron has 5 servants. This is 11 servants, and they will be busy for a while.They didn't have to lug their own luggage, so they thought of bringing everything they used to, at least a dozen of bed sheets, several pillows, several pairs of house slippers, and a shelf for her carriage. , Bring the goldfish bowl.

The next day, the rain still didn't stop.

Hobhouse arranged the carriages, the first carriage for Ivo, Julian and Evan, the second carriage for Alice, the third carriage for him, Byron and Grant, followed by the carriages for the maids. The servants sat in the back of the carriage and rode on horseback.

The first weekend in October, they finally arrived in Seville.

Hobhouse is expected to spend two weeks in Seville, then go to Cadiz for four weeks, Gibraltar for two weeks, Casablanca, Christmas and Algiers.

Julian only stayed in Seville for two days, and immediately rode lightly to Gibraltar with Evan.They brought five strong male servants, and Grant lent them a tall and strong black servant who was almost two meters tall.After all, the peninsula is at war, and it is hard to say what will happen on the road.

Cadiz is a seaside city, Seville is not far from Cadiz, the transportation is convenient, and there will be fresh seafood for sale in the market.Cadiz is currently regarded as the wartime capital of Spain, and both the military headquarters and the provisional government stay in Cadiz.

As soon as they stayed in the hotel, several people hurriedly wrote and sent letters to update their return addresses for family and friends. The reason why they had to stay for at least a few weeks was also because they had to send and receive letters and learn more about the current war situation.Julian also wrote a letter to his father before leaving. It was agreed that whether Oliver was in Gibraltar or not, he would write to Alice. If Oliver was in Gibraltar, they would stay in Gibraltar and wait for them to come to meet; Yes, they will return to Seville.

Seville is not far from Gibraltar, and it takes two days to ride a horse.I went there for two days, came back for two days, and came back before it was time for dinner on the fourth day.

Julian went back to the hotel room, hurriedly changed his clothes, took off his riding boots and put on house slippers, and hurried to find Alice.

Alice was writing a letter, and Kate opened the door for Julian and came to report, "Master Julian is back."

She turned to look at Julian, "What's wrong?"

"He's not in Gibraltar," Julian said irritably. "He left in August, to Wesley's unit."

She frowned, "What do you mean? He has no combat experience, why did he go to the war zone?"

"Who knows!" Julian walked back and forth anxiously in front of her, "Major Ross said that because Wesley's troops were seriously downsized and needed to replenish infantry and officers, he was transferred and taken away. A company, but the good thing might be that he got promoted and is now a captain."

"How many people in a company?"

"The full establishment is 120 people, it may be more or less, but generally they are not satisfied."

"I haven't heard that the British army is fighting recently. I got the news yesterday that Wesley's troops have withdrawn to Portugal."

Julian froze, "So we left Portugal and that idiot is in Portugal?"

"Then what are you going to do now?"

"I've got to—I've got to go find him and see with my own eyes if he's still alive."

"Wesley's troops have not faced the French army since July. Since he missed the battle of Talavera, nothing will happen."

"Are you going with me?"

Alice hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, "He's definitely fine now. After you see him, you may still have time to meet us in Gibraltar."

"If he's okay, I'll go to Gibraltar and meet you again." Julian agreed, "I have to go to Hobhouse to discuss it. I left a servant to look after the house in Gibraltar. Major Ross helped us find one. The house is big and nice.”

Ivo was also surprised to learn that Oliver actually went to the war zone.

"He's really crazy!" I don't care if he's crazy or not, but——

Byron also sighed, "I didn't expect that such a cautious person would actually go to the front line."

Both were wondering what Alice would think of Oliver now.

Ivo said tentatively, "Maybe she thinks Oliver is stupid."

"Probably not," Byron sighed. "I thought both of you were weak, but I didn't expect—this is bad!" He jumped up suddenly, "No matter what, she can't go to Oliver!"

Alice had ignored him for a while since his last overeating.He had a very bad life in those few days. As a result of overeating, he had a bad stomach for several days. In addition to being forced to vomit that day, he also vomited while walking the next day. The entire convoy had to stop. Ellie Si despises this very much.

The consequence of overeating is that he has to control his diet these days. He only eats a little white bread and potato and vegetable soup in the morning and evening every day. When he arrives in Seville, he can eat more fish.

Ivo also knew that he had this problem this time. Alice explained that it was an eating disorder related to mental stress. Simply put, he needed to bask in the sun to maintain a good mood.

Julian and Evan took a day's rest and took a few more menservants to go north, this time back to Portugal, probably near Castel Branco, they didn't know the exact location of Wesley's troops, it was military It's confidential, but it shouldn't be hard to find out when you get there.

Alice asked Julian to bring her letter to Oliver.

They lived in Seville until Julian's letter arrived.

"Dear Alice: I hope this letter puts you in a good mood. I saw my stupid brother. He is fine and unhurt. The Spanish army has just fought the French army here, and it seems Near Salamanca in Spain, the Spaniards asked General Wesley - oh, he should be called 'Viscount Wellington' now - for support, but the Viscount felt that the Spaniards were unreliable and refused to join the war. In fact, we just left Sintra, Wellington is Lisbon. It doesn't matter, though. He still won't write to you, saying he just needs to know you're fine. I think he's really getting silly. Julian. Again: Me and E Wen will stay here for a few more days, and meet you in Gibraltar according to the original plan. Again: Oliver looks really good in military uniform, and there are so many invitations to invite him to the ball that I can’t hold them in two hands! Be careful! You This will really lose him!"

Alice showed the letter to Ivo and Byron, and they were relieved.

Hobhouse said: "Don't worry, aristocrats like him rarely go to the front line. Wellington should keep him in the command post. And he has no combat experience before. What can he do on the front line?"

Since she didn't have to worry about Oliver, she was in no hurry to see him.He still doesn't want to write to her, I don't know if he is still angry, or because of his manly dignity, or something else.

That's why men are so childish, awkward, and just want to wait for others to coax them.

Hobhouse failed to rent a seaside villa in Cadiz, so he had to settle for the next best thing and rent a seaside hotel.Cadiz was originally a resort city, but also an excellent seaport and military port in Spain.

As soon as she arrived at the hotel, Alice was busy sending Jacob to the naval port to check, where the St. Osborne was docking for simple repairs and supplementary supplies.

Francis wrote a note and gave it to Jacob to bring to Alice, saying that he would go to the hotel to find her tomorrow, and that all the letters from her family since she left Lisbon had been sent to him, and he would bring them to her.

The brother and sister met when Alice recovered from illness and returned to England last year, and they haven't seen each other for a year.Francis was 15 years older than Alice. When Alice was born, he had already graduated from the Naval Academy and was on a warship. In fact, he had never lived with his little sister.