Miss Eugenie Grandet

The Duchess of Guastalla soon found that James who came in with Eugenie on his arm immediately greeted them with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Luo Qierde, I saw you here just now, why did you disappear in the blink of an eye? I was wondering, so I went to pick up this beautiful lady. This is..."

While talking familiarly with James, her gaze also turned to Eugenie at the same time.

"It's Miss Grandet that you mentioned to me just now," James introduced Eugenie, "it was through your mouth that I learned that Miss Grandet was also invited by you, so I went out to see .”

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Duchess," said Eugenie, smiling. "Thank you for your kind invitation, and I hope I am not late."

The Duchess showed a surprised expression, and immediately stepped forward to take Eugenie's arm, as if the two were old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time.

"That's great. I'm finally relieved to see you come here at the invitation," she said affectionately. "I was a little worried that you would refuse my invitation! But to be honest, Grandet Miss, you are really much younger than I imagined! You are young and beautiful, I really fell in love with you at first sight."

"Duchess, so am I. And you are as beautiful as I imagined you to be."

Eugenie's words were not all out of compliment to the other party's compliment.

The Duchess was wearing a pure white silk dress with a golden belt around her waist. Her blond hair was skillfully braided behind her head. She was not shining like other female guests. She only wore a diamond serpentine hair ornament in her hair.Although she is nearly forty years old, she is very elegant in her gestures, and she is indeed worthy of the title of "the most beautiful woman in Europe".

"Come on——as the only lady who is about to be knighted by His Majesty at the ceremony, we are all very curious and have been looking forward to your appearance just now. Since you are here now, I must be responsible Introduce you to my group of long-awaited friends, otherwise they will definitely think that it is my negligence as a master—" When she took Eugenie's arm and was about to go in, she turned to James with a smile on her face, "Mr. Rochester, you won't blame me for taking up the good time you have alone with Mademoiselle Grandet?"

"Of course not." James also responded with a smile, moved slightly closer to Eugenie, and said in a low voice, "Miss Grandet, I hope I can have a chance to dance with you later—something happens , would like to discuss with you."

Eugenie nodded to him.

Soon, Eugenie was introduced to those guests who wanted to know her that night.Among them, most of them are new aristocrats who became high society thanks to Napoleon, and there are also some old Bourbon aristocrats who swear allegiance to the empire. Of course, plutocrats like James Rochelle are also indispensable.In short, almost all the social leaders in Paris gathered here tonight.Just like what Jane said, many wives and young ladies, although they seem to be polite, their slightly raised chins reveal their thoughts—for this young lady who is about to be promoted from a commoner to a low-ranking nobleman, They are not welcome.

If you think that a young lady as delicate as a flower gets more attention from the men than the ladies at this gathering of Parisian high society, you are completely wrong - premarital sex by girls It is strictly prohibited, and anyone who dares to cross the line will be ruined, but almost no one will accuse married women of deviant behavior in this regard.They even see it as a sign of their attractiveness.If anyone can successfully hook up with a powerful man, he will definitely become the one who steals the limelight in the social circle.Moreover, the fact is also that wives, especially those with status and wealth, are more likely to attract the interest of young men.Compared with their round arms and net worth, the young daughter standing beside them is like a foil.

It is said that one of the most exciting events in Parisian society at the moment is a bet on which lady will win the young Duke of Montebello under her skirts.Everyone secretly guessed that besides tonight's hostess, the Duchess of Guastala, there is also a famous courtesan, Mrs. Chateau.

Therefore, when news came out from somewhere that this young lady from Anjou was not only very rich, but also had business dealings with James Rochelle who had brought her in just now, the scene immediately became tense. Subtle changes have taken place.Men in desperate need of a rich wife and well-known Parisian dandies were constantly being brought before her through their hostess, so that the women became even colder—not long after Eugenie's appearance, except for the Duchess , tonight, almost no woman wants to be close to Eugenie.

Eugenie had a social smile on her face, but her eyes were very cold.She quickly sat down on a chair by the wall-this is a female-only seat, and the men present are absolutely not allowed to sit.After dismissing a widower earl who came up to accost, the smile on her lips became even more indifferent.

This feeling of being chased by men with ulterior motives is all too familiar.

There are no words to describe her feelings other than disgust and numbness.

"Where is the Duke of Lana? Why hasn't he come yet?"

After a while, the conversations of a group of ladies and ladies nearby drifted into her ears.

"Should he come? If he doesn't come, it will be a pity tonight..."

Eugenie glanced at it, and saw that it was a young lady who was speaking.After she finished speaking, she was immediately slapped on the arm by a woman who seemed to be her mother, and the young lady immediately stopped talking under the meaningful eyes of the women beside her.

"Miss Regina is right," another dame dressed in glamorous clothes covered her mouth with a smile, "everyone is eagerly looking forward to his coming. Poor Mr. Duke, when you think that he might die for the French people Losing his healthy eyesight, my heart hurts—" She showed a heartbroken expression, "However, even so, it does not detract from the charm of the Duke as a man, on the contrary, it makes him even more attractive, I dare you Said that almost all the young ladies in this hall are eager to get his attention..."

She threw a smile at the blushing Miss Regina, "Now, let me do good deeds, ask our Duchess,..."

If Jane had been here, she would have told Eugenie that this beautiful lady, who was sophisticated and elegant in conversation, was the famous Parisian courtesan, Madame Chateau.There are countless courtiers who worshiped under her skirt. It is said that she was the mistress of Earl Aluwa who unfortunately died on the way to escape.

The Duchess soon came over and said with a smile, "How I can't bear to disappoint my guests - but I have to tell you that the Duke may not be able to attend tonight. Just before the ball started , I also heard that the imperial doctor is treating him and advised him not to attend any such gatherings..."

Just as the women were collectively feeling sorry for the news, suddenly, there was a slight commotion at the door, which attracted everyone's attention. When they turned their heads and looked over, they found that the focus person that everyone was talking about just now appeared—but , he wears a black eye patch on his left eye only to protect his eyes - if you think this will make him look unsightly, you are completely wrong, such an appearance, matched with the daily style he wears The military uniform looked exceptionally stylish and stylish, which immediately caused exclamations from all the ladies and ladies in the audience, and the men nearby also gathered around to say hello—this young Duke of Montebello is now the hottest man in the empire. It's a big shot, and no one wants to make friends with him.

The Duchess was slightly taken aback, then went up to meet her, and said in a slightly reproachful tone: "Dear Philip, although I am also very happy to see you here, I am still very surprised that you actually showed up... "

Philip bent towards the Duchess, and they were obviously very familiar with each other, "Dear Berna, let alone I can walk, even if I break a leg, I will definitely come. If I don't come to the party, are you sure?" I can't even forgive myself for this mistress's ball."

When he said this, he walked around behind the Duchess, and soon found that Eugenie was sitting on the chair, and the remaining one eye immediately showed joy——he didn't seem to hide his expression at all, As a result, the Duchess quickly discovered where his attention was, looked back at Eugenie, and giggled in a low voice, "Forget it, knowing the truth will make me feel very sad, so I choose to believe you if."

Philip raised his eyebrows, thanked him in a low voice, and while socializing briefly with the gentlemen who came up to talk to him, he stopped suddenly when he was walking towards the wall.Because James Rochelle had come to her one step earlier than him, and bent down to ask her to dance.She accepted it immediately, so the two stepped onto the dance floor, and their figures were quickly hidden by couples of men and women dancing on the dance floor.

Traditionally, the first dance music played at the ball is usually a Quadrille dance in which only the fingers touch each other.At Saumur, although balls were not frequent, there were, thanks to Madame de Grassin, two or three times a year.And in that kind of place, the conservative Quadrielle dance is a good ball repertoire, so Eugenie is not too unfamiliar with this dance.

James first talked about his intention to promote check payment in family banks and merchant banks-checks have actually appeared a long time ago, but they are basically not in circulation. Promote the check payment business of VIP customers with hotels.

As a matter of fact, regarding this decision, the two of them had already almost unified their opinions before, so Eugenie naturally supported it.So now the conversation is going really well.After the talk, James appeared to be in a very happy mood, and continued, "Miss Grandet, I have another idea. I plan to hold a ball as soon as possible and invite all the leading figures in Paris. At that time, I will tell everyone Announcing the news that we will run this new bank together as the official opening of our joint partnership. What do you think?"

I have to say that James is really a shrewd partner who is very good at exploring all opportunities.Announcing their partnership while she is now on the radar of Parisian society is definitely a good idea for the Merchant Bank.

Of course, she had no reason to object.

"No problem, I'm looking forward to it."

Eugenie laughed.

She had no intention of revealing to James about Mr. Bernard and her bold idea of ​​the railway.

In business is business.She has no obligation to tell the other party all her thoughts.It is certain that James must have reservations about her.

James is actually a very caring male companion.After discussing business affairs, he did not stop any boring business topics, but talked with Eugenie about places worth visiting in Paris, and said that he would be more than happy to take her to the suburbs where he was located. Eugenie expressed her expectation that if she had time, she would bother him as the master.

A dance song ends.Just when a famous playboy in Paris, who had long been eyeing this new face in the social world, was about to step forward to invite him to dance, someone from the side had already taken a step forward and blocked him.

"Mr. Xiulu, I'm very sorry, I already have an appointment with this lady."

Philip said something.

The playboy shrugged and had to back off.

"Miss Grandet, would you do me the honor of accepting my sincere invitation?"

Facing the dancing invitation of the one-eyed Mr. who thought he was very gentlemanly and the countless scorching stares from around, Eugenie was silent for a moment, then gently put her hand on his open hand that was parked in mid-air. on the palm of your hand.

As soon as her fingertips touched his palm, he immediately held her tightly and turned around to lead her to the dance floor.

Now, the dance music has become the waltz that came from Warsaw a few years ago.

"You are really beautiful tonight."

He kept staring at her with the remaining one as he took her in a quick circle on the dance floor, and finally said this in a low voice.

"Thank you."

Eugenie answered casually with a blank face.

"It's a nice day today, isn't it?"

"good."

"I think it's hot here. Do you feel it, Mademoiselle Grandet?"

"no feelings."

The Duke finally sensed the indifference and impatience from his partner Yu.After hesitating for a while, he decided to abandon the boring topics that made him look like a fool, and change to a new topic that seemed more attractive.

"Did you notice how I look?" He motioned her to look at himself. "What do you think? I hope the way I look doesn't disgust you."

After several turns on the dance floor, Eugenie finally raised her eyelids, glanced at his face, and made no comment.

"What do you think?" he pressed.Afterwards, he probably sensed something was wrong, so he made a mockery of himself for a moment, "I don't think it's anything wrong. It saves me the effort of closing one eye when shooting."

Eugenie raised her eyelids again, and said coldly: "You forced me to say it. Then I will. To be honest, I hate one-eyed dragons."

He was obviously stunned for a moment, but he continued to hold on unwillingly.

"...but everybody thinks I'm more masculine that way."

"Please exclude me, thank you." Eugenie's voice was even colder, she curled her lips, "Also, I want to tell you that if you were my son, I would immediately grab your ear and tell you to go back and have a good time. Remember what the doctor said, and not let you show off your self-righteous flirtatious and uninhibited here."