[Sense and Sensibility] Fascinated by you

Regardless of Hathaway's objection or not, Elena began to prepare for the dance party. Although the servants were talking about it, they had to get busy, cleaning the house, polishing the silver tableware, plates, and accessories, and redecorating the hall. .

From that day on, Hathaway and Elena started a cold war. The two ignored each other and did not talk to each other when they were eating. It was not so much a cold war as they both hated each other. Hathaway hated her treatment of Philip. Indifferent and ruthless, Elena hates Hathaway's words that hit her heart. She married Philip for seven years and only had one daughter. This is her biggest dereliction of duty. If Philip really dies, she will lose what she has now Everything, she and her daughter can only take away a small amount of property, and the Butler family will be inherited by Andrew, which she cannot tolerate.

Colonel Brandon hasn't had a good time these days, of course he wasn't influenced by Elena or the busy servants, it has nothing to do with him.Of course, the focus of his concern in this house was only his fiancée. Hathaway didn't eat much recently and didn't have a good rest. She was obviously getting thinner day by day, but she couldn't see haggardness from her face.

Colonel Brandon thought that he knew enough about Hathaway. He knew how much she cared about Philip. He could see her sadness and anxiety. She valued feelings, and she loved her family deeply. These are the qualities that fascinate him, but they are also the source of his uneasiness now.

Hathaway was very busy every day, she haunted Philip's study every day, she searched for documents about Manchester, letters between Philip and Joseph, for this she even asked Colonel Brandon to open a locked Colonel Brandon tried every means to dissuade her, but it didn't work at all. If he refused to help her open it, she would have to find a way to break it open. Finally, the colonel gave in. He was really afraid that she would accidentally hurt herself.

But this kind of thing is one and two, and Hathaway found out an even older box from nowhere. The black box was carved with exquisite patterns, inlaid with gems and agates, and the workmanship was extremely delicate and precious, obviously. It was carefully collected by the owner, but it still did not escape Hathaway's search (it was later heard that it was found in Philip's bedroom).Colonel Brandon's attitude was much firmer this time. He refused to open the box for Hathaway, because it seemed to contain some personal letters of the owner, and it would be immoral to open it.

In the end Hathaway understood and left with the box, she decided to open it herself, but the box was too strong, she couldn't break it no matter what she did with a hammer or a knife.In the end she found a shotgun and was going to destroy it completely, although it might damage the contents, if she can't open it, then she will never see what is inside, and it doesn't matter if it is there or not .

But of course she was stopped by the colonel who rushed over after hearing the news. This shocked the colonel into a cold sweat, and she gained a new understanding of Hathaway's persistence and courage. In the end, the task of opening the box naturally fell on the colonel. , he gave in again.

Hathaway was very interested in the contents of the box. It contained some letters from Philip when he was young, including those between him and Elena, and Andrew. To her surprise, there were even some correspondence between Philip and the military. Hathaway had never heard of the Butler family's need to deal with the Navy, so the purpose of these letters was obvious. She decided to hand these to Andrew, and she felt that it was necessary for him to look at these things.

Of course, she didn't read the letters that Hathaway shouldn't read, but she also found some that she really needed. When she searched for the documents, she found that Philip and Mr. Joseph were very familiar, and sometimes the tone of their correspondence was not like that of a boss. With his subordinates, Philip trusted Mr. Joseph very much, and he always agreed to his proposal for additional investment easily. Of course, the other party also repaid his trust. The factory he managed was one of the most profitable factories in Manchester.

In these letters, Hathaway found the reason for their intimacy. Philip and Joseph used to go to the same boarding school. They were classmates. This Mr. Randall Joseph was not a child of a decent family. His father He was a blacksmith, and his mother worked as a servant in someone else's house. He went to school with his uncle's sponsorship.But later his uncle failed in business and was unable to support him, so he had to drop out of school and go home.

Joseph was talented and eager to learn, and he was unwilling to go on like this. He worked for others and worked as an agent, and accumulated a lot of experience. After Philip inherited the family business, the two met by chance. Philip appreciated his studious and motivated, He was given the opportunity to hire him as an agent, and he did not disappoint Philip. He is very farsighted in business and has made a lot of money for the Butler family for more than ten years. He is an important right-hand man of Philip.

A few years ago, he proposed that Philip enter the textile industry and invest in building a factory in Manchester. Philip agreed to his proposal after consideration and handed over the factory to him. In May this year, it was Mr. Joseph, who was deeply trusted by Philip, who repeatedly Philip decided to go to Manchester because of the letter, not so much for business as for Philip to visit an old friend.

Hathaway pondered for a moment, sorted out the letters and put them back in the box.She called Abby again, and told her to pack her luggage immediately, only bring some light clothes, no jewelry and other odds and ends.

Then she came to the door of the study again, and she had to get Colonel Brandon's permission to do this.She knocked on the door, pushed the door open and walked in after hearing the sound. The colonel was still working.He was sitting behind the desk, frowning, and was writing a letter with his head down. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on him through the floor-to-ceiling windows, blurring his face. Seeing this scene, Hathaway felt sore in her heart and her eyes were red Wake up, Philip used to sit behind the desk like this, every time she came to the study, he was so busy that he didn't have time to look up at her.

The same is true for Colonel Brandon now. Like Philip, he supports the Butler family, is busy for her and her family, sends people to inquire about the news every day, and handles affairs that do not belong to him. It is precisely because of his existence that there is no Make a mess of Butler's house.At such a precarious moment, he is here, by her side, blocking all the pressure and burden for her. In fact, he is the most tired person right now.

Colonel Brandon finally finished writing a letter, and only then did he have time to look up. He thought it was a servant who came in to ask for instructions, but when he looked up, he saw Hathaway standing at the door watching him and weeping silently.He quickly stood up and walked over quickly, "Hathaway, what's the matter?" He took out a handkerchief and wiped Hathaway's tears, but the tears became more and more, so he had to take her aside. Sit down on the sofa.

But before Colonel Brandon could sit still, Hathaway threw herself into his arms. She hugged his neck, and tears quickly wet his clothes. After crying for a while, she calmed down a little. She sobbed, "Christopher, thank you for being here, thank you for being by my side, thank you for everything you've done for me."

Colonel Brandon pursed his lips and looked away, "You are my fiancée, future wife, shouldn't it be natural for me to do this for you." He coughed, lowered his voice and said softly: "Even if you No, I'd like to do that for you too."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hathaway's tears flowed even more fiercely, and he couldn't stop it.The colonel held Hathaway's face in his hands, her eyes were wet, they looked clear and pure, the slender eyelashes were stained with tears, and the teardrops flowed down her cheeks, showing a charming charm.The colonel gently kissed away the tears on her face, then kissed her eyelids, and finally kissed her lips. This kiss did not contain any sex, only full of pity and love.

The two hugged quietly for a while, and Hathaway leaned on the colonel and talked about her purpose, "Christopher, I think Philip, he is my brother, my family, I love him. I can't put his Life is in the hands of strangers, and those sheriffs and prosecutors have so many things to do every day, I don't believe they will seriously go to him."

Colonel Brandon's body stiffened, "So? What are you going to say?" Even his voice was cold.

Hathaway looked into Colonel Brandon's eyes and said seriously: "I'm going to Manchester, I'm going to find him, he's my brother, I have to go." Her voice was sincere and firm.

Colonel Brandon pushed her away and stood up. He shook his head. "I won't agree. It's not for you. It's not for any lady. Andrew will be on his way in a moment, and he will find Philip. There is nothing wrong with you." Help." His tone was equally firm.

Hathaway looked at him silently, Colonel Brandon had no choice but to continue talking about how dangerous and terrifying Manchester is now, the army is still stationed there, and the workers may riot again at any time. What he said was dry, but Hathaway Just unmoved, in the end he had no choice but to grit his teeth and ignore her, and began to deal with official documents again.

But Hathaway was more persistent than he thought. She followed him for 2 consecutive days, wherever he went, she followed him every step of the way.But he will never give in on this matter, it is too dangerous and unnecessary.

During breakfast, Andrew signaled that his stuff was ready and he was leaving tomorrow.This made Colonel Brandon heave a sigh of relief, as long as Andrew left, he would have even more reason to persuade Hathaway to give up that ridiculous idea.Now it was time for him to look at Hathaway, but it was much easier, because Hathaway was still following him, and he just had to keep pretending to ignore her.

After dinner, Colonel Brandon went into the study again, pretending to work, hoping to attract Hathaway's full attention so that she would not notice anything.The two silently went about their own business in the study. The colonel didn't start tidying up the desk until the chime clock downstairs struck nine. He seemed to have no intention of asking, "Are you sure you don't want to change your mind? I told you That place is really not suitable for you to go, it is much more dangerous than you imagined."

But he waited for a long time and didn't see Hathaway answering him. This was not like her. As soon as the colonel looked up, he found Hathaway looking at him calmly, which made him suddenly have a bad feeling.

Hathaway imitated his appearance and said in a chatty manner: "Andrew has packed his luggage. Is he going to leave tomorrow, morning or noon? I guess he will leave before breakfast, right?"

Colonel Brandon stared at her, and it took him a long time to find his voice, "How do you know?"

Hathaway tilted her head cutely, pretending to be trying to remember, "The maid who helped him clean up the room said that his luggage had already been packed, and the people in the kitchen also said that he had asked for a lot of dry food, and he seemed to be going on a long trip You can find out these things just by asking casually.”

Colonel Brandon took a deep breath, "Then he won't take you either!"

Hathaway tightened her jaw and raised her head, "Then I'll go by myself, you can't watch me all the time, you know, I can do it."

The two looked at each other without giving in. In the end, Colonel Brandon was defeated. Yes, he knew she could do it. Recently, he knew more about her than in the past year. If she made up her mind No one can persuade her to do that. If she can't leave tomorrow, she will definitely find a chance to go by herself, which will only be more dangerous.So instead of watching her and waiting for her to run away, it would be safer for him to take her with him and put her by his side.

In the end, Colonel Brandon squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: "Go and pack your luggage immediately, and leave at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. If you are late, I won't wait for you!"

Hathaway finally showed a satisfied smile, "I have already packed my luggage, Colonel, see you tomorrow morning." After speaking, she stepped forward to give Colonel Brandon a goodnight kiss, and walked out lightly.

The author has something to say: I finally got this chapter out, I really want to take a day off...

well i'm just saying

See you tomorrow~

I was reported as soon as I entered V, what can I say...