[Titanic] I can't help myself

"Beautiful..." Carl coughed, tugged at the neckline, and stopped after saying only one word.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He looked into my eyes, and a smile slowly formed on the corner of his mouth.I blinked, I don't know why, I always feel that smile is full of sarcasm and ridicule.Maybe it's because I'm too guilty, but looking at that smile, I feel the hairs all over my body stand up vigilantly, so that I feel a little restless.If it wasn't for my inconvenient legs and feet, I think I'd have to find an excuse to leave now.This is something that has never happened since my friendship with Carl.

"Perhaps, I should say, dear Henry," Carl said slowly, arrogantly drawing a long tone, "you would rather hear the good news about me and your sister Rose?"

"Oh, God!" I unconsciously smoothed the broken hair on my forehead with my hands, blocking his sight, my heart was beating wildly in my chest, a hot feeling of shame washed over my whole body, and another feeling of becoming angry from embarrassment Welling up in my heart, I coughed uncontrollably to cover up my sudden strong embarrassment. "God, why do you feel... oh, okay, okay..." Seeing his increasingly obvious smile, I confessed frankly, "What do you think of Rose? No matter where it comes from Said, she would not insult the name Hockley."

He glanced down casually, let out a snort, and then, just like that, with that smile on his face, he looked me in the eyes and didn't speak any more.

The atmosphere between me and him began to be filled with a heavy viscous feeling.His expression made me more uneasy, so that I felt a pang of shame.

Well, maybe Karl really doesn't have any idea about Rose, but Rose is not considered to be a high-ranking Hockley anyway, so forget it if you don't want to, why bother to make such an expression, this expression is almost the same as what I saw before 's mother showed the exact same expression when she saw the nouveau riche struggling to assimilate into high society at the ball at the London Social Season.

Oh my god, stop it!I drank the wine in the glass in one go.Don't think about it, it's just that you are too sensitive, Karl just doesn't know how to refuse you, this smile has no meaning at all, it's just a polite smile that's all.I desperately shouted to myself in my heart, trying to suppress all kinds of random thoughts that appeared in my mind.

Fortunately, soon, he stopped staring at me and turned around to talk to another man beside him.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to listen to the conversation between the men sitting on the other side of me.They were discussing a famous painting that the Duke of Norfolk had recently sold.Numerous names and huge amounts of taxes have caused many nobles to make ends meet. The Duke of Norfolk, whose family tree can be traced back to the era of the Black Prince Edward, is one of them.In order to maintain the standard of living in the past, in addition to throttling expenditure, these nobles with rich family property and long history had to auction off the family's century-old treasures from the collection room to obtain huge wealth to maintain daily expenses and maintenance of the castle manor.

I listened absentmindedly and didn't interrupt until the gentlemen had had enough chatting and moved to the living room to join the ladies.

When my mother saw me walking in, her eyes lit up immediately, but she waited patiently until there were only the two of us around, and then she asked about the result of the conversation.

I recounted to her the simple conversation I had with Carl, remembering Carl's uncomfortable smile at the end, and said, "I think Carl already understood that we wanted to marry Rose to him. It's impossible for a businessman with all faces to be so dull. Since he didn't continue talking, it should mean that he refused."

Mother was smiling, but a slight frown showed that she was thinking.After 1 minute, she suddenly raised her head and glanced at me with strange eyes.

"Mom?" I blinked and shrank back.

"...Impossible..." Mother muttered, then sighed, and said, "You're right, he doesn't have any thoughts about Rose. We've done nothing these days."

"Rose will be happy," I said, and the stone that had been weighing on my heart for so many days finally fell to the ground.

"Without Hockley, there will be someone else, and she's always going to get married." Mom smoothed a small wrinkle in her skirt and smiled confidently again. "Maybe we can start preparing for her social season next year." , although the grand launch at Buckingham Palace is missing, as long as there are enough balls to attend, you won’t have to worry about finding a suitable husband-in-law. I just want to trouble you, Henry, Rose hasn’t been grandly launched yet, the invitations received The amount of function may not be enough, and as the new Earl of Richardmond, it would be more appropriate for you to take the female family members to participate in social activities."

"It's my duty," I said, "and when I get back to Acton, I'll have Charles send someone to London to clean up the house." Charles was my butler, and he was my grandfather's valet when he died. , he inherited his father's job and became Acton's housekeeper until now.

But my lighthearted mood didn't last long.The next afternoon, as my mother and I were in her room planning next year's social season, that rare relief was shattered by a piece of news that was completely unexpected.

"Really? Did I hear you right?" Mother's eyes widened. This kind of impolite expression was not often seen on her face.

But right now, my brain doesn't have enough space to pay attention to her expression, and everything is strictly occupied by the words of my mother's personal maid Sarah.

"You heard me right, my wife." Sara smiled. "Mr. Hockley proposed to Miss Rose just now."

Mother covered her face with her hands to hide her ecstatic expression, and after a while, she put her hands down and asked, "Did you see it with your own eyes, or did you hear the gossip from some maid?"

Sarah said: "It was the Duchess of Prestbury who asked her personal maid Laura to tell me the news. It is said that when the Duchess was wandering in the conservatory with several ladies in the afternoon, she accidentally bumped into Mr. Hockley and asked Miss Rose. Proposal scene. This was about an hour ago."

"Oh, God!" Mother gasped, clutching her chest, "It's just...it's just..."

"But...yesterday he showed no interest in marriage..." I muttered, thinking that I might need a smelling salt bottle more than my mother now.

The mother muttered about Jesus Christ, and it took a long time to calm down: "Sarah, go and call Miss Rose over."

"Yes, ma'am." Sarah curtseyed and turned to leave the room.

"This is really... too unbelievable!" The mother's cheeks flushed with excitement.

"It's really unbelievable." I loosened my clenched fists, and my nails left four deep crescent-shaped marks on my palms, "After he made such a statement yesterday, he actually made such a statement to Rose today." A proposal, which seems strange in any way, doesn't it, mother?"

"That must be because Karl is shy," said the mother.

I sneered and said, "Shy? Mom, you can't turn black and white like this. Carl would be shy. It's more inconceivable than Rose uprooting those weird thoughts in her mind."

The mother slapped her hands indifferently: "Do I have to be so clear? Maybe Carl didn't have the idea of ​​marrying Rose before, but after you suggested it to him, after a night of thinking, he thinks this marriage is perfectly suitable , and proposed to Rose. This situation is not impossible."

I closed my eyes, "Do you want Rose to promise him?"

"Of course! Otherwise, why are we busy for so many days?"

"Mom, we can't do this." I said weakly, I couldn't tell whether I was resisting for Rose or for myself, but I was still saying high-sounding words, "We have created so many things for them these days. Even if Carl doesn't like Rose even a little bit, what about after they get married? He doesn't love her at all, and they won't be happy together!"

"The foundation of marriage is not illusory love. I told you this a long time ago." My mother said with a smile, not caring about my attitude, "Henry, I found that ever since you came to Chatsworth, Becoming childish. Have you fallen in love with a young lady? Only love can make a person... so unclear."

I guess she meant to say stupid.I have to say that my mother's intuition is amazing. Although I am not in love with a young lady, this guess is infinitely close to the truth.

Soon, Rose came in.

"My dear Rose! My pride!" Mother showed a very happy smile. Since the death of her father, her mother has almost never shown such a pleasant expression to Rose, and Rose did not show any surprise. It seems that he knows the reason for this amiable look.This also indirectly proved the correctness of Sarah's news.

I felt the whole house shake.

"This is really a huge surprise!" The mother cupped Rose's face and kissed her twice, "If Sara hadn't told me, how long would you have planned to keep it a secret?"

Rose reluctantly bent the corners of her mouth, sat down, and did not speak.

"Tell me, dear, how did he propose to you?" Mother took her hands and sat down close to her.

"He just... asked me if I would marry him..." Rose said in a low voice, "No."

"Don't be shy, you are so beautiful, there will be more gentlemen expressing their love to you in the future." The mother stroked her face, "How did you answer him?"

"I said, I want to think about it." Rose said, she looked up at her mother, hesitated, and asked, "Do I have to promise him?"

"Of course you must agree!" said the mother, "but you don't have to take the initiative to tell him your answer. When he asks you next time, tell him that you are willing."

"But he doesn't love me at all!" Rose stood up suddenly, and shouted like an explosion, "Jesus! I don't love him, and he doesn't love me, why must I marry him! Why do you have to marry me?" Agree to this ridiculous marriage proposal! Acton has been saved, we have no heavy debts on us, why do you want me to marry that kind of person!"