aristocratic engagement

The arrival of Earl Fitzwilliam made Rosings Manor tense from top to bottom.Even in a warm and happy festival like Christmas, no one dares to relax.

oh!Except Annie.

Anne also didn't know why she wasn't afraid of the Earl who was aloof, stern and stern, more arrogant than Lady Catherine, and stubborn. Perhaps it was because although he despised everything, he really had something to say. Perhaps it is more because of his gentle exploration of his own hidden existence.

Now, while the Countess of Fitzwilliam and Lady Catherine are taking the mischievous Georgiana by their side, the noble earl volunteers to teach Anne how to ride.

This frightened the Fitzwilliam brothers, Lance looked at Anne who was sitting in the front hall changing her riding boots, hesitant to speak.After changing her shoes, Annie stomped on the ground a few times and tested the feeling of her feet. Seeing his hesitation, she couldn't help but feel amused: "What's the matter, will Earl Fitzwilliam eat me? Besides, I think my uncle just wants to ride a horse because his hands are itchy, Daniel has already taught me the movements, and I have learned them very well."

"No, I'm not worried about you... No, no, I'm really worried about you." Lance said incoherently, he sighed, "I think Lawrence and I learned how to ride a horse back then, but he taught me a lot. He Never had the patience to correct our mistakes, as if we were all supposed to learn it once like geniuses, and the whip was thrown on our backs more than once. Anne, you judge, if we can ride better than the teacher in one fell swoop Well, do we still need to learn?"

"Lance!" Lawrence threw the glove on him and interrupted him, "Don't talk about him like that behind father's back!"

Lance was caught and stuck out his tongue in fright.

Lawrence touched Annie's head with a gentle voice: "Lance, this kid always thinks that he can trick the teacher's tolerance with his glib tongue, but this doesn't work with my father. Annie, don't be too nervous, as long as you don't like This person raises his tail as soon as he gets a little achievement, it's too late for father to like you."

"Hey! Can you talk about me in front of me?" Lance yelled angrily.

Lawrence didn't give him a look, knowing that the younger brother gave him a look and he liked to act.

"I'm really not worried or afraid, Cousin Lawrence." Anne put on gloves for herself, and struggled to buckle the buttons on her wrists.The fingers are protected by thick gloves and are extremely inflexible.

Darcy watched her movements, after hesitating for a moment, he stretched out his hand and fastened it for her.

"Thank you, Darcy," said Anne.

Annie tidied up her riding clothes, and made a gentlemanly salute to the worried cousins, which caused a burst of laughter, and then she walked out of the manor with arrogance.

Lawrence turned to look at Darcy, with strange eyes, as if he was looking at a stranger, hesitant to speak.Darcy withdrew his gaze from looking outside the house, turned and went upstairs.

Lawrence finally couldn't help calling out to him: "Shall we talk?"

Darcy didn't refuse.

As soon as Anne went out, she saw Earl Fitzwilliam standing beside the steed, talking with Daniel, and waving the whip in the air with the other hand.Daniel was obsequious in front of him, and didn't seem to dare to talk to him. After seeing Anne's figure, he immediately saluted her loudly, thankful that someone diverted the earl's attention.

"Oh! My dear, don't be dumbfounded. There is no one else here. Who will you salute to?" Earl Fitzwilliam interrupted Anne's movement, pointing to the horse beside him, "Get on the horse! Daniel said that you have already learned the most basic The action! I will never ask me to teach you!"

Annie's voice of greeting was rudely interrupted, she just smiled and didn't get angry, and she thought about it.

Whatever the earl's reasons, he was not at all coddled with her as he was with Georgiana—it would be outrageous enough to offer to teach her to ride a horse!You know, noble ladies always ride sideways, how does he, a noble master, teach ladies to ride horses?

Under Daniel's watchful eyes, Annie stepped on the stirrups, and sat on the horse's back with her arms and legs at the same time.Because the structure of the stirrups is different, they are opened outwards so that when ladies sit sideways on the horseback, they can use their toes to stand on them to fix their bodies. Anne sat on the sideways.The action is clean and neat, and it is done in one go.

The man on the horseback was full of energy, with raised eyebrows.

A trace of understanding, satisfaction, appreciation, and a trace of... loss flashed across the earl's eyes.

"Take a few steps and let me see." The count ordered.

Daniel stepped forward immediately, holding the rope.

"Wait!" Annie stopped him. She patted the horse and said, "I'll try it myself, without you leading the rope." Daniel took a step back under her firm eyes and looked at her worriedly.

Annie steered the horses back and forth. At the beginning, each of them was testing each other. Then, the horses ran faster and faster, from pacing to brisk walking, and finally trotted with confidence, da da The sound of hoofbeats is very rhythmic.The cold wind blew fiercely on her face, but she didn't feel uncomfortable at all, on the contrary, she felt very happy.

Daniel had jumped on the horse in a panic and followed Miss de Bourgh as long as she had boldly urged the horse to a gallop.The count stood where he was, watching her run further and further away.When Anne came to him again after riding a horse around the manor, Earl Fitzwilliam also rode his old horse.

"Old man, don't lose to that pony!"

The old horse under the earl's crotch neighed and chased after it.

Thin snow splashed under the horse's hooves and scattered in all directions, and the traces of the horse's hoofs ravaged around the manor.As a novice, Anne was very inconvenient to sit sideways, and her mount was a fledgling pony, which was quickly overtaken by the experienced horse behind her.The earl gave her a provocative look childishly, and Anne laughed out loud, but she was also aroused to be competitive.

Of course Anne knew that as a novice rider sitting sideways, she should not be arrogant, but before her rationality could control her behavior, the strings in her mind had already been tightened one step at a time, and the horse under her sensed her urgency, and sharply With a neigh, you and the old horse chased after me.

"Ha!" Earl Fitzwilliam smiled shortly, but suddenly tightened the reins, and tacitly stopped the momentum with his partner.The old horse slowed down obediently, and finally walked up slowly.

Annie ran halfway, and found that there was no one around. Realizing that she had been tricked, she manipulated the awkward pony back to look for the count with a smile.

"You ride very well, but—too impatient!" The count made this conclusion when he saw Anne for the first time.

Annie was not annoyed, but said lightly: "Impatience is the privilege of young people."

Earl Fitzwilliam raised his eyebrows: "Young people always have such weird excuses to justify themselves."

"You're right." Annie answered quickly, and blurted out a retort, "It's just like the elders always enjoy playing tricks on the young."

Earl Fitzwilliam was noncommittal: "Since I have this right, why don't I do it? My dear, no matter because of my status or my age, you can't accuse me of wrongdoing."

Annie opened her mouth and let out a breath of white air slowly: "You are right."

Her reaction made Lord Fitzwilliam laugh.The count kicked the horse's belly again, and took a walk around the manor. He gestured for Anne to follow, but Daniel was stopped by his eyes and stayed where he was.

The two rode horses and circled around the fence on the border of the Rosings manor. After a moment of silence, the count looked in the direction of the manor and said slowly, "Three years ago, the Rosings manor was not what it is now. look."

Anne did not speak, but listened quietly, she knew that the earl was finally going to reveal his intention.

"In those years, when Louis was seriously ill, you were also stupid. Catherine refused my help several times over and over again, unwilling to reveal the situation here to my brother. Her stubbornness and arrogance are like a sword, stabbing others. At the same time, the sharp blade was aimed at himself."

"Perhaps this instinct comes from the blood of the Fitzwilliam family, which is different from your family. The Sir Louis I know is like a restrained scabbard. He is certainly not a cowardly person, but he knows how to hide his own. Sharp. I have been thinking, Catherine married into the De Bourgh family as she wished, and which family's personality will her children show more." The earl seemed to be lost in memory, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

Listening to what he said, Annie thought to herself, none of them!Because I'm not the Anne de Bourgh at all!

"It's a pity, it's a pity." Earl Fitzwilliam shook his head, "It's a pity that Catherine did not give birth to a male heir to the de Bourgh family, and the glory of the de Bourgh family will come to an abrupt end .”

"I'm also the heir." Annie frowned and retorted.

"Of course you are, but what about when you get married?" Earl Fitzwilliam raised the corners of his mouth, but without a hint of a smile, "According to your mother's plan, the best choice is to marry your cousin Darcy! Incorporate the wealth of the De Bourgh family into the Darcy family! Ha, maybe this is the best choice for her! Kiss more kiss!"

Earl Fitzwilliam's frank words made Anne a little startled, even Lady Catherine would not express it in front of her.

"...I thought you had the same idea as my mother. Isn't that good? Darcy is good-natured and handsome. The wealth of Darcy's family is even greater than that of Rosings. In my mother's opinion, there is no better choice than him Already?" Annie asked tentatively.

Earl Fitzwilliam glanced at her: "Yeah, in her opinion, there is nothing better." He panted heavily, his beard blown up, "Otherwise, why don't I tell her this, but come to Tell yourself?"

Annie grabbed the rein in her hand: "What do you mean?"

"I'm very happy, my dear." The earl suddenly softened his tone, "Before I saw you riding a horse, I thought I would see a second Catherine—squeamish, arrogant, and quick-tempered, but you are more like... ..."

"My father, yes, I've heard a lot of people say that."

The count smiled slightly and said, "That's right, but the fact that she likes to interrupt other people's speech is very similar to Catherine."

Annie looked away, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.The person in front of him is simply moody, and he likes to draw conclusions easily, regardless of what the other party is thinking.

"What a difficult old man! Isn't that right? You must be scolding me in your heart." The count laughed loudly, twisted the reins, raised the whip, and urged the old horse to canter towards the manor.

Annie also hurried to catch up.

"You don't seem to agree with your mother! Uncle."

"I don't disapprove of her," retorted Lord Fitzwilliam impatiently.

"Then why are you telling me this? Don't you mean against me and..."

"You'd better not say a single name, my dear," interrupted Lord Fitzwilliam. "Keep those words to yourself! Don't make any conclusions until they happen."

Anne finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Earl Fitzwilliam was indeed not on Lady Catherine's side. In other words, he didn't take this matter to heart at all. His trip was more like testing her attitude.

"Ride the horse the way you like, talk the way you like, make your own choice, marry whoever you like. This is what I once said to Catherine, and I will tell you exactly what I am saying now." Earl of Fitzwilliam His eyes firmly clamped hers, "By the way, I forgot to tell you that the king intends to raise taxes on textile and steel mills. Some people's ambitions are too big, blocking the way of others. Summer is coming Before that, think of a way!"

His words made Annie feel creepy.

TBC.