aristocratic engagement

Annie was thinking about how to speak, when the conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door, this time it was really Dolly.

Du Li came straight, bowed to Darcy, and handed the handkerchief she picked up to Anne.Looking at their movements, Darcy suddenly felt that the handkerchief looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

The words were interrupted, and Annie didn't continue talking.She stood up, Du Li tacitly took off the cloak she was going out from the hanger at the side, and held it in her hands.Anne bent down, touched the sleeping Fenrir, gave Darcy a look, picked up the letter she had just sealed and walked outside.

The groom of Pemberley Hall had a horse and a carriage ready and was waiting at the gate.

Annie's footsteps stopped at the gate, she turned to look at Darcy, and asked, "I want to go on a horse ride, but the carriage is too slow, let's ride there together, and maybe we can catch lunch when we come back."

The coachman looked shocked, and immediately looked at his master, only to see Darcy nodding his head as a matter of course, and ordered him to go to the stable as soon as possible to bring a gentle and agile horse over.

——'Mr. Darcy is so assured of this lady's skill?What would happen to Mademoiselle de Bourgh if she fell from her horse!Such things often happen to ladies. ' thought the groom.

After hearing Darcy's words, Anne showed a small smile.If it was Mrs. Catherine, she would not agree to her "whimsical" so easily.

Du Li put on a heavy cloak for Annie.Annie tightened the belt, turned on the horse neatly, straddled the saddle with her legs, and tightly tightened the rein.Darcy admired her smooth and smooth gestures, while the groom beside her was flushed and almost fainted.

--'Oh, God!This cousin is really outrageous!Thanks to Mrs. Catherine being so noble and elegant, how could her daughter be like this... No, I must tell Mrs. Reynolds about this!If that rumor is true, I can't believe what a joke Pemberley Park will be! '

Darcy and Anne had no idea what was going on in the poor and worried groom's mind.After they confirmed that they had brought all the letters, they both raised their horsewhips, swished, and drove towards the distant wilderness like bows and arrows leaving the string.

After posting the letter, Darcy proposed to take a walk in the town, and Anne agreed without hesitation.

Homes, churches, pubs in Newton... There are Tudor-style cottages everywhere.Everyone on the way seemed to know Darcy—this puzzled Anne, since he hadn’t shown up in England for many years—whether it was the aunt of the bakery, the owner of the cloth shop, or even the returnee from hunting on the road. The squire, when he saw Darcy, bowed deeply, and tried every means to leave some bread and meat for him to take away.

Darcy didn't seem to expect to encounter such a situation, he frowned, but there was no arrogance or disdain in his words.

Annie snickered from the sidelines—even though his face was paralyzed as always, she could clearly see his bewilderment and nervousness.

Taking a slow walk here didn't seem like a good idea, Darcy realized.

"Oh! This lady is... Mr. Darcy! Is this your 'friend'? Look, what a beautiful lady, like the dew on the roses in the morning!" A chubby man with a basket The old lady was the first to notice Anne hiding behind the horse.

"This is Miss Anne de Bourgh, from the wealthy Rosings Manor." Darcy introduced.

"Oh!!!" The old lady screamed, "Mrs. Anne? Hey, why are you so young, I remember..."

"Why did the old lady have such a poor memory? Mrs. Anne passed away a few years ago, and this is Miss Anne." Her husband interrupted her quickly, and then flatteringly said to Darcy, "You must Don't mind, my old lady's brain is broken, and she can't remember the past clearly."

"Oh oh oh! Miss de Bourgh! Miss de Bourgh of Rosings? I remember the name, Mrs. Anne mentioned it before, she and that lady agreed—uuuuuuuuuuu!" The old lady Her husband covered her mouth and glared at her.

The smirk on Annie's face froze—is there really that engagement? !

no?no?no?

What Lady Catherine said was true? !

But Darcy didn't say anything. He nodded to the villagers gathered around him and said goodbye briefly. He pulled up the two horses behind him and planned to leave, but found that Anne was in a daze, foolishly not moving.

Darcy subconsciously wanted to take her away from the group of watching villagers, and reached out and grabbed her wrist.

The two froze at the same time.

Then, Annie shook off his hand like an electric shock.

At that moment, Annie regretted it.Looking at Darcy's calm eyes, she felt a little guilty for no reason, and said in a low voice, "Okay, let's go back."

Darcy's eyebrows jumped, and he handed over the reins of one of the horses to her.

Anne was not one to ride a lot--compared to gentlemen.

It was all right when she came, and with London and the coal mines in her mind, she found herself in Newton without knowing it.But when I came back, I was relaxed, but I felt some unspeakable pain.

The horse slowed down and began to pace slowly.Annie gritted her teeth, changed her position on the horse, and sat sideways on the horse's back.Darcy tightened the rein tacitly, and let his own horse slow down and keep pace with her.

"In your room in the morning," Darcy recalled the unfinished topic before, "you said you were thinking about Alan Edgerton? What happened to him? Is he pestering you again?"

"No, no... To be honest, I almost forgot what I was thinking before." Annie paused, made a thoughtful movement, and after a while, she clenched her fist and beat the palm of the other hand as if awakened, "I think Wake up—Darcy, to tell you the truth, when I received that letter, my first thought was to write to him and tell him the good news."

"About the coal?" Anne talked endlessly, but Darcy understood.

"Well, it's really sad to say. Over the years, I'm used to working with Alan. It's very worry-free to work with him. He is proficient in management and business. Even if I have countless shocking ideas, he can understand……"

"So, you two are confidants?"

"Best friend? This word is too heavy." Annie shook her head, "Friends are my definition of this relationship."

"But he wasn't satisfied with that."

"...Yes." Annie nodded hesitantly, and fell silent again.

Darcy suddenly sneered, and murmured: "If I were him, I wouldn't just be satisfied with this." He just talked to Anne occasionally many years ago, and when he saw her again seven years later, he was already satisfied. Gradually... attracted to her.But for Allen, Anne has been haunting his heart for so many years, but it seems to be within reach.

Darcy didn't know when Alan's uncontrollable emotions began to ferment.But even as an "enemy", when he saw that crazy gentleman, he would be stung by the intensity contained in those bloodshot eyes.

"...What?" Annie was dazed, but couldn't hear what he said.

Darcy turned his face away, looked at the distant mountain, his voice suddenly became low and deep: "Last time, let me tell you, my informant said in a letter that the earl had an accident at the Duke of Bridgewater's mansion that night. carriage."

"I remember this. I compared it with Allen's cufflinks... Some are similar, but some are not." Annie frowned.

"Maybe it's a deformation, maybe it's a counterfeit. However, no matter what the possibility is, the matter of the Earl has a certain connection with the Duke of Bridgewater's mansion."

"Is it Allen? He used my real identity to threaten the earl?!" Anne cried, but she quickly denied the conjecture, "No, it doesn't make sense, the earl doesn't need to give his life for this matter, There is no need to..."

"Although I hate that Alan Edgerton very much, I have to say that if I were him, no matter how stupid I am, I would never do such a thing."

"..." Annie also knew that what she blurted out just now was stupid, but the facts were like a fog, entangled, and there were almost no clues.

"So, was it the old duke who met the count? Or Ellen's father? Or his stupid and greedy brother Edward? What did they say?" Anne had no clue, unconsciously twisting the button on her hand the reins.

Darcy looked at her worried side face and thought: no matter what happened, the earl's thoughts are actually obvious. Like himself, he only wants to protect the safety of his family and her...smile.

Suddenly, he seemed to have caught some inspiration.

What was it that made Anne so ecstatic just now?

Back at Pemberley Manor, Lady Catherine could not wait for the two of them for a long time, so she went out for a walk after having a simple lunch.After Anne and Darcy settled the sandwiches sent by Du Li, they asked about Georgiana's situation.

"Miss Darcy hasn't woken up yet. She is sleeping deeply, but the fever has subsided." Mrs. Reynolds was very worried. This kind old woman always regarded the Darcy brothers and sisters as the most important people.She had no children, was never married, and served the Darcy family loyally all her life.

"Miss de Bourgh's method is very effective. With so many layers of quilts, I thought it would be even hotter, but it is even better than ice compresses in reducing fever!" Mrs. Reynolds was surprised.

Annie nodded calmly: "I read this from a medical book from the East. We tried it before, and the effect is indeed much better!"

Mrs. Reynolds praised it again and again.

Anne and Darcy did not disturb Georgiana's rest.Darcy was going to the study when he happened to meet a visiting lawyer and broker. They seemed to have something to talk about, so they rode out together again.Annie returned to the room and continued to deal with the letters that she hadn't read before.

When night fell, Anne felt that it was getting harder and harder to read the letter, so she rang the bell and asked Dolly to light a candle.When Du Li hurried into the room, Annie was told that Georgiana had woken up.

Annie immediately dropped the letter in her hand, lifted her skirt and ran to the next room.

Georgiana's room was warm, with a fire burning brightly in the fireplace.As soon as she entered the house, Annie felt a burst of heat and the aroma of food.Georgiana leaned back on the thick velvet pillows, sipping the cream of soup and vegetable porridge that Mrs. Reynolds fed her.

It just so happened that after eating the last bite, Mrs. Reynolds took care of her for a while, took the tableware and plates with the maids and left.

Anne then sat by Georgiana's window and touched her forehead.

"I don't have a fever anymore." Georgiana smiled slightly.

Annie's eyes widened pretending to be angry: "What did I say? Tell you to close the window, but you forgot? Ha! Except you, I should punish your personal maid for daring to be so negligent! I said, let them observe the etiquette obediently, sleep in the small room of your room, and come in for inspection at any time!"

After hearing this, Georgiana immediately hugged Anne's arm, shaking and acting coquettishly: "Oh, I told them not to stay around me all the time. I'm really uncomfortable! This time I accidentally... ...forgot to close the window, I already knew it was wrong!"

"Huh! That sounds good!" Anne snorted and pinched her little nose. "I always promise well. I can't forgive you this time. Darcy has already written to Rosing." Smith Manor, I want to invite Mrs. Black! Your homework has fallen behind a lot..."

"What?! Mrs. Black is coming?!" Georgiana lay back in despair.

Annie's eyes widened, and before she had time to hold her back, Georgiana's head hit the hard bed board with a "boom--".

"Ah——" Georgiana covered the back of her head in pain, her eyes turned red and her mouth shrank.

Annie didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she had no choice but to go forward and hug her, blowing to her like comforting a child, blowing away the pain.Then she pushed the pillows up against Georgiana's back so that she could lie down securely.

After a while, Georgiana finally recovered.

"Brother really..." Georgiana pouted, "Aren't we going to have a ball? Let Mrs. Black come back later! At least after the ball! God, I really want to dance..."

Anne touched her head, sighed, struggled for a long time, and finally said: "You really don't know why Darcy asked Mrs. Black to come over?"

"I don't know..." Before she finished speaking, Georgiana suddenly raised her head, her wide eyes seemed to be overflowing with tears under the shining pearl, "You, you know?

The author has something to say: Anne: No, no, no, no?Lady Catherine is not me?

Merry Christmas everyone~

感谢在2020-12-2403:12:47~2020-12-2504:25:41期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~

Thanks to the little angels who threw mines: MK71;

Thanks to the little angel of irrigation nutrient solution: 10 bottles of saberlulu;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!