aristocratic engagement

The afternoon sun shone on Darcy's palm.

Annie looked down at the hands, but her thoughts drifted involuntarily.

These hands are clean and white, but they are not the hands of a pampered young master at all.

There are fine and dense calluses on the fingertips and joints, especially between the thumb and index finger. The rough calluses have been integrated with the flesh.

Annie's heart skipped a beat. If she didn't guess wrong, this is the cocoon mark that only people who hold guns all year round will have.

What exactly did he experience in Europa?

Before Annie could figure it out, the sound of the piano sounded like water.After a lot of practice, Annie moved reflexively on the beat of that meal.

She handed it over and took the first dance step.

Relying entirely on the conditioned reflex produced by intensive practice recently, Annie completed the movements stiffly.But the mind always stays on the hands that the two of them are touching.

As seen, or even worse, the calluses on these hands are even a little rough and itchy.But in the part where there is no cocoon, it is the opposite warm and moist.

"Relax, honey, you're so stiff now that it's torture to dance with me." When the two exchanged places, Darcy's banter slipped into Anne's ears, "I hope my rough hands don't make you feel Discomfort."

"I'm sorry." Annie lowered her voice and said shortly, "My dancing skills are too clumsy. I'm just remembering the dance steps."

"Liar." Darcy's laughing voice twirled in his cochlea like a feather.

"You are obviously proficient in dancing, but it's just an old problem, just like you playing the piano." Darcy turned around and came to Annie, "By the way, are you still playing the piano? Auntie probably won't let you go." .”

"Very little, my mother has completely given up on me." Annie couldn't help laughing.

"Poor Mrs. Catherine, poor Mrs. Blake." Darcy shook his head with pretended regret.

"It doesn't matter, and Georgiana, she is the perfect lady in the eyes of mother and Mrs. Black."

"Perfect lady?" Darcy repeated suspiciously.

"If it's not..." Annie said that.At this moment, the sound of the piano turned, and it was time to exchange partners.

Darcy and Wickham switched places.

"Miss de Bourgh, I'm offended." Wickham held out his hand.

Annie nodded slightly, reached out to shake hands with him without hesitation, and danced.These hands are extraordinarily warm and smooth - Anne finds it ironic that Wickham is more like a pampered rich man than Darcy.

Wickham's dancing posture is very beautiful, and it can be seen that he is an experienced person.Anne politely praised his graceful dance steps, and Wickham replied: "When I was in school, I often had opportunities to socialize with my classmates."

"Oh... those irresistible club activities you were talking about?"

"Yes, it is."

"Oh! I'm ignorant. It turns out that there are such dances in the club. My cousins ​​in London have never mentioned it...Mr. Wickham, are there any girls in the club?" Anne asked pretending to be puzzled. .

Wickham's dance steps froze for a moment, and he reacted quickly, saying: "Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to say, one of the reasons why I'm not used to clubs...Miss de Bauer, You don't know, the rich kids always have some entertainment items that the ladies can't understand, I feel very contemptuous about it. Therefore, I have no choice but to refuse to join the club."

"When I turned down their invitations over and over again...you know, I'm no longer accepted by them."

As he spoke, Wickham frowned slightly, his beautiful face looked extremely innocent, lonely and resentful at the moment.

Annie smiled coldly in her heart.When putting gold on his own face, he still doesn't forget to splash dirty water on others, and this Wickham is nothing more than that!

Annie understands that the services provided by the club to gentlemen are not as simple as drinking and chatting.

However, not all gentlemen are interested in those flesh and blood pleasures.As soon as Wickham said this, it seemed that he was out of the mud and unstained.

If this had been told to Georgiana, she might have believed it--Wickham's outstanding appearance made it difficult to make people wary of him.

But Anne is not Georgiana. From the first time she saw the young Wickham, she saw the greed and desire/desire in his undisguised eyes at that time.

"Poor Mr. Wickham," sighed Anne.

Wickham immediately showed a flattered expression, and said: "Fortunately, Mr. Darcy tolerated me and allowed me to return to Pemberley Manor. Miss de Bourgh, I am very grateful for that."

Georgiana was not at table at dinner, and Mrs. Reynolds was told by her maid that Miss Darcy had remained in her room to rest, claiming she was feeling unwell.

Anne guessed that this afternoon's dance lesson had been a huge blow to her.

Wickham was not eligible to attend the ball, and if he hadn't asked Darcy, Darcy would never have asked him to attend.

But why was he going to the ball?

The answer is self-evident.

Could it be that he was trying to curry favor with those gentlemen?If that was the case, there was no need for him to go back to Pemberley at all.Cambridge schools are full of rich children who cannot inherit the family business.

Then, the ladies at the ball are his target.

When the Bingley sisters heard that Georgiana was unwell, they quickly offered to visit her, but Darcy politely refused.Upon seeing this, Mrs. Catherine immediately looked at Anne and gestured with her eyes.

Annie nodded.

Before going to bed, Anne knocked on Georgiana's door.

After getting a response, Annie pushed the door open and entered.Miss Darcy, who was feeling unwell, was lying sideways on the bed at the moment, with the quilt covering her whole body.The quilt was still shaking slightly, and there was a faint sob.

Annie sighed, closed the door softly, and lay down on the other side of her bed.

"How is it? Are you feeling better?" Anne asked softly after Georgiana lifted the quilt covering her face.

"Um, um..." Georgiana blushed, rubbed her eyes, and turned to Anne embarrassedly, "Annie, I, I realized how naive I am."

Annie raised her eyebrows pretending to be surprised: "Oh?"

Georgiana sighed deeply and remained silent for a long time—the dancing candles shone in her eyes, and Anne clearly noticed that Georgiana was gradually calming down at the moment, and the indifference of the Darcy family could be vaguely seen in her brows.

"I was really stupid at first, Anne, and you woke me up.

But my emotions made me unable to believe George... Wickham, I don't want to admit that he approached me for other purposes.

Many things have happened these days, Anne, and I dare not tell you and my brother.But I am also trying to see with my own eyes and listen with my own ears.

Miss Caroline said that she must fight for her love no matter what-I understand what she means to her brother, and no one in the manor can't see it.Perhaps because she discovered my relationship with Wickham, she encouraged me to fight for my brother and ask for his understanding.

I almost did it. "

Having said that, Georgiana laughed at herself.Annie turned over and faced her, just like she did countless times when she was a child, covering the two of them with a thin blanket.In the dark, they couldn't see each other's expressions, but their hearts were extraordinarily close.

"You didn't do that, which is very sensible." Anne said firmly.

"Annie, I may be naive, but I'm not stupid.

Wickham has been hinting at me for the past few days, claiming to take me to Cambridge to play, and his classmates invited him to participate in horse racing activities.I was so excited... I've never been to that kind of occasion, the manor is so boring.

I told him that I was going to apply to my brother, but Wickham stopped me-he said that my brother never trusted him and would never agree.He also said, I can quietly change into men's clothes and sneak over with him! "

Hearing this, Annie's breathing stopped suddenly: "You didn't do that."

"Yes, Annie, but I almost said yes to him..." Georgiana groaned, "I, I was struck by his romantic description, I thought, that's... no, it's not elopement, I'm not Juliet, he's not even Romeo. Anne, I'm extremely glad that my reason suddenly penetrated through layers of dark clouds and shone into my heart, and I rejected him."

"He must be very angry."

"Yes... I saw hatred on his face for the first time! Even though it was only for a short moment, his twisted and angry expression returned to the gentleness and politeness of the past. But at that moment, I completely Calm down.

He complained that everything was blocked by his elder brother, who looked down on him, and was unwilling to follow his father's last wish and pave the way for him... Oh my god, didn't my elder brother do enough?

If my brother hadn't exposed him in front of me that day, if you hadn't hinted at me time and time again, Annie, I would have been blinded by emotion and completely believed every word he said.

At that moment, I suddenly realized that I didn't know him. "

Georgiana became more and more excited and choked up more and more.Annie quickly reached out to wipe her cheeks, only to find that her hot cheeks were surprisingly dry.

The tears shed for him have long since dried up.

Georgiana grabbed Annie's hand and said softly: "I'm still trying to deceive myself and believe him, until this afternoon, when he appeared in the ballroom... I understand that he is not in love with Georgiana, but Da Miss West."

Anne understood, and after she comforted her softly, she took out a handkerchief from her bosom and handed it to her—the one she picked up under Georgiana's window.

"This is, I threw it to him from the window...how, how could it be in your hand..."

Georgiana's face immediately flushed, she stammered, and she looked away in shame.

Annie stuffed the handkerchief under her pillow: "I asked Du Li to pick it up at your window."

"He didn't take it?!"

"Yes, the night you caught a cold—were you chatting at the window? He left after I interrupted."

"He didn't come back..." Georgiana said blankly, her red face gradually turning pale.

The day of the dance has finally arrived.Anne had not been cleansed since morning.

The entire Pemberley Manor was awake, and the servants were preparing for the evening dance—preparing desserts, wine, candles, and arranging dishes... In the afternoon, the mighty orchestra also arrived at the manor in a carriage, and Mrs. Reynolds After arranging the accommodation, I was guided to sit down and rehearse in the prepared position in the ballroom.

As the "person in charge" of her nephew's ball, Lady Catherine is bound to have no peace.Meeting guests and communicating are her tasks.

Georgiana ran to Annie's room early, with red and swollen eyes, chirping and ordering Du Li to make up and change Annie's clothes.

Anne is very thankful that the current fashion pursues naturalness and dexterity, instead of having a slender waist, and only needs to spend more work on the chest.

Anne changed into a long dress made of off-white yunluo—this fabric was never released by Phoenix, and the dark patterns of crabapple flowers shone brightly in the slanted light.

The full breasts and delicate collarbone are looming under the silk lace, and pearls are scattered on the cuffs and chest.

Below the chest, the loose and long skirt hangs softly, and even the stacking of fabrics when sitting down reveals extraordinarily graceful and smooth.

Du Li permed her curly hair, and then tightly tied up the fluffy and thick hair, pulling out strands of hair, which looked loose.

Annie took out the whole jewelry set from the dresser.She wore gypsophila and white roses made of pearls in her hair.Earrings, necklaces and bracelets are all extremely simple, but the dazzling luster and round shape of the white powder have clearly shown their value.

At first, Lady Catherine prepared a set of extremely rich sapphires. Anne only glanced at it, and silently pressed it on the bottom of the box.

"Wow..." Georgiana leaned on Annie's shoulders, looked at her in the mirror, and couldn't help but sigh, "I can't think of any lady who is more beautiful than you, Annie, you will definitely be tonight Become the focus of all gentlemen's eyes."

Georgiana was not exaggerating. Anne always dressed as simple as possible on weekdays. Although the materials were all good materials, she seldom wore makeup or a complete set of jewelry, so she looked like an ordinary squire's daughter.

This time, under Du Li's skillful hands, Annie's cheeks were slightly flushed naturally, her eyes were bright, and her lips were light and rosy.Annie's skin is very fair, which is because she always stays at home. Against the backdrop of the snow-white long dress, she doesn't look dull at all, and her whole body exudes a pearl-like moist luster.

In the afternoon, one carriage after another came from a distance, and the downstairs gradually became noisy.The voices of countless strange gentlemen and ladies came from the windows and corridors, and the rustling footsteps made everyone nervous.

As night fell, the band's romantic music sounded gradually.

"When should we go down? Mom seems to have forgotten to tell me the time." Annie frowned, leaning against the window and looking at the many figures reflected in the dance hall below.

"Lady Catherine didn't say anything, I'll ask someone to ask—"

"Dong dong dong."

Du Li's voice was interrupted by a rhythmic knock on the door.Du Li blinked and exchanged glances with Annie.

Annie grabbed the hem of the skirt and let it loosen up, then strode towards the door and opened it: "It must have informed us to go down—"

Annie's words came to an abrupt end, and it was none other than the male owner of the manor that she was about to run into.

He froze for a moment, surprise and admiration ran out of his eyes without any concealment.In the beautiful and bright eyes, there is only one person clearly reflected at this time - only this person.

He quickly came back to his senses, smiled awkwardly, and handed over a pair of ladies' white lace gloves.

"The dance is about to begin, my dear."

作者有话要说：啊啊啊啊啊啊啊我先嚎一嚎感谢在2020-12-2806:09:08~2020-12-2911:49:22期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~

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!