I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

In Leicester's study, Aldrich briefly described the information obtained after monitoring Rebecca and others.

"Judging from the information sent out by the maid Anna, they mainly have two purposes. One is to facilitate Lester's marriage, and the other is to fully investigate Brown Paddington's origin."

"Wait, my marriage? What does my marriage have to do with these people?" Lester felt extremely baffled.

Aldridge motioned him to listen patiently for a while, and then he would give some guesses and explanations.

"To investigate Mr. Paddington's past and current situation, you need to use a lot of hidden power. In addition, they are recently rescuing Mrs. Betty, and they are jumping up and down trying to bribe some officials and minor nobles, so they make frequent small moves. My people borrow This opportunity is to observe in secret, and the investigation has determined that many potential personnel of foreign forces have been recorded on the list."

"Investigate Mr. Paddington, where did they start?"

A pleasant and soft female voice sounded in the study, obviously, Pei Xiang also participated in the conversation.

To tell the truth, discussing intrigue with a woman was very unaccustomed to Lester.

However, when he saw Aldridge's expression of reason, he felt that he could not lose to his old-fashioned and prudent friend in terms of open-mindedness. Therefore, he did not raise a single objection, but was very curious about Pei Xiang's performance on this occasion.

Aldrich patiently answered Pei Xiang's question:

"They first went to the town near Nolan Manor to secretly investigate Mr. Paddington's origin. They found some information and learned from the local pastor that 'Brown Paddington' did exist, but the name But it is newly changed. Moreover, this person’s previous life experience is also vague, people only know that he disappeared when he was young. He recently returned home and became a famous painter.”

"Start from the vicinity of Nolan Manor?" Pei Xiang was thoughtful, "They are doubting whether the origin revealed by Mr. Paddington is true or not. Or, they are doubting that Mr. Paddington, who lives in London now, Is it impersonating a missing person?"

"There is meaning in this regard."

Aldrich nodded, did not say whether those people believed in the end, but continued to elaborate:

"Afterwards, they seemed to focus their investigation on the relationship between Paddington and me. Including the incident of the real and fake oil painting that made Paddington famous, the incident of going to Nolan Manor as a witness to the property entrustment, after coming to London Two people, judging from the few messages we intercepted, they ignored the role of Leicester in threading the needle, and instead believed that Paddington and I have a closer relationship."

Lester yelled in dissatisfaction: "It's obvious that I have a better relationship with Paddington, right?"

Pei Xiang lowered his eyes in thought, trying to look at some people and things from another angle.

"If you have to understand it this way, it makes sense. After all, Mr. Paddington sent fake paintings to the Earl of Deville's Palace. If you ignore that the Earl is a famous collector, and the Earl's Mansion The fact that there are paintings by the painter Mr. Stein is indeed suspicious from the point of view of conspiracy alone."

Aldridge agrees with Pei Xiang's analysis: "Yes, once there is doubt about this, there will be doubts everywhere after that. After all, after careful study, Lester and Mr. Paddington can become pen pals, and then in reality. It is all related to the original incident of true and false paintings.”

Lester was a little confused: "Okay, well, they have to think that Paddington and Aldrich have a closer relationship, and I can't stand up and laugh at them loudly. So, um, then?"

Aldrich said softly: "This is what Marianne and I have never understood. We learned that they want to facilitate your marriage and investigate Mr. Paddington's past, but we can't figure out what they want to do .”

Pei Xiang nodded slightly, and added: "Therefore, we relaxed the monitoring of Rebecca and Anna, and wanted to see how many tricks these two people can come up with."

Having said that, she clicked on the bookmark on the desktop with love poems written on it, her tone was cool:

"And then, we got this."

"This?" Lester looked at the bookmark on the table suspiciously, "They forged and imitated Aldrich's handwriting and wrote you some love poems? This is... to create a scandal? What are they planning?"

Pei Xiang showed a somewhat tangled expression, she and Aldridge looked at each other, and then said slowly to Lester:

"The point of this matter is not the love poem itself, but to allow you to personally discover Aldrich's feelings for me."

"Let me find out for myself?"

"Yes, some people want you to realize that there is a more intimate secret relationship between me and Aldrich. They want you to feel angry, disappointed and jealous, and hope that you will feel alienated from Aldrich because of this incident. , Of course, it would be even better if we could turn against each other."

Lester's eyes widened suddenly.

—Why should I be jealous?

——Why should I be angry and disappointed?

—Of course because...

Lester, who suddenly figured it out, shuddered. He tremblingly stretched out his finger and pointed at himself, then at Pei Xiang.

Silent, but with a rich expression to fully interpret the inner incredible.

Pei Xiang couldn't help but Aldridge snorted coldly.

"Miss Marianne, Aldridge, this statement is too ridiculous, did you two make a mistake?"

Pei Xiang shook his head, and explained slowly:

"Aldrich asked a servant who often went out with Lisa before. The servant said that he could occasionally hear Lisa's conversation with Mrs. Dora. From Lisa's point of view, you have some special affection for me, and you even plan to Marry me. These words... Lisa should have told Rebecca, and those who listened believed it."

Lester picked up a book and covered half of his face, blocking Aldrich's cold and sharp sight:

"Don't stare at me, Aldridge, this is completely slander! It's a slander against my innocent reputation! I'm the victim, and I'm not so hard-headed. You have to be reasonable."

Pei Xiang snorted, ignored Leicester with a "terrified" face, and continued:

"They didn't just rely on Lisa's words to make this kind of cognition. According to the letter I received this morning, they sent people to the vicinity of Nolan Manor to inquire about news.

"Mr. Sissel, you know that my brother and sister-in-law have always had a good face. They are worried that their neighbors think that they don't care about their stepmother and sisters, so they often like to talk about caring for brothers and sisters.

"Well... I also just learned that every time Fanny and John talked about me, they would complain that I was a girl with eyes above the top. Even if a baron heir had a good impression of me, I would not be moved. So, they As brothers and sisters-in-law, even though they miss my marriage in their hearts, they dare not introduce outstanding unmarried young people of the right age to me."

Lester touched the bridge of his nose, and he was quite sure that he was the unlucky "heir to the baron who had a crush on Marianne".

Aldridge concluded dryly:

"Through the various information obtained from previous investigations, coupled with this bookmarking incident, Marianne and I have some absurd but reasonable speculations. My enemy thinks that you love Marianne, and me and Marianne There is also an ambiguous relationship between Marianne. Moreover, we deliberately concealed you and tried to manipulate your marriage. Lester, they want to expose my 'conspiracy', and then use the relationship between men and women to drive a wedge between me and you Friendship, and even provoke the relationship between the Deville family and the Sissel family."

"This is outrageous, Aldridge, these people were trained by the French, right? Only their strange thinking mode can make such a ridiculous oolong."

Pei Xiang chuckled: "It's a pity that you lost an opportunity to laugh at the French. Those people have mixed backgrounds and have deep connections with Eastern Europe. Aldridge won't tell you and me the details. Because that falls within the secrecy of his job."

Lester lamented a few times: "So, they encouraged my father to make a marriage contract for me as soon as possible, trying to destroy Aldridge's 'marriage plan'? Then, they must be looking for Aldrich when they investigate Paddington. Trouble. Aldridge, do you know what they're going to do to our old friend?"

"Probably have some clues," Aldrich frowned, "However, I don't want to interrupt those people's arrangements at the beginning, I want to use this incident to find out more potential personnel and let them The secret contact network of the British government has become a "bright thread" in the eyes of the British. Of course, I have written to Mr. Paddington, and how to deal with this provocation is still based on Mr. Paddington's ideas."

Lester sat up straight with interest: "So, did Paddington write back to you? What did he say?"

Aldridge glanced at Pei Xiang, shook his head and said:

"I haven't received a reply from Paddington yet. However, I feel that some things are not clear in the letter. It is better to have a face-to-face interview. Therefore, I plan to discuss with Paddington in person after returning to London how to deal with it."

Pei Xiang noticed Aldrich's probing eyes, smiled slightly and said:

"According to my understanding of Mr. Paddington's previous behavior style, he might want to use his tricks, let the other party make a big deal, and then come forward to solve it. After doing this, his popularity will be improved. At the same time, it will also make the Aldridge has tracked down more stuff, it's a win-win situation and he should be happy to be a part of it."

Hearing this, Lester jumped up from his chair, rubbed his hands excitedly and said, "Then what are we waiting for? I'll have the carriage ready, and we'll go back to London now."

Aldrich sighed, and said helplessly: "Lester, you have so many guests here, don't worry about it? Besides, have you thought about how to arrange Rebecca and Anna before you leave? Leave them here , or take it back to London?"

Lester...sit back obediently.

However, on the second day of the conversation in the study room of the three, Rebecca went to find Lester in person and said that she would say goodbye to him.

Lester kept a few words not very sincerely, and then didn't say anything more.

After Rebecca left, there was no need for Lisa's personal maid, Anna, to stay.She immediately asked the housekeeper that she wanted to go back to London, but Lester appeared in time to stop her.

He said that since he might get engaged recently, he planned to send Lisa to the countryside in the south. He gave Anna the address of an old country house and asked her to go there directly to find Lisa.

"Mr. Sissel, are you, are you going to separate from Lisa?"

"Ah, that's not what you should care about. But don't worry, after you go to the country, you will be paid no less, oh, even more. Of course, if you want to stay in the city If not, then we have to terminate the employment relationship. Anyway, for the sake of my marriage to go smoothly, it is best for Lisa not to appear near me in the next three to five years."

Anna looked at Leicester's cold and arrogant face, and suddenly fell into a dilemma.

She never expected that Lester would deal with the marriage in such a way that he sent his lover Lisa far away.

——Sigh, I felt like shooting myself in the foot with a rock.

——Go to the quiet and closed countryside with Lisa?No, no, the loss outweighs the gain.

—resigned and left the Cecil house?That would lose a lot of convenience.

"This... Sorry, Mr. Sissel, I don't think I have any plans to spend a few years in the country. So, can I ask you to let me stay in the mansion in the city, even if the position is not a personal maid. I like London, and don't want to be far from it, Mr Sissel."

Regarding Anna's request, Sissel shook her head resolutely, not acting like a decent gentleman with compassion at all.

So, following Rebecca, Anna also had to leave the Sissel family.

At the same time, Aldrich sent someone to secretly watch Rebecca and Anna's every move, trying not to miss everyone they came into contact with, so as to sort out some suspicious characters.

Four days later, Leicester and his group ended their short vacation and returned to the city from their villa in the suburbs of London.

Pei Xiang and Elinor were warmly welcomed by Mrs. Dashwood and Margaret as soon as they got off the carriage.

The mother and daughter sat together and had endless topics to talk about.

"What, Marianne, did you read that right? Elinor used to talk with that George Messina, did they stay together often? Did he ask her to dance at the ball?"

"Yes, mother, I think, either this afternoon or tomorrow, we shall have Mr. Messina at home. Then you will see for yourself how much Elinor attaches great importance to the affection of that quiet gentleman." , I guarantee that my description does not exaggerate the facts at all."

Elinor was somewhat embarrassed by Mrs. Dashwood, and she did not deny her affection for Mr. Messina.But she still rationally believes that at present, if she wants to convert these good feelings into deep love, the gentleman still needs to continue to work hard.

Therefore, Elinor talked about her relationship problems in a few words, and instead solemnly mentioned the matter of Pei Xiang and Lester.

Yes, they are Pei Xiang and Leicester.

"Marian, you have to tell us, what's the matter between you and Mr. Sissel? When we were at Nolan Manor, we studied it. Mr. Sissel can be a very good friend. , but not necessarily suitable to be a husband. But, this time as a guest, why do you always stay with Mr. Sissel? Have you ignored that Lisa?"

Pei Xiang was taken aback by the question at first, and then found it quite interesting.I thought to myself that it's no wonder that Rebecca and the others had misunderstood, look, even my own sister has doubts.

"Elinor, have you overlooked something? Not only have I been with Mr. Sissel for a long time, but I have also been with Mr. Deville for a long time. Why don't you doubt me and Mr. Deville?" ?”

Mrs. Dashwood said quickly:

"Oh, Marianne, don't change the subject. Let's not talk about whether your lively personality is suitable for the taciturn Mr. Deville, but let's talk about your background, although... in my heart, my daughters are the best , is more than enough for a prince, but we can't ignore those worldly eyes. Marianne, that Mr. de Vere is the heir to the earl. To be honest, we actually have to call him 'My Lord' just because he doesn't like it. We do Friends don’t use that kind of honorific title.”

Pei Xiang finally couldn't help but chuckle, and asked tentatively:

"Mom, Elinor, if you don't look at the gap between identities, do you think there is a possibility between me and Mr. Deville?"

Elinor showed a thoughtful expression.

Mrs. Dashwood, always simple-minded, answered without thinking:

"God, my dear, how can you get along with such a cold and serious gentleman when you are so lively and full of emotion?"