I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

Pei Xiang stood on the deck, with blue sea water and clear sky in front of him.

She took off her gloves and let the moist sea breeze blow over her fingers. It was cool and gentle. The free wind came suddenly and then drifted away, rolling up sparkling blue waves, coming in, fading, and rippling layers upon layers .

All of this, smart and real, natural and magnificent, made Pei Xiang's heart that he had been holding on for a long time slowly fall into reality, into the endless sound of the tide.

There was a relaxed smile on her lips, at first it was a very small arc of pleasure, but gradually, the arc became more and more obvious, and it turned into curved eyebrows and eyes, wanton and brilliant.

After enjoying the spontaneous joy for a while, Pei Xiang put on her white long gloves again, tidied up her ribbon hat, and resumed her ladylike demeanor again. She turned around leisurely and prepared to go to the first-class cabin. Enjoy a hearty breakfast in the dining room.

But after walking a few steps, Pei Xiang ran into someone she knew at the corner, Louise Bernard—the young gentleman she met on the boat, and he seemed to be admiring the magnificent ocean scenery.

"Good morning, Miss Brad."

"Good morning, Mr. Bernard, are you coming out to enjoy the beauty of the morning?"

"Originally, I planned to enjoy such a clear and beautiful sea view in the morning light, but because of the intrusion of Miss Brad's graceful figure, my plan was disrupted."

Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile in his voice, "Oh? Did I disturb Mr. Bernard's exclusive quiet time? Then I have to hurry up and leave."

The American Mr. Louis Bernard, who claimed to be a descendant of the French aristocracy, showed a bright smile. He walked to Pei Xiang's side and walked side by side with her:

"Don't abandon me. The appearance of Miss Brad has caused ripples in my heart. How can I have extra attention to watch those incomprehensible waves?"

"That's really a pity, how can the beautiful scenery be let down at will."

"Regret? Oh, Miss Brad is wrong. For me, such an accident is not regrettable at all.

It has been my good fortune to have had the pleasure of speaking to a fair lady, and of course it would have been a true honor to have breakfast with this fine lady from England. "

Pei Xiang nodded reservedly: "I think Mr. Bernard has this honor."

Louis Bernard showed a flattered and exaggerated expression at the right time, which made Pei Xiang smile. She gently took the young gentleman's arm, and the two walked towards the restaurant.

Pei Xiang was originally smart, but now that he is free from the danger of being arrested, he is much more lively and relaxed, and he is a little more free and easy when getting along with others.

Louis Bernard next to her also lived up to his French aristocratic blood. Compared with most reserved and serious British gentlemen, Bernard knew how to be courteous to beautiful women, and he could speak romantic and funny words.

One of the two is handsome and tall, the other is beautiful and elegant, and they are quite in tune when talking about certain topics, so although they haven't known each other for a long time, they seem very familiar when they get along, just like old friends.

On the way, Pei Xiang and Louise Bernard met several other first-class passengers. Everyone had introduced their names and identities to each other, and they had gradually become acquainted with each other during the journey of the past few days. When they met outside, they exchanged greetings one after another, and after a brief chat, they walked together together.

Pei Xiang's current identity is Lucy Brad, who was born in the north of England. His ancestors are also decent, with some family property and no worries about food and clothing.

But unfortunately, there were some changes in her family before, and now Lucy Brad is left alone, so she is going to the United States to find her brother who has been missing for many years.

Although she knew that it would be very troublesome for a single woman to travel alone, her eagerness to find her last relative made her resolutely board this passenger ship bound for the United States.

"I believe that God will bless me, and my parents will pray for me in heaven, so that we, brothers and sisters, can reunite soon and be safe and happy."

"Oh, yes, who would have the heart to hurt a lady like you, but not all of us are high-class people on this road, Miss Brad, you still have to pay more attention to safety."

"Thank you for your kind reminders. Don't worry, Mr. West and Mrs. West in London helped me arrange everything on board in advance. As for what happens after disembarkation, well, I will contact my father's old friends in the United States before his death, those uncles. Uncles will take care of me."

This explanation weakened the curiosity of the other passengers on the ship to a certain extent, so that everyone stopped talking too much about why Miss Brad appeared alone in the first class cabin, and there were no elders or adult men around her. accompany.

At the same time, they had more compassion and understanding for Pei Xiang, and felt that it was not easy for her to still maintain a cheerful and lively personality after experiencing so many unfortunate things.

As for what kind of business Pei Xiang's parents run and where their family lives, someone has inquired, but Pei Xiang is unwilling to reveal too much inside information, and always keeps silent or smiles politely. Inquired deeply.

After all, we were just traveling companions who met by chance, and went our separate ways after getting off the boat, so there was really no need to get to the bottom of it.

Actually, to be honest, according to Pei Xiang's original plan, he didn't plan to meet so many people during this trip.

She originally planned to use excuses such as seasickness and allergies caused by acclimatization to hide in the room and shut the door, so as to avoid participating in the daily communication of first-class passengers.

The reason why she had such a plan was that she was not at ease with the identity that the West couple had prepared for her, and she was planning to find a chance to change it after arriving in the United States. In that case, she would be truly worry-free.

So during this period, she showed as few times as possible.

It's a pity that the plan is not as fast as the change. Pei Xiang knew as soon as she got on the boat that her plan was no longer feasible.

The Wests probably wanted to thank her for explaining Mr. Edward Bruce, or they simply wanted to maintain the friendship between the two parties, so they entrusted her to the captain of the passenger ship temporarily with a sense of responsibility, please Take good care of Pei Xiang during the voyage.

The captain is a person who values ​​promises. After setting sail, he immediately visited Pei Xiang and introduced her to several decent passengers, who were the neighbors in the first-class cabin where Pei Xiang was staying.

At the time of the introduction, the captain naturally spoke according to the false identity background that the Wests and his wife gave Pei Xiang. Therefore, Pei Xiang had to play again, skillfully pick up his increasingly mature acting skills, and seriously play the role of Lucy. Miss Brad here.

Not to mention pretending to be sick and pretending to be seasick, Pei Xiang can figure it out without using his brain. Once the passionate and trustworthy captain hears that she is ill, he will immediately send the doctor on board to treat her and inquire about her condition. , It must not be hidden from professionals.

Therefore, Pei Xiang took a minute to adjust her mentality, and then she immediately threw herself into the identity of Miss Lucy Bullard.

She thought, since things didn't go according to her own wishes, and she couldn't blame others or be in a hurry, she still had to find more benefits from this unsatisfactory situation and add some bargaining chips to herself. It was a blessing in disguise.

As soon as his thoughts changed, Pei Xiang became very willing to make new friends. The passengers in these first-class cabins all had rich or expensive backgrounds. At this time, almost none of the ships going to the United States were for pure travel, and most of them were for housework or business.

Therefore, they all have various connections or resource supplies in North America, so it is naturally more convenient to do things.

It's not that Pei Xiang wants to take advantage of anyone, she's just used to being cautious, she likes to hold back and doesn't like to waste opportunities, so her attitude naturally becomes positive.

As Miss Lucy Bullard, Pei Xiang is generous, comfortable and understanding.

Her speech and demeanor are elegant and calm, and she looks like a well-educated upper-class person. In addition, she has a background that makes sentimental ladies and wives feel sorry for her. Therefore, she was quickly accepted by decent people in the first class. They called her a kind and beautiful sincere friend.

However, for Pei Xiang, among the new friends he made with his new identity, Louis Bernard, who claimed to be a French-American, was the most interesting one.

This man brought out the elegance and romance of French men to the fullest, and all the female passengers in the first-class cabin were complimented and praised by him.

He likes to speak sweet words, and has a witty remark at his fingertips, but he has a good grasp of the romantic but not obscene, so that people will not think that he is wretched and ridiculous.

Even some pure-bred English gentlemen who dislike Frenchies have no particular dislike for Louis Bernard.

At most, when a French man is talking to his wife and daughter, he should change the topic appropriately to separate the two parties from further contact, so as to avoid being complained by his wife about being puzzled or serious and indifferent after returning to the room.

After being "quarantined" a few times, Louis Bernard took the initiative to distance himself with great style.

Then he discovered that in the entire first-class cabin area, only Pei Xiang, who was alone, was not guarded by a serious and rigid "Dragon Knight".

The two could chat freely without being abruptly changed by the man who appeared suddenly, so this handsome gentleman was more willing to stick to Pei Xiang's side.

After getting in touch with him a lot, Pei Xiang vaguely sensed some incongruities in Louise Bernard's character. He didn't feel any malice against her, but felt that the temper that this person showed in daily life and his real temper might be Not very consistent.

"But, who doesn't have something to hide?" Pei Xiang thought nonchalantly.

And to be honest, she wasn't particularly sure about her guessing.

Because the feeling of disobedience is so shallow that she almost thinks it is an illusion, so Pei Xiang, who also has many secrets, does not intend to delve into the prying.

——It’s not necessary, it’s too tiring, and it may be dangerous.

——After disembarking, they went their separate ways. Instead of spending energy on researching a man's true temperament, I might as well think about how I will survive in the United States.

Currently, the money in Pei Xiang's hands is not small, enough for her to live comfortably in the United States for a while, but Pei Xiang is not satisfied with this.

She has carefully calculated the total value of her net worth, and there is still a big gap between her and true economic freedom, let alone enjoying the luxurious life style of this era.

Of course, Pei Xiang wants to make her life more comfortable and rich, so how to make money is her top priority now.

During his short stay in London before, except for the emergency funds obtained from selling jewelry at the beginning, Pei Xiang’s later sources of income were mainly through female red embroidery and anonymous contributions to cheap tabloids.

Before leaving, she sold a batch of exquisite embroidery samples to Henry, the owner of the grocer. It was a one-time buyout method, and she got a fairly generous reward for it.

At the same time, her means of earning a living also involves England's increasingly popular satirical comics market. Pei Xiang uses modern people's pungent and humorous tone, sharp and unique angles, and the fearless courage of daring to criticize government officials and royal family members. A large amount of remuneration was paid.

Sarcastic all the people who wanted to be satirized, criticized all the social phenomena that wanted to be criticized, and wiped out all the wool that could be squeezed, Pei Xiang patted her skirt, and left England where she was regarded as a wanted criminal without looking back... …

Three months after Pei Xiang left, a delayed package finally appeared at Fitzwilliam Darcy's mansion in London.

"Mr. Darcy, the mansion received a package this morning, which it says is for you. I hope you can open it yourself."

Darcy just came back from the outside and was about to go to work in the study. Hearing this, he asked curiously, "Who sent it to me?"

"The signature is very strange, sir, it only says that it is a person who has been helped by you.

Oh, by the way, the person who delivered the package said that the package was already in his hands, but the person who told him to do it made a very strange request, saying that he would deliver it today, three months later. .

The man also promised that if the person who delivered the parcel fulfilled the entrustment earnestly, you will pay him a pound as a reward after looking at the contents of the parcel, so the man will remember this matter firmly, He said he would come to withdraw the money tomorrow. "

Darcy didn't want to pay attention to the strange package at first, but what the butler added later aroused his interest, especially the "three months" period, which made Fitzwilliam Darcy a little too sensitive.

"Well, send the package to the study, I'll open it and have a look myself later."

The butler left in response, and Darcy, who stayed where he was, frowned unconsciously, and his expression suddenly became complicated.

Three months ago, he returned to London from the north of England, intending to visit the pregnant Mrs. Lucy. Although it was inconvenient, as a friend, he was really worried about Mrs. Lucy's living standard and health.

He thought that if the situation was not optimistic, no matter what, even if it would hurt Mrs. Lucy's self-esteem, he would strongly intervene to provide care within his ability to ensure that his friend had a safe childbirth.

However, what Mr. Darcy did not expect was that when he visited Mrs. Lucy at the address provided to him by Mrs. Miller, the landlord there told him that Mrs. Lucy had withdrawn her rental apartment on Grace Church Street. , Just three days ago, she left in a carriage with her suitcase.

Darcy's heart sank at that moment, all kinds of worries and unfavorable conjectures flooded into his mind, which made him panic for no reason.

Darcy quickly asked the landlord if Mrs. Lucy had encountered financial difficulties, or if someone made things difficult for her and made her leave in a hurry.

The landlord naturally denied Darcy's guess. She said that Lucy was very happy when she left, and she didn't look like she had encountered any bad things.

Moreover, the neighbors in this area are relatively close, and no one has seen anyone come to trouble Mrs. Lucy.

This answer calmed Darcy's worries a little, but it made him think in another direction.

Just as he was standing by the roadside in a daze, a fat woman passing by came up to talk to him.

"Excuse me, my honorable gentleman, are you here to see Lucy?"

"Yes, I'm a friend of Mrs. Lucy. I didn't expect her to have left here. May I ask who you are?"

Mrs. Peggy rubbed her hands, her eyes glowed with calculations, and her smile suddenly became flattering:

"Ah, I'm Peggy, the housekeeper of a nearby house and, of course, a good friend of Lucy's.

Gentleman, you look very handsome, you look like a rich man's young master, if, I mean if, if you will give Peggy a little reward for your kindness, Peggy will talk to you about my dear Lucy of. "

Darcy wasn't very happy to deal with people like Peggy, but he didn't want to turn around and leave, so he frowned and asked:

"Mrs. Peggy, do you know where Mrs. Lucy has moved? Since you are friends, do you have her mailing address?"

Peggy rolled her eyes and said very cunningly: "Sir, although I don't know where Lucy has gone, I know that someone must know the answer. If you must ask me who knows, I have to take care of you." Think about it."

Darcy smiled, took out a few coins and handed them to Peggy, and urged in a cold voice: "Mrs. Peggy, please tell me."

"Mr. Darcy, if you want to know where Lucy is, you'll have to go to a gentleman named Edward Bruce, with whom Lucy was very intimate, so of course he knows where she's moved to." said Not sure, it was the house he provided to Lucy.

If you want me to say, that girl has no conscience. Ever since she became a nobleman and became well-off, she has ignored me, an old friend from the past, and never came back to see us. "

Peggy's words made Darcy disgusted. He felt that this greedy woman was talking nonsense, such as Edward Bruce, climbing a nobleman, and definitely framed Mrs. Lucy.

Darcy turned to leave, but Peggy called him quickly:

"Hey, honorable sir, don't you want to know how Lucy is doing now? Don't you want to know where she has gone?"

"Didn't you say that she is developed? Why, you are lying and deceiving me."

"Oh, of course not, Lucy is doing well, I promise."

After getting this answer, Darcy was slightly relieved, and was too lazy to continue communicating with this kind of person, so he chose to leave directly.He secretly planned in his heart that when he returned, he would find someone to find out the whereabouts of Mrs. Lucy.

Of course, his mood was also a little depressed. He felt that Mrs. Lucy moved away suddenly without sending news of the move to the Darcy House, because she wanted to stay away from him and not want to have anything to do with him. This kind of cognition made Darcy depressed. Lost, but also some grievances and incomprehension.

—Since you are so eager to avoid me, why should I come forward to be annoying?From now on, let's treat it as an acquaintance for nothing.

—Wait, Mrs. Lucy won't be lured back by that fellow Wickham again?

——No, that was the previous Lucy, and the current Mrs. Lucy would definitely not be so confused.

After Darcy left, Mrs. Peggy held the coin in her hand and showed a smug smile. Judging from the eyes of someone who has seen all the gossip and scandals, this serious gentleman must be more than just a friend. Maybe he is Lu Another minister under the skirt of Xi.

Peggy snorted, and couldn't help but said to herself: "You have to come back and ask me, when the time comes, it won't be the price of an acquaintance now."

Darcy didn't know that someone was planning to kill him. After he left the Grace Church neighborhood, he ordered someone to inquire about the whereabouts of Mrs. Lucy.

Of course, the clues he provided to the people below were everything about Lucy that Pei Xiang had revealed to him before. Naturally, Darcy couldn't wait for any useful news.

Later, Charles Bingley, his new friend from the north, came to London for a visit. Darcy was busy with family affairs, and at the same time accompanied his friends to various dances and dinners. After getting busy, he gradually put down the matter of looking for Pei Xiang.

In other words, he forced himself not to think about it.

In fact, in the process of searching, Darcy also gradually realized that many of the information left by Mrs. Lucy are actually fabricated. Perhaps, there is no such person as "Mrs. Lucy".

With this kind of cognition in his heart, Darcy subconsciously didn't want to face the more cruel truth, so he simply deceived himself and chose to escape temporarily.

—No, I am not avoiding some truth, nor am I refusing to think.

——I'm just too busy. Charles Bingley is such a worrying friend, always soft-hearted and trusting. If I don't watch from the side, he will definitely suffer a lot.

As time passed day by day, Darcy felt that the longing in his heart had calmed down little by little. Just when he thought he had forgotten something, a package of unknown origin touched a certain string in his heart again.

The three-month delay in the delivery of the parcel did not necessarily have to do with Lady Lucy, Darcy thought.

Darcy thought again that she was not the kind of person who would leave friends without saying goodbye.

—No matter how many lies she tells, those eyes will not deceive!