I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

When Darcy rode away from Rosings Manor, in a house in a London neighborhood, two people were also talking about Bernard's accidental death.

"Outsiders said that Bernard died in a horse-shock accident, but I suspect that he should have died at the hands of the spy sent by him.

At the last banquet, Mrs. Albert was very suspicious. Unfortunately, Bernard took everything over and didn't let us interfere. Now he has an accident and many clues have been cut off. What a pity. "

"Hey, tell me, does Bernard's fiancée on the surface know something inside?"

"Her? A pampered little girl?"

The person who spoke first sneered: "Bernard is not crazy, nor is he dazzled by beauty, how could he reveal these terrible things to her?"

"I'm just guessing casually, you're right, even the two of us have no chance to get in touch with the core secrets, tsk tsk, of course I don't believe that a pampered young lady can participate in these things.

However, Fernand, I mentioned this to you because if Bernard said a few words in front of Miss Wilkes, although she might not realize anything, there is no guarantee that she would tell others. , there are still some risks. "

These words made the man named Fernand look pensive.

After a while, he asked, "You mean, find a chance to get rid of that Miss Wilkes?"

"Take precautions before they happen, Fernan, I would rather kill by mistake than leave hidden dangers for myself, even if they are slight."

"However, this Miss Wilkes is quite popular with these Englishmen. After all, she is also an Englishman after carefully counting her blood and background.

She is now on good terms with quite a few respectable families in London.If we want to touch her, will the gain outweigh the loss once we show any flaws? "

"That's why I came to discuss with you, let's evaluate, is it worthwhile to deal with that Miss Wilkes?

If the price is too high, given our current situation where we are walking on thin ice, we really shouldn't provoke her, but if it's a matter of convenience, my suggestion is that it's best to cut the weeds and get rid of the roots. "

Fernan quite agreed with this opinion. He stood up from his seat, walked to the window, looked at the vibrant flowers and plants in the yard, and made a decision:

"Wait a minute, at least take a look at the attitude of the Bernard family, after all, it is Louis Bernard's former fiancée.

After a while, the Bernard family will definitely send family members to London. If they continue to defend Miss Wilkes and still admit that she has a relationship with the Bernard family, we can't hurt her.

If the Bernard family officially announces the dissolution of their engagement and Miss Wilkes is no longer under the protection of the Bernard family, then we can do as you said and create an accident quietly. "

"Hey, you're more considerate. I forgot the attitude of the Bernard family. All right, I'll do as you said."

The self-righteous conspirators set their strategies and bide their time.

Pei Xiang, whom they regard as a small hidden danger, is busy with moving. Moving in this era is not an easy task, especially, Pei Xiang likes the new home that is about to move in, and always wants to be perfect in every detail .

— After all, it was the first property I owned in this era.

"Miss Wilkes, you really don't have to be in such a hurry to move. I believe that even though Mr. Bernard has died, his soul is definitely willing to continue to protect you. This is your home and Mr. Bernard's home. will throw you out."

The old housekeeper who served the house watched Pei Xiang rush in and out, thinking that Pei Xiang moved in such a hurry because he was worried that people from the United States would disagree with her continuing to live here.

Pei Xiang sighed quietly, and explained half-truthfully:

"After Bernard's family arrives in London, it will not be suitable for me to continue living here. Anyway, I also have real estate in London, and I will move out sooner or later.

What's more, I really don't want to continue to face everything familiar in this house. Every night I stay here can remind me of the stories I used to have.

There are joys, and of course there are also sorrows, which make it difficult for me to calm down, and I am always depressed, so I want to leave here as soon as possible. "

After receiving such an answer, the old butler couldn't continue to persuade and retain Pei Xiang, so he could only do what Pei Xiang explained to him with all his heart.

In the afternoon of this day, a servant came in to report that Mr. Darcy was visiting.

Pei Xiang put down the affairs in hand, tidied up her dress and hair:

"Mr. Darcy, please go to the small living room, and tell the kitchen to prepare tea and snacks, and I will be there later."

The servant took the order to go, Pei Xiang did not go downstairs immediately, but returned to the bedroom, took out some materials from the inner compartment of the dressing table, put them in a beautifully carved box, and then walked downstairs with a light skirt.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy."

"Good afternoon, Miss Wilkes, how are you?"

Before Pei Xiang entered the door, Darcy didn't take a seat, but stood by the window looking at the garden in a daze, and when he heard the sound of Pei Xiang pushing the door in, he hurriedly turned around.

"Mr. Darcy, I'm not bad, but you look a little haggard."

"After hearing about Mr. Bernard, I rode back immediately."

He carefully looked at Pei Xiang's complexion, and found that she looked quiet and sad, with a pale complexion, but the smile on her lips was very relaxed, her starry eyes were moist and bright, and she didn't have much sad emotion.

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he had more suspicions about Bernard's accidental death, and some ideas gradually formed.

"Miss Wilkes, is it convenient to talk here?"

Pei Xiang walked to the tea table and sat down, and poured tea for himself and Darcy respectively.

"It's safe here, Mr. Darcy. Whenever Bernard and I have secret matters to discuss, we either choose his study or choose here. Please rest assured that talking here will not leave a little bit for others." eavesdropping opportunities.”

Darcy pursed his lips. He felt that Pei Xiang was revealing some important inside information to him. Otherwise, why would a normal family prepare such an anti-eavesdropping room? Why would a normal marriage contract often talk about secrets?

"Lucy, the promise you made to me earlier was that within half a year you could get yourself out of trouble and leave Louis Bernard, who is full of dangerous mysteries.

I considered your solution at that time, but I did not foresee that it would end in this way, ending it all with the sudden death of Mr. Bernard. "

Pei Xiang tilted his head: "Mr. Darcy, what do you suspect I am planning?"

Darcy took a sip of tea, raised his head and asked Pei Xiang, "What do you think... what would I suspect of you?"

Pei Xiang smiled: "You will doubt many things, but...of course you won't suspect that I planned Bernard's death.

But you think it's very likely that I knew about it in advance, so you start to doubt the authenticity of the accident, don't you? "

"I'm glad you know me well, Lucy."

"Just as you know me, Darcy, it's just that you've been so stern since we met, and I really can't believe you're happy."

A gentle smile flashed across Darcy's eyes, and then quickly disappeared.

From the time he entered the room to now, the coldness and solemnity pervading the man's body finally subsided a bit, but it definitely did not reach the warmth of melting ice and snow.

After he realized the danger and complexity behind the whole incident, he immediately warned himself not to show a smile easily, otherwise, the bold girl across from him would feel encouraged, and maybe he would be more willing to take risks in the future.

"Lucy, before I saw you, I thought I should at least comfort you, but now—when I'm sensitive enough to judge your true emotions, I think that soft words can only pamper your adventurous spirit." , which I don't want to see."

Pei Xiang widened his eyes and looked at the man beside him, and found that he was sincerely creating a serious atmosphere, and was trying to persuade her because of his fear and concern, so he was inexplicably weaker by three points.

"Darcy, we made a promise half a year ago, and now I have completed the task ahead of schedule, according to common sense, you should praise me."

Darcy raised his eyebrows, and his tone of voice suddenly became gentle and soft, with a hint of danger hidden:

"What's your compliment, Lucy? According to the common sense, look, this is your exact words, yes, according to the common sense! I should advise you to give up your condolences on hearing the bad news, and to express my regret at Mr. Bernard's untimely death." .

However, based on my rational inference, there is no need for me to say such comforting words that are in line with human nature, because the bad news may not be true.

As for compliments and the like, it really doesn't match the current situation, so I'm sorry I can't say it. "

Pei Xiang couldn't help rubbing his ears, but felt that this man was too provocative when he spoke in a low voice, and even the faint sarcasm in the ending sounded very nice.

This was the first time Darcy spoke to her in such a dangerous tone, without polite reserve, without suave solemnity, casual, ill-tempered, with small emotions hidden in the turning point, but quite foul.

She lowered her eyebrows and added milk and sugar to his tea, so as to remove the sparkle in her eyes.

--reserved!reserved~

However, bowing your head and pouring tea cannot avoid certain temptations. Darcy is still unwilling to let go of her ears, and her tone of voice is deeper and smoother, with a little bit of aristocratic arrogance, gorgeous and extravagant without knowing it.

Pei Xiang bit his lip, suddenly smiled shrewdly, and while Darcy paused, he joked with the exact words he just said:

"Mr. Darcy, you just said that you can't say comforting words that are in line with human nature, and you can't persuade me not to be sad, but you attribute the reason to ignorance of the truth or falsehood of the bad news, which is somewhat insincere.

In fact, to be honest, the reason why you can't say it is because you have a sweetheart?If your sweetheart is really too sad - for another man, what should you do? "

Pei Xiang's deliberate misinterpretation made the gentleman who was trying to maintain a serious atmosphere suddenly silent, and his heart stopped suddenly by such sudden ridicule.

Immediately afterwards, all the blood in his heart seemed to rush to his cheeks and behind his ears.

"Lucy, don't misinterpret my words at will, be serious."

Pei Xiang leaned forward and narrowed the distance between the two of them. She scrutinized the young gentleman's facial features for a while, then smiled at him, exhaling like blue:

"Is it really a misinterpretation, Mr. Darcy? Can you completely deny it?"

Darcy couldn't help leaning back slightly, avoiding the temptation that was close at hand, his sight shifted quickly, and finally settled on the teacup in his hand.

"Well, Lucy, be more reserved."

"What's reserved?" Pei Xiang blinked innocently, and gently rubbed his ears while sitting upright.

"There are some things that should be pointed out first by the gentleman's side!"

Seeing that this person was distracted by her, Pei Xiang started to talk to her in a normal tone, and at the same time, he was not going to continue to "settle accounts after autumn", so he accepted it as soon as he saw it, and stopped teasing this serious British gentleman too much .

——I can't continue chatting like that anymore, this kind of serious and reprimanding tone, well, it's too attractive, it's simply unreasonable.

So, she immediately changed the subject and talked about serious business.

"Darcy, you guessed right, Bernard should still be alive.

But was he injured?Are you on the British Isles at this moment, or have you returned to France?I don't know, and I don't intend to.

All I know is that my cooperation with him has come to an end, and after that, each of us will start a new life journey. "

These words really made Darcy ignore the original intention for the time being, and began to think seriously according to Pei Xiang's wishes.

"Return to France? The Bernard family... Sure enough, they are troublesome people."

Darcy thought of the clues he found and the doubts he encountered before, and he felt a sense of enlightenment:

"I originally thought that what he was involved in was a contest between Britain and the United States, related to port trade and shipping. After all, the Bernard family has already taken root in the United States and owns many related industries. There are ambitions to restore the dynasty."

"There are quite a few exiled nobles who have this idea, not only from France, but also from former royal families and former nobles from other occupied countries. Moreover, England also supports the monarchy."

"That's different. England's political situation is unique. The restoration of the royal party on the European continent... If they stick to the old way, even if they succeed for a short time, they won't last long. Bernard is a smart man. Will you be willing to be trapped in this whirlpool forever?"

Pei Xiang shook his head, smiled lightly and said:

"Look, you also said that Bernard is a smart man, so it's not just as simple as the restoration of the royal party.

The Bernard family is one thing, Louis Bernard himself is another.

That was a man with a rebellious spirit and grand ideals, and he never had the consciousness of bowing his head.

In his opinion, neither Louis XVIII who is hiding in Italy nor His Majesty who lives in Paris today deserves his kneeling. Of course, he does not care about other people's kneeling.

Don't you forget, Darcy, that Louise Bernard grew up in America after he was ten years old.

His growth experience is quite complicated. He has witnessed the luxurious life of his fathers in the court, and experienced the terror and repression and embarrassing escape during the Great Revolution. After that, he came into contact with the most radical Enlightenment thought in the United States. "

This is another statement with a lot of information, and Darcy frowned:

"You're saying he's not prepared to follow the family's dictates, doesn't approve of any form of monarchy, and wants to start over?

No, since he chose to feign death and give up his identity as Louis Bernard, it means that he has already completed another change in identity, otherwise, he would not have arranged for that accident. "

Pei Xiang nodded slightly, and briefly talked about Mrs. Albert with Darcy.

Of course, Pei Xiang did not have sufficient evidence for Mrs. Albert's true identity. She only had her own inference and a few words from Bernard. She also told Darcy about this, as to whether he felt that she If his judgment is accurate, it depends on Darcy's thinking mode.

However, Darcy is not particularly concerned about the so-called secret agents, he is keenly aware of some other violations:

"Lucy, according to what you said, Bernard's true position is a very hidden matter, why did he disclose it to you?

After you learned these secrets, how could he let go so easily and leave you alone in England instead of trying to continue to control you? "

Pei Xiang spread his hands, showing a helpless expression:

"Darcy, how dare I let him know that I have detected his secret identity.

I once promised you that I would confess all the truth to you, so I only revealed this secret today.After today, I will not mention this matter to the third person again. "

Darcy's eyes were deep, and he solemnly swore to Pei Xiang that he would never let the third person know about the conversation between the two today, and the secret will always be a secret.

Pei Xiang naturally believed in Darcy's character, and all her good feelings for him started from kindness and care. If Darcy failed her trust, Pei Xiang thought, it would be considered a repayment, and then there would be two grievances and grievances. Clear, do not owe each other.

Of course, so far, Fitzwilliam Darcy has never disappointed Pei Xiang. On the contrary, he has given her more and more surprises.

"In the past few years, I have been pretending to be stupid, but I can't pretend to be too stupid. I carefully control the closeness and distance between Bernard and Bernard.

Too close and I can't get away, too distant and I'm afraid he'll throw me out as a shield at any moment.

Therefore, I will save Bernard at a critical time, and I will ask him for a lot of rewards and benefits, so as to prevent him from feeling that he owes me too much and turn his kindness into a burden. , unwilling to take the initiative to hurt me.

Step by step, it developed into today's situation little by little. He felt that he had deceived me and went to France with peace of mind. I got money rewards and a secure identity, and successfully returned to England. "

Pei Xiang didn't elaborate on her experience after going to America, or how she met and got mixed up with Bernard.

But Darcy could imagine that during those days, she must have had a hard time, no, it should be said that she was surrounded by danger and depressed.

Darcy always remembers the farewell letter Pei Xiang wrote to him.

From the sincere words in the letter, Darcy can judge that when Pei Xiang left England, she had no plan to come back. She was ready to become an American and was full of expectations for a relaxed and happy life in the future.

In her initial vision, she must have never expected that her life in the next few years would be involved in such life-and-death troubles.

"You...how disappointed you were at that time!" Darcy sighed.

Pei Xiang was stunned for a moment, and then he realized what he was feeling, and his heart warmed slightly.

She didn't deliberately act calm and breezy, but nodded following Darcy's words, and analyzed her mental journey to another person for the first time:

"At that time, I was really angry and annoyed, and I felt very tired, but what can I do?

I tried so hard to escape from Grove Manor, deceived an honest gentleman, and then told one lie after another. It took almost all my luck and energy to get out of the trap. Sent to the fate of the gallows.

After paying so much and struggling for so long, how can I be willing to be depressed, and even lose my life because of an annoying guy, wasting all my hard work?

So, I quickly overcame those negative emotions and told myself to try to find something beneficial from the unfortunate encounter.

Gradually, while controlling my own emotions, I also accepted that Bernard became a partner. Whether it was for the immediate benefit or the long-term escape plan, if I couldn't let go of my feelings and belittle my personal anger, I would learn to compromise And hibernation, I can't support today. "

When he said this, Pei Xiang's tone was indifferent, as if he didn't have any extra emotions, but in the ears of those who listened, it was the most sincere.

Darcy's eyes were filled with emotion, he slowly stretched out his hand, and gently covered the back of Pei Xiang's white hand:

"Lucy, you have learned to have to forgive those who have hurt you. This is growth, but I don't want to congratulate you for it.

Lucy, I'd rather you be high-spirited and playful.

However, I am grateful that you have learned to come to a compromise with yourself, with the enemy, and with an unfair fate.

Because you have done this, you can have a longer-term future, you can... return to England safely, and make my life complete.

Lucy, thank you. "

Pei Xiang stared at the clasped hands of the two, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

It seemed like a long time passed, and it seemed that it was just a moment, she couldn't help asking him softly:

"Thank me?"

"Thank you for being willing to stay, and thank you for never avoiding me."

"You just said that I should be more reserved and some things should be said by a gentleman, but you haven't said anything yet."

"Then are you willing to make my life complete?" Darcy asked hoarsely.

Pei Xiang was in a daze for a moment, then, she held Darcy's big hand behind her back, and looked into his eyes seriously:

"You are Fitzwilliam Darcy, even without me, your life will be complete. There are so many smart and beautiful girls in this world, and you are such a good person, how can you not find your own? happiness.

Even if I don't return to England, the thread of your fate will turn and draw your heart to the mate who is yours alone. "

"Maybe, I will have another life." Darcy said in a deep thought.

"However, the thread of my destiny did not change from the moment you returned to England, but earlier.

I always remember that early in the morning, on the forest path of Grove Manor in Kent, you called me. At that moment, something has changed, and it will never be erased. "

Pei Xiang suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Darcy raised Pei Xiang's hand, put it on his lips and kissed it lightly.