I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

The lunch was simple and not very formal. The relaxed atmosphere allowed the guests who had just arrived at Gladstone Manor to relax and gradually eliminate the strangeness.

While chatting and laughing, everyone ate some food casually, and then followed the servants to the guest room to rest under the arrangement of the hostess, Mrs. Caroline.

When only his family was left in the living room, Pei Xiang turned his head and glanced at Lady Caroline's face, knowing in his heart that his performance in front of Mycroft had disappointed the Countess.

She quietly hid behind Jane, but her eyes were puzzled, and then she puffed out her chest again, as if silently expressing that she had done nothing wrong.

Mrs. Caroline looked at the confused and stubborn eyes of her eldest daughter, feeling helpless in her heart. She shook her head, and the depression in her heart dissipated unconsciously.

"Okay, everyone go to rest. Jane, come with me, and help me see the menu for dinner and the seats of the guests. Anne, Edward, you two are not allowed to go to the stable to see the foal, and go back to your room Have a good rest. Before dinner, you will read carefully for an hour and write a book note, and I will let Mrs. Murray supervise you both. Doris, you, you go and study your dinner attire, and then , learn to talk less and smile more, you know?"

Everyone agreed to Mrs. Caroline's request one after another. Pei Xiang's voice was the loudest, and then he "escaped" from Mrs. Caroline's sight briskly.

Back in the bedroom, Pei Xiang checked his room first, and sat down in peace after finding that there was nothing extra or missing.

She had already used the excuse of caring for Leah's injury to take back the door key of this bedroom from the other party, and handed it to the maid Lucy in front of her.

Of course, Pei Xiang would use something to block the door of the room before going to bed every night, and make special arrangements in front of the windows. If someone wanted to sneak into the room secretly, it would definitely not be as easy as before.

She took off the cumbersome and heavy luxury jewelry, wiped her hands and face with a towel, reapplied face oil and hand cream, and then changed into a lighter and simpler dress. After resting for a while, she quietly walked out of the room.

So far, Pei Xiang has discovered four suspicious people, the maid Leah, the servant Tom, the tutor Miss Winster and the secretary Mr Howard.

Leah couldn't find any breakthrough for the time being, because she was the head maid, and there were too many reasons to prevaricate.The only way to find someone to follow her during her next shift break is to see if she has any openings outside Gladstone Manor.

As for Tom the servant, Pei Xiang felt that he was the least suspect.

Let's not talk about whether he has only been here for a month, and whether he can figure out the various interpersonal relationships in the manor.Just talking about his gender, it is not easy to come and go in and out of Doris' bedroom in the middle of the night.Once discovered by the night patrol servants, he must not be able to explain clearly.

In contrast, Leah's identity is full of convenience.

Pei Xiang asked some interesting things from the mouths of the little maids who were helping in the kitchen by insinuating.They all said that when Leah accidentally spilled the soup that morning, it happened to be the same time that the morning bell rang in the kitchen.

What's more, the cook accidentally mentioned that after Leah stained her skirt, she said "how is this possible" several times.

——This statement made ordinary people listen, as if Liya didn't believe that she could be so clumsy, but in the ears of caring people, it contained more profound meaning.

——Mr. Red and Green Plaid Vest Mask, which I casually invented, seems to have attracted Leah's special attention.

——She asked people many times, is she really looking for the knight hero in her dream for Doris, or is she looking for a secret enemy for herself?

Besides, Miss Winster and Mr. Howard, the intimate relationship between these two people is indeed a secret, and it seems that Miss Winster is pregnant before marriage.

However, this secret is not a reason for them to murder Miss Gladstone. Not to mention that Miss Gladstone never paid attention to them, what good is the accidental death of Miss Gladstone to these two people?

At that time, everyone in the manor will be interrogated, and the secret relationship between the two of them may not be able to be concealed.

——Besides, even if the incident of getting pregnant out of wedlock will damage the reputation of both men and women, compared to murdering a noble lady, the damage to reputation is not so serious.

——Howard is a shrewd man, it is impossible to do such a stupid thing that is not worth the loss.

——Unless, he has greater interests to plot...

Pei Xiang recalled every detail of the last time she saw Miss Winster, and felt that her fear of guarding herself was strange and worthy of further scrutiny.

Even though the emotional problems between Winster and Howard had nothing to do with the death of Doris Gladstone, Miss Winster was very suspicious.

Her sudden illness and cold, her alertness and panic, and the cotton wool she burned in the charcoal stove all raised many questions.

——Did she really catch a cold?Or are you pretending to be sick, just to get carbon stoves and coal?

——If it's fake, why didn't Dr. Norton, who was treating her, expose her and try his best to cooperate with her?

—Did Dr. Norton know that Miss Winster was pregnant?

—Does Dr. Norton have a problem?No, Dr. Norton had been the Gladstone family physician before Doris was born, had grown up watching Doris, and had little incentive to take part in the murders.

——Besides, if a family doctor has malicious intentions, there is no need to use such troublesome means.

Pei Xiang thought of the various medicines in Dr. Norton's hands and his surgical knife, and his mind suddenly turned around.

——Speaking of the murder process the night before yesterday, it was actually quite strange.If the hatred is so great that people must be killed, then since the murderer was able to sneak into the original owner's bedroom, why didn't he just kill him directly, but chose such a circuitous and troublesome way?

Pei Xiang lowered her eyes and thought deeply, and various hypotheses and possibilities were arranged in her mind one by one, waiting for her to find the correct causal relationship and connection sequence.

She is currently unable to leave the manor, and it is inconvenient to investigate the external relationships of Leah, Winster, and Howard. Then, what she can do now is to find such a breach from the limited clues inside the manor.

Twenty minutes later, Pei Xiang sat in Dr. Norton's office, and the maid Lucy was left outside by her to wait.

"Miss Doris, I really don't have any medicine to prevent freckles, and, from my point of view, your current skin condition is very good, there is no need to worry about those small spots that don't exist."

Pei Xiang looked at the family doctor angrily, and said in a delicate tone:

"Mr. Norton, I know you must have the relevant potion, but you dare not give it to me because you obeyed my mother's order."

"Miss Doris, listen to old Norton's advice. Medicines have side effects. If you are not sick, it is best not to touch them indiscriminately. Eat healthy, sleep regularly, exercise moderately, and maintain a happy mood. It will make you glow."

Seeing Dr. Norton's firm, sincere and uncompromising eyes, Miss Gladstone, who was always obsessed with her own beauty, suddenly leaned forward and whispered in a mysterious tone:

"Mr. Norton, I know your secret. If you don't want me to tell the secret, you have to listen to me."

Dr. Norton suddenly felt a little ridiculous, he shrugged helplessly:

"Okay, okay, Miss Doris, tell old Norton, what great things have you, a clever little girl, discovered?"

The family doctor didn't take Pei Xiang's "threat" to heart, but just looked at her connivingly.

However, Pei Xiang's next words startled Norton.

"Doctor Norton, I know Miss Winster's secret, and you are covering for her."

Those words made Dr. Norton almost jump out of his seat.

"Miss Winster's secret?"

Seeing the family doctor's slightly changed face, Pei Xiang had confidence in his heart, and his face beamed brightly:

"Of course, of course, Dr. Norton, what happened, you not only failed to explain it clearly to your mother, but also covered up Miss Winster and let her continue to be Anne's tutor. This is too much."

Pei Xiang didn't explain what it was, but her tone and expression gave Dr. Norton the illusion that the two of them were talking about the same secret.

This tone was too firm, coupled with Doris Gladstone's straightforward character, Norton did not suspect that Pei Xiang was deceiving him, but believed that she had really confirmed Miss Winster's pregnancy.

But Dr. Norton cautiously added:

"Miss Doris, can I ask, how did you know this so-called 'secret'? Could it be a servant?"

Pei Xiang showed a provocative smile, and she put her hands on her abdomen.

"Doctor, I heard the conversation between Miss Winster and Secretary Howard with my own ears. How could it be possible for me to miss you? Mr. Norton, let's make a discussion, as long as you listen to me in the future and provide me with various medicines for hairdressing, hairdressing and waist thinning , help me hide it from my mother, I will not tell others about you and Miss Winster, okay?"

Pei Xiang's actions and Howard's name completely changed Norton's eyes. Now he has dispelled his doubts and believed that Pei Xiang already knew the secret that Winster was pregnant and that the father of the child might be His Excellency the Earl.

Seeing that the eldest lady still only cared about her appearance after knowing such a secret, Dr. Norton felt dumbfounded, and felt a little sad for Mrs. Caroline.

But when he turned his head and thought about it, he felt that he was too sentimental.

It is an open secret that His Excellency the Earl has an adult illegitimate daughter outside, and Mrs. Caroline has not seen much care about it.

Therefore, Miss Winster's pregnancy may not be a big deal to Miss Gladstone.Anyway, no amount of illegitimate children could infringe on the interests of Mrs. Caroline.

What makes people criticize this matter is that Miss Winster is Miss Anne Gladstone's governess, and the scandal happened in Gladstone Manor. If Mrs. Caroline finds out, this is indeed a serious No big or small trouble.

"Since Miss Doris heard the conversation between Winster and Howard, I will not hide it for them. Yes, Miss Winster is indeed pregnant."

Dr. Norton sighed, oblivious to the fact that the visitor hadn't said the word "pregnant" explicitly.

Pei Xiang thought to himself, it really is so.

At this point, she was completely sure of her previous guess.

She immediately showed a smug smile and looked at the family doctor with shining eyes.

"So, she is pretending to have a cold, but she is actually pregnant? Doctor, we all know this secret, is it an alliance? Between alliances, there should be some benefits for each other."

The family doctor acquiesced to Pei Xiang's words, but he did not accept her "threat".

"Miss Doris, I am covering for the Earl, I am following orders, and at the same time, I also want to maintain the peaceful atmosphere in the manor. I guess, after a while, after Christmas, the Earl will let Miss Winster leave Manor. At that time, everything will be as if it never happened, and Mrs. Caroline will not be offended any more.

"Miss Doris, after time has passed, I will definitely try my best to obtain the earl's permission, and then find a suitable opportunity to confess Miss Winster's affairs to Madam and ask her forgiveness. Therefore, at this moment, I will I can't go against her entrustment and accept your terms of exchange."

Pei Xiang covered her lips in surprise, she was really surprised this time.

—The Earl and Winster?

—Wait, did I mistake the father of the child?

—No, Charles Gladstone may have mistresses, and may be fond of flirting, but he probably wouldn't be messing around at Gladstone Manor.

——He attaches great importance to family reputation, why would he have an affair with his youngest daughter's governess?Also made an illegitimate child?Just looking at his behavior for so many years, he should know that he separates family and pleasure very clearly.

——Miss Winster is not a peerless beauty, nor does she have excellent flirting methods, how can she make an exception for the "well-informed" Earl?

Pei Xiang's thoughts raced, and she quickly judged that her initial thought was not wrong. The person who had emotional entanglements with Miss Winster was Mr. Howard.

However, when it came to Norton, the family doctor, it seemed that some misunderstanding had occurred, making him think that the child in Winster's womb belonged to His Excellency the Earl.

——Why is there such a misunderstanding?

——So, Dr. Norton is willing to cover up Miss Winster's fake cold and real pregnancy, because he thinks he is doing the Earl's aftermath?Is it to follow orders?

——He wouldn't come up with such an idea out of thin air, someone must have misled him?

As for who misled Mr. Norton, Pei Xiang thought it was easy to guess, except Mr. Howard, the Earl's private secretary, who has this ability?

Pei Xiang quickly figured out the general reason why Dr. Norton was misled. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should tell the other party the truth.

Did not say?Follow Howard's plan, and then play by ear?

speak out?Disrupt all the opponent's layout?

Pei Xiang's hesitation was only a matter of a few seconds. She changed her sitting position and showed an inexplicable puzzled expression at the same time.

"Mr. Norton, what are you talking about? Miss Winster's child is my father's? My God, is that a joke? You must be mistaken."

Dr. Norton was taken aback by these words, and then he cried out inwardly.

The eldest lady only said that she knew Miss Winster's secret, but did not say how much she knew, but she acquiesced that she knew all the details, so she inadvertently disclosed the Earl.

Sure enough, the next moment, Pei Xiang stood up abruptly, and shouted angrily:

"Dr. Norton, I didn't think you were such a person. I'm going to tell my mother about this! My God, it's terrible, it's immoral!"

"Miss Doris, please calm down, Miss Doris, please listen to my analysis, the current situation..."

Pei Xiang quickly interrupted Dr. Norton:

"I don't listen, I don't listen, I thought the child belonged to Mr. Howard, and I was secretly worried about their little lover. Who would have thought that Miss Winster would be so shameless that she would seduce my father! God, how could she have Accepting Annie's care and mother's care, it's so exasperating!"

"Calm down, calm down, Miss Doris, wait a minute," Dr. Norton's persuasive voice suddenly paused, and then he raised his head abruptly, tentatively in a shocked tone, "Miss, you-you just said that you think the child is Mr. Howard's? Why do you think so?"

"When I went to visit Miss Winster, I saw Mr. Howard touching Miss Winster's belly through the crack of the door. The two sat side by side, and then I heard the two say, um, some new life has arrived. Of course, I would think that the child belonged to Mr. Howard. But now I understand, it turns out that the child belongs to the father, no, I have to tell my mother quickly. "

Doctor Norton's face changed rapidly, and there was anger and remorse at being deceived in his eyes. He obviously realized that he was deceived by Howard and Winster.

"Miss Doris, I want to confirm with you again, did you really see that scene?"

Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows: "Why should I lie, and it has nothing to do with me."

Dr. Norton nodded in agreement, this matter really has nothing to do with her.

"Miss Doris, I made a mistake. The child should belong to Mr. Howard. It has nothing to do with His Excellency the Earl. Please sit down first and let's clarify the issue."

Pei Xiang acted very headstrong, she glared at Dr. Norton angrily, and had no intention of sitting down at all.

Dr. Norton couldn't do it, so he had to coax him softly: "Miss Doris, I know a way to make ointment, which can make hair smoother and thicker when applied on the hair. If you are interested, I can specially prepare some for you. .Of course, I also know some prescriptions for moisturizing the skin, I guess you may be interested."

These words were very effective, and the irritable Miss Gladstone immediately softened her face. She first looked at Mr. Norton suspiciously, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly sat down again.

"Well, since you said you made a mistake, then, Mr. Norton, let's talk about how you made a mistake."

Pei Xiang's tone was relatively strong, and his voice raised a lot without knowing it, which attracted the attention of the outside maids and doctor's assistants.

"Miss Gladstone, Dr Norton, is there anything I can order?"

"Lucy, I'm talking about an important matter with Mr. Norton, and I don't need any help at the moment."

After dealing with the maid's inquiry, Pei Xiang stared at the elderly family doctor with burning eyes, waiting for his explanation.

"It's like this, Miss Doris, when Mr. Howard found me, he said that Miss Winster might be pregnant, but she was weak and needed to rest for a while, so she couldn't continue to work as a tutor.

"He said, well, I hope I can cover for Miss Winston and prove that she has a cold. After all, you know, Miss Winston is still single, and it would be a big deal for other people to know that she was pregnant out of wedlock scandal."

Pei Xiang sneered: "Of course it's a scandal, she's still my sister's tutor, my God, poor Annie, she likes Miss Winster so much."

After complaining and mocking a few words, Pei Xiang looked at Dr. Norton with some puzzlement:

"Since Mr. Howard asked you to intercede, why do you think...the father of the child is His Excellency the Earl?"

"This..." Mr. Norton smiled bitterly, "Mr. Howard did not say clearly who the father of the child was from the beginning to the end, but his expression and tone made me think and think it was His Excellency the Earl."

"Based on facial expressions and tone? You determined that my father was unfaithful to the marriage? Oh, Mr. Norton, I really didn't expect that you are such a person." There was anger and grievance in Pei Xiang's eyes.

"Hey, no, Mr. Norton, are you lying to me? I understand you. You are not a person who talks nonsense. You are a gentleman. How could you doubt a noble Lord Earl casually? Doctor, are you trying to You lied to me and couldn't find any good excuses to say such ambiguous words."

Speaking of this, Pei Xiang's face immediately darkened: "So, that child is actually my father's!"

"No, no, Miss Doris, I must have been misled by Mr. Howard. Because, because..."

"Why? Mr. Norton, if you don't give a reasonable explanation, I won't let it go. The honor of the Gladstone family cannot be tarnished at will."

While talking, Pei Xiang made a gesture of getting up and leaving, which made Norton tremble. He was particularly worried that this young lady would rush out regardless and make the scandal known to everyone.

"Because, I also took care of a pregnant lady for His Excellency the Earl." Dr. Norton gritted his teeth and revealed another secret.

"The lady lives in London and is the Lord Earl's...close friend. After she became abnormal, it was Mr. Howard who appeared in place of the Earl and handled various chores for the lady. It was the social season in London, and I was there There, so I took on the job of diagnosing that lady."

Speaking of this, Mr. Norton found that Pei Xiang seemed to have listened to his explanation, and his face became calmer, and he was relieved.

As long as this young lady is not allowed to act impulsively, it will be fine.

Pei Xiang suddenly asked: "Doctor Norton, the one in London, and her child, does my mother know?"

Norton nodded: "Madam knows, Miss, Madam... She once asked me about that lady's background and style, and told me to pay attention to the health of that lady and Your Excellency the Earl."

Pei Xiang understood and knew that Mrs. Caroline was worried about the Earl contracting some sexually transmitted disease.

However, as Doris Gladstone, she should not be able to hear the deep meaning. She just took it literally and complained dissatisfiedly: "Why should mother care about that kind of person's body?"

Dr. Norton smiled and did not continue to explain in depth.

Pei Xiang didn't care about this question either, but continued to chat with the previous topic:

"That is to say, when Mr. Howard asked you to take care of Miss Winster, his attitude was the same as that of you taking care of, um, taking care of... what's the lady's last name?"

"It's Mrs. Aurora. That's what we call her. As for her last name, I haven't heard anyone mention it, Miss Doris."

"Oh, oh, Mrs. Aurora," Pei Xiang nodded nonchalantly, "I seem to have heard of this name before, is it that black-haired woman who lives on James Street, who is said to be quite famous, is a soprano?"

Norton froze for a moment, then shook his head and said: "Miss Doris, I have never seen Mrs. Aurora who lives on James Street. The Mrs. Aurora I mentioned lives in Bennett Street, and she is not theater actress."

Pei Xiang silently wrote down the street names, and also noticed that Dr. Norton did not deny the appearance feature of "black hair".

"Well, then I really haven't seen it, but I don't want to see that kind of person either."

"Yes, Miss Doris, you and Mrs. Aurora will not have any intersection."

Pei Xiang showed a proud smile, and stopped mentioning Mrs. Aurora, but continued to pay attention to the current matter.

"Well, Mr. Norton, I understand why you misunderstood my father. Judging from the conversation between the two of us, Mr. Howard is really too cunning. He is obviously his child, but he wants to make you have a terrible misunderstanding."

Doctor Norton said in an annoyed tone, "So, now that we all know the truth, Miss Doris, what are you going to do?"

Pei Xianghui smiled slyly, and stared at Dr. Norton with shining eyes: "Sir, although you have been misled, I have to say that you still made a small mistake. Although this mistake is harmless, it is still offensive in general. You lost my father, do you need me to keep it a secret for you?"

Such a simple calculating expression made Mr. Norton shake his head helplessly:

"Miss Doris, what I promised you before will not change. I will prepare some potions and ointments for you. Don't worry. Besides, I am not very worried about my own situation, but I want to ask you, What are you going to do about Miss Winster's pregnancy?"

Since Pei Xiang wanted to muddy the water, he naturally wanted to talk about everything on the bright side.

All, for the family doctor's question, Pei Xiang answered very positively:

"Of course I want to tell my mother, and then ask Mr. Howard to marry Miss Winster. This matter must be resolved immediately, lest there will be bad rumors in the future, which will affect my sister Anne's reputation and the atmosphere of Gladstone Manor."

For this answer, Mr. Norton is satisfied, of course, he is also surprised.Because, he never thought that Miss Gladstone would give such an appropriate response.

Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows proudly: "I just don't like reading and studying. I have learned social etiquette and housekeeping skills, and I have mastered them well. Mr. Norton, don't underestimate me, I am the favorite granddaughter of my grandfather, His old man can command thousands of troops, and I can certainly handle several employees and servants."

Dr. Norton thought about Pei Xiang's words, and felt that it was true.

Before, all of them thought that the eldest lady was a bit ignorant and empty-headed, but she never made a big mistake in social etiquette.

Even if what she said makes people feel boring, and what she is interested in makes people feel vulgar and superficial, but for a girl, she only likes dressing up, jewelry and gossip, not literature, geography, foreign languages, music, painting, philosophy, history and female celebrities Waiting for talent and knowledge, it can barely be justified.

As for the housekeeper's methods, whether it was before or now, Mrs. Caroline actually ignored the eldest daughter.

She has always brought her second daughter Jane by her side, taught her, trained her, and exercised her, but she never gave Doris Gladstone a chance to take her to participate in some manor management affairs.

Dr. Norton knew very well that lack of talent and elegance did not mean that he was not good at management. Otherwise, those businessmen from poor boys would not be able to make big business and manage their factories and labor employees well.

"Since Miss Doris has an idea, I naturally support it, so let's go to Mrs. Caroline now?"

Pei Xiang nodded: "Let's go, it happens that Mr. Howard is also in the manor."