The Sensory Animals of Ston Hill

Although Alan Stone has many dissatisfaction with the Earl of Arundel, there is one thing he is sincerely convinced of, and that is the Earl's ability to flatter.

The Earl ordered people to release the wild deer and goats that had been raised for several months back into the mountains. After enjoying the most comfortable winter since they were born, these little creatures with horns have lost the vigilance that herbivores should have. , added a lot of fun to His Majesty's spring hunting.

His Majesty returned home full of rewards, and started a barbecue on the lawn outside the villa. Even the servants were rewarded with meat.Afterwards, these big shots returned to the house, enjoying the moving voices of Mrs. Denell and Mr. Faranelli with glasses of wine.

Only then did Alan Stone know that the Earl of Arundel had opened up the two drawing rooms of the villa and made it into a small theater.There is even a small pond in the center of the stage.I don't know how he did it, so that real reeds and bushes grew around the pond. Mr. Faranelli sat in a swan-shaped flower boat, and the Viscountess sat on the branches of the bushes. The picture is pleasing to the eye.

They sang an opera written by His Majesty himself.His Majesty is proficient in this art and is keen on showing off difficult skills. Many modified sounds are specially designed for Mr. Faranelli, so that Mr. Faranelli's unique voice can be fully utilized.Even the hostess of the villa, who has always been indifferent to art, fainted once because of his smart high-pitched voice, and was awakened by Mr. Faranelli's servants skillfully with smelling salts.

But it was difficult for Alan Stone to get into the singing.He couldn't help feeling sorry for the money spent on building the small theater, and hated the shape of the pond. After his mother and the queen went upstairs, he also left.He knew that he was no longer needed for the following things.After the opera is over, the count will draw His Majesty's attention to those serious matters while the Viscountess is changing her clothes.The Earl has already won His Majesty's favor.

Alan Stone bumped into Grace as soon as he went out.The maid was so reckless that the two almost bumped into each other.The wine glass that Grace was carrying almost fell over on the tray, but was held by Alan Stone.

Alan Stone reprimanded him somewhat angrily: "What are you doing here!"

Grace saw that his shirt cuffs were splashed with red wine, and the dark red spots stained the white fabric, which made him a little guilty, and replied honestly: "Mr. Wales asked for the wine to be brought over, I—"

Alan Stone interrupted him angrily: "Are there no other servants in the villa? Why does he have to let you come!"

Grace explained that Mr. Wales didn't ask him to come, but that he saw too much work upstairs and wanted to help.

Alan Stone looked at him suspiciously: "Didn't you really see what they were planning? Or was that what you were looking forward to?"

Grace is usually very clever, but now she is stupid, "What idea? What am I looking forward to?"

Alan Stone became even more angry, even angry with himself.He rode a horse on the mountain with His Majesty for a day today, and the wound in his abdomen hurts. He also drank a lot of wine, and now he is terribly sleepy.The most important thing he should do right now is to go upstairs to change the dressing on the wound, and then go to bed, instead of standing here and having this stupid conversation with this maid!

But he looked at the maid's stupidity, as if she really didn't understand anything.

"Maybe she's not out for vanity, but just stupid." Thinking of this, Alan Stone suddenly felt a lot better.He thought, he was not soft-hearted towards this maid, he just thought of William, if William was here, he would definitely stop her.

Alan Stone endured the shame in his heart, and expressed his guess, "The Duke of Varna recommended Mrs. Denell to His Majesty, and became a popular person in front of His Majesty. It is said that people outside the cabinet want to write to His Majesty. All must go through Mrs. Denell's hands first, and anyone who disagrees with the Duke of Varna will be destroyed..."

Grace listened in a daze for a long time before she reacted, and she actually laughed out loud.

Alan Stone stared sternly, "Don't you understand? A person like Arundel will never give up any chance! Our Majesty doesn't value birth, if he, he likes you... ...Arundel will find a way to make you a Madame de Pompadour among the common people!"

Having said that, Alan Stone suddenly woke himself up, and looked at Grace in amazement, from head to toe.

Now this maid's hairstyle and clothes are all excellent, making her face as good as that of the Viscountess...or better.In the past, he always felt that this maid did not look like a maid, but now, with her raised chin, and her low and melodious voice, she clearly looked like a woman in high society.

Alan Stone was terrified, and whispered: "Maybe he has such a plan long ago..."

Grace laughed harder inwardly.

If Alan Ston only said that His Majesty might have taken a fancy to him, he would be a little scared, but Alan Ston also said that the Earl was calculating these things, and he would only think that Alan Ston was going crazy again .

Alan Stone didn't know, but the Earl knew. Although he was a "maid", how could he be someone else's mistress?

And no one has ever deliberately let him appear in front of His Majesty.Before serving the dinner, he applied for it himself, because he was curious about how His Majesty was eating, just like he took the initiative to deliver the wine now because he wanted to hear Mr. Faranelli sing.

The Count had told him that M. Faranelli could sing high notes for a minute without taking a breath.This Mr. Singer used to sell tickets for a thousand pounds when he performed in the theater. Now he only sings for His Majesty. People outside can’t hear such a beautiful singing voice even if they want to spend money. Grace doesn’t want to miss such a good performance. Opportunity.

Alan Stone saw that the maid didn't listen to his words at all, and also understood that the maid had been coaxed around by Arundel long ago, and she couldn't wake her up with a few words.

He simply snatched the tray from Grace, threatening him and said: "The servants serving inside are either brought from the palace by His Majesty, or brought from the Earl's Palace by Arundel, they all know the rules! You are a country bumpkin who has never seen the world, you will offend His Majesty with a single mouth, and you will be beheaded if you offend His Majesty!"

Grace pretended to be scared, but she didn't believe a word in her heart.

He was not so easily frightened now, how could he be a man who had not seen the world when he wore good clothes, ate good food, and learned so much manners from Mr. Wales?

He also didn't believe what Alan Stone said about beheading.He thought King Louis was a very nice man, such a noble man, that he used honorifics when addressing him, and gave all the servants a roast.Grace, like many citizens and peasants, was dissatisfied with many rules and complained full of complaints before meeting the king; but once she saw a real person, it was easy for a commoner to love and submit to the great nobles.

He pretended to go downstairs, but in fact he was hiding in a corner. Seeing Alan Ston personally deliver the tray in, come out again, and go upstairs, he secretly turned out from the stairs.

However, before he took two steps, he saw Alan Ston coming down the stairs again, so he was so frightened that he hurried into the storage room under the stairs.He saw Alan Stone looking around through the crack of the door, and then looked downstairs a few times to confirm that there was indeed no one here before going upstairs again.

Grace waited in the locker for a while before daring to come out.At this time, applause came from the small theater, and Grace knew that the performance was over, and she was heartbroken, and she lifted her skirt and ran, trying to catch the final curtain call.

He thought of this moment later, and realized that it was his last chance to escape, that he had missed it.

When he slipped in, Mr. Faranelli and Mrs. Durnell were making a final bow, one hand on their chest and the other stretched gracefully aside, soft as wicker.The curtain was slowly closing, and Grace could only see the tail of the swan flower boat, which was as graceful as a real swan's tail, but brighter and more gorgeous than a real swan's tail.He couldn't help being even more annoyed, thinking how wonderful the performances were on such a beautiful set! "It's all Alan Stone's fault!" He complained in his heart.

The Earl of Arundel spotted him and sent him over to serve and pour the wine.

Alan Stone's crazy words still caused some disturbance to him. When Grace poured wine for King Louis, her hands shook, and some red wine spilled out.The wine glass is wet, this glass of wine cannot be given to His Majesty.

King Louis recognized him with fondness in his eyes: "Your name is Grace, isn't it?" and then offered him the spoiled glass.

Today was a day of feasting for Grace. He tasted venison for the first time and ate his fill, and now he drank wine for the first time.He choked on the first sip, tasted it, and drank the rest of the glass.

King Louis thought he was lovely, gave him another glass, and began talking to the Earl of Arundel.

They chatted about "trade" and "tariffs", and Grace lost her mind after listening to it, and began to peek at the noble friends brought by His Majesty.He saw a gentleman courting a lady, while another lady next to her seemed to be jealous and fanned herself desperately.

Later, even those gentlemen and ladies could not cheer him up. Grace couldn't help but yawned, and when she really felt sleepy, the Count let him sit on the sofa beside him.

"If we build more factories like this, we can not only increase tax revenue for the country, but also allow common people to use more good things..." He heard the voice of the earl say in a daze, and it was far and near, and finally stopped at next to myself.He struggled to open his eyes, only then did he realize that he seemed to have fallen asleep, and then looked around, only him, His Majesty, and the Earl were left in the room.

"Your Majesty, look at this maid, such a beautiful girl, she used to only be able to wear the woolen socks she wove herself, green and gray, which were thickly put on her legs, neither beautiful nor convenient, walk a few steps The road will fall down. If you want to buy better silk fabrics, just a pair of socks will cost her nearly half a year's wages."

"But now it's different. She can buy socks produced in factories. Those looms are smarter than human hands. They can mix cheap cotton and expensive silk together. The socks weaved are stronger and more elastic than ordinary weaving cloth. Machine-woven ones are cheap. Because of those machines, such a maid can afford white stockings."

Grace felt a strange hand grab her ankle.He woke up suddenly, but not fully awake.He looked at the earl dreamily, and saw a face so calm that he was unfamiliar, which made him blink several times in doubt.

"Your Majesty, these socks are produced in our country, and the quality is not inferior to those of the British goods. If we protect our goods and restrict the entry of British goods, those factory owners will be grateful, and there will be more. The construction of the factory can increase a lot of tax revenue for the country.”

The hand left the ankle and came to the calf, feeling the texture of the stockings.Only then did Grace realize that it was the hand of King Louis, and it was very cold.He remembered that there was a print on his stockings, on the side of his calf, it was a pattern of ice flowers.That morning, when he woke up from the earl's bed, he saw this pair of socks and was deeply fascinated by the print. He stared at them for a long time, wanting to touch them but dared not touch them, for fear that his hands would be too rough to take the exquisite patterns to them. Scrape out the silk.

The king's hand continued to go up, not into the hem of the skirt.

Grace trembled and looked helplessly in the direction of Earl Arundel.He saw the count turn away, go to the door, open it, and step out.

The hand moved forward under the cover of the skirt, and it had already reached the thigh. Grace shrank her body and leaned against the sofa desperately.

King Louis crouched over him and stared at his face for a moment.His Majesty has a pair of dark eyes, but his eyes are like ice.He kissed Grace flat on the cheek.

Grace turned her head, looked around the carefully permed curls around His Majesty's ears, and saw the Earl of Arundel standing outside the door, facing him, and closed the door.