little miss austin

"Miss, do you still hate Master George?"

"Hate? No, hate is too strong a feeling. If there is no love, there will be no hate. I don't see him anymore because," she sighed softly, "I originally thought that Byron would not ask for marriage, so he is the last The man who suits me, we can always maintain the relationship of lovers, if he wants to have another mistress, as long as it is not so high-profile, I can pretend not to know. He is that kind of person, he likes adventures, and being with me is not an adventure, And being with a married woman is exciting, adventurous."

"Master George is outrageous!"

"As far as he's concerned, he's not wrong. Well, let's not talk about him. Tell me about you, did Jimmy propose to you?"

Kate blushed, "He said...we will get engaged when you and Master Oliver come back from Malta."

"Jimmy is a brave man, very loyal, and has a lot of money. Oliver gave him 1000 pounds, the Baron gave him 500 pounds, and bought him a house. After you get engaged, I will give you 300 pounds, so that you I have 1800 pounds, so I can do some business. Jimmy will be Oliver's housekeeper in the future, and his annual income should be no less than 100 pounds. You two can live comfortably." She stood up from the bathtub, and Kate wrapped her in a towel.

"It's time for you to train a new maid. You can choose a suitable girl at home and at Newton Park."

"Miss, I can still be your personal maid after marriage."

"It is possible, but it may not last long. If you have children, you will have to raise them at home." This is a very real problem.

"It's still early, miss."

Alice sighed, "You, Sidney, you are all leaving me."

"Miss, you're talking nonsense again, Sidney is your housekeeper, and Jimmy will be Master Oliver's butler in the future, and we haven't left you."

"You are not only my servants, but also my family in many cases. Kate, haven't you thought about finding a job elsewhere?"

"Why? The lady is very generous in her salary and generous in her tips, and she is also very gentle. Miss, you have to know that when a staff member is satisfied with her job and salary, she won't think about changing jobs."

"Okay, I'll try to make sure you're always satisfied with your job and salary." Alice said with a smile.

She put on her nightgown and went into the bedroom.The hotel servant carried away the tub.Kate closed the door and went into the bedroom, dried her hair with a dry towel and braided some of it into thin ribbons.

She threw off the quilt and went to bed, leaned against the head of the bed, and read a book.

"Miss, I'm going to see the young masters."

"They should have finished eating, talking, and in the room. You want to see them fight?"

Kate smiled, "I heard from Jacob that they used to fight a lot."

"Boys, that's how it is. Fights happen every now and then. After the fight, they're still good friends."

Kate was confused, "Are they still good friends?"

"A man's friendship is not hindered by a woman."

"I really don't understand."

"You don't need to understand, and neither do I."

The trip back to London turns into an eerie threesome.

Alice thought that when they were in Madeira Island, they had just finished a fight, and Oliver returned Ivo's living expenses and servants. The friendship between men is really interesting sometimes.

It was a four-day journey from Gloucestershire to London, and on the other three nights they would play cards for an hour in Oliver's room after dinner.

It's really weird, but normal.

Oliver is quite patient and has no impatience with Ivo.Ivo wasn't particularly annoying either, and his attitude was generous.

Alice was not hypocritical, she just played when she wanted to, and seeing that the time was almost up, she got up and went back to the room to wash and sleep.As for what they would say after she was gone, she didn't much care.

After arriving in London, I stayed for two days, packed my luggage, went to Portsmouth, and boarded a passenger ship to Malta.

On the passenger ship bound for Malta, Alice and Oliver booked a large suite with a comfortable bedroom and living room. The maids were busy opening the suitcases and arranging the things they brought.

Kate is now her personal maid, busy directing other servants to place items.

When the young master travels, at least he has to bring 6 or 7 servants, plus Alice's servants, a group of more than ten people, with a detailed division of labor, and even a servant who specializes in taking care of pets.

Alice took two angora cats with her, and Oliver bought two parrots for her, and she also took a green peacock on board.Ivo is the best. I don't know where to buy a trained African lion cub for her.

The cub is a golden male lion. When Ivo brought the cub, Kate was frightened.

Alice was scared at first, but Ivo immediately smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, I specially found someone to train him."

"he?"

"Yes, he. It's a boy. He doesn't have a name yet, you have to give him a name."

"Simba." She couldn't hide her excitement: this is a rare pet!She didn't expect Ivo to be on the same boat, so she was persevering, but she had no experience in dealing with this kind of situation, and he gave her a gift she couldn't refuse, and she didn't know what to do.

Ivo came to her every day, walked the lion with her, taught her how to tame the lion, and taught her to feed the lion. The lion ate raw meat and also poultry, usually chickens and ducks. The cub eats a lot and eats a lot of meat every day.

An amateur painter on board painted an oil painting for Alice and Simba, and Ivo bought the oil painting.

She's got a fun new pet, and every day talks about little Simba.

Oliver was very annoyed that Ivo also boarded the boat, but no matter how angry he was, he couldn't stop Ivo.

And he didn't expect Ivo to give her a beast pet. The two Angora cats dare not approach Simba, and they dare not approach Alice. Ivo said that it was because she smelled like a lion, and the kitten knew it instinctively. It's a beast they can't afford to mess with.

The guests on the ship were very afraid of lions, so they could only walk the lions in the early morning when there were not many people on the deck. Alice got up early every day and was full of enthusiasm.

Oliver struggled for a few days, and then let her go.What else can I do?If he said she was not allowed to walk the lions, she was likely to have a big fight with him.

What made him depressed was that Alice was supposed to accompany him on a trip abroad for recuperation, but there was one more person between them, and Ivo would definitely follow them all the way.He couldn't say he was dueling with Ivo, could he?

hateful!This guy Ivo is different from when he was in Madeira Island back then. He is much calmer and tougher. The possibility of a duel between them is infinitely close to zero, and it is unlikely that they will fight each other again.

He thought about it for several days, actually it depends on Alice's attitude, she should definitely reject Ivo.He could tolerate it on the boat, after all, it was only half a month's voyage, but after getting off the boat, he had to solve this problem as soon as possible.

So this strange situation continued for the entire voyage.

For half a month on the ship, Alice and Oliver lived in the same first-class suite, but in fact they didn't have sex much, and her desire was not high. Many times they didn't reach the necessary stage, and she would push him away.He didn't think it was a problem at Newton Manor and Archimedes Manor, but on the boat, after she rejected him for several days, he finally couldn't bear it.

"What's the matter with you?" He sat up suddenly, lowered his voice, and suppressed his anger.

"I just don't want to."

"I don't understand you. Don't you like it? I thought you liked it very much. Or—is there something I can't do well?" He was aggrieved.

"No, you're fine, there's nothing wrong with you, it's just—" She also sat up, with her face on his back. "You know why, what I'm afraid of."

"Are you afraid—afraid of pregnancy?"

"Yes. I have no better way, I'm afraid the condom will break, I'm afraid I will get pregnant, I can't really enjoy... being with you." This is the trouble of adults.

Oliver remembered what his father had said, and tried to get her pregnant so that she would agree to get married for the legal status of the child.To be honest, he did think of this method, but he was not sure what she did. She could also choose to give birth to a child and send it away, just to punish him.

There was confusion in his mind.

It was a while before he said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. Alice, your worries are mine too, and I wouldn't put you at risk just to have kids. I love you more than my life , I can hold back."

She whispered in his ear, "I can help you in another way."

Its daybreak.

Oliver woke up first, and he turned sideways, looking at the woman beside him.

In 12 years, she changed from a girl to a woman.

He stretched out his hand, stroked her face with his fingers, and then kissed her face.

"Ollie." She was confused.

"baby."

"Is it dawn?"

"Not yet, you can sleep a little longer."

"When it's dawn, wake me up."

"Okay. Go to sleep."

She fell asleep again.

Oliver got out of bed, went out of the bedroom, closed the door, called the servant, and fetched water to wash.

Ivo was sitting on a deck chair on the deck.

Alice is late today.

Little Simba crouched at his feet, occasionally sticking out his tongue to lick his mouth, as if reminiscing about the meat he ate not long ago.

Ivo took out the tin tobacco can, rolled a cigarette, struck a match and lit it.

There's nothing more heart-wrenching than knowing that the girl you love is lying in another man's bed.

In the past few years, he has seen many things, some of which can be called human tragedies.

Everyone has their own sad things, every couple has their own problems, people who love each other may not be with each other for life, there are many examples of lovers becoming resentful spouses, there is no love but only because of interests or just because of "matching" has to become a husband and wife The proportion of people who are in love becoming husband and wife is surprisingly low.

People who can't get love pursue hard, no matter how hard-hearted people are, they will want to "get" love.

What is even more heartbreaking is that you have met the person you love, but you have to separate due to various reasons, and you can never go back to the past.

What has changed?Was she moved by someone else?Or was she a master at playing with emotions, as Mrs. Gordon said?

Perhaps, love is an emotional impulse for no reason or reason.

He can't remember when he fell in love with her. When you have a girl in your life who doesn't take an unusual path, it's normal for you to be attracted to her.The ignorant boy begins to understand love and sex, and the girl in his dream is her.He still remembers the "first time", when he woke up from the dream, he was ashamed that he actually took her as the object of his sexual dream, but again—his heart was beating wildly.

At that time, he began to regard her as his girl.He wanted to wait for her to grow up, to dance with her to her first dance at the 16-year-old ball, to be the first man to kiss her, and to be her first man.

He wants to be her "first", and he also looks forward to making her his "first".

But now, his love and the girl he loves are getting farther and farther away from him.

Someone sat down beside him, took his tobacco can, and rolled a cigarette.

He glanced at Oliver and said nothing.

They had shared many things: tobacco cans, servants, horses, hounds, coats, shoes, and they had been best friends.

now--

Lovers cannot be "shared", neither of them can stand it.As for Alice's thoughts, no one can figure it out.

Thinking that Oliver couldn't figure out what she was thinking, Ivo had an irresistible urge to mock him.

Oliver tried his best to avoid facing him alone. Alice didn't come, but he came, so he must have something to say.

But Oliver finished smoking a cigarette and didn't speak.

"I thought you had something to say to me." After hesitating for a while, Ivo decided that he should speak first.

Oliver couldn't help sighing, "I have something to say, but, I've said it, can I dispel your thoughts?"

"No." Ivo said decisively.

"I know. Ivo, you never knew what 'giving up' was since you were a child. You always said 'I want it, I want it', and you can often achieve your goals and get what you want."

"Alice is not an object."

"It's impossible for you and Alice, you should be able to see it, right?"

"There is no absolute thing, she has always liked me better."

"That was when I was a child, but now she has grown up. What a woman wants is a man who is gentle and considerate and knows how to take care of her. Don't look at her and want to make decisions on her own. In fact, she is still a little girl. She needs others to take good care of her and provide for her. Think of everything and don't let her worry about trifles."

"Really? I heard that she did a lot of things for you in Newton Manor. Is she taking care of you?"

"That's because I can't see. I don't need others to take care of me now. In the next few decades, I will be by her side, taking care of her and protecting her. You may be able to do as well as me, but she loves her now." It's me, she shouldn't be bothered by your presence."

"That's why you approached her while I was away!"

Oliver looked at him in surprise, "Ivo, sometimes you are ridiculously naive. You are not by her side when she needs you the most, there is absolutely no possibility between you and her."

This can be regarded as a direct blow to the soul, and Ivo's face turned pale immediately: this is a major event that he can't get around.Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he would wake up suddenly and cry bitterly over the fait accompli.His parents won after all, they failed to stop him from escaping, but they inadvertently helped Oliver.

Alice slept until 10 o'clock and didn't get up.She missed the morning lion walk and apologized to Ivo at lunch for oversleeping.

Oliver smiled tenderly at her, and said in a low voice, "If you haven't slept enough, take a nap later and sleep a little longer."

She smiled and nodded.

The two seem to be extremely close today, and in Ivo's view, it is particularly dazzling.

He paid attention to how Oliver did it: in fact, when it comes to doing things for her, he just ordered the servants to do things. Most of the time, he didn’t need to do it himself. For example, she went for a walk on the deck after lunch and needed to change her shoes. For the color and material of each pair of shoes, she will specify a certain pair of shoes and ask the servant to fetch them; or if there is sun, the maid will bring her a parasol; when she stops at the port on the way, he will take her around the port.

These are all small things, I can do well too!He thought unconvinced.

Alice seems to be used to being with Oliver and being taken care of, but it seems to be the same to him as before. The three of them have not been so embarrassed to look at each other so far, probably because she behaved very naturally calm.

He thought of the two days he had stayed in London, when he saw Byron, when Byron mentioned Oliver he would mock him for his hypocrisy, wondering why Alice tolerated the hypocritical Oliver and complained that Alice didn't want to see him.Ivo applauded in his heart for Alice whipping him: This guy!Just owe a beating, okay?

Little Simba spent most of his time in the cage in the cargo hold, very aggrieved, Alice was afraid that it would feel wronged, so when he arrived in Malta, he first lived in a hotel and opened a special room for him.

There is no time limit for walking the lion when she lands, and she can take Simba out to play whenever she wants.

Jacob was busy looking for a rental villa, and they planned to live until February next year.

Doctor Kerstace also came with them. After the villa was rented, Alice moved to the villa with Oliver and Dr. Kerstest.

Ivo couldn't move over to live, so he borrowed a villa near their villa.The family were Scottish nobles, vacationing in Malta.

Alice took little Simba away, and walked the lions in the woods and lawns near the villa in the morning and evening.

The island of Malta is not big, and it took two weeks to go around it.By the second week of November, everything settled down and she started working on her new book.

This is the first book she aspires to write a masterpiece, and the timeline starts from the last day of the American Revolutionary War.

I haven't thought about the title of the book yet, so I typed "Untitled, NO.1" on the first cover.

Changed a sheet of paper on the typewriter cylinder, Chapter1.

On September 1783, 9, the United Kingdom and the United States signed the "Treaty of Paris" in Paris. Britain recognized the United States as a free and independent sovereign state, and announced that it would permanently renounce the right to rule the 3 North American colonies.It was signed by David Hartley, the British representative, and Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams, the American representatives.

The lead actor, Benjamin Halley, is David Hartley's secretary, whose eldest brother died on a North American battlefield.

Autumn in Paris——

Never been to Paris!

Fortunately, I have never been to Paris, but I have read a lot of travel notes about Paris.

Start writing directly from the hotel.

The delegation stayed at the designated hotel, which is available in the public records of the government department, and David Hartley's entourage has written detailed records.

The loss of such a large colony in North America is the common pain of the British royal family and the government. The greatest significance of the colony lies in its economic value. For the Harley family, the North American colony means the blood and tears that his family shed on the strange land on the other side of the ocean. .

Harley's parents are still alive, and the loss of their child is unbearable for them.Benjamin was the eldest son, and his younger brother Henry was just 24 years old.

When Benjamin Halley returned to London, he was greeted by an accident: Henry Halley's wife Jacqueline in the United States brought Henry's posthumous son.

It wouldn't matter if Jacqueline was a white girl, the Harleys didn't need the money to support their mother and child, but Jacqueline was a third-generation mulatto who looked very white.

Benjamin's mother, the Countess of Halle, left behind the child and drove Jacqueline away, not acknowledging her marriage to Henry.Benjamin took pity on her and secretly placed her in one of his properties.Jacqueline misses her child, and Benjamin finds a way to bring the child over to see her.Benjamin seduces Jacqueline, has her forced to become his mistress, and bears a second child, Mary Jane.

A few years later, Benjamin got married and legally adopted Jacqueline's child as an adopted son. In order to see the child often, Jacqueline chose to work as a maid in Benjamin's house.

Jacqueline's son changed his name to Henry to commemorate his biological father. He no longer remembered his biological mother. No one dared to tell him that Jacqueline was his biological mother. He also always believed that Benjamin was his biological father. He was his father's ex-wife. born child.During a play, little Henry accidentally pushed Mary Jane downstairs, killing his half-sister.

Benjamin is very cruel to Mary Jane's death, and Jacqueline is in pain and hopes are shattered.Little Henry knew that Jacqueline was his father's mistress during the dispute between his parents, so he rushed to Jacqueline's room angrily and ordered her to leave his house.

Jacqueline lost her daughter and lost her son, leaving Benjamin's house on a snowy night.

Writing is a lonely thing, but reading to others is not lonely.

She likes to read manuscripts to others, and her family and friends will give pertinent comments and add details that she didn't think of. For example, Cathy and her mother can point out her shortcomings in the detailed description of women's trivial matters.

Oliver and Ivo could also point out mistakes in the details of life in rich families, and medical questions could be consulted with Dr. Kerstes, who was born in France, went to medical school in Paris, and later became a doctor. Went to Brussels, married a wife and settled down.