little miss austin

Ivo's mind was numb from the bombshell.

What's the meaning?what happened? !Oliver loves Alice so much, how could he suddenly get engaged within half a month after running home?What happened in the middle?

He read the butler's letter again: Yes, that's what happened. Oliver was engaged, but it was not a public news. The servants of Newton Manor came to tell the butler.The distance between the two families is close, the young masters of the two families have played together since childhood, and many servants know each other.Oliver's personal status suddenly changed, and of course a servant came to inform him.

It is said that Master Oliver met Miss Paul when he was studying at Cambridge University. Miss Paul was 16 years old at the time and Oliver was 19 years old.Paul's family is near Cambridge, and they are distantly related to the Bundfield family. He has stayed at Paul's house for a few times, and he has also been to banquets and dances. That's how he met Miss Paul.

It is said that Oliver secretly proposed to Miss Paul, and Miss Paul agreed, but because Miss Paul was still young, they agreed that he would go to her house to propose formally when Miss Paul was 20 years old.

But later, Oliver went to join the army and went to the Iberian Peninsula, and this matter was dragged on for a year.

Miss Paul is 25 years old this year, almost 26 years old, and finally told her parents about Oliver’s marriage proposal last year. The Paul family sent someone to Newton Manor, but Oliver was in Wokingham County at that time, and then went to Malta, Never went back to Newton Manor.

So, Oliver was already engaged in private?

Ivo wondered, even if he didn't know that he had fallen in love with Alice at the time, why should he cancel this secret engagement afterwards?Or was his upbringing not allowing him to call off the engagement?But he obviously didn't tell Alice, otherwise she would definitely ask him to deal with it.

He hesitated for a moment before showing the letter to Alice.

Alice obviously didn't know about this private engagement, and she was taken aback, "What does this mean? It means that he was engaged to someone before? Now the woman has come and asked him to admit the engagement? Then is he engaged?" Married?"

"There are only two ways to deal with this matter, one is to resolutely refuse to admit it, and the other—" He looked at her, "Oliver will most likely admit to this engagement."

Alice was so angry that she said, "Asshole! Doesn't he know whether he has proposed to others? Then what he said to me is fart?!"

Ivo actually wanted to laugh, "Pay attention to your language."

"I don't want to pay attention to the cultivation of a lady!" Alice was so angry that she almost flipped the table, "Miss Paul, have you seen her?"

He shook his head, "I haven't seen it, George may have seen it." After all, Byron was also studying in Cambridge, and he was in Oxford. He didn't have the opportunity to meet Miss Paul.

"You write and ask George."

"Okay." He went to the desk and started writing on her typewriter.

Alice walked back and forth behind him, "This information is not enough, why didn't he go to see how Oliver handled this matter? No, I have to go and see for myself. Kate! Kate! Go pack your luggage, We set off tomorrow, to Newton Manor."

Ivo stopped, "Then you didn't wait for George's reply?"

She was upset, "Wait no more. I want to see that Miss Paul with my own eyes. Is she more beautiful than me, cuter than me, or richer than me? Forcing him to accept the engagement."

"But if he is willing to admit the engagement, what will you do?" Ivo asked coldly.

She stopped suddenly and froze. "Then I—then I will cry hard in front of him. Even if he wants to marry Miss Ball, he must always remember my tears. Then I will go back to London, go Marry George, I will keep changing lovers after marriage, even if I have slept with all the men in the whole of England, I will not sleep with him again."

Ivo frowned, stood up suddenly, raised his hand and slapped her on the face.

She froze, "Why did you hit me?"

"Are you stupid? He cheated you, and you are going to find many lovers? Are you despising him, or yourself?"

"I'm an adult, I can sleep with whoever I want! I can have as many lovers as I want!"

"You little madman!"

"You hate it! Who told you to hit me?!" She also slapped him on the face.

Ivo didn't dodge, "You little lunatic, don't be stupid. If you are willing to marry George, you might as well marry me."

With tears in her eyes, "If Oliver deceives me, I will never love him again. Ivo, tell me, why is it so difficult for me to want someone who loves me wholeheartedly?"

He whispered: "I also want to know this question. I don't want Oliver to have an engagement with anyone, and you will be sad. But I think it is true, and he has to admit the engagement, and you will be sad." would leave her."

She sighed, "Go and see what's going on first. No matter how things develop, I don't expect the last letter to come, and I will be the one who is abandoned. By the way, why hasn't Oliver sent a letter these days? He You know I'm coming to your house."

"I don't know. He shouldn't even be able to send the letter—oh! Are you worried that I hid his letter? Who do you think I am?" He felt aggrieved, "My mother didn't let me Reading your letter, I'm so sad as hell, how could I do the same to you?"

She really suspected that he had hidden the letter. "It doesn't matter if you have a letter or not. He will tell me everything when I pass by."

Ivo's two sisters insist that Ivo send Alice to Newton Manor.One is of course for safety, and the other is for Ivo to come forward as Alice's fiancé if Oliver really admits his marriage contract with Miss Paul.

"Oliver is deceiving you," said one of the sisters. "It's a very bad thing that he hasn't married Miss Ball or told you all these years!"

Another sister said: "Why should he do what he wants? Your reputation will be damaged and people will say that you are the bad girl who broke their marriage! If he is engaged, you will immediately announce your engagement to Ivo 。你知道伊沃一直很爱你，他还可以帮你狠狠揍一顿奥利弗！”

Alice lowered her head and smiled, "Okay, I'll go there with Ivo." The two Miss Gordon really spared no effort to speak up for her younger brother, thinking that Oliver would betray her and deceive her without even thinking about it. Another possibility was not considered.

On the way to Gloucestershire, Alice kept thinking, what will happen to this matter in the end?That's right, Ivo is right, anyway, there are only two solutions: admit it, or not admit it.But there is another difference. Did he really propose to Miss Paul?

This time she couldn't live in Newton Manor, and it was not easy to live in Faraday Manor, so she went back to live in Daylesford House.

Warren Hastings was away to London.She still lived in the room she had lived in as a child, and the maid brought her hot water to wash.

Kate is packing her bags while Jacob goes to Newton Manor for news.

She showered, changed, and went downstairs for lunch.

Jacob came back, together with the housekeeper, explained to her what was going on in Newton Manor.

This time, there was really nothing wrong with the baroness and Miss Mia. The baroness was very opposed to the engagement.

The Pauls have been here for a month, and have taken Miss Paul—her name is Cynthia—to Newton Manor, waiting for Oliver to come home.

Alice immediately thought of the letter Oliver had received in London.

"Where's his young master? Augustus, did he get sick a while ago?"

"I'm sick, but it's not a serious illness, it's just a fever and diarrhea." The housekeeper replied lightly.

Fever and diarrhea can also kill people, but as long as they survive, it is not considered a "serious illness".

Forget it, it seems to be really sick.But still suspicious.Originally, the younger half-brother was sick, so there was no need to call the eldest son home.At that time, both of them thought that the baron wanted Oliver to agree to give up some of his property to appease the baroness.Although the family property still belongs to the baron, he can give it to whoever he wants, but the baron has always attached great importance to the eldest son heir, and it is not impossible to ask him to go back and discuss with him.

Of course, the Paul family wanted Oliver to admit the engagement, but Oliver had been refusing to admit it.It is said that Cynthia Paul used it all when she cried, made trouble and hanged herself. The Paul family was so angry that they wrote to Cynthia's brother, and it was said that they wanted to fight Oliver.

Alice was dumbfounded: Duel!

The government has issued many bans over the years, prohibiting private life-and-death duels, but this kind of thing has never stopped. For example, Hyde Park in the suburbs of London is a famous place for duels, and noble children still have duels in private from time to time.

According to Oliver's refusal to recognize the marriage contract, it is logical for the Paul family to ask for a duel: if you don't want to get married, go to death!

It's so exciting what's going on!

But wait!The other party in the duel is a man who claims to be with you forever!

She hurriedly asked: "Has Master Paul arrived?"

"Not yet, it is said that it may arrive tomorrow morning."

"Have you seen Oliver?"

Jacob shook his head, "I asked a few acquaintances, but they should tell Master Oliver."

She thought for a while, "Well, if Oliver doesn't come to see me this afternoon, then I'll go and see what the hell he's up to."

Oliver didn't come, but he sent a servant to say he'd come at three o'clock in the afternoon, so that she could get a good night's sleep.

Alice felt relieved.

In April, it is the grand scene of spring, with verdant trees and blooming flowers.Flocks of peacocks roamed the lawn in front of Daylesford House.After years of domestication, the number of peacocks is increasing.Most of them are blue peacocks, and there are also a few green peacocks and white peacocks.Male peahens have gorgeous tail feathers, but female peahens are not outstanding.

An Indian servant with a long wooden pole in his hand is chasing a smaller blue peacock out of a flock.

Standing beside the Indian servant was a young man of short stature. Oliver was in a daze before he recognized Alice in men's trousers and men's jacket.

Alice seemed to be in a good mood, smiling and talking to the Indian servant.When I caught a glimpse of him, I just smiled and didn't take the initiative to say hello.

Oliver walked over, "Alice."

She turned to look at him, and then she started laughing, and smiling, and laughing.

He didn't know why she was laughing, and looked at her in confusion. "what are you laughing at?"

"Laughing at you. Don't you think it's funny?"

"How funny?" He was puzzled.

She suddenly stopped smiling and lowered her face, "Where's your fiancée?"

He was a little uncomfortable, "How can there be any fiancee?"

"Why don't you write to me about it?"

"You don't need to know. I just want to get this sorted out myself."

She nodded, "It really seems like something you would do. But you forgot, you promised to spend your life with me, you should let me know. Unless——you really proposed to that Miss Paul, So you dare not say, dare not tell me."

"I haven't." He hastily explained, "I know Miss Paul, but it is absolutely impossible to propose to her, and it is even more impossible for me not to remember it after the proposal. You know what kind of person I am, if I If you really proposed to someone else, you will definitely cancel the engagement before proposing to you—"