Chapter 47 Return to London 9 Plant Salon

In early 19th-century Britain, botany was a truly popular discipline. The expansion of overseas colonization and trade brought a wealth of exotic plants of both ornamental and economic value. The royal family and aristocracy sponsored plant collections and actively convened and participated in various botanical fairs. Some sought a share of the lucrative profits from colonial plant cultivation, while others viewed it as a sign of respectability and fashion, transforming it into social capital.

In addition, the threshold for botany is low, and it is no longer exclusive to the aristocracy, but has begun to spread to the middle and upper classes. Heather has seen books such as "Home Plant Atlas" and "Ladies' Gardening Guide" in London bookstores several times. Even the latest issue of "Ladies Magazine" published an article on how to easily make exquisite plant specimens.

Therefore, the plant salon hosted by Mrs. Banks has always been in a state of being hard to get tickets. As the invited guests are of relatively high level, many people also try every means to pay a large sum of money for an invitation in order to make friends with the powerful.

The salon began in the afternoon. Paddington wasn't far from Regent's Park, but thanks to Heather's unusually positive attitude, they arrived around 1:00. They weren't the first to arrive, though; a number of carriages were already parked outside the iron gates of St. John's Wood.

"Wow, this is such a beautiful place, but honestly, I'm a little nervous right now." Mary clutched her aunt's hand tightly. The biggest party she'd ever seen was the Netherfield Ball, but it pales in comparison to today's. "I suspect the lady who enters here is most likely the daughter of Lord So-and-so, and I'm just the daughter of an ordinary country gentleman."

Heather didn't care. She just wanted to rush in and take a closer look at the plants on display. "What's the big deal? We came in through the proper channels, and our purpose is to admire the plants, not to make friends with the nobility. Perhaps no one will even greet us."

Anna wasn't interested in plants, but said excitedly, "I heard that the back garden table will serve fresh snacks that you can't buy outside. I want to try everything."

Passing through the carved iron gates, the air thickened with the scent of damp vegetation. The greenhouse glass shone brightly in the sunlight, and figures moved within. A group of young people gathered in one area. Hazel leaned over to take a look. They were Java pitcher plants, newly arrived from the East India Company, and a Chinese orchid with golden-edged leaves.

"Introduced from Guangzhou, only three survive." Mary whispered to the sign, "This is truly a precious thing."

Anna boasted to her complacently, "I've seen it a long time ago. I even drew a picture of it. Maybe I'll see it in the exhibition area of ​​hand-illustrated rare plant atlases later."

Before Heather could say anything, two young ladies in gorgeous clothes squeezed in beside them.

The woman on the left, wearing an apricot silk dress, said, "It's best for those who haven't seen the world to stay away. If they accidentally damage any precious plants, they might have to sneak out of London overnight."

Heather looked at the posture of searching for the enemy in the void in confusion. Not to mention what could be damaged through the separate glass cover, just take the golden-edged black orchid as an example. She used to have two pots of it on the balcony of her dormitory. Who was so ignorant as to not see the world?

But why did she encounter troublemakers right after entering? She was clearly dressed quite elegantly today! Could it be that the London aristocracy was looking for trouble just because they saw a stranger?

The man was obviously emboldened by Heather's dazed look. She pointed at Anna with the silk fan in her hand and said, "I'm talking about a certain illegitimate daughter who is not presentable. However, the one who can get in with the illegitimate daughter's invitation is probably not even as good as the illegitimate daughter." She and her companions' malicious laughter attracted many people to look over.

Illegitimate daughter? Are you talking about Anna? Heather didn't have time to think about it. Her face turned cold and she took a step forward.

Just as she was about to speak, Anna came around from behind and squeezed her hand. Heather felt relieved and didn't rush to speak. It seemed that Anna must have experience in dealing with such situations.

Anna raised her head and said loudly, "Why are you being so arrogant? If you have the guts, wait for my father to come back and tell him in person, have you forgotten how you acted like my henchmen a few years ago?"

This retort was clearly ineffective, with scattered laughter echoing around them. Mrs. Clayton, in her apricot dress, curled her lips and deliberately drew out her tone, "Your father? We'll see if he can come back and keep his current position. I heard that the expeditionary force he led failed again in Spain last month. The battle that had been so promising has been repeatedly thwarted under the leadership of your father, General Wellesley, and the Allies have suffered heavy losses as well. Anna Wellesley, your good days are numbered. You'd better find someone to marry now."

The Botanical Salon was supposed to avoid discussing politics, but Mrs. Clayton deliberately mentioned the recent unfavorable war situation, which caused scrutiny and cold glances to sweep over, isolating Heather and the other three in the center. Anna wanted to refute it anxiously, but was afraid to say more and make mistakes.

Mrs. Clayton smiled with satisfaction.

"What are you looking at?" Suddenly a soft female voice sounded: "Is it the new plant introduced by Kew Gardens? Unfortunately, it seems too fragile. Only three plants survived, and the leaves of this plant seem to be turning yellow. Don't you think so, madam?" A noble lady with a bright appearance but gentle demeanor walked to Heather and looked at her with a smile.

Heather wasn't sure why, but she had a feeling the lady meant no harm. "This kind of golden-edged black orchid isn't difficult to grow, it's just not suited to London's climate. It's normal that it struggles to survive the long transportation process, but the yellowing leaves of this one are because its roots are suffocating. If it's not treated soon, it probably won't survive much longer."

"Oh? You seem to understand a lot. How can we improve this?"

The topic suddenly shifted from war to plants, and the atmosphere around them relaxed considerably. The lady who had ridiculed Anna was very unhappy with the change, but she moved her lips briefly before saying anything. It was clear that the lady who had come to her rescue had a certain respectability in the social circle.

Heather accepted her kindness and answered seriously, "As far as I know, Guangzhou has a high humidity, and the soil is mostly loose red soil. But you can see that this black orchid is being grown in peat soil, probably to conserve moisture. If I'm not mistaken, the gaps between the pottery shards in the basin should also be relatively narrow. It's all right to want to maintain humidity, but peat alone is too sticky. If you replace it with 30% leaf mold and 10% river sand, alternating between wet and dry, the roots will grow healthier. Also, make the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot larger, and place a few ferns nearby to help provide moisture. I think the yellow spots on the leaves will fade soon."

She spoke confidently and fluently, and mixed in many statements that even the nobles who knew some plants had never heard of. Many people around her believed her a little, and several scholars who loved plants even walked a few steps closer and started discussing with the people next to them.

Mrs. Clayton, who was looking for trouble, could hardly control her facial expression. Who would have thought that this woman who came out of nowhere actually seemed to know a lot about botany? If she had known earlier, she would have targeted Anna Wellesley directly. Now that the topic has changed, it would be inappropriate for her to interrupt and keep harassing Wellesley.

She rubbed her handkerchief unwillingly and prepared to stand here and wait for another opportunity. Wellesley never participated in social activities, and she had finally met him once.

"I see. Now that I think about it, the plant I bought earlier might have the same problem. My name is Madeline Mason. I haven't met you before. You seem to have just arrived in London, right?"

As soon as these words came out, the ladies nearby looked over curiously. Heather knew it was time to use the rhetoric that Lancaster had taught her yesterday.

"Mrs. Mason, I'm Heather Lawrence. I moved from England to live in France after my marriage and just returned to London this year."

"French nobles?" Mrs. Clayton interjected sarcastically.

Heather ignored her and continued with her eyes lowered, "My husband, the late Earl Lawrence, died in that terrible struggle because of his family's disagreement with the ruling party. He always longed to follow me back to London to live, but unfortunately, his wish was never fulfilled."

There were obvious whispers all around, and Heather could clearly feel that the eyes of the noble gentlemen were becoming respectful, and the ladies also cast sympathetic glances at her.

Mrs. Mason gently took Heather's hand and comforted her: "Time will always wash away all misfortunes."

Hessel forced a smile. "I don't understand politics. As a victim, I sincerely hope the war ends soon, and that the Empire and the Allies can restore order. I respect every soldier who sheds blood on the battlefield. No matter how difficult the situation, I pray that God will bless the Allied forces."

Heather's words completely livened up the surroundings.

An elderly lady wearing glasses nodded first: "With so many soldiers on the front lines, we should pray for their safe return."

"That's right." The lady in the blue dress next to her glanced at Mrs. Clayton and said disdainfully, "Some people just can't stand seeing others do well. Everyone knows that a certain lady, even before she got married, was always jealous of Miss Wellesley's father's favor, and now she's eager to throw stones at her."

Many people reacted: "One moment she guessed that the general would not return, the next she said that he would be demoted. If you didn't know, you would think she was the regent's confidant."

The sound of discussion was like a dense needle, pricking Mrs. Clayton's face. She opened her mouth to refute but found that no one around her agreed with her. Even the ladies who had just spoken to her quietly moved away.

Mrs. Clayton finally couldn't hold it anymore. She snorted coldly, pulled her companion beside her, and walked away quickly without looking back, leaving only a few low sneers behind her.

Heather turned and made eye contact with Anna, who let out a harsh laugh.

"By the way, thank you for your help, Mrs. Mason." Heather did not forget the kindness of Mrs. Mason who stood up for her.

Mrs. Mason just shook her head gently. "It's okay. I also benefited a lot from Mrs. Lawrence's explanation. I hope to talk to you again at other social events next time."

Without saying anything more, she nodded and turned to move on to the next exhibition area.

Heather saw that she had just taken a few steps forward when several ladies came up to her eagerly and talked to her.

She couldn't help but ask Anna: "Is this Mrs. Mason a noble person? She seems to be very popular?"