Chapter 91 Daily Life of a Lady 5 Is there still a chance?

The scene was very awkward for a while. No one spoke or touched the tableware for at least three minutes. Heather looked at the venison in front of her, which went from sizzling with oil to gradually cooling and stiffening. She decided not to eat a single bite of this dish to avoid stomach discomfort that night.

Lancaster could no longer maintain his polite smile after he noticed that Heather had moved her gaze to the plate in front of her. His expression grew colder and colder, which made the other people present more and more uncomfortable.

Finally, it was Lady Catherine who spoke first, tentatively asking, "So, you are a Supreme Court judge? We're truly sorry for our poor hospitality today. We didn't expect someone as busy as you to suddenly show up here."

She was no longer arrogant, but she still had the tone of a lady. "My late husband, Sir Lewis de Bourgh, often went to London to attend parliamentary activities. I wonder if you have heard of his name?"

Heather also looked up, and Lancaster nodded slightly. "I've heard that the De Bourg family is heavily involved in real estate. Perhaps we met during the discussion of the Land Bill."

Lady Catherine felt relieved. Although she didn't know why this important man appeared here, her late husband's reputation should be able to protect her and her daughter.

"This is Sir de Bourgh's only child and the heir to this manor. In the future, she will inherit everything from her father and continue the glory of this family name." Lady Catherine introduced Anne.

Anne was so scared that she shrank behind Heather beside her, not daring to look the man opposite her in the eye.

Lancaster glanced at her and nodded, without speaking to the unmarried lady who looked like she was about to faint from fright.

"Madam Catherine, I'm not here on official business. I was just passing through and wanted to visit an old friend. It's my impulsive visit that has disturbed your meal."

Lady Catherine asked, "Who are you talking about, old friend?" Although she asked this, her eyes were looking straight at Heather.

Heather had no choice but to explain: "My botanical research in London is somewhat related to the recently introduced bill, so I have dealt with Mr. Lancaster."

Lancaster accepted this explanation, and the second half of the dinner was spent in such eerie tranquility. No one dared to ask any questions that might step into the forbidden zone.

At this time, Mr. Collins, who had recovered, played an important role. If he had not persisted in filling the gaps between speeches with praises of the dishes, today's dinner would have been even more difficult to swallow.

Finally, dinner was over. After all the guests had left, Lady Catherine couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. She said self-deprecatingly, "It seems I haven't been to London for too long. I'm not used to dealing with real lords and nobles like them. I used to be able to handle myself well when I met the Queen."

She saw Anne, huddled in the chair beside her with her head down, and raised her voice, "Annie, I'm very dissatisfied with your performance today. You are the rightful owner of this place, and you should speak to the distinguished guests with ease and dignity, displaying the dignity of an heir. Perhaps you can even earn some respect. You will need to handle these social matters someday."

Lady Catherine was firm in her attitude, and Anne stammered, not knowing how to respond.

Colonel Fitzwilliam looked at his cousin, who was about to bury her head in the ground, and stepped forward to smooth things over for her: "Aunt, Anne has hardly ever participated in any real social activities and rarely met strangers. It's normal for her to be stage fright the first time. It's getting late now, why don't you let Anne go back to her room and rest."

Lady Catherine reluctantly agreed.

After Anne left, she continued to tell her nephew: "Anne is indeed too timid. That is why I insisted on maintaining the agreement and wanted her to marry Darcy. Pemberley Manor is quiet and peaceful, the Darcy family has simple relationships, and Georgiana is also a well-behaved child. Anne won't have to deal with too many people if she marries there.

If I use her father's connections to get her married to a titled noble, it wouldn't be difficult. But then she'd have to deal with those difficult ladies all day long, which is definitely not going to be easy."

Colonel Fitzwilliam didn't expect that his aunt had thought so much, but as a noble man, he had a different opinion on this.

"Aunt, in that case, perhaps choosing a gentleman of lower status would be better for Anne. Anne is already wealthy enough, and the De Bourgh family doesn't need to seek icing on the cake through marriage. Maintaining their current status is already quite good. Besides, Darcy's situation is different now. You don't know that I met him in London some time ago. He seemed very familiar with a group of shrewd businessmen, landowners, and even aristocrats. I heard that his business is no longer limited to land, but has expanded into infrastructure, industry, and even politics. I think the wife he needs now should be someone who is observant and good at socializing, at least not afraid of large social occasions."

"It turns out that my nephew has expanded the family business to this extent this year."

Lady Catherine said nothing more, only the quiet candlelight illuminated her silent profile.

Colonel Fitzwilliam thought of what the man had said to him that morning and his mood became depressed.

A pursuer? It seems his wishes and efforts are likely to be in vain.

However, he has always been an optimistic and flexible person, so he decided to leave his fate to God. After all, if the Duke was really determined, there was nothing he could do.

The owners of Rosings Manor were calm, but the guests on their way back to the parsonage still had their own thoughts.

Mr. Collins tried hard to invite Lancaster to stay at the parsonage, but Lancaster just looked at Heather meaningfully, and Heather wanted to just cover her head and go back to sleep.

However, she knew that this matter would not be resolved no matter how long she delayed, so she finally took a deep breath and said, "Charlotte, you guys go back first. I have something to say to Mr. Lancaster. We'll follow behind and come back later."

Charlotte was still hesitating, but Mr. Collins had already agreed with a smile: "Okay, we will go back now and prepare a comfortable guest room for Your Honor."

Charlotte was pulled away by her husband, and they were the only two left on the short forest path.

The night wind blew the fragrance from the garden to people's side, unknown birds called from time to time, and even the moonlight was unspeakably gentle.

"Do I still have a chance to redeem myself?" Lancaster lowered his head and looked intently at the soft hair under the moonlight beside him, worrying that he would be sentenced to death in the next second.

Heather kicked the stone aside in annoyance and asked him, "What are you trying to salvage? Isn't our partnership the kind that can end at any time? Anyway, the previous accounts have been settled, so it's better for us to go our separate ways."

Lancaster suddenly grabbed her with his backhand and made her look into his eyes, which was not easy to refuse.

Heather was startled by him and almost cursed out loud in an undignified manner.

"What are you doing? Want to fight?"

She hit his arm with uncontrolled force and Lancaster let her hit him but refused to let go.

"I have an heir." An uncontrollable voice came from above her head, making her scalp numb.

Heather jerked her hand away from his. "Yes, you have so many secrets. Maybe you have a crazy ex-wife locked up in the attic."

Lancaster stared at her in confusion: "I don't have an attic... No, I don't have an ex-wife. Because I decided not to marry for the rest of my life, and I was asked by someone to do so, so I brought my nephew here three years ago to train as an heir." If just giving money and not caring about him is considered training.

Heather was frozen by this: "Your heir is your nephew?"

Lancaster didn't understand why she asked this at first, but after leaving London, he secretly vowed to explain everything clearly, so he did not hide anything.

"Yes, as I just said, I have a biological sister. When I was eighteen, she suddenly rejected the arranged marriage and secretly married a poor sailor. My father immediately expelled her from the family. At the time, I believed she had betrayed our alliance, so I stopped contacting her from then on."

When talking about this past, Lancaster's speech speed became very unstable. Sometimes he felt it was difficult to start talking, and sometimes he wanted to finish this long old story quickly.

"It wasn't until many years later that I happened to run into her and her husband while I was out on patrol. They were living a very difficult life, but she refused any help from me and insisted on continuing with her current life. She only asked me to take her eldest son, who is now my heir, to London for further studies."

"My father was an extremely harsh and violent man. Growing up, she and I were natural allies with shared interests. We practically supported each other through our horrific childhoods. She ran away to pursue so-called happiness, while I was removed from the Navy's recruit roster and forced to attend law school. At the time, I thought it was a complete betrayal. I guess I envied her freedom, but I was also jealous of her determination."

Heather listened to his confession in amazement, her mind so confused that she could paste paper-cut windows.

The man in front of her lowered his head. She had never felt his emotions so clearly. He was embarrassed, ashamed, self-loathing, confused and vulnerable.

Heather couldn't help but take a step forward and reached out to touch his soft hair that didn't match his image, but she didn't do it.

Lancaster was unaware of her intentions. He was still immersed in the bloody confession, but he subconsciously used her eyes as a target to control his struggling emotions.

"Hazel, I never, never thought about getting married and having a family. I was afraid I would follow in his footsteps and become a tyrant who played with the fate of others. Later, I often felt the correctness of this decision. I didn't even forgive my own sister. I watched her insist on her choice and pay the price. I thought I could reach out and save her fate at any time, but she never did as I wished. To this day, the only daughter of the old Duke of Ashwood is still the wife of a coal miner."

"After getting to know you, I gradually realized that she is not a floating duckweed that can be manipulated by others. No one can arrange her according to the script."

Heather's hand finally landed on his hair. His azure eyes were truly a cheating tool, making it difficult for anyone being stared at to not feel soft-hearted.

She slowly found her voice: "I thought you would reveal the answer sooner."

Lancaster bent down stiffly, closed his eyes and felt the touch of her palm.

After a long pause, he spoke hoarsely, "I didn't initially develop any romantic feelings for you. Perhaps it was because I'd never experienced that feeling before, so I misjudged you. I simply thought you were unique and strange, so I fabricated a suitable identity and waited for the right moment to unmask you. But then, everything spiraled out of control. I arrogantly believed I could control the course of events, but in the end, I ended up reaping the consequences."

"You're so self-critical, I don't know where to start." Heather complained. "But now you think you've unmasked me?"

Lancaster shook his head gently. "No, at least not completely. You're more complex and difficult to understand than I imagined. You can't be simply categorized with a stereotyped mask. I sincerely hope there will be a chance to understand you a little better in the future."

"Do I still have a chance?" He opened his eyes, grabbed the hand above his head and held it in his palm.

Heather pulled her hand away without mercy and took a step back: "You have too many criminal records and need further investigation. Now I have to go back to bed, otherwise Mrs. Collins will have strange ideas. Good night."

She ran away without looking back, leaving Lancaster standing there, racking his brains to think about this difficult problem.