Chapter 31 (Reverse V) Mary rushes towards Susan...

Mary winked at Susan and asked her sister what had happened at Gregory's house.

“Nothing much, just that Lucy and Captain Thompson are finally getting married in March, and Mrs. Gregory bragged about it to Mom again.” Susan thought her mother should be used to it by now, since Mrs. Price had also been bragging to the neighbors about William becoming a second lieutenant not long ago.

“She didn’t need to talk like that in front of us. She’s just a 27-year-old captain. Don’t think I don’t know that, unless there are special circumstances, Captain Thompson’s annual income is no more than six or seven hundred pounds.”

Mrs. Price felt that Mrs. Gregory was not very kind. She hadn't even had time to be happy for her son William's promotion for long before she had to watch her old rival steal the spotlight from her. If her most prized daughter Mary hadn't yet entered social circles, no officer would have taken a fancy to the Gregory's daughter.

This lady's thoughts were somewhat wishful thinking. The two Gregory daughters were both young and had ample dowries, and they had a constant stream of suitors at the Portsmouth ball. Now that Lucy had married an officer and fulfilled Mrs. Gregory's dream, Miss Jane Gregory's popularity had actually increased.

The young lady was hesitating about the risks of choosing a second lieutenant; what if William Price didn't get promoted? Wouldn't she be at a disadvantage compared to her sister? Fortunately, she was still somewhat rational and didn't voice her thoughts, otherwise the Price family would have been furious.

Furthermore, despite Mrs. Price's disdain for Captain Thompson's income, if someone were to propose to Susan (don't blame her for forgetting Fanny; in her eyes, Sir Thomas is Fanny's guardian), asking Mr. Price to give his daughter to him, she would be even happier than Mrs. Gregory.

This sum of money was enough for a newlywed couple to live comfortably, with the mistress only needing to manage the servants. As for Mary, she held a different place in Mrs. Price's heart; she needed to find at least a gentleman with an annual income of two thousand pounds and a four-wheeled carriage to be worthy of having given birth to such a beautiful second daughter, and perhaps even a chance to marry into the aristocracy like Mrs. Bertram.

Just as Mrs. Price was lamenting that her daughter was too young to bring her any glory, Fanny's suitor arrived, though the mother was unaware that this guest had such a hidden identity.

That morning, after breakfast, and after seeing Mr. Price and his brothers off to school, Mary, Susan, and Fanny, as usual, prepared to go upstairs to read, while Mrs. Price sat idly in the living room.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Kate followed her wife's instructions and opened the door. The three ladies realized they couldn't avoid it, so they had to stop and wait for the guest to enter.

Before the person even entered, just hearing their voices made Fanny turn pale. Mary gripped her hand tightly to prevent her from fainting from the shock. When the sisters looked over, they saw a young man with darker skin entering the room.

“Mother, this is Mr. Crawford, the friend William mentioned to you.” It is precisely at such a critical moment that one’s potential is revealed. Fanny found herself holding on, and as she introduced the guest to Mrs. Price, she tightened her grip on Mary’s hand.

So this was Henry Crawford. Mary looked at the man who had left a deeper impression on her than the male protagonist in the original story.

Mr. Crawford was not particularly handsome; by nineteenth-century standards, he was even somewhat ugly. Judging by appearance alone, no one would consider him a handsome man, but he was very well-proportioned and had a rather refined manner.

When he exchanged pleasantries with Mrs. Price, his manner was impeccable, even showing a touch of warmth. Mrs. Price also behaved very well in front of her son's friend and benefactor. The two got along very well, talking about someone they both knew—William, a topic that Mrs. Price never tired of discussing.

After Crawford finished recounting his experience of arriving in Portsmouth late the previous night, he turned his attention to the young ladies. His eyes were fixed on Fanny as he told her the latest news about his sister Mary Crawford and Fanny's table, Edmund. Inevitably, he also noticed the other two young ladies.

In his eyes, Susan Price was just an ordinary pretty girl, nothing special, and nowhere near as glamorous as her sister. Mary Price, on the other hand, was different. This girl, who shared his sister's name, looked only fourteen or fifteen years old and hadn't yet entered society. If she had, she would surely have shone brightly at the ball.

She sat casually next to Fanny, yet achieved the elegance that those affected women of London dreamed of. Like Fanny, she didn't smile much, and her blue-green eyes, whenever they looked over, made one involuntarily imagine what this young lady would look like with tenderness.

But Mr. Crawford, a playboy, was surprised to find that his heart still belonged only to Fanny. She had become a kind of magic in Henry Crawford's heart, and he was convinced that he could not find a woman in England who could better represent the virtues that he had previously thought did not exist than Miss Price.

He had seen countless beauties, and Fanny wasn't the most beautiful among them, but she was his soulmate and the source of his happiness. Although Mary was prettier than her sister, his attention remained focused on Fanny. This convinced Mary, who was secretly observing him, that, at least for this moment, Mr. Crawford truly loved Fanny.

At Mr. Crawford's suggestion, the three Miss Price went out with him. They had barely stepped outside when they unfortunately encountered Mr. Price. "Don't worry, you'll soon find that Mr. Price's public persona is quite different from his home persona," Mary whispered to Fanny.

Indeed, Fanny was surprised to find that Mr. Price was a completely different person in front of Mr. Crawford. He enthusiastically introduced the various features of Portsmouth to his guests, and when he talked about William or Fanny, he was just like a loving father who doted on his children, without uttering a single swear word.

However, this verbal affection diminished considerably when Mr. Price suggested taking Mr. Crawford to visit the naval docks. The father completely disregarded his daughters' actual needs (they had planned to buy some things on the way), and when leading the way, he only cared about walking ahead, not whether his daughters could keep up. Fortunately, Mr. Crawford was there, always thinking of the girls first and diligently looking after them.

Once inside the naval dock, Mr. Price met one of his officer friends, and Mr. Crawford finally had a chance to speak with Fanny alone.

Mary and Susan followed behind them, only catching bits and pieces of what they said. It sounded like the man was enthusiastically showing Fanny his feathers, and Mary wasn't sure if Fanny would be impressed. For a moment, she thought her sister seemed to have some admiration for Mr. Crawford, but a moment later, Fanny became quiet again.

After they parted ways with Mr. Crawford and returned home, Mary naturally wanted to have a good chat with Fanny about the guests who had come that day. She had been keeping the matter to herself for a long time. However, since it involved personal feelings, the older sister didn't bring it up, and the younger sister didn't want to pry.

“Fanny, Mr. Crawford couldn’t possibly have come to Portsmouth just because he’s William’s friend. I think he must have come because he likes you,” Mary whispered.

Fanny hadn't expected her sister to say that: Mr. Crawford was much more reserved than he had been at Mansfield Park, and she hadn't thought her two younger sisters would notice. Her face flushed red, and she didn't know how to explain it to her sisters.

“What are you afraid of, Fanny? You’re so lovely, it’s normal for anyone to like you! If I were a man, I would also want a wife like you.” Mary felt that Fanny was used to being suppressed by Aunt Norris in Mansfield and always felt that she didn’t deserve to be loved.

She then said to her sister, "I remember you mentioned the Crawford siblings in your letters before. You didn't seem to like this gentleman. Do you still feel the same way about him now?"

Fanny had to speak up: "I still don't like him, and I didn't expect him to come to Portsmouth."

“Then you were right not to tell your family the truth, otherwise I don’t know how our parents would react.” Seeing her sister still looking worried, Mary laughed. “What’s so strange about rejecting a man? No one says a woman has to like a man. As long as you don’t like him, it’s your freedom to reject him. It doesn’t matter if it’s Mr. Crawford, even if he were a duke.”

"Really? Mary, do you really think so?" Fanny asked her sister incredulously.

"Of course, whether or not to accept a marriage proposal is one of the last remaining rights we women have. I believe a woman should never rush into marriage and let another person become her master. Don't tell me you don't like this person; even if you like a man, I still advise you to think it over carefully!"

Mary's words gave Fanny tremendous support; she was the first person around her to say unequivocally that she had done nothing wrong.

Ever since she rejected Mr. Crawford's advances, everyone thought she had made a mistake. Sir Thomas, the esteemed Lord, said she hadn't considered the benefits Mr. Crawford would have brought her and her family, nor the help he had given her brother William; she was simply willful, stubborn, and ungrateful. Even Edmund thought Mr. Crawford had chosen the wrong method, that he should have waited for Fanny's acceptance after a period of courtship. His judgment only deepened Fanny's anguish.

Now that Mary was saying this, completely different from the men's attitudes, Fanny felt her guilt lessen somewhat. She secretly thought that if she agreed to Mr. Crawford's offer, Mary and Susan could easily be brought to Norfolk. Mary was so smart; she couldn't possibly not see the benefits her sister's marriage could bring her, yet she still supported her decision. This greatly encouraged Fanny.