Chapter 33 (Reverse V) ...

“Fanny, I have some bad news to tell you. This probably can't be kept secret any longer. This is today's newspaper; Mr. Price hasn't had a chance to read it yet, so I brought it in.” Mary pulled Fanny upstairs to their room, handing the newspaper to her sister. “You must hold on…”

Fanny had been restless since yesterday, and now, as if she had finally faced her final judgment, she took the newspaper and began to read the notice. The words on it seemed to her like menacing demons: "marital drama," "Mrs. Ra has run away from her husband's home with Mr. Ra's close friend and colleague, the notorious womanizer Mr. K," "their whereabouts unknown"—these words were utterly shocking!

So much so that, in Mary's eyes, Fanny was pronouncing it almost word by word, and after she finished, she reflexively retorted, "There must be a mistake."

She quickly realized that this argument held no weight with her sister. Mary knew Mrs. Rushworth's address perfectly well and had even met Mr. Crawford. Her sister didn't have a good impression of him, telling her herself that she thought he was "too boastful," even though Mary had previously thought Mr. Crawford had improved somewhat. Who would have thought he could do something so utterly despicable! This couldn't be a lie; comparing it to Miss Crawford's letter from yesterday, everything was crystal clear!

She began to tremble, and Mary immediately helped her to bed and called for a maid to bring her a cup of hot tea. However, Fanny still felt as if the cold air had seeped into her bones. Her mind was in turmoil: she thought of her cousin Maria, who had only been married for six months, and how Mr. Crawford had recently confessed his love for her in Portsmouth, declaring his eternal devotion and insisting on marrying her! Maria and she were, after all, close cousins! She thought of how devastated Mansfield would be by this, and even felt that the world would rather end right now.

Lily brought the tea up, and Mary gave Fanny a couple of sips. The hot water did nothing to warm her up; she was shivering. Mary touched her forehead and knew she probably had a fever.

Just then, Susan came up and asked what had happened. "Fanny's sick, let her rest," Mary thought. Fanny certainly didn't want this to get out.

That afternoon, Mrs. Price only asked Fanny once, and upon learning that she needed to rest upstairs and wouldn't be coming down for dinner, she didn't show any further concern for her eldest daughter. Mr. Price was even worse; he didn't think about his daughter at all, and the first thing he did when he got home was ask about today's newspaper, forcing Mary to hand it to him.

The gentleman glanced at it for a moment, then his eyes fell on the notice, and he casually remarked, "Is Sir Thomas's eldest daughter named Rushworth and living on Wimpple Street, Mary?"

"Yes, Father."

"Then their family is in deep trouble! I don't know if Sir Thomas can continue to tolerate such a daughter. If it were me, I would definitely give her a good whipping. I've always said that the whip is the most reliable discipline for dealing with men and women!" After saying that, he continued to read the naval news reports, not caring about the truth of the matter.

Upon hearing this horrifying news, Mrs. Price, following her womanly custom, condemned both parties for their immoral behavior. Out of consideration for her sister Bertram, she added, "I hope this isn't true, it's terrible!"

Then she went to check on the sleeve of the dress that Charles had damaged. Not everyone has such a good attitude, and in this respect, Mrs. Price is truly a blessed person.

Mary was relieved for Fanny that she hadn't overheard that conversation and wouldn't have to suffer another blow from her father's cold-hearted words and her mother's indifference. After dinner, she and Susan went upstairs to bring Fanny some food, but Fanny couldn't eat anything and only drank some honey water at her sisters' urging.

She endured these past two days like this, her face as pale as a sheet of paper. If Mary and Susan hadn't stayed with her and made sure she ate something, her health might have deteriorated even further.

On the third day, Edmund's letter cheered Fanny up—it said Sir Thomas wanted to take her home, so she could return to Mansfield! Compared to that, Julia and Yates' elopement to Scotland was hardly a blow to Fanny. Besides this, there was another piece of exciting news.

“Mary, Susan, your uncle has invited you to come with me to Mansfield Manor for a few months. Cousin Edmund will be picking us up tomorrow,” Fanny announced happily to her two sisters as she put down the letter.

Susan was naturally eager to go, and she agreed almost immediately with great enthusiasm. Mary hesitated for a moment. She was curious about this manor she had only ever heard of, but what would happen to the business in Portsmouth if she and Susan both went to Mansfield? And who would manage the household chores?

After her and Susan's new round of marketing, hat sales, while not back to their initial highs, were much better than the sluggish sales of the previous period. If neither she nor Susan were around, and communication had to rely solely on letters, could Aunt Taylor manage on her own?

As for the household, things were easier to manage. Although Mrs. Price hadn't been in charge of the accounts for many years, the family still had a few regular business partners, and Kate could help Mrs. Price out. With her and Susan gone, only Mr. and Mrs. Price, Tom, Charles, and two maids remained. No matter how extravagant Mr. and Mrs. Price were, they wouldn't overspend like they had before.

Seeing that Mary was hesitant to make a decision, Susan thought for a moment and understood her sister's concerns. She took Mary's hand and said, "Mary, of course you have to come with us. Don't forget, we can also write to Charlotte."

Oh, and Charlotte too! She always complains about not playing a significant role in the business and feels embarrassed to accept their share of the profits. This time, it's a good opportunity to have her handle business matters with Aunt Taylor; Charlotte shouldn't mind. Time was short, so Mary quickly wrote a short note and had the maid Lily deliver it to the Browns. Charlotte had no objections; she was happy to help.

Then there was nothing more to say. Fanny went to tell her parents the good news, and Mr. Price was, of course, very pleased. Mrs. Price had hesitated a bit about Mary leaving for a few months, but after her daughter explained everything to her, she had fewer concerns. Besides, she always felt she was a good mother and could make some sacrifices for her daughters' future—and Sir Thomas, remembering the other two girls, couldn't refuse such a good opportunity. The girls quickly packed their bags, and everything was ready for them to depart the next day.

Edmund arrived at eight o'clock the next morning. Because Mary hadn't slept well the night before, she woke up late and didn't see him at first. Just as she went downstairs to have breakfast, Edmund had just called his car and entered the living room again.

This was the first time Mary had seen her cousin. The moment she saw him, Mary instantly understood Fanny and Miss Crawford; no wonder they had fallen in love with him.

Edmund was exceptionally handsome, a refined and elegant man. He certainly resembled his mother, Lady Bertram, for Mary found some similarities between his face and those of William and herself. However, he possessed a more noble air than William. Perhaps recent setbacks had left him troubled; his eyes held a melancholy gaze, an expression that only enhanced his allure. With such a beloved, who could easily forget him?

After the girls finished their breakfast in a hurry, Tom and Charles held their sisters' hands reluctantly. Mrs. Price was a little sad at the thought that Mary would be leaving her for several months. She kissed Mary and hugged her other two daughters. Mr. Price, on the other hand, was completely indifferent. Even the two maids had more affection for the young ladies than he did.

This was Mary's first time traveling by car in this era, and also the first time she had ever left Portsmouth. It should have been a very exciting experience, but the journey was rather uneventful. Edmund was preoccupied and hardly spoke, Fanny kept a close eye on her cousin, and Mary and Susan couldn't even exchange a few words of private conversation.

Nineteenth-century carriage travel was far from comfortable. Even Mary, who was diligently exercising, and the robust Susan were struggling, let alone Fanny, who had just recovered from an illness. By the time they finally arrived in Oxford, it was already late, and all of them were exhausted. The next day, when they set off from Oxford for Mansfield, things were much better. As they approached their destination, the fatigue of the journey seemed to lessen.

Along the way, Mary had seen many beautiful landscapes different from those in the city, making her admit that the saying "the real England is in the countryside" was very true. When she finally arrived at Mansfield Manor, the manor in May was like a beautiful young girl in her prime, flawless in every way. The carriage traveled through meadows and woods, and the beautiful scenery along the way captivated the Price sisters. When the elegant, classic, quiet, and beautiful manor appeared before Mary, she was just as stunned as Susan.

As the group entered the living room, a beautiful lady who resembled Mrs. Price walked up to Fanny and hugged her, saying, "My dear Fanny! You're finally back."

Mary instantly realized that this was her aunt, Mrs. Bertram. The other woman sitting in the living room, with a somewhat harsh appearance and not young age, must be Mrs. Norris. The one who looked somewhat like Edmund (but not as handsome) and had a very haggard face must be her older cousin. Mrs. Norris glared fiercely at Fanny, Mary, and Susan, but her two young nieces were completely unafraid of her.

Mrs. Bertram showed appropriate affection to her two other nieces who had come from afar. She kissed Mary and Susan and asked a servant to show the two young ladies around the manor. At this point, she was completely inseparable from Fanny; she desperately needed to confide her worries to her niece and receive her comfort. Fortunately, Mary and Susan didn't need anyone to arrange things for them; they were quite content on their own.