Chapter 34 (Reverse V) "Mama..."

“Mary, I can’t believe how big this house is! Did you see that magnificent porcelain screen in the living room? It’s so much more exquisite and beautiful than that pale blue vase Richard brought back from the East,” Susan whispered in Mary’s ear when the servant leading the way wasn’t looking.

“I saw it, it’s Canton porcelain, which is different from the elegant style of blue and white porcelain. I still prefer the one Richard brought us, because that’s mine.”

Mary looked with admiration at the portraits hanging on both sides of the corridor and the staircase, the candlestick-shaped chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and the magnificent furniture.

This grand mansion fulfilled Mary's pre-time-travel imagination of the British Regency era; she felt as if she had entered a bizarre and colorful dream. But when the dream returned to reality, she was merely a lieutenant's daughter, not the owner of this mansion.

As the servant led her and Susan on a tour, she seemed to see Fanny from many years ago—a timid and shy little girl who had just arrived here, always careful and attentive. The feeling of being dependent on others was not pleasant, and from this perspective, staying at the Price family's house wasn't so bad after all.

They walked all the way to the room Mrs. Bertram had arranged for her and Susan. After putting away their luggage, the two looked around the room, which was much larger than their room in Portsmouth, and the windows were much brighter.

When Susan saw the maids hanging their clothes on the hangers, she felt a little inferior. Because the two sisters had always been frugal, they hadn't brought many decent clothes with them to Mansfield Manor; their clothes weren't even enough to fill the hangers. She worried the maids were mocking their poverty, but when she took out her small trunk and thought about the more than one hundred pounds inside, she finally regained her confidence.

Mary calmly took out her toiletries, asked the maid to pour a basin of water, washed her face, and tidied herself up a bit. When the maid told them that their master had called them to the dining room for dinner, at least from their faces, the two sisters no longer showed any signs of fatigue.

At least five people couldn't eat at the dinner: Mrs. Bertram was still upset about the incident and sighed frequently; Tom, who hadn't fully recovered from the blow of his sister's elopement, couldn't eat anything; Edmund couldn't eat at all and mechanically served everyone; Mrs. Norris was absent-minded throughout; and Fanny was busy comforting Aunt Bertram while also keeping an eye on Cousin Edmund.

Only Mary and Susan were enjoying the meal. Mary even had the leisure to critique the chef's skills, as some of the dishes were too oily and not to her liking.

After dinner, Fanny continued to serve Aunt Bertram. She couldn't attend to her two younger sisters for the time being, but Mary's personality was different from Fanny's. She didn't show any of the awkwardness one might expect when first arriving at the mansion. She naturally asked her aunt where the bathroom was. Having traveled a long way, she felt a bit dirty and was really looking forward to taking a good bath.

“Oh, Mary, you want to take a bath? Won’t that make you sick? I don’t think you’re dirty at all, there’s no need for you to take a bath.” Mrs. Bertram was old-fashioned; she believed that germs would enter through the pores during a bath, and for her niece’s health, it was better not to bathe.

Mary insisted, saying she had consulted a doctor and that regular bathing was actually beneficial to her health, assuring her aunt not to worry. Mrs. Bertram ultimately couldn't refuse her pretty niece's request, and even asked another niece, "Susan, do you need a bath?"

Susan wasn't as insistent on bathing as her sister. Even in Portsmouth, Mary insisted on washing herself every day. Mrs. Price just thought it was her daughter's "quirk." She shook her head and, because she was tired from the journey, her cousin Edmund sent a servant to take her to her room to rest.

Mary's fearless attitude further displeased Mrs. Norris. She already regarded Fanny as the devil who caused this trouble, and Mary and Susan, her two poor nieces, were even more her enemies, whom she considered spies who gathered information and shameless thieves! Now these two were enjoying everything they shouldn't have in Mansfield, and Mary was still not satisfied and dared to make demands.

"What kind of attitude is that? Who does she think she is? Does she think that if Maria and Julia are in trouble, she can take the place of her two cousins?" From the moment Mrs. Norris met Mary, she disliked her even more than she disliked Fanny. In her eyes, Mary's poise was pretentious, and Mary's elegance was affected. And Mary's beauty was even worse; she was simply sent by the devil to bewitch Tom and Edmund.

However, no one echoed Mrs. Norris's accusations. In Mrs. Bertram's eyes, Mary and Susan were Fanny's sisters and had the right to live in Mansfield. What did it matter if Mary just wanted to take a bath? Tom would never make things difficult for his two lovely little cousins. Edmund accompanied them all the way back to Mansfield, treating his two little cousins ​​as his own sisters.

Mary was oblivious to Aunt Norris's hysteria. She had the maid fill the bathtub with hot water and thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing bath. The maid was quite surprised when she received a tip from Miss Mary. That night, both sisters slept very well, all the fatigue from their journey completely gone.

And so, Mary and Susan settled down at Mansfield Manor, while everyone else in the manor was preoccupied with their own worries and no one had the heart to take care of the two girls.

But away from the noise of Portsmouth, relieved of the burden of managing household affairs, and temporarily free from the complexities of handling business, Mary and Susan were able to fully enjoy their carefree girlhood, and they were truly happy. Their uncle, Sir Thomas, had not yet returned from London, and their aunt, Lady Bertram, was kind and amiable; the minor problem caused by Mrs. Norris's cold attitude didn't even bother Susan.

Mary spent all her time in the study at Mansfield Hall, which contained many books she had never been able to find in mobile libraries or ordinary bookstores. She was ecstatic; having such a library was an impossible dream for her at the moment. Being able to freely choose books at Mansfield was incredibly important for a Portsmouth girl who usually lacked cultural entertainment. Sir Thomas's complete Encyclopedia Britannica fascinated her, and the books on aristocratic heraldry and genealogy intrigued her…

Meanwhile, Susan was busy exploring the house and garden of Bertramfield. She was captivated by the scenery that Fanny had praised so highly, and the garden was filled with flowers and plants that Susan had never seen before. She even offered to cut roses from the garden for Aunt Bertram, earning an approving smile from her aunt.

Susan had never received maternal love from Mrs. Price before, and being treated so gently by her aunt made her even more willing to do what she could for Aunt Bertram and Fanny.

When Sir Thomas finally returned from London, the servants came to the house to announce the news after seeing the Sir's carriage. Lady Bertram, his two cousins, Mrs. Norris, Fanny, Mary, and Susan all rushed to the living room to greet him.

Therefore, Mary went to see her uncle immediately. Sir Thomas was no longer young, and the recent setbacks had made him look quite haggard. He had a furrowed brow and looked very serious, a stark contrast to Mary's godfather, General Maxwell. He looked at his two sons as soon as he entered, and when he saw Fanny, he forced a smile. He also welcomed his two nieces who had come to visit.

With Edmund's help, the eldest cousin Tom finally learned to reflect on his actions after his two sisters had suffered such an ordeal. When Sir Thomas returned, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his eldest son had gradually recovered his health during this time. However, his old bad habits had not disappeared along with his health, and he had begun to learn to think of others. This was the best news the father had received recently.

His other son, Edmund, also brought him comfort. With Fanny by his side to help him relax, his depression improved, and Sir Thomas had reason to believe that his son would soon recover from the heartbreak.

Another thing that brought Sir Thomas some relief was the marriage of his second daughter, Julia. During his time in London, he discovered that her marriage to Mr. Yates wasn't as bad as he had initially feared. The gentleman was fairly well aware of his situation and, hoping for his father-in-law's acceptance, had explained his circumstances clearly to the Sir.

He was still not the son-in-law the knight had envisioned, but his debts were less than the knight had initially imagined, his real estate holdings were more than he had initially thought, and he was willing to accept the knight's guidance and assistance. Julia's foolishness led her to a less-than-ideal marriage, but fortunately, her husband wasn't completely awful.

Maria's situation was completely different from her sister's. The news had spread far and wide, and Sir Thomas's friends couldn't suppress it. Even if the Sir Thomas arrived in London, it would be too late. The father had stayed in London recently solely to find his daughter as soon as possible, to prevent her from falling into an even more depraved state. However, this wish had not been fulfilled. Maria was determined to be with Mr. Crawford, and she was still hoping that this man would marry her.

When this hope was completely shattered, she and Mr. Crawford tormented each other for a time, and when they finally separated, only resentment remained in their hearts. Mr. Rushworth divorced her with little effort. Mary had never met this poor man, but she was already aware of his foolishness, and Fanny's words and Sir Thomas's remorse only further confirmed this. She thought to herself that even if Mr. Rushworth were to remarry in the future, he would probably only meet another "Maria."

After the couple divorced, the question of where Maria would live became a problem.