Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Anne didn't realize that she had already...

Anne was unaware that she had given herself away to Mary, and she continued to discuss Mr. McDonald's recent actions with her friends.

"I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with him, but he just makes me feel uncomfortable," Anne summarized her opinion of the man.

Mary also felt somewhat uncomfortable with Mr. McDonald, a feeling somewhat similar to that with Mr. Crawford, but unlike Crawford, McDonald didn't seem to be behaving abnormally. Even Anne admitted that she hadn't heard anyone in Brighton say anything bad about McDonald.

Two days before their departure, Anne and Mary strolled around Brighton twice, accompanied by two gentlemen.

Mr. MacDonald's every action was so appropriate; he was extremely polite to Miss Maxwell, always by her side as if she were his brother; and he never looked at the beautiful and charming Miss Price, which seemed to confirm that he was more noble than Crawford.

When they left Brighton for London, Mr. McDonald suddenly became much warmer toward Richard, which Mary guessed was because he had finally discovered that the recently popular Butterfly Sewing Machine Company was related to Richard.

However, his previous politeness towards Richard only suggested that the gentleman was somewhat snobbish, but this seemed to be human nature. Richard didn't dislike him because Mr. McDonald didn't show any discrimination against businessmen; his enthusiasm was just right, and every action demonstrated respect for a newly acquainted friend.

Mary overheard the two men exchanging their opinions on the marriage of Prince William and Prince Edward. By the time they arrived in London that day, they had already exchanged addresses and arranged a time for their next visit.

They went together to Grosvenor Place, where Mary's godfather, General Maxwell, was waiting at home for his wife, daughter, and goddaughter. His eager expression upon seeing Anne and Mary made it clear to anyone that these two girls were the apple of his eye.

As their protectors, the general was very grateful for the two gentlemen's escort and invited them to dinner. Richard's mood at this mansion was quite different from when he first arrived in London; he was now successful and no longer needed to be on edge.

Moreover, in this day and age, when several men are sitting in a restaurant dressed in equally stylish and sophisticated clothes, no one can tell that there is much difference in their social status.

Upon returning to London, the general's wife focused her energy on preparing for Anne's ball, which was to be held in about three weeks, in the first week of September.

So the day after she arrived home, she began writing invitations. The general's wife wrote the names of the guests she wanted to invite in beautiful cursive script on paper sprinkled with gold powder and perfume. All the families they knew received invitations.

The general's wife calculated that at least twelve single men and twelve unmarried women would be at the ball. Now that she's reached the age where she enjoys matchmaking, she hopes the ball will help every young man and woman find a suitable partner.

Mary was not yet of social age, but her two brothers—William and Richard, who happened to be traveling from Mansfield to London—received an invitation (poor John, the General's wife had forgotten about him), Mr. MacDonald was no exception, and the lady also had an acquaintance, Miss Crawford.

On the day of the ball, the general's wife prepared dinner, various drinks and refreshments, and even ice cream. Everyone enjoyed the joy of dancing, and Mary could hear their laughter and playfulness even from her room upstairs.

As the star of the evening, Miss Maxwell was naturally the queen of the ball. She was dressed in a dazzling manner, and apart from Mr. McDonald, at least three or four young men were attracted to her.

However, Anne's first dance was not with Mr. McDonald; Colonel Brandon, a friend of General Maxwell, invited her to dance the first two songs.

The gentleman was quite gentlemanly and a very good dancer, but he was not particularly handsome and was rather old. Therefore, although he danced with Miss Maxwell first, Mr. MacDonald did not consider him an enemy.

In fact, Colonel Brandon did not invite Miss Maxwell to dance a second time; instead, Mr. McDonald took advantage of a break to invite Anne.

They danced two songs, and then Anne danced separately with William, Richard, and several other young men. Then Mr. McDonald invited her again, and from his expression, everyone believed that he had fallen deeply in love with Miss Maxwell.

The ball didn't end until after four in the morning, using countless candles, drinks, and snacks, and the noise kept Mary from getting a proper rest. She was amazed; Anne was one thing, but how did those ladies who didn't like exercise have the stamina to keep dancing like that?

The next day, when Mary woke up, her godmother and friends were still asleep. The servants had already cleaned up the leftovers from the ball, and only details such as the candle wax on the candlesticks hinted at the previous night's splendor. Now, only she and her godfather were enjoying a quiet breakfast.

“My dear Mary, it’s a pity you weren’t old enough to attend yesterday’s ball. I hope it didn’t disappoint you too much. I think young people should enjoy the fun they deserve as long as it’s not excessive,” the general joked. “But don’t worry, in a little over a year I will have the honor of hosting another ball in the same place. Then it will be Anne’s turn to be jealous of you.”

“Oh, Godfather, I’m not disappointed at all. I’m a quiet person, and I’m more suited to reading, visiting theaters and museums than to balls,” Mary replied with a smile.

"That's because you're not old enough." The general didn't believe the nonsense young girls spouted. Just two or three years ago, Anne had told him she had no intention of getting married, but she didn't mention it anymore.

Thinking about Anne's dancing yesterday, the general suddenly asked, "Mary, do you think Anne has any feelings for Mr. McDonald? Although he is my relative and someone praised him to me almost two years ago, you know, it's hard for a young man who has never been to the battlefield to earn my respect. I don't know much about this young man."

"At least I didn't find anything out of line in Anne's relationship with him. She treated Mr. McDonald as a friend, nothing more."

“Young people don’t need to rush, but older people should. Unfortunately, my friend Colonel Brandon not only doesn’t have any particular affection for my daughter, but he’s also not interested in any of the girls at the ball. I’ve always thought of him as a very steady and reliable person. Now that he’s inherited his brother’s estate, he should get married and have an heir as soon as possible.” The general’s voice lowered as he thought of his own situation.

Colonel Brandon was only thirty years old this year, just five years older than Mr. McDonald. He met General Maxwell in the East Indies, and the two quickly became close friends despite their age difference.

As the second son, Colonel Brandon had to forge his own path. Perhaps he had been impulsive and passionate in his youth, but by the time the general met him, he had become as calm and serious as he is now, and his hard work was precisely the quality the general admired most.

He had recently inherited the family estate, and Colonel Brandon had been frequently traveling between London and Devon since his brother had made a mess of Drafford Estates before his death. General Maxwell, upon learning of his situation, felt it necessary to use his daughter's ball to find him a suitable wife.

Mary, who hadn't attended the ball, didn't know what kind of person the colonel was, and didn't ask any questions.

In the afternoon, the ladies who had been dancing hard finally got up, and Mary was finally able to have a good chat with Anne about what happened last night.

“What’s there to say? I have to dance twice with someone I don’t like,” Anne complained to her best friend.

As Anne said this, she was thinking that some people were not as decisive as he was on the battlefield. However, the dance she had danced with last night made her feel sweet, because the expression on his face when he danced clearly showed that he was not indifferent to her.

She couldn't tell Mary these details, but little did she know that her friend already knew, and naturally observed the answer she wanted from Mary's expression.

Mr. McDonald soon realized he had misjudged the situation. He thought the ball would bring him and Miss Maxwell closer, but the opposite was true; to avoid any misunderstanding, the young lady became even more distant towards him.

The following afternoon, when William, Richard, McDonald, Colonel Brandon, and several other men came to visit, Anne spent almost the entire time chatting with the Price brothers.

In such matters, any man or woman who isn't a fool will quickly spot the real rival. Upon learning that his competitor was merely a naval lieutenant, Mr. McDonald was furious, but due to the general's authority, he was powerless against this lowly sailor.

The general's wife was still happily chatting with her friends about the funny things that happened at the ball, making fun of the subtle clues between the young men and women, unaware that one of her guests was already filled with the poison of jealousy.

While the gentleman was showering the hostess with flattering words, he was secretly plotting something.

On the other side, although Mary had met Colonel Brandon, the two didn't exchange many words due to etiquette. Mary didn't care about formalities and was happy to chat with this new friend who didn't offend her, while the colonel's expression remained somewhat melancholy, though he was very polite to his good friend's goddaughter.

As everyone chatted together, Mary couldn't help but compare them in her mind, concluding that the colonel was more worthy of her acquaintance. Compared to Mr. McDonald, who was always making witty and flattering remarks, the colonel was knowledgeable and articulate; no wonder the Godfather admired him more. Unfortunately, Anne didn't like him and preferred another soldier.