Chapter 79 That evening, Mr. Hawthorne kept his promise…

In the evening, Mr. Hawthorne arrived as promised. He was wearing a fine blue suit and looked quite energetic. Anne and Mary gave them the living room and went to another room.

“Mary, I think Mr. Hawthorne looks really handsome today. I think he’ll propose to Susan soon, don’t you think?” Anne was particularly looking forward to the couple, as she was the one who brought them together.

“I can’t say anything happy, because Mr. Hawthorne’s happiness is based on taking Susan away from us.” Mary no longer finds this gentleman so agreeable.

“Mary, you can’t think like that. If Susan had married Mr. Hawthorne, she would have settled in London permanently, instead of having to go back to Mansfield all the time. Surely a husband like Mr. Hawthorne wouldn’t be any more difficult to manage than Sir Thomas and Aunt Bertram together?”

“Oh, Anne, you’re thinking too simply. Your marriage to William went too smoothly, making you forget that not everyone is like the Godfather. Now that William is gone, Susan’s only guardian is Sir Thomas. He gave Richard advice on business before, and it’s not certain whether he’ll even look at a mere solicitor now!”

When facing Anne, Mary expressed her long-standing concerns. She suggested that Susan accompany Anne to more parties and dances, perhaps hoping that her sister could meet a more suitable partner.

"Really? Sir Thomas couldn't possibly ignore Susan's opinion, could he?" In Anne's eyes, although her uncle Sir Thomas looked serious, he always valued William and her, unlike the kind of authoritarian parent.

"Now it depends on Susan's opinion. If she is firm in her stance, we will be able to persuade the gentleman."

Judging from the beaming faces of Mr. Hawthorne after Mary and Anne returned to the living room, the man had received a positive hint from his sweetheart. He greeted Anne and Mary with delight, receiving a warm response from the former and a polite reply from the latter.

Mr. Hawthorne looked at Susan with eager anticipation, his eyes filled with joy: "I plan to go to Mansfield in a couple of days to make the request in person to Sir Thomas Bertram, to show him my sincerity. I'm really worried he won't agree."

“There’s no need to rush. Richard told me that your uncle plans to come to town in November. You’d better go with Richard to visit him.” Susan knew Sir Thomas well and naturally wanted to help her sweetheart by offering advice and trying to get Sir Thomas’s approval.

John and Richard had no problem with Susan's lover, and their own professions weren't exactly glamorous either.

Although Mr. Hawthorne is only a solicitor, he has already accumulated a stable group of clients thanks to the connections left by his father, Mr. Hawthorne, and his own sincere and thoughtful service. In a few years, he will definitely have a greater development in the legal profession.

As for Mr. Hawthorne's humble status, there was nothing that could be done about it; there weren't as many wealthy gentlemen as ladies who wanted to marry gentlemen. Susan wasn't beautiful enough to make people overlook her wealth, and the Price family wasn't at the point where social status was a primary concern. At least Mr. Hawthorne had a decent job, his father's inheritance, and a house in London.

Although Sir Thomas had not yet arrived in London, Miss Susan Price's brothers did not raise any objections, so Mrs. Hawthorne naturally felt that her son and this young lady were already engaged.

“Charlie, you need to be prepared. The Baron’s niece won’t be easy to marry. Sir Thomas Bertram will definitely make you sign a prenuptial agreement that you can’t use your wife’s property after the marriage. You can ask Susan; it would be best if her property was land. But I doubt that’s likely. Her richest brother hasn’t even bought a manor yet. For the sake of the next generation, you should make sure to include a clause in the contract stating that her dowry can be used after an heir is born.”

“Mother, how could you think like that? Even if Sir Thomas agreed, I can’t do it.” Mr. Hawthorne never thought of relying on his wife’s dowry in the future. “Susan’s dowry will of course be left to our children. As for acquiring property, we can talk about that when the children are older.”

"Then you'll have to stay a lawyer forever. Otherwise, how could that glib-tongued Willoughby compare to you! I still have some influence with my cousin. If we can find Willoughby's flaws, you might just become the new heir to the Allenham Estate."

Mrs. Hawthorne harbored resentment towards her son for being subordinate to Willoughby. Her husband, the elder Hawthorne, had wished for his son to become a gentleman, but his early death shattered all their plans.

She then pinned her hopes on her cousin, writing a letter to Mrs. Smith hoping that she would consider their past friendship and designate her son as her heir. However, this hope was also dashed.

Charlie Hawthorne, having given up hope from the start, was able to accept the outcome calmly. Mrs. Hawthorne, however, did not see it that way. She felt that her son's failure was due to the contemptibility of his profession, just as she believed that Mrs. Smith's break with her was not because of old Hawthorne's inappropriate behavior, but because she looked down on her husband's profession.

No wonder she was so overjoyed that Susan Price had taken a liking to her son; marrying a wealthy young lady wasn't easy. Even if the girl angered her family by marrying her son, surely she would have a dowry of ten thousand pounds, and besides, the Price family didn't care about their son's profession.

At this point, Mr. Hawthorne was even less likely to tell his mother the truth. He and Susan were destined to live with unease for a while until they received a positive reply from Sir Thomas.

Meanwhile, Mary received a strange invitation on Harry Street; Countess Carlyle invited her to a private party.

“Countess Carlisle? Why would she invite me?” Mary examined the exquisite invitation carefully. The gold-embroidered cardstock exuded the scent of roses, clearly indicating that she had sprayed perfume on it.

“Mary, this Countess is the Duke of Devonshire’s sister, and she certainly wants to get to know you.” Anne hoped that Mary could win the Countess’s favor and thus be introduced to a higher social class.

The invitation came suddenly. When Mary arrived at the Earl Carlisle’s house, the servants led her to the waiting room, where she waited for quite a while before finally being led to the sitting room to see the Countess.

The Countess is thirty-seven years old this year. Although she is no longer young, she still looks very beautiful. Her face reveals the beauty of the Duchess.

Besides her, there was another lady in the living room who looked about the same age as Mary. She was the Countess's eldest daughter and had married William Russells, the heir to the Earl of Harwood.

The two ladies seemed oblivious to Mary's arrival, continuing their conversation as if nothing had happened. It wasn't until Lady Russells had taken her leave that Countess Carlyle remembered her guest.

“Miss Price, I’m so sorry, I was busy chatting with Caroline and forgot about you. The Howard and Russell families have been on good terms for generations, and she’s a smart girl. Managing Harwood Manor is a piece of cake for her, but she still likes to ask for my opinion.”

“Oh, have I said too much, Miss Price? You look about the same age as my daughter, and I just couldn’t help but bring this up. I shouldn’t be talking about this with you young ladies. I heard your sister married a pastor, so she certainly doesn’t need to worry about these complicated family relationships. As for you?”

Countess Carlisle looked Mary over carefully. “You are a beautiful and talented young lady. If you would like, I can introduce you to my social circle. Several newly rich men I know are in need of a wife.”

After saying that, Mary saw that the woman seemed to be waiting for her to express her gratitude, so she said, "Dear Madam, you are too kind to me and I cannot accept it. In order not to cause you any trouble, I think it is better for me to refuse."

Countess Carlisle was pleased with this statement, thinking that Mary had some self-awareness. She continued, "Poor girl, you're so beautiful, but you have a businessman brother. A family with a long and distinguished history like the Russells would never accept you. However, with my influence, it's no problem for me to introduce you to some newly emerging nobles."

That's quite a blunt remark. It seems that the Countess of Carlisle's introduction of her into her social circle was a pretense; her real concern was that her brother, the Duke of Devonshire, was involved with her.

For some reason, Mary thought of Lady Catherine, who had made things difficult for Elizabeth. If the Countess of Carlyle knew that her sister Susan was engaged to a lawyer, would she be as distraught as Lady Catherine?

"From what I've met, some long-established noble families don't seem to have much to be proud of. If I had to give my opinion, I think the wealth gained from producing sewing machines seems more noble than the wealth gained from exploiting slaves on plantations in the West Indies."

Mary retorted to the lady with a mix of soft and firm words, "Of course, neither the Cavendish nor the Howard families made their fortunes through the slave trade, madam. I think you also support the abolition of slavery, don't you?"

Countess Carlyle finally met the "difficult Price" described in her cousin's letter. She thought that an eighteen-year-old girl would be extremely grateful to her after being ignored for a while and then promoted.

To her surprise, Mary Price brought up her son-in-law's family's entrepreneurship through plantation trade, which disgusted her with her sharp tongue.

“Miss Price, your lack of respect for those of higher status is a very bad habit. It will affect how people perceive you and, in turn, delay your marriage.” The Countess’s attitude immediately turned cold.

“So what if I’m affected? I don’t care. The men who are affected aren’t good matches for me anyway. Besides, not every young girl has marriage as her only option,” Mary said nonchalantly. “If someone has a lot of wealth but can’t choose freely, it either means she has too many desires or she has given up her rights. I don’t consider myself that kind of fool.”

"That's the best way to put it. I invited you here because I didn't want to see a young woman go down the wrong path of becoming a mistress. Since you don't mind not being able to get married, then it doesn't matter."