Chapter 83 Time is like a mischievous trickster…

Time is like a mischievous child, flying by when adults aren't looking. Almost two years passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now September 1823. The little boy in Anne's belly was now twenty-two months old.

The Price family has already risen to a higher level; Richard has long been a well-known businessman in London, not to mention that William's promotion to naval lieutenant commander is arguably the biggest joy of the year.

Mary's other brother, John, married his boss's daughter a little over a year ago, and soon after, he was promoted again and received a raise. After the wedding, he moved out of St. James Street and rented a house in another block nearby. Sam was promoted to second lieutenant, and Tom had graduated from Wenshi High School and was learning management skills from his brother Richard.

Even the most hopeless Charles now has his own goals; he intends to study law, but not the kind his brother-in-law, Mr. Hawthorne, does, but rather become a trial lawyer, which requires much more money. Richard promised Mrs. Price that he would pay for his brother's studies.

After getting married, Susan lived in London for a long time, which gave her more time to spend with her sister-in-law Anne and her sister Mary. Naturally, she became interested in Mary's love life. This seems to be a common trait among women, and married women often feel they have more right to inquire about such matters.

After all, among the young people around, only Mary still didn't want to get married. Charlotte was already planning to marry Mr. Smith, who had been pursuing her all along. Even Richard was rumored to be having a passionate affair with the famous Viscountess Kirk.

For the past few years, Miss Price has not accepted any men's advances. When people in social circles call her the "Laurel Goddess," it has taken on a different meaning besides praising her beauty—just like the real laurel goddess Daphne, this lady was unwilling to accept even the advances of the sun god Apollo.

Richard was also concerned about Mary's feelings. He and Susan knew the same secret: His Highness the Duke of Devonshire had once helped Mary resolve Charlotte's situation.

Richard had been watching his pursuit of Mary closely, but for the past two years, this important figure seemed to have been living in Italy. He only returned two months after the death of the young and famous sculptor Antonio Canova.

Having been back in the US for more than half a year, he had spent almost all his time in Chatsworth and hadn't attended many balls. It seemed that there was little hope left for Mary and this gentleman.

Fortunately, Richard didn't know that Mary had rejected the Duke, otherwise he would have been even more disappointed.

As the city grew more and more lively, Mary planned to go to the countryside for a while after attending Charlotte's wedding to escape the concern of her relatives and friends about her relationship status.

She had originally planned to rent a country house in a county near London, since her house in St. James' Square had just been renovated recently, costing her a lot of money, and she had no intention of buying another estate.

As a result, William invited Mary, Richard, and Sam to join his family for a stay in Devon for a while, forcing Mary to abandon her plans for a solo vacation. Because little William (Anne's child) was too young, William and Anne hadn't visited Rose Estate in a long time.

Richard was considering where to buy land, with Devonshire, a bit further away, being one of his options, and William's invitation suited him perfectly. As for the business in London, Tom was there; his younger brother was very shrewd and Richard was quite satisfied with him, having already entrusted him with some of the company's affairs.

Around the end of September, shortly after Charlotte's wedding, the group set off at a leisurely pace, traveling and helping Richard explore several counties in southwest London.

Not long after they arrived at Ross Estate, the news reached Colonel Brandon and Sir John.

He and Sir John visited Ross Estate immediately and invited the Price family to Barton Estate. Recently, Sir John's relatives had been staying at Barton Country House, and the Sir was troubled by not being able to introduce suitable friends to the two Miss Dashwoods.

Who could refuse Sir John's kind invitation? William and the others, of course, gladly accepted.

The following afternoon, Sir John made a special trip to Barton House: “Miss Dashwood, I’ve come to invite you and your sister to Barton Manor today. You can’t imagine what kind of guests you’ll have; they probably haven’t been here in three years.”

Eleanor and Marianne found Sir John to be particularly pleased today. He was always enthusiastic and delighted to tell the two young ladies that he had a new guest to introduce them to. The two Misses of Dashwood readily agreed and rode in Sir John's carriage to Barton Manor.

As Sir John entered the living room, he was still muttering to himself: “I remember the last time I saw Miss Price was a year ago when I was a guest on St. James’s Street at a party hosted by Colonel Brandon. She’s grown more and more beautiful. I wonder if she’s still not married.”

“That’s because Miss Price has too high standards. If she were as approachable as her sister, Mrs. Hawthorne, Colonel Brandon would have gotten his wish long ago.” Mrs. Jennings couldn’t help but grumble when she heard her son-in-law’s words. “But now, I think the Colonel has already fallen for another young lady here.”

Marianne didn't understand Mrs. Jennings's hint. She leaned close to her sister and whispered, "The girl Colonel Brandon is in love with, that sounds ridiculous. I never thought he'd be interested at his age. I wonder what this young lady looks like."

Eleanor quickly stopped her sister from speaking recklessly. Although they hadn't gotten to know Colonel Brandon well yet, she thought Marian shouldn't joke about the Colonel's age.

Soon, all of Sir John's invited guests arrived. Colonel Brandon arrived a short while earlier, and he had just finished greeting the two Misses Dashwood when Major Price and his wife were led in by servants.

Major Price was imposing and very handsome, and his wife was beautiful. The couple looked very well-matched, but they were clearly not as attractive to the Dashwood ladies as Miss Price and the two young gentlemen who came in later.

Mary wore the city's most fashionable high-waisted lace dress, the deep blue color making her skin appear even whiter and almost translucent. Because she looked so flawless, Marianne even suspected she had secretly applied makeup.

As Mary drew closer, the two Miss Dashwoods realized that the color was not from makeup. Her blue-green eyes, in particular, were more beautiful than the stars in the sky, making Mary truly come alive.

The two younger Mr. Price behind them were no less handsome than their elder brother, Major Price; the slightly older one was very gentlemanly, while the youngest was full of energy. Almost immediately upon meeting them, Marianne took a liking to the new guests.

Sir John dutifully introduced the guests, and everyone quickly became acquainted.

For Sir John, there was only one thing he was most passionate about and talked about most enthusiastically: hunting. And today, there was no shortage of men—William, Richard, Sam, and Colonel Brandon—who all joined him in the conversation with great interest.

His wife was much more boring; Mrs. Middleton's personality was unlike that of her husband and her mother.

Among a group of young female guests, the lady chose to speak with the guest she valued most: "Mrs. Price, I remember visiting Barton Estate three years ago with the two Miss Prices. Why isn't Mrs. Hawthorne here this time?"

"Mrs. Hawthorne has just given birth, and Mary insists that she should rest for a while. When Mr. Hawthorne heard this, he naturally disagreed with Mrs. Hawthorne coming to Devon with us."

Then, seeing that Mrs. Middleton couldn't think of any topics, Anne took the initiative to inquire about Mrs. Middleton's children, a topic that mothers never tire of talking about. Coincidentally, Anne also had a boy who was almost two years old, and the two of them continued to chat about this topic.

On the other side, the three unmarried ladies sat with Mrs. Jennings. Even though Mrs. Jennings couldn't be ignored because she was always making fun of the young ladies, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than on Anne's side.

Mary carefully observed the two female protagonists: both girls were very beautiful, one was poised and elegant, and the other was lively and energetic; it was easy to tell at a glance who was the older sister and who was the younger sister.

The three ladies shared their views on the nearby scenery and chatted about the books they had read. They quickly recognized each other as friends worth befriending.

Sir John, having finished reminiscing with his friends about the hunting adventures, suggested that the young ladies play some music and sing a few songs for them. After some polite refusals, Mary played the piano and Marianne sang a few songs.

Seeing this harmonious scene, Sir John couldn't help but joke, "Colonel Brandon, which one do you find more captivating now, Miss Marian Dashwood or Miss Price?"

Upon hearing this, Richard couldn't help but glance at his friend. Colonel Brandon had remained unmarried, and in the past two years, he had become very close to the Price family, but he had not shown any intention of proposing to Mary.

Principal Brandon wasn't pretty enough and was too old. Richard thought Mary had always considered him a friend, and perhaps the colonel knew this too, so he simply gave up hope.

Colonel Brandon ignored his friend's teasing and praised both ladies' performances impartially, showing no apparent preference between them. This disappointed Mrs. Jennings, who had been observing the group.

The lady had thought that Colonel Brandon would reveal some of his feelings so she could figure out which lady her friend was in love with, but she never expected him to be so good at keeping secrets.

Fortunately, two more Mr. Prices have arrived, and Mrs. Jennings thinks Miss Dashwood might be able to win over Mr. Richard Price. As for Marianne, she has Colonel Brandon, and Miss Price is both beautiful and rich; it's unlikely she'll compete with her for the Colonel.

After the performance ended, Mary glanced at Marianne, who had been singing, and inwardly admired the young lady's exceptional musical talent. She was naturally full of emotion, which perfectly suited her to the art of music.

Eleanor happened to see Marie's admiring gaze. After she handed the piano to Marian and returned to her seat, the two couldn't help but smile at each other.