Chapter 84 Mary and the two Da...

Mary's relationship with the two Miss Dashwoods soon extended beyond Barton Park; she invited them to visit Ross Park, and considering that the Dashwoods did not have carriages, she sent her own carriage to pick them up.

Eleanor and Marianne were naturally reluctant to trouble others like this, but Mary was so enthusiastic that they found it hard to refuse.

“Mary, it seems you’ve finally decided to make two new friends. What’s so special about these two Miss Dashwoods? I’ve never seen you so enthusiastic towards young ladies in the last two years; I’m getting a little jealous,” Anne asked curiously.

“Dear Anne, you and Charlotte will always be my best friends. As for Miss Dashwood, you’ll be curious when you find out they are the sisters of your neighbors, the Dashwoods.”

“You mean the Dashwoods in town? I never would have guessed, Richard. I remember Mr. Dashwood wanted to introduce his sister to you. So this is Miss Dashwood. I think she’s quite nice, much better suited to you than Viscountess Kirk.”

William didn't approve of his brother's relationship with Viscountess Cork, feeling that Richard was trying to climb the social ladder, and he tried his best to introduce him to other women. Anne understood her husband's thoughts and naturally wanted to help make things happen.

“Betty (Viscountess Kirk) and I are not what you think. As for Miss Dashwood, I admit she is a beautiful girl, but I don’t need a sheltered young lady.” Richard clearly had his own ideas.

“I’m friends with the two Miss Dashwoods simply because they are both very lovely, and they may not even like Richard. Anne, you shouldn’t worry about him.”

Mary wasn't as concerned about Richard and Viscountess Kirk's affair as William was. Even though the Viscountess didn't have a good reputation, how many women of standing in this era had a good reputation? As long as Richard wasn't deceived, that was all that mattered.

Just as Mary, Anne, and Richard were chatting, a servant came to tell the masters that Miss Marianne Dashwood had fallen and injured herself on the hillside while playing in the rain. Fortunately, a gentleman had taken her home, but she was so frightened that she would not be able to visit Ross Estate for the time being.

"Oh, poor girl, is she alright?" Anne inquired carefully with the servant and learned that she had twisted her ankle. She decided to visit her with Mary the next day.

The following afternoon, when Mary and Anne arrived at Barton Country House, they learned that the young gentleman who had helped Mary Anne was Mr. Willoughby, the heir to Allenham House.

“He lives in Allenham? That’s quite a coincidence. My sister Susan is married to Mr. Hawthorne, and Mrs. Hawthorne and Mrs. Smith live in Allenham. We visited them when we first arrived, but he wasn’t there then. It seems he’ll be here in the last couple of days,” Anne said.

Hearing this, Marianne was extremely curious. She had chatted very congenially with Willoughby that morning and was eager to learn more about him. She immediately asked, "Mrs. Price, did the two old ladies rave about him? I'm sure his arrival has brought a lot of joy to the owners of Allenham House. Otherwise, how bored the two old ladies would be in Allenham!"

This was rather abrupt, and Anne didn't know how to respond for a moment.

“We don’t know Mr. Willoughby. My sister and brother-in-law live in the city year-round and have never met him when they come here,” Mary replied. “I’ve heard that Willoughby only comes to Allenham once a year, so Mrs. Smith probably doesn’t know much about him either.”

Marian sighed in disappointment: "If you knew him, you would immediately find that he is a very lovely person, and you would not regret not having met him sooner."

Seeing this, Annie smiled and said, "Since he's been staying here for a while, we'll get to know him sooner or later, and then we'll know whether he's worth befriending."

“Mrs. Price, he is certainly someone you should befriend. I was certain of his noble character from the moment he saved me. And the fact that we had such a pleasant conversation this morning only proves that he is a gentleman of refined taste, doesn’t he, Eleanor?”

"You two have so much in common, so praising his taste is tantamount to praising you. Now that Mrs. Price and Miss Price know that Willoughby has become your friend, your evaluation is no longer so objective."

“Don’t you consider him a friend yet?” Marian questioned. “Of course I must loudly praise our true friends.”

Eleanor felt somewhat embarrassed by her sister's obvious affection for Willoughby, but fortunately, Mrs. Price and Miss Price did not show any unusual reaction.

"Alright, Marian, I think Sir John will definitely invite this Mr. Willoughby, and then we'll meet. So stop praising your 'savior'." Seeing that Marian seemed to have fallen in love with Willoughby at first sight, Mary had nothing more to say.

Before Sir John could invite her, a few days later, Mary finally met Mr. Willoughby when she visited the two friends at Barton's Cottage again. He had been coming here every day lately, so it was perfectly normal for him to run into Miss Price, who was also there for a visit.

As soon as Mary entered, she heard Mrs. Dashwood laughing at Willoughby. Mr. Willoughby was very handsome; he looked tall and dashing. In terms of looks, he was more appealing to women than Colonel Brandon, no wonder Marian fell for him.

Willoughby's eyes lit up for a moment when he saw Miss Price; she was even more beautiful than Marian. However, he couldn't care less about Miss Price for the moment, because the dark-eyed girl beside him had already captivated him with her tenderness, making him want nothing more than to be with her.

Seeing how well Willoughby and Marianne were getting along, Mary whispered to Eleanor, "Mr. Willoughby and Marianne really hit it off? I remember they've only known each other for a few days."

"Although we've only known each other for a few days, Marian has already talked to him about a lot of things and found that they have almost completely the same views on music, dance and literature."

“This really surprises me, Eleanor. I thought everyone’s tastes would always be a little different, and if two people had completely the same opinion, then one of them would inevitably be flattering the other,” Mary reminded her.

Eleanor thought Mary made a good point and reminded her sister after both guests had left.

“You’re thinking way too darkly about people. Why can’t it be that Willoughby thinks the same way I do? Do I look that stupid?” Marian scoffed at her sister’s words. “If Mr. Willoughby wasn’t sincere, why would he act so enthusiastic?”

Mrs. Dashwood had a different interpretation: if Willoughby was trying to flatter her daughter, it would only make her like the young man more.

Seeing that her mother and sister thought highly of Willoughby, Eleanor had nothing to say. About a week later, Mrs. Dashwood was secretly rejoicing that she had found two such good sons-in-law as Edward and Willoughby.

Meanwhile, after meeting a few times, Willoughby also noticed that Miss Price was very cold towards him, spending most of her time speaking only to the two Miss Dashwoods. At a party, he learned that her sister was Mr. Hawthorne's wife, and he suddenly understood.

“I think I must have offended Miss Price because of Allen Han. If it weren’t for me, her brother-in-law might have inherited Mrs. Smith’s fortune. Mr. Hawthorne must have said a lot of bad things about me,” Willoughby told Marian privately.

“This is absurd. It was Mrs. Smith who decided who would inherit the estate. How can you be blamed for Mr. Hawthorne’s actions? This is outrageous. I’m going to tell Miss Price what Mr. Hawthorne is really like.”

“Marianne, you’re too naive. Miss Price certainly wants her sister and brother-in-law to have a better life. How could she possibly believe what you say? The reason I haven’t come to Allenham much these past two years is because old Mrs. Hawthorne lives here. She’s always wanted her son to inherit Allenham Estate.”

Because of his shared hatred for Willoughby, when Marian was fully recovered and attended Sir John's private ball, his attitude towards her changed drastically.

She was unpretentious; she made her likes obvious and never hid her dislikes. Eleanor immediately realized something was wrong and apologized to her friend for her sister's rudeness.

Mary glanced at Willoughby and Marian, who were walking together, and decided not to argue with this lovestruck, mad lady.

As Willoughby and Marianne's relationship became increasingly obvious, Mrs. Jennings, out of sympathy, finally stopped teasing Marianne and Colonel Brandon, whom she felt had suffered another heartbreak.

Even Anne said to Mary, "I feel a little sorry for Colonel Brandon. Miss Marian Dashwood is too frank; she and Willoughby spent almost half the ball together, and it was obvious to everyone that they were interested in each other. Perhaps Miss Dashwood is a better match for the Colonel than her sister."

Mary showed no change in expression as Anne spoke. Her sister-in-law thought to herself, "It seems Richard was right; Mary truly only sees the Colonel as a good friend."

Mary glanced at Colonel Brandon, who was talking to Eleanor, and thought to herself: Who would have thought that Willoughby was a bastard who toyed with young girls' feelings and fathered an illegitimate daughter!

I wonder if the colonel heeded her advice and changed his adopted daughter's school, perhaps to avoid Willoughby. However, if this incident hadn't happened, Willoughby's true colors might not have been revealed, and the colonel wouldn't have been able to get what he wanted.

Just as Mary looked over, the Colonel noticed Miss Price. He ended his conversation with Miss Dashwood, went over to the young lady and Mrs. Price, and invited her to dance.

Marian and Willoughby witnessed this scene, which was tantamount to two people they currently disliked coming together.

“I don’t understand why your sister, Miss Dashwood, has such respect for Colonel Brandon. I think Colonel Brandon is the kind of person everyone is polite to his face, but nobody wants to get close to him behind his back. What could Miss Price possibly talk about while dancing with him?”

“I feel sorry for her; dancing with someone the colonel’s age is certainly no fun at all,” Marian said.