Chapter 96 In William Cavendish's lawsuit...

As William Cavendish poured out his heart, he drew closer and closer to Mary, until he was standing next to her seat.

As soon as Mary revealed her feelings, William's eyes lit up instantly, like stars in the night sky. He seized the opportunity to tell his lover his own feelings, explaining that he had regretted leaving England three years ago and wanted to see her as soon as he returned home, but he was worried that she had not forgiven him for leaving without saying goodbye.

“I actually thought you would care about the succession of this title back then, completely forgetting your conversation with Mrs. Price at the British Museum.” William still can’t forget his abrupt first proposal. He said with some regret, “If I had told you back then that I didn’t want children either, would you have agreed to my proposal that time?”

Mary smiled, neither answering "yes" nor "no," subtly indicating that her thoughts were indeed influenced by this event, but not entirely: "This just shows that we didn't know each other well enough back then, and now everything is just right, isn't it?"

William, of course, did not refute this; he only felt that he had not been honest enough back then.

What the duke didn't know was that he had to thank a complete stranger for his successful proposal. This person, though not a relative of Miss Price, had successfully developed an invention that Mary had long awaited.

After the Butterfly Sewing Machine Company achieved great success and Price became exceptionally wealthy, Richard and Mary shared a common goal: to attach great importance to the development of science and technology and to fund many scientists and inventors.

Although not all invention patents have commercial value, Price has become an "angel investor" in the eyes of many scientists. Some of them stick to their own research direction, while others are willing to carry out research and development according to the investor's requirements.

Mary had already considered inventing a condom when her sister Fanny was pregnant for the second time. After returning to London from Mansfield Park, she began contacting inventors to research whether it was possible to use rubber to make a new type of condom.

Unfortunately, British scientists and inventors either lacked sufficient understanding of the properties of rubber or believed that inventions like condoms were meaningless, so no one was willing to take on the research and development work.

At that moment, Charles Goodyear, a young man who had come from the United States with his boss to discuss business, happened to overhear the news. He didn't have enough money to buy the sewing machine franchise, but he was very interested in rubber research.

In the early 19th century, Brazil in South America was the most important producer of natural rubber, with almost the entire world's rubber industry relying on its output. The United States, located in North America, was also familiar with this material, and Charles Goodyear, unlike British scientists, did not hold the prejudices often associated with it; instead, he believed it possessed broad commercial potential.

The problem is that to make condoms from rubber, a major characteristic of natural rubber must be addressed: it tends to soften and become sticky at high temperatures, while it becomes brittle and hard at low temperatures.

Building upon Mary's concept of vulcanized rubber, the young inventor, through numerous experiments, successfully produced elastic, stable, and durable vulcanized rubber by heating rubber and sulfur together to approximately 130°C. Subsequently, after several years of research and development, the first rubber condom was finally successfully invented.

Mary had just received the news a couple of days ago. Advances in contraception had finally eased her long-standing fear of childbirth, allowing her to be honest with herself. Had she not fallen in love with the Duke of Devonshire? She had simply harbored reservations in the past.

The two chatted tirelessly in the living room, recounting their first meeting and past experiences that neither of them had ever shared, from Mary's early days selling hats to William's studies in Europe... Recalling Mary's longing for Europe, William immediately promised that after their marriage, he would take Mary to Europe to revisit the countries he had visited during his studies.

When two people in love are together, they often forget the passage of time. Mary and William Cavendish chatted for so long that Anne could no longer keep Mrs. Price occupied.

The old lady went into the living room and was somewhat surprised to see a handsome man with a kind face with his daughter.

She didn't immediately realize that the man was pursuing her daughter, and when she learned that the man in front of her was the Duke of Devonshire, the lady was so surprised that she almost fainted.

William Cavendish acted decisively, carrying his future mother-in-law to the sofa. Anne, who followed her mother-in-law into the living room, immediately cast a meaningful glance at Mary.

When Mrs. Price finally came to her senses and realized that she had received a very important person, she said impatiently, "My dear Anne, quickly have the servants call William back from outside. Your Highness, is there something you need to tell my son? He is a very capable young man."

Seeing her mother's enthusiasm, seemingly having completely forgotten that she had met the Duke of Devonshire three years ago—except that she had addressed him as "Mr. Cavendish" back then—Mary felt it was inappropriate to tell her mother immediately, for the sake of her health, that her daughter had accepted the Duke of Devonshire's proposal!

When Eleanor and Marianne came out of their room and into the living room, they learned that the Price family had the honor of welcoming a duke. Even Marianne forgot the surprise she had felt when she learned about her sister's situation.

The two Miss Dashwoods were somewhat reserved in front of the Duke of Devonshire. Their circle of friends in London was not large enough to allow them to meet such an important figure, and the story of the Duke of Devonshire and Miss Price had not reached their ears. They couldn't help but wonder why this prince had come.

After Mary's brother William returned, the other party involved was unwilling to wait any longer. Without exchanging pleasantries for long, William Cavendish quickly invited his future brother-in-law to the study to discuss his engagement to Mary.

With his wife's reminder, Major Price had become somewhat mentally prepared for this, but no amount of preparation could prevent him from finding it unbelievable.

Although Mary was already an adult, His Highness the Duke still intended to go to Grosvenor Place to inform Sir Edward of the news and request his permission.

He had intended to go that evening, but Mary, considering Eleanor's recent heartbreak, decided to stay home and have dinner with them. The Duke of Devonshire, not wanting to part with his lover, also stayed at Price House, planning to visit Sir Edward the following afternoon.

Soon it was time for dinner. The festivities on Harry Street couldn't compare to those on Piccadilly or at Chatsworth House, but apart from Anne, the hostess, who was a little worried about not being able to entertain them properly, who cared about that?

This day was quite dramatic for Eleanor. She had been talking about whether Marianne would be emotionally agitated and uneasy about Edward Ferras's engagement to Lucy Steele, but the Duke's visit made Lady Price completely forget about it.

When the Duke finally took his leave, Mrs. Price suddenly remembered that more than three years ago, the gentleman Mr. Cavendish, who had come to visit, had also bid her and her daughter Mary a reluctant farewell at the door.

“Good heavens, Mary, His Highness the Duke visited us more than three years ago. Do you remember? He even introduced himself as ‘Mr. Cavendish’ and said he was Richard’s friend! He was just as approachable as he was last time. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of him. You didn’t even remind me.”

Anne and Mary exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

Unlike his sister and wife, the son was not mischievous. He helped his mother into the room and said honestly, "Dear Mother, he did come three years ago. Now I have something to tell you: Mary has just become engaged to His Highness the Duke!"

"Engaged? And with His Highness the Duke!"

Mrs. Price was so surprised and delighted that she fainted. After the maid brought her the smelling salts and let her smell them, the old lady still couldn't believe it: "You're not lying to me, are you, William?"

Upon receiving her son's confirmation, Mrs. Price finally realized, "Mary, my darling Mary! Oh, from the moment you were born, I knew you would bring honor to the Price family. And I was right! You're going to be a Duchess! Much more noble than Mrs. Bertram."

"How many people must envy you! Those ladies used to gossip about how picky you were, but now, a duke, let them talk! Who can compare to you? And one more thing, darling, you must remind the duke that his family will definitely try to stop this marriage. You two must remember to apply for a special marriage certificate. I don't think the Archbishop of Cumberland will refuse to grant him that favor."

"Dear Mom, we've only just gotten engaged; the wedding will have to wait a while."

"After a while? I don't understand you young people. This matter is better done as soon as possible. Don't let his relatives get involved, otherwise someone will definitely try to sabotage it."

That evening, Mrs. Price was incredibly excited. She thought about everything from what kind of carriage her daughter would ride in, what dress she would wear, and what jewelry she would have made for her wedding, to how big a house Mary would live in after the wedding, and how much clothing allowance and pocket money she would have… Just like all mothers in the world, she thought about all of these things, as if it were her daughter's first time getting married.

Richard, Susan, and Charlotte all received the news the next day, because the Duke had gone to visit Sir Edward by carriage just after noon the following day. Mary immediately wrote to her sister and friends, while William wrote to his sister Fanny and his uncle Sir Thomas, among others.

Even so, Eleanor and Marianne, who lived on Harley Street, knew about it earlier than Fanny and the others who were far away in Mansfield, because His Highness the Duke of Devonshire came to visit again the following evening!

Seeing him chatting intimately with Mary without any hesitation all evening, how could Marianne not ask questions?

What Anne found remarkable was that, upon learning of Mary's fortunate marriage, the two Miss Dashwoods, despite their own unfortunate circumstances, showed no jealousy and sincerely blessed Mary. Marian, in particular, whom Anne had never liked as much as Eleanor, was now viewed with new respect.

Among Mary's friends and family, perhaps Mrs. Price wasn't the most excited, as Mrs. Maxwell was even more thrilled. Unlike Mrs. Price, who only had a vague concept of aristocracy, Mrs. Maxwell understood far better the significance of her goddaughter's fiancé's status. What crown, aside from the Queen's crown, could compare to the one on the Duchess's head?

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The author's note: The invention date of vulcanized rubber has been changed, which is a bit of a cheat code.