Chapter 97 The news of the Duke of Devonshire's engagement...

News of the Duke of Devonshire's engagement spread quickly, and Mary became the focus of attention in London. Who would have thought that a young lady from the Price family, who had never produced a knight, would actually be engaged to the Duke of Devonshire, who came from a family of nobles for generations?

Even Mrs. Jennings heard about it, and she quickly came to visit the Price family.

When she visited the Palmers to see her sick grandson, she heard from the doctor that Mrs. Dashwood was ill because of her cousin Lucy Steele's engagement to Edward Ferras. Unfortunately, the two Miss Dashwoods were not currently on Berkeley Street, and no one could satisfy her urge to confide in them. Therefore, she had long wanted to visit Mrs. Price.

Just then, she heard this big news from her friends, which instantly overshadowed the news of Lucy and Edward's engagement. Mrs. Jennings felt even more compelled to come to Halle Street to congratulate Miss Price.

“My dear Miss Price, I have heard some wonderful news: you are engaged to the Duke of Devonshire! Mr. Palmer told me that the Countess Carlisle is very angry, but it’s no use, because these matters are always decided by the men themselves, and His Highness the Duke obviously won’t be controlled by his sister. In my opinion, a beautiful and lovely lady like you is a perfect match for the Duke of Devonshire.”

Mary immediately thanked Mrs. Jennings modestly and inquired about Mrs. Palmer's postpartum recovery and the baby's condition.

This was the perfect question, because Mrs. Jennings had personally cared for her second daughter for about two weeks and had just seen the doctor, so she was very familiar with the situation. Especially considering Miss Price's current status and her continued concern for her daughter, Mrs. Jennings was even more willing to answer.

Mary breathed a slight sigh of relief after changing the subject; too many people had been asking her about her engagement to William these past two days.

After the discussion, Mrs. Jennings remembered the news she had heard from the doctor, and she turned to look at Eleanor and Marianne.

"I think you've all heard about it. Lucy was actually engaged to Edward a long time ago, but Mrs. Ferras and your brother and sister-in-law were very opposed to it and forced him to break the engagement. Fortunately, Mr. Ferras was an honest man and didn't back out when faced with opposition. As a result, the poor young man was kicked out of the house, and even the estate his mother promised him now belongs to his brother."

Mrs. Jennings was still somewhat indignant when she talked about it; she simply couldn't see what was wrong with her cousin Lucy being unworthy of Edward Ferras.

What?! Edward has been kicked out of the house! Eleanor and Marianne spent all yesterday discussing the engagement between the Duke of Devonshire and Mary, never expecting the situation to change so quickly. Their brother John Dashwood hadn't even mentioned it when he last came!

Although Anne had only met the two Miss Steeles once and had only a so-so impression of the sisters, she was even more disgusted by Mrs. Ferras's unreasonable behavior and couldn't help but say, "It's really unbecoming of a mother to treat her own son like that."

Mrs. Price herself favored her eldest son and couldn't understand Mrs. Ferras's behavior: "It's really unreasonable to pass on the property that should have gone to the eldest son to the younger son."

“Yes, Mrs. Price, I wouldn’t do that. To take away one son’s property from another just because of my own likes and dislikes.” With everyone’s support, Mrs. Jennings was even more indignant. “Just because her son disobeyed her, Mrs. Ferras treated her own son so cruelly. How tyrannical!”

For the Price family, this was ultimately someone else's business, so after criticizing Mrs. Ferras, the topic returned to Mary's engagement.

Seeing that Mrs. Jennings and Mrs. Price were having an endless discussion, Mary simply made an excuse to leave the living room and go to the garden.

Around the same time Mrs. Jennings came to Harley Street to offer her congratulations, Sir Thomas and Fanny of Mansfield Park also received a letter from their nephew.

This joyous occasion not only made Lady Bertram proud of her niece, but also delighted Sir Thomas, and everyone at Mansfield Park felt honored to share in the joy.

While Mary's friends and family were celebrating the event, the atmosphere at the Earl Carlisle's house was somber, with some people going crazy over it.

“Mother, the servants say that my uncle has found a commoner to be my aunt. Just how beautiful is she? Have you ever met Miss Price?” A girl of about fifteen or sixteen asked the countess curiously.

This girl is Blanche Howard, the niece of the Duke of Devonshire. Although she is young, she is tall and has a very similar appearance to her grandmother. Because of this, Blanche was loved by her mother, aunt and uncle from a young age, which also fostered her innocent and carefree personality.

“Poor Blanche, you have no idea what you’ve lost. Your uncle doesn’t care about you at all. If he hadn’t said he wanted to choose an heir who would be engaged to his niece, I would never have arranged your engagement so easily.”

Countess Carlisle was truly heartbroken this time. Although it was Lord Cavendish who had approached her about this matter, she had consulted William about the engagement, considering her brother's attitude. If William didn't like this heir, why would she marry her daughter to him?

Earl Carlisle remained relatively calm. He had twelve children, and although Blanche was beautiful, she wasn't his most favored daughter. Thinking of the beautiful Miss Price, as a man, he could understand his brother-in-law and advised, "I think William has his own considerations. Why don't you try to build a good relationship with Miss Price?"

"Don't even think about it. Even if she were to become the Duchess of Devonshire, let alone before she's married to William, I wouldn't stand by her side. Social circles are a battlefield for us women, and you can't establish yourself here just by winning a man's favor." Countess Carlisle not only had no intention of helping Miss Price, but also hoped she would suffer a crushing defeat.

At that moment, the servant reported to his master that the Duke of Devonshire had arrived.

After exchanging pleasantries with Earl Carlisle, William Cavendish looked at his expressionless sister: "My dear Georgiana, I've come today specifically to tell you some good news."

"What good news?"

"You've always urged me to get married, and now that I've finally found a like-minded partner, aren't you happy for me?"

Upon hearing this, Earl Carlisle's palms broke out in a cold sweat, for his wife was indeed enraged. Just as the Countess was about to erupt, William spoke again.

“Your future sister-in-law Mary agrees that after our marriage, my cousin will be my presumptive heir.”

The Countess wondered if she had misheard: "What does this mean? How is this possible?"

“That’s exactly what you mean. Mary and I don’t plan to have children, so we’re looking for an heir in advance,” William Cavendish replied with a smile, anticipating the Countess’s reaction. “Consider it an engagement gift from me to little Blanche.”

Really? Miss Price doesn't want children either. When Georgiana first learned that her brother William didn't want to get married and have children, she suspected he was gay, but later she put aside that suspicion because he fell in love with Miss Price.

However, Miss Price's social status was low, and the Countess assumed she harbored ill intentions and was deliberately seducing her, harboring a deep prejudice against her. She never expected that Miss Price wouldn't want children either; this was utterly illogical. She had thought William was the only oddball in the world who was neither gay nor intended to have children.

Countess Carlisle was skeptical. She glanced at her husband's meaningful look and knew that her brother William's initiative in telling her this was clearly a ploy to get her to accept Miss Price. Regardless of the final outcome, she couldn't afford to be cold to this sincere future duchess for the time being.

For William Cavendish, his purpose in coming had been achieved. He had witnessed the power struggles among women before, and therefore dared not underestimate these women who seemed only interested in vying for attention. In any case, he and Mary did not intend to have children, and with the acceptance of her eldest sister Georgiana and her second sister's always gentle nature, Mary would at least not face the rejection she had encountered at that party in social circles.

A few days later, at a banquet, a viscount's wife sarcastically mentioned the Duke of Devonshire's fiancée, expecting to receive the Countess Carlisle's approval. Instead, the noblewoman gave her a cold look.

"Do you have some grudge against the Cavendish family? Who are you to criticize my brother's fiancée?" After saying this, Countess Carlisle did not say another word to the viscountess at the banquet.

After the banquet, news that Countess Carlisle had accepted Mademoiselle Price spread throughout high society, and no one doubted that she would become the future Duchess.

Everyone knew that Miss Price was going to marry the Duke of Devonshire, but this young lady was still seriously running her business. Mr. Smith thought to himself as she came to report on Charles Dickens.

Mary was overjoyed to learn that Mr. Smith had visited John Dickens at the debtors' prison and signed a funding agreement. Once Charles Dickens graduated from school, she would arrange for him to work at the newspaper, fully utilizing his literary talents. After all, controlling public opinion couldn't be achieved with just a magazine; newspaper sales were also essential.

After finishing this matter and other chores, Charlotte finally spoke up: "Mary, Mrs. Maxwell, Mrs. Price, and Mrs. Bertram, who just arrived in town, are all preparing for your wedding. Aren't you going to check on things there?"

"I've already designed the most important part: the wedding dress. The jewelry was custom-made for me by William. Is there anything else I should ask about?"

"What will happen to these properties after you get married?" Charlotte asked, raising a question she shared with her husband. The Duchess of Devonshire probably wouldn't have time to manage these things.

“Charlotte, you know that even if I get married, I won’t give up running the business I’m in now. That was agreed in our prenuptial agreement.” Mary smiled sweetly, remembering William’s words. “Besides, he’s willing to support me. It’s just that I’ll have to trouble you a bit more in the first year because we’re planning to go to Europe.”