Chapter 31: Jade Rabbit attends the wedding and Adrian Moran is subjected to all kinds of...
In St. James's Church in Piccadilly, Jane and Mr. Bingley solemnly vowed to stay together for life, signed their names on the marriage certificate, and became legal husband and wife.
At such a moment, even though she was a reserved Jane, her face was filled with visible happiness and joy and beautiful expectations for the future. Mr. Bentley even laughed his silliest laugh.
The guests who watched the ceremony were all the closest relatives and friends of the two newlyweds, and they all smiled kindly. Only Mrs. Bennet was crying and laughing at the same time. She shouted, "I said Jane and Charles would be together. From the first day he rented Netherfield Manor, I knew he was destined to be my son-in-law. Oh, a son-in-law with an annual income of 5,000 pounds, they will definitely be happy." Then she sobbed with happiness.
Alice, the oldest sister in the audience, sat next to her parents in the front row of the bride's family. Accustomed to her mother's voice, she simply smiled at Jane on the stage. Adrian Moran, a distinguished guest invited by the groom, sat in the first row across the aisle, second row. He was exposed to the brunt of Mrs. Bennett's cries, but seemed unaffected. He was simply a little moody, his expression distant, and difficult to get along with.
The guests stood up and followed the newlyweds out of the church. Someone had been arranged outside the door to scatter colored confetti. The colorful decorations added a more festive atmosphere to the wedding.
The wedding ended at around eleven o'clock, and everyone walked to the next location amidst a trail of colorful paper.
Alice slowed down her pace and waited for Adrian Moran, who had deliberately lagged behind. "Sir, what are your thoughts on today's wedding?"
"I don't have any special feelings, Miss Alice." Having not spoken for several days, the man tried to maintain a normal tone. "You know, I've presided over many weddings like this. Even my blessings to each newlywed are equally sincere."
"It sounds like any wedding will no longer affect your personal emotions as Mr. Adrian Moran. All you have is the pure blessing as a clergyman." Alice casually picked off some colored paper that was stuck to the brim of her hat and was about to fall off.
"Yes, miss, you can say that." The man's tone was still indifferent.
"Even this moment of joy can't touch you?" Alice looked at the man and received a nod in response. She continued, "Are you determined not to experience such happiness?"
"How can you be sure that I'm not happy enough right now?" He looked dazed, as if trying to reassure himself, "Happiness comes in different forms. I'm fine the way I am."
"That's true, but don't you really want anything else?" Alice said with a look of disbelief.
The man didn't look at her and answered irrelevantly, "I recently got a rabbit, and the house has become quite lively."
Alice glanced at him, a hint of amusement in her smile, and stopped talking.
The church was very close to the wedding room where the wedding banquet was held. It took about ten minutes to walk there.
Mr. Bentley bought the Grosvenor townhouse he had previously rented as his wedding home, becoming longtime neighbors with his sister and brother-in-law. Today, the house finally welcomed its new mistress, and Ms. Bentley officially handed over the reins.
The servants began preparing the wedding dishes early in the morning, waiting for the host to take the guests home.
Men, women, young and old who attended the wedding wore various hats according to etiquette. When they entered the newlyweds' house, they took off their hats and handed them to the servants to hang up.
In front of Alice at this time was an old man with sparse white hair, and the brown-haired young man next to him was not much better off than him.
She couldn't help but turn her gaze to the blond gentleman beside her. His hair was thick and shiny, which she loved. It was probably like the Golden Fleece in Western legend.
Before the banquet started, everyone chatted in the lounge.
Mrs. Bennet arrived in London yesterday, but her attention has been on Jane. Now that the marriage is over, the two finally have legal status, and nothing can separate the couple. As she relaxed, she suddenly recalled seeing many young and respectable gentlemen at the wedding, and immediately remembered that her other precious daughter was still looking for an aristocratic husband in London.
She grabbed Alice, who had just entered the lounge, and asked loudly, "Alyssa, you've been dating so many nobles recently, so you must have found a suitable husband, right? There are so many outstanding young men in London, so don't be too picky. It's always better to marry the richest one among them. It's best to find someone richer than Mr. Bingley. After all, you are so good at making money, dear."
Although the hall was noisy, the man not far away could still hear the loud voice clearly. His expression finally changed.
Without waiting for Alice to reply, Mrs. Bennet looked at the young men entering the hall one by one. Many of them had hairstyles that were not suitable for their age. "Oh, what's wrong with the gentlemen in London? They are not as good as in our town of Meryton. At least it's hard to tell whether they are of marriageable age."
Mrs. Bennet winked at her daughter and suddenly noticed the handsome man standing nearby. More importantly, his hair looked very healthy. Her old weakness for handsome young men, which had lasted from her youth, came back to haunt her. She said directly, "You are the most handsome man I have ever seen. With such beauty and demeanor, you must be a nobleman of some note. I wonder which duke or earl you are?"
Adrian Moran's expression became a little strange, and to others it seemed that his face became even colder.
Thinking she was being looked down upon, Mrs. Bennet immediately turned hostile and said to her beloved daughter, "Ah, it looks like a second Mr. Darcy. This kind of gentleman has no idea how to be gentle and considerate to his wife. Forget it."
Now, not only did Adrian Moran's face turn frozen, but Mr. Darcy, who came over and wanted to greet him politely, also looked ugly.
Seeing the others there, Mr. Bingley came over with Jane, Elizabeth, and Mr. Bennett. He greeted everyone warmly, "Mother, I'm glad to finally be able to address you like that in public."
"Oh, dear sir, I am so happy too." Mrs. Bennet said in a tone that said, "You are the youngest I value most at this moment." She also glared at the man who was unqualified in her eyes. "Indeed, only a gentleman as polite, kind and modest as you is worthy of marrying my precious daughter."
Adrian Moran managed to keep his expression from getting worse.
Mr. Darcy, who continued to listen attentively, said: "..."
Mr. Bingley was completely oblivious to the two's expressions. He spoke with an eagerness to fully integrate into the Bennett family. He said to Alice in a lively tone, "Alyssa, now we are truly brother and sister."
"Charles, haven't you already gotten into this role?" Alice laughed at him.
Jane glanced at her new husband and smiled. Mr. Bingley smiled too. The place was full of cheer, except for two certain gentlemen.
Mr. Bentley, however, was oblivious to all this. He noticed the guest he had specially invited and couldn't help but share his joy. "Mr. Moran, it's great that you can come. I hope today's happiness and joy can be passed on to you as well."
As he spoke, his emotions grew stronger, and he raised his voice to address the guests: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor for you to attend my wedding with my wife Jane. Now that I have such happiness, I dare not selfishly enjoy it to myself. I must tell everyone about it so that everyone knows the preciousness of being united with love. I wish the unmarried ladies and gentlemen present will find their soulmates as soon as possible."
The guests were all making a noise, and Jane felt a little embarrassed and moved to the side behind her sister and husband.
Mrs. Bennet immediately greeted the guests like a hostess, which made Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley, who were originally entertaining acquaintances, feel a little disgusted. However, they did not say anything in the end. Instead, they cleaned up the mess made by the lady who spoke inconsiderately. After all, they were already relatives.
Mr. Bennett took up the conversation with his new son-in-law, "I dare not accept such a blessing lightly. Although I am reluctant, I think Elizabeth and Alyssa will be married soon. If this blessing happens to have only two places, Mary and I will be left in the noisiest group of people in the world, and I will soon have to move in with Alyssa and the third son-in-law whose name I don't know, the little doctor has to save our ears." As he spoke, he looked at his two daughters with a slightly exaggerated expression.
Alice looked at the gentleman next to her who looked extremely bad but was pretending to be indifferent, then looked at her truthful mother, silly brother-in-law and humorous father. She didn't expect that the destructive power of these three people together was so great, almost catching up with Wickham.
The wedding banquet lasted a day, but Adrian Moran said goodbye to the two newlyweds in advance, saying that he had some business to attend to in the church.
"Sir." John came forward, but only received a cold face from his own master.
He asked cautiously, "Didn't the wedding trip go well?" Haven't you reconciled with Miss Alice yet?
"The couple loved each other, the ceremony was sacred, the reception was lively, and nothing went wrong."
John quietly raised his eyelids to observe his husband's expression. It clearly looked like things were not going well.
"Since you have the time to say these things, then you must have the time to clean the living room." Adrian Moran hung his cloak at the door himself, turned around and looked at the servant coldly.
John, who had inquired for information and ended up getting himself involved, immediately shut up and lowered his head to prepare to carry out the order.
"Have you delivered food to the rabbit?" the owner of the house called him again.
"Of course, I've already put all the fruits in your bedroom."
After hearing the reply, the man continued to go upstairs.
There was no sign of the rabbit upstairs. He didn't pay much attention to it. The rabbit wasn't always around, nor was it particularly clingy. She'd often disappear, then suddenly pop out, hiding somewhere unknown. She only reappeared at night, just as he was sleeping. She'd take a few bites of food when she wanted it, and leave it alone when she didn't. He'd instructed John to prepare three meals a day to prevent her from going hungry. Even though he'd only had her for three days, he'd already gotten used to her.
This time, his absence was exceptionally long. After going to church to sort out some backlogged matters from his recent daytime absences, Adrian Moran returned to the second floor and sat in his study, vacantly flipping through three books, unable to concentrate. Putting down his most recent one, he simply held out his palm to the rabbit that had leaped onto the study windowsill.
Miss Rabbit blinked, then lightly nestled beside the man, giving him the honor of grooming her hair.
The man's slender fingers ran from head to back, gently combing the smooth fur, his knuckles occasionally sinking into the snow-white.
Satisfied with his technique, Alice moved her back comfortably.
"Miss Rabbit," the man's deep voice sounded in my ears, "I haven't prayed to God for seven days."
"How dare my complicated emotions and despicable heart pollute God's eyes and ears?" This was followed by a long sigh.
"I once blamed that young lady for making such a light, yet so heavy, promise of a lifetime to me." Adrian Moran was lost in his own thoughts, his words lingering and unreal. "I blamed her for creating a dream and then shattering it so easily."
"It's also her fault for never restraining herself and taking it away easily..." He stretched out his other hand and carefully touched his lips bit by bit, as if he had already pawned this thing that belonged to him.
Suddenly, the man sneered. "The funniest thing is, I even blamed her for not being as kind and benevolent as I imagined. Perhaps she was the villain the villains talked about. The earth-shattering impressions of the former and the latter were just my wishful thinking."
"Regardless of whether Miss Alice had ulterior motives for opening the Tzu Chi Pharmacy, as Wickham suggests, it doesn't affect the work she did. It truly helped the poor who couldn't afford medicine or medical treatment." He seemed to be pondering how to express himself. "As for the gentleman who lost his face and voice, Mr. Bennett and Mr. Darcy have uncovered that he abducted several young girls. When a young lady elopes, not only is the abandoned young lady harmed, but also the reputation of her entire family and the happiness of her sisters' marriages. English law has always imposed heavy sentences on those of commoner origin, let alone the young lady he abducted. As long as the Bennett family is willing to go to court, Wickham will face far greater consequences than he has now lost: either hanging or exile."
"What I can't accept is that she doesn't meet my expectations and imagination, but she herself doesn't need to meet my despicable and selfish expectations." The man said with difficulty, "I projected my expectations onto Miss Alice without authorization, but I have my own intentions towards her."
The lady he was talking about squinted her eyes and leaned on the table, nodding slightly, continuing to enjoy the man's unconscious and skillful combing.
He looked painful and embarrassed: "It turns out that I still have expectations for marriage and family." Alice sat up and opened her eyes wide.
"But this isn't fair to her. We're actually from two different worlds. She's bold and uninhibited, and I'm afraid of losing my peace." The man scoffed. "My feelings for her may just be a yearning, a hope for nourishment, but I can't offer anything in return. I'm just cowardly and despicable."
How could there be such a fool? A rabbit paw hit the man on the head, interrupting his mood.
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The author has something to say: Mr. Bentley thrust his sword.
Mrs. Bennett threw the dart, whoosh whoosh...
Mr. Bennett used the Rain of Pear Blossom Needles.
Adrian Moran fell to the ground, riddled with wounds.
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