Chapter 6: Jade Rabbit's unexpected harvest. This is what Miss Alice had anticipated...
What came to her faster than she could think of was the carriage that took the Bennett ladies to London.
"Elisa! Is this your new shop?" Lydia cried out from the window before the carriage door even opened. Her sonorous voice, inherited from Mrs. Bennett, left no doubt that they were mother and daughter.
After Lydia, Catherine, Elizabeth, and Mary, a young lady from the Bennet family who almost never left Longbourn, got out of the carriage one after another.
Curious about what kind of store Alice opened in London, the two people who jumped off the carriage first didn't wait to hug Jane, but said hello and went straight into the store.
Along with the four young ladies came Mr. Gardner and his family.
"Cousin Jane, Cousin Alyssa." Cousins who hadn't seen each other for a while also flocked over and chattered around them. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner watched the scene with a smile.
After a brief chat, everyone entered the shop. Within moments, Lydia and Catherine were already there, acting like full hosts. They asked Anna to refill the mugwort tea, then Anne to get some fruit and pastries.
Seeing Alice and others come in, Lydia was still picky and said: “Alyssa, your hospitality here is too simple, isn’t it? The snacks look like they are bought ready-made in the store. Don’t you have other maids who specialize in making some exquisite food?”
"Why, you want to give me the remaining 400 pounds?" Alice said with a half-smile.
Lydia pursed her lips and immediately pretended nothing had happened, grabbing a snack and munching on it. Catherine, who was about to open her mouth, also quickly calmed down.
After sitting for a while, Lydia found that there was no customer in the store.
“Hahahaha, Alyssa, what kind of business are you in!” She laughed loudly, and then suddenly realized something was wrong, her eyes widened: “You promised to return me double! Have you lost all my money?”
"You said that yourself. Alyssa didn't agree." Mary suddenly popped up. "However, it seems that the store hasn't sold anything. It's simply because no one comes. It's not necessarily a problem with the quality of the ointment."
"Although your uncle and I sell silks for upper-class gentlemen and ladies, our social circle is among the tailor merchants, which is definitely not the same as your ointment." Mrs. Gardner said with pity, "Perhaps you should go out more and make some friends in London's upper class."
Before Alice had time to consider Mrs. Gardner's proposal, the invitation came to her door.
"Who sent this?" Elizabeth asked, looking at the exquisite invitation in Alice's hand.
"The Darcys, Miss Darcy. She heard you were in London, and she invites you to a music-themed party she's throwing." Alice finished reading, glanced up at Elizabeth, who was still dazed, and waved the invitation in her hand, saying meaningfully, "You've come just in time."
"That's great. Although Mr. Darcy is arrogant and rude, his sister is a kind and lovely lady." Obviously Elizabeth had learned from Jane about her two meetings with Miss Darcy. Her initial impression was good, but it was not enough to cover up her prejudice against Miss Darcy's brother.
The two parties at the center of the conversation soon appeared before them. At the Darcy family residence near St. James's Palace, the hosts greeted them at the door. One was slightly shy but still maintained a friendly smile, while the other maintained a poker face.
A slight bow from both sides was enough to greet each other. As the guest, he was naturally led into the house by the servants.
Unlike the townhouse where Mr. Bingley and his brother-in-law lived, the Darcy family's London residence was a single-family house with a modest garden. Without a guide, it was hard to tell where the room was for the party.
The servants explained the functions of the rooms in the house as we passed by. After a while, we were led to the party hall, where melodious music played, making it a perfect place for conversation and socializing.
Judging from the layout of the venue, the scale of this party was between a large party and a private gathering of relatives and friends. Among the guests were the familiar Bentley family, Colonel Fitzwilliam, as well as many young gentlemen and ladies that I had never seen before. They were probably Darcy's social circle, and I didn't expect that my family would be invited to such a party.
Mr. Bentley must have looked towards the entrance many times, and when he saw them, he immediately invited them to sit together.
Catherine and Lydia had always had little interest in parties without dancing or red uniforms, and soon they began to yawn and doze off to the soothing music. Mr. Darcy, who came in later, seemed relieved to see this scene.
Miss Darcy sat at the piano, skillfully playing "Sweet Hope." Everyone quietly admired her performance. When the song ended, the stillness of the room began to stir again. Young ladies eager to showcase their talents rose and moved to their respective instruments.
There was a large empty space in the hall, revealing a conspicuous figure.
The second meeting was not what she expected. Alice raised an eyebrow.
But it's not bad.
Intent on teasing him, Alice walked over with the airs of an English lady, but with an eager look on her face.
Before he noticed her and opened his mouth to say something unpleasant, she looked past him without looking away, picked up a cup of tea neatly placed on the table next to her, and sat down at the next table.
"Mr. Moran, do you have anything to say?" She tilted her head in confusion, as if she had just noticed someone was staring at her.
"Is this what Miss Alice meant by a premonition?" Mr. Moran said jokingly.
"Yes." The tea in front of her looked very familiar. Alice gently sniffed the scent of spiritual liquid that dissipated into the air and confirmed that it was the mugwort tea used to serve customers in her shop.
"If this is the fate of the reunion that the lady spoke so confidently about before, then the relationship between the street thief and the unlucky wallet can be said to be the result of fate. Or has the lady started to plan for the next time?" He emphasized the word "premonition" and said sarcastically.
"Mr. Moran, are you already looking forward to our next meeting?" With that same confident tone, she leaned forward with a smile, approaching the upright young man. Deep, inky black eyes met with calm, azure blue, their collision creating an invisible attraction that glued their gazes together.
"It's unreasonable." The prey was awakened by the sudden footsteps. It came to its senses, broke free from the hunting net, and left in a rage.
Miss Darcy, who had finished playing the piano, saw from a distance that two of her specially invited guests were sitting together, looking unhappy. She hurried over and only heard Mr. Moran's last accusation. However, she looked around and saw that the accuser had a bad look on his face, while the one being accused was smiling and continued to sit and drink his tea.
"Miss Alice, I'm very sorry. I heard from my cousin Fitzwilliam that you have a good impression of Mr. Moran, so I thought..." Miss Darcy looked at her own expression tentatively, with some worry and self-blame on her face.
It turned out that someone had invited her specially.
"It so happens that Mr. Morland has become quite open to invitations these days," continued Miss Darcy. "It is said that if the invitation is delivered to his servant, John, we shall be able to secure his presence at the party."
"That's right, I just don't look very good usually." The little cutie said with a serious face.
Alice glanced at the person concerned and nodded.
Look, her lips are almost pressed into a straight line.
"There's also word that this was all at the request of his mother, the old Countess of Camden. Oh, Miss Alice, perhaps you don't know this," Miss Darcy explained, suddenly remembering her conversation partner's first time in London. "This Mr. Morland is the second son of the previous Earl of Camden. After the old Earl died earlier this year, the family fortune and title passed to the eldest son, leaving him with only a small amount of pounds and a canonization in Soho Parish in the City of London. But he also has a fortune that his brother doesn't have: beauty that's considered one of the best in London society. Therefore, the old Countess is determined that her son can marry a lady with a generous dowry to supplement his life. This is no secret in the circle."
"Ever since the rumor spread some time ago that I was looking for a wife for Mr. Moran, whenever he attends a party, there are always some ladies trying to strike up a conversation with him. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be happy about it. He is rude and arrogant to every lady who approaches him. Recently, his reputation among the ladies has gradually deteriorated." Miss Darcy's eyes were full of confusion as to why Miss Alice liked this type of man, and there was also a hint of tolerance for other people's hobbies.
Alice took these scratching words lightly.
It has golden hair, blue eyes, and looks like a little bit of a temper. Who wouldn’t be interested in it?
Besides, she is not a real human being, but she has strength and means[1].
I just didn't expect that this person was actually a priest.
Alice lowered her eyes and chuckled.
I really don't know what that black priest robe would look like on him.
His eyes wandered over the figure in the distance. In this good mood, he drank the tea in the cup and was about to return to Elizabeth with Miss Darcy when a lady came over with a cup of wormwood tea. As soon as she sat down, she asked in a very familiar tone, "Georgina, this tea warms me up, but it doesn't taste like the tea I usually drink. Can you tell me where you bought it?"
"Miss Sophia, this is the specialty Chinese herbal tea from Miss Alice Bennett's shop next to me. These are all from my private collection that I am treating you all today." Miss Darcy naturally introduced Alice and her shop.
"Miss Alice, since your family is doing this business, why not sell me some?" The lady called Sophia thought that this was just property registered under Alice's name. "Give me the store address and I'll have my servants go buy it."
Alice should be fine.
Gradually, several young ladies drank the mugwort tea and found it warm and delicious. They came to ask the host of the party to tell them where to buy it.
Miss Darcy not only enthusiastically recommended herbal teas and her shop, but also showed the other ladies a refreshing ointment her brother had given her. The young ladies, untouched by the ravages of smelling salts and rarely using them, simply had a present for show, and weren't particularly interested in the ointment inside. However, they were full of praise for the glass bottle's design, with some expressing their desire to buy one as a decorative waistband.
"Miss Darcy, you're so kind!" Alice knew that not only was Mr. Darcy's secret help in making today's party possible, but Miss Darcy's careful arrangements were also a part of the deal, not to mention the fact that she was helping to attract so much business. Naturally, she accepted the kindness. "May I address you as Miss Georgiana?"
"You can just call me Georgiana. Can I call you Eliza?" Miss Darcy said a little embarrassedly, and then added, "I heard Miss Bennet call you that. It's very kind and nice."
"Of course, Georgiana," Alice agreed cheerfully, adding, "The wormwood tea we gave away at the grand opening has been mostly used up at today's party. I'll have some sent over tomorrow."
If she hadn't reserved it in advance, Miss Darcy would have almost run out of mugwort tea.
The next day was the busiest day since the store opened. Many people dressed as servants came into the store and specifically asked to buy the golden drinks for the Darcy family party.
The mugwort tea was originally intended only as a special treat for guests, not for sale. She had asked Anna and the others to pack up their remaining mugwort tea in the store's gift boxes last night, but it still wasn't enough and quickly sold out. The ladies had plenty of money, and a single servant could easily buy several boxes. One servant arrived too late and didn't get the mugwort tea. Fearing the lady's resentment, he heard about another special Chinese herbal tea and bought a small amount of salvia miltiorrhiza tea to go with the order.
Miss Darcy's promotional activities at the gatherings proved successful, steadily developing a group of herbal tea enthusiasts. Alice hadn't expected her tea infused with the spiritual fluid to become more popular than the refreshing ointment, but new opportunities soon presented themselves.
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[1] This meme originates from the words of the Scorpion Demon in Pipa Cave in the TV series Journey to the West, and has become a common meme on the Internet.
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