Chapter 25 Country Life 19 “Long time no see, my employer”…
Lancaster's carriage was drawn by top-quality horses, boasting exceptional speed and stability. Furthermore, his assistant, Evan, had arranged for replacement horses at the transit station in advance, ensuring his boss's comfortable and speedy arrival at Longbourn.
Darcy's carriage was used specifically to carry luggage, but due to the poor endurance of the horses, it could not keep up halfway.
Lancaster and Darcy reached the village of Longbourn in less than four hours, that is, the carriage carrying them arrived at the gate of Netherfield Manor before twelve o'clock in the morning, and the one carrying the luggage was expected to arrive three hours later.
After entering the manor, the butler told Mr. Darcy that the owner, Mr. Bingley, his sisters, and his brother-in-law were all visiting Mr. Bennett's house. Because a hunting party was to be held the next day, the Bennetts had invited some acquaintances to their home for lunch to discuss the hunting event tomorrow.
Darcy asked the butler to prepare the best guest room for Mr. Lancaster first, and then asked him if he would like to attend the Bennett family's lunch event.
Nowadays, some of the prominent gentry in Longbourn like to imitate the London aristocracy and have their first meal at one or two o'clock in the afternoon, and Mrs. Bennet always prepares an extra amount of food to show respect when inviting guests to her home, so they can catch lunch at this time without being too rude.
Lancaster naturally agreed.
Neither of them knew that the other had someone they were eager to see, but they both chose to simply tidy up their appearance and set off immediately.
The Bennet household was unusually lively at this time. Not only were there the regulars Sir Lucas and his family, as well as Mr. Bingley, but even Miss Bingley, after sharing the hardships with Heather, had awkwardly dragged her sister along to meet new friends. After all, sitting in Netherfield staring blankly at her sister every day was both boring and a waste of the beautiful countryside. For the wealthy, free from worries about making a living, socializing was the backbone and a necessity of life.
Lunch had not yet begun and everyone was chatting in the living room. Miss Bingley and Mary were sitting on the sofa opposite Heather. As they were facing the window, Miss Bingley was the first to notice the people riding up.
"Oh my God, look, isn't that Mr. Darcy riding this way? Oh my God, Mr. Darcy is back from London!"
She excitedly dropped the book in her hand, stood up and looked outside.
When they heard that Mr. Darcy had come, the others were not very excited, but a little surprised. After all, Mr. Darcy had disappeared for a long time, and people like Lydia and Kitty who didn't care about him had almost forgotten him.
Mr. Bingley was very excited. He walked quickly to the window and looked out happily. "Hey, Darcy is back early! I thought he planned to stay in London. I guess he doesn't want to miss this great opportunity to hunt with me!"
Elizabeth took Jane to the window and asked curiously, "Mr. Darcy really likes hunting so much? I thought he had no interest in hunting like dancing. But who did Mr. Darcy come with? It seems that there is a gentleman next to him whom I have never seen before."
This remark aroused everyone's interest, and even Mr. Bingley was puzzled as to how Darcy had made new friends in such a short time.
Lydia also came close to Jane and said, "Oh, my God, they are coming. Kitty, come and see, that unfamiliar gentleman is so handsome. Although I can't see it clearly, I dare say he is definitely several times more handsome than Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley."
Miss Bingley pursed her lips and muttered, "I don't think there are any men in the world who are much more handsome than Charles and Mr. Darcy." But she still followed everyone to the window.
When they got closer and dismounted from their horses, the ladies returned to their seats, pretending to be calm as they waited for the new guests to arrive. Mr. Bingley went to the front door to greet his friend.
Although Heather didn't go to the window to join in the fun, she was still a little curious. After all, in the original book, Darcy didn't have any other friends to bring to Longbourn to play together.
The short distance of a few meters seemed particularly long, or perhaps the gentlemen did exchange greetings for a while at the door, but in any case, everyone in the room was absent-minded and anxiously waiting.
Finally, Mr. Bingley came in. He turned sideways and behind him was Mr. Darcy, who had not appeared for a long time.
"Ladies and gentlemen, everyone knows my good friend Darcy, so I won't introduce him any further. I'd like to introduce this new friend to you, Mr. Robert Lancaster, a lawyer in London. Darcy just told me that this gentleman is a very capable barrister!"
Mr. Darcy still looked aloof. He leaned forward slightly, saluted, and then stepped aside.
At this time, the people in the living room could really see the gentleman who came in last.
Everyone thought of Lydia's assertion. He was indeed more handsome than Mr. Darcy. He also seemed more arrogant, cold, and unapproachable than Mr. Darcy. His pale blue eyes seemed emotionless, their cold glance making everyone lose the courage to stand up and greet him.
At this moment, Heather jumped up from the sofa, breaking the strange silence that lasted for a few seconds.
"Mr. Lancaster! It's Mr. Lancaster, right? Oh my God, how come you are here!"
Although they had exchanged more than a dozen letters, becoming close allies in some sense, Heather had only met Lancaster twice, and that was several months ago. If Lancaster hadn't looked so unusual, she would have forgotten him long ago, given her blindness to Western faces.
Lancaster felt pleased that she wasn't looking at him with confused eyes, wondering who he was.
Lancaster took off his hat and performed a standard aristocratic salute without any compromise. Then he stood up straight, stared at Heather and said word by word: "Long time no see, my employer."
"Employer?" Puzzled voices echoed in the room.
Heather was a little confused about the situation, but she was also a little happy, as if an old friend who hadn't seen her for many years had suddenly come to her after traveling across mountains and rivers.
She walked over to Lancaster and turned to explain to everyone, "This is my estate lawyer. I met him through my dear brother. Earl Lawrence left some property in England, and I entrusted Mr. Lancaster to help with the inheritance issue. Mr. Lancaster has been very helpful to me."
Mrs. Bennett couldn't sit still. "Inheritance? Oh, sister, why didn't you tell me there was any other inheritance, any inheritance that needed to be handled by a London lawyer!"
With outsiders present, Heiser didn't intend to elaborate. "There are just some remaining issues that need to be dealt with. I'm not sure of the specific outcome, so I want to tell you after everything is settled."
Mrs. Bennet was about to ask more, but Lancaster spoke first, "The rules of inheritance are too harsh and have not yet been resolved. It's just that I was planning to take a vacation these days, and I was invited by Mr. Darcy to watch your hunting activities."
Mrs. Bennet was not too disappointed. She just said, "I have long known that this inheritance law will not make any woman feel good. I hope Mr. Lawyer will take more care of this matter. It would be best if you can win some property for my poor sister."
She added enthusiastically, "Country hunting is a wonderful way to relax. Mr. Lawyer, you must experience it."
Lancaster nodded slightly.
The others had many questions, too. How had the lawyer from Hessel become friends with Mr. Darcy? How many days would the lawyer stay at Longbourn? How old was Mr. Lancaster, and was he married?
However, until the end of lunch, no one dared to question Lancaster. Because his expressionless face was too imposing, he rarely answered any other questions except those spoken to by Heather. He could only respond with a single word to questions like whether the journey was tiring, not to mention other more personal topics.
However, the Bennet family quickly accepted his indifference and even began to understand Mr. Darcy's arrogance in their hearts. Compared with the elites from the city, Mr. Darcy seemed much more approachable.
After dinner, Heather immediately suggested that she and Mr. Lancaster go for a walk alone. As a noble widow, she was not bound by the authority of her husband or father, and had greater social autonomy than unmarried women. It was not too unusual for her to talk alone with a lawyer in the middle of the day.
Lancaster's presence made others afraid to talk freely, so Heather led him out easily.
They walked slowly along the ridges of the countryside. At this time, Longbourn was full of golden waves of wheat. Unlike the crowded and noisy London, the vast sky and fresh air here always made people relax.
With the communication foundation of those dozen letters, they started chatting naturally.
Lancaster had just mentioned that there had been no progress on the property matter, so Heather stopped asking him about business. They rambled on about a variety of topics, including but not limited to the issues discussed in their letter, the follow-up of the case, the new dessert shop in London, and the bustling factory.
It was not until she reached the edge of the field that Heather realized she was heading up a mountain. She hadn't been up a mountain since the Davis incident.
"By the way, Mr. Lancaster, do you remember the silver leaves in the woods behind the mountain that I mentioned in my letter? After that, I never dared to drag the girls with me there again, but I looked for it in books for a long time, and I think it looks a lot like a plant that grows in South America after it withers."
Lancaster certainly remembered it. He had long discovered that although she had not received much education, she had done in-depth research in the field of plants. Some of her views were not even mentioned by many botanical experts in London.
"Well, I happen to be here. Can I go back and take a look at the scene now?"
Heather agreed. If she wanted to find a trustworthy man who could accompany her up the mountain, Mr. Lancaster seemed to be the most suitable candidate.
Heather still remembered the road she had taken that day. She had secretly left some marks on the trees when she went down the mountain. In addition, it had not rained in Longbourn for more than ten days, so it didn't take long for them to see the silver dead leaves on the ground.
They are smaller and darker in color than last time, but if you look carefully you can still find some remaining traces.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
