Chapter 32: Country Life 26: Covert Operation
Hazel followed her sister and whispered, "Mrs. Bennet, has it been a sudden epiphany or some new idea that has struck you? I remember you were so much on good terms with Major Brown at the ball, but why do you change your mind about putting me up with him now?"
Mrs. Bennett turned and pulled her back, motioning her to keep her voice down. "Hush, don't let anyone hear. I carefully examined his financial situation and quality of life that day, and I don't think this matter can be so hasty."
She said seriously, "I've found out everything. He can buy a house in Meryton, but he'll probably be stationed in another county by this time next year. Forget about young girls like Lydia, but you've been away from home and traveling for half your life. It's better to find a local squire for stability. But Major Brown's character is impeccable, so don't be so hasty to reject him. What if you can't find someone better?"
Heather admired her sister's advanced view on blind dates, but she still planned that if Major Brown showed his willingness to propose again, she would once again reject him completely.
However, Major Brown did not seem to have this intention. He hardly spoke to Hazel alone, but just sat aside and watched his daughter play with the ladies of the Bennett family.
Major Brown's daughter, Julie, recently turned five, is a shy but well-mannered girl. Major Brown explained that she lived in her hometown of Hampshire until she was three, and only returned from the age of four to stay with her father for a period of time in the latter half of each year after he settled in his new station.
Julie was a very bright child. She had seven or eight grandchildren living with her grandmother in Hampshire, and although her mother died and there was no one to read her bedtime stories, she had taught herself about 800 words from hymns in Sunday church and other reading materials.
She wasn't good with words, but she always gave a heartwarming smile when someone asked her about something. When Mary was reading Capital, she sat beside her, hugging a pillow, listening attentively, a serious expression that made Mary exclaim, "She has great taste."
Julie was obviously a lovable child. Even Mrs. Bennett, who had raised five lovely little girls, was captured by her. Before dinner began, she quietly took Heather's hand and reminded her that if she had to be a stepmother, it would be better to choose a simple and kind stepdaughter like this.
That's right, Julie was asked by Major Brown to stay and have dinner with them, but he left.
He said that he had some solo missions tonight and it was not safe to leave Julie alone at home. He did not have any other trustworthy family in Meryton, so he could only bother them and come to pick up Julie early tomorrow morning.
Mrs. Bennet agreed immediately and said they would be happy to take care of Julie for one night, give her a hot dinner and then let her sleep with a lady.
Major Brown thanked him gratefully, glanced at Heather, picked up his bag and left.
Mrs. Bennet watched him leave, then turned to Heather and sighed, "He's such a loving and considerate father. Judging from his character alone, he's a rare man." She immediately fell into a dilemma: "But he's so busy with his work, and he doesn't have any close relatives to help him. Marrying him would be tiring and worrying."
Mrs. Bennett left muttering, but Hazel stared at the direction Major Brown left for a long time.
She found it very strange. Major Brown's base was Meryton. What kind of special mission would make a major who gave orders run to Longbourn in the middle of the night? Even if it was a war to suppress bandits, it didn't make sense for him to act alone.
Heather secretly wondered in her heart, maybe he was about to run away because something had happened to him and he wanted to send his daughter to a good family to prevent her from wandering around the world with him?
However, his bag didn't look like one for running away. It probably didn't contain clothes or anything like that, but its shape was a bit strange.
Heather shook her head, closed the side door and turned back.
As Mrs. Bennett had predicted, after dinner, a violent storm broke out. For a moment, Longbourn, which had been quiet all day, was broken by the sound of wind, rain, and trees whipping the air.
Heather quickly put down what she was holding and ran to the attic to check. She was afraid that the roof of Longbourn had fallen into disrepair and that rain would leak in and damage her Echinacea.
Mary also ran up, and Mrs. Bennet shouted and directed the servants to check for leaks everywhere.
Fortunately, the roof of the grocery room was stronger than Heather had imagined. Except for the old glass window that was rattling, everything else was intact.
But Mary was in a miserable situation. Water was dripping from a corner of her room. Although she could catch the water in a basin, she was afraid she could not sleep there tonight.
Mrs. Bennet also sent her maid up to check and found out that there was a leak in the roof. She felt that the entire third floor was not safe.
She had Jane and Elizabeth sleep with Julie, and had Heather and Mary sleep on the second floor, while she sent the village bricklayer to check it over in the morning.
Heather agreed. The moment she was about to leave the utility room, a flash of lightning struck, illuminating the dark night sky like daylight. Even the mountain behind the window appeared in the darkness.
Heather grabbed Mary as she was about to go downstairs and said in a trembling voice, "Did you hear anything?"
Mary hadn't looked out the window and missed the bright flash of lightning. She listened again and asked, "What's that sound? I only hear thunder and rain."
At this moment, there were several clear noises. Mary grabbed Heather and dragged her a few steps towards the door. She said in horror, "No, Auntie, what is this sound? It seems... like the same sound we heard when we were hunting that day..."
She couldn't say the rest of the words, so Heather continued: "It's gunshots, there are gunshots in the back mountain, go, go down quickly!"
Hand in hand, they stumbled up to the first floor. The others were still in the living room, but they had already put down their needlework or books and were preparing to pack up and go to bed early.
Heather rushed into the living room and said breathlessly in front of everyone's surprised eyes: "I just heard it upstairs. There seemed to be gunshots from the back mountain. More than one shot. Mary heard it too." Mary followed behind and nodded.
Mr. Bennett took off his glasses and said calmly, "That's impossible. How could anyone be in the back mountains in such heavy rain? You might still be immersed in the excitement of hunting."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the outer window of the living room.
Boom, boom, boom, there was a series of rapid noises coming from outside.
Lydia and Kitty, who were sitting on the sofa with their backs to the window, immediately jumped up screaming and rushed to their two sisters. Jane also shrank back in panic. Only Elizabeth had the courage to look out.
"Don't be afraid!" Elizabeth pressed her two sisters into their seats and stood up. "Look, it's Lucy! Didn't she go home? Why is she here at this hour? Mrs. Morley, please open the door for her!"
Lucy was the youngest daughter of a tenant farmer in the Bennet family. She had lived at Longbourn for over a decade and had been raised by the Bennet family. It wasn't until she was sixteen that she was sent to do light work. Although her clumsy hands and feet often caused Mrs. Bennet's complaints, she was still different from ordinary servants in her master's house.
Lucy was only covered with a cloak, which was obviously useless in such a heavy rain. Her hair was wet and stuck to her face. She was led into the living room by Mrs. Morley in a mess. Her brother came with her. He said hello to Mrs. Morley and went to stay with the other servants.
Lucy came in and without waiting for anyone to ask, she immediately spoke rapidly, "Ladies and girls, it seems something happened in the back hill. My father asked me to come over and tell you. He had no work to do that afternoon, so he had a few sips of wine and seemed to have seen a few unfamiliar faces in long black trench coats heading towards the back hill. But he thought he might have been drunk and his eyes were blurry, so he didn't pay much attention to it."
"A long trench coat!" Lydia screamed. "Oh my God, Dad, maybe Auntie heard it right. There might really be gunshots in the back mountain. Maybe bandits are taking advantage of the rain to come to the village and steal money and kill people!"
Lucy added, "My dad also said that those strangers had bulges around their waists. Maybe they were hiding pistols."
Now all the ladies were so frightened that they dared not speak.
The candlelight in the room flickered. Mr. Bennett took a puff of his cigar and said, "No, a robber wouldn't wear something as conspicuous as a long trench coat. A black trench coat sounds more like someone from London."
He lowered his head and took another sip, while the others waited anxiously for him to say more.
"Besides, if they really wanted to rob someone, why would they go to the back mountain? With such good weather, they should have just come to the village during the thunder. The back mountain has been abandoned for years. There's nothing valuable there, and no one alive. It doesn't make sense to go there and shoot people."
After listening to Mr. Bennett's analysis, everyone felt a little better, as long as it was not directed at them.
But they still did not dare to separate and go to sleep in the room, so they all stayed in the living room. Mrs. Bennet also asked the servant to bring the Bible, and she wanted to pray that whatever evildoers were would stay in the back hill and not come down.
Lena went to find a thick towel and went to the kitchen to bring Lucy a cup of hot tea. They found two small stools and settled down behind the sofa where Heather was sitting, and began to talk quietly.
Lucy wiped her hair with a towel and said to Reina anxiously, "Reina, I'm actually a little scared."
Lena held her hand: "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen. We are all together." Lena had personally experienced a transnational escape. She was usually noisy, but at this moment she was terrifyingly calm.
"No, that's not what I'm afraid of." Lucy hesitated and said, "Do you remember what I told you about my neighbor Jerry? I haven't seen him since the afternoon. And when my brother and I went out just now, we passed by their window and didn't see him either. Except for him, everyone else in their family was there."
Lena frowned and asked her in a low voice: "Is it your fiancé Jerry? How could that be? Where did he go in this weather? Maybe he went to visit someone else's house? After all, his parents didn't ask the neighbors, right?"
Lucy said, "His parents don't care about this middle son at all. Even if...even if he really went to the back mountain, they wouldn't worry. But I just saw, who is that girl sitting next to Miss Jane? Why haven't I seen her before?"
Lena told her: "That's Major Brown's daughter. Her father left her here because he had something to do."
After hearing their conversation, Heather suddenly realized, yes, how come Major Brown happened to come to Longbourn today for something? Could his mission have something to do with the gunshots in the back mountain?
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