Chapter 38: Country Life 32: Solving Worries
Mrs. Bennett won a battle that she herself thought she had no chance of winning. She walked around the room radiantly, as if she had inhaled an overdose of stimulants.
"Oh! My dear sister, you're a genius! How did you come up with such a brilliant trick to trick her?" She clapped her hands excitedly, spit flying everywhere, not considering the consequences of her lies being exposed. "Did you see the expression on Mrs. Brooke's face when she left just now? I bet she didn't suspect a thing!"
Heather rested her chin on the armrest of the sofa with one hand, enjoying her sister's silly and happy look. She scanned the expressions of her nieces from left to right. Lydia and Kitty obviously shared the same idea as their mother, while Elizabeth and Mary seemed to be vaguely aware that something was wrong.
"Oh, really? I don't know if I've fooled others, but I'm sure I've fooled you, my dear sister." Heather raised the corners of her mouth with a malicious look, staring at her sister, not wanting to miss any exciting scene.
Playing with someone like Mrs. Bennett, who is mentally strong and has her own logic but not very smart, really makes people feel free of psychological burden.
Mrs. Bennett continued her own train of thought with excitement for several sentences before she realized what Hazel had just said.
She waved the crumpled handkerchief and squeezed next to Hazel. "Lie to me? What did you lie to me about? My dear sister."
As expected, women become bad when they have money. After enjoying her increasingly confused expression for a while, Heather finally spoke up, "What I mean is, who told you I just made it up to trick Mrs. Brooke? I wouldn't dare tell such a lie that would be exposed in a minute. But it doesn't count as a dowry, so whether Jane gets married or not, just consider it her 22nd birthday present."
As soon as she said this, the only sound in the living room was the sound of rapid breathing.
Elizabeth was the first to react. She unconsciously lowered her voice and asked, "Aunt, is this true?"
Heather smiled and said, "It's true. Do you think I carry a fake bank certificate with me?" She handed the thing in her hand to Elizabeth, who took it carefully. The thin piece of paper seemed more valuable than the king's crown.
Heather continued, "My lawyer came to tell me this before. Now most of the property has been transferred to my name. I didn't dare tell you before I was sure because I was afraid you would spread rumors. I hope you've learned your lesson this time."
Mrs. Bennett's expression remained dazed for a moment, making one wonder if she hadn't understood a single word since then. A few seconds later, she suddenly clutched her chest and dramatically collapsed onto the sofa. But before anyone could rush over to check, she straightened up again, letting out a scream that pierced the roof.
“Oh my God!!”
——
"So, the Lancaster lawyer has successfully handled the inheritance matters?" asked Mr. Gardner.
The children were sent out and the adults' meeting officially began.
Heather nodded. "The movable property part is basically a problem. Only some final procedures are still in progress. Lancaster is still trying to help me find a way to obtain the manor and land that the Earl previously purchased in England. But as you know, the hope of this part is rather slim."
Mr. Gardner agreed, then asked, "So what are you going to do with the money?"
"Well," said Hessel, "I want to try to do what I want with it. But I plan to sell some of the bonds first and use them to buy a property in London. I have asked Lancaster to help me find a suitable target in London."
Mr. Gardner didn't know much about real estate, but he knew very well how much the market value of the house he lived in had increased in the past ten years, so he also thought buying a house was a good choice.
"Although the London house doesn't come with the land income, it appreciates very quickly. If you don't want to live there anymore, renting it out will provide a stable income. If there's anything you can't do alone, ask me or your sister-in-law to come along."
Heather accepted her brother's kindness.
Mrs. Bennett saw that their conversation had come to an end, and then she spoke cautiously, "Hazel, I'm still a little unsure. Do you really want to give Jane so much money for no reason? I mean, Jane is the most grateful child. You've been so good to her. When you're old, she'll definitely treat you like her own mother!"
Heather was choked by her sister and was speechless. She was only seven years older than Jane and really couldn't treat Jane as her daughter.
She picked up the black tea on the table and took a sip before she felt better.
"Really? I won't take back what I've said. And if any of my other nieces need help in the future, I'll provide financial support, and the same goes for Lily and Helena from my brother's family. However, I have conditions for all this. These aren't conditions for my nieces, but for you, my sister."
Mrs. Bennett laughed silently at the first half of the sentence, but quickly shut her mouth at the last and sat up straight.
"Go on, Hazel. You know I always listened to you."
Mr. Gardner had always been puzzled by this. Even before his sisters got married, the elder sister listened most to Hazel. She often ignored the words of her brother, who was three years younger than her, unlike other families who flattered their younger brother because he would inherit the family fortune.
On the contrary, she often tried to dictate her brother's decisions, but almost never went against her sister's instructions, even following her sister's advice on choosing a marriage partner.
As it turned out, after she married Mr. Bennett, who had a certain amount of wealth, she at least did not encounter any financial difficulties.
Heather glanced at Mrs. Bennett and said, "You did listen to me before, but not now." In fact, she was also very curious about how the original owner had controlled her sister. Now she could only try to hang a carrot in front of her sister to see if it would work.
They were the only adults in the living room, so Hazel spoke frankly.
"My conditions are simple. If you do them, I'll fulfill my promise. First and foremost, be less self-centered in front of outsiders and tell more respectable lies. Sister, I vaguely remember we trained before you got married. It's actually very simple. Never reveal your true colors. Even if you're happy, you must restrain yourself and wait for others to compliment you instead of actively expressing them. Do you understand?"
Mrs. Bennett recalled the training her sister gave her when she first met Mr. Bennett. She was so miserable under the training of the upper-class lady's rules that Mr. Bennett said she became more lively after marriage.
Mr. Bennett suddenly realized why his wife, who was a quiet, shy lady when they first met, had become increasingly simple-minded after they got married. It turned out that it was his sister who had suppressed her nature.
"Secondly, when I return to London, I will immediately find a suitable governess and send her to Longbourn. You must promise me that you will cooperate with the governess to help Kitty and Lydia improve their character and morals."
Mrs. Bennet murmured, "Kitty and Lydia will not be willing to do this. I bet they can't sit still for a minute."
Heather said: "I won't let the tutor arrange too many courses for them. I will focus more on the shaping of their character and thoughts. I will communicate with the tutor regularly to understand their progress. If they don't want to, then they can't expect to get a penny from me. You can let them make their own choice."
Mrs. Bennet hastened to promise that she would urge her two little daughters to study hard. When she heard about the money, she became extremely serious and almost swore to the sky with the Bible.
"There is one last thing I want to discuss with you."
Heather said this in a very formal manner, and even Mr. Bennett and Mr. and Mrs. Gardner, who had been listening silently with their heads down, looked over curiously.
"Sister, I want Mary to live with me in London in the future. I don't mean just a temporary stay, but a long-term one. I will cover all her living expenses, and if she wants to get married in the future, I will help her arrange the wedding. You have so many daughters, and I will inevitably be lonely if I live alone in the future. Why not let Mary come with me?"
Mrs. Bennett's eyes widened again, and she leaned forward slightly, her head tilted to one side, as if trying to process what she had just heard.
"Is it like our old neighbor, Aunt Mia, adopted her nephew? Are you going to adopt Mary? Mary??"
Heather said, "It's not an adoption, and there are no formalities required. In a sense, I do want to take over Mary's guardianship in exchange for her companionship, but you are still her immediate family, and that won't change. However, if I ever run my own business, I will consider Mary's opinions and her talents before deciding whether to let her take over. What do you think?"
Mr. Bennett obviously had no objection: "I already have enough daughters. If anyone wants, they can choose any one of them. But are you sure you want to choose Mary? I think Lizzie seems more suitable."
Heather knew that Mr. Bennett hoped Elizabeth would have the opportunity to visit London, but she believed that Elizabeth would have plenty of opportunities to go there on her own in the future.
"Yes, sir, I choose Mary. Lizzie is a clever child, but Mary and I get along better. What do you think, sister?"
Mrs. Bennet looked rather funny now, with her shawl askew and her handkerchief stained with tea, but she paid no attention to any of this.
She spoke incoherently, "I agree... I mean, I... I certainly have no objection and I fully support it. Heather, I've always thought that a wealthy single aunt should take on the responsibility of raising a niece. It's like raising a child of your own choosing; it always makes life more interesting."
After she finally understood all the conditions, she couldn't help but want to pull everyone in the room for a spin so that she could release her joy.
What is this? It's like pie in the sky. There are only benefits and no disadvantages.
Aside from having to slightly restrain her instincts to accommodate her sister's request, there wasn't anything to worry about. Lydia and Kitty were even more popular with the ladies after they had a governess, and Mary, lacking the sociability of her older sisters, had already accomplished a difficult task by bringing her to London. She couldn't think of any reason to refuse.
She stood up from her seat and walked to Hazel, repeatedly expressing her determination: "Hazel, I agree, I fully support every word you say. When you come back next time, you will definitely see a decent and kind lady and two elegant and graceful nieces. Don't worry, I will take care of all this. You just need to take Mary and do your thing!"
Heather agreed hesitantly. She decided to find a tutor as soon as possible to prevent the disaster caused by her youthful ignorance from happening again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
