Chapter 94 Daily Life of a Noblewoman 8 The World Stops for You
The salty sea water beat against the rocks on the shore, and the sound of horns never stopped. Everyone on the dock was talking at the top of their lungs. Heather shouted a few times and found that the people on the opposite side not only did not speed up their pace but stayed where they were, which made her even more anxious.
Several people around Theodore were walking towards a large boat parked on the shore. Some of them were carrying large boxes, and some were wearing thick coats that were not suitable for the season. They seemed to be going somewhere very far. Fortunately, Theodore had not yet boarded the boat.
Heather grabbed him, afraid that he would turn around and leave: "Hey, did you not hear me, or are you not going to do my business anymore? The last time that happened is over, and now I have something new to ask you."
Theodore glanced behind her with an uncertain expression and asked, "What's the matter? I'm afraid I don't have much time right now."
Heather was about to ask if he was going on a long trip, but without further ado, she showed him the ticket. "Do you know where these private tickets are sold? It says seat 42. Can I use this seat number to find the seller?"
Theodore glanced down and said, "You're looking for the ticket seller? He's right in front of you."
Heather was overjoyed. It was such a coincidence, she had gotten it without any effort. She quickly asked, "This ticket was found on a man named Wickham. Do you know him? He kidnapped a little girl. Can you help find her?"
Theodore looked at the man getting closer and closer, then glanced at the flagged ship next to him. He spoke quickly, "I know him. He found me in the tavern one night last week, with a girl of fifteen or sixteen. He secretly came to me without the girl's knowledge and asked me to exchange a piece of jewelry for a boat ticket and 50 pounds.
How much are you going to give?"
Heather saw that he didn't want to stay any longer, so she immediately took out a wad of banknotes from her handbag and secretly stuffed it into his hand: "Three hundred pounds, tell me everything you know."
Theodore didn't even count the money this time, and put it directly into his breast pocket. "No. 28, White Dove Street. The girl is being guarded there by a middle-aged woman. This is what the man gave me in exchange."
He handed over the familiar diamond anklet, glanced ahead, and cautiously took a step back to distance himself from Heather.
Heather looked behind her in confusion and found that Lancaster had also followed her.
They stood facing each other, and the atmosphere of confrontation was so obvious that everyone around them subconsciously avoided their corner, leaving a quiet space.
Heather noticed something was wrong, stepped back to Lancaster's side, and asked suspiciously, "Do you know each other?"
Lancaster stared at the young man across from him expressionlessly, but his tone was as brisk and excited as a cat that had suddenly caught a mouse. "If I'm not too old to remember faces, then I believe this is the nephew I mentioned before, my heir. Let me think, shouldn't you be attending court or just sobering up in a casino at this hour? Why are you here, Mr. Westin?"
Heather's mood was no calmer than Lancaster's.
Theodore had always been a mysterious figure in Heather's mind. He loved money like his life, was well-informed, and his appearance and temperament were incompatible with the docks and taverns. His indulgent private life and reliable work style made him difficult to understand. The heir to Lancaster, whom many mistakenly believed to be his own son, was also a mysterious figure.
And just today, these two unrelated characters were equated.
Heather suddenly realized: "It turns out that this Westin is really that Westin. It turns out that you agreed to my brother's request for legal advice and then stood me up!" If he hadn't broken his promise, she probably wouldn't have had any intersection with Lancaster at all.
Theodore had long forgotten the promises he made casually in social situations. He was always generous in other places outside the tavern, but whether he could succeed in not charging money depended on the other party's luck.
Theodore ignored Heather and looked at Lancaster warily, feeling both terrified and pleased. "My dear uncle, how could a useless person like me deserve your attention? Do you know me well? I thought you would be away from London for at least two weeks, but you're here before the holiday is over."
Lancaster's face suddenly darkened, and he narrowed his eyes. He had indeed never taken this nephew seriously, but he could not tolerate being provoked by such a useless kid.
"Oh, really? It seems you no longer take me seriously. Is it because the long-planned event is about to be completed? Haven't you considered that with just one word from me, no ship can leave this dock today, and everyone will have to wait here to prevent smugglers from taking the opportunity to escape?"
Theodore swallowed hard, trying not to show weakness. "You won't do that." He looked the man in the eye stubbornly. "You can't stop my mother from defecting, and you can't stop me from defecting."
These words are quite serious. It seems that Theodore is determined to stick to his decision today.
Heather looked left and right, and decided she should give them some time alone together, so she walked to a flat rock a few steps away, sat down, and began to stare at the water in a daze.
Lancaster's eyes followed her figure and only looked away when he saw her stop in a safe place.
He took a step closer, calmed himself down a bit, and forced himself to recall how Hazel usually interacted with his nieces. "Theodore, so where do you want to go? To the colonies? Or to the Spanish Netherlands? I don't understand what you're thinking of doing, but maybe you should consider your mother and your brothers and sisters. I know you're still secretly supporting them."
Theodore never expected that his uncle, who always spoke in a sarcastic tone and had a condescending attitude, would admonish him in such a kind voice, as if his uncle had been suddenly moved by the Virgin Mary without his knowledge.
His rebelliousness, which had just been aroused, was extinguished by these words, allowing him to calm down and speak: "I have made every preparation to go to America, that new world full of hope. I have money, manpower, supplies, and even merchant ships and connections to and from England. I will not never come back. I will come back when I have accomplished what I want to do."
Lancaster was puzzled. "What do you want to do? You mean make money? Is the money there worth giving up the title, the bright future, and the ancestral property of the Lancaster family that is within your reach? Do you think you can make more money overseas?"
Theodore turned his head to look at the calm sea. He had heard countless times from shipping merchants about the real crises on the ocean, and had questioned himself countless late nights whether he should take such a big risk to fight for an uncertain future. The answer was yes.
He buttoned his collar tightly, staring at the large ship ready to sail, suppressing his pounding heartbeat and trying his best to convince his uncle: "Uncle, you've lived in the Duke's estate since you were a child, associating with the most respectable and upper-class people. You've probably never had a fight on the smelly docks with those foul-mouthed kids who will never get ahead in their lives. In fact, I heard my father talk about my mother's identity when I was very young, and I resented them countless times. If they hadn't been married, I would have been a noble young man wearing a bow tie and sitting in a carriage, instead of a dispensable rat in the gutter."
Lancaster did not rebuke his fantasy, but simply stated the facts objectively: "Now you have everything you wanted. You wore the most expensive dress to attend the court banquet. Those people would never imagine that you shook hands with the Regent."
"Yes, I thought I got what I wanted." Theodore turned his head. A dirty child ran past them and bumped into his boots. He looked at the child making a face as he walked away and said, "Those are all your things. None of them truly belong to me. I want wealth that no one can ever take away. I want to be one of the richest people. I never, ever want to go back to the slums again."
"So please let me try. No one wants the money more than I do, and I'm sure I'll succeed if I get on that ship."
After learning of Lydia's whereabouts, Heather felt the sea breeze and her irritability dissipated a lot. Lydia was most likely defrauded. As long as she could bring her home safely, it would be the damned Wickham's turn to pay the price.
Until a shadow appeared above her head, blocking most of the sunlight. Hazel looked up and saw only Lancaster.
She stretched and asked, "You let him go? Aren't you afraid that your sister will blame you for not stopping him?"
Lancaster watched the ships coming and going at the dock in silence for a while before saying, "She won't, because she made the same choice herself."
This was really not a good place for a conversation, not even as good as any quiet path in Longbourn, but he looked a little depressed. Heather looked up at his handsome face, which looked a little haggard, and sighed inwardly that her maternal instinct was overflowing.
She stood up, gave the stone to the person behind her, helped him sit down, and turned to look at him with her back to the sun.
"Then why are you so down? I can see that Theodore is not suited to being a judge. He's good at socializing, and maybe he could really make a career out there."
Lancaster reached out and smoothed the strands of hair on his forehead. He actually couldn't figure out how much of his current depression was real and how much he was pretending in front of her.
"I just suddenly feel a little powerless. I failed to help you find your niece, and I never understood Theodore. I thought I had endless power, always emphasizing my omnipotence in front of you, but in reality, I failed time and time again."
Heather was stunned for a second: "Do you think I like you because you are omnipotent and have power?"
Lancaster's heart trembled, and he subconsciously looked at the street behind him. He deeply regretted not waiting until he got back to the carriage or took her to a nearby mansion before saying that.
He suddenly stood up, wanting to suggest leaving first, but worried that if he missed it, he would never hear it again: "You... are you talking about a crush?"
Heather felt that he was making a big deal out of nothing. It wasn't a confession of love, and she felt a little embarrassed by his big reaction.
However, as an open-minded modern person, she really shouldn't be defeated by a conservative gentleman from hundreds of years ago. She pretended to be nonchalant: "Yes, your intelligence and even your appearance are far more attractive to me than power. I'm not attracted to the idea of a duke or judge. But the way you handled things with ease, the way you thought clearly and cited evidence in the face of the aggressive questioning team, and especially the way you confidently told me you didn't have to worry about anything, are so... so..."
She couldn't continue. Lancaster's eyes were too direct and burning, and his undisguised possessiveness made her instinctively want to turn around and run away.
Lancaster didn't let her escape. He didn't do anything radical in the situation. He just held out his palm to her, palm facing up, and said in a hoarse voice, "What's special?"
Heather now suspected that his recent depression and vulnerability had been dramatized, but she didn't want to run away again.
Heather reached out her hand and was uncomfortable with the thin calluses on the other person's hand.
Lancaster didn't stay long and quickly led her back.
Heather looked straight ahead and whispered, "Very charming."
A huge whistle exploded behind them, indicating that the nearest ship was about to leave the port. None of them looked back.
Lancaster clasped the hand beside him tightly, as if the world was in his palm.
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