Chapter 6 First Arrival in London 6 "Partners...?"...
"Mr. Lancaster, what brings you here?"
Heather, who was called out by the maid, looked at the distracted lawyer in confusion.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Lawrence. I was just passing by and wanted to show you the application I prepared, but I think I disturbed you."
Heather took Lancaster to another empty lounge and said, "We are just chatting, what's the big deal?"
She took the application and glanced at Lancaster again: "Did you stay up late to work overtime? Did you finish it so quickly?"
Lancaster asked, "It's just a simple application. How did you know you needed to stay up all night to write it?"
Heather muttered quietly, "Because you already have dark circles under your eyes."
Lancaster looked at the woman opposite him who was looking down at the documents with a guilty look on her face, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.
He struggled to change the subject: "Does Mrs. Lawrence have such a wide circle of friends in France? You seem to be very popular wherever you go. Perhaps after you inherit the estate, you will be able to quickly integrate into the upper class circles of London."
Heather looked up in surprise and asked him, "Did I look sociable just now?"
Lancaster nodded: "No doubt."
"That's great. It seems I've finally mastered the art of socializing in this kind of situation."
Lancaster looked at her with some confusion.
Heather explained: "I found that this kind of occasion is actually the easiest to deal with. For these ladies who are not very familiar with me but have some respect for the status of Countess, I just need to sit there and listen with my jewelry on, which is exactly what they imagine. Occasionally I ask or answer their questions, and they will be very kind to tell me all the gossip that has happened around them in the past few years. It's really interesting."
She looks like a young lady who is still in school, feeling complacent because she has found a good way to cope with the exam. Although she looks quiet, she has endless curiosity and vitality.
Lancaster looked at Heather in silence. When she lowered her head to look at the documents, her face became sad again, as if reading those words made her feel very difficult.
How can she have so many expressions?
Lancaster: "Excuse me, you don't seem to be using such social skills in front of me. I mean... it looks very different from just now in the living room."
Heather looked up in surprise. "Of course that's different. Most of their husbands aren't my brother's friends, and I'm even less familiar with them. But you and I are partners who will be together for a long time. In order to smoothly inherit the estate, you probably need to know everything about me. Honesty is essential!"
Lancaster: "Partners...?"
Heather tried to check the application document again, but she quickly gave up. The article was filled with various legal terms and obscure words, trying to express the highest respect and the most comprehensive reasons to the person who received it, which was completely beyond Heather's current English level.
Heather: "Well, I think this application is perfect enough, Mr. Lancaster. If there is any good news after submitting it, you can still send it here and my brother will pass it on to me."
Lancaster: "Relay? I think it would be more efficient to report to the employer in person."
Heather: "Indeed, but as you can see, today is my farewell luncheon. I will be leaving for my sister's house tomorrow and will probably be back in London in a few months."
Heather actually saw a trace of confusion and grievance on her lawyer's calm face, and she felt that she must have seen it wrong.
Lancaster: "Did you forget to tell me in advance that you were leaving London?"
Heather was a little confused, but she still sympathized with the lawyer who paid close attention to work efficiency.
Heather: "I'm sorry, but I think with the current efficiency of the legal system, a slightly slower transmission of information won't have much impact. Besides, where I'm going is only about twenty-five miles from London. My brother will convey the message as soon as possible. If necessary, I can also send a butler to London to meet you."
Lancaster rejected the proposal: "From a professional lawyer's perspective, I still think it makes more sense to maintain direct contact with my clients. Twenty-five miles, is that Gloucestershire or Derbyshire?"
Heather suspected he had a map of England in his head. "You guessed it right. It's a village called Longbourn in Derbyshire. If you insist, I can write the address to you."
Lancaster: "Of course, I will write to you regularly. If there is any significant progress, I also hope to travel to Derbyshire to talk to you in person."
He added, "This is a special service that every private lawyer will provide to large clients. Your commission has already included this fee."
Hessel admired the dedication of nineteenth-century private lawyers.
What an advanced service concept and what a competitive work attitude.
No wonder lawyers have such strong client loyalty these days, and many lawyers will serve their employers for their entire lives.
Heather decided not to dampen his enthusiasm for work: "In that case, you are most welcome to visit Longbourn if you have the chance."
On the day we left, the whole of London was shrouded in heavy rain at the end of the rainy season.
Heather hugged her little niece Lily, who kept wiping away tears, waved goodbye to her brother and sister-in-law, and repeatedly promised to return to London before Christmas.
After the carriage started, Heather couldn't help but redden her eyes.
This is the closest family she has at this time, the one who accepted her unconditionally when she was panicked when she first arrived, and her first impression of this strange world.
In the 21st century, she has a cold relationship with her relatives and it doesn’t matter that she didn’t go home for a few days during her four years in college.
In the 19th century, she had the warmest family, so even the short twenty days of getting along and the separation for the next three months made people reluctant to leave.
The weather did not clear up until the carriage entered Derbyshire.
It was the clear blue sky that only appeared after a heavy rain, which brightened Heather's mood a lot.
I will have a long time to spend with my brother and his family in the future. Now is the opportunity to immerse myself in the main battlefield of world classics, which is definitely worth the price of admission!
Not knowing what time it was at Longbourn, Heather hoped she wasn't too late.
As Derbyshire had just experienced heavy rain a few days before and the ground was still a bit wet and muddy, Heysel arrived at Longbourn a little later than expected, just after lunch.
The gardener who was in charge of the garden saw the approaching carriage first and quickly notified the butler who had been waiting for the guests. When Heather got off the carriage, all the women of the Bennett family had gathered neatly at the door.
A plump woman, holding up her skirt, walked quickly to the carriage, pulled Heather into her arms and gave her a tight hug.
She pulled Hazel's shoulders again and looked at her carefully, letting out a series of screams: "Oh God, it's really Hazel! Hazel Gardner, my sister who married into a rich family and ignored her own sister for more than ten years. Oh, poor Hazel, I shouldn't have let you marry an earl. I should have found you a good family near Meryton."
Heather only had time to call her sister before she was interrupted.
She called out to her daughters, "Oh, Jane, Lizzie, come and see your aunt. This is your aunt who married and moved to France. Only Jane has seen her when she was a child. No one else has ever seen her."
Heather was already feeling carsick after the long journey, and was dizzy from Mrs. Bennet's voice. In a daze, she saw five young girls coming up to say hello.
Each of them is as fresh and beautiful as a flower bud about to bloom. There seems to be no obvious difference in their age, and they are wearing similar dresses, making it difficult to tell them apart at first glance.
Mrs. Bennet was anxious to introduce her five daughters to her sister, when a gentle and dignified young lady advised: "Mother, Auntie looks a little unwell after sitting in the car all morning. Let's go inside and talk."
Mrs. Bennet agreed with her daughter's suggestion. Heather knew that it must be Jane, the eldest daughter of the Bennet family. Only she was so considerate and trusted by her mother.
After the group walked into the living room and greeted Mr. Bennet who was waiting there, Mrs. Bennet took Hazel to sit down and introduced her daughters to her.
Mrs. Bennet said, "This is my eldest daughter, Jane. I can tell you that she is the most beautiful unmarried lady in all of Longbourn, as beautiful as you and I were when we were young. She has a gentle and generous personality and is very popular among the young men around her. She just returned yesterday from a visit to the nearby Netherfield Manor. The owner of the mansion is a wealthy bachelor. Perhaps he will soon propose to Jane!"
Heather took a sip of black tea before she calmed down and took a closer look at the heroine and her family in the original novel.
Jane is indeed a standard British beauty. She has a reserved and implicit temperament that is unique to the British. Unlike Heather's bright and extroverted temperament when she was young, she looks as gentle as water.
Jane felt a little embarrassed when she heard her mother's boasting: "Stop it, Mom. Mr. Bingley and I are just friends, and I'm not as pretty as my aunt."
Mrs. Bennet looked at Hazel carefully again and said, "Well, your aunt is indeed beautiful. She still looks as young as ever after all these years. I don't know what kind of magic medicine she took. But with me as your guardian, you will definitely marry a better man than your aunt, preferably one who is close to home and has wealth, so that you won't become a widow in middle age like my poor sister."
Heather was choked by her sister's sarcastic words. She looked at her ignorant expression, then looked at the older girls who lowered their heads in shame for their mother's remarks. She sighed and reminded:
"Okay, sister, introduce me to the other nieces."
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