Chapter 28 (Reverse V) Did William leave...?
Not long after William left, Mrs. Price received a letter from Fanny in Mansfield, and she asked dear Mary to read it to her.
Both the daughter who wrote the letter and the daughter who read it were filled with emotion. Their touching tone would move any mother, unless she had a heart of stone, to the tenderness of a daughter for her loved one revealed in the letter.
Mrs. Price did write a short, warm letter back to her eldest daughter, but she quickly turned her attention to Tom and Charles, making it hard to tell how much her daughter, who had been away from home for eight years, meant to her.
Fanny had already left home when Charles was born, and Sam and Tom had completely forgotten about their older sister. They were only slightly curious about her, as if she were a distant relative rather than a family member who had returned.
As for Mr. Price, well, that was out of the question. Mary only hoped he would show her daughter a little more respect for Sir Thomas's sake. Only Mary and Susan were looking forward to her return. They had maintained contact with Fanny, and Susan had already decided in her heart to treat her other sister well.
The question was, where would Fanny stay when she returned? When Mary asked Mrs. Price, her mother was stumped.
The two large bedrooms on the second floor belonged to the Price family and their three older brothers. After William, John, and Richard grew up and left home, one room was still reserved for the three of them.
The other two smaller rooms belong to the two sisters and their three brothers, respectively. The sisters' room was the same small room Fanny used to have at home. The room was far too small; it could barely fit three little girls or two fourteen-year-old girls, let alone three grown women.
The attic on the third floor was originally filled with odds and ends that Mrs. Price thought might come in handy in the future. It was only when it became so messy that Mrs. Price no longer wanted to go upstairs that Mary cleaned it up and transformed it into their studio, which at least provided some space.
However, the third floor has never been lived on because it is low, and even if they buy a bed now, it seems that it would be inappropriate to arrange for anyone to live there.
“Mary, if all else fails, we’ll have to let Fanny stay with you. I estimate she can only stay for two months. Is that alright?” Mrs. Price asked her second daughter hesitantly.
Mary looked around at her brothers and her room, and then decisively suggested, "Mom, John almost never comes home except for holidays, and William and Richard don't stay at home often either (William is often not home when Richard comes back). We can switch bedrooms."
"Change bedrooms! This doesn't make sense anywhere! Just because our daughter hasn't come back for years, we're making our son move to the smallest room!" Mrs. Price clearly disagreed. "Besides, this is a house that William bought."
“William would definitely agree that Fanny should be comfortable. I’ve been having the house renovated for the past few years, and now all the rooms have stoves. Except for being a little smaller, that bedroom isn’t much worse than the brothers’. I don’t think William or Richard would be uncomfortable living there alone.” Mary countered, “Mom, even if we don’t consider Fanny and only think about Susan and me, why should we both continue to live in the ‘smallest’ room?”
To completely resolve this issue, the house needs a thorough renovation, inside and out, which cannot be done in a short time. After Mary wrote a letter seeking William's opinion, the matter was settled.
So before William and Fanny arrived home, the two maids busied themselves changing the sheets and curtains and tidying up the belongings of the gentlemen and ladies, actions that more or less displeased the mother.
But Mrs. Price had relinquished control of the household affairs early on and never established a reputation among the servants. Kate and Lily didn't care about their mistress's temper. She could only console herself, thinking that once Fanny left Portsmouth, she could easily switch back to her original bedroom.
Around the day Mary estimated their arrival, Mr. Campbell, the doctor from the HMS Thrushcross Grange, came to the Price family to see William. He was about the same age as William, a well-mannered and polite young man, with a more delicate and refined appearance than the average sailor. Upon seeing Mrs. Price and the two beautiful Miss Price, he blushed and bowed very politely to the ladies.
Mr. Campbell came specifically to inform William that, upon learning he had not yet arrived home, he asked them to tell him that the HMS Thrush had set sail this morning and had already reached Spithead. He estimated that in another day or two they would receive orders to set sail for a patrol. He had already requested a small boat, and if William could return in time today, he could go with him.
This is unbelievable! Mrs. Price had been so sure that William would be staying at home a little longer, but now he was leaving so soon. She hurriedly ordered the maid to help her gather William's belongings, until Mary couldn't bear to watch any longer and came up to help organize her brother's uniform. Together with Susan, they packed Sam's luggage, and Mrs. Price returned to the living room to wait for her son and daughter to return.
William and Fanny arrived home around evening. Kate was already waiting at the door. As she helped William and Fanny unload their luggage from the car, she announced, "An officer came this afternoon and said the HMS Thrush has already departed—"
Before Kate could finish speaking, Sam had already run out the door. He hurriedly greeted his sister, accepted her kiss, and told William the news that Mr. Campbell had told everyone.
When they walked together onto the narrow porch, Mary, the Susan sisters, and Mrs. Price were already waiting there.
Eight years had passed, and Fanny looked like a beautiful young woman. Her hair, like Susan's, had turned completely brown, and she wore a white lace tulip hat—the very one she had sent to her sister. A gentle smile graced her face. Both sisters kissed their older sister warmly, and Mrs. Price, stirred by genuine maternal love, embraced her long-lost eldest daughter.
In Fanny's eyes, the resemblance between her mother, Mrs. Price, and Aunt Bertram made her feel a sense of familiarity; Mary had grown into a graceful young woman, even more beautiful than her older cousin, Mrs. Rushworth. Her beautiful golden curls were half-tied up, reflecting a satin-like sheen in the sunset, perfectly complementing the silk headband she wore. She looked like a figure from an oil painting, and Mrs. Price always held her hand; Susan had also grown into a beautiful young woman, resembling William in both appearance and her warm attitude towards Fanny.
What was especially gratifying was that her two younger sisters, with their elegant manners and graceful speech, sincerely welcomed her back, just as she had hoped when she received their letter.
While the mother was still busy talking to her son, Mary and Susan led Fanny to the living room. Compared to the house at Mansfield Park, this living room was quite unremarkable. However, the furnishings and arrangement of the furniture showed that the owners paid great attention to cleanliness. A few primroses and violets were arranged in a vase on the table, creating a natural and warm feeling in the room. It was clear that the owners had excellent taste, and Fanny immediately felt at ease.
When Mrs. Price came in and finally remembered her eldest daughter again, Mary had already ordered Lily to bring up the tea and snacks.
“Have some tea, some biscuits and apple pie, my poor children, you must be exhausted! We’ve been waiting for you for half an hour. Mary had Kate prepare all of this. Is there anything else you’d like to eat?” Mrs. Price asked the two children kindly.
Everything seemed perfectly organized: a gentle and loving mother, a beautiful and elegant younger sister, and a clever and lively younger brother, all of whom showed her natural love and respect. This was the family life Fanny had dreamed of before she came back.
Mary, sitting beside her, could sense Fanny's joy and couldn't help but think: If the people of Mansfield knew how Fanny was feeling right now, probably only her cousin Edmund would be happy for her. He had suggested that Fanny accompany William back to Portsmouth precisely out of his love for his cousin.
Aunt Norris never thought her niece deserved to live comfortably, and Aunt Bertram only cared about her own feelings. Even Sir Thomas, this time, had a completely ulterior motive for "sending" his niece back.
The Duke was convinced that Fanny was out of her mind for rejecting Mr. Crawford's advances. He was convinced his niece was spoiled by the Mansfield lifestyle and believed the Price family's humble surroundings would surely cure her bad habits. He would be disappointed if he knew that this was the scene Fanny saw and felt upon her return.
This harmonious and warm family atmosphere was shattered when Mr. Price returned; Fanny heard her father shouting before they even met.
As Fanny was about to stand up to greet him, Mary stopped her: "Dear sister, don't rush. You've been away from home for too long and have probably forgotten Father's personality."
Fanny was still puzzled by her sister's impolite words, but she soon discovered that her father paid almost no attention to his daughter. He was only interested in talking to William, and no matter how William tried to steer the conversation toward Fanny, Mr. Price would forget about his daughter.
When Tom and Charles returned from school, everyone at home saw Fanny. The two little brothers couldn't sit still; after greeting Fanny, they quickly went off to play on their own.
After everyone had some tea, William felt he needed to change into his uniform first, as Fanny had never seen him in his new uniform before! Mary asked Kate to lead him to their current bedroom, where Sam chattered excitedly, telling William that both of their things were packed and they were ready to leave at any time. Mrs. Price, worried, followed along as well.
Seeing her father engrossed in reading the newspaper in the living room, Mary had no choice but to ask Fanny about Sir Thomas, Aunt Bertram, and her cousins, inquiring about their health. As for Aunt Norris, none of them wanted to mention her. Now, Fanny had only one question in her mind: apart from her rude father, it seemed the whole family was waiting for Mary to make arrangements, and the way she gave orders was really unlike a fourteen-year-old girl.
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