Chapter 59 After breakfast, they...
After breakfast, they visited the estate again. This estate, which has belonged to the Duke of Derbyshire since the 16th century, is awe-inspiring to every visitor. The butler proudly explained that the entire estate, including the land for rent, covers 35,000 acres, with the gardens alone covering 1,000 acres.
The painted murals, already breathtaking in the bright candlelight yesterday, moved the visitors even more during the day. The ancient artworks collected by the former owners and the sculptures amassed by the current duke from all over the world were a feast for the eyes. The library's tens of thousands of books captivated Mary, making her linger there...
Great artists and architects such as George London, William Kent, Lancelot Brown, and Geoffrey Wyatt have all left their mark on this estate. Successive Dukes of Devonshire supported their renovations, especially the current Duke, who, most recently, worked here under Geoffrey Wyatt, transforming the estate into the magnificent and grand place Mary sees today.
As the butler explained, Mary spoke frankly to the Duke who was accompanying them on the tour: "Your Highness, you really didn't need to inspect Mr. Nash. Mr. Wyatt's renovation is already perfect. I don't see anything wrong with it."
William Cavendish repeatedly assured him that he was not lying or deceiving anyone. Although the manor had only recently undergone expansion, the landscape still did not fully satisfy the discerning Duke. He was indeed prepared to continue renovating Chatsworth House to make it perfect.
"I want to see a more magical and beautiful garden, not the ordinary one that is no different from the gardens of other nobles."
Ordinary? Compared to the greenhouse garden filled with exotic flowers and plants in front of her, that was quite an obscure word. Mary smiled as she moved to the open outdoor area: "Then what you need is a landscape designer who suits your taste to renovate your garden. Perhaps you could check out the Horticultural Society."
Although her memories of her previous life were somewhat hazy, the manor before her seemed to lack something compared to Chatsworth in her later life; at least she didn't see that huge fountain.
After visiting the garden, the Duke took several guests horseback riding. Riding on horseback made the two men appear even more agile. Mary's riding skills were not as good as Anne's, and she looked enviously at her friends ahead who could keep up with the men.
A moment later, William Cavendish, who had been riding at the front, turned back and said, "Miss Price, your riding skills are not good."
"That's because I have to ride sideways. If we women could wear trousers and ride horses like men, I would dare to let the horse gallop. But for now, for safety's sake, I'll just take it slow and enjoy the scenery."
Mary looked at Anne, who was not to be outdone, and added, "I dare say that Anne's riding skills are no less than any gentleman in the United Kingdom who is famous for his riding skills, but her side saddle riding limits her."
“Riding a horse in trousers? Your idea is even more radical than my mother’s.” William Cavendish was stunned by Mary’s “strange” idea and advised, “If you really do that, not only will you break the law, but you will also be bombarded with all the foul language in England.”
“Don’t worry, I’m a weak person and I’m not prepared to take on a swarm of attacks.” Mary smiled helplessly. “But not everyone is as weak as me. In my opinion, the law should have allowed everyone to freely choose their own clothes long ago.”
“You have to admit that distinguishing someone by their clothing is the best way to identify them, so how could men agree to women wearing trousers?”
William Cavendish wasn't that concerned with the distinction of clothing, otherwise he wouldn't have approached Mary as an ordinary gentleman. But isn't what most people value most the clear distinction of social status?
As a member of the elite, he understood why men disagreed with women wearing pants, because they felt their rights were being violated, just as his mother had been vilified as "the people's woman" (a term used to refer to prostitutes and prostitutes) when she campaigned for the Whig Party.
"Aren't there plenty of examples these days where people can't tell a person's identity just by dressing them in nice clothes? Ultimately, a person's identity is not determined by their clothes. Even if Your Highness is dressed as a farmer now, does that make you a farmer? Although women are not allowed to wear trousers now, I believe that one day women will be able to freely choose their clothing."
Seeing Richard and Anne waiting for them ahead, Mary didn't continue the discussion. Instead, she spurred her horse and chased after them. At this moment, her riding skills seemed to be not much worse than Anne's.
During their time in Chatsworth, Mary and her companions naturally thought of asking the servants at the manor about Mr. McDonald and Mrs. Russell. Although Richard had already sent people to Derbyshire to inquire, the Duke of Devonshire was the most powerful man in the area, and perhaps the servants would know something different.
Therefore, Mary asked the housekeeper out of curiosity if she had heard of Mrs. Russell and a Mr. McDonald in the county.
"Miss Price, why are you asking about these two people?" Mrs. Astor, the housekeeper, had a lukewarm impression of the two young ladies who had come to visit.
Miss Price may be very beautiful, but in the eyes of the housekeeper, who was used to entertaining nobles and celebrities, beauty was not only meaningless but could also lead to misunderstandings. How could a commoner woman, without using any tricks, make His Excellency the Duke treat her so kindly?
“Mr. McDonald wanted to introduce his cousin, Mrs. Russell, to my brother. As her sister, I wanted to help Richard find out more about them. It just so happens that Mrs. Russell’s deceased husband was from this county.” Mary thought to herself, this wasn’t exactly a lie, and it wouldn’t be right to directly say that they suspected Mr. McDonald had ulterior motives.
Although Mrs. Astor looked down on this young lady and only gave her a casual instruction, there were always servants who tried to curry favor with Miss Price.
It is said that the Russell family had lived in Derbyshire for generations and originally had a good reputation in the area. Unfortunately, Mr. Russell of this generation was a spendthrift who squandered almost all of his fortune when he died, leaving no heirs. The remaining property was left to his wife, and his widow and his distant relatives fought fiercely over the inheritance. In the end, Mrs. Russell won because she produced a will.
Richard had already sent people to inquire about these matters; it wasn't new information. What Mary and the others really wanted to know was about Mr. McDonald. Unfortunately, only a few of the servants had heard of Mr. Russell's close friend, Mr. McDonald.
They almost gave up, until a servant who had moved from South Yorkshire hesitantly mentioned that there was a family in her hometown with the same surname, MacDonald, who was said to have moved from Scotland and sounded very similar to the people the two ladies had described.
“It must be him. I remember my father mentioning that the Maxwell and McDonald families are both from Scotland,” Anne said.
According to the maid, Matthew McDonald's parents were spendthrifts who left their son nothing but a mountain of debt.
"Did his mother's side of the family leave him any inheritance?" Anne asked.
"Relatives? Besides his uncle who died young, what other relatives did he have? His uncle's estate had to be left to a distant nephew according to the limited inheritance rights, so his wife and daughter were kicked out of the house and had to go to live with the McDonalds, whom they used to look down on. I did hear that Mr. McDonald had a relative in the Navy. At that time, we all thought he would join the Navy after his parents died, after all, he was only a teenager then."
This makes sense; Mr. McDonald referred to Mrs. Russell as his cousin, who might be his uncle's daughter. So how did the penniless Matthew become the supposedly wealthy Mr. McDonald?
The maid continued, "But he was just as lazy as his parents from a young age and didn't want to do any proper work. Instead, he chose to go to London with his aunt and cousin. Some people speculate that they went to the Covent Garden area to make a living."
Anne looked at the maid in confusion, while Richard and Mary suddenly realized that Mrs. Russell had once been an actress or a courtesan, which explained her familiarity with the theater.
Although it's unclear how the cousins got involved with Mr. Russell, it's clear that Mr. McDonald was a complete liar from beginning to end. Even if he was rich, he certainly wasn't as wealthy as he claimed, and his pursuit of Miss Crawford was utterly insincere.
Mary and Anne decided to write letters separately, telling the General and Miss Crawford what they knew, hoping to stop the ill-fated marriage.
Having resolved this concern, Mary, Anne, and Richard thoroughly enjoyed their time in Derbyshire, taking in the lavish hospitality of their hosts and the natural beauty of the Peak District. The life of the nobility seemed to be all about indulgence, but the Duke didn't enjoy hosting balls, and after a while, Richard finally grew bored with this idle existence.
“Mary, if I inherited a large fortune, I would be far more indulgent than His Highness the Duke. He inherited such a large estate, yet all he does is renovate the manor, collect art, and spend his days discussing figures like John Filackman and Antonio Canova with you. It's so unlike my past image of a nobleman. I've only just made a little money and bought a house in London, and I'm already thinking about when I can buy another manor. I'll definitely host balls all the time then,” Richard said to his sister privately.
“‘Making such a small amount of money,’ Richard, you have quite the appetite! Are you trying to compare him to the Duke? He inherited his family business, and even if he earns over £50,000 a year, it has nothing to do with his personal ability. How many families like that are there in all of England? Probably no more than a hundred. The Price family started from scratch, and the sewing machine company has already brought us a considerable amount of income. Didn’t John mention in his letter that French businessmen are planning to import sewing machines?”
Richard smiled as he thought of the best-selling "Butterfly" brand sewing machines. He had been prepared for a decline in sewing machine sales this year, but a French businessman in London discovered a business opportunity, and the new growth point filled him with confidence in the company's prospects.
"Perhaps it's because we are commoners, used to working hard to get rich, that we are not used to living the life of the aristocracy. Mary, I plan to return to London as soon as possible, and go to India after the sewing machine export is settled. At least I still have the priority to purchase sapphire rough."
At this point, Richard looked apologetically at his sister: "Are you and Anne going to stay in Chatsworth or come back to London with me? Or should I write a letter to Sir Edward and ask him and Mrs. Maxwell to take you to Brighton?"
Mary shook her head, rejecting her brother's two suggestions: "Now that you're gone, how can Anne and I stay here any longer? There's no need to bother our godparents who are still on vacation. I think we should set off together. Since His Highness the Duke isn't here this time, we can stop by Mansfield when we pass through Northamptonshire. Fanny is pregnant again. You can go back to London first, and we can stay there temporarily."
After discussing it, the brother and sister told Anne, who also agreed to Mary's plan.
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