Chapter 75 Georgiana Dorothy...
Georgiana Dorothy Howard (the Countess of Carlyle) learned that her brother had recently become infatuated with a commoner and feared that she was another Elizabeth Foster. Therefore, she tried her best to advise him in her letter, but this backfired, reminding her brother of Miss Price's every move.
The prince, unable to stay at Chatsworth House any longer, went on vacation. When he arrived near Bath, he happened to hear someone mention Miss Price, saying that someone had proposed to her, so he stopped.
In fact, it was all a misunderstanding. Mr. Eldridge had revealed the proposal to a friend beforehand, who was unaware that the proposal had failed. After arriving in Bath, he heard of Miss Price's reputation in social circles and casually mentioned that one of his friends had proposed to her.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Jennings had been telling her friends that Colonel Brandon and Miss Price would one day get married. By the time the news reached the Duke of Devonshire, it had become that Colonel Brandon had proposed to Miss Price, and that she had accepted.
If the rumors were about someone else, His Highness might not have believed them. But it was Colonel Brandon. He had previously noticed that Miss Mary Price treated the colonel very differently from how she treated others, showing him complete trust, even more so than she did with him.
William Cavendish ordered his men to investigate Colonel Brandon, hoping to find fault with the man. Unfortunately, they discovered that he was unlike his deceased brother, being an upright, noble, and trustworthy man.
Colonel Brandon, with his rich experience, was willing to comfort his former lover who had fallen into despair, and to raise a little girl who was not related to him, even if others mistakenly believed she was his illegitimate child. Presumably, after marriage, he wouldn't neglect his wife like those stubborn plantation owners.
Even though he knew Colonel Brandon was a proper gentleman, the kind of man his cousin had described as suitable for Miss Price, William Cavendish still couldn't suppress his pickiness. "The colonel has been in the army for so long," William thought, "he certainly can't appreciate the beauty of literature and art with Miss Price."
What else can a gentleman of impeccable character do when he proposes to a beautiful and wealthy lady, except to attack him for not having enough money and for having an annual income of just over two thousand pounds, so that he cannot provide Miss Price with a comfortable married life?
Colonel Brandon was two years older than him and certainly couldn't understand Miss Price's whimsical ideas.
William Cavendish was determined to stop this mismatched marriage as soon as possible for Miss Price's happiness.
He should have appeared more formally at the Price family's hotel, but having heard too many rumors about Colonel Brandon and Miss Price in Bath, he rode over regardless of the weather almost as soon as he found out about Colonel Brandon's situation.
When he learned that it was all a misunderstanding, he was overjoyed. Before he could figure out why he cared so much about this "friend," he heard Miss Price say that she "had never intended to get married." According to what he had thought at Althorp Manor, he should have been even happier about that.
William Cavendish has always believed that a wealthy man or woman's insistence on remaining single should not be seen as an odd choice; they have the right to be respected. Why then would he now wish Miss Price wouldn't hold this view?
Could it be true, as Georgiana wrote in her letter, that he had already fallen deeply in love with Miss Price?
While William Cavendish was analyzing himself, Mary was also troubled. She thought it over and over and realized that His Highness the Duke's attitude towards her during this visit was indeed quite different from before.
When he mentioned that she had been proposed to, his expression was really strange. When she told him that it was a misunderstanding, his joy almost made her think that this prince would confess his love to her on the spot.
Fortunately, she quickly told him that she didn't want to get married, and the prince didn't bring it up in the end. Otherwise, she would have had to painfully reject him. She really didn't want to lose such a special friend.
Aside from the Duke, she hadn't met any man who didn't object to her crazy ideas; even her own brother wished his sister wouldn't be so rebellious.
Mary felt somewhat irresponsible; she was willing to enjoy the Duke of Devonshire's special treatment of her, yet refused to consider what would happen if her relationship with this prince continued to develop. If outsiders found out, they would surely say she was ungrateful.
She decided to put those thoughts aside for now and instead figure out what the Duke meant by Colonel Brandon's marriage proposal to her, which she suspected was related to Mrs. Jennings.
She told William and Anne the news, and after some inquiries, they discovered that it was indeed Mrs. Jennings who had been spreading rumors about her close relationship with Colonel Brandon. As for the marriage proposal, they had no idea where the news had come from.
“Mary, could it be Colonel Brandon? Is he unsure about proposing to you, so he’s testing the waters this way?” Anne asked.
Mary shook her head. She thought that even if Colonel Brandon liked her, he wouldn't do such a thing. Given his character, he should keep his thoughts to himself. She planned to talk to Mrs. Jennings first.
At Sir John's residence, Mary questioned, "Oh, Mrs. Jennings, it's quite unethical of you to spread such rumors. Neither Colonel Brandon nor I have ever offended you!"
Mrs. Jennings remained smiling, not seeing anything wrong with her behavior. Instead, she laughed and said, "Miss Price, am I wrong? Aren't Colonel Brandon and you very good friends? I think you've completely won him over."
“I only regard him as a respectable friend, Mrs. Jennings. To say ‘conquer’ is rather disrespectful.”
To dispel Mrs. Jennings' wild speculations, Mary had to be blunt: "In my opinion, if a girl has her own money, she doesn't need to choose a husband. Being someone's wife is ultimately a miserable job. My dear Anne, even if William were my brother, I still have to say you'll suffer after marriage!"
The older brother smiled wryly as he said this to his sister, then glanced at his wife.
“That makes no sense, Miss Price. I have never seen a young woman who doesn’t want to get married,” Mrs. Jennings exclaimed.
Sir John, standing nearby, listened to Mary's words and inwardly grieved for his poor friend. If Miss Price hadn't been wealthy, perhaps Colonel Brandon might have had a chance to marry her. But she was very rich, and it seemed she truly had no intention of marrying him.
Regardless, seeing how serious the Price family was, Mrs. Jennings promised to clear Miss Price's name. It was a real shame that such a young and beautiful woman didn't want to get married, and that her family was so indulgent towards her. In her opinion, Miss Price would surely regret it someday.
After the matter was clarified, Mrs. Jennings quickly found new amusement. She began to tease her friend Colonel Brandon, believing that the gentleman must have been heartbroken. Her son-in-law, Sir John, thought so too.
Colonel Brandon never spoke to his friends about his feelings for Miss Price, but he had been rather depressed lately.
In stark contrast to his former lover, Miss Price was a very intelligent and rational young woman, whose will was even stronger than that of many men. He was honored to be regarded as a reliable friend by this young lady, and as for anything else, he never dared to hope for.
Unlike Sir John, the Colonel had seen the Duke of Devonshire attend Mary's first social ball in London. He dared not gamble on whether the Duke had no interest in Miss Price, nor did he have the confidence to compete with such a person.
Despite some unpleasantness with the Price family, Mrs. Jennings was clearly unconcerned. She continued to socialize happily with Anne, Mary, and Susan, and they proceeded to Devon as planned.
Rose Estate and Barton Estate were indeed not far apart, only about three miles apart. They parted at the crossroads between the two estates, and the Price family took a carriage towards Rose Estate.
What appeared before Mary and her companions was a beautiful manor. It was late July, and the roses in the manor were still in full bloom.
These red flowers, like a group of red elves, bloom wildly in the sunlight; no wonder it was named Rose Manor.
Knowing that their masters were coming, the butler had the servants clean the house inside and out beforehand. After they arrived, Anne inspected the house again and found that some areas were in disrepair, so she gave the butler a few words of advice.
After they settled in, they quickly went to visit their neighbors and invited everyone to the ball at Rose Estate. Anne also harbored a hope that she might meet a young man among the locals who would discover Susan's good qualities.
Compared to Mary, Susan's personality had softened considerably after four years of living with her Aunt Bertram in Mansfield. She didn't share Mary's strange notion of not wanting to get married. Although she was always overshadowed by her sister, Susan wasn't resentful.
She had become accustomed to being cared for by Mary, but eventually developed her own ideas. Sir Thomas and Aunt Bertram fulfilled her expectations of parents, calming the girl down.
The ball at Ross Estate was a great success. Sir John, the most sociable and popular man in the neighborhood, introduced the newcomers, and everyone quickly accepted Captain Price and his wife.
Both Miss Price were unanimously considered elegant ladies and were admired by everyone. Anne was delighted to find Susan chatting very amiably with a young man.
Anne had already inquired with Sir John that Mr. Hawthorne was a relative of the owner of the nearby Allenham House, was twenty-five years old, and was said to work at a law firm in London.
The job wasn't exactly prestigious, and the salary was only a little over three hundred pounds. The old lady had already designated another lovely young man as her heir, but Mr. Hawthorne didn't mind and still came to visit her every year.
Mary was restless throughout the ball. Before the ball began, she received an urgent letter from Richard in London, the contents of which made her wish she could rush to London immediately.
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