Chapter 88 "Viscountess Kirk, reason..."
“Viscountess Kirk, Richard, how do you know her? As far as I remember, she frequents places that Miss Price doesn’t quite like,” William Cavendish asked.
This lady never attended balls that weren't high society events, and Mary, as seen at the ball at Althorp Manor, disliked such insincere formalities among the upper class; it was perfectly normal for her to refuse Viscountess Cork. William Cavendish couldn't fathom how this lady had become entangled with Richard.
"We met this lady at a ball because we received an invitation from Baron Brooke." Mary's mood soured at the thought of that ball.
Lord Brooke was the most self-absorbed man Mary had ever met, a combination of male chauvinism and aristocratic folly. In the period immediately following the Duke of Devonshire's departure from England, he kept his distance from Miss Price.
With the Duke showing no sign of returning from Italy, he received hints from shrewd individuals that the Duke's close relative, Countess Carlyle, disliked Mademoiselle Price, and the Lord began to plot.
Like most nobles, Baron Brooke had a gambling habit. He was heavily in debt and desperately needed to marry a wealthy lady to fill the hole. Miss Price, who had no father, was the most suitable prey in his eyes.
In his eyes, Miss Price was of lowly status. Even with Sir Edward as her godfather and Sir Thomas as her uncle, and with Richard Price having made a fortune, she was only barely worthy of him. It was perfectly normal for the Duke of Devonshire not to marry her.
With Sir Edward's influence in the navy waning, he had done all he could to get his son-in-law promoted to lieutenant commander. Baron Brooke even felt that his courtship was a rescue for the increasingly elderly Miss Price.
At the ball earlier this year, he invited William, Anne, Richard, and Mary at the same time. After congratulating himself on inviting Mary to dance once, he invited her to dance a second time after a few songs.
Before the ball was over, while Mary was resting in the garden, the Baron proposed to her without her consent. Obviously, he did not get the result he wanted.
After being rejected by Mary, Baron Brooke's manners were far inferior to those of the previous two rejected men. He became enraged on the spot and hurled insults at Mary.
Just then, the Viscountess happened to pass by the garden. Although she didn't say anything, the presence of another distinguished lady undoubtedly prevented the Baron from going further insane, and Mary returned to the ballroom. It was then that Richard came into contact with this lady and subsequently became her good friend.
As Miss Price recounted her story, William Cavendish frowned, seemingly having completely forgotten his earlier warning.
“Regardless of what others say, Viscountess Kirk helped me back then, and I think she’s a pretty interesting woman,” Mary concluded.
“Of course, she likes you too, Mary, so why don’t you accept our invitation to go on vacation together?” Richard shouted.
“That’s a different matter, Richard. I don’t like being polite with strangers.”
Seeing that it was getting late, William Cavendish did not disturb the Price family any further. After agreeing on a departure time for the next day, he said goodbye to everyone.
Richard saw him to the door, and as he left, he asked in a low voice, "Mr. Price, did you do anything else after Brooke? You can't just let this vulture that's been eyeing your sister get away with it, can you?"
"He caused my company a little trouble, but many businessmen must have heard about the Baron's impending bankruptcy during this time. The person who reminded everyone meant well; if the Baron's debts are delayed any longer, they will be impossible to recover. After all, apart from his mansion in London and the castle in Hertfordshire, the Baron has no other assets."
“That’s not enough. If he finds another wealthy wife, these crises will be resolved instantly,” the Duke of Devonshire sneered. “The best solution is to make sure he can never get married again.”
How could they prevent Baron Brooke from getting married? Although Mary later spread the word throughout town that Baron Brooke was determined to use his wife's dowry to pay off his debts, it was of little consequence to the baron. Richard then used his merchant friends to spread the news that he was on the verge of bankruptcy.
The next day, just after Mary and the others had finished breakfast, the Duke of Devonshire met up with the Price family and they headed to London together. The observant Mary noticed that the servant who had accompanied the Duke the day before was missing; he must have been sent off to handle other matters.
Throughout the journey, the prince recounted to the young lady the artists he had met in Italy, which filled Mary with envy. A thought inevitably crossed her mind: if she were to marry this prince, perhaps he would be willing to travel the world with her.
When they finally parted ways after arriving in London, both sides felt that the time was not enough. The Duke repeatedly invited the Price family to visit Piccadilly at some point.
The Price family had dinner together on Harley Street. After being away for so long, William and Anne must have missed their son, William Jr., who was left in London. Fortunately, the housekeeper and Mrs. Price were both on Harley Street looking after him.
The two-year-old boy felt a little unfamiliar with his mother after his parents had been away for over a month. However, after Annie hugged him, he became familiar with his mother again in less than half a day.
After dinner, Richard and Mr. Hawthorne returned to their house, while Mary stayed behind. After playing with her little nephew, Mary went to visit her sister Susan and her nephew the next day.
Even before Mr. Hawthorne returned, Mrs. Hawthorne had already learned about the Allenham Compound through letters.
Faced with her sister's congratulations again, she smiled and said, "I'm happy for Charlie because this way he can fulfill his father's wish without having to work hard to save money and leave it for the next generation to achieve the goal of buying real estate."
Mary looked at her nephew lying in the cradle: "Our Louis is a lucky little baby, thanks to your attentive care of Mrs. Smith on every visit. This time she has invited a lawyer and it has been clearly stipulated that Allenham House will be passed on to Louis after it is passed on to Mr. Hawthorne."
“I will be forever grateful to her! Even if Mrs. Smith does not pass the inheritance to us, the fact that Charlie’s mother lives in Allenham is enough for me to have the utmost respect for her.”
"Now things are much better. It's said that the land in Allenham alone can bring in more than 1,500 pounds a year, and that's even with Mrs. Smith not having time to manage it. And that doesn't even include Mrs. Smith's other assets. Mr. Hawthorne has such a large fortune to inherit. Has he told you about his plans for the future?"
Mary was somewhat worried, as many people can maintain self-discipline when they need to strive, but become less willing to be strict with themselves when faced with enjoyment. Since they didn't need to save money, Mr. Hawthorne and Susan's current income was sufficient for their livelihood.
She couldn't ask Mr. Hawthorne directly, so she could only remind her sister.
“Mr. Hawthorne told me that Allenham Courtyard would always belong to Mrs. Smith until she passed away, and he did not intend to be idle. Mrs. Smith was not so concerned about his work now, and he intended to continue his legal career.”
Mary was finally relieved.
Thinking of what her husband had told her, Susan countered with a question to her sister: "You met the Duke of Devonshire on the road this time, and Charlie told me that His Highness was extremely kind and had introduced him to many clients. Mary, my dearest sister, what are you really thinking?"
Mary paused for a moment, then said, "I consider him a good friend."
“A good friend? I think that prince sees you as more than just a friend,” Susan said.
Just four or five days after Mary visited Susan, and less than a week after they returned to London, a ridiculous rumor spread through London's high society—Baron Brooke was completely impotent! Someone claimed to have the secret to the Baron's infertility.
It turns out that the Baron had a mistress who was his maid and the mother of his illegitimate child. When she learned that the Baron was going to marry the daughter of a wealthy merchant and would abandon her and her son to fend for themselves in the countryside after the marriage, she took a desperate risk, deposed the Baron, and eloped with the gardener with her fortune.
The poor baron, it is said, smashed everything in his room. His call for a doctor obviously couldn't be kept secret from all the servants; such news always spreads like wildfire, and before Baron Brook could even react, the news had already reached all of London, and even his brother had been informed.
The wealthy businessman who was negotiating the marriage with him had changed his mind about marrying his daughter to the baron. After all, the Brooke family's castle in Hertfordshire had a limited right of inheritance. This businessman was already taking a risk, and if he were to marry his daughter to him now, wouldn't he lose everything?
Upon hearing this news, Richard immediately recalled the Duke of Devonshire's words from Bath a week earlier: "To ensure that Baron Brooke will never be able to marry again." He was certain it was the Duke's doing. And indeed, His Highness meant what he said; who would want to marry this Baron now?
“Mary, have you heard the news? About Baron Brooke?” Richard asked his sister.
“Anne told me as soon as she heard about it. Baron Brooke already has a child, so there’s no need to be too sad. Although the child’s mother made a mistake, that child is, after all, his only offspring, isn’t he? As for the title and the castle, he still has relatives, doesn’t he?” Mary said sarcastically.
Seeing that his sister was completely unaware, Richard told Mary his guess.
"Then I must thank him properly. Sure enough, only nobles themselves know best how to deal with other nobles. No wonder the Baron's mistress ran away so quickly; it seems someone provided her with assistance."
Richard thought to himself, "He wants more than just your gratitude."
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