Chapter 98 News of Mary's engagement spread...
After news of Mary's engagement spread, there were so many people coming and going on Halle Street that Eleanor and Marianne, seeing how busy their mistress was, asked Mrs. Price for leave and went back to Berkeley Street to keep Mrs. Jennings company.
They had only been back here a short time when Colonel Brandon came to visit Eleanor.
After the incident involving Willoughby, Miss Dashwood learned from the Colonel about his past and Miss Williams's affair, confirming Mary's account of why Willoughby had been driven away by Mrs. Smith. She felt great sympathy for this respectable man, secretly believing he had fallen in love with Marian, and thus respected him even more.
“Miss Dashwood, I heard you’ve been visiting Major Price’s house lately. You must know all about Miss Price’s happy news.”
“To be honest, although I was there at the time, I didn’t know the specifics. I was just as confused as everyone else,” Eleanor laughed.
Colonel Brandon paced back and forth in the room, sighing, "I met His Highness four years ago. He seemed absolutely perfect. It's no wonder Miss Price fell for him. Now that the last obstacle to this marriage has been removed, Miss Price will surely be delighted. But Mr. Edward Ferras won't have the same luck?"
Eleanor looked at the colonel with unusual calm, and then learned that he was willing to offer Edward a position as a clergyman.
Mrs. Ferras grew increasingly angry upon learning that Colonel Brandon, Miss Dashwood's friend, had offered Edward a clergy position. She had hoped her son would realize that without the family's support, he was nothing, and therefore would not allow anyone to help him.
To everyone's surprise, Miss Dashwood surprisingly set aside past grievances and was willing to help Edward, which made Mrs. Ferras even more regretful. Long before she learned that Eleanor was Miss Price's friend, she realized that she should have supported Edward's relationship with Miss Price; perhaps her son could have used it to climb the social ladder and get close to the Duke of Devonshire.
In fact, Colonel Brandon helped Edward because he remembered his own past experience of losing his lover due to being prevented by his family. It was purely out of kindness, so Eleanor naturally respected and appreciated him even more.
To her surprise, although she and Marianne returned to Berkeley Street, the man was quieter than before. She had always noticed the Colonel's attention to Marianne, especially when Marianne was grieving over Willoughby's affair, which led the Colonel to confide in her about the past.
This attention seems less noticeable lately, and Eleanor doesn't believe his feelings have changed, because he still cares deeply about Marianne's situation.
Speaking of which, the colonel always listened intently when people discussed Mary's engagement. Mrs. Jennings didn't believe that Eleanor and Marianne hadn't inquired about anything while accompanying Miss Price these past few days; she couldn't shake her tendency to speculate. Whenever she brought up the topic of the young lady, Colonel Brandon was always there.
Regarding the Colonel's feelings, perhaps Marianne, being one of the parties involved, was the one who understood them better: "Eleanor, the Colonel's good intentions make me feel very ashamed. I have been quite disrespectful to him in the past. I misjudged both him and Willoughby. It turns out that a man in his mid-thirties is not completely devoid of emotion. However, do you remember when Mrs. Jennings joked about him and Miss Price? I think he does admire that lady."
As she said this, Marianne felt a long-lost sense of relief; her love for Willoughby had been misplaced. But was her recent heaviness solely due to Willoughby? Or was it because she had learned from Eleanor of the Colonel's deep affection for her, and felt unable to reciprocate? If the Colonel's attention to her was based on love, then what about his admiration for Miss Price?
When Eleanor heard her sister's words, she initially thought it was just Marianne's usual prejudice based on emotion. However, when she saw the way the Colonel looked at the new Duchess at Miss Price's wedding, she began to doubt that her sister was right.
The wedding was scheduled for April, and Eleanor and Marianne had already packed their bags and were ready to visit Mrs. Jennings and the Palmers at Cleveland House in Somerset.
However, both Miss Dashwood and Colonel Brandon were fortunate enough to be invited by Miss Price to such a respectable event. Mrs. Jennings strongly encouraged the two Misses to go, and the Palmers had to regretfully lose their guests.
The wedding was held in the Duke of Devonshire's family chapel, and at the bride's request, it was not a particularly grand affair; only close relatives and friends of both families attended. Although the Countess of Carlyle no longer objected, William Cavendish cautiously applied for a charter of marriage.
The bride wore a white wedding dress with a white satin base and a long train edge outlined with intricate vine patterns in gold and silver thread. The dress was made of three layers of tulle with different levels of transparency and was decorated with crystals, pearls and diamonds, which sparkled when the light shone on it, creating a dreamlike beauty.
The necklace Mary wore was made by a jeweler at the Duke of Devonshire's behest, using a Kashmir sapphire that he had bought from Richard years ago as the main stone. The other sapphires set on the necklace were almost identical in color, and the accent stones were a circle of diamonds. The whole necklace looked like a circle of seawater highlighting a huge wave.
As for the crown on her head, Mary did not choose the crown inherited from the Cavendish family. Instead, Richard commissioned the same jeweler to make one using Kashmir sapphires and diamonds. Together with matching earrings, it created a unified style with the necklace.
The moment William Cavendish saw Mary, it felt as if everyone around him had vanished; his eyes were only for his future wife. Even after the wedding ended, he still felt a sense of unreality.
The newlyweds rested for a few days in Chatsworth before planning their trip to the European continent, while those left behind in Britain continued to reminisce about the wedding.
After the wedding, Colonel Brandon was tasked with escorting the two Miss Dashwoods back to Barton. On the way, Eleanor expected her sister to be unable to resist asking the Colonel if he loved Miss Price, but to her surprise, she refrained from asking.
“Eleanor, you underestimate me. After everything I’ve been through, I’ve realized that even the most beautiful and moving emotions shouldn’t disregard the feelings of others. The Colonel is in love with Miss Price; if I were to ask him, wouldn’t I be touching on his painful past?”
Marianne's composure impressed Eleanor. With Colonel Brandon as a reliable travel companion, they could easily forget the discomforts of the journey.
When they finally returned to Barton Cottage, Mrs. Dashwood greeted her two daughters with tears in her eyes. Since Eleanor and Marianne left home, Dashwood had received almost nothing but bad news; how could she not miss her two daughters?
As for the fact that her two daughters were fortunate enough to be invited to Miss Price and the Duke of Devonshire's wedding, that was the only happy event during this period.
Mrs. Jennings had already returned to Barton Manor from her second daughter's place, so Eleanor and Marianne were invited by Sir John, the owner of the manor, shortly after their return.
Even Mrs. Middleton was curious and asked the two Miss Dashwoods about the grandeur of Miss Price's wedding, while Mrs. Jennings kept asking questions.
“Is there anyone in the world luckier than this young lady to have found such a perfect husband?” Mrs. Jennings exclaimed. “I wish every young lady in the world could find a good husband.”
At this point, Mrs. Jennings recalled her friend Colonel Brandon, who had once spoken to Eleanor about Edward's clergy position, which she had mistakenly interpreted as a marriage proposal. She immediately brought it up, even teasing the Colonel, because it was indeed a very amusing incident.
“Miss Dashwood, I think the next step is to arrange your wedding with Colonel Brandon. You and the Colonel attended a wedding together. Was he moved enough to propose to you?”
Mrs. Dashwood was quite surprised to hear Mrs. Jennings joking about her eldest daughter and Colonel Brandon. She knew Eleanor and Edward's feelings for each other, and although she didn't think her eldest daughter would forget Edward so quickly, she also thought it would be a good thing if she and Colonel Brandon were together.
However, Colonel Brandon was not there. After sending the two young ladies back to Barton, he bid farewell to his friends and returned to Drafor alone.
Clearly, this woman focused almost all her energy on caring for her younger daughter's suffering, neglecting the fact that her older daughter was also enduring the same pain, and even assuming that she might accept Colonel Brandon so quickly.
After returning to Barton, Eleanor believed she could never find happiness. Then one day, she overheard a servant saying Mr. Ferras had married, and mistaking him for Edward, she could no longer control her emotions. Only then did she realize how much she had neglected her eldest daughter.
Fortunately, it was all a false alarm. Lucy's husband turned out to be Robert Ferris, and Edward was thus freed. He couldn't wait to go to Barton Country House to propose to Eleanor, and to his surprise, he got her.
Marian, having not experienced the serious illness at the Cleveland mansion and having discovered the Colonel's admiration for her, did not develop a closer relationship with Colonel Brandon.
For this young lady, it's hard to say whether she would be happier to maintain a family with gratitude and respect after marrying the colonel, or to be as free and unrestrained as she is now without feeling guilty.
Whether reason prevails over emotion or emotion prevails over reason, aren't both approaches too biased?
The story has ended, but Marianne is still young. At eighteen, she has endless possibilities. Perhaps she will soon meet a young man who falls in love with her at first sight, won't she? At that time, she should learn to deal with emotions properly.
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