Chapter 61. Here we are, arriving in Mansfield...
Upon arriving in Mansfield, Mary and her entourage received a warm welcome from her aunt and uncle, her cousin Tom, Edmund, Fanny, and Susan.
Miss Maxwell, in particular, was someone everyone liked even before they met her, because she was William's fiancée. When they met the lively and cheerful Anne, they liked her even more.
After exchanging pleasantries, they sat down in the living room and chatted about the beautiful scenery and newfound knowledge the three young people had seen at Chatsworth House. Anne praised the Duke of Devonshire for his approachable manner.
Aunt Bertram valued this in particular, saying that, in her words, this experience was second only to being received by the King or Regent, and was worthy of being written into the Price family history.
She now thought of her sister, Mrs. Price, and was certain that her later years would be very happy, with such adorable children to bring her honor. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bertram secretly gloated that the in-laws she and Fanny had brought to the Bertram family were in no way inferior to those of other prominent families.
Even the usually serious Sir Thomas was quite proud that Richard and his men had gained the Duke of Devonshire's favor, and he no longer mentioned that his nephew's business dealings were not respectable. Mary watched her uncle earnestly instructing Richard to be loyal to the Duke and not to betray His Highness's trust, and a smile secretly crept onto her lips.
She leaned close to her brother and whispered, "Richard, you really need to think carefully about which county to buy land in. I think your uncle is hoping that one day you'll run for Congress and enter the House of Commons to support your older cousin."
Richard smiled, somewhat tempted by the suggestion.
After finishing discussing this topic of greatest interest to everyone, the men continued to offer their opinions on politics and society. Aunt Bertram was already dozing off, while Mary and Anne's attention shifted to Fanny and the children.
Fanny is only three months pregnant, and her belly is already slightly protruding. Her one-year-old daughter, Frances, is being held in the arms of the nanny. This chubby and beautiful baby has attracted the attention of Mary and Anne. They are playing with the little one, and Mary has even tried to hold her.
After holding her for a while, Mary started to feel tired. She handed Frances back to the nanny and stood next to her sister, saying, "Fanny, are you sure you can handle getting pregnant with your second child so soon? Don't follow our mother's example in this matter. Learn from Aunt Bertram. Having too many children is not a good thing."
Susan, recalling her experience of raising three younger brothers with Mary, said, "I think so too. However, if all babies were as well-behaved and adorable as Frances, it wouldn't matter how many we had."
Fanny looked at her daughter with loving eyes, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, Edmund and I have discussed it and we don't plan to have too many children. He wants to provide the children with the best possible education and living conditions, and we don't want to leave everything to the servants. I plan to take care of the children myself."
These words reminded Mary that, although it was somewhat embarrassing, if a rubber condom could be invented, even if no one dared to use it openly for a while, it would be a great blessing for middle-class families in the 19th century.
At this time, although society kept promoting the idea that women's duty was to give birth and take care of the family, and encouraged men to trap women by having children, the middle class, like in later generations, gradually realized that raising too many children would be a burden on their lives and could not guarantee that their children's social class would not decline in the future.
Some women even began to realize that having too many children was not good for their health, and they consciously practiced birth control. The upper-middle class began to emulate the aristocracy, using separate bedrooms for wives and husbands as a form of contraception.
These women often raised only two or three children to ensure they had ample leisure time for various social and recreational activities, including banquets, dances, book clubs, and theater performances. Critics satirized these "butterflies flitting from one courtyard to another" in newspapers, but this did not deter some upper-middle-class women from spending their time on pleasure.
As for nobles, large landowners, and wealthy merchants, they never needed to personally care for their children, nor did they lack the money to raise them; these people certainly had the means to have many children. However, there were also some upper-class couples who had no affection for each other and simply indulged in their own private lives. Since the invention of the intestine condom, it had only been popular among courtesans, actresses, and prostitutes, and was used secretly by these philandering men and women.
Poor people also love to have children. Some lower-middle-class people, such as the Price family, and lower-class laborers and farmers still have many children. However, this is because harsh living conditions can cause mothers to miscarry or children to die young. Moreover, the children often make their own way in the world after they grow up, which can bring income to the family.
Although Mary only remembered that modern condoms were invented after the advent of rubber vulcanization technology, and she herself lacked relevant chemical knowledge, it didn't matter. She was now wealthy enough to fund chemists to develop the necessary technology and then find a way to commercialize it. She kept this in mind, planning to find out which chemists were conducting related research when she returned to London.
Just then, she heard Fanny say to Anne, who was looking at the child with a surprised expression and was afraid to touch her, "Dear Anne, touch her, don't be afraid."
Anne waved her hand: "Her skin is so delicate, I dare not touch it at all. Have you noticed that she looks a lot like William?"
“You’re just extending your affection to him because of his father, aren’t you? I think little Frances looks more like her father,” Mary smiled. “However, Edmund does look a bit like William, so you’re not wrong.”
When William was mentioned, Fanny and a few other young women inevitably started discussing when he would return. Anne and Fanny never tired of talking about this topic, and Mary and Susan joined in as well. Their voices woke up their aunt.
"I think William will be back soon, that's for sure, after all, he's left a lovely fiancée behind for four months," Aunt Bertram concluded after listening to the girls' discussion.
Although Aunt's analysis was baseless, everyone was happy to hear it and laughed.
Richard also stayed in Mansfield that night, planning to leave for London early the next morning. Mary and Anne, however, were in no hurry; they continued to spend time with their aunt, Fanny, and Susan, enjoying the charm of summer in the countryside.
While Mansfield Park may not be as grand and imposing as Chatsworth, it is still a charming and renowned estate in the county. As Mary rode her horse in Mansfield, she couldn't help but recall her conversation with the Duke of Devonshire in Chatsworth. It was only when her previous life's accustomed attire was considered a crime that she realized how hard-won every right a woman has is.
Mary thought to herself: I've been too lax lately, just having fun and playing. When I get back to London, I need to hurry up and develop the foot-operated sewing machine. And Richard, he's focused all his attention on India right now, and he hasn't helped her set up a garment factory for so long. I might as well rent a factory and give it a try.
They had stayed in Mansfield for over a week, intending to remain until early August before returning to the city, when at the end of July they received a letter from William informing them that he had finally returned. Moreover, he had already traveled from Portsmouth to London and would come to Mansfield to pick them up the next day.
William was eager to see his fiancée. He rushed home as soon as he disembarked, but Mrs. Price, who was already past the period of deep mourning, still did not intend to go out. So he had to take Charles from Portsmouth to Richard's place first.
The youngest brother had clearly been spoiled by Mrs. Price for the past year, and he had become somewhat complacent at home, neither wanting to join the navy nor going to school.
Once in the city, William, John, and Richard didn't spoil their younger brother at all. He would be sent to Wenshi Middle School, just like Tom, and would no longer be able to hide in his mother's arms.
When William arrived in Mansfield, no one had had breakfast yet. The travel-worn young man was led to the dining room by servants and invited to sit down and eat a little more. However, once seated, he only looked at Anne across from him and barely ate anything.
Mary couldn't help but say, "You came too fast, William. Anne and I just read your letter yesterday."
William swallowed the pie in his mouth, looked at Anne and his sister, and said, "As a soldier, one should be decisive and efficient."
Even the slow-witted Mrs. Bertram didn't believe it, but the older cousin Tom looked at his younger cousin, who had said it so seriously, with admiration.
Everyone knew William was in such a hurry because he hadn't seen his fiancée for so long. After breakfast, everyone gave the two of them some space. Susan took her aunt for a walk, while Mary headed towards the clergyman's house. Fanny probably didn't know William had already arrived.
Sure enough, Fanny was overjoyed to learn that her brother had arrived in Mansfield. She and Mary slowly walked towards the mansion, chatting as they went, discussing when the couple would probably get married.
They both agreed that it wouldn't be later than September. Having experienced their wedding plans being interrupted by a voyage once, William would definitely ask the parish priest to issue a wedding announcement as soon as he got back.
When the two women entered the mansion and the living room, the couple was still chatting intimately. It wasn't until a while later that William turned his attention to Fanny and Mary.
"Oh, dear Fanny, where's my niece, little Frances? Anne and I were just talking about her, and they say she looks more and more like me!"
Fanny told her brother that Frances was sleeping, so they didn't wake her and would have to wait a while to see her.
William, of course, wouldn't wake his niece. He chatted with his sisters for a while, and when the topic of when to go to London came up, he kept glancing at Anne.
"The day after tomorrow at the earliest, or maybe we should wait a bit longer? I've already written to my father; they're leaving Brighton to go back to the city soon," Anne replied frankly.
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