Detective Mary

Chapter 46

The detective thinks Hamp still has a clue in his hand.

He asks Mary to visit Milton sometime, a small northern industrial town where the hero and heroine of the novel "North and South" met.

The story is about Miss Margaret Hale, who, like the Bennet sisters, lives in the idyllic Southern countryside, living a life of leisure and fantasy, until her father, a minister, quits his job and moves the family to the Northern city.

When Miss Margaret Hale first meets Mr. Thornton, the factory owner, he is furious about a worker's infraction, and even hits him.

Thinking about Mr. Thornton's cold face and deeply wrinkled brow and that majestic look ...... Well, to say that Elizabeth's prejudice in Pride and Prejudice came from a misunderstanding, Mary felt that Miss Margaret's ill will toward Mr. Thornton, that was really being scared hard by a rough man.

And where love was to arise in the future, for Mary, it was a clue that needed to be followed up.

It always seems like the picture is a little off.

Mary cried and laughed at the thought: why did all the other heroines fall in love, while she had to go into all sorts of hypocritical and sinister places?

That said, Mary decided to find a way to get to Milton.

It was a request from Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and even if Mary wasn't his fan girl, she should do her duty to help him out of respect for the slum workers and to stop Moriarty's plot. Besides ......

Mary's face flushed at the thought of that handshake the other day.

It was merely a commonplace gesture of etiquette, and the detective had chosen to say good-bye to her in a manner that he and Mary recognized as well as the social code of the day.

But to Mary in the twenty-first century, it was extraordinary.

She knew she shouldn't make a fuss, but human dignity was a strange thing to exist without, and if it wasn't there, if Mary was an authentic nineteenth-century girl, she wouldn't find it a problem if it wasn't there.

But she wasn't.

A sober soul cannot muddle its way back, and Mary, who at one time had an independent self and position, now that she had none, naturally had to find a way to fight for it back. But this was so hard for an unmarried girl at the present time, and Mary faltered and was confused for a long time before a man finally showed her, in a matter-of-fact way, that it was unusual and that he could understand.

What Mr. Holmes had done was merely to treat her normally, but that had meant a great deal to Mary.

He was willing to treat her as an equal, and what about Mary ......?

"To Milton?"

Mr. Bentley did not know what girlish thoughts Mary harbored; in his mind, this sister of his own beloved girl was a real prude, and he took the scarlet in her cheeks to be excitement.

"Not that it would be impossible," said Mr. Bingley, truthfully; "though my principal business is in London, Mr. Thornton will be returning to Milton in a few days, and it is thought that there will be no trouble in entertaining a single young lady of yours."

"No!"

Upon hearing this, the always good-natured Jane rarely toughened up.

It was only a matter of fooling around in London, at least she had her big sister to watch over her; if Mary was allowed to go to Milton alone, would not this little girl turn the world upside down?

"We have lived in London long enough," said Jane softly but more firmly, "even if we were to go out, or away. It would be logical to go back to Longbourn first to explain the situation to our parents."

Right.

Any more wild girl, Mary still counts.

As an unmarried young lady, it was only right that her parents should arrange her whereabouts. Besides, following Mr. Thornton, a gentleman, to Milton might not be a big deal in the North, but it would be gossip in the South.

"Go back first, then," so Mary said, "I miss papa and Lizzie, too."

As well as, her five hats that she had won on a bet.

The trip to London had been short and dreamy, and in that short time Mary felt that she had gained more pleasure than in the whole nineteen years at Longbourn.

This reinforced her idea that no matter what, once she was able to live on her own, Mary must find any way she could to move to London.

Before she left she commissioned the maid at Mr. and Mrs. Gardner's house to deliver a letter to the Irish girl of the same name, Miss Mary Morstan, with whom Mary had agreed that day when she left the slums that she would be regular in writing to Miss Morstan even when she returned to Longbourn.

She hid solemnly in the bottom of her trunk Miss Morstan's hand-sewn cotton dress, the proof of her first adventure in London.

Three days later, Jane and Mary said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Gardner and set out for home.

On the way back Mary was not as happy as she had been when she arrived in London. Jane saw this, and on the way she asked Mary repeatedly about the progress of her new serial, in order to bring Mary's thoughts back from London and Mr. Holmes.

It worked, and not to mention that Mary and Jane talked and came up with quite a few new ideas about the circus burglary.

Victorian England had laid out a sizable railroad network, which allowed Mary and Jane to travel without the hassle and solemnity of the era in which Pride and Prejudice actually took place. But Longbourn is a nondescript southern village, so naturally it doesn't have a train.

So Mary and Jane wrote home beforehand, and Elizabeth, too, returned from the parish where Mr. and Mrs. Collins lived.

The train would stop in Hertfordshire, so Mr. Bennet wrote back that he would meet them at the town where the station was.

Elizabeth arrived before Mary and Jane, and by the time the two London-bound sisters entered the inn, she was already sitting with Mr. Bennet, drinking tea and talking.

Along with them came Catherine and Lydia, who were not content to be alone, and could not stop discussing the need to go to the neighboring bonnet stores to see the new styles in the different towns.

Mr. Bennet, who was evidently annoyed with his two chattering daughters, dropped the paper in his hand as soon as he saw Mary and Jane enter, "Look who's here, our great London writer!"

Mary blushed at Mr. Bennet's banter, "Daddy, that's not funny."

Mr. Bennet took off his glasses and said fervently, "I'm not kidding, the first novel was published in a magazine without a hitch, and it was written like, what was it called, some kind of killer chess game?"

Mary: "......"

Seeing Mary's description of embarrassment, Elizabeth, who was sitting on the sidelines, couldn't help but tickle the corners of her mouth.

Weekdays count Elizabeth and Mary good relationship, see always do not know the sky is thick sister actually also embarrassed, inevitably also follow the opening of the complementary knife: "It is a 'serial killer chess game', Dad, the writing is very wonderful, really do not know Mary's brain are loaded with what, to tell the story in a widower's tone of voice, but also written in a decent way. "

Mary: "............"

Gosh, what a public execution scene.

Mary would never hide the fact that she had been serialized and paid for it from her family. On the one hand, twelve pounds was a small amount, but it was more or less an income; on the other hand, the purpose of Mary's contribution was to prove herself and strive for financial independence.

She had to let her parents know that she was capable of living on her own, and this twelve pounds was just the beginning.

But even so, it didn't mean that she would be indifferent when her relatives discussed Mary's work in person!

"Well," said Jane, smiling good-naturedly and relieving herself when she saw that Mary could not wait to find a crack in the ground, "Mary publishes under a pen name to keep outsiders out of the picture, so let's not discuss it in public."

"Fine, let's not discuss the content."

Mr. Bennet had not seen his three daughters for a long time and was in a good mood, "Then it's always good to talk about income, I heard you took twelve pounds for your first serial."

Elizabeth: "Twelve pounds is not much."

Mr. Bennet has a different opinion, "Twelve pounds isn't a lot to get for the first, so by that reckoning, Mary can aim for twenty-four pounds for the second, forty-eight for the third, and by the time the tenth comes around, she's going to have more property than the dowries of the lot of you put together!"

Jane: "......"

Back in London, Mary had done a math using the same algorithm! True to form, Jane cried and laughed at the father and daughter, even this teasing brain circuitry was the same.

But helpless as she was, Jane was optimistic about Mary's writing journey. She had helped Mary open the readers' letters, so she naturally knew what the readers were looking forward to in the new serial.

Moreover, Jane's nature is generous and gentle, look at her own sister is naturally how good, Mary wrote a serial how can anyone not like, even her kind of readers who can not see the murder case can not help but be curious about the development of the story behind it.

"Mary is very serious," so Jane solemnly complimented, "the first story just published in the magazine, and began to conceptualize the second story, and Mary with me to talk about the idea, I think this story may be even more exciting than the murder case."

"Hmph."

Hearing her father and sister praising Mary, Lydia, who was on the sidelines, snorted coldly.

"It's only twelve pounds."

Mary had caused Lydia to be grounded before she went away, and was reminded of the five hats by her letters every now and then-all five of them! and having to embroider and decorate them herself, while she was touring London, and Lydia was angry at home when she picked up her needle and thread.

Lydia was not pleased to see Mary come back triumphant: "What's twelve pounds enough for? What's there to show off."

Mary raised a smile.

Lydia was aggressive, but Mary wasn't angry, seeing her exasperated expression Mary gloated more than she could handle.

"Ah, I'd forgotten about the hats if you hadn't mentioned them," Mary smirked, "Where are my five hats? I told you I was going to check them myself, they had to look better than the ones you wore, or you'd have to redo them for me."

"Hats, hats, hats," said Lydia, who had been waiting for Mary to say this, "done for you! That's so mean, don't say I'm not a man of my word."

"Just give it to her when we get back," said Jane, warmly; "don't quarrel."

"Go back? I've already brought it here!"

Lydia finally showed a smug smile as well.

Apparently during the time that Longbourn was grounded, Lydia had nothing to do besides embroidering, so she made the bet with Mary her top priority.

Now at least it is over, Lydia heard Mary want hats, without saying a word, turned around and ran to the carriage, directly embroidered five hats to Mary in front.

"One hat is not too much, one hat is not too little."

She huffed, "I'm no worse at my craft than a lady's hat store, and what's the big deal about you getting twelve pounds for writing some novel? I go embroidering and selling hats, and get nothing less than you!"

Mary raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Instead of messing with titillating officers, you're going to become a seamstress?"

Lydia: "You-"

Seeing that her little sister was about to jump out of her skin with anger again, Mary stopped talking to her and examined the hat she had given her with a smile.

In all fairness, although Lydia was frivolous and not very bright, this confidence of hers was not empty.

Maybe it was to gamble, not to let Mary belittle herself, Lydia embroidered these five hats, indeed each better than the other. During the period of confinement there was nothing to do around, and she was not fond of reading, and it was obvious to the naked eye that she had put a lot of thought into her hats.

Selling them for twelve pounds well ...... is not quite realistic, but they do present a few designs. Mary would not dare to say that it is better than the design in London, but it is much more delicate than those sold in the Meryton bonnet store.

Mary contentedly put away five hats, hooked the corner of the mouth.

She raised her eyes to a provocative Lydia, "Don't forget there are five more, I can't wait for Mr. Wickham to 'eat his way back in'."

In saying this, Mary was clearly trying to annoy Lydia, but as she took the word Mr. Wickham out of her mouth, Elizabeth, who was sitting on the sidelines, silently changed her face.

The subtle change in her second sister's demeanor naturally did not escape Mary's eyes.

By the time Mr. Bennet was ready to return to Longbourn with several Miss Bennets, Mary secretly tugged on Elizabeth, whom she had not seen in a long time, when the other sisters were not looking.

"What's the matter," she said, not to be witty, "I see you have something on your mind, Lizzie."

"I'm not ......"

Elizabeth was halfway through her sentence when she saw Mary's burning gaze and certainty, so she knew she couldn't hide it from her, so she sighed and retracted her denial.

"While at Rosings Hall," she said, "Mr. Darcy asked me to marry him."

Oi?

Mary was a little surprised, but not surprised.

Mr. Darcy in the original also proposed to Elizabeth at this time, and now that there was no misunderstanding between the two, and Mr. Darcy had apologized properly, even if Elizabeth rejected Darcy, it would not always make a mess as ugly as the original.

Just ...... what does this have to do with Mr. Wickham?