Detective Mary

Chapter 17

"You say my apology offended Miss Elizabeth again," Mr. Darcy stopped Mary, "I don't understand."

In fact, this little episode had been resolved long ago when he had helped Mary rebut Miss Bingley. But Mary had to bring it up to worry Mr. Darcy - that she was not worthy of Sherlock Holmes? Even if it's the truth, you can't just say it, okay, don't fan girls want to lose face!

Therefore Mary still hung her signature smiling expression and looked Darcy up and down several times until the latter slightly changed his face, and only then did Mary open her mouth without haste.

"I am surprised, too," she said, "at what you said to Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy? I think she was rather more angry after you asked her to dance."

Mr. Darcy frowned.

"I was only saying," he paraphrased, "that the coldness of the first meeting was my fault, and that I would make up for it with a dance."

"......"

To be fair, it doesn't sound that excessive.

But the statement can really be interpreted in two ways: either he realizes the mistake and is sincere about coming to make amends, or Darcy is arrogant by nature, and after sensing that Elizabeth doesn't like him, he uses it to humiliate her instead.

However, given that Elizabeth had already put Mr. Darcy in the "insolent" category, she naturally interpreted it in a bad way.

It was not Elizabeth's fault that Mr. Darcy had been wrong in the first place, and anyone would have thought that he was making a mockery of the compensation for a dance.

It would not have been a great matter, but ......

Mary's eyes flicked over Mr. Darcy's face.

Thinking back to how he had first broken up Jane and Mr. Bingley in the original, bluntly stating that there was a class disparity between the two of them, and then later confessing to Elizabeth when he himself couldn't contain his feelings, it made Mary laugh to think about it.

This Mr. Darcy is also a true scent patient!

She felt it was better to have as little of this unnecessary tossing and turning as possible.

"Sir," Mary spoke graciously, "there's no one else here, so I'll ask straight out, are you so concerned about how Elizabeth sees you that you've taken a liking to my sister - even a little?"

Darcy was a little surprised, probably not expecting an unmarried lady to ask such a thing outright.

But Mary Bennet, the unmarried lady, had already done quite a few things that baffled Darcy, and thus he didn't continue to dwell on it, but said calmly, "There is one thing that Charles is right about."

Mary: "Hm? What did Mr. Bingley say about me."

Darcy: "With all due respect, miss, it's a shame you're a lady."

Mary: "......"

Isn't that just a way of undermining her lack of femininity!

But it's not as damaging as "You're not good enough for Sherlock". Victorian femininity, or lack of it. Mary didn't think it was a good thing to be a proper lady.

She didn't want to be stuck in the countryside, she didn't want to be a vase around any gentleman who had to run a household and look good at the same time.

Thus Mary was completely indifferent: "You have not answered my question, sir. Do you have a mere crush on Elizabeth, or do you want to marry her?"

Darcy did not move, "What is the difference?"

In this day and age, it really didn't make much of a difference.

Love in the nineteenth century was indeed tied tightly to marriage, and for men and women, if Darcy had fallen in love with Elizabeth, it would have been natural for him to ask her to marry him, just ......

Thinking of Mr. Darcy's first proposal in the original, Mary nearly failed to strain herself, thus revealing a gloating smile.

"Since you're blunt, I'll be blunt too, sir," Mary said, "Elizabeth has four sisters, three of whom you can't see eye to eye with the exception of Jane, and if you marry her you'll have to cope with us for the rest of your life, oh, and add to that a Mrs. Bennet who's always making a fuss. "

"........................"

Assuming that the gaze has the power to attack, Mr. Darcy's eyes could probably kill at this point.

But instead of anger, he was embarrassed. Darcy, who had his heart pierced directly by Mary, stood in silence in front of her for a long time before he finally slowly withdrew his gaze and sighed.

"I owe you an apology as well, Lady Mary."

Darcy changed to a serious look, "When we first met, because you barged right into the side room without Charles' permission, I was led to believe that you were a lady with no sense of etiquette and a love of the limelight."

"And now you don't feel that way?"

"Now, while it's true that you don't care about social niceties, a passionate interest in a case is never due to a desire to be in the limelight, but out of a heart for truth and justice."

Darcy, who uttered the words, still had a stern face, but Mary could read sincerity in his tone and eyes.

"I apologize for my misjudgment, my lady, my arrogance has not only hurt Lady Elizabeth's pride and character, but yours as well."

Actually, Mary didn't care much.

As long as Darcy treated Elizabeth well, it didn't matter what she thought of her.

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for the fact that he was Elizabeth's future husband, and that he was indeed compatible with her, Mary would not have cared about Darcy Dutton; in her eyes, Darcy, who was a large landowner, was not as interesting as Mr. Bingley, who owned a factory.

"I accept your apology," so Mary returned graciously, "but I do not say this to ask you to apologize, but to make a fact clear to you. Lizzie is good-looking, generous, and intelligent. She has no faults of her own, but I must say that neither of my two sisters, nor that mother who can't hide her heart, meet your requirements for decent people. If you really love her, you'll have to accommodate her faults and respect her flaws for what they are."

"You mean to tell me to look the other way with Mrs. Bennet as well?" Darcy frowned.

"I didn't say that."

Mary herself couldn't even "look the other way" at her own mother, could she?

"I just hope you can understand this, Faustus adored Helen, at first it was also adore her skin, but in the end it suddenly realized that the first beauty of the Greeks also has their own joys and sorrows. Although my sister is not as good-looking as Helen, but at least one thing is the same, that is, they are both possessed of both good and bad sides, complete souls."

Mr. Darcy did not speak.

"If you think Lizzie's family is a fault you can't tolerate, I suggest you'd better break off the idea now," Mary spoke frankly, "Oh yes, and you'd better break off Mr. Bingley's too, I don't think he can even take his eyes off Jane as long as she's there! "

Darcy: "............"

Mary exchanged a statement for a scrutinizing look from him, "It sounds like you don't want Mr. Bingley and Jane to be together?"

Mary smiled, "Of course I do, my sister is very fond of Mr. Bingley, she is too shy to express it, but she secretly drags Lizzie and me around calling him Mr. Bingley all the time in private. I want Jane to have a happy life, then her husband must respect her and understand her."

Having said that she added, "Lizzie is obstinate, more so. If you can accept that, sir, I'll pray to God that you get what you want, and if you can't, I'll stop you."

Darcy did not speak, but gave a thoughtful look.

Compared to the last roundabout admonition, this time Mary could be considered straightforward.

Her purpose is also simple: since Elizabeth now no longer misunderstands Darcy, it is best to make Mr. Darcy understand the facts he has to face as well.

The first time he proposes to Elizabeth in the novel, he is soundly rejected because he cannot see her family. If she could, Mary would like Darcy and Elizabeth to stop going back and forth as well, and say that it would be better to get together as soon as possible.

She waited patiently for the other man to finish his thoughts as the silent Mr. Darcy looked back at Mary deeply once more, "Regardless, since Lady Elizabeth misunderstood my apology, it is only right for me to assert my position to her once again."

"Then you may want to sort out your wording properly," Mary quirked one corner of her mouth, "Lizzie is not an unreasonable person."

--Actually, Elizabeth had understood alright, Mary was just sincerely trying to squeeze Darcy.

But ......

Mary winked, a few sly looks emerging from the bottom of her eyes, "Since you're friends with Mr. Sherlock Holmes, I'll put in a good word for you in front of Lizzie if you tell me more about him."

Darcy was concerned, "Truthfulness is required in human interaction, and I have a clear conscience and do not need the flamboyant praise and flattery of others."

Mary: "............" Even for a future brother-in-law, he's too annoying!

Forget it, for the sake of him actually admitting his fault, Mary decided to be generous and let Mr. Darcy off the hook.

She and Elizabeth had come to Netherfield Hall to look after Jane, so Mr. Bingley himself had arranged lodgings for the two Miss Bennets.

Mary returned to her room cheerfully, closed the door, and upon seeing Elizabeth could not help but smile cheekily at the thought of Mr. Darcy's afflicted appearance just now.

Elizabeth, sitting on the edge of the bed, raised an eyebrow, "Why so happy?"

Mary, "Guess what Mr. Darcy said to me?"

Elizabeth averted her eyes, "No guess, not interested."

Mary: "He's hounding me with questions about why you're still mad at him, doesn't even apologize work - he even apologized to me!"

Elizabeth: "Childish ass."

Words to that effect, but the thought that Mr. Darcy, who hated looking at people with his chin at the ball, would go out of his way to express his apologies multiple times made Elizabeth laugh herself.

"It is true that he was rude in the matter," and of course, being the older sister she was, she did not forget to admonish, "but you must not be unforgiving, Mary."

Who told him to call her and Mr. Holmes unworthy!

Mary grudgingly said, "I know, it won't happen again."

That's more like it.

Seeing that she knew her place, Elizabeth did not say much. Although this sister of hers was usually unpretentious and adventurous, she was inwardly sharp and intelligent, and seldom made a mistake in her general direction.

Especially when it came to reading people.

Elizabeth put down the embroidery in her hands and sighed, "You are right Mary, I was wrong about Mr. Darcy and should have given Mr. Holmes a chance."

"Hmm?"

What's with the reference to the detective?

Seeing that Mary was a little confused, Elizabeth continued, "I don't understand a word of what you were saying about the raw materials and risks of cotton origins, and I stayed put just to see what kind of a man Mr. Sherlock Holmes, whom you have praised so much, really is."

So that was it, Mary realized.

She sat down next to Elizabeth and smiled, "He does seem particularly good, doesn't he?"

"Indeed he is, Mr. Holmes is clear thinking and clever, worthy of Mr. Bingley's and Mr. Darcy's trust."

"Right, I told you so."

Look at that smug look, if people had tails, Mary's would be up in the air just because Elizabeth said that.

Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh, she raised her hand and poked Mary's head: "You, don't be too happy. I think Mr. Sherlock Holmes is too smart, which makes him not a considerate person. You'd better not have any side thoughts, I don't think he's a good match for you."

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

I'm sure that Mr. Darcy and I were made for each other, can this even be thought of together, or is it just a kissing sister!

However, even if they all said that, it didn't hurt Mary's mood.

The next day, after breakfast, Mary greeted Mr. Holmes cheerfully when she bumped into him late.