Chapter 22 Chapter 21

Later that morning, Annabelle murmured an apology and was about to leave the breakfast room. "I'm feeling sick again," she said. "I believe I should go back to my room and rest for a while. Fortunately, Mr. Hunter has gone riding, and he won't know that I am sleeping at this time." "I'll accompany you back... back." Evie said with concern. "Oh, Evie, honey, there's no need for that..." "That's the best excuse to avoid Aunt Florence, who's . . . may be looking for me." "Ah, in that case, thank you." Trying her best to suppress her nausea, Annabelle gratefully took Evie's arm and left.

Lillian and Daisy also got up afterward. "I don't think she can keep it from Mr. Hunter for long, do you think?" whispered Daisy. "This is not acceptable." Lilian also replied in a low voice. "I'm sure he'll be suspicious, Annabelle is usually as strong as a colt." "Possibly. But, I've heard men sometimes overlook those things..." They left the breakfast room and saw Mrs. Olivia alone in the corridor, her delicate face was covered with a layer of anxiety.It was odd to find her frowning, as she was usually a jovial woman who didn't know what was bothering her.

Looking up, Mrs. Olivia saw the two sisters, her face lit up, and a warm smile emerged from the corner of her mouth. "Good morning." Although Olivia is only two to three years older than Lillian, she looks much more sophisticated, with eyes that see the vicissitudes of life.Lillian has an indescribable feeling that makes her awkward with Olivia; although the Earl's sister is a charming talker, she still feels that some questions should not be asked, and some topics are too much. sensitive. "I'm going to the Orangery Greenhouse," Olivia said. "Then we won't delay you." Lilian replied, a little embarrassed to see some Westcliff-like marks appearing on a woman's face...not obvious, but in the eyes and smile have clear similarities.

"Stay with me." Olivia begged, as if impulsively driven, she reached out and held Lillian, her small fingers wrapping Lillian's much slender hands. "I've just had the most interesting conversation with the Earl, and I'd love to discuss it with you." oh my god.He told his sister, and probably his mother.Lillian cast a vaguely panicked glance at her sister, who said there was nothing she could do. "I'm going to the library to look for a novel," declared Daisy cheerfully. "The one I'm reading right now is a little disappointing, but don't mind throwing it away."

"Go to the last shelf on the right, second up from the floor," Olivia suggested. "Look for the ones in the back of the front row, where I hide some of my favorite novels - wicked stories that naive girls shouldn't read, they'll drive you down." Hearing this, Daisy's black eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you!" She ran away without looking back, and Olivia grinned. "Come on," she said, leading Lillian through the morning room. "If we were sister-in-laws, there are some things you'd want to know. I've got tons of sources and I feel like a gossip right now."

Lillian laughed and followed her to the Orangery Greenhouse attached to the Morning Room.It was warm and fragrant here, with the midday sun streaming in and steam coming from the iron grating on the floor. "Not quite sure we'll be aunts yet," Lillian said, sitting with her on a rattan French settee. "If the Earl had hinted that something was agreed upon—" "No, he didn't go that far. In fact, he just showed that he has some very serious intentions for you." Olivia Hazel's green eyes were bright with a smile and inquiry, but there was also a look of vigilance in it . "No doubt I should be decent enough to stay out of my own business, but I just can't help it, and I want to ask... are you ready to accept him?"

Lillian, who had never thought of herself as inarticulate, now found herself stuttering like Evie. "me……" "Forgive me," she said sympathetically. "As those who know me best can attest, I love to hear about people's relationships. Hope I didn't offend you." "Not really." "Great. I never seem to get along well with people who are easily offended." "Me too," Lillian confessed, her shoulders relaxing, and they both smiled. "Madame, the situation is—of course you may not know the details, unless the Count—" "No." Olivia comforted softly. "As always, my brother is tight-lipped about details. He's a nasty private man who loves to torment curious people like me. Please go ahead."

"I'm really ready to take him," Lillian said earnestly. "But I still have reservations." "Of course." Olivia said quickly. "Max is an irresistible man, he does everything well and everyone knows that. But you can't accept that he has a hand in everything, like you brush your teeth, you don't have to He came to advise whether you should start with the molars or the front teeth." "That's right." "He's annoying, too," Olivia went on. "It's always too absolute to see things—right or wrong, good or bad. He's stubborn and assertive, not to mention never admitting that he can make mistakes."

It was clear that Olivia was going to rant about Max's shortcomings, but Lillian suddenly had the urge to defend.After all, it's not fair to paint him so crudely. "Those may all be true," she said. "But the Earl of Westcliff should be trusted to be very upright. He will always keep his promises. Even if he is arbitrary, he only wants to think of the best for others." "I suspect..." Olivia's uncertain words made Lilian want to make it clear. "Also, a woman who marries the Earl of Westcliff will never have to worry about him cheating, he will be very loyal to her, he will make her feel safe, because he will always take care of her and never In a critical moment, they panic and have no assertiveness.”

"But he's really headstrong—" Olivia insisted. "It's not—" "And the nature is cruel." Olivia shook her head regretfully. "Oh, no." Lillian became excited. "Not at all. He's the most—" She broke off, turning crimson as she saw Olivia's satisfied smile.She was subjugated skillfully. "Miss Bowman," Olivia said softly. "You sound like a woman in love, and I fervently hope you are. Because it took too long for Max to find you... I'd be very upset if his love wasn't reciprocated." Distressed."

Lillian's heart flinched from the unexpected blow. "He doesn't love me," she said uncertainly. "At least not any sign of that." "I'm not surprised, my brother expresses his feelings more with actions than words. You have to be patient with him." "I find that to be the case," Lillian replied gloomily, and the other woman laughed. "I don't know him as well as my sister Eileen. They are closer in age. Before going to America with my husband, she was his confidant girlfriend. Every time I was about to kill Max, it was love. Lin made me know him better." Lillian listened attentively to the soft, sweet and mellow voice, appearing very quiet.It wasn't until now that she realized how much she wanted to know about Max.She had never understood before why lovers were so preoccupied with collecting memorabilia: letters, hair, dropped gloves and rings; now she understood what it was like to be infatuated with someone.She was full of longing, unable to help but want to know the smallest details about the man who seemed so simple and easy to understand, but in fact remained elusive. Olivia put one hand up on the armrest and gazed thoughtfully at the plant-filled shelf next to them. "Max never mentioned his past to people because he thought it was cowardly to complain and lament, and would rather die a little bit slowly than be the object of sympathy. So what I say to you, if he knows a word, he would cut off my head." "I'm good at keeping secrets," Lillian promised. Olivia smiled quickly, then stared at the tips of her shoes showing the ruffles of her dress. "So you'll settle in well at the Marsdens, everything in our family is a little secret; none of us likes to dwell on the past. Max, Eileen and I were tortured by our parents in different ways, and they both , in my opinion, no one is suitable for raising children. My mother has no interest in anyone but herself, and nothing that directly affects her; and my father is a stranger to his two daughters. .” "I'm sorry," Lillian said sincerely. "No, we were blessed with his indifference, and we knew it. He was much worse for Max, who was my father's deranged ideas about how to educate the heirs of Westcliff. Victim of her." Although Olivia's voice was still quiet, Lillian felt a chill run through her body, and she raised her hand to wipe her sleeves to soothe the needle pricks on her arms. "My father couldn't stand any imperfections in his son, and he set ridiculously high standards for every aspect of Max's life, and punished him harshly if he couldn't meet them; Max learned not to fall off the whip Not a single tear, not even the slightest sign of defiance, or the punishment would be doubled. My father was extremely cruel to any show of weakness: I asked Eileen once why Max never liked dogs... She told me he was a child When he was young, he was very afraid of a pair of wolfhounds that his father kept as pets, but the dogs sensed his fear, so they showed aggressiveness towards him, growling whenever they saw him; later, when his father found out that Max was afraid of them, he Lock him in the room alone with those two dogs and force him to face his worst horrors. I can't imagine what it must be like for a five-year-old boy to be locked up with a brute like that for hours." She smiled sadly. "My dad said 'to the dogs' and that must have been literal; he was supposed to be protecting his son, but he chose to send him to hell instead." Lilian stared at Olivia without blinking. She wanted to speak and ask questions, but her throat became very tight.Max always seemed so confident that it was hard to imagine him ever being a frightened child.And his indifference and refusal must all come from the painful childhood lessons, no one can help him, no one can protect him from fear.And the absurd thing is that although Max is now a fully grown man, she longs to comfort the little boy in him. "My father wanted his heir to be independent and hard-hearted," Olivia continued. "That way no one can take advantage of him. So whenever he sees that Max is interested in someone, like a favorite nanny, she gets fired immediately; Because of this, he started alienating everyone he loved—Eileen and me—just not to lose them. As I understand it, things only improved when Max was sent to school, where his friends became Expedient family." That's why Max is going to stand firm on his friendship with St. Vincent, Lillian thought. "Didn't your mother ever intervene in the interests of her children?" she asked. "No, she's too caught up in her love affairs." Both of them were silent for a while.Olivia waited patiently for Lillian to speak, as if she understood that she was trying to digest the message she heard. "The death of the old earl must have been a great relief," she murmured. "That's right. This is really the saddest evaluation of a person's life, because the world has changed for the better because of his absence." "His attempts to make your brother ruthless didn't work out." "Yes, indeed." Olivia said softly. "I'm glad you can see that, my dear. But Max, from birth to now, still needs... light." Their conversation did not reduce Lillian's curiosity about Max, but instead caused her to have more questions, so many that they overflowed.But her acquaintance with Olivia was still too shallow to be sure how far her problems could go before they ended amicably. "In your opinion, ma'am," Lillian ventured at last. "Has the Earl of Westcliff seriously considered whom to marry before? I hear he once had feelings for a woman..." "Oh, that...they're nothing, really. Even if Viscount St. Vincent hadn't pursued her, Max would have grown tired of it pretty quickly. Believe me, if Max was willing to fight for her, she might actually be his. But he seems It was never understood—we could see it clearly—that it was just a ploy by her to arouse his jealousy and induce him to marry her. But her plan failed because Max wasn't really interested in She's interested. She's just one of those long lines of women... Well, as you can guess, Max has never been short of female attention, and he's kind of spoiled for that, self-styled Years later, there will be women vying to fall into his arms." She gave Lilian a smiling look. "I'm sure his eyes light up when he meets a woman who dares to go against him." "I'm not sure that 'beautiful' is his first choice of words." Lilian replied bitterly. "However, if I don't like what he's doing, I don't hesitate to tell him." "Good." Olivia said. "That's exactly what my brother needed. Few women—and men, in fact—would defy him. He was a strong man and needed an equally strong wife to balance his character." Lillian caressed the skirt of her light green dress unnecessarily, and said cautiously: "If the Earl of Westcliff and I marry...he will face many criticisms from relatives and friends, no Is it? Especially the Countess's." "His friends would never dare," Olivia said quickly. "As for my mother..." she hesitated for a moment, then said frankly. "She has known for a long time that she is very dissatisfied with you, and I suspect that she will be the same in the future, but she also dislikes almost everyone. Does her objection to your union bother you?" "No reason, this tempts me even more." Lillian said, making Olivia burst out laughing. "Oh, I really like you," she gasped. "You must marry Max, because I am very happy to have a sister-in-law like you." After calming down, she looked at Lilian with a warm smile. "There is also a selfish reason for wanting you to accept him. Although Mr. Sean and I are in no rush to return to New York, I know that day will always come. By then, I will be relieved to know that Max is married Now, someone cares for him, even though his sisters live so far away." She stood up from the bench and smoothed her skirt. "I'm telling you this because I want you to understand why it's so hard for Max to fall in love. Difficult, but not impossible. My sister and I, with the help of our husband, are finally moving from the shadows of our past. Released; but Max's chains are the heaviest. I know he's not the man to love without effort, but if you can meet him halfway...or more than halfway...I believe you Will never regret it.” The manor gathered a throng of industrious servants, reminiscent of bees in a hive, engaged in the intricate and trivial work of packing their master and mistress.Most of the guests will leave the day after tomorrow, and some have already set off.In fact, few people are willing to leave early, because no one wants to miss the grand farewell ball that will be held on the last night of the party. Lillian began to have frequent intimacy with her mother, who was now directing (or harassing, to be more precise) the diligent work of the two-room maid, folding and packing hundreds of items into huge leather suitcase for the footman to carry.After all that had happened in the past day or two, Lillian had expected her mother to spend every word, every gesture, in trying to plan her engagement to Lord Westcliff.However, Mercedes is surprisingly quiet and doting. Whenever she talks to Lillian, she seems to choose her words with extreme care; what's more, she doesn't mention "Westcliff" at all. Character. "What's the matter with her?" Lillian asked Daisy, confused by her mother's submissive attitude.It is gratifying not to have to quarrel with Mercedes, but at the same time, Lillian also began to expect that Mercedes will eventually be unbearable like an overloaded cavalry. Daisy answered mischievously with a shrug. "My supposition is that since you have always acted contrary to her advice, and in the Lord Westcliff's way, Mum has decided to let you do it yourself. I expected she would Be deaf to anything you do, as long as you keep the Earl's interest." "So... even if I want to sneak into the Earl of Westcliff's room tonight, she will not object?" Daisy laughed softly. "Maybe she'll sneak over for you, if you ask." She gave Lillian a mischievous look. "What are you going to do, alone with Lord Westcliff in his room?" Lillian felt her face turn red. "negotiation." "Oh, that's what you call that?" Holding back her smile, Lillian narrowed her eyes. "Don't make one-liners, or I won't tell you the horrible details later." "I don't need to know from you," said Daisy cheerfully. "I've read it in the novel recommended by Mrs. Olivia...Now I dare say I know more than you and Annabelle put together." Lillian burst out laughing. "Honey, I'm not sure that those novels are exactly right about men . . . and that." Daisy frowned. "Incorrect? Where do you mean?" "Well, not all types are... you know, lavender haze, swoon, all sorts of coloraturas like that." Daisy was really upset. "Won't you faint at all?" "For heaven's sake, you don't want to pass out, or you'll miss something." "No, I think. At first I'd like to stay awake, but then I'd rather pass out." Lillian stared at her with surprise and amusement. "why?" "Because I've heard it's extremely uncomfortable, not to mention disgusting." "no." "Not what? Uncomfortable, or disgusting?" "Neither," Lillian said matter-of-factly, though she wanted to laugh. "Really, Daisy. I gotta tell you it's the exact opposite. It's actually wonderful, really." Her younger sister gave her a thoughtful, suspicious glance. "If you say that." Smiling to herself, Lillian felt a shiver of longing at the thought of being alone with Max the night that would follow.Her conversation with Mrs. Olivia in the Orangery conservatory made it even clearer how unusual it was for Max to let her guard down to such an extent. Perhaps their relationship is still full of unknowns, after all, they will still fight.But she should be able to find a way to judge that some things are worth fighting for and others she can just let go of as trivial; and Max has always shown that he is more than willing to accommodate her.For example, the last time she apologized to him in the library, Max could have shattered her self-esteem, but he didn't. This is not the behavior of a tough man who doesn't know how to compromise. If she was a little more subtle, like Annabelle, Lillian thought, she would be able to handle Max better.But she was always too blunt to play those little female tricks.Ah, well, she thought sarcastically, I don't need any little tricks to get by... I guess I can do well, as long as I'm the way I am now and poke a little more. Lazily picking out some accessories for her attire in a corner, Lillian put aside some necessities so they wouldn't get packed up before leaving for the day after tomorrow.Her silver-back comb, a pile of hair pins, a new pair of gloves... and then she paused, fingers touching the bottle of perfume that Mr. Nutt had sold her. "Oh my God," she murmured, sinking into a spindle-shaped velvet chair and contemplating the gleaming vessel in her palm. "Daisy...should I tell the Earl that I gave him a love potion?" Her sister seemed horrified by the idea. "I'd say no. How did you even think of telling him?" "Honesty?" Lillian prompted. "Honesty is an unnecessary extra. As someone once said, 'secrecy is the first element in the affairs of the mind'." "It's Duke? de Richelieu," said Lillian, who had read the same philosophy book in their tutoring classes. "And the correct quote is, 'Secret is the first element in affairs of state'." (Richelieu: That's the cardinal in the book) "But he's a Frenchman," argued Daisy. "I'm sure he meant mind, too." Lilian smiled and looked at her sister lovingly. "Perhaps. But I don't want to keep a secret from Lord Westcliff." "Oh, very good. But mark my words - if you don't have a few little secrets, it's not true love."