Chapter 2 sequence

London, 1841. Although Annabel Payton had been warned numerous times never to ask strangers for money: she made an exception one day...and soon discovered that she should have heeded her mother's advice. It was a rare day off from school for her brother Jeremy.As usual, he and Annabelle went to Leicester Square to see the latest panorama show.They managed to save enough money to buy tickets, and it took two weeks of frugality.Annabelle and her younger brother are the only remaining descendants of the Peyton family. Although they are ten years apart, they are very close. The two babies born after Annabelle died of illness, and neither of them lived beyond the first year of life.

"Annabelle," Jeremy asked back from the ticket office, "do you have any money left?" She shook her head and glanced at him suspiciously, "I'm afraid not, what's the matter?" Jeremy sighed, and pushed back a strand of honey-colored hair that fell from his forehead, "The ticket price for the show has turned around—it's obviously much more expensive than usual shows." "The ad in the newspaper didn't mention the price increase," Annabelle said angrily, pulling the strap of her wallet, hoping to find a missing coin, and muttering "Damn it!"

Twelve-year-old Jeremy looked dismayed at the huge banners hanging from the doorposts of the Panorama Theater. "The Fall and Fall of the Roman Empire: Diorama Effect at its Most Seductive."Since when the show opened two weeks ago.There was an endless stream of visitors, eager to experience the magnificence of the Roman Empire and its tragic demise—"It's like going back in time," one person praised after watching it.Ordinary panoramic performances usually hang canvases around a circular room, placing the audience in a detailed scene, sometimes enhanced with music and special lighting, and at the same time, there will be an interpreter going around the venue to tell about those scenes. A distant place or a famous battle.

According to The Times, however, this new performance presents a "diorama" scene: the canvas is made of transparent oilcloth, with color-filtered lights on the front and back. In the center of the room, three hundred and fifty spectators stand On a rotating stage operated by two people, all the audience can slowly turn during the show. Lighting, silvered glass, color filters, and extras playing the besieged Romans, everything creates a so-called "animated show". "The effect. Annabelle said: The climax of the final simulated volcanic eruption was so realistic that some female audience members screamed and fainted.

Jeremy took the purse from Annabelle's busy hands, zipped up the drawstring, and put it back in her hand. "We have enough money for a ticket," he said quietly. "You go in. I don't really want to see this show anyway." Knowing he was lying about her, Annabelle shook her head and said, "Absolutely not. You go in. I can see the Panorama anytime I want—and you're too old to be at school. It's only a quarter of an hour anyway, and I'm going to the side Check out the shops above." "What store without money?" Jeremy asked, his blue eyes clearly skeptical. "Oh, that sounds interesting."

"The joy of shopping is to see. Not to buy." Jeremy snorted. "That's the stupid thing poor people use to comfort themselves when they walk down Bond Street. Besides, I wouldn't let you walk alone - all the men in the street would jump on you." "Don't be stupid," Annabelle muttered. Her brother grinned suddenly.He studied her graceful cheeks, her blue eyes, the golden-brown luster of her curls pulled back under the simple brim of her hat. "Don't try to be modest. You know your charm for men very well. And, as far as I know. You're happy to use your charm."

Facing her younger brother's ridicule, Annabelle pretended to frown and replied, "As far as you know? Ha! You spend most of your time in school, what do you know about the relationship between me and men?" Jeremy's expression became serious. "That's going to change soon,' he said, and I'm not going back to school this time—I can get a job, which will always help you and Mom even a little bit more." Her eyes widened. "Jeremy, you can't do this. It's going to make Mommy sad. If Dad's still around—" "Annabelle." He cut her off in a low voice. "We haven't got any money. We can't even scrape together five shillings for an extra Panorama ticket—"

"So what good job can you get?" Annabelle said sarcastically. "No education, no social connections. Unless you want to sweep the streets, or run errands for people. Better stay in school until you can find a decent job. And As for me, I'm going to marry a rich gentleman, and everything will be all right." "Without a dowry, how can you find a good husband?" Jeremy retorted. They stared at each other, frowning, until the door opened and a crowd poured past them, toward the rotunda.Jeremy put his arms around Annabelle and led her away from the crowd. "Forget about panoramas," he said listlessly, "we can do other things—things that are fun and don't cost money."

"for example?" After thinking for a while, the siblings found that neither of them could think of an idea, so they laughed. "Master Jeremy." A deep voice came from behind. Jeremy smiled and turned to the stranger. "Mr. Hunter," he said happily, stretching out his hand, "I didn't expect you to remember me" "Me too—you're a head taller than the last time I saw you." The man shook his hand. "School's out, isn't it?" "Yes, sir." Seeing Annabelle's suspicious expression, Jeremy whispered into her eyes, while the tall stranger waved his friend in. "Mr. Hunter—the butcher's son," whispered Jeremy, "I saw him in the butcher's once or twice when Mama let me pick it up. Be nice to him—he's a rich man. "

Annabelle was amused, and couldn't help thinking that Mr. Hunter was too well dressed for a butcher's son.He was dressed in a dressy black coat and new, loose-cut trousers that concealed his lean, muscular frame.Like the other men who entered the theater, he had taken off his hat, revealing ten heads of dark, slightly curly hair.He is tall, with broad shoulders, and looks about thirty years old, with distinct features; a long nose, a wide mouth, and black eyes, so dark that it is difficult to distinguish which is the iris and which is the pupil.This is a very masculine face, with a mocking expression on the tip of the mouth, but it is not frivolous.People with no eyesight can see that this man is by no means an idler, his body and temperament reveal hard work and great ambition.

"My sister, Annabelle. Miss Peyton," said Jeremy. "This is Mr. Simon Hunt." " "Very happy." Hunter said softly, bending over. His demeanor was polite, but there was a gleam in his eyes that made Annabelle shudder strangely.For some reason, she nodded at him while shrinking back under the protection of her brother's arms.What made her uneasy was that she stared at him, seemingly unable to shift her gaze, and they seemed to have a subtle feeling of deja vu. . . . . .Not that they seemed to have met somewhere...but they seemed to have been very close at times, until fate finally got impatient and allowed their paths to cross.It was a strange thought, but she couldn't get rid of it, and she was a little flustered. Under his burning gaze, she seemed to be a helpless prey, her cheeks were hot, and there was a red color that made her embarrassed. Hunter's eyes were still fixed on Annabelle, and he said to Jeremy: "Can I accompany you into the hall?" After an awkward silence, Jeremy pretended not to care and replied, "Thank you, we have decided not to watch it." Hunter raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? The show should be wonderful." Instinctively looking at Annabelle, his eyes moved to Jeremy's face, noticing that there were signs of anxiety written on it.Then he spoke to Jeremy, his voice softened a lot: "There is no doubt that we should never discuss this kind of issue in front of women. However, I still couldn't help asking, "Jeremy boy, is it because Didn't know the price of the ticket had risen in advance?If that's the case, I'd be more than happy to lend you those extra few coins—" "No thanks," Annabelle said quickly, elbowing her brother hard.Jeremy grinned in pain, and looked up to study the man's unpredictable face, "I appreciate your proposal, Mr. Hunter, but my sister doesn't want to—" "I don't want to see the show," Annabelle interjected flatly. "I've heard that some parts of the show are too intense for women. It's too sad. I'd rather go for a quiet walk in the park." Hunter looked back at her, a hint of mockery in his sunken eyes. "Are you so timid, Miss Peyton?" Annabelle was annoyed by this subtle provocation, and pulled Jeremy's arm away without any objection, "It's time to go, Jeremy, let's not delay Henry any longer." Mr. Te, I'm sure he'd love to see the show—" "I'm afraid I'll feel terrible," Hunter said seriously to them, "if you don't watch it together." He looked at Jeremy encouragingly, "I don't want a few shillings to deprive you and Your sister's afternoon entertainment." Annabelle felt her brother hesitate, and she hurriedly whispered beside him: "How dare you ask him to pay for our tickets, Jeremy!" Jeremy ignored her, and answered Henry honestly: "Sir, if I accept you to lend us money, I don't know when I can pay it back to you." Annabelle closed her eyes and let out a weak, embarrassing moan.She was so desperate to hide their financial distress from anyone.And it was unbearable for this man to know that every shilling was so valuable to them. " "Don't worry," she heard Hunter say lightly, "stop by my father's next time you get back from school, and just leave him the money." "Okay then," Jeremy said with satisfaction, and the two shook hands for the loan deal. "Thank you very much, Mr. Hunter." "Jeremy—" Annabelle said softly, her tone could almost kill someone. "Wait here." Hunter turned back and said, he had already strode towards the ticket office. "Jeremy, you know it's a big mistake to borrow money from him!" Annabelle angrily stared at his brother's unrepentant face, "Regret, how could you do this? It's inappropriate, just thinking It is unbearable to want to owe money to such a person” "What kind of guy?" Jeremy retorted innocently. "I told you, he's a rich... oh, I guess you mean he's a scumbag." His lips curled up regretfully. Qiaoqiao smiled, "But it's hard to say that about him, especially for such a rich man. Besides, you and I are not really members of the nobility. We are just hanging on the lower branches of a tree It's just up, that is to say—" "How can a butcher's son be so rich?" Annabelle asked. "Unless Londoners consume far more beef and bacon than I know now, there is a very limited amount of money a butcher can make." "I didn't say he worked in his father's shop. Jeremy told her in a great way. I only said I met him there. He's an entrepreneur." "You mean financial speculators?" Annabelle frowned.In a society where it is vulgar to talk or even think about business, nothing is more uneducated than building a business through investing. "It's better than that," said her brother, "but I don't think it matters what he does or how much he makes, because he's just a farmer." Recognizing the critical tone in her brother's tone, Annabelle squinted at him. "Sounds like you're very democratic, Jeremy," she said coldly; "you don't have to go on and on to show how snobby I am—even if a duke wanted to lend us money for a ticket, I wouldn't." would say no, as well as a professional." "It won't be so hard to say no," Jeremy went on, laughing at the look on her face. Simon Hunt is back and all quarrels are over.He watched them warily with his dark brown eyes, and smiled slightly. "Everything is settled. Let's go in now!" Annabelle was lightly prodded by her younger brother, and took a step forward unsteadily. "Please don't bother with us, Mr. Hunter," she knew to be ungrateful, but there was something about this man that made her nervous.She didn't think he was a man to be trusted... In fact, despite his sad clothes and appearance, he didn't look very educated, the kind of man that an educated woman would never want to be alone with.And her perception of him had nothing to do with his social status—it was an instinctive feeling that his physical strength and manliness were too foreign to her. "I'm sure," she went on uneasily, "that you want to go back to the friend who came with you." After hearing her work, he just shrugged lazily, "There are so many people, I'm sure I won't be able to find them." Annabelle could have argued that he was the tallest one here and would have had no trouble finding his friends.However, it was clear that there was no point in arguing with him.She has to be with Simon.Hunter watched the panorama show together—she had no choice, but seeing Jeremy so excited, her resentment of vigilance subsided a little, and her tone of voice with Hunter softened a lot. "Excuse me. I didn't mean to be mean. I just don't like being in debt to strangers." Hunter glanced at her understandingly, just a very brief glance, but he was aware of everything. "I can understand that feeling," he said, leading her through the crowd, "but there's nothing indebted to it. And we're not all strangers—your family has patronized you for years. My business." They walked into the spacious circular courtyard and stepped onto a huge revolving platform surrounded by cast iron railings and iron gates. - Surrounded by scenes of the Roman Empire depicted in detail.Twelve yards between the canvases of the carousel, filled with intricate machinery, aroused excited discussion.After the spectators filled the revolving stands, the room suddenly darkened, and gasps of excitement and anticipation could be heard.With the sound of the machine turning, a blue light lit up behind the canvas, and Annabel was amazed by the sense of steadiness and realism of the picture.She almost convinced herself that they were standing in Rome at noon.At this time, several actors in togas and loafers appeared on the stage, and the narrator began to tell the history of Rome. The diorama performance was more fascinating than Annabelle imagined, but she couldn't fully devote herself to the landscape unfolding in front of her—she strongly felt the presence of the man beside her.From time to time he bowed his head in her eyes and made inappropriate comments, scoffing at her for being so interested in gentlemen wearing pillowcases.No matter how hard she tried to restrain herself, she couldn't help giggling out loud, prompting disapproving stares from those around her.And then Hunter had to scold her for laughing at such an important speech, which only made her want to laugh even more.Jeremy didn't notice Hunter's exaggerated movements, and he was very absorbed in watching. He stretched his neck eagerly, trying to figure out which parts of the machine produced such magical effects. Hunter suddenly fell silent, and an unexpected enemy obstacle occurred during the rotation of the revolving platform, causing the stands to shake slightly.A few people were knocked off balance, but were quickly steadied by the people around them.Startled by the sudden shaking, Annabelle couldn't stand still, and fell gently into Hunter's safe arms.He let her go as soon as she regained her footing, lowered his head and asked softly if she was okay. "Oh, I'm fine," Annabelle gasped, "I'm sorry, I'm totally fine…" Before she finished speaking, her voice gradually became too low to be heard. She suddenly realized that she had never done such a thing to a man in her life.What to do in such an emergency was far beyond her limited knowledge.All she knew was that she just wanted to continue leaning against him, leaning against his thin, strong and seemingly indestructible body, there was a safe haven when the floor shook under her feet, his smell: the smell of clean man's skin, The light leather scent, and the starched linen scent, all draw her senses and pleasurable anticipation.He was nothing like the aristocratic cologne and pomades she'd been trying to capture for the past six months. Annabelle felt deeply confused, staring blankly at the canvas, but saw nothing, not noticing the change of lights and colors to create the nightfall..., the twilight of the Roman Empire.Hunter looked equally engrossed in the performance, his head tilted toward her, never taking his eyes off her face.Although his breathing remained peaceful.She felt that the rhythm had changed slightly. Annabelle licked Qiangan's lips, "You...you can't stare at me like this." Even though he said it softly, he still heard, "With you here, nothing else is worth seeing." She remained motionless, did not speak, and pretended not to hear his gentle devilish whispers, but her heart began to flutter irregularly, and her toes curled up in her shoes.How could this be happening in a sold out theater with her brother right next to her?She felt dizzy and closed her eyes. This dizziness obviously had nothing to do with the rotation of the stands. "Look!" said Jeremy, pushing Mu eagerly. "They're going to do the volcano scene." The theater was suddenly plunged into darkness, and there was an ominous rumble from the stands.There were one or two startled screams, laughter, and gasps of nervous waiting.Annabelle's spine tensed suddenly, and a hand brushed her back.It was his hand, sliding slowly across her spine... His breath, so fresh and charming... His lips "before she could make any sound, he kissed her tenderly, warm and intoxicating. She She was so surprised that she couldn't move, her hands paused in the air like a butterfly, and his swaying body was gently supported by his waist, and his other hand supported the back of her neck. Annabelle had been kissed before, in the garden, or in the corner of the living room where no one would see her, and bold young men would steal a quick kiss while they were taking her for a walk.But this kiss was completely different from those brief flirtations before... It was so long, it made people dizzy and ecstatic.Her emotions were boiling, too strong to hold back, and she trembled helplessly in his arms.Instinctively, she blindly responded to his tender and endless kisses.In response to her involuntary response, he kissed harder and deeper, taking her on an adventure of enjoyment that set her on fire. Just when she was almost delirious, his lips left her so suddenly that she was bewildered.He still supported her hairy nape with his strong hand, lowered his head and said sorry in her ear, "I'm sorry, I can't help myself." While filling the theater, he disappeared. "You look over there!" Jeremy gleefully pointed at a simulated volcano in front of them, glistening lava that seemed to be flowing down the hillside. "It's unbelievable!" He found that Hunter was no longer around, and frowned suspiciously, "Where is Mr. Hunter going? I guess he must have found his friend." He shrugged and looked at the volcano excitedly again, Wow with the rest of the amazed audience. Annabelle's eyes were wide open, and she couldn't speak at all, wondering if what happened just now really happened.Of course she won't be kissed by a stranger in the middle of the theater.And it was such a kiss... Well, that's what it's like to have a guy you don't know pay for you - you're giving them a pass to take advantage of you.But as for her own behavior. . . .Annabelle felt embarrassed and distraught. ?She wondered why she had allowed Mr. Hunter to kiss her.She should have protested and pushed him away.But her reaction was just the opposite, and she stood there bewildered, letting him—oh, she cringed at the thought. "It doesn't really matter how or why Simon Hunt was able to break down all her strong defenses. The fact is, he has already done it - so, at all costs, all contact with this man must be avoided.